Arizona republican., 1920-02-20

practice as to the basis or WelSnt OH which American Egyptian cotton has been sold in eastern markets which has resulted in some confusion over the prices. Quite portion of the cotton shipped from the Salt River valley l3 st year was sold without deduction of the customary 22 pounds per bale for bagging and tying. while other cotton was sold with this deduction. In justice to both buyer and seller some estab- lished method should be followed in this matter.
 Experts differ greatly as to the de- sirability of compresSing American Egyptian cotton. The tire manufac- eurers have found that the cotton reached the east in better condition if uncompressed. and most of the cotton for tire fobric use was shipped uncom- pressed Other users of American Egyptian cotton have compressed 1t in transit, and report that the results have been entirely satisfactory. It IS evident, however that to avoid any difficulty of wind Cutting low com : precision rather than high compression should be practised on this cotton.
 In the first years of the production of this new type of American Egyptian cotton it attracted the particular at tention of the manufacturers of auto mobile tires and of thread who had been large users of Sakellarides Egyp- tiah. Sea Island. and Peruvian long staple cotton. Some three years since, after most extensive laboratory tests as to the strength. length Of staple and splrality of this cotton, the Goodyear Rubber Company entered the field of prOuetion in the Salt River Valley, acquiring by purchase or lease, large tracts of land and through their sub sidiary company, the Southwest Cot ton company. now control in the Salt X-.lI land, of which 1S,000 were in cultiva tion last year. of which 5000 acres are in cotton, the balance mostly in alfalfa in order to prepare the desert land for efficient cotton production. The land which they own is outside the limits Of the government irrigation project, and they have developed a most re- markable supply of water for this land by the successful installation of one of the most modern underground pump ing plant systems in existence. Model towns have been established in the centerS of their various tracts, and dis tricts which four years ago were noth- ins but desert are today fine examples of highly improved agricultural com munities, and it is estimated that the production of cotton this season by the the Southwest Cotton company will amount to about 5000 bales or ten per cent of the total crop in this district.
 In referring to the districts crop, there was produced in the Salt River valley, adjacent to Phoenix, Arizona, last season, over 34 900 bales. and from careful tests Whic-i were made by the Department of Agriculture in classify ing this cotton, it is estimated that 97 per cent of the total crop showed an average length of 1ss inches staple; and so per cent showed 1 fs inches or better. While, for a number of years, the high quality of this cotton has demonstrated by it's use in automobile tire fabrics, thread, etc, it took the war and the need of ia bricS of a specially high quality for use in airplane wings and balloon cloth to demonstrate the unusually fine quality of this Pima cotton and its exceptionally adapta =, bility for use in fine fabrics, such as women's dress goods. mems shirtings, laces, etc, using yarn running from 60 to 130 in number.
 Previous government tests had shown ti'at for bleaching, dyeing and mercer iZation Pima cotton was practically equal to Sea Island or Sakellarides. As IS generally known, in the manufac- ture of automobile tire fabrics yarns running from about No. p are used and. in the tests made during the war by the war department and the bureau Of markets of the Department of Agri- culture in the manufacture of balloon
 
 choice yarns running from No. 60 to 11O were made from American Egyp- tian Pima cotton, and fabrics manu- factured from this yarn showed under the most exhaustive tests, strength which exceeded the standard required the Pima cotton showing a test some what superior to Sea Island, but about one per cent less than that of the fabrics made from Sakellarides cotton tAirplane cloth made by the govern ment during these tests of 3-SO yarn running 6S threads to the inch, in both warp and filling. will be found at the rear of the room.)
 As this was so vital a matter in con- nection with this new industry. I per- sonally visited during the summer of 1918 some of the mills in which the tests were being conductd by the gov ernment, and was fortunate in visiting the Nashawena Mills at New Bedford