Imperial Valley press., 1910-09-17
VALLEYS FERTILITY
 TALKED IN THE EAST
Cotton Manufacturers Told By LoftuS of Great Success
 of New Industry

Ht NdIlOHdl ASSOCldllOn Manufacturers held it's semi-annual meeting at Portsmouth, N. H.. this week and among those who addressed the meeting was Joseph R. Loftus of Imperial Valley.
 MT. Loftus briefly sketched the his tory of cotton growing in the valley, described the geographical situation and climatic conditions, and said in part:
 From our experience in 1909, we learn that cotton in Imperial, Valley is not "poor mans crop" as it is gen. erally spoken of in the cotton growing states. Several planters produced bale and half to the acre, and from one 160 acre plantation the gross in come was $11,200, which netted the owners, after paying all expenses, over | $S,0O0, or about $50 an acre. On land valued at from $100 to $150 this makes a very profitable business. When it is considered that the planting was in an irrigated district, by a planter knowing little of the cotton industry, we think we have made a splendid showing.
 We have gone into the cotton grow ing situation completely enough so that we know that after deducting the value of the seed at figure of $15 ton, paying reasonable investment on our land or renting land for cash rent, we can produce cotton for $35 bale, figuring on bale to the acre. larger production would of course lessen the cost. We arrive at this cost in the following manner. Flow ing, planting and cost of seed, $4.50 an acre; chopping and cultivating, $4; irrigation water, $3. Figuring the land on the rental basis of $750 an acre brings the total cost of $19 up to picking time. Add cost of picking and hauling to gin and ginning, $20 equipment ;, and incidental expense $35O, makes total of $4250 Deduct value of seed, $7.50, leaves $35 for a bale of 500 pounds.
 Our labor is generally white labor of very superior kind, and they are paid for ordinary farm work from $35 to $50 a, month and board, but with the use of modern methods and i'm plements we are able to produce our cotton as cheaply as other sections with the exception of picking. For this we pay $1 hundred pounds for seed cotton in the field, which of course means three cents a pound for the ginned cotton, or lint. In the South they pay from 50 to 85 cents hundred pounds for the picking of seed cotton.
 Our gins and oil mills are owned by the cotton growers with a machin- cry and oil mill man in charge who has had twenty years experience in this industry. There will be no ad- vantage in having gins show profit at the expense of the grower. Con- sequently we feel that we can turn out better staple than is customary. In financing our oil mill and gins, we feel that we have demonstrated the ability of the California cotton grower to properly handle his business.
 With the ports of San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles directly connected with Imperial Valley by railroad, you see what our shipping facilities for the cotton will be when the Panama Canal is opened. By that time, we expect to have fully 500,000 acres planted to cotton in. California and Arizona. With a cotton crop making a bale to the acre, and cotton at twelve cents pound farming will be very profitable in Imperial Valley, The cotton growers generally, think, would appreciate a fixed price each year, giving them a reasonable profit rather than the present conditions,
 "In certain portions of the South drought and boil weevil have dis couraged growers, many of whom are eking out bare existence. These people have very little opportunity of advancement in their present location, and as our cotton growing develops, many of these people will come to California where ample land can be secured for reasonable rent and good farmers can obtain advances of pro-