Arizona sentinel and Yuma weekly examiner., 1914-01-01
COTTON EXPERTS TELL
 INTERESTING FACTS

tue CulSl CduSCo OL IAAC NNSNA AON of cotton varieties is mixing at the gins. No amount of selection and roguing in the field will insure pure seed unless every precaution is taken to prevent subsequent mixing. The association should, therefore, see to it that either certain gins are set aside solely for ginning the cotton from the rogued fields or else that the gins are thoroughly cleaned before this special seed cotton is run through. All sacks bins, wagons, etc. used in hauling and storing the select seed, both be- fore and after ginning, should be care fully inspected in order to make sure that no other seed or seed cotton is present. Finally, the greatest care should be taken to mark the sacks or bins containing the selected seed, so that mixing can not take place. The packages in which this seed is sent out to growers should be marked that there can be no uncertainty about the seed which they contain.
 What the Department of Agriculture
 Can Do
 The department of agriculture can cooperate with the associations of growers by instructing the persons who may be selected to supervise the roguing in regard to the type which is to be preserved. The department recognizes that in the present state of the industry the growers can not be eXptcted to possess such knowledge, but it is expected that many of them will endeavor to familiarize them selves with the points involved, so that the associations will soon be able to carry the work along on their own initiative
 At the cooperative experimental garden at Sacaton plant-breeding work will be continued, with a view to developing still better varities of Egyptian cotton.
 Other sorts of cotton which may be suggested as likely to be more profit able will be tested in comparison with the variety now grown, under such conditions as to preclude any danger of contaminating seed which is intend ed for distribution to farmers. If this work should result in demonstrating that it will be advantageous for the growers to replace the present stock with some other, steps will be taken to supply them, through the associa- tions, with sufficient seed to enable the entire community to make the change at one time. In short, no eff fort will be spared to aid the Salt River valley in gaining a reputation for the excellence of its long staple cotton.
 Summary
 Egyptian cotton is a special type related to Sea Island, but very dis tinct The fiber is especially used in the manufacture of fine cloths and of goods in which strength and durabil- ity are essential, such as sewing thread ,hoisery, automobile-tire- fab rics, etc
 Numerous varieties have been sue cessfully developed in Egypt Each of these has apparently originated as a mutation, or sport" quite different from the patent stock and producing a very uniform progeny. The varieties rapidly deteriorate in Egypt, however, as a result of crossing with one an. other and with the Hindi, or weed cot ton, which is present in all parts of the country.
 The Yuma variety, which is now be ing grown in the Salt River valley originated in the course of plant breeding work by the United States department of agriculture. It appeared suddenly among selections of the Nit Afifi variety, but is totally distinct from that variety in all of it's charac teristics and has shown from the frs a strong tendency to produce uniform progeny. It is therefore to be re garded as a mutation.
 Only one variety of cotton should bt grown in a community. Otherwise there is sure to be crossing of tht plants in the fields and mixing of tht seed at the gins. The result will b. lack of uniformity in the fiber pro duced and it will be found impossible to obtain the high prices which manu lecturers of the cotton are willins to pay for uniform product.
 All cotton varieties, even whel grown from carefully selected seet and planted where crossing with othe varieties is impossible produce a eel tain number of off-type and inferio plants, which can be recognized b, the character of their branches leaves and hractS Such Dlant