28 CIRCULAR NO. 123, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



with othor varieties or typos of cotton. In order to insure this, it is 

 very desirable that in each community only one variety or class of 

 cotton be grown. Tliis is important, not only from the standpoint 

 of keeping the seed supply pure, but also in order to avoid confusion 

 in the minds of cotton buyers with reference to the class of cotton pro- 

 duced in each section. It is possible, for instance, for the farmers of 

 the Salt River Valley, by cooperating in maintaining the purity and 

 quality of their seed supply and in carefully handling and harvesting 

 their crops, to develop a reputation for their cotton wliich will be a 

 commercial asset of great value. Such a result would be impossible 

 if several different kinds of cotton were grown in the same region. 



In the Imperial Valley the size of the land holdmgs and the labor 

 supply are such that it appears desirable for the farmers of that com- 

 munity to specialize on a big-boiled and hence easily picked variety 

 of long-staple Upland cotton, such as Durango; rather than on 

 Egyptian. In the Salt River Valley, however, conditions appear 

 to be more favorable for the development of a cotton industry on 

 the basis of the Egyptian type. There the land holdings are gen- 

 erally smaller, the labor supply more abundant, and it has been dem- 

 onstrated that fiber of very high quality and value can be produced. 



There remain several important steps to be taken by the cotton 

 growers of the Salt River Valley before the cotton industry can be 

 said to be well established. Larger and more efficient ginning plants 

 must be established, and satisfactory arrangements must be made 

 for the disposal of the seed, either by erecting an oil mill in the valley 

 or by marketing the seed at some outside point. The cotton growers 

 should definitely associate themselves for the purpose of establish- 

 ing and maintammg market grades of cotton which shall be uniform 

 throughout the season and shall fluctuate as little as possible 

 from one season to another. They should also make arrangements 

 for storing the cotton in warehouses after it has been gmned and 

 baled, under circumstances which Avill make it possible to borrow 

 money upon it until it can be marketed to advantage. It is very 

 undesirable to be compelled to sell cotton as soon as the crop is ginned 

 in order to raise money to pay for the cost of production. 



It is also extremely unportant that every precaution be taken to 

 avoid the mtroduction of the boll weevil and other noxious insects 

 into the cotton-producing sections. It is by no means certain that 

 the boll weevil will thrive under irrigated conditions m the Southwest, 

 but the risk is too great to excuse negligence in this matter. Fmally, 

 it is of the utmost importance to the future of the Egyptian cotton 

 industry m the Southwest that the farmers take up very seriously the 

 question of maintaming an adequate supply of pure seed of liigh- 

 yielding and uniform varieties. 



[Cir. 123J 



