HARVESTING AND MARKETING COTTON 125 



TABLE 8. QUOTATIONS BASED ON THE UNITED STATES STANDARD 

 AT DIFFERENT MARKETS FOR THE SAME GRADES OF SHORT 

 STAPLE COTTON, FEBRUARY 2, 1914 l 



148. Staple. In the judging of cotton the next step 

 after establishing the grade is to determine the staple, 

 which comprises both the average length and strength of 

 the fibers. The length of the fiber is considered to be a very 

 important " spinning quality," although it is relatively 

 unimportant in determining the grade. It does influence 

 the price, however. The expert cotton judge often tests 

 both the length and strength of the fiber at the same time 

 by simply taking a tuft and giving it one pull, judging it 

 by the amount of "drag" or "cling" that must be over- 

 come in pulling it apart. Sand and dirt are next deter- 

 mined, usually by holding a handful of lint as high as one's 

 head and shaking it so that the sand, if there is any, can 

 be seen to fall from it. 



A rich, bright creamy color of the lint is a property de- 

 sired in cotton, especially when it is to be used in the man- 

 ufacture of goods that are to be sold in an unbleached or 



1 Farmers' Bulletin No. 591, p. 17. 



