10 



BULLETIN 121, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



bales from as many Delta markets. It seems probable that had these 

 5 Delta bales been tested separately instead of in a mixture, some 

 of them would have proved inferior to any of the Upland bales 

 tested. 



The Columbia and the Lewis varieties appear very much superior 

 to the other bales tested in "body" or uniformity, and give results 

 far better than the usual mill estimate for cottons of their lengths, 

 The geographical comparison is interesting. The commercial calcu- 

 lation was for a loss of 13 to 15 per cent. The one Texas bale lost 

 13.01 per cent; the five Delta bales mixed, 12.92 per cent; the four 

 Carolina bales averaged 10.105 per cent. 



COMBER TESTS WITH WIDE SETTINGS. 



After these tests were completed, the combing machine was ad- 

 justed so as to remove 23 to 25 per cent waste and another test of 

 each bale was made with the following results : 



Table V. — Percentage of fiber removed as toaste from each sample with comber 

 at 23 to 25 per cent setting. 





Variety. 





Durango, 



frade 

 G. M. 



Columbia, 



(rrade 

 S. G. M. 



Lewis, 

 grade 

 G. U. 



Webber 



No. 1, 



grade M. 



Webber 



No. 2, 



grade M. 



Delta 

 blended. 



Comber waste, per cent 



20.43 



16.15 



12.15 



21.81 



18.10 



16.15 



The most remarkable thing about these tests is the great difference 

 between varieties in the amount of comber waste and the very low 

 waste content of Columbia and Lewis. 



The widest range between bales occurs between Webber No. 1 and 

 Lewis, viz, 21.81 and 12.15 per cent, a difference of 9.66 per cent in 

 the amount of short fibers removed. These two bales were approxi- 

 mately the same in length of staple, 

 almost 50 pounds of cotton per bale, 

 equal to $10, or 2 cents per pound. 



Samples of cotton from these two bales were shown to a large 

 number of brokers and others, and the opinion generally expressed 

 was that, by the method of "classing" or stapling ordinarily em- 

 ployed it was practically impossible to distinguish between them, in 

 spite of the fact that the difference in waste would equal 50 pounds 

 per bale. 1 



This difference is equivalent to 

 At 20 cents per pound this is 



- x Cook, O. P. The relation of cotton teu.ying to cotton growint 

 Agriculture, Bulletin GO. 1914. 



U. S. Department of 



