Arizona republican., 1910-03-28
CHAS. z. JONES
 Manager

I mandS of it's people for clothing and other purposes. all of which has aid ! cd in the production of many variet ies of staple and plant. the most of
 which ts. with the exception uf the | Egyptian bong staple. of very little l market value. as compared to the Am | criCdn product. and when used in any of the better grades of cloth. is mixed with the tough medium length fibre of America
 The Egyptian cotton being of long silky fibre can be. and is used in 1 the manufacture of the better grade l of fabrics. imitation silks and Mo ! hair goods. but like the shorter sta
 pies of other countries, it, owing to | its extreme brittleness. can only be ] used in general way, by mixing l with the American cotton. which as , you sec. gives the American cotton ! raiser practical monopoly on the 1 product.
 1 The Egyptian cotton. while not as ! productive as the short staple cot % i ton. brings larger values per pound. and is being rapidly introduced into ! the United States. where after mix | ing with the Sea Island ta very su- ! pcrior staple grown along the coast 1 regions of the south. and the com 1 mon short staple cottons. there has ] been medium length staple produced | which is proving very successful in 1 the lower gulf counties of the south. / The agricultural department of the l Tinted States is experimenting with ' this Egyptian cotton in the various ! tl,r.. the results of which. as | learn. are very satisfactory.
 Cotton. or rather. short staple cot ton, such as is. grown in the south ] ern states loves warm. moist. Sul I try climate best. and never reaches | it's perfection in any other Egyptian cotton on the contrary. is the product of the more or less arid lands along the river Nile and should do well in any warm dry climate. where water in sufficient amounts for irrigation, can he had. While I have had no chance yet to see. I would not think
 that the short staple varieties such
 as grow in the southern states, would
 he profitable in the Salt River valley.
 but a cross between the Egyptian and the short staple, such as is now be-
 ing raised in southern Mississippi. Al
 abama and Georgia, as well as in oth-
 CT parts of the extreme south, might
 pay here even better than the pure
 Egyptian variety.
 At present prices for cotton. which
 if the producers would use even
 average intelligence. could be main
 taincd or even increased, there should
 be q good profit in producing cotton even on high priced irrigated lands. Cotton is not. as many suppose.
 hard crop to cultivate. The same cultivation given corn. with the eX- ception of hoeing and thinning. being able for cotton. have known one man and one team to do all the breaking. planting and cultivatinE for sixty-five acres of cotton in Texas and in this valley. where rain is no desideratum. and crap grass is not known. this amount could easily be handled on land that was not too foul. Many planters in the south are paying the same rents as are asked for the lands in the Salt River valley. and it is a common practice to pay d good chopper" Sl.J0 per day dur ing the hoeing season; while the aver age picker will make from g. to S4 per day during the harvest time, all of which shows that high priced labor and rents need not deter planters m the Salt River valley from producing this valuable staple
 For the benefit of those who have had no experience in the culture of cotton and yet would like to try patch" this year. will give the general plan of cultivating the short and medium length staple in the south.
 First. the land should bc thoroughly broke and disced as carly as possible, then at planting time, which, oWlng to the cool nights here, l would thlnk to be not earlier than April 18th, the land should be listed and the ridges logged or rolled down, leaving small furruw between the rows for water. then with a good horse drill. plant from one and one eighth to two bushels of seed tO the acre. very shallow. and the ground should he irrigated as soon after as possible It must be remembered that cotton is very tender plant at the time of examination and if too much dirt is on the seed it will prevent 1t from strengthening out of the crook which will be fatal Barely cover the seed and then irrigate the land and you will get good stand After the plants are well up it should be culti- vatcd every week or ten days until the plants have four leaves. when if should be "scraped" which leaves the plants in very narrow rldge and ready for the hoes. There IS rotary horse hoe now used; that blocks the cotton very rapidly and saves much hand labor. which could be used here with advantage, but 1t will still h, necessary tC have the plants still further chopped or thin ned by hand hoes. The plants should be left about IS to 20 inches apart.
 After the thinning the same cultiva- ton given corn is sufficient, stopping as soon as the plants shade the ground Cotton should he watered regularly but not too often. Too much water or too little water causing the plant tu shed its bloom and fruit. If plants grow too much to weed. would advise topping" or pinching out the bud from the main stem. either in June or the early days of July. thus forcing the plant to direct it's energies toward D. Cducing and ma turing fruIt.
 In this climate I would not think that cotton NyouId need irrigating af-