CO-OPEKATIVE MARKETING 133 



rather inore for cotton which this test indicates as 

 having a high ginning percentage ; hut how in- 

 accurate this test is may be gathered from the follow- 

 ing facts. Three samples of seed cotton with 

 ascertained ginning percentages of 22, 25 and 28, 

 respectively, were submitted to a number of dealers 

 in the southern Maratha country. The latter failed 

 to detect any difference between the samples with per- 

 centages of 22 and 25, and valued them at the ordin- 

 ary market rate. They agreed, however, that the 

 third sample was of somewhat higher ginning per- 

 centage, and on this account valued it at Ks.2 per 

 naga (1344 lb.) above the ordinary market rate. In 

 point of fact the difference in value between samples 

 (1) and (2) and between samples (2) and (3) was 

 Es.16, and between (1) and (3) was Rs.32. This 

 shows how insensitive the market is even with regard 

 to a matter so easy to ascertain as ginning percentage. 

 In the matter of staple the qualities which the mill- 

 owner values are length, strength and uniformity. 

 These qualities are very difficult to assess in the case of 

 seed cotton, and even when samples of clean cotton 

 are submitted to large Bombay firms, the sample 

 which one firm places at the head of the list will be 

 placed by another firm at the bottom. Some assert 

 that the spinning test is the only safe guide, and this 

 test, of course, cannot be applied to seed cotton. 

 The result is that seed cotton can hardly be said to 

 be graded at all for staple, and it is generally 

 assumed for trade purposes that all the cotton of one 



