COTTON FIBER SCIENCE — PALMER 483 



the cut Sea Island mixtures were found to be approximately 50 per- 

 cent stronger than comparable yams spun from upland cottons of 

 similar natural lengths but characteristically of appreciably coarser 

 fibers. These results were later to be confirmed in experiments with 

 a most extraordinary natural cotton, the native Hopi found in the 

 mountains of southern Arizona. This extremely fine and thin-walled 

 but very short-stapled cotton, obtained through the cooperation of the 

 late Thomas Kearney, performed amazingly well in the spinning 

 process and produced a yam of incredibly high strength, staple length 

 considered. With the evidence thus gained of the importance of 

 fiber fineness as an element of cotton quality — never before thoroughly 

 understood or appreciated in connection with upland cottons — genet- 

 icists and cotton-seed breeders were enabled to set themselves an in- 

 valuable new target for their improvement aims. 



On the principle that frequent reexamination of methods and prog- 

 ress are assential to the health and success of any pioneer research 

 undertaking, Webb and his project leaders regularly subjected their 

 work to strict appraisal. In 1935 it became possible to do so with 

 understanding broadened through personal contact with their oppo- 

 site numbers in England and continental Europe. Attending the In- 

 ternational Cotton Congress of that year in Eome as informal ob- 

 server for the United States, Webb and Malcolm Campbell, leader of 

 cooperative spinning tests at Clemson College, were given opportimity 

 to meet a number of scientists in the field, and were offered assistance 

 in meeting others by several of the leaders of the European cotton 

 industry. Five following weeks were then given to visits to the 

 principal research and testing laboratories in six countries abroad, 

 where technical problems were discussed and views exchanged with 

 research leadei-s and laboratory workers, most of whom had theretofore 

 been known only impersonally through their scientific publications. 

 Thus, not only was the way opened for subsequent valuable inter- 

 changes of correspondence and data, but Webb and Campbell were 

 able also to return home more than ever convinced of the soundness of 

 their program and of the need and wisdom of accelerating it. 



Not long in coming was the fii*st large-scale application of the new 

 methods of fiber quality analysis. Over many years thoughtful stu- 

 dents of cotton agronomy, concerned with the problems of efficient 

 production and with the need for reducing variation in the quality 

 of the crop, had hoped for a time when it might be known with some 

 assurance what were the influences of soil and climate upon the char- 

 acteristics of any known variety, and what were the varietal char- 

 acteristics of cottons best suited to the particular conditions of soil 

 and climate of the many diverse local areas of growth. In 1935 lead- 

 ers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and directors of cotton 



