Si'ia'ii-ic M.\Ki;i:riN(. TuoitLKMS .?7 



panics. Several tliousand acres, however, of this type, together witli 

 most of the Pima cotton was open for competitive bid.-, at the be.s:innin^' 

 of the pickinjT^ season. 



Cotton marketing: is largely an individual pn^imsition and there 

 are no farmers' co-operative associations designed entirely for the 

 marketing of cotton. In 1917 representatives of thread companie.-;. 

 together with buyers representing important cotton factors in the East, 

 offered an outlet for that cotton which was not .sold for tire fabric. 

 The commercial center of the cotton industry in the Salt River \alley 

 !.; at Tempe. At this point there is the only large open cotton market 

 in the Vallev and competitive buying is conducted on a more extensive 

 scale than at an\ other ])oint. 



A .serious difficulty in 1917 was the lack of authentic informa- 

 tion on the part of the growers concerning prices for Sakellardies and 

 other Egyptian cottons. This, together with the confusion of ideas 

 conccrnhig the relative commercial values of Arizona long staple cot- 

 ton and the im])orted product from Egypt provoked an imsettled 

 market. The (|uestion of relative values was settled largel\ by pre- 

 liminary reports made by the cotton expert of the United States 

 department of Agriculture. These rei^orts. cou])led with authentic 

 i^rice quotations on ICgyptian cottons, determined primary prices paid 

 to ])roducers and offered the first .satisfactory price basis established 

 in the \alley. With preliminary prices established at a fair figure, 

 the bulk of the sales was made at prices which reflected true values 

 under conditions ])revailing on the long staple cotton market. It i-^ 

 desirable that authentic price quotations for Egyptian and Sea Island 

 cottons be published in local papers i)eriodically throughout the season 

 in order that growers may be informed as to general long staple cotton 

 conditions. It is also desirable that an open competitive market be 

 maintained in the Valley in order that producers may benefit by gen- 

 eral market changes. It may prove necessary for growers to consign 

 some of their product to storage in New England if prices in the local 

 market are not satisfactory. Cotton stored at some convenient point 

 in New England would be readily salable as spot cotton to spinner, 

 who might not otherwise manifest an interest in Arizona cotton. Action 

 of this sort would presuppose some form of co-operation among the 

 growers. As a matter of fact, it probably will be necessary for the 

 growers to consider at an early date the question of uniting for 

 co-operative marketing. 



