6 BULLETIN 142, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In 1913 the production of Egyptian cotton was confined to the 

 Salt River Valley, where a total of 3,800 acres was planted. Not all 

 of this acreage came to harvest, but the crop for the year amounted 

 to 2,135 bales of 500 pounds each. 



In 1914 the area planted in the Salt River Valley amounted tP 

 approximately 12,000 acres. On much of this area the conditions 

 were not favorable for large yields because of deficient soil fertility, 

 inadequate preparation of the land, or faulty management of the 

 irrigation. The total crop for the year amounted to 6,187 bales of 

 500 pounds each. While the average yield per acre shown by these 

 figures is not high, a number of farmers having good land and using 

 good methods obtained more than one bale per acre. 



In 1915, owing to the low prices which followed the outbreak of 

 the war in 1914, the area in the Salt River Valley was reduced to 

 2,330 acres, of which about 2,000 acres were brought through to 

 harvest. In 1916, under the influence of rising prices, 7,433 acres 

 were planted, and about 6,800 acres were harvested. 



Prior to 1917 the commercial production of Egyptian cotton in the 

 United States had been practically confined to the Salt River Valley 

 in Arizona. In that year, however, in addition to the 29,000 acres 

 which were harvested in the Salt River Valley, some 4,000 acres were 

 grown on the Yuma Reclamation Project (Arizona and California), 

 and approximately 200 acres were grown in the Imperial Valley in 

 California. 



In 1918 the total acreage planted to Egyptian cotton in the United 

 States is estimated at 86,500, including about 78,000 acres in the 

 Salt River and Gila Valleys in Arizona, about 3,000 acres on the 

 Yuma Reclamation Project, about 3,000 acres in the Imperial Valley, 

 approximately 2,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley, Cal., and more 

 than 500 acres in the Palo Verde Valley, Cal. The experience of 

 previous years has shown, however, that a certain percentage of the 

 acreage planted is sure to be abandoned before picking time, in most 

 cases because of failure to get a good stand. Probably a conservative 

 estimate of the acreage of Egyptian cotton in Arizona and California 

 which was harvested in 1918 is 70,000 acres. 



The status of the industry during the first six years of its existence 

 is summarized in Table III. 



Several ginning establishments, devoted exclusively to ginning 

 Egyptian cotton, have been erected in the Salt River Valley and on 

 the Yuma Reclamation Project. Each of these is equipped with from 

 10 to 15 roller gins of the type used for ginning Sea Island cotton. 

 A number of cottonseed-oil mills are operated in the Salt River, 

 Yuma, and Imperial Valleys. 



In staple and quality of fiber the American-grown Egyptian cot- 

 ton is comparable with the best varieties produced in Egypt, although 



