The Lincoln times., 1954-02-08

production, which. for some pur-
poses, he says. has brought re-
suits comparable with those ex-
pected OF the fabulous and now
cX Xinct-because of the boil weevil
Sea Island cotton. The new
cotton, ,eported by Dr.. Early c..
Ewing, Delta & Pine Land Co..
Scott, Miss, has high strength,
higher luster. fine fiber. Yet, be-
cause of a relatively low yield. DR..
Ewing says, it can now be pro-
duced only on a contract basis,
With the grower guaranteed pre-
MUM.
Cot on breeding trends are. of
course, cente ing around the
development of varieties more
adaptable to mechaniza ion, which
has been proceeding at a rapid
clip, particularly west of the Mis-
siSsippi, and is now spreading in
the Southeast.
With the advent of mechanical
ton, some breeders believe, it may
be worthwhile to develop strains
and hybridS that embody superior
fiber qualities even at the un-
avoidable expense of lint pc cent
age. They cite that high lint per-
centage is not essential to high
yield of lint per acre with the
steady decline OF hand picking
Such new types. however, i, is
conceded, could probably only
supplement, rather than replace,
I the predominant high limiting
varieties now so generally used.
! BETTER VARIETIES
From one end of the cotton belt
to the other new or improved
varieties a,e taking over. Mr. Har-
rison. for instance, reports thai
the Improvement of fiber pro-
pe-ties in the present Acala strain
/ (4-42D ever the former one tP-
l8-C) in California is immense.
For one thing. he says, ten
Sile strength is 20.5 percent
higher and neps or immature
ties have been reduced by p
percent. Neppiness has been the
mills principal cOmpla laint
against California cotton
grown under mechanizatiOn and
irrigation in the past.
A new variety 1897 which is
above average in yarn appea ance
and is very low in nep content
will be ready for production in
the irrigated Southwest in 1857.
according to DR.. C. N. Stroman
of New Mexico A. & NJ. College.
Likewise. reports E. H. Pressly of
the University of Arizona. the en-
tie Arizona upland acreage is
now growing varieties far superior
in spinning qualities to the old
type of California Acala.
B. M. Waddle, agronomiSt of
the U. S. department. of agricul-
turc, reports that a new variety
iii the lcng-staple American Egyp-
/ tion family. Pima ST., with several
/ advantages over any eXIa long
staple cotton ever produced, IS
now being tried by growers in the
Ell Paso. Tex. area.
SOME PROBLEMS
Broadly, the objective of mech
aniza ton is lower production cost,
since ice-supported American
cotton can't compete priceWise in
the world market with cot ons
p, oduced in cheap-labor foreign
nations. However. while techno-
lo2y is considered to hold out
bright future for cotton, currently
there are a number Of problems
rising in the wake Of the rapid
spread of mechanization and ma
chine-harveSting.
The shift Of cot, on growing to
the West and the rapid mechan-
ization in that area has tended to
intensity cotton's problems. And
row mechanization is beginning
tc develop more rapidly in the
eastern or rain n-grown part OF the
pei. . posing some new problems,
Cotton men remind. for in
stance. that many gins have in
stalled various types of pre-
heating equipment and beating
machinery to knock out the dirt
and trash common in machine
picked cotton. The situation is
of grave concern to the buyers
for the mills who complain
about cotton they consider over
heated and over achined.
There arc many in the trade
who feel that, by and large. the
ginning industry is doing good
lob, considering. the DreSSu' eS
placed on it by a shorter harvest
ing season, mechanical pickers.
and generally careless hand
picking. Nevertheless, cotton buy
crs for The mills are very Sensi-
tive" to Over-heating and over
machining of cotton at the gin.
One suggestion advanced is that
the problem is so Se,iouS the next
investment required Of the ginner
may be seed cotton storage space
which would allow the ginner 10
spread out his operation over a
longer period rather than rush