El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-12-23
OPLANT 10000
ACRES TOCOTTON
Salt River Valley Growers
Plan Mobilizing Indians
To Pick Next Crop.

Phoenix. Ariz. Dec 23.-COoperatiOn
in the fullest sense was the keynote OF
2 meeting OF salt River valley cotton
growers held at Tempe The acreage
viii be jumped up from 1000 to 10000.
involving necessity for a corresponding
increase in the supply OF labor
This year nearly 1000 piekers were
employed Internationally. The growers
even now are considering how they can
secure four times that number for the
coming harvest season This season
some Of the growers took trains OF au-
tomCbiles and brought Mexican pickers
from points $50 miles distant. even from
beyond Tucson Many negroes came
from Texas. The main dependence.
however. was when the Pima and Pap
ago Indians. who came by hundreds.
with their families. 10 earn large wages
~ the going rate OF 3 per 100 pounds
PICKED This year II Is proposed 10
TObilize the Indians on a much larger
scale
seed Shortage i Problem.
Another serious matter lies in the
lack of seed OF the highest grade of
cotton. the Pima Egyptian developed at
SacatOn BY the department Of agricul-
Jure- OF this variety 20 acres we're
grown in the season Just closed, ali
planted near Tempe by farmers who
bound themselves 10 rigid regulations
prescribed by the departments repre-
sentatives TO the end that the strain
should BE- kept pure The seed has
been taken BY the department and VIII
BE planted again under the same con-
ditIOns- II VIII be enough Tor ABOUT
5000 acres. which will be selected in
one locality. probably south Of Tempe.
entirely away from other cotton The
following season there viii be plenty Of
Pima seed for the whole valley, possibly
some for other localities
Most Will BE Yuma Egyptian.
The greater part of the acreage the
coming season VIII be N the una
Egyptian. an early development from
the Egyptian by the agricultural de-
partment station at Yuma. Ariz- Its
staple is about a quarter Of an inch
shorter than the Pima. which averages
one and one-haf inches. In addition.
the Pima bears more heavily and has a
materially finer fiber, while the plant
Is more open and bears larger proper
tion Of cotton on its lower limbs. run
ming less 70 rank growth than other va
ricties locally tried. In reality, there
are three strains Of Pima but they
differ very little. The difference in the
product is so marked as to bring Pima
up to "a cents a pound this season,
when the Yuma was around so cents
should Pay $500 an Acre.
The profits that attend the new IN
dustry affect the farmers about as the
rise IN copper has excited the miners
4 bale an acre should be the crop for
the Pima variety, which means about
$500 for the lint alone. while the seed
viii have exceptional value Tor several
seasons to come.
It has been found that cotton does
exceptionally well on land that has
been classed by farmers as spoiled
that is fun Of Bermuda or Johnson !
grass, or that has a touch of alkali- I
The close cultivation needed eradicates !
weed pests within a couple Of years, !
so the cotton industry has an additional /
value 10 the farms.
Arizona Cotton Superior.
Arizona cotton seems distn guishCC I
for length and strength Of fiber. rather !
than for the glOssiness peculiar to the /
better grades OF the native Egyptian. :
So II is of exceptional value for auto /
mobile tires. hose fabric and all other I
u caves where strength is valued. In /
quiry for II has come even from Eng !
and. from which the war has cut Off :
4 large part Of the Egyptian supply