Imperial Valley press., 1909-11-06

hNiVo dit btiub HiNhtut SuoWAub yield of over bale an acre for the first going over. with two pickings to follow It is estimated that the thousand acres will first and last yield 1900 bales of cotton.
 One of the foreseen difficulties about cotton growing in this American Nile was that of obtaining labor to do the picking The industry has been uu- dertaken mostly by southern cotton growers from Texas and Georgia, ! skilled in the business. and to this fact is attributed largely it's success. | They not only knew how to culu- vate the land. but where to get pick CTS. An ordinary picker is gathering in the Imperial Valley these days 200 to 250 pounds of cotton. Some ex- perts pick 3S0 pounds day They are paid S1 a hundred pounds, and evidently they are making good mon ey. If a southern negro can earn s3.S0 day picking cotton in Imperial Val l ltA JIGlt VIII ut AlO NlOuDlt dbOuN getting the labor.
 As to the market price of the cot ton, bale of 500 pounds at the gin is bringing $75 and the seed is sell ing for S10 an acre. As the output is supposed to be a bale and half for an acre. the farmers are making l I,A bos bo of growing picking and ginning Is put at S25. Taking a very moderate estimate, cotton growing will pay in this Imperial Valley country from $50 to S75 an acre.
 The cotton crop of the present year 1 is nearly all from Texan or Geor- gian seed A few planters have ex- perimented with Egyptian seed The Texans and Georgians, who are cul- tivating cotton in Imperial Valley, had tried Egyptian seed in their former southern homes. It was unsuccessful, and their failure made them timid about experimenting here. Those who udu COul dSc GllOuSu lO dIlSluDI lllS growing of Egyptian cotton in the American Nile country have been re- warded by good success. This has been the view of those well acquaint- ed with conditions in Egypt and in the Imperial Valley for some time past. If Egyptian cotton shall prove oIo I0 delta, the possibilities of a great in- dustry are indeed impressive. There are said to be on the California side of the river 500,000 acres and 250,000 acres in the delta below the bound ary line suitable for cotton. With the | territory east of the river, it looks as l if there was probably 100000 acres of good cotton land in this American ! Nile district. If the industry is confined to the production of cotton similar to that in the Southern States and the net profit to the growers is $50 an acre, 100000 acres would give us net revenue there of $50,000,000 year. As American cotton sells at from to 12 cents pound and Egyp- tian cotton at from 22 to 2S cents a pound the revenue figures rise in vast proportions.
 The market for this California cot ton is right at the doors. Of the 1900 bales being ginned at the pres ent time in the Imperial Valley coun- try the cotton factory at Oakland Calf. takes 1000. There is shipped from Texas, via Seattle year by year q very large amount of cotton to Ja- pan San Pedro is but little more than 100 miles from the cotton fields in the new American Nile, and our advantage in shipping through San Pedro to the Orient over the Texas shipI ing through Seattle is very ap- parent.
 But a bale of raw cotton shipped abroad brings but a moderate return to the people of this country. The proper thing to do is to convert this American cotton into cotton fabrics and ship the finished product to the Orient We now have the cotton fields and the cotton crop absolutely assured. The soil and climate are ours. The problem of labor is prac- tically solved The 1900 bales of this year are likely to be multiplied by two, thee, four or five by this time next year. This brings us face to face with new problem. We must have cotton factory to convert the lint into cotton yarn and that into cot ton cloth.
 Mir. Denby. who was Minister to