Arizoxa Agricultural F-xperiment Station 447 



In furthering this work the Department of Agronomy in coopera- 

 tion with the Extension Service and the County Agent of Yuma 

 County, and in cooperation with the Yuma Ah"alla Seed Growers' 

 Association, has inspected all fields of the Yuma \^alley and deter- 

 mined whether or not they were of commercially pure Hairy Pe- 

 ruvian alfalfa. Seed produced from such fields as have been fouu'l 

 satisfactory has been handled under precautions which prevent the 

 mixing of seed, either in threshing or in cleaning, and has been 

 sold in sealed sacks bearing a certified tag showing that the seed 

 was produced from fields growing commercially pure Hairy Peru- 

 vian alfalfa. This work has added many thousands of dollars to 

 the sale price of alfalfa seed sold by Yuma Valley farmers and if 

 its good results are not destroyed by commercial companies, it can 

 and will be the basis of a thriving and permanent seed industry 

 in that locality. We are now planning to handle similar work 

 with other crops in other sections of the State. 



COTTON IMPROVEMENT 



In 1918 the cotton industry in the Yuma Valley was in an 

 unsatisfactory condition, due to the haphazard introduction of cot- 

 ton seed of different varieties by farmers and by seed houses. 

 Through the crossing of these varieties over a term of years, the 

 lint had deteriorated until it was very uneven in length and inferior 

 in quality. 



In the spring of 1919, in order to improve the quality of the 

 lint and secure pure seed for general distribution, a small supplv 

 of excellent ]Mebane Triumph seed was imported from Lockhart, 

 Texas. This seed was furnished to a few picked farmers of the 

 valley who agreed to grow it under strict supervision of the 

 Agronomy office. These fields were rogued during the summer 

 and the crop ginned under special regulations in order to keep tl'.- 

 seed free from mixture. In the spring of 1920 there was seed suffi- 

 cient to plant 320 acres. Ten acres of this tract were rogued ic 

 maintain the purest seed possible and all of the cotton from this 

 320 acres will be ginned under strict supervision. 



As a result of this work, we estimate that there will be avail- 

 able in the spring of 1921 enough good quality Triumph seed to 

 supply all farmers in Yuma Valley who desire such seed. 



Similar work is now being started in Cochise and Graham 

 counties 



