THE EELATION" OF COTTON BUYING TO COTTON GROWING. 9 



the district around Hartsville, largely as the result of the public- 

 spirited efforts of Mr. D. K. Coker. This new long-staple industry- 

 is based on the Columbia type of long-staple cotton originally selected 

 from a short-staple stock by Dr. H. J. Webber, then of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. Mr. Coker has not only main- 

 tained the Columbia stock and developed special selections from it, 

 but, what is even more important, has assumed the responsibility 

 of buying and finding a market for all of the good Columbia cotton 

 that is raised by his neighbors. Familiarity with the variety has 

 enabled him to buy with discrimination and thus encourage the use 

 of pure seed in a much more effective way than would have been 

 possible if attention had been given to breeding alone without partici- 

 pation in the commercial field. Farmers who mixed their cotton 

 could not sell it except at a lower price than those who had a pure 

 stock, and thus the quality of the long-staple cotton grown about 

 Hartsville has been maintained. Mr. Coker's services to his com- 

 munity as a discriminating buyer should be even more highly appre- 

 ciated than his efforts at breeding improved strains. There are other 

 districts where the Columbia cotton has fallen into the hands of 

 careless or inexperienced buyers, and where the planting of pure 

 seed was not encouraged by the necessary discrimination in price. 

 The result, as might be expected, is that the New England spinners 

 are buyirg long-staple cotton from Hartsville while refusing that of 

 other localities where the natural conditions are favorable but where 

 the precautions that are necessary to maintain uniformity have been 

 neglected for lack of proper discrimination in buying. Thus, the 

 presence of a careless or incompetent buyer is a serious danger to the 

 long-staple prospects of a community. 



Many unsuccessful attempts have been made to grow Upland long- 

 staple cotton in the Carolinas in the last half century. The last was 

 made a few years ago in connection with a long-staple variety called 

 Florodora, which was planted in many places as a result of extensive 

 advertising of the seed. But the necessary uniformity was lacking 

 in this variety, with the result that both the manufacturer and the 

 farmer were disappointed and returned to the idea that only short 

 staples could be grown to advantage. The lesson that lack of uni- 

 formity in the variety was the chief cause of failure was not learned. 



The same lack of uniformity is to be expected in any long-staple 

 variety that is brought into a short-staple region and not guarded 

 against admixture with other varieties and degenerate sports. The 

 note of disappointment is already beginning to be heard from manu- 

 facturers who have experimented with inferior stocks of Columbia 

 cotton and have thus reached an adverse opinion of the possibi ities 

 of a lorg-staple industry in South Carolina, or in other States where 

 the Columbia cotton may be grown. The history of the Florodora 

 20127°— 14 2 



