The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-01-03
COTTON TESTING
HELPS FARMERS

The testing service on cotton
fiber and spinning qualities, now
being carried on in four speciI
laboratories in the south, is 1T
great service to cotton breeders,
merchants, and manufacturers,
with direct gains for farmers, re-
ports J. A. Shanklin, extension cot
ton marketing specialist at N. G.
State College.
''In line with this work, the one
variety cotton Improvement pro-
gram in North Carolina, which
made such great strides forward
in 1943, is a movement among
farmers, in cooperation with cot
ton ginners and the State College
Extension Service, to give the
mills cotton of better grade and
staple best suited to their needs, -
Shanklin says.
He points out that the govern
ment testing service studies the
physical properties of cotton, their
manufa curing performance, and
the relationship between fiber
properties and actual manufacture
ing results in the mills. Twenty
four different tests can be made
on the fiber properties of cotton
and the various spinning results
of both carded and combed yarns.
These tests are helping to solve
many mill problems and they def
initely show that good cotton is
absolutely necessary in the pro-
duction of high quality cotton prod
ucts. Those areas in the cotton
belt which produce the best quail
ty cotton will naturally be favored
by the mills and all cotton growers
should cooperate in the cotton i'm
provement program.
1.-THE one-variety of cotton i'm
provement, with all growers CO.
operating within an area, striving
for better grades and staple, i'm
proved methods of ginning, and
controlled supplies of high quail
ty seed, offers the NEST method
by which growers may take ad-
vantage of the opportunities now
offered" Shanklin says
In the past, cotton breeders
have had to spend several years
multiplying what they thought was
promising variety of cotton be-
fore they could have it tested I'M
der mill conditions. Now, with the
new testing service, they can get
a good index as to the quality of
the cotton from sample of only
a few pounds. This service saves
not only money in conducting re-
search work but also valuable
time because undesirable cottons
may be quickly discarded. This
change is of great Importance
both to the cotton breeder and to
the farmer.
The testing service is giving cot
ton merchants and marketing
agencies better knowledge OF
proper fiber and spinning charac-
teristics in cotton. Knowing the
spinning performance of certain
cottons, lots may be assembled
which are more uniform in the
desirable characteristics which
are needed by the mills.
Cotton manufac turers are check
ing mill performance against lab
oratory results and they find that
the testing service is proving in
valuable to them. Laboratory find
ings are proving reliable and can
be used as basis for producing
better quality cotton products. For
example, some mills have been
able to use shorter staple cotton
at a considerable saving in cost,
while maintaining the quality OF
the manufactured product.
ION the basis of all the infor.
nation now being developed by
the cooperating agencies, superior
strains of cotton will probably be
developed which will restore ''King
Cotton to his throne. Farmers
should cooperate in the cotton i'm.
provement program and lend ev.
cry assistance in working out pres.
ent day problems of better grades
and superior staple" Shanklir
concluded.
He predicted further gains fol
the one-variety cotton improve
ment program in North Caroline
in 1914 and complimented the gin
ners for the excellent help which
they have given farmers in work
ing out practical problems in the