Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-21

fall into one of 10S types. and there is.
BESIDES the cotton below the lowest
tenderable." The 10S little squares of
cotton that were selected. after months
OF research, comparison and examina-
ton, to represent the official cotton
standards of the United States have
been stored with more care, perhaps.
than was ever bestowed on the worlds
most priceless jewels. Each sample
was carefully rolled in specially pre-
pared carbon paper to exclude all light,
was inserted in a large glass tube. COW
err the extraction Of all air, was sealed
In vacuum.
The entire set was then placed in a
safe and the whole stored in one OF
the vaults of the United States Treas
ury. Twenty-four duplicate sets were
stored in safe deposit vaults in differ
ent buildings of the Department OF
Agriculture. Other duplicates were
kept in more accessible places as work
ing sets from which sets for sale to
various markets are prepared.
In arriving at standards the depart
ment specialists collected samples from
all of the cotton growing regions OF
the country, so that all types might be
represented. The scheme accepted pro
Tides for nine grades to which the old
nomenclature is applied, and within
each grade twelve types. The scheme
Is based on "middling," which is what
age grade. Working down from mid
liing the grades are strict low mid.
ding" low middling.' strict good
ordinary" and good ordinary" The
latter is the lowest grade with which
orders may be filled. Working up from
ding" good middling." strict good
middling" and "middling fair" While
good ordinary" at one extreme is
dlngy, discolored and trashy, mid
RI LING fofv fI,@ A. -i1-f,k
white and practically free from all
trace of foreign matter.
In securing the bales of cotton that
will exactly match the standards and
samples from which will therefore
serve as material for the production OF
standard sets. the office of markets
finds much difficulty. Employees peri
odically scour the country for such
bales and several of each type are kept
on hand in Washington. The compari-
sons as a result of which the new sets
of standards are produced are made in
specially designed room flooded with
light from a gigantic north skylight
which international experts pronounce
the best equipped cotton grazing quar-
ters in the world. The comparisons
are made only on bright days.
The working sets of standards are
assembled in fiat boxes. each box rep
resenting grade and containing
twelve small square boxes of types
tograph of its contents on the same
scale as the original. so that any tam
pering with the standards will become
Immediately apparent
The government sells it's cotton
standards for 500 a set and exacts of
the purchaser an agreement that the
certificates of grade may be Cancelled
at any time that the box ceases to rep
resent the official standards or when
the photographs become mutilated
More, than 500 full sets of standards
have been sold in the United States and
more than a score in foreign countries
The Liverpool Cotton Association has
modifed Its standards so that they
practically are identical with the
United States standards, and in Ger
many and France serious consideration
is being given to the adoption of the
american standards. There is little
doubt in the minds of cotton specialists
that the official cotton standards of
the country which produces the bulk of
the worlds supply will. before a great
while, he recognized as the worlds
standards for the fiber