Arizona republican., 1916-02-26
Stick to Long Staple Cotton

In another column appears letter from Dr. Walter T. SWinge, physiologst in charge the de- partment of agriculture, Professor Sidney F. Morse of the University of Arizona urging him to use every endeayor prevent the planting of short staple cotton in this valley Dr. SWingle directs at tention to the favorable long staple cotton situation in the valley the recognition that has been given it and the prices it is bringing in the New England markets. What pr Swingle tells has often been told before, but it be told too often to impress upon growers cotton in this val ley the importance of maintaining the high grade and purity which have become much an asset.
 Dr. Swinge speaks more particularly of the con- tamination and deterioration of the seed, Damag- ing that would be- the lesson taught though costly, would probably prevent a second error, for the reputation of the valleys crop which has been three years in building might eventually be built up again with greater difficulty. though than at first. There is, however, a greater and more ire parable damage that might result-the introduction of pests quite common to short staple which readily attack Egyptian cotton and once introduced would probably become permanent
 There is little danger that such pests would be introduced here if the cultivation of long staple cotton is exclusively maintained No seed would be brought in from the outside except such as would be imported from abroad, and that is subject to rigid government inspection. The more dreaded of cotton pests is the boil weevf which has ex- tended it's ravages since 1892 from small triangle in the extreme south of Texas over practically the entire cotton growing region of the southern states embracing four-fifths of the Texas cotton belt all of Louisiana, Mississippi, nearly all of Alabama and small sections Georgia and Florida penetrat- ing the Sea Island cotton region of the two last named states. Year by the range of the boll weevH has extended in spite of the constant and expensive Warfare Waged against it.
 According to a bulletin recently issued by the department of agriculture the pink boil weevil has wrought havoc with the cotton crop of Egypt There is probably no other region in the world where long staple cotton is grown so nearly immune with the exercise of proper precaution, from cotton pests the Salt River Valley It's security lies in its isolation It would be a crime to destroy this immunity even to risk it's destrlc- uon when the opportunity exists to make this re- zion the most famous long staple cotton region in the Woriq and when the cotton may come to be regarded everywhere as standard of excellence.
 If there were even a prospect of temporary gdn from the cultivation of short staple cotton there would be excuse, but a very poor one for it's introduction. But there is no such prospect The greater profit and the found in the cultivation of long staple cotton whose price always much higher than that of short staple cotton. is secure against the effect of overproduction in the world. Short staple cotton is always exposed to this effect But there is not enough known land in the world where long staple cotton can be raised to produce volume of it that will meet the grow ing demand from year to year