El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-03-27

percentage Of SIS staple. The grade,
meaning freedom from foreign mat
ter, possibly has suffered through
the rapid expansion Of the Industry,
with necessary employment OF IN
skilled and careless labor. With the
Industry on a more settled basis and
with greater care IN planting, thin
ming. irrigation and cultivation, q
gradual betterment Of quality is
looked for. all this beyond consider
alton OF the continued efforts OF the
agricultural experts who already have
done so much
Best In America
Arizona cotton today Is the strong
est and best on the American market.
It's toughness makes Il especially
suitable for building the toughest ana
best automobile tires. A large part
OF the salt River valley product now
goes to cotton mills.
Possibly remarkable Is the fact that
the main trouble In the marketing
OF the southwestern long staple Is the
fact that there IS not more Of It.
Manufacturers have displayed disin-
ciination to alter their machinery for
the longer staple, though more
spindles have been available since
Sea Island went by the board" Ex-
pansion OF the long staple industry
elsewhere, IN the Imperial valley or
other sections naturally fitted. would
be Of substantial benefit 10 the local
growers. No fear at all Is 1elt con-
corning a possible Oversupply.
Cotton IS not at all new in An
EOna. II WIS grown there \ fh0u-
sand years and more nEone. In
the ancient valley pueblo ruins
are uumlEtnknble evidences OF
cotton cloth and cotton wrappinEs
are found on mummfed remains
in the cliff dwellings OF later
date. When commissioner BART
lett was surveying the infernn-
tiOual boundary line after the
Mexican war he found the Fimag
and CocO-Mnricopns growing cot
ton pronounced eequal to the best
Sea Tslnnd.7
Bartlett took some Of the seed east
with him and gave Il TO a number OF
planters There was 8 death blow 70
aboriginal cotton growing when the
calicoes. OF hues that no native dyes
ever could perDetrate-
When white Man Started II
Save for the wild cotton OF the foot
hills. there came a lapse OF the
staples growth till about 1873, when
five acre patch was grown on the
Osborn ranch, near Phoenix In 1884
a bale OF cotton grown on the Larson
ranch, near Tempe, took high honors
at the New Orleans exposition. 4
dozen years later much cotton plant
ing was done by the farmers Of the
Buckeye QlSLEleL- All TINS was gun
staple. remarkable mainly for the
tree like browth OF the plants
About 1901 some Egyptian cotton
seed came from Africa and was
handled by Prof. A J. 1IcClatchie, on
the old experimental station. near
Phoenix The good work was kept
up by the agricultural department.
In 1912. at the agricultural expert
ment station az Yuma, had been de-
TelOped the Yuma variety, OF which
seed was brought 20 the salt River
valley Ths following year IN the
valley were 400 acres Of the cotton.
In 1914 the acreage raised 20 10000
and then slumped 20 1000 acres, for
that was the year OF the industry's
paralysis. when long staple brought
IS cents and short staple was IN
salable. In 1915 there were 1000
acres, in 1917. $4,000 acres. in 1918.
$4,000 acres. and in 1913, 10000 acres.
Despite warnings that all the valleys
eggs should not be placed n q single
basket, however good. the acreage
for the coming season will run be-
tween $4,000 and 10000.
A Provfdenfial Crop
There appears TO have been some
thing proFidential IN the way in
which the American long staple has
been developed in the southwest, Just