Imperial Valley press., 1909-08-21
BEST COTTON REGION
 |S IMPERIAL VALLEY Crop is Absolute DemonStra- ton of Advantages of
 Soil and Climate
Expert Inspection of Five Hundred Acres of Growing Cotton DispeIs All Planting and Frequent irrigation Produce Best Results,

Cotton has advanced so far in growth that the quality of the pros- pective crop is no longer a matter of theory or opinion, and the quantity may be estimated approximately. It can be said with absolute certainty that conditions of soil and climate in Imperial Valley are adapted perfectly to the production of the finest quality of cotton in quantities far exceeding the average yield of Texas fields.
 Last Sunday an inspection of some of the cotton plantations in the neigh borhood of El Centro and Meloland was made by a party of Texas cot ton men, accompanied by represen- tative of the Press, and the Texans declared that they never had seen cotton growing so well anywhere else. Not only the thrifty growth of the weed, but the fine quality of fibre in opened bolls amazed them.
 The party inspected fields aggre- gating more than 800 acres and ar- rived at some conclusions regarding the time for planting, methods of cul- tivation and frequency of irrigation that are not precisely in accord with the theories previously held. It was found that cotton in this region re- quires more water than the experts thought it would stand. Irrigation once a week does not appear to be excessive The best looking fields are those which have had the most frequent and regular irrigation.
 It is the opinion of the Texans that late planting is preferable, and that the fields planted in June will give the largest yield to the acre. Also it was found that medium hard land made a better stand than the soft, sandy land.
 At Meloland, J. R. Loftus has 240 acres in cotton. The early planting shows good results, but the later plant ing promises the heavier crop. In the field south of the railroad, planted early, the lower bolls are open and the locks ready for picking. The lint is perfectly clean and white without a trace of stain. On an average there are fifty matured bolls to the stock, and the plants have at least six weeks more to grow and make cotton. The stand is not perfect, as there are soft spots in the field which failed to pro- duce anything. The field evidently needed more water to keep up a steady growth.
 The later planting north of the rail road track is in splendid condition, showing the beneficial effects of plenty of water
 Chris Beck's eight acres east of the Loftus field indicate that the sandy soil in that district is not suitable for cotton. The best growth is in the hard spots.
 The most systematic and compre- hensive experimental planting has been done on the Wilsie ranch west of E Centro One hundred acres have been planted in sections at diff ferent times. The earliest plantation is now matured and ready for the pckers, and there is an average of 9 open bolls to the stock close to the ground. The stand is not so even
 as it should be, but 1t is safe to es- innate the yield from that patch at a bale to the acre. The later plant ngs are making more cotton. and If the June patch is kept growing and