The Cotton Futures Act of 1914 authorized the United States Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...

 to establish physical standards as a means of determining color grade, staple length and strength, and other qualities and properties for cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

. It was intended to minimize speculative manipulation of the cotton market.

The Act was rendered unconstitutional in Federal district court because the Act originated in the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. As a revenue act, it should have been drafted in the House

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. It was replaced by the Cotton Futures Act of 1916

Cotton Futures Act of 1916

The Cotton Futures Act of 1916 required the principal, meaning the exact type and grade of cotton, be given to the government upon sale at a cotton exchange, so that the USDA could keep track of what was being grown and where....

.