PRODUCTION OF AMERICAN EGYPTIAN COTTON. 19 
that year. A cotton-grading expert was detailed from the Office of 
Markets and Rural Organization (now the Bureau of Markets) to 
cooperate with the growers’ association for this purpose. The work 
was continued in 1914, the standards having been perfected and 
arrangements having been made for spinning tests in order that the 
cotton might be placed on a sound basis’ of market value. The scope 
and preliminary results of this standardization work were described 
in a report from the Office of Markets and Rural Organization.t. In 
1916 and 1917 similar investigations were conducted with the new 
Pima cotton, which, because of its longer and lighter colored fiber, 
required the establishment of new standards of grade and staple. 
MARKETING THE CROP. 
In the six years of commercial production of Egyptian cotton in 
Arizona the marketing of the crop has been attended by various 
vicissitudes, and the problem has not yet been completely solved. 
Until very recently the quantity produced was too small to permit 
active competitive buying, and at times the danger of monopoly by 
a single buying firm has been acute. Moreover, the small quantity 
of the product also made it difficult for buyers to interest spinners in 
these new cottons even when their spinning value had become well 
recognized. The growers have not thus far succeeded in establish- 
ing an effective selling organization on a cooperative basis, but if 
this can be done and the transportation difficulties which have recently 
been experienced can be overcome, the rapidly increasing size of the 
crop should greatly facilitate its disposal. Although differences of 
opinion exist among spinners as to the comparative merits of Ameri- 
can Egyptian, Sakellaridis, and Sea Island cottons, there is substan- 
tial agreement that the Arizona and California product meets a real 
requirement in the long-staple cotton market. 
It should be noted that ever since the establishment of the indus- 
' try the crop has been sold each year in open competition with the 
vastly larger crop produced in Egypt. The effective organization of 
the Arizona growers and the intelligent application of the best prin- 
ciples in growing, handling, and marketing the crop and-in main- 
taining the seed supply are largely responsible for this satisfactory 
result. 
MAINTENANCE OF THE SEED SUPPLY. 
It was pointed out in an earher publication ? what steps should be 
taken by the associated growers and what kind of assistance the 
1 Martin, J. G. The handling and marketing of the Arizona-Hgyptian cotton of the Salt 
River Valley. U.S. Dept. Agr. Bul. 311, 16 p., 3 pl. 1915. 
*Kearney, T. H. Seed selection of Hgyptian cotton. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bul. 38, 8 p. 
1913. 
