AGRICULTURAL RELIEF House oF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, Monday, February 6, 1928. The committee met, pursuant to adjournment, at 10 o’clock a. m., Hon. Gilbert N. Haugen (chairman) presiding. The CrAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Doctor Kilgore, the committee will be pleased to hear you. STATEMENT OF DR. B. W. KILGORE, CHAIRMAN BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND CHAIRMAN OF LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN COTTON GROWERS’ EXCHANGE; PRESIDENT NORTH CAROLINA COTTON GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION, RALEIGH, N. C. Mr. CrarkgE. I have been absent at Albany attending a meeting of our State forestry commission and did not get the gentleman's name and what he represents. Mr. Kircore. My name is B. W. Kilgore, chairman board of trustees, American Cotton Growers’ Exchange, and chairman of the legislative committee of the exchange. Mr. Crarke. Will you explain what that is? Mr. Kmncore. I will. I am also president of the North Carolina Cotton Growers’ Cooperative Association, the association of my home State. Mr. CLargE. How much of an acreage do you represent? Mr. KiLGore.. If you will wait just one minute, I will try to give you that so as to have it connected. For 20 years I was the director of the agricultural experiment sta- tion of my State and during 10 of those years I was also the director of the agricultural extension service. In those 20 years my interests and my efforts were given entirely to the production of crops. With the exception of Virginia and Florida, which produce only small amounts of cotton, the other 14 cotton-growing States from North Carolina through New Mexico and Arizona and California, have cooperative cotton marketing associations. All of these cooperative marketing associations, except the two in Mississippi, the staple growers and the short-cotton growers, the State cotton cooperative marketing associations in all the States are federated in what is known as the American Cotton Growers’ Exchange. The purpose of the exchange is to perform general services for all of these cooperative associations, aducational work, membership relations, legislative matters, other general things in connection with the public and sales service. The exchange maintains sales offices in all of the leading cotton markets in the South, in New England, and in foreign 255