ONE-VARIETY COTTON COMMUNITIES. 25 
cultural methods as well as from deterioration of varieties through 
crossing and mixing of seed. 
Experience with the one- variety plan during the last decade 
has shown that fundamental reforms in the system of production 
are possible through community organization. The product of or- 
ganized communities is more uniform, not only because pure varieties 
are grown but because the cultural treatment is better. The crops 
are larger and the product more valuable on account of the longer 
and more uniform staple. The relation to markets is altered as pro- 
foundly as the relation to production. In addition to having a 
readily standardized " unit " product to offer, a genuine community 
of interest among the producers enables them to deal more con- 
structively with each of the problems of handling the crop. The 
many new problems that one-variety communities have encountered 
is evidence in itself that a new basis for constructive effort has been 
attained. Many undertakings that were entirely beyond the scope 
of the individual farmer become practical possibilities through com- 
munity cooperation. At every point of difference the one-variety 
communities have the advantage over the mixed communities. 
One effect of the system of buying is to keep the producing and 
manufacturing interests apart, out of the range of constructive re- 
lations. Though the manufacturers want better cotton and in larger 
quantities, there is no provision for encouraging the production of 
better fiber. The commercial system acts rather as a nonconductor 
between the factory and the farm. As long as the crop is altogether 
miscellaneous in character and quality and the commercial system 
remains as it is, there is little prospect of developing the just dis- 
crimination in prices that is needed to stimulate improvement of 
production. The progressive farmer who produces better cotton 
than his neighbors has too small a chance of getting a better price 
for his crop. 
Discontent or dissatisfaction of farmers with the commercial sys- 
tem leads to many efforts to eliminate or reduce the exactions of 
the " middleman " through legislation or other restrictive measures, 
but the need of improving the system of production has not been 
appreciated. Commercial improvements might become more feasible 
if the product could be more definitely standardized and its value 
more definitely known to the farmer as well as to the buyer and 
the manufacturer. 
Merely " cutting out the middleman," as the saying is, would not 
solve the commercial problem in relation to production. The manu- 
facturers are not in position to buy directly from individual farmers 
or to see that progressive individual farmers are paid full prices 
for the few bales of good cotton that such farmers may produce. 
2551°— 22 4 
