THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 189 



83 bales were grown in the Salt River Valley; in 1912, 262 bales, and 

 in 1913, approximately 3,000 bales. This was all sold to the American 

 Thread Company, of ISTew York. 



The cotton grown at Yuma was placed in six grades by an Eastern 

 expert. This first grade ran from lj\ to 1^ inches in length, was extra 

 fine and silky; the second, IfV to U inches; the third. If inches; the 

 fourth, 11 to 1§ inches; the fifth, 1^ to 1^ inches; sixth, Ij to 13 inches, 

 and dirty. There were 58.6 in the third class, 9.8 in the first class, 

 and 9.3 in the second. The main bulk of the imported, averages 

 If inches, which equals the third grade. Selections have been made 

 that produce an even staple, IM inches long, and from results of trials 

 so far made, it appears that a longer and better staple can be grown 

 here than is imported. 



The Egyptian cotton has yielded as much of the sluu-t staple as two 

 bales per acre in plat tests, and has done well in field trials when 

 planted early, which is quite essential, as Egyptian cotton demands a 

 long growing season. 



From the foregoing it can be seen that first class Egyptian cotton 

 can be successfully grown and put in competition with the imported, 

 with the probability that th'j home grown product will be superior to 

 the imported. 



Egyptian cotton can be grown with little more expense than short 

 staple. The extra cost is on account of the extra care required in 

 irrigation and cultivation and in the selection of good seed, which is 

 necessary to produce a uniform, high grade staple. The difference 

 would come largely in the management, care being necessary that 

 the work be done at the right time and in the right way. The cost 

 of picking the cotton is higher on account of the small size of the 

 bolls and the character of the growth. One man, however, can pick 

 as much as 200 pounds per day, and an average picker can make 

 from $2 to $2.50 per day at 2 cents per pound, as has been proved 

 by Arizona experience. This is twice the cost of picking short staple 

 (for seed cotton and the actual lint is more than twice the cost, 

 because of the loAver ginning percentage of the Egyptian cotton), 

 but does not make up for the difference in price, which for the first 

 commercial grade averages from 9 cents to 12 cents higher than for 

 the short staple. A bale of Egyptian cotton will bring from $100 to 

 $115 per bale, as against $50 to $65 for short staple. 



Egyptian cotton, then, is a superior long staple cotton, admirably 

 suited to California conditions ; it yields well and demands a premium 

 on the market of from 9 cents to 12 cents for the first grade, and 

 costs but slightly more (outside of picking, which is higher). In 

 California this kind of cotton should be particularly satisfactory, 

 especially in the more thickly settled portions of the State, as it fits in 

 well with the small holding that is intensively cultivated. As suggested 

 before, the picking on a small diversified farm could be largely done by 

 the family— the picking is lighter work than almost any other outdoor 

 labor— as the Egyptian plants are large, so that much of the cotton can 

 be picked standing up. The need for clean picking, which can only be 

 done by careful work, does not add much, but rather subtracts from the 

 hardship of the work. In this way the extra cost of picking the 



