Arizona republican., 1920-02-20
STORY OF ARIZONA COTTON TOLD TO 2,O0O DELEGATES
 AT THE WORLD CONFERENCE
Address of Dwight B. Heard New Orleans Dealing
 with Long Staple Cotton, the Beginning and the
 Progress of That Industry in the Salt River Valley

 gradually giving way, however, to the Pimo type which is now grown eX- clCsively
 In 1910, when the great possibilities Of this new type of cotton became ap- parent, committee was formed with = | in the Department of Agriculture known as the Committee on South western Cotton Culture. Breeding eX- periments were speeded up to produce a finer and longer type and that year | on experimental plats at the Sacaton | agency, Arizona, the now famous Pima | cotton was developed. This cotton was lighter in color than Yuma, the fibre silkier and finer. and the length | of the staple had been increased to 1 A inches. During the season of 1916-17 a group of experienced grow CTS, near Tempe, Arizona, to whom the government had allotted this seed, pro- | duced on 252 acres, 251 bales of Pima cotton and the commercial success of | this type was assured. The produc- | tion of Pima cotton has since steadily 1 increased in the Salt River valley, that section producing last season over 34, | 900 bales
 | The feature which made this crop | of exceptional interest to SpinnerS and to the manufacturers of choice cotton goods was the fact that this new Pima cotton not only graded very high but
 
 produced exceeded l 11-16 inches in length of staple and in the view of spinning experts who have used it, was quite as desirable a cotton as Egyptian SaEellaridis, and could be spun into equally fine counts. In 1918, on an ordinary run of 2,112 bales at the gin of the Tempe Exchange at Tempe, Ari- zona under government classification and supervision, the grade and per centage of this lot of Pima cotton ran as follows:
 Grades. Staples
 No. 1 or Fancy. 149o 1iB to 1a4 619o No ?. or Extra ..52 @
 No. 3 or Choice.~.1796 IS to 1is 37Go No. or Standard go
 No. , or Medium-..7fo 11a to 1is 20
 The Pima Grade
 In 1919, while there was not quite so large percentage of cotton claSSed Fancy or Extra in the grades, the per centage of cotton running f5 and IA inches increased. The remarkable sue cess in the Salt River valley, where approximately 95 per cent of the Pima cotton produced in America will be grown this season, in largely due to the scientific care with which this in dustry has been developed. One of the particular features which seems to as sure a successful future for the indus try in this section is the fact that but one type of American Egyptian cotton, Pima, is grown throughout the entire district and all danger of crossing with inferior seed is avoided. Of the total area of 215.000 acres now under ipten siVe cultivation by irrigation in this district SS,000 acres or 32 per cent of the entire acreage, is planted in Pima; a percentage which, in justice to the best development of the community on a diversified farming basis. (so essen tial to success), can be readily main tained.
 The growers realize that the inn munity of the Salt River valley from the boil weevil and other pests which have handicapped the cotton industry in other sections must be maintained and with the thorough cooperation of the government, the best methods not only to prevent the importation of seed in which there could be any dan ger of infection. but to maintain the highest seed, have been Dracticed.~ The methods employed by the Department of Agriculture through their field ex- perts in the Salt River valley to main tain a high standard of seed, were as follows:
 Its Development
 In 1913, they rogued about 100 acres of cotton. Every plant this acreage was examined and the unproductive and off type plants. amounting to about 1 per cent of the total. were removed. This was done early in July, soon after bIossoming began, in order to take out the inferior plants before their pollen should contaminate those left in the field. The Growers Association had the seed from the rogued field ginned at the Cotton Exchange under such con dltionS as to avoid mixing with other seed and also had the seed sacked and tagged as it came from the gin,> in order to prevent mixture while it was held in storage. The rogued seed was placed by the association in the hands of careful farmers having good land suf- ficiently remote from other cotton to prevent crossing. The fields planted under these conditions were inspected during the summer and the product of those properly grown and otherwise was ginned separately in order to furnish seed for general the second year after the roguing was done. Thus the seed used for general planting in 1918 was de- rived from the field which was rogued in 1916, and that which was used for general planting in 1919 from the fields rogued in 1917. It has been found that the seed from inspected fields can be sold for planting at a price very little above current oil mill prices, thus re- the temptation to plant unsel ected seed because it is cheaper.
 The cultural methods employed in this cotton may prove of in- terest. As all cotton men know. the cotton plant is essentially a sunshine plant, and there is probably no section of the world except Egypt where the | sun shines with more regularity than | in the Salt River valley. In fact. one | of our local hotel keepers offers to re- | fund to his patrons the price of their | accommodations for any day the sun fails to shine
 The Cultivation
 The first step in production is the | preparation of as nearly per feet a seed bed as possible. The l ground is first well irrigated, then [ plowed once or twise, harrowed and l dragged to a uniform slope and the | seed planted from March 10th to April i l0tf,. about thirty pounds being planted | to the acre and drilled in rows about 2 | feet inches apart. The thinning | nethods vary according to the views of | the grower and the type of soil on which the cotton is produced. Certain | soils will produce a maximum crop. f the plants are thinned to 15 inches | apart in the row. On other soils, best -esults can be obtained by leaving the plants not more than 10 inches apart. intense cultivation is essential. This