The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-03-18
SOUNDS WARNING TO
GROWERS Of COTTON
AGRICULTURAL DE PART en- 7
SAYS "HALF AND HALF"
STAPLE INFERIOR.

ing the last two years the attention
of the Department of Agriculture
has been directed to the fact that active
campaigns have resulted in the intro
duction into portions of Oklahoma,
Texas and Arkansas of variety of
cotton called "Half-and-Half." 1t is
reported that the seed has been sold
for as much as IS per bushel, under
the representation that 1t Is an exceed
ingly prolific variety, yielding so per
cent of lint, or 5OO-pound bale from
1000 pounds of seed cotton. Many
inquiries have been received from
planters throughout this section asking
for advice concerning this cotton.
The departments representatives
have examined many samples Of Halt
and Half" cotton from these states and
have grown 1t in experimental plant
ings, and have found 1t far inferior to
cotton ordinarily produced in this sec
ton.
The departments field tests on nu-
merous varieties have shown that
'Half-and- Half" does not maintain
high rank in total lint yield per acre.
The large proportion of lint to seed
apparently results from the fact that
the seeds are very small and light.
The danger of judging cotton by lint
percentages has been explained in Blu.
reau of Plant Industry Circular No. II,
and the caution has been repeated in
United States Department of Agricul-
ture Bulletin No. 60.
The lint of the "Half-and-Half" va.
riety is of poor character, irregular,
wasty and very short a large portion
of the samples examined being less
than seven-eighths of an inch is
uncomfortable on future contracts made
under the provisions Of the United
States Cotton Futures Act, and there
fore buyers will penalize it whenever
discovered.
Product Not Acceptable.
The department is informed that
many persons who grew this variety
have succeeded in selling 1t at prevail.
ing prices, but this can not long con
tinue. When cotton of less than sew
en-eighths of an inch in length sells
for full market price, 1t is because it's
true character was not detected.
Whenever cotton firms, find a large
part of the cotton in any community
falling to seven-eighths of an inch or
less in length, buyers will be with
drawn from the district or they will
scale down the prices on all grades to
meet the lower prices which must be
expected for such short staple.
Many interior buyers, as well as
practically all the larger cotton firms,
have declined to handle this cotton at
any price. They state that its lint is
far inferior to that commodity grown
in their territory and is not acceptable
to their regular customers.
Competent spinners have stated that
this variety as ordinarily grown pro
duces so short a fiber as to render it
wholly unsuitable for the class of work
which now consumes the great bulk of
the cotton of the western belt
Before this agitation became gen
eral, high-grade sample of this cot
ton was submitted by the department
to two prominent members of the
New Orleans Cotton Exchange, who, on
the first attempt to pull the staple,
stated that the fiber was so short that
it would be rejected as persisted sta
pie" by their classification committee
and would not be tenderable on New
Orleans cotton contracts. Two mem.
bers of the New York Cotton Elk
change, to whom samples were sub
mitted, made practically the same re.
marks.
Various cotton exchanges in the
SOutl WColOi IL SlctCo HdfO tdhSh OthSiui
action to prevent the delivery of this
cotton on contracts made between
their members.
Spnners Complain.
AS grown in Texas, it is lacking in
storm-proof quality, as the cotton
drops from the bolls very easily and
the individual seeds often fall apart.
Repeated complaints are received
from English spinners of the number
of milky" bales of American cotton.
This condition arises largely through
the introduction of short staple into
long staple cotton territory, or Of long
staple into communities growing short
staple cotton. ANY serious mixing OF
varieties which have fibers of different
lengths results In serious losses in