Arizona republican., 1920-12-09
Keep Cotton Seed
 Pure, Says Expert
(Continued from Page One)

ANNii1AiiNCo AAOAAi T a6C OiASV year at Sacaton, and their behavior compared with that of the Egyptian | cotton. It was on the basis of such | tests and comparisons of the behavior 1 of the different types of cotton under many different conditions that the planting of Egyptian cotton in the Salt River valley was advised, and the lat ter experiments have given no basis fer changing this recommendation.
 Urged Elsewhere, Too
 No sort of cotton can be grown without seed, and the seed must be of select quality in order to secure the largest yields and the best quality of fiber. The same plan of one-variety community organization that exists in the Salt River valley is being urged in other parts of the country, and is being recognized as the most progress sive policy, that opens the way toward a general improvement, of cotton pro duction. Choice or tne best variety, though important in itself is consid cred relatively incidental to the prin- ciple of e-Variety communities. Even a poor variety, If handled separately and kept pure, is likely to yield better crops and more uniform and more val uble fiber than can be expected from mixture of even the best varieties after few seasons of mongrelizing.
 Instead of the Pima cotton being l fave ored exclusively by the department 1 of agriculture, communities that do not have the long-season conditions that are necessary for Egyptian cotton are urged to choose high quality upland varieties. but with the same precau- tion for maintaining pure seed. by one variety organization. An added in ducement is noted for keeping the up l land varieties pure, that of being able | to sell seed in Texas or in other states. 1 In bad seasons like the last, with con- tinued wet weather in the harvest sea son, many eastern districts were not able to save any good planting seed.
 Many carloads of pure seed of Lone l Star, Acala or Durango could have been placed in Texas last spring if the one variety plan had been followed in the other valleys, where the upland va rieties are grown. If change Of va rieties were to be made in the Salt ! River valley the first step would be for the community to agree upon an- other sort, and then to develop an adequate supply of pure seed, that would be necessary to change over to the new stock.
 Failed in Test
 The proposal to bring in a miscel- laneous seed-st from Mississippi is made with no apparent recognition of the fact that all of the principal Va rieties that are now grown in the delta section have been tested in Arizona and California without finding that any of them are as we'll adapted to our conditions as the Egyptian cotton. The Columbia or Webber cotton, mentioned as a delta variety, was originated by the department of agriculture in South Carolina. It is an excellent variety for the eastern conditions, but does not qualify in the Southwest. A publica- ton of the department of agriculture in 1913 gives a comparison of the Co., lumbia cotton with the Durango in the Imperial valley, with the Durango pro- ducing four bales on less than three acres of land and an equal area of Co., lumbia only one bale. Since 1913 the Columbia has been included in numer- ous test plantings in the Yuma, I'm perial and San Joaquin valleys, as vel as at the Sacaton station, in some cases with good results but often dis tinctly inferior to Durango or Acala.
 The Foster variety. which was bred originally in Louisiana and grown sue cessfully under the delta conditions was compared carefully with Durango in the Imperial valley and found in ferior. The Foster was exploited IT Mississippi for several years under the name "Unknown," and fields of this stock were also planted in the Imperia valley for one Or two seasons on basis of subsidies secured from easterT manufacturers But the effort was abandoned when the inferiority to Du- rango again became apparent
 Agrees With Expert
 "Even the Durango cotton, thougf more hardy than the eastern upland l ;, T ClgCHntihlf to shedding and blasting of bolls thar Egyptian cotton, and requiring more eauable conditions and more skillfu farming to produce good crops. Wher the conditions do not permit full de Velopment and normal opening of tho bolls of the long staple upland vari' cites, as often occurs, picking becomes more difficult than with Egyptian cot ton."
 w. S. Stevens. president of the Ari- zona branch of the American Cottoi Growers association. on being showT MT. Cooks statement yesterday, made the following remarks:
 s'T think it is very unwise to intro duce or attempt 10 introduce any othel variety of cotton in the Salt Rive valley that would beyond any question detract from the prestige we have al ready gained by having only one va rIcty or cotton Tn thlS Faley. AL tl' present time wp have a very extensive advertising advantage in being th' largest area that is using exclusively ! one pure seed for the seeding Of th
 whole district each season. There il no doubt that this feature is appealing . very largely to the fine cotton spinner in this country and abroad in tryint out our cotton. If they should leari ! that we are introducing any other va riety of cotton here their interest vii probably cease and it will becom very difficult even to market our pres ent crop as well as future crops"