Imperial Valley press., 1912-05-04
COTTON IN IMPERIAL VALLEY

The greatest cotton country in the
world is the way a veteran cotton
grower of Texas described the Impe
rial valley to an inquiring stranger
If allowance is made for the liberties
which Americans are accustomed to
| take with their adjectives, and it is
understood that great in this case
has reference to quality rather than
quantity, this expression may be said
to describe the general sentiment Of
old time cotton growers who have tried
out the Imperial valley in the produc-
ton of the worlds great staple. For
/ be it understood that the chief enthus-
lasts concerning the production OF cot
| ton in the Imperial valley are not
| those, of whom there are a plenty,
| who never saw cotton growing until
| two or three years ago but those who
/ have grown cotton in the southern
states all their lives and, in the words
! of a familiar adv dyertiSement. There's d
/ reason.
Cotton has been grown experiment.
! ally in the Imperial and COachella val
/ leys for several years. but CONNER
cially only during the past three years.
/ It tranSpires, therefore. that there are
| vet many things to be learned cOncern-
! ing it's production under our conditions
and responsible persons are guarded
about making eXtraVagant statement s.
Experience up TO the present time,
however, warrants the statement that
/ the Imperial valley can produce in
+ quantity long staple equal to The best
/ that is produced either i'll this colm-
try or Egypt. and can produce the
short staple in quantity unequaled
anywhere known. Not every one who
. has undertaken cotton growing has
done this, and moreover, there ar
plenty to be found who have not made
4 success of cotton growing at all,
but such failures are not to be charged
against the general conditions Of soil
and climate for the production of co..
ton.
Probably not a person in the United
States ever grew boil of cotton with
irrigation until the experiment was
tried in California and Arizona and
naturally many mistakes have been
made in learning a new system OF
agriculture in regard to which there
was nothing to guide us. Now, how
ever, the investigator may find any
one of score or two of successful
cotton growers who can advise him
how to get a maximum yield under If
rigatiOn and how to avoid the mistakes
/ which have spelled failure in the past
! OF course, the Weightiest cOnsidera-
tions in favor of the Imperial valley
as cotton produced are the fact that
there are no insect pests 10 be dealt
with. that moisture conditions are just
what we make them and that long
season permits of the development OF
a larger crop than can be raised where
the season is limited at both ends by
frost. There is market to the West
of us ready to absorb all of the cot
ton that can be produced.
There is reason to believe that the
Imperial valley will gradually drift in
10 the production of long staple cotton,
which appears TO grow quite as abun-
dainty as the short staple and is worth
approximately twice as much for
staple an inch and a quarter long or
three times as much for staple an
inch and three-quarters long. The only
reason that this plan has not been
adopted in the beginning is that 1t
has been found advisable to acclima-
tie the seed, both Egyptian and Amer
lean long staple, because OF a tend
ency to run too much to stalk the hrSt
year of planting and of possibility
that it might not come true TO type
the second year Now. however, this
has been worked out and all over the
valley there are fields of long staple
cotton grow from seed which has come
true to type its second, third or fourth
wear This area will no doubt be tra-
mendously increased another year.
feature in regard to the cotton in
dustry of the Imperial valley when
should moi be passed over i'll general
discussion is the discovery which has
been made that it is possible here 10
volunteer cotton from the roots OF the
preyious year. which in this cllma'P 'P
do not seem to Winter-kill. In Such
cases the cotton plant starts out VILE
it's root system all made and has nOtn'
ing to do but produce bOlls and the
stalk to attach them to. Some OF the
largest Yields as we'll as the best
grades of cotton, have been taken from
volunteer fields Conservative opln-
ion does not yet recommend that eV-
cry farmer should volunteer his COT
ton. for this, like the question OF lrrl-
CATION, is something entirely new IN
the industry but it is, nevertheless.
an established fact that the thing can
be done and if the many experimental
fields which are being tried this year
do well after the extraordinarily colo
winter of the past season it is certain
that much of the cotton of the valley
will be volunteered hereafter and, OF
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