GROWING COTTON IN ARIZONA 



By G. B. Tlwinpsoii and C. J. Wood 



TYPES OF COTTON 



At the present time two general types of cotton are grown in 

 Arizona — the American Egyptian, represented by the Pima variety, 

 and the short staple, represented by the variety called Mebane's Tri- 

 umph or Mebane and others more or less similar. 



American Egyptian is so called because the original stock, from 

 which our present strains were secured, came from Egypt. We are 

 indebted wholly to the United States Department of Agriculture for 

 the selection and development of the varieties now used in Arizona. 

 Fiber of this cotton is longer and stronger than the fiber of the varie- 

 ties commonly called short-staple cotton. The bolls are smaller, usually 

 having three locks or parts instead of five, as is the case with short- 

 staple cotton. In general the plants are larger and coarser, and the 

 shape of the leaf is different, making it very easy to distinguish the 

 two general classes under field conditions. The Salt River Valley and 

 the Santa Cruz Valley are growing but one variety of cotton — the 

 Pima variety of American Egyptian. The Yuma Valley and the Up- 

 per Gila Valley are growing principally short-staple varieties — Me- 

 bane's Triumph being the most important one at the present time. 



The discussions of this bulletin refer primarily to American Egyp- 

 tian cotton. At the end of the bulletin those particulars in which 

 short-staple cotton differs from long staple are given special mention. 



SEED 



Great pains to secure the best possible seed should be exercised 

 by all who grow cotton. Seed of an inferior strain will result in a de- 

 creased yield and a poor quality of fiber. It is advisable for farmers 

 to buy seed for planting purposes from responsible cotton growers' 

 associations. At least one of these associations at the present time (and 

 others are preparing to do the same) make it a business through their 

 cotton experts to produce and sell high-quality seed to members of the 

 association. One of the associations now maintains, and the other as- 

 sociations should maintain, a separate gin for handling this cotton. 

 Cotton seed that goes through the regular commercial gins is certain 



Acknowledgment: The authors of this bulletin wish to express grateful ap- 

 preciation to H. C. Heard, J. W. Longstreth, C. K. W^ildermuth, and others for 

 reading the manuscript and offering many helpful suggestions. 



