6 CIRCULAR NO. 121, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



MINOR DETAILS. 



It would seem unnecessary to call attention to the danger of mix- 

 ing Durango seed with other varieties at planting time, but acquaint- 

 ance with carelessness in the small details of cotton handling makes it 

 apparent that warnmg shoukl be sounded against the possibDity of 

 mixing in each operation connected with the planting and growing 

 of the crop. This is important in cases where the Durango and 

 Mebane cotton are planted on the same farm. Sacks containing 

 Durango seed should ho marked "Durango." The handling of the 

 seed should not be hitrusted to incompetent hired help, who might 

 not appreciate the importance of such details. The planting machine 

 should be thorouglily cleaned of any seed which may have become 

 lodged while planting seed of another variety. 



PROPER TILTH. 



Instances have occurred in the planting of cotton in the Imperial 

 Valley where replanting has been necessary because of poor tilth. 

 It would be a serious loss to the industry if any of the clean seed were 

 to fail to yield a good stand through lack of thorough and special 

 preparation of the land. There is a very limited supply of clean 

 Durango seed and none with which to replant. 



CLEAN CONVEYANCES. 



Special care to prevent mixing must be exercised at picking time 

 as long as other varieties of cotton are being harvested in proximity 

 to the Durango or even in the same valley. Wagon racks in which 

 other cottons have been hauled should be cleaned of stray bits of seed 

 cotton before loading Durango cotton. Cars in which Durango seed 

 cotton may be transported to the gins should likewise be properly 

 cleaned. The identity (number and name) of the car in which the 

 clean Durango seed cotton is carried should be clear to grower and 

 ginner alike immediately on shipment. The producer should accom- 

 pany his clean Durango seed crop to the gin and assist the ginner 

 in seeing that the conveyors to the gin stands, the feeders, and the 

 cleaners are thoroughly cleaned of other cotton seed previous to 

 ginning the Durango. The aprons of the gin stands should be re- 

 moved and the seed sacked from the floor in front of the stands in- 

 stead of being caught in wagons after passing through the screw con- 

 veyor beneath the stands. One can not honestly claim that his 

 seed is salable for planting purposes unless he takes every precaution 

 to preserve its purity. 



HANDLING PLANTINGS OF MIXED SEED. 



A certain responsibility to the cotton industry of the Imperial 

 Valley rests on those who plant mixed Din-ango seed. Their imme- 

 diale responsibility consists in doing their utmost to ])rovide first- 



(Cir. 121] 



