Long staple cotton (that in which the filaments are long) is the best variety for manufacturing, for it makes a much stronger cloth and thread than the common, shorter varieties. Not much of the long staple cotton is raised in America and the competition between the thread and the automobile manufacturers for possession of the crop was very keen. The very strongest cloth is required for the fabric of which automobile tires are made. In order to obtain a supply of the coveted article the Goodyear Company of Akron Ohio, bought an immense tract of land in the Salt River Valley, Arizona, and planted it in Egyptian long Staple cotton. Find this valley on your map. The Salt River Valley is in the dry Southwest where the land is naturally desert. It needs only water to make it extremely productive and this has been supplied by the Roosevelt Dam constructed by the United States government. Thousands of acres have been changed from desert into the finest farm land and, with its warm climate, the valley is now an admirable place for cultivation of cotton. Like all crops cotton must be kept free from weeds. The latest improved machinery was provided for the cultivation of this tract. Here we see the disc cultivator in use. The circular discs running on each side of the row cut out the weeds and pulverize the soil so that the water will not be evaporated. Notice how the machine is made heavier by the great stone tied under the seat. When needed water will be turned into these ditches and soaking into the loose ground, will reach the roots of the cotton plants. What is meant by reclamation (rk´lå-m´ shn)? Keystone ID: 13718 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.