Arizona republican., 1921-11-13

Ac u1hStT OI IudflnS cotton grow ing in the Salt Rivsr Valley a hap hazard industry is forcefully pointed out in a paper by pr. T. H. Kearney physiologist in charge of the bureau or plant industry, Department of Az riculture, Washington. pr. Kearney Is known as the father of Pima cot ton as it was under his supervision that that grade ot cotton was de- veloped at Sacaton.
 pr. Kearney says:
 It is reported that a number of cotton growers in the Salt River Val ley favor a change to some variety other than Pima. It is claimed by advocates of the proposed change that Upland long staple of the type rather vaguely referred to as Delta" cotton will be found more profitable in this locality than the Pima cotton now grown here. Some of the ad- vantages alleged in favor of Delta" cotton are:
 l. Heavier yields
 Earlier maturity.
 3. Cheaper picking.
 4. Higher lint percentage.
 5. Cheaper ginning.
 6.-Better prices.
 2. An established market.
 Let us first consider the question of yield. The Department of Agri- culture has tested many Upland va- rieties at Sacaton and at other sta tions in the Southwest during the past 10 years. The tests have in cluded Columbia or Weber and Meade or Black seed which are representa- tive of the Delta" class, Lone Star, a big boiled variety producing fiber from 1 to 1 1-S inch long which has become very popular in southern Ok lahoma and northern Texas, and Du- rango and Tcala, medium long staple cotton of Mexican origin which ap- pear to be better adapted to Arizona and California than any of the yarie- ties commonly grown in the Missis- sippi Delta or elsewhere in the south eastern states. The results of these tests have not shown that Pima is regularly outlayed by any of the Up- land varieties which are strictly speaking long staple cottons.
 A fair test of the comparative yields of Pima and of two Upland varieties well adapted to the South west was afforded by an experiment made at Sasaton last year. Quarter acre plots of the Pima, Durango and Lone Star varieties were grown side by side on good land at Sacaton, un- der conditions that were considered equally favorable to all three varie- ties. The yields of seed cotton from these plots were respectively 457, 360 and 430 pounds. As the average lint percentages of the three varieties are about 26, 33 and S9 per cent, the in- dicated yields of lint per acre were 476 pounds for Pima and Durango and 670 pounds for Lone Star. The 5-S inch Pima therefore gave the same yield as the IA inch Durango while Lone Star, which is barely within the long staple class of cot tons, outlayed Pima by 194 pounds or fl per cent.
 Experience at Sacaton has showr that it is more difficult to manage the irrigation of Upland than of Pimf cotton for the reason that the expert enced farmer can readily determin from the appearance of the Pim plants when an irrigation is needed while the Upland plants given n clear indication of a water shortag until they are suffering severely fror drought and are beginning to she their squares and young bolls.
 In regard to earliness of maturit, Upland cottons doubtless, as a rui ripen their bottom crop earlier tha does Pima, but experience at Sacato and elsewhere in the Southwest ha shown that during the latter half ( July ad d the first half of August the are more liable than Pima to sheddln the bolls that for the middle crol Consequently, as in the case of Pim the top crop must be relied upon make up a heavy yield and this subject in both types of cotton damage by early frosts.
 The larger bolls of the Upland col tons are undoubtely an adVantai and make the cost of picking abo one-haIf as great as in the case Pima. The highest lint percentai and the less expensive ginning on saw gin are also factors which redu the cost of producing Upland as con uared with Pima cotton. All oth costs of production are about t same for both. Let as assume that long staple Upland cotton can
 picked for 1 cent per pound when cents is paid for picking Pima that the average line out-turn is
 ner cent in the case of Upland lo staple 1515 pounds seed cotton r 800 pound bale of lint) and 26 r cent in the case of Pima (1923 poun seed cotton per bale) and (3) that costs $5 to gin bale of Upland a s12 10 gin bale of Pima. Wi these assumptions the picking a ginning per bale would be $20.l5 finland cotton as against s50-46
 Pima cotton, difference of $50