Arizona republican., 1919-02-20
TEMPE COTTON
 EXCHANGE HAS
 BEENASUCCESS
Two Million Pounds Cotton ' Seed Handled Last Year
 With Half Million More
 As the Estimate for 1919

Al the beginning of the cotton in- dustry in the valley. the growers of he Tempe district. realizing that 10 haul their cotton to either the Phoenix or Mesa gins was impractical deter mined to erect a gin of their own. and the result was the Tempe Cotton Ex- change. This was some five years ago. but the Exchange is still in existence and running tO capacity.
 The sin is equipped with 10-gin stands and the usual machinery. in- Cluding a suction unloading device and 30 baler. The first year or so of it's eN- istence only about 1900 bales were handled by this concern, but last sea- son 2,500 bales passed through the gin and this year it is estimated 5000 bales will be handled.
 At first the Tempe Cotton Exchang 9 was organized Co gin the cotton for all growers in the district thus saving them long haulage, but this Is no longer its function, for now merely select cot To ion is handled there. This cotton. grown in restricted areas set aside by the government experts, is of the pure Pima strain, and the Tempe Cotton exchange, ginning merely this select cotton Co avoid contamination. pro- duces cotton seed for planting which supplies practically the entire Sal, River Valley.
 The work of obtaining this pure grade of cotton was begun in 1913 when the department of agriculture sent several experts to the Salt River Valley where they rogued about lOl acres of cotton. Every plant in this acreage was examined. and the un- productive and off-type plants amounting to about one per cent Of tho total, were removed This was done early in July soon after blossOnine began. in order to take out the infer for plants before their pollen should |. contaminate those left in the field
 The growers association had tn, seed from the rogued fields ginned a the Cotton Exchange under such con ditions as Co avoid mixing with othel seed, and also had the seed sacked an, tagged as it came from the gin. 1T order to prevent mixture while 1t wa held in storage.
 The rogued seed is placed by the as sOciauOn in the hands of careful farm CTS having good land sufficiently re mote from other cotton to proven crossing The fields planted unde these conditions are inspected durini the summer. and the product of thes' which are properly grown and are oth aerwise satisfactory is ginned separate ly. in order to furnish seed for gen eral planting the second year after th' rOguing is done. Thus. the seed use, for general planting in 1918 was de rived from the fields which werl rogued in 1916. and that which will b. used for general planting in 1919 ha been derived from the fields rOgued il 1917 10 Is believed that the seed iron inspected fields can be sold for plant Ing at a price very little above curren nil-mill prices. thus removing th temptation to plant unsolicited seed be cause it Is cheaper
 The fact that this plan for handlinl the supply Of planting seed of th Yuma variety was in successful opera ton when the time came 10 introduc the Pima variety in the same localit. made it possible 10 solve what wOuli have otherwise been the very difficul problem of substituting one variety fO another and yet keeping the new stoc from being mixed with the ol, Through the hearty and efficient co operation of the growers association has been possible to supply. in 19i' pure seed of the Pima variety fo planting approximately 10000 acres. a nf which was derived from the % acres planted near Tempe in 1916.
 According tO the United States de p4rtment Of agriculture, fl the grow CTS associauons continue to follo- year after year the plan thus outline, it is expected that deterioration, if occurs, will be SO gradual that ther will be time for the substitution Of an other pure strain selected and multi piled at the plant breeding station.
 Up Go the present, the governmer experts have carefully segregated son 1000 acres Of the purest Pima strai Of long staple cotton. using every pro caution Co avoid cross -polinizatio k with inferior grades. The Tempe Col ton Exchange gins this product e, clusively and sunnlies the valley wit Inc highest grade of pure quality co lon seed thus tending to raise q general quality of the cotton grow throughout the Salt River Valley.
 Last year the Tempe Cotton r., -hangc handled some 100000 poun' 1f cotton seed while this year an est mated amount of some 2.500 900 poun' Nlll be on hand to supply the vall' With cotton ped for the crop of 1920.
 =-O-
 IT HAS BEEN DONE