UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



J&jf < &J-U 



Jfc BULLETIN No. 324 ffjBi 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



3\j?*^mru 



Washington, D. C. 



December 22, 1915 



COMMUNITY PRODUCTION OF DURANGO COTTON 

 IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY. 



By Aegyle McLachlan, 

 Scientific Assistant, Office of Western Irrigation Agriculture. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



History of the industry 2 



Varieties grown 4 



Progress due to organized effort 6 



Stabilizing long-staple cotton 10 



Page. 



The grower and stabilization 10 



The ginner and stabilization 12 



Organized growers and stabilization 13 



The banker and stabilization 15 



The manufacturer and stabilization 16 



INTRODUCTION. 



Cotton growing in the irrigated valleys of southern California 

 and Arizona, which was begun in 1909, has already become of great 

 commercial importance. The gross income from the cotton indus- 

 tries in these two States in 1913 exceeded $1,400,000. In 1914 it was 

 over $2,000,000, even under the poor market conditions of that season. 



The United States Department of Agriculture has given assistance 

 in extending the growing of long-staple cotton in the south western 

 irrigated valleys, and in 1910 introduced Durango long-staple cotton 

 in the Imperial Valley. This variety, which bears fiber from lf% 

 to \\ inches in length, yields as well as short-staple varieties and 

 brings better net returns. In 1913 the Durango crop amounted to 

 6,000 bales: in 1914, to 8,000 bales. 



( iotton growing on a community basis — the growing of one sort 

 of cotton in a community — with Durango cotton as the variety advo- 

 cated, now has the support of those cotton growers of the Imperial 

 Valley who arc associated in a cooperative organization. 



Many important problems are yet to be worked out to place cotton 

 growing on the profitable basis it should assume under the local con- 

 ditions of production, handling, and marketing- These problems 



should be frankly reC0gni2ed and solved wisely If the COttOn indus- 

 try is to continue an important feature of the agriculture of the 

 Imperial Valley. 



8895 s — 15 



