52 COTTON PRODUCTION 



Department of Agriculture have endeavoured to grow 

 these varieties in Arizona and South-eastern Cali- 

 fornia. As a result of prolonged acclimatisation and 

 breeding experiments, several different types have 

 been derived from the original stock of seed imported 

 from Egypt. Two forms, the so-called " Yuma " 

 and " Somerton " varieties, are as distinct in the 

 characters of the plants and fibre as some of the 

 newer varieties which have originated from " Mita- 

 fifi " cotton in Egypt (see page 58). Two other 

 varieties, termed " Pima " and " Gila," have been 

 described recently. The Yuma form is now grown 

 on a commercial scale in the Salt River Valley, but 

 the Somerton variety has been abandoned because, 

 although it produced excellent fibre, it was late in 

 maturing and developed vegetative branches to an 

 excessive extent. The cotton yielded by these new 

 varieties is regarded as equal in all respects to 

 Egyptian cotton of corresponding grades. 



AMERICAN VARIETIES 



Sea Island. The Sea Island variety is the longest 

 and finest cotton the world produces, and is therefore 

 the most valuable. The fibre varies in length from 

 if to 2 J inches, and has a diameter of about 0*00064 

 inch. It is soft and silky and has an excellent lustre. 

 This cotton is grown chiefly in the Sea Islands of 

 South Carolina and in the interior of Georgia and 

 Florida, and is now being cultivated extensively in 

 the West Indies. The cotton grown in South Caro- 

 lina is of the finest quality but is almost equalled by 

 that now produced in the West Indies. The length 

 of staple of these products is usually about 2 inches 

 or more, whereas the cotton grown in Georgia and 

 Florida is generally from if to ij inches long. In 

 order to maintain the quality of Sea Island cotton, it 

 is necessary that seed selection should be practised 

 or the crop will deteriorate. The plant needs special 

 attention since it is more delicate than other varieties. 

 It requires a rather sandy soil, and a well-regulated 

 supply of water. The regions in the interior of 



