2 BULLETIN 733, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



short-lint cotton has gained favor among some fanners in the past 

 few years, and until buyers refuse to purchase except at a consider- 

 able reduction in price as compared to the longer-lint varieties, it 

 probably will continue to be planted. 



The Department of Agriculture has repeatedly warned farmers 

 against planting cotton of the " half-and-half " and other extremely 

 short-stapled varieties. Among the reasons given are the following : 



The lint of the " half-and-half " variety is of poor character, irregular, wasty, 

 and very short, a large portion of the samples examined being less than seven- 

 eighths of an inch in length of staple. Cotton less than seven-eighths of an 

 inch is untenderable on future contracts made under the provisions of the United 

 States cotton futures act, and therefore buyers will penalize it whenever dis- 

 covered. 



Cotton of less than seven-eighths inch staple is of approximately the same 

 spinning value as the bulk of the cotton of India. On economic principles, the 

 American product should be maintained on a higher level of intrinsic worth 

 than that of India in order that the American crop may not be forced to com- 

 pete in the markets of the world with the cotton of India. 



Cotton of less than severf-eighths inch staple is inferior to the average Ameri- 

 can quality, and localities that produce such cotton in appreciable quantities 

 soon establish reputations for an inferior product. The price of all cotton in 

 such markets will suffer on account of the poor reputation of the market. 



Competent cotton buyers discriminate against extremely short staple when- 

 ever such cotton is discovered. They should be equally careful to discriminate 

 in favor of cotton of good staple. The farmer who produces inferior cotton is 

 likely to find that his product brings a price materially lower than quotations 

 would indicate as its true value. The seller commonly looks upon such dis- 

 crimination as a penalty, while the buyer considers that he is paying the full 

 value for an inferior commodity. 



As the variety of seed planted is the primary factor in determining length of 

 staple, and as there are early maturing prolific varieties which produce a staple 

 of at least an inch in length, no farmer or community is justified in planting an 

 inferior variety or in expecting the full market price for a debased article of 

 commerce. 



The States above named produced a total of 7,909,000 bales (500 

 pounds gross weight) of cotton, of which 1.264,000 bales, or 16 per 

 cent, is reported as If inches or longer in length of staple. In all 

 probability, these figures, if applied to actual measured length of lint, 

 are too high. It is likely that much cotton sold as lf-inch lint, but 

 really shorter, is included in the report. This is true also of the 

 figures shown for the previous years in comparison. It is estimated 

 that the remaining cotton States, with a total production of 3,377,000 

 bales in 1917, and in which no close investigation was made, produced 

 about 90,000 bales of long staple, not including 85,000 bales of Sea 

 Island and Egyptian cotton grown in the States of Georgia, Florida, 

 South Carolina, Arizona, and California. Of the total crop of 

 staple cotton, 2 per cent, or 226,000 bales, including Sea Island and 

 Egyptian, stapled better than 1| inches in length. 



DAMAGE TO CROP FROM WEATHER AND INSECTS. 



The cotton season of 1917 was not considered a very favorable one. 

 The crop got a late start, the early part of the spring not being pro- 



