6 BULLETIN 1467, U, S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
FORMATION OF THE ACALA COTTON GROWERS' ASSOCIATION OF 
THE COACHELLA VALLEY 
In the fall of 1920 several of the Coachella Valley cotton growers 
who were interested in procuring the Acala seed produced at the 
date garden and in forming a one-variety community took steps for 
the organization of an Acala cotton-growers' association. By-laws 
and articles of incorporation were drawn up, and the Acala Cotton 
Growers' Association of the Coachella Valley was duly incorporated 
December 18, 1920, under the laws of the State of California relat- 
ing to the formation of a nonprofit cooperative agricultural asso- 
ciation. 
The articles of incorporation state that the purpose of the asso- 
ciation is " to engage in and carry on the business of supervising 
the growing, receiving, ginning, grading, storing, shipping, and 
marketing of Acala cotton and Acala cottonseed grown or controlled 
by its members * * *." 
The by-laws provide for a board of five directors elected by ballot 
at the annual meeting of the members. The directors are elected 
to serve for two years, but at the first meeting three of the directors 
were elected to serve for only one year, so that thereafter new direc- 
tors would be elected annually. Voting power is allotted to the 
members on the basis of one vote for every 5 tons of cottonseed 
handled through the association. The directors elect the officers of 
the association from their own number, the officers serving for one 
year. 
Since the principal object of the association at the time of organ- 
ization was the marketing of Acala planting seed, an agreement was 
drawn up between the association and its members dealing with the 
method of handling the seed produced. This agreement states that 
the association is made the agent of the several growers for a period 
of five years and is given the exclusive right to " market, sell, and 
dispose of all the cottonseed grown or handled by the several grow- 
ers." Each of the growers agrees, " for the purpose of maintaining 
and safeguarding the varietal purity of the present stocks of Acala 
cottonseed, to plant only such cotton seed as shall be approved by 
the board of directors of the association for planting in the Coa- 
chella Valley." For the purpose of obtaining uniformity in handling, 
the board of directors of the association also has the power to bi pre- 
scribe reasonable rules and regulations, regulating and controlling 
the methods and manner of picking, handling, hauling, ginning, and 
sacking the cottonseed of the said growers." 
The agreement further stipulates that all cottonseed furnished 
by the association to any member for planting purposes is for his 
exclusive use, and the grower agrees not to sell or otherwise dispose 
of such seed. The board of directors is also given the authority to 
inspect the members' cotton at any time or stage in the growing, 
handling, or grading and to assign the seed of members to such 
pools or grades of seed as they may deem it desirable to establish, 
and in the event of any disagreement the decision of the board of 
directors is to be final and conclusive. 
In regard to the distribution of proceeds, it is stipulated that all 
growers who have seed of like grade or classification shall receive the 
same return per pound. 
