12 BULLETIN" 458, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



sample it is essential that the sampler should understand how to 

 remove from the bale the cotton that may be discolored by the bag- 

 ging or by dirt or mud, and at the same time he should take out 

 any gin fall that may be in the sample, but he must be careful not 

 to change the grade of the sample either by rough handling or by 

 picking it to the extent that it will not represent the bale from which 

 it was taken. When the cotton arrives at the mill or other destina- 

 tion and is resampled, if it is found to be not as represented, the 

 purchaser will either reject it or make a claim for the difference in 

 value between the original grade by which it was sold and that shown 

 by the redrawn sample. 



The present method of cutting the bale open and sampling the 

 cotton each time a prospective purchaser wishes to examine it is 

 an abuse that not only subjects the bale to loss in weight and other- 

 wise damages it, but also increases the risk of fire. With the con- 

 tinuance of this custom it will be difficult to avoid the resampling of 

 cotton, especially of staple cotton, in view of the fact that there is 

 such a wide variation in the price of such cotton, according to the 

 length of the staple and its grade. When a buyer contemplates pay- 

 ing a premium for a lot of staple cotton, it will be seen readily that 

 his reasons for wishing to sample the cotton beforehand and pass 

 judgment upon it personally are justified. 



CLASSING DURANGO COTTON. 



The Durango is a new variety of upland-staple cotton developed 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture 1 and introduced into 

 the Imperial Valley during the year 1910 as a long-staple cotton 

 suited to the local climatic conditions. The lack of rainfall and 

 the long and hot season in this valley make the section ideal for 

 the growing of cotton of long staple and of a bright and bloomy 

 color, both essential qualities in the manufacture of fine yarn. Of 

 the varieties tried, it was found that the Durango cotton responded 

 best to the conditions existing in the Imperial Valley ; hence this 

 variety for that locality is recommended and encouraged by the 

 United States Department of Agriculture. 



There are no established types or standards that may be used for 

 classing the Durango cotton other than the Official Cotton Standards 

 of the United States for grade and the standards for length used by 

 shippers of upland-staple varieties throughout the southern staple 

 districts, which are 1 T V inches, If inches, 1-& inches, 1£ inches, lffr 

 inches, etc. The Durango cotton grown by irrigation in the Im- 



1 Cook, O. F., Durango Cotton in the Imperial Valley. In U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. Plant 

 Indus. Circular 111, pages 11-22, 1013. 



McLachlan, Argyle. Community Production of Durango Cotton in the Imperial Valley. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 324, 1915. 



