Imperial Valley press., 1914-05-27

greater expense in producing a bale
of Durango cotton than in producing
. a bale of short-staple cotton 1t takes.
1,500 pounds of short-staple seed cot
ton to make 500-pound bale of lint;
it takes 1,75O pounds of DURANGO
seed cotton to make the same sized
bale. The added expense in produc-
ing Durango comes in the cost of
| picking the additional $50 pounds OF
seed cotton. Allowing Is cents per
hundred for the extra seed from the
Durango cotton, it costs 72 cents a
bale, net, more to pick Durango than
it does to pick short-staple cotton at
$1.O0 per hundred seed cotton: At
$1.10 for Durango and $100 for short
staple, 1888 more a bale to pick the
Durango. At $1.25 per hundred seed
cotton for picking Durango it costs
$5.10 more per bale to pick Durango.
Granting the fact, which is apparent
from the thorough test of 1913, that
Durango yields as much lint per acre
as does short-staple, the only legiti-
mate extra charge against Durango
is the expense of picking the extra
seed cotton. At least 1000 acres of
Durango cotton were picked in 1913
for S1.00 to $1.10 per hundred pounds
| of seed cotton. We can expect that
the charge where good management
| is practised, will be nearer 100 than
$1.25 per hundred for picking Duran
go cotton. in seasons to come.
In normal years premium of
from 3 cents to cents a pound can
be expected for cotton of the char
acter of Durango over the price for
short-staple. Last year gave short
staple an extraordinary high price.
This was because of the dearth of
clean short-staple in the South. I'm
predecented storms lowered the grade
and value of a large proportion of
the crop, which added premium to
clean cotton. This cut down the mar
| gin between the two sorts of cotton
in the Imperial Valley to about 2
cents a pound. But this meant $1,000
bale premium for Durango to off
set the extra cost of picking, and thus
a net premium of from $3.50 to $9.2S
| per bale for Durango cotton. Each
cents difference in price in favor OF
| Durango cotton means an additional
| $500 per bale, so that it is quite
conceivable that Durango cotton may
bring as much as $2428 more to the
grower per bale than short-staple cot
ton. In country where the yield OF
a bale per acre is the usual thing
this means that Durango cotton will
yield much greater income to the
Valley, as we'll as to the individual
than will short-staple cotton.
Short-staple cotton in the Imperial
Valley has but one advantage-higl
grade. In a good picking season
| throughout the South this advantage
is wiped out. Durango cotton gives
the Imperial Valley the reputation of
being the home of a special, fancy
product. Properly grown Durango
cotton-that is, Durango cotton grown
without water-starvation after it be-
gins to fruit-properly picked anc
ginned, will be sought by the users
of long-staple cottons and will cal
to the Imperial Valley the most fav.
orable attention the Valley can pos.
sibly hope for. To establish a per.
manent reputation as the home Of
high quality long-staple cotton Ger
| tain practices must become habitual
These practices will be better under.
stood if carefully enumerated.
1. Pure Durango seed must be main
tanned for planting. This involves
the education of individuals in the
principles and practices of seed selec
ton. This is the basis of the indus.
try.
2. Preparation and leveling of the
land so~that water will go to every
plant that is grown; further, so that
every plant will receive as nearly as
possible the same amount of water
This careful preparation of the land
will insure full termination; uneven
stands at present cut down the crop
in the Imperial Valley appreciably.
3. Irrigation at such intervals and
in such quantities as will keep the
plants growing normally after they
begin to flower. Not too much water
but always enough. This is the criti-
cal operation in the growing of a
large crop as well as fiber of uni
form length and strength. Thus will
long-ctaple cotton in the Imperial Val