For the purposes of this subpart, ``staple length'' means the length of the fibers in a particular quantity of cotton designated in terms expressing the measurement by the millimeter or fraction thereof of a representative portion of the quantity in accordance with the Official Cotton Standards of the United States for length of staple, as established by the Secretary of Agriculture. [T.D. 73-175, 38 FR 17470, July 2, 1973, as amended by T.D. 89-1, 53 FR 51269, Dec. 21, 1988]