DURANGO COTTON IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY. 



11 



vided the bales are on dunnage and are rolled over after a rain so 

 they may dry out on all sides. Of course, sheds would prevent a 

 certain amount of loss in weight by protecting the cotton from the 

 sun. For its weight and size a bale of cotton is the most valuable 

 farm product grown in the valley, and therefore is entitled to as 

 much care as any of the other crops produced. 



SAMPLING. 



The method of sampling the Durango cotton is similar to that fol- 

 lowed throughout the South where staple cotton is bought and sold ; 

 that is, the bagging on the bale is cut open on one side in a crescent 

 shape about 18 inches long, usually between the second and third 



Fig. 5. — Cotton properly protected from country damage by dunnage. 



band, and the flap thus made in the bagging is laid back. The first 

 layer of cotton, which is generally dirty or discolored by the bagging, 

 is pulled off and discarded. In order to obtain a representative sam- 

 ple it is necessary to secure the cotton from deeper in the bale and to 

 draw it out in even and smooth layers. This procedure is repeated 

 on the opposite side of the bale, after which one of the coupons is torn 

 from the tag on the bale and placed between the two samples just 

 drawn. 



More skill in sampling is required than one not familiar with the 

 cotton trade would suppose, and, therefore, it is important to both 

 buyer and seller that the samples be pulled carefully and be repre- 

 sentative of the bale from which they are taken. In drawing a 



