UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 533 
Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 
WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 
Washington, D. C. 
larch 3, 1917 
EXTENSION OF COTTON PRODUCTION IN 
CALIFORNIA. 
By O. F. Cook, Bionomist, Bureau of Plant Industry. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Increasing demands for long-staple cotton... 2 
New types of cotton available 3 
Cotton formerly grown in California 4 
Extent of possible cotton territory in Cali- 
fornia 6 
Natural conditions favorable 7 
Returns that may be expected from cotton.. 8 
Labor requirements of cotton 9 
Cotton culture a community undertaking.. 11 
Community control of gins and oil mills 12 
Agricultural advantages of community or- 
ganization 13 
Conclusions 14 
Publications on cotton culture 16 
INTRODUCTION. 
Every season of scarcity and high prices brings renewed inquiries 
regarding the possibility of extending the production of cotton into 
new regions. The industrial uses of cotton are being increased more 
rapidly than facilities of production. As Europe produces scarcely 
any cotton, the industries of many countries are dependent upon im- 
ported raw materials. Manufacturers continually urge the need of 
developing more adequate and regular supplies, especially of the 
better classes of cotton fiber. 
Experience of the frequent fluctuations of crops and prices in the 
American cotton belt have led to numerous attempts, subsidized by 
associations of manufacturers or with the direct support of govern- 
ments, to increase the production of cotton in other parts of the 
world. Statistics show a decline in the proportion of the world's 
cotton crop furnished by the United States. This means that the 
world's demand for cotton has grown faster than the ability of this 
country to supply it, and that the production of cotton in other coun- 
tries is increasing more rapidly than here. 
Some parts of the American cotton belt have been too acutely de- 
pendent on this single crop. Many farmers who relied entirely upon 
80473°— Bull. 533—17 
