The Nevada County picayune., 1923-03-29
co COOPERATIVE PRODUCTION THROUGH ONE-VARIETY COT
 TON COMMUNITIES

(Note: The following editorial from q recent issue of the Progressive Farmer should be carefully studied by our farmers. as the suggestions offered are not only practical but would great ly improve the cotton industry if adopted-E. J. Watson. agricultural agent. P X \. W. Ry,)
 The plantation system Of farming which grew up in the South early in the history of the country and flourish ed until the close of the Civil War had it's defects, but it was quite effective in keeping good stocks of cotton seed. Many of the large estates where well isolated and had their own separate gins. and if a superior variety of cot ton was obtained, il was feasible to maintain it's purity. However this small farms an dtenant holdings which made necessary the erection of public gins. and with the coming of the pub lie gin. the extensive mixing of cotton see dbegan This mixing has been so widespread and of such serious con sequence that il is the general testi mOny of the cotton trade that there has been Il marked deterioration in the quality and uniformity of the Amer jean cotton crop since the Civil War.
 In recent years. experiment stations and private breeders have given 10 the cotton producing world number of varieties that are distinct improve ment over the old-time varieties. How ever. the introduction of these varie- ties has worked no general improve. ment in the quality of the cotton crop because if has been impracticable to maintain the purity of a stock of seed for extensive planting.
 Our present system of handling cot. l ton seed iS on q par with q system Of animal breeding that allows all the cattle of the community to run to- gether during the breeding season. \ large number of varieties are produced in each gin community and brought to the common gin for the separation of | the lint and seed. IL is here that the greatest mixing occurs. for our gins are so constructed that all of the seed does not pass out of the machinery by the time the ginning of the bale is completed. A portion of the seed re- mains in the gn-stand and conveyors to be mixed with the seed of the next bale that passes through the gin. The result is that more than 25 per cent of mixture in the seed of the first bale, following n different kind of cotton. is to be expected with modern gin equip ment.
 This mixing of cotton seed at the gin has given rise to the idea that about their running out but this is due to "mongrelizing' or mixing rather than any defect or disease in the seed. The proposed remedy of changing the seed does not remove the cause of the trouble, but only invites still more running out" for the more numer- ous the varieties in a community, the greater the mixing of the seed at the gin and crossing of varieties in the field The real remedy lies in the growing of one kind of cotton in the community. so that there is neither crossing in the fields nor mixing at the gin.
 In deciding on the variety which is to be grown throughout the commun ity, it is necessary that the farmers meet together and arrange for the making of local variety tests to de termine which is the best of a lot of promising varieties. At the end of one year. variety should be selected for general planting in the community, for although several years may be needed to reach a decision as to the best variety, due 10 seasonal fluctua tions, even rather inferior variety will give better results when grown