LENGTH OF COTTON" LINT, CROPS 1916 AND 1917. 5 



Every market has a different classification and understanding of 

 staples. Staple cotton is generally bought on the basis of samples, 

 really, the staple being judged from types supplied by the seller 

 or from the seller's own " marks," it being understood that the seller 

 may call the staple whatever he chooses. One trade name for extra- 

 length cotton is " Benders." This is supposed to be heavy -bodied, 

 strong, staple cotton, running from 1 T V to 1^ inches or better in 

 staple. This cotton is called Benders from the fact that it was 

 originally grown in the river bends of the Mississippi. Of recent 

 years factors have sold much cotton for Benders that never grew 

 near a river. The test for this cotton is body and strength of fiber, 

 with a staple running not less than l^V inches in length. 



EGYPTIAN AND DURANGO COTTON. 



The States producing the largest amount of extra-staple cotton 

 in the order named are Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, 

 South Carolina, and Louisiana. These six States produced in 1917 

 92.4 per cent of the total staple crop, not including Egyptian and 

 Sea Island cotton. Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, and in fact all 

 of the cotton States produce small quantities of staple cotton. Ari- 

 zona and California together produced 27,000 bales of the Egyptian 

 and Durango varieties in 1917. 



In California, Durango cotton was damaged by a shortage of water 

 in the Imperial Valley during August, and the production was 

 only 23.2 per cent of the total crop as against 30 per cent last year. 

 Egyptian cotton is growing in favor in California, the crop in 1917 

 being upward of 1,000 bales. This crop was grown mostly in the 

 Palo Verde Valley and near Yuma. Considerable Egyptian cotton, 

 because of the great premium offered for it, will be grown in the 

 Imperial Valley of California in 1918. 



In Arizona, Egyptian cotton is now being grown exclusively in the 

 Salt Eiver Valley, the high premium being received for this crop 

 forcing out the shorter varieties. In addition, Egyptian cotton is 

 being grown to a considerable extent in the Yuma Valley. The total 

 production of Egyptian cotton in Arizona in 1917 was 13,000 bales. 

 Owing to the high premium received by the grower of the Egyptian 

 variety, which enters into competition with Sea Island cotton grown 

 in the Atlantic States, where the crop is seriously menaced by the 

 progress of the boll weevil, great interest is being taken in Arizona 

 and California lands which will produce this type of cotton. The 

 effort is being made to increase the production of Egyptian cotton 

 to make up for the probable reduction in the Sea Island crop, which 

 it is feared will result from the continued advance of the boll weevil 

 into Sea Island territory. It is very probable that the 1918 crop of 

 Egyptian cotton in Arizona and California will be much larger than 

 any grown heretofore. There is at last a sufficient quantity of plant- 

 ing seed of the Yuma and Pima varieties developed in Arizona to 

 plant a large acreage of Egyptian cotton. The acreage planted in 



