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Show GOVERNMENT TRIALS OF EGYP-TIAN EGYP-TIAN COTTON. That tho requirements of tho cotton cot-ton goods Industry necessitate the Importation Im-portation of approximately GO.OOO.OOd pounds of Egyptian cotton, costing $10,000,000, is "probably unknown to the majority of roadcrs who read of the enormous crops of cotton produced pro-duced In our southern states and learn that during tho last seven sonths all records have been broken an-1 practically practic-ally $500,000,000 worth of that staple has boon exported. But It wns the considerable value of this import that Induced the United States department of agriculture several sev-eral yeara a?o to endeavor to develop Egyptian cotton culture in the United States in order to supply our own market with a home-grown product. Although experiments were made at different points from South Carolina to Texas, as well as In Wostern Texas, New Mexico. Arlzone and Southern California, It was only In tho Colorado river region that climatic and othor conditions similar to those in tho Nile vallcv and suited to the long stxiplo Egyptian cotton wore found. There 000,000 acres of excellent land are, or soon will be, under ditch in tho Imperial, Yuma, Salt and Gila vallcyn, and one-fifth this acreage could produce pro-duce tho amount of Egyptian cotton annually Imported for the use of New England mills. For several years studies and experiments ex-periments with the various Egyptian varieties have been undertaken in Southern Arizona, Southeastern California Cali-fornia and Egypt, and several bulletins bulle-tins have been Issued giving detailed reports of the progress made and success suc-cess achieved. JuBt now the department has Issued another pamphlet (Bulletin 210, Bureau Bu-reau of Plant Industry), reporting tho results of a visit to the cotton grow lng districts of Egvpt in Juno and July, 1910, of the b'onomist of the department, in which Is shown that the mixture of Hindi cotton is proving prov-ing to bo a serious burden upon the Egyptian cotton Industry. Hindi is the name applied in Egypt to an undesirable un-desirable type of cotton with a Bhoit weak fiber that Injures the high-grade Egyptian varieties by Infesting them with hybrids. The" Introduction of tho Egyptian cotton Into the United States brings also the problem of tho Handl cotton and the practicability of establishing a commercial culture of the Egyptian cotton In the United States depends largely upon the ellm-Jnation ellm-Jnation of Hindi contamination and other forms of diversity, so that tho fiber may be produced In a satlsfac-torv satlsfac-torv condition of unlfo-mltv. Breeding experiments have Bhown that It is possible to secure a much higher degree of uniformity in Arizona than now exists In most of the cotton fields of Egypt If reasonable care be used in maintaining the uniformitv of these tvpes, it des not seem thnt the American grown Egyptian cotton is likelv to suffer any commercial dis-advantaco dis-advantaco on the ground of lack of uniformity, even though the Ecvptlan habit of hand sorting!, not followed The exclusion of the Hindi cotton by an efficient svstcm,of selection will enable white varieties to be grown producing longer nndv stronger fiber than the brown varieties are likolv to afford, and will further the development develop-ment and preservat.on of uniform strains of Egyptian cotton in the United Unit-ed States. |