COMMUNITY PRODUCTION OF DURANGO COTTON. 3 
fornia and in Lower California are thus identical in many important 
particulars. The Mexican crop, largely increased in the past two 
years, has been ginned and marketed in California towns. As the 
gins do not report the Mexican crop separately, the statements and 
tabulation involving acreages and yields given later refer to cotton 
from the whole of the Imperial Valley. 
BHARLY PLANTINGS. 
The first commercial crop of cotton, grown in 1909, was preceded 
by numerous test plantings. As early as 1902 a planting of Egyptian 
cotton was made by the Department of Agriculture at Calexico, Cal. 
This cotton grew luxuriantly and reproduced itself from the old 
stumps for a number of years. Settlers from the older cotton States 
planted a few seeds of Upland cotton on their ranches, and it was 
found that these plants thrived in the new country. It is probable 
that cotton plants were grown in the valley each season from the time 
_ irrigation water was brought in (1901) until the industry was defi- 
nitely launched in 1909. Earler plantings of cotton in other irri- 
gated sections of southern California’ indicated that success with 
cotton in the Imperial Valley was to be expected. 
Half an acre of cotton near El Centro, Cal., planted in 1906 and 
ratooned in 1907 yielded well both seasons. This plat attracted much 
attention and had an important-bearing in creating confidence in cot- 
ton as a crop for the valley and in crystallizing sentiment for cotton 
growing. A number of individuals made small test plantings in 
1908. 
Though the cultivation of cotton under irrigation conditions was 
little understood by the farmers in 1909, it had been clearly demon- 
strated (1) that seedling cotton yielded well and (2) that cotton’ 
could be ratooned or grown from old roots which lived through the 
preceding winter. The ratooning of cotton is here mentioned because 
of its bearing later on the progress of the industry. 
EXPANSION OF THE INDUSTRY. 
The first commercial crop, that of 1909, was grown on 450 acres, 
averaging a little more than three-fourths of a bale per acre. The 
350 bales of the 1909 crop sold on a high market, much of it at 14 
cents a pound. This proved a great incentive to more extensive 
planting in 1910. 
In 1910 the crop amounted to 4,000 bales, and each year since then 
the total crop has been more than double that of the preceding year, 
with the exception of the 1912 crop. This did not equal the 1911 crop 
in size, due largely to the depressing effect of the low prices obtained 
1 Hilgard, E. W. Cotton in California. A bit of history of cotton planting in this State. 
In Cal. Cult., v. 40, no. 23, p. 691. 1918. 
