UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 311 
-HJ/^Cll^* Contribution from the Office of Markets and Rural ^•fj^'^jj^* 
J\!&&SL Organization, CHARLES J. BRAND, Chief. >^<M^S> 
Washington, D. C. 
November 26, 1915 
THE HANDLING AND MARKETING OF THE ARIZONA 
EGYPTIAN COTTON OF THE SALT 
RIVER VALLEY. 
By J. G. Martin, Investigator in Cotton Marketing. 
CONTENTS. 
Introduction 1 
Necessity for clean picking 2 
Storage of seed cotton 3 
Ginning the Arizona-Egyptian cotton 3 
Sampling cotton at gin stands 4 
Baling and covering the cotton 5 
Advisability of gin compression 5 
Tagging, marking, branding, and weighing 
the cotton 6 
Storage, of ginned Egyptian cotton . . . 
Classing the Arizona-Egyptian cotton. 
Staple lengths 
Tables of classification 
Page. . 
... 7 
... 7 
.. 9,15 
.. 9,15 
Advantages of grading cotton 10 
Marketing of Arizona-Egyptian cotton 11 
Conclusions 15 
INTRODUCTION. 
Since 1913 special work upon the handling, classing, and market- 
ing of the long-staple varieties of cotton grown in this country from 
Egyptian seed has been under way. Basic work was done during 
that year, and aid was given by the Department of Agriculture in 
continuing certain phases of it during the season of 1914. 
The work in 1913 was undertaken at a most opportune time, in 
the month of October, when picking had just begun. It was pos- 
sible, therefore, to observe closely not only the condition of the 
cotton in the field, the methods of picking, handling, and storage 
of the seed cotton on the farms and at the gins, but also the ginning 
of the cotton on roller gins. This opportunity of watching the 
handling of Egyptian cotton from the time it is picked until it is 
loaded into cars preparatory to its departure for the mills made it 
possible to note accurately the effect of proper and improper handling 
of the cotton. 
Note.— This bulletin should be of interest to growers in Arizona and in California, and to dealers in 
Yazoo and Mississippi Delta cotton. It should be of interest to spinners in New England and the Caro- 
linas and to spinners of fine yarn in England and on the Continent. 
8721°— Bull. 311—15 
