New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-08-13
Pima Cotton

As an "infant industry" American
Egyptian, otherwise known as "pimap
cotton, has been pushed we'll ia tbs
front in the Congress onal discussions
or the pending tariff bill. In the case of
TINS new American variety conditions
are generally the same throughout the
limited area in which it is cultivated
IL Is not subject to the wide variations
"nieh rule over the continental area
OF the Upland Cotton BEL Neverthe
less, contentious as to tn cos. of nro-
duction are very far apart.
Consider the scientific research mans
work first, since his figures may be
taken to. be the result of painstakinp
experiment carried out without preius
dice. S. P. Clark, extension agrono-
mist OF the College of Agriculture and
Agricultural Experiment Station of the
University of Arizona, writes:
In regard to the production of long
stapled cotton IN Arizona, l am inclos-
ing data secured on the Salt River
Valley experiment farm during the
years 1920 on q ten-acre plot of
ground. This cotton was grown under
experimental conditions and each plot
contained one acre, SO that you will
appreciate the fact that the cost of
handling these small tracts is greater
than where the cotton is grown in
large fields, which are less difficult to
handle with large machinery"
The result on nine acres in the 1920
experiment showed a cost of $3O.57 an
acre. The acre yield is not given, so
that to arrive at the cost a pound
have taken the figures of the crop of
the Neutrality-suspicious. cotton of the
calendar year 1920, as prepared by the
Bureau of Plant Industry of the De-
partment of Agriculture. This crop
occupied about 100000 acres of irri-
gated land and amounted to 81 ,965
bales. Therefore if the yield on the
experimental plot was no greater than
the average of the total commercial
crop of that year, which was 1872
pounds an acre, the pound cost would
bale to the acre, the figure given by
Senator Ashurst, of Arizona, in one of
his arguments in the Senate when
pleading for q duty of 20 cents pound
on imported Egyptian cotton, then the
cost of the college grown crop would
have been but 1914 cents unit.
The Senator continued: "Production
in 1921 in the Southwest, based on a
yield of one-half bale per acre, and a
basic wage of So per day for
agricultural labor, showed q cost to
the producer OF American ESy plldi
Pima long-stapled cotton, delivered at
New England manufacturing points, Of
1888 cents per pound" 1t should be
mentioned that the rate of wages in
the college costs was 40 cents per hour,
much more than the Senator's 81 per
day.
The senatorial pleader also quoted
statement prepared in 1920 by Mr..
Schofeld, of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, in which the cost
of producing this variety for 1920 was
placed at 81 Clio cents per pound.
Answering the Arizona argument SEN
ator Simmonds, of North Carolina, de-
MED that the process of cultivating
long-stapled cotton was very difficult
and extremely expensive. He said that
he had grown long-stapled cotton him
self and that "the cost of producing
it was no greater than the cost of
producing the short-stapled cotton ex-
cept that there can be produced only
"a little over one-half as much to the
acre of the long-stapled cotton"