- 24 - 
would affect the appearance of the sample; whereas approximately 60 percent 
of the buyers interviewed in South Carolina and 90 percent of those in North 
Carolina, where samples are drawn by hand almost exclusively, thought that 
the method of drawing would not affect the appearance of the sample. 
Table 4.- Buyers interviewed and percentages of them stating 
that method of sampling affects grade, staple 
length, or appearance of sample, by States, 1933 
Buyers 
interviewed 
Percentage of buyers stating that 
method of sampling; affects — 
State 
Grade 
Staple 
length 
Appearance 
of sample 
Total 
Number 
161 
Percent 
24.8 
Percent 
3.1 
12.5 
6.3 
Percent 
64.6 
Alabama 
Arkansas 
Georgia 
11 
15 
19 
8 
9 
2 
11 
13 
6 
64 
3 
18.2 
33.3 
15.8 
37.5 
15.4 
16.7 
35.9 
90.9 
60.0 
52.6 
Louisiana 
87.5 
Mississippi 
Missouri 
33.3 
50.0 
North Carolina 
South Carolina 
Tennessee 
9.1 
38.5 
50.0 
Texas 
85.9 
Virginia 
The different sampling practices prevailing in the different parts 
of the Cotton Belt may be explained to some extent by differences in circum- 
stances surrounding the marketing or handling of cotton in the different 
areas. It will be observed, for example, that the hook is much used in sam- 
pling Delta cotton. In this connection, attention is called to the fact 
that, inasmuch as the natural appearance of long-staple cotton is somewhat 
more rough or stringy than that of other cotton grown in the United States, 
the extent of additional roughness caused by the hook or by pulling these 
samples by hand is not readily apparent. 
At one compress visited in Virginia, all samples — whether from flat, 
standard-density, or high-density bales — were drawn by hand. But many 
managers of compresses visited were of the opinion that, although a good 
sample can be taken with the hands from a flat bale, it would be impossible to 
obtain in this way a good sample from a compressed bale. A large number of 
high-density bales were observed with bands so close together that an adequate 
sample could not be obtained without breaking a band, and several bales were 
seen on which bands were crossed. Breaking and replacing bands require loss 
of time and involve added expense, and some shippers will not allow the bands 
to be broken after the bale has been compressed. Thousands of bales are sampled 
