The Tulsa star. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1913-1921, 1914-04-25
Warming
To Farmers

The attention Of The Department
.Of Agriculture has been called to
the very unsatisfactory condition
of Il large part Of the cotton seed
which has been reserved for plant
ing in Oklahoma and in parts of
Texas and Arkansas. Weather
conditions during Il large part Of
the picking season were unfavor.
able and large percentage of this
seed has been injured in vitality.
Unless termination tests are made
on all seed TO be used for planting
purposes it is believed that many
unsatisfactory stands will result.
The attention of the department
has also been called To the fact that
an active campaign has been un
dertaken to introduce into pOr-
tions of this territory Il variety Of
cotton which is represented as pro
ducing fifty per cent of lint, or Il
five hundred pound bale from Il
Thousand pound load of seed cot
ton.
The departments representa-
tiyes have examined this cotton in
the field, and have grown il in ex-
perimental paintings during the
last two seasons. The lint has been
found TO he exceedingly short, the
large proportions of lint to seed
apparently resulting from the fact
that the seeds are very small and
light. II has not been found Il
heavy producer of lint per acre.
The department has always re
Trained from recommending il be
cause it was believed that its very
short staple wauld soon be recog.
nized by the mills, and that there
would he consequent discrimina
tion against il.
During the past season several
of the largest cotton buying firms
in Oklahoma and Arkansas issued
orders To their agents not 10 puI'
chase this cotton at any price
They stated that its lint was 81
far inferior to that ordinarily
grown in their territory that they
knew it would not be acceptable to
their regular customers. The de
partment has, within the last few
weeks, received several letters
from planters in Arkansas asking
advice concerning this cotton, ANA
stating that the local buyers were
warning them against it because
the mills were discriminating
against the localities in which is is
being largely grown.
In view of these facts the de
partment warns The farmers of
Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas
that the introduction of any new
variety of cotton producing fiber
of less than seven-eighthS of AN
inch in average length will he like
ly to seriously damage the reputa,
tion of their local markets, and
may result in few years in bas-
ing the price of this inferior cot.
ton. These same districts are now
receiving Slight premium over
the regular quotations for short
staple.
The department will particular
~ regret to see the result of the
campaign which has been waged i'm
Oklahoma in behalf of pure Tri.
umph cotton jeopardized by the
promiscuOuS introduction of cot.
ton of greatly inferior staple.
Such policy must result in very
serious losses to all the growers in
the communities where the poorer
types become common.
Repeated complaints are re-
ceived from English Spinners of
the number of milky bales of Amer.
lean cotton. This condition arises
largely through the Introduction
of short cotton into staple commu.
mites or of long staple into short
cotton country.
Any serious mixing of varieties
which have fiber Of different
lengths results i'm sprious lossas H.,