Cotton Pickin'

On the perimeter of Phoenix, you can still find fields of cotton, one of the "5 C's" that were the foundation of Arizona's economy one hundred years ago. (Do you know the other four? See my post on November 3rd, 2009 for the answer!) Today we cruised by some acreage with both flowers and ripe bolls bursting with downy white fibers. Mexican cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the primary species being cultivated in the cotton industry today around the world, and is native to the Sonoran desert. Although many cotton farms have been converted to suburban housing over the past few decades, the industry still contributes over $250 million dollars to the state's economy, according to the National Cotton Council of America.