BULLETIN No 107.DEMBR189 DECEMBER, 1899. ALABAMA Agricultural Experiment Station OF THE AG ~ JTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE, AUBURN. RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS ON COTTON IN ALABAMA. MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA. THE BROWN PRINTING CO. 1900. CONTENTS. List of Station Officers. Introduction. Varieties of Cotton. Culture of Cotton. Fertilization of Cotton. Diseases of Cotton. List of Fungi Recorded as Growing on Cotton. Bibliography of Cotton Diseases. Climate of Cotton Belt. Improvement of Cotton by Hybridization and by Selection. Chemistry of Cotton. Index. COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES ON EXPERIMENT STATION. F. M. MoSESLEY............ J. .. .............. UnionSprings... G. GILc ........... *sT0............ eHull. . HARALSON......................................Selma. JONATHAN STATION COUNCIL. WM. LERoY BROUN.......................................President. ......... P. H. M .............. Director and Botanist. B. B. Ross......................................Chemist. C. A. CARY, D. V. M...........................Veterinarian. J. F. DUGGAR............. ...................... Agriculturist. F. S. EARLE............................Biologist and Horticulturist. J. T. ANDERSON ......... ................ ASSISTANTS. C. L. HARE ...... J. Associate Chemist. ........................ First Assistant Chemist. Q. BURTON.......... ............... Second Assistant Chemist. H. S. HOUGHTON....... .................. T. U. CULVER.............. .............. R. W. Third Assistant Chemist. Superintendent of Farm. .. . ...... CLARK... ............... Assistant Agriculturist. MOSES CRAIG .................... :.....Assistant Horticulturist. The Bulletins of this Station will be sent free to any citizen of the State on application to the Agricultural Experiment Station.. Auburn, Alabama. INTRODUCTION. This bulletin has been prepared at the request of the Committee of the American Association of Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations which has in charge the collective exhibit of the Experiment Stations at the World's Fair in Paris in 1900. The Alabama Station has been engaged in the experiments on cotton since 1883 and a large amount of valuable material has accumulated in reference to its cultivation, chemistry, botany, ,diseases, entomology and physiology, and because of the variety of experiments conducted it was deemed appropriate for this station to prepare this work on cotton. During the period covered by the experiments the following bulletins have been issued by the Station that relate to cotton: In volume 1 there are 33 bulletins and 6 of these contain the results of experiments on cotton. 122 pages. No. 5-Cotton experiments. 16 pages. No. 13-Microscopic study of certain varieties of cotton. 20 pages. No. 16-Fertilizer experiments with cotton. 20 pages. No. 17-Dry application of Paris green and London purple for the cotton worm. 18 pages. No. 21-A new root rot disease of cotton. 11 pages. No. 22-Experiments with cotton. 24 pages. No. 23-Co-operative tests of fertilizers on cotton. 61 pages. No. 27-Black rust of cotton. 18 pages. No. 33-Cotton. 1 2pages. 182 No. pages. No. No. No. No. :pages. 34-Co-operative fertilizer tests on cotton. 46 36-Some leaf blights of cotton. 32 pages. 40-Cotton experiments. 15 pages. 41- Some diseases of cotton. 65 pages. 42-Co-operative soil tests of otton. 34 No. 45-Insects of cotton. 5 pages. No. 52-Cotton experiments. 2 pages. No. 55-A new disease of the cotton; cotton boll rot. 13 pages. No. 56-Experiments in crossing cotton. 51 pages. No. 57-Fertilizers required by cotton as determined by the analysis of the plant. 16 pages. No. 62-Cotton experiments. 7 pages. No. 65-Co-operative seed tests. 4 pages. No. 69-Fungus diseases of the cotton. 1 page. No. 71-Experiments with foreign cottons. 12 pages. No. 76-Cotton experiments. 23 pages. No. 78-Co-operative fertilizer experiments with cotton in 1896. 48 pages. No. 83 Hybrids from American and foreign cottons. 32 pages. No. 91 Co-operative fertilizer experiments with cotton in 1897. 63 pages. No. 99-Cotton rust. 31 pages. No. 101-Experiments with cotton in 1898. 19. pages. No. 102--Co-operative experiments with fertilizers on cotton in 1898. 75 pages. Climatology of the cotton plant. IssUed by the United States Weather Bureau. 70 pages. The above list comprises 37; bulletins, containing a total of 986 pages. 183 In the prosecution of the work indicated by the above bulletins the following parties have been more or less intimately connected with and responsible for the results of the experiments: W. H. Chambers, Agriculturist. W. C. Stubbs, Chemist. J. S. Newman, Agriculturist. J. J. Barclay, Agriculturist. N. T. Lupton, Chemist. P. H. iMell, Botanist and Meteorologist. G. F. Atkinson, Mycologist. B. B. Ross, Chemist. A. J. Bondurant, Agriculturist. J. M. Stedman, Mycologist and Entomologist. J. F. Duggar, Agriculturist. F. S. Earle, Mycologist. J. T. Anderson, Associate Chemist. B. M. Duggar, Assistant Mycologist. James Clayton, Assistant Agrici Iturist. T. U. Culver, Assistant Agriculturist. A. L. Quaintance, Assistant Entomologist. T. D. Samford, Assistant Botanist. George Clark, Assistant Botanist. A. M. Lloyd, Assistant Botanist and Meteorologist. A number of experimenters located in different parts of the State who had charge of the co-operative fertilizer tests on cotton have also contributed much valuable material. P. H. MELL, Director. VARIETIES OF COTTON BY J. F. DUGGAR. PURPOSES OF TESTS OF VARIETIES. Variety tests of cotton have had a prominent place at nearly every experiment station in the Cotton Belt. Although these experiments have had some value, yet they do not afford a concise answer to the question so often asked "What is the best variety of cotton?" Nor can we expect experimenters or farmers to be able to answer this question with a single name. Such an answer is up to this time impossible, for diligent search has failed to find any one variety of cotton which is universally superior to all other kinds. The variety which affords the largest yield on one soil is surpassed on a diferent soil by another kind. Even on the same soil, the relative productiveness of two given varieties differs, prevailing weather conditions perhaps favoring an early variety in one year, a late kind in another season. Conditions vary, and hence the list of most productive varieties changes from year to year. Statements of results of variety tests will prove useful in proportion as they take careful account of the conditions under which each test was made, so that we may come in time to learn what class of varieties in normal seasons may be expected to yield more than other kinds on poor soil, what sort to head the list when the soil is fertile, what kinds to prefer for localities subject to early frosts what varieties best respond to liberal fertilization, and so on. Another promising field of investigation in variety 1L86 testing is the study of the characters of each so called variety with a view to fixig.a moredefinite standard of purity and uniformity, the data thus obtained being also useful in determining how many of the numerous socalled varieties of cotton stand for distinct types and how many are only useless and confusing synonyms. Our observations, made on 70 so-called varieties in 1899, witl a view to ascertaining what varieties are distinct and what names are mere synonyms..need to be repeated before publication. PRODUCTIVENESS OF VARIETIES. Tests of varieties of cotton have been made on the Station Farm at Auburn nearly every year during the past decade. The. list of varieties varied from year to year, thus making difficult a comparison of the productiveness of the. different kinds. An examination of all these lists shows that altogether 48 varieties have been tested at Auburn on plots large enough to determine the yield ,per acre. The, usual size of plots in recent years has been one-sixteenth acre. In addition, the list of varieties tested in 1899 on plots toosmall to permit an accurate determination of yield per acre contains 45 new names, making a total of 93 so-called varieties tested by the Agricultural Department of this station. In the following table is given only the data obtained in the field tests on the farm at Auburn., It indicates the rank of each variety in each test, as shown by the yield of lint cotton per acre. When the stand of plants is known to be defective, that variety is excluded from the table. The number 1 opposite any variety shows that in the test that year this variety produced more lint than any other; so the number 2 denotes second place in production of lint, and so on for other numbers. Rank of, YarietiesObf Gbttoi0" n the Ras-is Of Yid of T it~Pe/i~ Acre.- Allen Long Staple 188-9:189 0'1891'91 *f.892' 1893 11:896 f 1897 1898) 1899 14.. . . 8, .. 21.., :;f'.~....: Allen Hybrid L. S. ..... . African............ Barnett........ .. ... ... Bailey ...... Cherry Cluster :. . 6 Colthorp Pride.. . ..... . Colthorp Eureka..... Cook, 21... ..... .... 12 18.. 11 .~14 . 17 .. 1" 6 . . .. * 4.. .. . .. :.... ". 7 .. ........ 4.:.... 1. ............... ,..... :.......:.. Cook, W. A:...... .... Common .. ... ... .... Crossland..... .. .... DalkeitnhiEureka.. Dearing.:...... Dickson......... J. C..--..... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 2... ,:.24 15 20 .... 10............. 3 Duncan.. ..... ... 9 12 ... ,. 6 1 .. Ellsworth ... .. Gold Dust. Griffin.. ........ Hawkins Improved Herlong.. ... .... 12 9 . ... .. .. 7... .... 6 .... e ".... ... 23 6 3 ... .....3.. 13 ............ 10 5 ... ... Hunnicutt. ... 17.... .... .... 3... . ... 3 .... ......... . .. 9 .... ......... . Rameses.. .... 8 1 Russell.. ...... .. .... .... 8 5...... .... 5 .... Southern Hope. '. ..... 15 2.".. .... ..... 4 .... . Storm Proof. Smith Improved.. .... 4...11 .1......... 81... Strickland. .. ... 9 52' 2 4 .... 2l 31.... Truitt.. ... .... 9" 6 15.. .. .... Tyler... ..... ... 6. 6 . .1 . . . Texas Oak... 5. ...... 2 .15 .... 11 13 Welborn .. ... ... 9 16 10.... .... ... ... Whatley Improved 11... .... ..... 16 1).... . . 14 Wonderful ... . . 1I 10 .. . . . .. . . . . . Zellner.. .. *No. varieties in 8 14 17 16 11 15. 29 513 13) test.... .. ...... Size of Seed-The data showing size of seed were obtained by taking the average of three samples of seed, each sample from a different plant. Petit Gulf...... Hutchinson.. . Jones Improved... Jones Long Staple. Jones No. 1.... Keith... ... .... . King........ Lowry... .... .... Matthews. L. Staple Okra.. .... ..... Peeler ... ... ..... Peerless ... .... . Peterkin....... . j.. .1 5 ... i ... 10"...... ...... 7 7 .... 7. .8 ......... . 11 .... 19 17 .... 11 .... 5 14 ....... 5...5... .... ... ... .... 10~ 12. .1 .... 5 .... ......... ........ ........ 8... 1 .... . 2 6 .. 8 . . .. .. 12 7 11....".... .... 8...... 8 .... ......... 6 .... 1 . 7 13, , ... 7 4 5 .... ... a 4 .. "....." .... 11 .... 8 3 4 188 .Examining, in the above table, the records of those Varieties which have been tested four or more times, we .find. "And- the..following facts: The best records are apparently those of Peterkin Truitt. Peterkin -made the largest yield of lint in one test, ranked not lower than fifth in all except two tests, -and never lower than eighth. Truitt ranked from first to fifth except in one test, where it occupied the ninth place. Inasmuch as these two varieties rank high in most tests and have been more frequently tested than any others, it is convenient to regard one of them as 'standard to which the records of other varieties may be eferred for- comparison. To determine which of the above named varieties shall be used in these pages as a standard, it is necessary that we examine more in detail the records made by each of these varieties in the seven expriments in which both ,entered: Comparison of Varieties 1 eterkin and Truitton Basis Lint in - a Seven MADE. of Yield of acre.Truitt - Years. Yield of lint cot- YEAR ton per WHEN TEST WAS 1890................................. 1891............................ 1896............................. 1892................................. .... Peterkin 786 465 338 320 783 489 302 384 1897................................... 1898...................339 246 ............ 427 1899........... 245 330 442- ......... Average for 7 years................I 417 ( 425 The difference in the average yields of tlie two varieties is only 8 pounds of lint per acre, an amount too small to demonstrate that one variety is distinctly Ibetter than the ot~her, as regards production of lint. 189 Both may be counted safe varieties, having never failed in our tests to make fair to excellent records. The value of:the total product is greater with Truitt, which affords a larger percentage of seed than does Peterkin. For this reason we shall use Truitt as the standard of comparison in this article. Cbmparing Jones' Improved with Truitt, we find that both varieties are common to five tests, in four of which the rank of Truitt is higher than that of Jones. Hawkins was compared with Truitt in five tests, and in four of these wa defeated. Dickson invited comparison with the standard in three tests, in all of which it was surpassed. King and Truitt were compared five times, and in every instance the yield of lint was in favor of Truitt. Peerless was six times compared with this standard and only once was Peerless superior. In each of five tests Welborn was surpassed in yield of lint by Truitt. Allen Long Staple, iHerlong, Hunnicutt and Jones Improved were each twice in competition with Truitt and in all cases they were beaten by this last named variety. Each of the varieties mentioned in the preceding paragraph has one or more excellent qualities, and no one of them is unproductive. It is quite probable that under' some conditions each of these would prove more productive than either of those which have made the best average at Auburn. Nor do these tests imply that Truitt and Peterkin are superior to some of the best of the recently introduced varieties, for example Russell, which, however, has been tested here only twice, or not often enough to definitely determine its value in comparison with older varieties. VARLETIES- STUDIED IN 1899. _It is, extremely desirable that varieties should be -classified according to their natural relations. A satisfactory classification should be of practical benefit to the farmer in protecting him against the purchase of old varieties under new names and at high prices. It would undoubtedly reduce the number of so-called varieties, ,of which the writer has found more than 150 mentioned in agricultural publications. The.importance of the end to be attained seems to justify an endeavor to classify the varieties in the fact of the almost insuperable obstacles. The difficulties are formidable, and among -them may be mentioned: (1) The tendency of even a pure variety to vary with its environment; (2) The multiplication of names, especially local names, of varieties; and (3) The relatively small amount of descriptive and statistical data on record showing the character of the -so-called varieties. In 1899 the writer grew a large number of varieties with a view to obtaining correct descriptions of each and additional data regarding the characteristics of all kinds tested. The collection consisted of 70 sorts, the seed in most cases being procured from the originator or from parties supposed to be most interested in furnishing seed pure and true to name. Nevertheless there was in a number of varieties great diversity as between individual plants. To overcome this, as far as possible, selection was made in each variety of those plants which showed decided similarity in habit of growth and form of stalk, and which evidently represented the prevailing itype. Later, from this number of selected plants were chosen the best three plants, as nearly as could be judged by the eye; these three twice-selected plants furnish the data as to size of plants, bolls, seed,etc., and the most representative of the 'three was photographed for use in this article. With the small plots,-which were necessitated by the large number of varieties,-and with the small number of selected plants, it was impracticable to secure any re- liable data relative to the yield of each kind. A part of the data obtained from the selected plants of each sort are recorded in the tables which follow. Fre,quently the three samples from which an average was in all cases made were not entirely accordant. When the failure to agree was considerable, the samples were re-weighed. The data which appear in the following table represent the characteristics of the several varieties as they revealed themselves under the conditions of a test made here in 1899, on sandy upland soil, well fertilized with commercial fertilizers, and with the plants allowed ample space on every side. Weather conditions were unfavorable, drougth doing considerable injury. Planting was done at a late date, May 8. It is not necessarily true that in other years or under different soil and weather conditions the data secured would exactly correspond with those obtained in 1899. Such tests as this need to be several times repeated so as to obtain averages of maximum value. Illustrations showing representative plants of nearly every variety grown here in 1889 may be seen in plates I to XII. The last plate shows the appearance and relative size of an average full-grown but unopened boll of each variety. The entire credit for all illustrations is due to the Director, P. H. Mell, who made all the photographs. 192 The following 24 varieties may be considered as having large boils, that is, requiring only 50 to 65 boils make a pound of seed cotton: Banks,,Cheise, Christopher, Coppedge, Culpepper, Japan, Jones Cummings, Drake, Duncan, Ellis, Improved, Lee, Maddox, Nancy ianks, Peerless, Russell, Scroggins, Sprueill, Strickland, Texas Storm Proof, Thrash, and Truitt. to Griffin, Pruitt, Weight of Seed Cotton in 100 Boils and Number of Boils Required to Mlake One Pound of Seed Cotton. VARIETY. rd VARIETY. 00-r"Pi 1.37 73 1.37 73 1.33 75 1.33 75 1.33 75 1.30 77 1.30 77 1.30 77 1.30 77 1.30 77 1.30 77 1.30 77 1.27 79 1.23 81 1.23 81 1.23 81 1.23 81 1.23 81 1.23 1.20 1.17 1.17 1.17 1.13 1.13 1.13 1.10 1.07 1.07 1.07 1.07 1.07 1.03 .87 .77 81 83 86 86 86 89 89 89 91 94 94 94 94 94 96 111 130 Cheise Improved. Texas Storm Proof. Drake............... Strickland .......... Banks ............... Russell .............. Lee Improved........ Japan............... Christopher Improved.. Culpepper........... Peerless............ Thrash Select........ Truitt.............. Jones Improved (Alex..... ander) .. ...... 2.00 1.97 1.80 1.80 1.77 1.73 1.70 1.70 1.67 1.67 1.64 1.64 1.64 .. 50 W. A. Cook ... ..... ..... Doughty.... ... 56 Big Boll.......... 56 Minor. ............. 57 58 59 59 60 60 61 61 61 61 63 63 64 64 64 64 64 64 65 65 65 65 67 68 68 68 71 71 Texas Oak .. ..... ... Mattis .... .... .... . Hawkins.. .. ....... . Hawkins Jumbo . . Hilliardilliard. Pinkrton........ . Petit Gulf.. .......... Allen Irpd. L. S. Bur................ . .Pikro........ King... .... 1.64 1.60 Jones Imp'd (Curry).. 1.60 Ellis.... ............. 1.57 .... ..... Duncan ..... 1.57 Scroggins Prolific. . . 1.57 Nancy Hanks .. ...... 1.57 Norris .............. 1.57 Pruitt Premium ... 1.57 . Maddox.. .. ...... 1.53 Cummings........... 1.53 .... Sprueil.. ....... 1.53 Coppedge .. ........... 1.53 Griffin........ 1.50 Parks Own .. ........ 1.47 Grayson Big Boll. 1.47 Gunn.... ............ 1.47 Matthews L. S....... Texas Bur........... 1.40 . 1.40 Smith Improved. Jackson Limbless (U. S. 1.40 Dept. Agriculture.... Herndon Select .... 1.40 ~~r~ I~ vii Lowry...... ..... ..... ... .. . Texas Wood ..... ..... Cobweb.. .... ...... Improved L. S..... .... Jackson African .... ander).... (Alex... Moon.... ........ Welborn.. ..... Tyler Limb Cluster. ... ........ ..... . Allen Hybrid L. S.. No. 12 [ (?) Herlong]. . Borden Prolific... ....... Wise....o.... Peterkin .. .......... Dickson... ....... Boyd Prolific....... . . Shine Early.. ........ Dearing. ..... 11.1.~. ..~. Bates Poor Land... 71 Excelsior ........... 71 vr. Sea Island.. .. ...... Norris. .... .... .............. . . 193 The following 21 varieties have bolls of medium size, from 65 to 80 being required to make one pound of seed cotton: Allen Improved, Big Boll, Bur, W. A. Cook, Doughty, Grayson Big Boll, Gunn, Hawkins, Hawkins Jumbo, Herndon, Hilliard, Jackson Limbless, Matthews Long Staple, Mattis, Minor, Parks, Petit Gulf, Pinkerton, Smith Improved, Texas Bur and Texas Oak. The small boll varieties, or those requiring from 80 to 130 bolls to make a pound of seed cotton, numbered 22, and were as follows: Allen Hybrid, Bates Poor Land, Borden, Boyd, Cobweb, Dearing, Dickson, Excelsior, No. 12 (the so-called Herlong), Improved Long Staple, Jackson African, King, Lowry, Moon, Norris, Peterkin, Sea Island, Shine Early, Texas Wood, Tyler, Welborn and Wise. 194. SIZE OF SEED. The data showing size of ing the average of three samples seed-were obtained by tak-' of seed, each sample. from a different plant. Average weight of cotton seed Grams. Duncan.................16.64 Banks...................15.98 Texas Storm Proof.......15.98 Russell.................15.74 Allen Improved..........15.64 Thrash..................15.52 Drake...................15.30 15.20 Ellis .................... 15.12 Maddox ................. 15.08 Strickland .............. Cheise..................14.82 Culpepper...............14.78 14.50 Christopher ............. Coppedge................14.32 Lee.....................14.32 Scroggins...............14.18 Matthews L. S...........14.06 Truitt ................ ....... of each variety. Grams. Nancy Hanks............12.42 Cummings.............12.34 Jones...................12.34 Sprueili.... ............. 12.34 Cobweb ..... ............ 12.32 Griffin..... ............ 12.10 Bur..... ....... ........ 11.98 Moon........ ..... 11.70 Allen Hybrid .... .... .... 11.56 Lowry ..... ..... ........ 11.54 Minor.................11.24 King...................10.96 Mattis...................10.86 13.78 13.74 13.54 13.44 13.44 13.44 13.26, 12.96 Sea Island.. ........... Jones ..... ....... 13.62 Petit Gulf...............10.78 Jackson (African) from Alexander .... ......... 10.54 Jackson Limbless from U. S. D. A ........ ........ 10.46 Texas Oak..............10.34 Hawkins................10.30 Peterkin ... ........... Peerless ...... ....... Grayson .. ........ ... .... ..... Japan ....... (?) Pruitt Premium .. . Doughty ...... ..... ..... Texas Wood...... ........ Hilliard .. ....... Shine..................10.16 ....... Borden ..... ............. Welborn............10.04 No. 12 (? Herlong) ...... 10.08 10.04 9.96 ........ 12.96 Cook (W. A.).............12.80 ..... ......... 12.70 Gunn ..... Improved Long Staple.. .. 12.68 Parks..... ..... .......... 12.6 6 Smith Improved .. .... ... 12.64 Norris ..... ..... ........ 12.6 2 Texas Bur .... ........... 12.52 Big Boll .... .. .......... 12.48 Hawkins Jumbo.... ...... 12.44 Excelsior ..... Dickson ................. Pinkerton .. ...... ......... Boyd ..... ............... Dearing ..... ............. Peterkin .... ............. ..... ....... ....... 9.94 9.74 9.54 9.50 9.24 9.10 Texas Wood ....... ....... 8.72 8.28 Wise.. ............ Bates (Poor Land) ....... 8.16 195 large,' medium and If we would describe the seed' small, an arbitrary division of varieties becomes necessary. The first 25. varieties in the above list, having seed be reweighing more than 13 granms per hundred, garded as having large seed. Seed weighing 10.5 to 13 as may grams per 100 may be classed as medium in size, and those weighing 8 to 10.5 grams per hundred as small seed. PROPORTION OF LINT TO SEED COTTON. The following table gives the percentage of lint seed cotton of each variety. The figures results obtained by carefully handpicking samples of seed cotton' from three plants of each variety and weighing the lint and seed on chemical balances. -are average in the VARIETY. ... ..... Pinkerton... ..... .... Bates (Poor Land) ..... .......... ..... Borden ..... VARIETY. ..... 38. 6 Dickson........... 37.6 Lowry ...... ..... ......... ............. 37.5 Scroggins ..... 32.1 31.0 31.9 .. Wise..... ..... ............ Thrash .................... 37.O Lee..................31.7 .. 36.2 Gunn ......... Peterkin (26 S.).......35.;..... Texas Wood.... ...... Peterkin (26 N.).... ...... hine ......... 35.4Mattis ....... 35.l Jones ....... Hawkins..... .... ....... Jackson...... ..... ........... Jackson ... ..... Minor ..... ... ............. No. 12 (? Herlong)..... .... .......... Cheise ..... ..... Pruitt Premium (?) ......... .... 35.0OJones Improved ........ 34.5 Norris.... ..... .......... .......... ..... 34.4lRuesell ..... ... ...... 34.4 Cummings ....... 34.l Ellis.. ................. 33.7 1-iawkins Jumbo..... ...... 34.0 Improved. ........... .. .. . ... ...... ..... .............. 31.6 31.6 31.5 31.4 Sprueill .... ..... .......... 33.8SPetit Gulf .. ........... Grayson..... 31.3 31.2 31.2 31.1 31.1 31.1 30.8 ..... .. ........ ........ 30.7 Parks ..... ..... ........... Nancy Hanks ............ .............. King ... ..... Tyler 33.7 Banks .... 33.2 Truitt..... ..... .. ..... 30.6 30.5 30.3 30.3 ............ Maddox.. ..... Texas Storm Proof .......... ..... 33.6 Smith Improved..... ...... ....... 33.3 Drake............. ........... ..... ........... 33.1lDuncan ..... .............. 33.1lTexas Bur... ... .......... 30.0 29.9 Boyd .. ... ..... ... Welborn ... Peerless.... Excelsior... ... .. .. . .33.0OCobweb ... ... .............. .............. ........ ............ 29.7 29.7 29.6 29.6 ....... ..... ..... ............... ......... ... ...... ......... Bur... ..o... 32.9 (?) 32.9 Japan..... Dearing ... L. S...... 32.SStrickland ..... Hilliard..... ..... ........ ....... Coppedge..... ..... ......... Moon .......... ....... ..... Culpepper ..... ...... Christopher.... ..... Texas Oak..... ..... ...... 29.1 32.8 Herndon... ... ............ 32.8 Improved Long Staple...28.3 28.2 .32.7 Doughty L. S....... ........ 32.5 Allen Hybrid L. S.......... 26.9 32.4 Allen Improved L. S........ 26.7 32.4 Matthews L. S.............27.6 32.8'Griffin .......... 29.2 Big Boll...... ..... ...... ...... 32.lSea Island... ....... Cook (W. A.) L. S.........25.8 125.9 196 In the list of varieties having at least 35 per cent. of lint there are only 9 names, all of these except Thrash being closely related varieties and in many respects resembling Peterkin. Only 14 names occur in the list of those having less than 30 per cent. of lint, most of these being long staple kinds. This leaves two-thirds of the varieties here tested in the class that has 30 to 35 per cent. of lint. NUMBER OF FORMS PER PLANT AND TIME OF MATURING OF VARIETIES. In order to ascertain the relative earliness of the varieties grown here in 1899, a count was made Oct. 9-11, of all bolls then open and also of all immature "forms," including blooms and unopened bolls of all sizes. The following table gives the data obtained by counting the "forms" on three plants of each variety, the percentage of open bolls being obtained by taking the total number of mature and immature forms as 100: 197 Average number of blooms, boils and open burs and percentage of open bar, October 9-11, 1899. VARIETY. - VARIETY. 44 48 38 43. 32 30 38 29 63 52 40 35 39 39 49 41 33 26 - o Nancy Hanks..........47 100 Peterkin (26 N.) ... Texas Wood...........40 100 Dickson.............. Borden.......... ..... 36 97 Piraron............ 40 Griffin............. 97 Banks............... Parks.......... 34 (?) Dearing.........37 95 Culpepper........... 55 94 Duncan.............. Boyd............ 32 94 Jones Impd. (from Alex Norris ................ 32 94 ander)............. Smith ............. 92 Mattis............. Shine.................48 Texas Bur...........24 92 Excelsior........... Hawkins Jumbo.......34 91 Hilliard............. Peterkin (26 5.).......46 91 Russell........... Moon..... ....... 31 90 Maddox.............. Bur.................34 89 Wise................ Lowry ................ 89 Improved Long Staple. Minor ................ 47 89 Herndon............. No. 12 [ (?) Herlong] 28 88 ........... Gunn ..... ..... ........ 28 86 Texas Storm Proof. 6Pels .. Texas Oak...... .... .. 29 80 79 79 79 78 77 77 76 76 75 75 75 74 74 73 71 70 36 Hawkins... Cook (W. Drake.................40 Coppedge..... ....... 48 Pruitt Premium.. ...... 34 Ellis..... ...... ....... 25 Big Boll .... ........... 37 Cheise...........25 Allen Hybrid .......... 54 Bates (Poor Land)...38 King... .-............. 43 Jones Impd. (from Curry-Arrington)...1 40 85 85 Matthews..... A.)....'..... ... ... .... .... 43 70 85 Sprueill. ......... 84 Thrash.......... ..... 84 Welborn.... ..... 84 Cummings........... 84 Strickland ........ .... 83 Tyler. ........... 82 Jackson African ander)............ 82 82 81 80 I 80 ~n (Alex- 52 36 31 39 55 62 23 35 43 45 39 51 95 69 67 64 64 62 62 58 56 50 42 36 35 29 23 Truitt............ Japan..... ............ Cobweb ..... ........... Doughty .. ............. rr- 33 37 54 40 I CIn Lee..... ............. . Christopher........ Jackson Limbless (U. . S. D.A'.).... ...... Sea ITT Island........ .. . 198 Not only was the proportion of mature and immature fruit determined by counting, but field notes were made indicating the earliness of the variety as judged by appearances only. These notes show that the data in the tables do not constitute safe guides for dividing varieties into groups of early, medium and late maturity; the table is of greater use in showing what varieties would be most injured by early frost, which under the conditions of this test would have been those that occupy a position low down in the table. For example Welborn, although an early variety (in the sense of affording a heavy picking early in the season) had nevertheless about one-third of its forms in immature condition on October 11. A still more notable instance of large proportion of immature forms as late as October 11 is afforded by the Jackson. An examination of this table shows that the following 27 varieties averaged 40 or more mature and immature forms per plant, those producing the largest number being placed first: Sea Island, Mattis, Cummings, Welborn, Allen Hybrid, Boyd, Cook (W. A.), Cobweb, Excelsior, Jackson, Improved Long Staple, Shine, Coppedge, Dickson, Minor, Nancy Hanks, Peterkin, Lee, Peerless, King, Jones, Drake, Griffin Pinkerton, Herndon, and Texas Wood. Those varieties on which the total number of forms averaged less than 30 were only 8, viz: Strickland, Texas Storm Proof, Cheise, Ellis, Texas Oak, Gunn, No. 12 (so-called Herlong), and Texas Bur. More than half of the varieties in this test averaged from 30 to 40 blooms, bolls, and mature fruit on October 9-11, 1899. Of course the number of fruit forms produced by the plant during the entire season of growth was much Hlilliard, 199, greater than the figures above would show; for the count did not include the large number of blooms and bolls which had been shed, as the result of very unfavorable weather conditions. As judged by the eye the varieties were classed in the field with reference to time of maturity, as follows ; Very early. Early. Early to medium. Miedium. Medium to late. Late. Very late. Dickson, Dearing, King, Lowry, Borden, Bur, Nancy Hanks, Parks. Cummings, Drake, Bates Poor Land, Herndon, Hawkins, Jackson Peerless, African. Shine Early, Jackson Smith Improved, Limbless, Sprueill. Texas Wood. Welborn, Griffin, Hawkins Jumbo, Minor, Texas Oak Texas Bur, Wise. Big Boll, Culpepper, Hilliard, Jones. Norris, Peterkin Limb Cluster. Peterkin, Pruitt, Truitt, Tyler. f Allen Hybrid, Cheise, Japan, Banks, Thrash, Christopher.' Improved Long Coppedge, Staple, Cobweb, Sea Island. W. A. Cook, Duncan, Doughty L. S. Excelsior, Ellis, Grayson, Gunn, Jones Improved. Mattis, Maddox, Moon , Matthews L. S. Pinkerton, Petit Gulf, Russell, Scroggins, Strickland, Texas Storm Proof 201 CORRELATION OF CHARACTERS IN VARIETIES OF COTTON. One of the ends in view in making this detailed statistical study of varieties was to learn what qualities are correlated, or what characters we may expect to find combined in one variety and what qualities are antagonistic or usually not to be found united in the same variety. This question has a decidedly practical bearing for the conclusion reached by such studies should afford a means of correctly interpreting the results of variety tests. Knowledge of the characteristics of varieties should also enable the farmer more intelligently to choose the kind of cotton best suited to his conditions. A knowledge of qualities that may easily be united in the same plant and of those that are antagonistic should be of supreme value to the plant breeder who endeavors to intelligently originate varieties having certain definite characters. A study of preceding tables shows that in general there is a fairly constant relation between the size (weight) of boll contents and the weight of 100 seed. Large seed are usually from varieties having large bolls, and vice versa. For proof of this assertion let thereader notice that of the 25 varieties classed as producing heavy seed, nearly all are also to be found in the list of large boll varieties. With one possible exception (Grayson) this is true of all short staple kinds under test. Apparently this law has little, if any, application to the long staple varieties, for Matthews, Doughty, Allen Improved and Sea Island,-all having long staple,produce large seed though bearing bolls of medium or small size. Further study of the tables shows that most small seed varieties, whether of Peterkin, Cluster, or other type, bear small bolls. These investigations afford no answer to the question 202 'whether wzithin a given variety the seeds average heavier in large bolls than in small. Is the superiority in weight large bolls over small bolls of the same variety chiefly due to heavier, more completely developed seed or to their greater number? This question invites further study. Our work thus far leads to the conclusion that .among short staple varieties those that bear large bolls are usually those that bear large seed. The writer has compiled a table showing the percentage of lint afforded by every variety in the tests published by American Experiment Station prior to 1895. compilation showed clearly that long staple varieties yield but a low percentage of lint. The results obtained in our collection of 70 varieties in 1899 affords additional evidence that great length of staple is antag'onistic to a large proportion of lint. For example, all long staple varieties in this test yield less than 30 per cent. of lint, while only two or three of the short staple varieties tested show such a small proportion of lint. Let us examine the several tables which precede this paragraph in order to ascertain whether the size of the seed has any relation to the percentage of lint. We are so accustomed to obtaining a large percentage of lint with Peterkin, a variety having very small seed, that we involuntarily associate small seed with great outturn of lint. This does seem to be the general rule, but there are possibly exceptions, as in the case of Thrash and the so-called Dearing of this test. Small seed are uisually an indication of a large per-centage of lint. -of nThat IPROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF AGRICULTURAL VARIETIES. fixed characteristics. Agricultural varieties of cotton are far from showing Moreover, the points of difference between any two extreme plants within one variety are "Bulletin No. 33, Office of Experimn-nt S ations, U. S. Dept Agr. 203 ,often greater than the dissimilarity between the.average plants of two closely related varieties. Hence the impossibility of accurately separating varieties according to single definite qualities, as form of stalk alone, size of bolls alone, etc. Instead, it seems best to arrange the varieties into groups on the basis of general resemblance in several ,characters. The following attempt to arrange the varieties grown here in 1899 is merely a provisional classification, to be modified as future investigations may suggest. The short staple or upland varieties of cotton may conveniently be divided into six classes, and to these may be ,added the long staple upland varieties as a seventh. I would propose for each of these general classes a name .giving, when practicable, an idea of the manner of growth of the plant, and with each class name would associate the name of some distinct and well known variety as a type or standard. I shall designate these classes as (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Cluster varieties, or Dickson type. Semi-cluster varieties, or Peerless type. Rio Grande varieties, or Peterkin type. Short Limb varieties, or King type. Big Boll varieties or Duncan type. Long Limb varieties, or Petit Gulf type. Long Staple Upland varieties, or Allen type. The lines of demarkation between these groups are not always clear and distinct; one group often merges into another by almost imperceptible gradations, just as is the case with related varieties. Below is given a list of the varieties (as groivn here in 1899), which are included under these several groupings, and also a general description of the varieties com- 204 posing each class. Varieties of which the classification, according to this scheme, is doubtful are named in a separate list, or are discussed in connection with the class to which they seem to bear the greatest resemblance. Further work will be done with a view to improving the classification and to more definitely determining the group to which each variety belongs. CLASS I--CLUSTER VARIETIES, OR DICKSON TYPE. The transition between this and the next succeeding class is so gradual that any other than arbitrary division is impossible. In this first class we include of the varieties grown here in 1899 only Dickson, Jackson (Jackson's African or Limbless) and Welborn. With all these the most striking characters are (1) the absence of long wood limbs except at the base, and (2) the tendency of the bolls to grow in clusters, or in twos or threes from the same node of the stem or limb. The plants are usually tall, slender, and erect, though often bent down by the weight of bolls growing at the upper extremity of the main stem. The few base limbs are often long. The bolls and seed are usually small, but may be of medium size;-the seed are thickly covered with fuzz, which is usually whitish, with little or no brownish or greenish tinge. As to the time of maturity these varieties must be classed as early, for though they sometimes make a second growth of bolls in the top of the plant which may fail to mature, they afford a large proportion of their total crop at the first picking. In earliness they are surpassed by the varieties of the King type (Class IV.) In per centage of lint they present no striking peculiarity, seldom equalling in this respect the Rio Grands and usually ranging between 32 and 34 per cent. lint. 205 'CLASS II-SEMI-CLUSTER VARIETIES, OR PEERLESS TYPE. Here we include Boyd, Cummings, Drake, No. 28 N. (doubtfully labeled Dearing), Hawkins Prolific, Hawkins Jumbo, Herndon, Minor, Norris and Tyler. These varieties have in less marked degree some of the equalities which distinguish Class I, being erect and hav-ing bolls more or less in clusters. Along the main stem are very short limbs above the base limbs, which latter are usually of medium length. In size of bolls and size ,of seed and percentage of lint there is considerable diversity among these varieties. The seed are usually of :medium size, well covered with fuzz, except Tyler (which in this respect somewhat resembles Peterkin and may perhaps claim a place in Class III) ; fuzz of many .shades, whitish, greenish, or brownish. These varieties are early or medium in time of maturity. CLASS III-RIO GRAND VARIETIES, OR PETERKIN TYPE. In this class we place Peterkin, Peterkin Limb Cluster, Texas Wood and Wise. The characters which most distinctly mark this class are: (1) The large proportion of lint, usually 35 per cent. or more of the weight of seed cotton, and (2) Seeds that are bare of fuzz or nearly so, except at the tip end. The plants are well branched, and usually, on upland soil, of mediumsize. The bolls are small and the nearly bare black seed are quite small. In time of maturing these varieties are usually neither very early nor extremely late. The following varieties may perhaps be classed here to advantage, though in one or more respects they differ 206 so widely from the type that they require further study before they can be positively assigned to this class: Bates Poor Land, Borden, Excelsior, Pinkerton, Texas Oak, Tyler. The low percentage of lint would seem to exclude all these except Bates, Borden and Pinkerton, and all six of the varieties in this list have fuzz, usually thin or brownish, on the seed. In small size and in the absence of any shade of green on the seed they all resemble Peterkin. The following varieties have been mentioned in a work on cotton as related to Rio Grand, viz: Dearing and Shine, but in per cent. of lint and in some other respects they in 1899 differ widely from Peterkin, which we have taken as the type of this class. CLASS IV-SHORT LIMB VARIETIES, OR KING TYPE. King and Lowry constitute the basis of this group. Both are early, indeed the earliest varieties ever tested by the writer. The plants are small and well branched near the top as well as at the base. The limbs are short, the bolls small, the seed medium in size, and thickly covered with fuzz, usually brownish, though a greenish shade is often visible. The percentage of lint is usually 32 to 34. In the field Parks and the kind furnished us under the (probably incorrect) name of Herlong were not distinguishable from King, and we think that both these varieties belong here. Shine has some claims to a position in this group. CLASS V BIG BOLL VARIETIES, OR DUNCAN TYPE. To this group we would assign: Banks, Christopher, Coppedge, Culpepper, Duncan, Grayson, Jones Improved, Lee, Russell, Scroggins, 207 Strickland, Texas. Storm Proof, Thrash, Truitt and its equivalent, sent:to us as Pruitt Premium. The large bolls and large seed and late growth of 5Maddox seem to place it here, though its nearly bare seed are at variance with all the varieties above. The large bolls and seed characters of Sprueill and Japan would bring these two varieties to this group, but in 1899 these two matured too early to be ranked alongside of the late varieties in the list above. The character which especially distinguishes this class is the large size of bolls, of which only 51 to 68 are required to yield a pound of seed cotton. Other specially notable qualities are late maturity and vigorous growth of stalk. The seed are large or very large, and covered usually (Maddox being an exception) with a thick fuzz, generally brownish white or whitish, a part of the seed of many of these varieties being covered with a deep green fuzz. The per cent. of lint often runs rather low and is usually between 30 and 33. The bolls are never clustered; in some varieties the upper limbs are so short as to give the top of the plant the erect, slender appearance which is common among semi-cluster: varieties. CLASS VI-LONG LIMB UPLAND VARIETIES, OR PETIT GULF TYPE. Ellis, Gunn, and Petit Gulf find a place in this class: Cheise may be classed here, though it has also some of the qualities of the Big Boll group. The varieties in this class grow to large size and have long limbs, the plants presenting a straggling appearance or marked want of compactness. The bolls and seed are both of medium to large size, the latter covered with fuzz, of various shades. The per cent. of lint is. 208 low or medium. This class seems poorly suited to upland soils, and indeed, as grown here in 1899, does not impress one as pre-eminent in any specially valuable qualities. CLASS VII-LONG STAPLE VARIETIES, OR ALLEN TYPE. This group includes Allen Hybrid, Allen Improved, Cobweb, Cook (W. A.), Doughty, Griffin, Improved Long Staple (from Holloway), Matthews and Moon. The length of staple is the distinguishing characteristic. The lint usually measures 1 3-16 to 18 inches in length, or 30 to 35 millimeters. An almost invariable accompaniment to great length of staple is a low proportion of lint, which in all' varieties of this class tested here, except Moon, has been less than 30 per cent. The plants grow to large size, have limbs of great length, and usually present a straggling appearance, though in some varieties only the base limbs are long, the upper limbs bearing a number of bolls close to the main stem, and giving the upper portion of the plant the appearance of great prolificacy. The bolls are not very large, but are long, slender, tapering to a sharp point. All of these long staple varieties are late in maturing a crop. The seed are of medium to large size, usually densely covered with fuzz, from which all trace of green is absent, the color being almost pure white, or in some varieties of a brownish tint. In some varieties, as with all the seed of Cobweb and with a small proportion of the seed of Cook as grown here in 1899, the fuzz is absent, and the seed bare, these naked seeds being distinguishable from Peterkin by their larger size. If the length of staple in these long staple inland varieties were the results of hybridization between the Sea Island 209 ,and the ordinary short staple upland varieties we should expect the hybrid more frequently to inherit the inaked or bare seed from its Sea Island parent. LIST OF UNCLASSIFIED VARIETIES. In addition to the varieties enumerated in the seven classes before named, we grew in 1899 the following varieties which must remain unclassified until the observations intended to ascertain their characteristics can be repeated: Bur, Texas Burr, Big Boll (from Holloway), Japan, Mattis (a large boll straggling variety, with bare seed), Nancy Hanks and Smith Improved. CHOICE OF VARIETIES. No one variety can be universally recommended. A .knowledge of the characteristics of each variety may sometimes aid a farmer in the selection of a kind suited to his conditions. For example, in the extreme northern portion of the cotton belt, where the growing season is short, earliness is one of the qualities desired. In addition to some good new varieties we find in the list of the very early, early, and medium early varieties on page 200 the names of the following well known kinds, King, Welborn, Dickson and Peerless, which are among the safe varieties for localities where the growing season is short. For late planting, even in lower latitudes, early varieties are preferable. Other qualities besides earliness which must be taken into consideration in choosing a variety are ease of picking, ability to withstand unfavorable weather without excessive shedding of forms, relative resistance to rust, tendency to produce a clean or trashy cotton, relative freedom from boll rot, etc. The writer's observation is that the varieties bearing bolls in clusters are apt to 8 210; shed a larger proportion of their forms than those with a greater development of limbs, This probably implies that a grower of a cluster variety should be even more careful than other cotton planters to give frequent and thorough cultivation so as to avoid the excessive drying of the soil which occurs very rapidly while an unbroken crust covers the ground, and which condition of dryness often increases the tendency to shedding of forms. Ease of picking is usually in proportion to the size of the bolls. Another factor is the character of the burs, which in some varieties offer special difficulties to clean and rapid picking. Varieties having this character are often termed "storm proof," in recognition of their relative resistance to the blowing out or beating out of the cotton by wind or rain. This quality is of doubtful advantage since it is directly opposed to ease of picking. Moreover, notes made on all these varieties in the field showed that the varieties offering considerable resistance to clean picking were by no means exempt from having a part of the seed cotton blown or beaten out by wind and rain. As a rule, extreme length of limbs and want of compactness in the plant is undesirable. It is not the variety of straggling appearance that heads the list in productiveness. For upland soils the long staple varieties are scarcely to be considered, for they require good, moist soil, are less productive than the short staples, and generally mature late. Neither our tests nor those made elsewhere point to any one variety as absolutely the best. The farmer who would make use of our results can do so only by deciding for himself whether for his conditions he needs an early or late, a cluster or limbed, a large seed or small seed variety; and then, having decided on the kind of 211 cotton he wishes, he should note all the varieties that we have included on previous pages in the class which he prefers. The rank of all the varieties of this class as regards productiveness or other qualities he can study with the aid of the tables given in this article. In nearly any class he may select he will find several varieties of about equal value, for the difference in productiveness between any two pure, well established varieties of the same type is far less than is generally supposed. Let .s consider carefully what particular characters or qualities are best adapted to a given soil and method of cultivation; then there is no danger of going far wrong, whichever one of the well established varieties of this class may be chosen. EXPLANATION OF PLATES. PLATE X-An accident caused the failure to present an illustration of the Truitt plant; however, see figure in Plate X, showing Pruitt Premium, which is identical with Truitt and which probably owes its name originally to an error in spelling. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Peerless. Cummings. Drake. Mattis. Dickson. Boyd. Lee. Welborn. Jackson Limbless, from U. S. Dept. Agr. Jackson African, from Alexander Seed Co. Seed incorrectly labeled Herlong. Tyler. Scroggins. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 23. 24. 25. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. Christopher. Herndon. King. ° Lowry. Parks. Sprueill. Grayson. Hawkins Prolific. Hawkins Jumbo. Nancy Hanks. Peterkin Limb Cluster, Dearing. Texas Wood. Wise. Culpepper. Strickland. 212. 33. Norris. 34. Pinkerton. 35. Pruitt. 36. Ellis. 37. Jones Improved. 38. Bates Poor Land. 39. Bur. 40. Texas Bur. 41. Minor. 42. Smith Improved. 43. Petit Gulf. 44. Texas Oak. 45. Matthews Long Staple. 46. Griffin Long Staple. 47. Allen Hybrid Long Staple. 48. Allen Improved Long Staple 49. W. A. Cook Long Staple. 50. Doughty Long Staple. 51. Moon Long Staple. 52. Cobweb Long Staple. 53. Improved Long Staple. 26 S. Peterkin. 27 S. Gunn. 28 S. Excelsior. 29 S. Hilliard. 30S. Shine. 31 S. Culpepper. 32 S. Banks. 33 S. Norris. 34 S. Pinkerton. 35 S. Pruitt Premium. 36 S. Big Boll. 37 S. Jones Improved. 38 S. Cheise. 39 S. Borden. 40S. Maddox. 41 S. Coppedge. 42 S. Japan. 43 S. Sea Island. 44 S. Texas Storm Proof. WHERE TO OBTAIN SEED. As this Station has no seed for sale or distribution, the following list of parties supplying us with seed is given, so that intending purchasers may know where seed of each variety can be obtained: Allen Hybrid, from J. B. Allen, Port Gibson, Miss. Allen Improved, from J. B. Allen, Port Gibson, Miss. Banks, from W. H. Banks, Newnan, Ga. Bates Poor Land, from R. Bates, Jackson Sta., S. C. Big Boll, from Holloway Seed & Grain Co. Dallas, Tex. Boyd Prolific, from R. Frotscher, New Orleans, La. Bur, from R. Frotscher, New Orleans, La. Cheise, from Holloway Seed & Grain Co., Dallas, Tex. Christopher, from R. H. Christopher, Asbury, Ga. Cobweb, from W. E. Collins, Mayersville, Miss. W. A. Cook, from W. A. Cook, Newman, Miss. Coppedge, from C. S. Coppedge, Nyson, Ga. 213 Culpepper, from J. E. Culpepper, Luthersville, Ga. Cummings, from T. A. Whatley, Opelika, Ala. Dearing, from H. P. Jones, Herndon, Ga. Dickson, from Curry-Arrington Seed Co., Rome, Ga. Doughty, fron Curry-Arrington Seed Co., Rome, Ga. Drake Cluster, from M. W. Johnson Seed Co., Atlanta, Ga. Duncan, from M. W. Johnson Seed Co., Atlanta, Ga. Ellis, from G. B. Ellis, Palalto, Ga. Excelsior, from C. F. Moore, Bennettsville, S. C. Grayson Big Boll, from NV. B. Grayson, Grayson, La. Griffin, from John Griffin, Greenville, Miss. Gunn, from C. S. Gunn, Temple, Miss. Hawkins Improved., from V. B. Hawkins, Nona, Ga. Hawkins J umbo, from NV. B. Hawkins, Nona, Ga. Herlong, from Curry-Arrington Seed Co., Rome,. Ga. Herndon Select, from S. J. Thornton, Coldwater, Ga. Hilliard, from NV. A. Hilliard, Bowersville, Ga. Improved Long -Staple, from Holloway Seed Grain Co., Dallas, Tex. Jackson from Alexander Seed Co., Augusta, Ga. Jackson Limbless, from Division of Botany, U. S. & African, Dept. Agriculture. Japan, from Holloway Seed Grain Co., Dallas, Tex. Jones Improved, from Alexander Seed Co., Augusta, Ga. Jones Improved, from Curry-Arrington Seed Co., Rome, Ga. King, H. P. Jones, Herndon, Ga. & Lee from Improved, from E. E. Lee, from J. Lowry, (4. Lowry, Cartersville, Wildwood, Ala. Ga. Maddox, from J. S. Maddox, Orchard Hill, Ga. Matthews Long Staple, from J. A. Matthews, Holly Springs, Miss. 214 Mattis, from C. F. Mattis, Learned, Miss. Minor, from J. D. Minor, Meriwether, Ga. Moon, from J. M. Moon, Peytonville, Ark. Nancy ilanks, from Curry-Arrington Seed Co., Rome, Ga. Norris, from II. Steiner, Grovetown, Ga. Park's Own, from 0. F. Park, Alexander City, Ala. Peerless, from 1M. W. Johnson Seed Co., Atlanta, Ga. Peterkin, from J. A. Peterkin, Fort Motte, S. C. Petit Gulf, from H. C. Prevost, New Orleans, La. Pinkerton, from H. R. Pinkerton; Eatonton, Ga. Russell Big Boll, from -G. F. Park, Alexander City, Ala. Sea Island, from Alexander Seed Co., Augusta, Ga. Scroggins Prolific, from J. T. Scroggins, Luthersville, Ga. Shine Early, from J. A. Shine, Shine, N..C. Smith Improved, from A. J. Smith, Conyers, Ga. from A. MI. Sprueill, Brompton, Ala. Strickland, from Curry-Arrington Seed Co., Rome, Ga. Texas Bur, from Alexander Seed Co., Augusta, Ga. Texas Oak, from M. G. Smith, Lightfoot, Ga. Texas Storm Proof, from W. J. Smiley, Baileyville, Tex. Texas Wood, from D. F. Miles, Marion, S. C. I. Sprueill, Thrash Select, from E. C. Thrash, Silvey, Ga. Truitt, from Curry-Arrington Seed. Co., Rome, Ga. Tyler Limb Cluster, from Alexander Seed Co., Augusta, Ga. Welborn Pet, from M. W. Johnson Seed Co., Atlanta, Ga. Wise, from H. P. Jones, Herndon Ga. 215 PREPARATION AND CULTIVATION OF THE SOIL FOR COTTON. BY J. F. DUGGAR. The manner of preparing the seed bed for cotton varies greatly, being chiefly dependent on the amount of clay, sand, and vegetable matter in the soil. If commercial fertilizers are used preparation may be slightly different from that which is necessary for cotton receiving no fertilizer. In clay or heavy loam soils receiving fertilizers, land on which there is much vegetable matter is usually broken broadcast (flushed) with a turn plow of some corresponding plow (half shovel, turn shovel, twister, scooter, etc.). Then the rows are opened, fertilizer placed in the row and a ridge or list formed over the fertilizer with two furrows. The proceedure is the same for sandy soils, and for clean land on which cotton is the preceding crop, except that the broadcast plowing is usually omitted. The ro is completed by throwing two furrow slices on the list formed above the fertilizer, this bedding or "throwing out middles" being often delayed for several weeks after the formation of the original small ridge or list, which delay, though convenient, is of questionable wisdom on sandy soils. This question needs the exact investigation which it has not yet received. Presumably the narrow sharp ridges formed by balks ,ormiddles and lists dry out too rapidly in seasons of deficient rainfall. On the Station Farm the beds are completed as soon as fertilizers are applied. In applying fertilizers our practice differs from that of most farmers in that before the fertilizers are covered they are mixed with the soil by running a scooter plow through the line of fertilizer. 'This is probably necessary only when the fertilizer ex- w 216 ceeds 200 pounds per acre. Fertilizers are drilled in the opening or center furrow over which the ridge or bed is formed. Subsoiling.--No real subsoiling has been done on the Station Farm prior to 1900. Partial subsoiling, effected while the land was being flushed by running a scooter plow to a depth of about 4 inches in the bottom of a shallow turn plow furrow, was done on reddish loam land in January, 1896. The yield on the partially subsoiled land exceeded that on land not subsoiled by 139 pounds of seed cotton per acre in 1896. However, the next year, the same land, on which the subsoiling was not repeated, gave no increase that could be attributed to subsoiling. Partial subsoiling of the same field, as above, on Feb. 24, 1898, failed to increase the yield of cotton in 1898 to any appreciable extent. Harrowing and 'rolling.-A defective stand of cotton plants is frequently the consequence of dry weather in April and May. The effects of dry weather at this season can be largely overcome b using the harrow before planting to break the surface crust whenever it forms, thus conserving moisture which may soon be urgently needed by the germinating seed and young plants. Another method of aiding germination on sandy soils that are very loose and dry at time of planting is by the use of the roller just after the seed are placed in the ground. The most convenient means of rolling is by the use of a very small but heavy roller attached to the planter. The wooden roller on some planters is often not heavy enough. In the dry spring of 1896 rolling of the land just after planting, either with an ordinary one horse roller, or with a narrow iron pulley, which packed only the drill, caused the seed to germinate promptly and 217 thoroughly, while on unrolled ground few plants appeared until rain had fallen. Cultivating implements.-The cultivation of the cotton crop after the young plants appear usually consists. of hoeing two or three times and the use of some form of horse cultivation three to six times. The implement used by the best farmers on sandy and loam land is the heel scrape, which, properly regulated, can be made to do very shallow, and yet effective, cultivation. A practice which is deservedly falling into disuse is "barring off," accomplished by the use of the turn plow at the first cultivation of cotton. In "barring off" the young cotton plants are left, usually for several days, -in some cases for a week or more,-on a narrow ridge, which, drying rapidly, must. check growth in dry seasons, especially as it is necessarily accompanied by severe root pruning. In wet seasons or on undrained land it may do no permanent harm, but even in such cases the turn plow should be fun as shallow as possible and the hoeing should follow immediately, so that there may be no delay in throwing the dirt back against the roots. We have been able to do equally as good work in siding with a heel scrape and have thus avoided the risks always incurred when a turn plow is used as a cultivating implement. Cultivation with hell scrape should occur whenever a crust forms after a rain, the number of furrows per row being usually two, occasionally three, and sometimes towards the close of the season only one, in which case a 30 or 36-inch heel scrape is used. Late cultivation.-An experiment to ascertain the effects of an extra late cultivation showed a slight gain in yield as the result of a cultivation given two weeks after the close of the usual cultivating season. A good gen- 218 eral rule, which must be modified somewhat according to the presence or absence of weeds, is to practice late cultivation when the cotton stalks are small, and to stop at an earlier date in fields where there may be danger of excessive development of stems and foliage. Depth of cultivation.-The depth of cultivation has been studied at this station, both by examination of the natural position of the roots in the soil and by noting the effect of both deep and shallow cultivation on the yield. The danger of severe mutilation of the roots may be inferred from the fact that most of the lateral roots were found to originate at a point only 1 or 2 inches below the surface of the ground. Their position and direction was such that deep cultivation would unavoidably have broken a large proportion of the feeding roots. A single deep cultivation (at the second plowing, all other cultivation being shallow), reduced the yield of seed cotton in a test on prairie soil at Uniontown, Ala., by 85 pounds and on sandy soil at Auburn by 105 pounds of seed cotton per acre. SELECTION OF SEED. Old versus fresh seed.-The productiveness of a given seed is largely dependent, not only on the variety, but also on the individual character of that seed. Although unnecessarily large quantities of cotton seed are usually planted as the result of the low price of ordinary cotton seed, it is nevertheless important that the seed planted shall have a high germinattive ability. This is especially important when high priced seed is employed. As a rule, those that are fresh germinate more completely than old seed, and unless there is a distinct advantage in the use of the latter the farmer should plant only fresh cotton seed, that is those from the crop of the :preceding year. 219 However, at least one seed dealer has made the claim that old cotton seed are best, his idea being that in using ,old seed only the best seed germinate and that these :should produce the most vigorous and productive cotton plants. However, the average of three experiments made at Auburn in 1896 and 1897 showed no difference in yield that could be ascribed to the age of seed when all samples used had sufficient vitality to bring forth a full -stand of plants. Size and position of seed.-Size of seed, position of :seed on parent plant, and environment under which the seed was produced, are also factors that probably influence the yield of the succeeding crop. None of these subjects has been sufficiently investigated to permit of positive statements touching these points. Unpublished data obtained by the writer in 1896 indicated that under the conditions of those tests, ,seed from the top bolls afforded a smaller crop than seed from bolls growing low down on the cotton plant and that large seed produced a heavier crop of seed cotton than small seed of the same variety grown under identical conditions. The experiments pointing to the apparent superiority of seed from lower bolls, although partially confirmatory of a similar experiment in Arkansas, need to be repeated before we can safely assume that these results represent a general law. The same is true of the experiment in which large and small seed were compared. The superiority of large seed is generally acknowledged as a law applicable to many species of plants, and the superiority of large cotton seed, suggested by this experiment, is not surprising. But we must not jump at the conclusion that the larger the seed the greater the crop, for some of the most productive warieties, for example Peterkin, have small seed. 220 Effect of climate.-The effect of climate on cotton has received practically no attention. Several of the earliest varieties have originated near the northern limit of the Cotton Belt. This fact, together with the well known fact that seed of many cultivated plants as corn, garden peas, etc., grQwn in high latitudes produce plants which mature earlier than those from Southern seed, makes it probable that the season of growth of any variety could be shortened by having the seed grown for several years. in the extreme upper limit of the Cotton Belt. As shown by our experiments in 1897, this increased earliness was not effected by the use of seed grown only one year in high latitudes. It would be necessary for several generations of seed to be produced in the cooler climate before the quality of early maturity would become pronounced. Selection of seed (as a means of improving cotton. In improving a variety of cotton by selection of seed, the most careful farmers select bolls that open early and that grow on the lower portion of the plant. Since the lower bolls average larger in size and earlier in maturity,. this practice is commendable, provided choice is notmade, of the undersized bolls, some of which at the extreme lower portion of the plant are among the first to open. The whole subject of selection of seed of the cotton plant, the relative importance of size of seed, position and size of bolls, and climatic and soil conditions environing the parent seed,-are worthy of extended investigation at the Southern Experiment Stations. The danger of drawing the supplies of seed from a common pile at a public gin without regard to the character of the seed cannot be too strongly emphasized. Cotton degenerates easily and it also improves rapidly under careful selection. Hence every cotton farmer should have each year at least one small field of cotton, grown from pure and carefully selected seed, the seed of this. 221 field to be used in planting the entire area of cotton the following year. Best distance between cotton plants.-In 1886 the yield of cotton was nearly constant for distances of 1, 2, or 3 feet between plants in the drill; when the distance was increased to 4 feet the yield was reduced. These results were obtained with cotton in rows 4 feet apart and on low rich soil only recefitly brought into cultivation. The maximum yield was about 1,200 pounds of :seed cotton per acre. The name of the variety used is not on record. The results above are in essential accord with those ob-tained in 1887 on rich prairie slough land at Uniontown, Ala. In that test cotton in rows four feet apart made practically identical yields, whether the distance between plants was 1, 2, 3, or 4 feet, all yields being about 900 pounds of seed cotton per acre. At Auburn in 1889, on land which produced about 1,000 pounds of seed cotton, there was no material difference in yield when the distance between plants were 1, 2, 3, and 4 feet in the drill, the rows in all cases being 4 feet apart. In 1890, with heavy fertilization and rows four feet apart, a distance of two feet afforded a larger yield (1,131 pounds of seed cotton per acre), than did distances of 1, 3, or 4 feet between plants. With rows 3 feet apart the yield of cotton was greater when the plants were spaced 3 feet apart in the row than with closer planting. These narrow rows (3 feet wide) afforded a :smaller yield than rows 4 feet wide. In 1891, both a cluster variety and a long-limbed variety were used in a distance experiment, with rows 4 feet apart. The cluster variety, Welborn, devoid of spreading limbs, was benefited by close planting, giving its maximum yield of 2,519 pounds of seed cotton per 222. acre when the plants stood 1 foot apart in the drill, the decrease in yield being great when the distance was increased to 2, 3 or 4 feet between plants. Peeler, the variety having long spreading limbs, gave its maximum yield, 1,983 pounds, when the plants were spaced 2 by 4 feet, at which distance the yields of the cluster and longlimbed variety were practically equal. In 1896 the variety nsed in testing the best distance for planting cotton was Peerless, a variety which does not occnpy much space. In 1897, Trnitt, a variety with long limbs, was nsed. The rows were.32 feet apart, with Peerless, 31 with Truitt. The following table shows, the results in ponnds of seed cotton per acre, each being the average for at least twvo plots: figure Best distance for cotton, 1896 and 1897. Distance between plants ______________________________ Peerless. 1896. Truitt, 1897. 12 inches.................................. 18.... ...... ......................... Lbs. 770 804 Lbs. 922 912 24...................................... 30 36 .................................. ................... ............. 673 544 530 918 878 853 row tween The above table shows that with Trnitt cotton in rows there was practically no difference in yield distances of 12, 18 and 24 inches in the drill.. narbe- When the space was increased to 30 inches a decided reduction in yield followed.. When the distance became 3G inches a further reduction occnrred, which, however, was only slight. The yield per plant increased rapidly as the space allowed to each was enlarged. It should be remembered that the Truitt variety makes. a large growth, and that its originator recommends thin planting for this variety. With Peerless, a smaller variety, planted in 1896 on a more sandy soil, best re' 28 suits were obtained by spacing either 12 or 18 inches in rows 42 inches apart. The average percentages of the whole crop that were obtained at the first picking, August 26, 1897, were as follows: 42 per cent. for plants 12 inches apart; 38 per cent. for plants spaced 18 inches; 30 per cent. for plants 24 inches apart; 26 per cent. for plants spaced 36 inches apart. These averages suggest that thin planting retarded opening and that very thick planting decidedly hastened the maturity of the plants. However, different plots planted at identical distances varied considerably in the percentage of the total crop which was open at the time of the first picking. Undoubtedly much of the cotton grown in Alabama is unduly crowded in the row and in many localities the rows are too narrow for economical cultivation. With almost any variety on medium or fair soil it is probably safe to allow a distance of 18 inches between plants i n the drill. To increase this distance beyond two feet is doubtless unwise except when the variety is long-limbed, and in this case considerable risk of reducing the yield is incurred if the distance approaches or exceeds 3 feet. I or erect and short-limbed varieties we feel safe in recommending a distance of 18 inches on good land and 12 inches on poor land. The richer the land the greater the spread of the limbs and the greater the area demanded by each cotton plant. If hi some exceptional soils there is such a tendency towards producing a large cotton stalk as to require more than 10 square feet per plant, the crop will usually be most conveniently cultivated if the needed space is afforded by widening the row to 4, 42, or even 5 feet, leaving the space between plants in the drill not greater than 3 feet. Labor is economized by spacing the plants as far apart as is consistent with maximum yield, but 224 ~n the average cotton lands of Alabama, with ordinary fertilization, a distance of 12 to 18 inches is safer than vwider spacing. Topping.-This operation, which is not often practiced at the present time, consists in the removal of a few :inches of the extreme top of the cotton stalk, late in ;summer. The idea was probably to check the upward growth of the plant and to favor the more complete development of the bolls already formed. Our tests here failed to show any advantage from topping, either on rich bottom land in 1886 or on rather poor up-land in 1897. In the latter experiment the Truitt variety was used and the yield of seed cotton per acre was, on the plots not topped at all 946 pounds; topped August 19, it was 906 pounds; and only 710 pounds when topping was performed as early as July 22. Our experiments and those made at several other stations, agree in showing that ordinarily no advantage results from topping cotton. 11. \TF I. .1 44.4 , 4? t Ih4k AI ttis, I )icl: