22 BULLETIN 332, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Less water is needed for the production of cotton than for the 
production of alfalfa, particularly early in the season. In fact, 
the total seasonal quantity of water needed for irrigating cotton is 
probably not much more than half that needed for the irrigation of 
alfalfa. The significance of this point lies in the fact that there is 
more irrigable land in the Salt River Valley than can be supplied 
with irrigation water. Hence, the growing of a crop which permits 
economy of the water supply may permit the ultimate extension of 
the irrigated area. 
A portion of the irrigated land in the Salt River Valley has been 
damaged by the excessive irrigation of alfalfa, which has resulted 
in the land becoming swamp} 7 . While this trouble has not been 
serious, it has occasioned anxiety on the part of certain landowners 
and has necessitated the formulation of plans for a drainage system. 
The growing of cotton on these areas tends to reduce the danger of 
waterlogging. 
Another advantage of cotton as a crop for the irrigated Southwest 
is the fact that the product is a staple and nonperishable commodity. 
Practically all of the other crops yielding high cash returns per acre 
are perishable and involve the hazard of heavy losses if the market 
is temporarily oversupplied. Cotton, on the other hand, is not sub- 
ject to rapid deterioration if not sold promptly. 
COST OF PRODUCTION. 
In an earlier report on the Egyptian-cotton industry in the South- 
west, 1 the various factors involved in the cost of production were 
discussed, and the conclusions stated were as follows : 
The cost of producing an acre of Egyptian cotton, estimating a yield of l,S0O 
pounds of seed cotton per acre, may be summarized as follows: Seed, tillage, 
and irrigation, $15 ; picking, $36 ; ginning and baling, $10 ; making a total cost 
of $61 per acre, exclusive of interest on land investment. It should be kept in 
mind that these figures are merely approximations. The actual costs will be 
found to vary between wide limits, both above and below these figures. 
After two years' additional experience, an estimate of the cost of 
production has been prepared by Mr. W. S. Dorman, who has grown 
the crop for three years and who has also served as president of one 
of the local associations of growers, a position which has enabled 
him to keep in close touch with the progress of the new 7 industry. 
Mr. Dorman's estimates are shown in Table IV. 
From these estimates, which include the item of interest on the 
land investment and deduct the value of the seed produced, Mr. 
Dorman has calculated the net cost of production per pound of lint 
1 Scofiekl, C. S. Egyptian cotton culture in the Southwest. In U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 
Plant Indus. Circ. 123, p. 21-2S, 2 fig. 1913. 
