Arizona republican., 1916-10-23
ATHA GIVES GOOD
 TALK ON VALLEY
 COTTON INDUSTRY

Cotton and Its Relation to the Sal; River Valley" was the theme of a very interesting address by Herbert E. Atha, of the Arizona Egyptian Cotton Company, before the Rotary Club on the occasion of the last reg llar weekly luncheon of the club held at the Rose Tree, on Friday. with Postmaster Selim Michaelson presiding.
 Interest in the cotton industry in the Salt river valley seems to be ar irving and it is natural that lt should said MT. Atha. At the prices that prevail now. land in the valley should be worth from $500 to the land is really worth that much because i do not think the price will remain where it is.
 Whether if will go back to the price of twenty cents, where if had heen, it is impossible to say. but l think it is probable that it will be higher than that for some time to conc. Originally at twenty cents we thought we would be able to make a good profit but the yield of the cotton we have been growing has not been as large IS we had anticipated The average for the good farmer on fairly good land has been two-thirds of a hale to the acre, and the cost when everything is considered. has beer about the same. But a bale an acre has teen produced and the cost in , stead of being twenty cents has beer sixteen cents leaving 2 profit of S2o per acre. Where bale and half had heon produced the cost has been about thirteen cents. making the prof 1t about $50 per acre. Al the present rrice tWo-thirds of a bale will give 2 profit of ahout sA5 per acre. bale 8 profit of about Sa5 and a bale and T half a profit of Sl65 per acre. While i two thirds of bale does not show | a profit if all the labor has to be | hired. yet if the farmer has twenty l five acres in cotton and does all the work himself exceDt the picking at 1 two-t thirds of a bale he wil have ar | income of $500. At one bale he will ] have a profit of 1000 and at a bale and half he will have a profit of 1 $1 S00"
 Mir Atha went on to say that where the farming operations are conducted in this way the yields arc usually more satisfactory because the i farmer knows his own grounds and 1 Is able to give the crop the best of attention. He called to the attention Of the members of the club that the government is developing a new va i riety known as Pima cotton, and il ! is thought that this will pield fifty per cent more than the variety that | is being grown and that the quality
 of the lint would be equally as good ! He said that 250 acres of this cottor
 has been planted this year, and il | looks as though the average Yield
 will be from one and one fourth bales to one and one half bales. Here MT
 Atha took occasion to state that the
 development of the Egyptian cottor
 is entirely due to the department o
 agriculture. and that the men ir
 charge of this work here have beer
 most conscientious, paintaking anC
 efficient. and the gratitude of valley
 farmers is due to them for the gooC
 work that has been done.
 "A yield of a bale and one half O.
 cotton to the acre" said MT. Atha
 means a profit of about S165 to tn, acre. There Is a force that is work. ing against an increase in the yield that is the bugs that prey upon tn, cotton and there is very great dan ger that unless the utmost care is used they will become a serious men ace and possibly ruin the country as
 a cotton producing region
 lsiSl Neeh IeceiNeu sample o cotton from a man at Casa Grande
 who wanted to know whether it wa, long staple or short staple. He saiC
 he did not know anything about
 cotton but had planted a little las spring. I found that it was long 1 staple of very good quality. I asked him where he got the seed and h, advised me that friend had brought 1t over from Egypt. Unknowingly this man has done a very dangerous
 thing. There is a ping boil worn
 that is particularly ruinous to cotton The government is so much afraid ot it's being introduced into America
 that 1t has passed strict laws against
 the importation of any Egyptian cot
 ton seed, and also requires that al 1 Egyptian cotton be fumigated in th. | port of entry so as to do away will the possibility of the importation ol