2 BULLETIN 359, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
PURPOSE OF THE SPINNING TESTS. 
Because of the remarkable increase in the production of this cotton, 
it has seemed advisable to accumulate reliable data relative to the 
character of Arizona-Egyptian cotton for manufacturing purposes. 
This cotton closely resembles the Sakellaridis Egyptian cotton in 
color, character, and length of fiber and in many respects compares 
favorably with the Sea Island cotton of Georgia and Florida. Spin- 
ning tests have been conducted by the Department of Agriculture to 
develop information along the following lines: First, the different 
grades of Arizona-Egyptian cotton were compared with each other 
as to their spinning qualities, viz, waste, tensile strength, bleaching, 
mercerization, dyeing and finishing qualities; and, second, the 
Arizona-Egyptian cotton was compared with Sakellaridis Egyptian 
and Sea Island cottons. 
As these cottons can be substituted for each other to some extent 
in the manufacture of certain classes of goods, it is believed that 
reliable spinning tests will prove of general interest in bringing out 
the individual merits of these varieties. 
Tests x were conducted on the 1914 crop during the summer of 1915 
on the following lots of cotton, namely, four bales of Arizona-Egyptian 
cotton — one of each of the grades, Extra, Choice, Standard, and 
Medium; three bales of Sakellaridis Egyptian cotton, shipped from 
Alexandria, Egypt, marked MERE, CONN, and EDM, of the grades 
Good, Fully Good Fair, and Fair; and two bales of Sea Island cotton 
shipped from Blackshear, Ga., of the grades Fancy and Extra Choice. 
The bales of Sea Island cotton originated no doubt in the interior 
and were slightly different in character from the longer length staples 
of Sea Island cottons grown on the islands and the coast. One 
hundred pounds of each of these bales were used in making the tests. 
MECHANICAL CONDITIONS. 
In each test the cotton was opened and left standing overnight 
before being fed into the first machine. The machines were kept in 
good working order and sufficient time was taken between each run 
to clean them thoroughly. Total weights were taken immediately 
before and after the cotton was fed into the opener, finisher, cards 
and combers, respectively. Each kind of cotton up to the slubber 
was run through the same machines and subjected to practically the 
same speeds, settings, drafts, etc. In the manufacture of yarn, num- 
bers 10's, 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 80's and 100's, from each kind of 
cotton, the same weight of lap and sliver was used up to the slubber, 
This was done in order to have the cleaning machinery operate under 
i Through the courtesy of Mr. William E. Hatch, President, these tests were conducted at the New 
Bedford Textile School, New Bedford, Mass., under the supervision of Mr. Fred Taylor. Mr. W. S. Dean 
was directly in charge of the work, assisted by Messrs. J. J. W. Cooper and T. C. Adams. 
