UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Contribution from the Office of Markets and Rural 

 Organization, CHARLES J. BRAND, Chief. 



Washington, D. C. 



November 26, 1915 



THE HANDLING AND MARKETING OF THE ARIZONA- 

 EGYPTIAN COTTON OF THE SALT 

 RIVER VALLEY. 



By J. G. Martin, Investigator in Cotton Marketing. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



Necessity for clean picking 2 



Storage of seed cotton 3 



Ginning the Arizona-Egyptian cotton 3 



Sampling cotton at gin stands 4 



Baling and covering the cotton 5 



Advisability of gin compression 5 



Tagging, marking, branding, and weighing 



the cotton 6 



Storage of ginned Egyptian cotton 7 



Classing the Arizona-Egyptian cotton.. 7 



Staple lengths 9,15 



Tables of classification 9,15 



Advantages of grading cotton 10 



Marketing of Arizona-Egyptian cotton 11 



Conclusions 15 



INTRODUCTION. 



Since 1913 special work upon the handling, classing, and market- 

 ing of the long-staple varieties of cotton grown in this country from 

 Egyptian seed has been under way. Basic work was done during 

 that year, and aid was given by the Department of Agriculture in 

 continuing certain phases of it during the season of 1914. 



The work in 1913 was undertaken at a most opportune time, in 

 the month of October, when picking had just begun. It was pos- 

 sible, therefore, to observe closely not only the condition of the 

 cotton in the field, the methods of picking, handling, and storage 

 of the seed roit on on the farms and at the gins, but also the ginning 

 of the rut ton on roller gins. This opportunity of watching the 

 handling of Egyptian cotton from the time it is picked until it is 

 Loaded into cars preparatory to its departure for the mills made it 

 possible to noil' accurately the effect of proper and improper handling 

 of the cotton. 



Note. This bulletin ihould be of Interest to growen In Arizona ami in California, and i<> dealers in 

 Eppj Delta cotton, it Bhould be ol Inters I to Bplnnera In New England and Uio Caro- 

 linas and to spinners of One yarn hi England and on the < lontinenl . 

 8721'- Boll, .iii-15 



