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 ^ to 1 T % 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 1-^j 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 
