DURANGO COTTON IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY, 9 
The cotton is classed by means of tagged samples, and the samples 
are assembled in uniform lots. A list is then sent to the compress 
with instructions that certain bales be remarked with code words, 
such as “THat,” “sarn,” “past,” etc.,' for identification, and that 
these bales be assembled, compressed, and, possibly, loaded for ship- 
ment. It is important that these new marks be large enough to be 
read easily and that a good quality of ink be used for this purpose, 
as the transportation companies follow these marks exclusively and 
treat each such lot of cotton, which may be composed of many bales, 
as an individual shipment. It is a common practice among shippers, 
in addition to the identification marks usually affixed, to brand their 
cotton to distinguish it as belonging to a special shipper. 
In the early days of the cotton industry in the Imperial Valley 
there were no compresses, all the cotton being shipped out by gin 
weight only. In later years compresses have been installed, and as 
it is customary in the cotton trade to accept the weights as given by 
them, inasmuch as there is usually a certified, or public, weigher to 
oversee this matter, thus insuring accurate results, cotton producers 
in the Imperial Valley likewise have come to accept compress weights 
as correct. : 
STORAGE FACILITIES. 
The facilities for the storage of cotton in the Imperial Valley 
are very poor and limited. This is probably due to the fact that the 
cotton, industry in that locality is in its youth, and also to the small- 
percentage of rainfall, which averages about 24 inches annually. 
Many of the growers in the valley assume that cotton can be laid 
on the ground and left there without deterioration until the pros- 
pective purchaser is ready to move it to the compress for compres- 
sion and shipment. (See fig. 4.) This assumption is not justified, 
for during the past year cotton which has been exposed has been 
damaged as much in this section because of negligence on the part 
of the grower as it is damaged in the South where the rainfall is 
heavy and cotton is left unprotected on the ground. 
According-to present practice in the Imperial Valley, after the 
cotton is baled at the gin it is thrown out on the gin yard without the 
precaution of placing dunnage underneath in order to allow free cir- 
culation of the air on the lower side of the bales. When it is removed 
to the yard of the local warehouse the bales receive no better care, but 
are placed on end on the bare ground, where they remain unprotected 
until they are sent to the compress. Fortunately the cotton does not 
1 For convenience and regularity, words of four letters each are generally used, 
6187. — Bult 458179 
