Arizona republican., 1920-02-20


 ultlonS which must prevail to success fully grow American Egyptian cotton an unusually long growing season freedom from boil weevil, and the as- surance of an absolutely certain SUD- ply of water for irrigation.
 Last season the production of American-Egyptian cotton in the United States was as follows on the basis of 500 pounds bales:
 Salt River Valley. Arizona, ad-
 Jacent to Phoenix, Arizona. 34, 300 Gila Valley. Arizona, adjacent to
 Florence, Casa Grande and at
 the Sacaton Indian Reserva-
 tion 1900 Colorado River Valley, Arizona,
 adjacent to Yuma, Arizona.... 800 Colorado River Valley, Arizona
 adjacent to Parker, Arizona. 400 San Joaquin Valley, Calif.. ..... $40 Palo Verde Valley, Calif.. 256 Imperial Valley, Calif.. 1,250
 ss.24e
 While this statement to the confer ence is devoted entirely to long staple cotton of the American Egyptian type it is interesting to note that in the Imperial Valley of California and the Yuma Valley of Arizona a large amount of short staple is now being grown. And, I am reliably informed that last year, in the Imperial Valley, including both sides of the interna uonal boundary line S5,000 bales of short staple cotton were grown, with perhaps 5000 bales of Durango; while in the Yuma Valley the production of short staple cotton last season equalled about 10000 bales. There is every in Gication that the crop of short staple cotton from both these valleys will probably exceed last years production by about 10000 bales.
 Ariz
 Conservative estimates indicate that of the American Egyptian cotton, known as Pima, there will be raised in Arizona this season crop of approxi- mateIy 50,000 bales, to which 1000 bales may be added from California.
 As practically 95 percent of this balage will be produced in my home district, the Salt River valley, Arizona. l shall confine myself largely to description of this industry in that section.
 The history of the development of American Egyptian cotton is a tribute to the clear sighted vision, resource fitness and tenacity of purpose of a group of men in the United States De- partment of Agriculture, whose re- search work has been carried on with a fine sense of public service. and has, in a thorough-g going and practical way, laid athe ground work for a great and new American industry.
 The development of this new type of cotton has in it many interesting ele- ments of romance. For the better part o5 ac century the cotton grown in the rich Delta lands of the Nile had been recognized as the standard long staple cotton of the world. While, in 1900, David Fairchild, an explorer of the Department of Agriculture, had i'm ported some Egyptian seed, from which experimental platS of cotton were grown in the southwest it was not Jntit 1902 when the thorough study on the ground of Delta grown types of Egyptian cotton and their adaptability 10 orr own southwest by Thomas H. Kearney, of the U. $. Department of Agriculture, resulted in the develop ment of constructive plan for build ing up new type of American-Egyp- tiaT scotton-
 Romance begins when we note that KeaEney brought his cotton seed from the Valley of the Nile, the cradle of history, and it was planted in its new American home on the Sacaton Indian agency, but a few miles from the famous Casa Grande prehistoric ruins.
 Our Earliest Cotton
 As the Egyptians had successfully grown cotton since the time of the Pharaohs. so in the prehistoric days of Arizona, had the ancient people grown cotton long before the famous expe-
  inS the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola fin 1540 An interesting illustration of this fact came within my personal knowledge when, some ten years since, in exploring an ancient cliff dwelling, which must have been ruin long be- fore the tour of the adventurous Spaniards throug Arizona I found not only finely woven cotton cloth, worn by the Cliff Dwellers, but also, in one of the store rooms of this ancient dwelling, cotton seed Specimens of this prehistoric cotton cloth, and an- cient seed cotton, as we'll as our types of modern American Egyptian. will 1 be found in the case at the rear end | of this hall.) Kearney knew that the analysis of the soil in the Salt River valley in | Arizona was almost identical with that i of the Delta lands of Egypt; the eli | matic conditions were practically the | same and he had a vision that in the | arid country of the southwest. under i irrigation, lay the opportunity for de- veloping an immensely valuable new American crop. For a number of years with his able group of co-lab- orators including Messers. Swing1e, | Scofield Cook and Hudson, field dem onstration work in cotton plant breed | ing was conducted at government sta- vast Irrigated district under the Roose welt project and at Bard, California, rndef tn, Yuma reclamation project.
 In Friendly Soil
 The seed of the Mitafifi Egyptian variety proved the best adapted to southwestern conditions, although at times the results were rather unprom lsing.s the plants being rank in growth. rather unfruitful and lacking uniform ;ty fn quality. But with a definite zeal dn sight, this group of devoted public servants stuck to their task un fx+1 S,aV CJcraa6Pd l. Ing the first of the commercially suc- cessful type of American-Egyption known as the Yuma variety, with staple averaging about 11a inches in length which was considerably longer that fhe parent Mitafifi, and more the ool1r. of Iaunavifch -E.gyptiau. This