DUKANGO COTTON IN THE IMPEEIAL VALLEY. 9 



The cotton is classed by means of tagged samples, and the samples 

 are assembled in uniform lots. A list is then sent to the compress 

 with instructions that certain bales be remarked with code words, 

 such as " that," " safe," " past," etc., 1 for identification, and that 

 these bales be assembled, compressed, and, possibly, loaded for ship- 

 ment. It is important that these new marks be large enough to be 

 read easily and that. a good quality of ink be used for this purpose, 

 as the transportation companies follow these marks exclusively and 

 treat each such lot of cotton, which may be composed of many bales, 

 as an individual shipment. It is a common practice among shippers, 

 in addition to the identification marks usually affixed, to brand their 

 cotton to distinguish it as belonging to a special shipper. 



In the early days of the cotton -industry in the Imperial Valley 

 there were no compresses, all the cotton being shipped out by gin 

 weight only. In later years compresses have been installed, and as 

 it is customary in the cotton trade to accept the weights as given by 

 them, inasmuch as there is usually a certified, or public, weigher to 

 oversee this matter, thus insuring accurate results, cotton producers 

 in the Imperial Valley likewise have come to accept compress weights 

 as correct. 



STORAGE FACILITIES. 



The facilities for the storage of cotton in the Imperial Valley 

 are very poor and limited. This is probably due to the fact that the 

 cotton industry in that locality is in its youth, and also to the small 

 percentage of rainfall, which averages about 2^ inches annually. 

 Many of the growers in the valley assume that cotton can be laid 

 on the ground and left there without deterioration until the pros- 

 pective purchaser is ready to move it to the compress for compres- 

 sion and shipment. (See fig. 4.) This assumption is not justified, 

 for during the past year cotton which has been exposed has been 

 damaged as much in this section because of negligence on the part 

 of the grower as it is damaged in the South where the rainfall is 

 heavy and cotton is left unprotected on the ground. 



According to present practice in the Imperial Valley, after the 

 cotton is baled at the gin it is thrown out on the gin yard without the 

 precaution of placing dunnage underneath in order to allow free cir- 

 culation of the air on the lower side of the bales. When it is removed 

 to the yard of the local warehouse the bales receive no better care, but 

 are placed on end on the bare ground, where they remain unprotected 

 until they are sent to the compress. Fortunately the cotton does not 



1 For convenience and regularity, words of four letters each are generally used. 

 61187°— Bull. 458—17 2 



