BULLETInNNo. 130a. ALABAMA JANUARY, 19O5 Agricultural ExerirnentSation OF THEI Alabama Polytechnic Institute AUBURN Tests of Varieties of Co IN 1904 1-v J. F. DUGCAR Director and Agriculturist. The Opelika, .Ala.:- Post Publishing Company, 190-0e COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES ON EXPERIMENT STATION. J. M. Carmichael ......... T. Motgomery D. Samford.........................................Opelika- W. C. Davis............................................Jasper, STATION COUNCIL. C. C. Thach........................................President. J. F. Duggar..........................Director and Agriculturist. B. B. Ross ............................ Chemist and State Chemist. C. A. Cary........................................Veterinarian E. M. Wilcox..... ............ R. S. Mackintosh ............. J. T. Plant Physiologist and Pathologist. Horticulturist and State Horticulturist. and Crop Anderson...Chemist in Charge of Soil ASSISTANTS. Investigations., C. L. Hare....................... ........ T. Bragg............ .... ............. C. M. First Assistant Chemist.. Second Assistant Chemist. Floyd.... ................... .... Superintendent of Farm. 1. S. 'M cAdory .................. N. C. Rew .......................... C. T. Kin man ........................... Assistant in Veterinary Science. Assistant in Animal Industry Assistant in Horticulture The Bulletins of this Station will be sent free to any citizen of, the State on application to the Agricultural Experiment Station,. Auburn, Alabama. VARIETY TESTS OF COTTON IN 1904. BY J. F. DUGGAR. The season of 1904 presented some trying conditions for the cotton plant. The rainfall for March was below nor mal. April was exceedingly dry and the drought was not broken until late in May. The total rainfall for March-was 2.80 inches; for April 1.02 inches;. and for the first four in May, less than .75 of an inch. These conditions resulted'in stands by no means as uniform as is desirable in experimental work. k The weather of July and the heavy rains of the early part of August resulted in a vigorous growth of the cotton plant and a promise of a large crop. From the latter part of August until the date of ' the first light frost ther& practically no rain. At Auburn the rainfall for September was only .26 of an inch; for October .02, and for November 2.28 inches. Thie extreme of wet weather in August. followed by very dry weather in September, resulted in shedding of an unusually large proportion of forms. The shedding of forms by different varieties, and under different conditions, has been the subject of a co-operative investigation both at Auburn and in Montgomery county begun jointly 19041 by this station and the TDivision of Vegetable' Pathol-- weeks wet was the "in ogical and Physiological Investigations of the United State: Department of Agriculture. Of course a repetition of- that. ~The writer desires the valuable assistance in these experiments afforded by Dr. J. T.. Anderson, who furnished the rainfall record; Mr. C. 14.: Floyd,. whohad charge of the work at Auburn; Mr. C.G. Billingsley, of the United States Department of Agriculture, who furnished the data for indicating the relative earliness of varieties, and to Mr. C_ ,.Hudson, who is responsible for most of the calculations.. to express here his grateful appreciation of field experiment for several seasons will be needed before conclusive data for publication can be exi cted. light. frost occurred late in October and the first killing frost occurred November 14, the latter killing a number of small bolls. A YIELDS OFVARIETIES IN PLOTS AT AUBURN. The field on 'which these tests were made is known as th, ten-acre field. It has a reddish loam soil with a considerable proportion of flinty stones. It is regarded as upland of somewhat better than average because of the sional growing of a crop of cow peas for hay. Every fifth plot throughout most of the field was planted with the Culpepper variety to ascertain if there were any decided inequal ities in the fertility of the land. The land was plowed broadcast with two-horse plow late in Marc4h, and bedded and fertilized just before planting, quality occa- a which occurred 'April 20th. The -fertilizer per acre consisted of: 64 lbs-.. nitrate of soda. x20 lbs. cotton seed meal. 240 lbs. acid phosphate. Ibs.. muriate of potash. G4 488 lbs,.,. total per acre. For three or four weeks after plantinlg seed sprouted, the ground being loose and very dry. a ,roller was run over the only an occasional Then field to press the seed into closer contact with the soil, and this immuediately followed by the weeder, a light form of harrow, used to check evapor~ation. Within a week, and as a result. this rolling and harrowing, a fairly good stand of cotton was in- sight, al.though the weather continued very dry. The plants were so was of- thinned that they averaged, on the plots with perfect stands 18 1-2 inches apart with rows 3 1-2 feet wide. °wariety, Only one Gold Standard, had such a. poor stand as to sei ously affect its yield and to necessitate its exclusion from the following table. A careful study of the detailed records led to the conclusion that the yields were not materially affected by the slight deficiencies in stand, though it is possible that the varieties Doughty, with 76 per cent. of astand, Texas ,Burr, with 84 per cent., and Truitt, with S6 per cent., might have stood a few points higher if the stand had been perfect. It was concluded that any effort to calculate the probable yields with perfect stands, would, in this case, involve a greater error than is incurred in giving the actual yields without this correction for slight deficiencies in stand. The following table gives the actual yield of seed cotton,. lint, and seed, all these weights being taken at the gin house a number of weeks after the two heaviest pickings had been made, thus permitting all varieties to dry out to a somewhat uniform degree. In the same table are two columnns giving the value of the total product .,of seed and lint per acre, based, in one column, on a price of ten cents per pound for lint, and in the other column, on a. price of seven cents per pound, the seed in both columns being valued at seventy centh per 100 pounds. These may be called high and low prices. Readers who prefer other 1rices can substitute their own figures and make their own calculations. Jfelds of lii and seed 38 zvarie/ies o co//on on S/a/ion Earn;at/ Admh urn iyyx, and value of/lie croi5 }5er acre. i of ¢ Actual yield' per acre of AP, ' O eI 1; - C 1 4 y -er= ,i. -.. .fe ' V 0 r ^ Q. ".--.- t o , 11~ee .. tn . .... .. .. 1 00 0 bs 6 81 Ls 1 24 0* .93$6 .7 1$ 0.. 2 n~p Lytn (j 2116 tpe1001 l1Pttimn Ln 21L4Co i Imprvef............1 IAllnkong....................6100 IiletRd .. f........1 16245 1682 6289906566175$50.13 120 1 269.7j504.47 4 6.51.6442.70 54 07198 7411 :1ACle.Alen...................921 1461 581088655.71 48.32 7.06 42.0 9 41 1401; 502 9801 -lTxa.Brr............ 95 13521003! .80d 1.18 41.0 100E 155, 8754110091 61.6645.23. *CIan'irn Bar.,.............J1 167Sins Long......al.......... 1001 1361484 8106546.423594.1 6 84154244.75 92j1521 4 100 14311411852 60.761 44.72 91'Cook Irapr..................1 134611 52219971 53.81 3.52 °191oughy Hairp..v.d.............76 10094 11 49811121 53.2942.37 li1DAfle Long...............1 101 91486 65088965157.5642.82 ,..............I 212aCulpppe. ..... ........... 94 1361488 528980'52761-2.0. 1hn Tea ur....... 951 1852001461841 52618.41.0 14~a WilletRedPrli-f..........l 1001 188214871-897!54.54 89.93 d............1 lS31Iins....... 18964814218611 54.421 39.90 l41Trig...................10061 54.221.89.7, 4861 .. Pi~.................9213271 251-She ~s 45952774158.961 89.77 910241 ... in;.............. 218Ties 53 89115.1089.5:1 1401 1281 i&Nancy rtI~aa.. ................ 463 71694258.29 89.8 2O1Darae......I..................10091251 171Rulemia)rize.................. 8041- '29lJohson'sx... is...........1.0941861 221Sblne......... *2laMe Woodin Pr.lifi........I '28!JontesI I ...... 100' I1001 12921 4761 7811 453.27!3.43 8601 13481 1 1001 11241 ............. ...... '2Slchley 101225!48 35G{lureRibKin.......ee........6 ....... 361Edufloeorh............... 1001 ter 2431lritta... ....... 28Ga~u 971 14001 448946145.2.768.870 4361839152.73.34 -t 3 421921 52..68186.819 4201 8721 52.301 38.44 45871862514.791 388.025 1 745.791 33.76 ............ 1 128 12881 4011 8121451.713375 -Ribbnr'dbac...d)..I1891 12251 34581:761 50.651 87.05' 34lakr................. 1001 11961 4081 '7851 46.21; .0 .;.-Seed 10 -cents per 100 Tbs. or $14.00 per ton. 7 The largest yield made by Peterkin, closely followed by Layton, Jackson and Alex. Allen. Wise occupies fifth place. together such of the varieties as the writer has up to this time definitely. classified in accordance with the classification outlined by him in Bulletin No. 107 of the Alabama Experiment Station, and neglecting groups of varieties having few "representatives in this test, we have average results that are significant, as below : was Grouping lz'erag;e yields of Classes o/ varieties at Auburuni-10. I .s Semi-Cluster Group i.Lbs. [ Hawkins ............................ Drake.......... .................. 1 487 4671 8391$54.541 942! 53.291 9241 52.76! Woodfln............................463 Garrard............................453 Average............................468 Peterkin Type. Peterkin 7651 50.651 867 $52.81 9931$69.751 78 10 ................ ............ 1 ........ 628! Layton........................:..1 Wise ........... ................. Average.......... ....... 620! 5561 601! 4841 477 4&~5 459 471! 1011 905 69.0'l 61.93 1 936 $66.91 8611$54.42 811 53.27 895 52.761 77 51.311 8351$52.941 KiTp.King............................1 Mascot..........................1 Shine............................1 Grier's King.....................1 Average ............................. 1 78 BEg Boll Type 1 508! 502! 473 462 1 9651$57.561 980! 57.06! Culpepper........................1 Texas Burr......................1 1 ............... Russell ........... Jones Improved..................I 952, 53.96! 927 52.68 1 Truitt ... ........................ 1 ................. Schley .......... Pride of Georgic,..................1 1 Lifter.................. H 1- 1 9051$54.79! 466! Average .......................... Long Staple Group. I 1I 1I 875!$48.12! Floradora ........................... 420! 1 401! 812! '45.78 Sunflower ..................... 813! 45.79 Blue Ribbon (fuzzy seed)............401! ~ 379!1 818) 43.62 Blue Ribbon (black 'seed) .......... Average....................... ... 1 400! 8291$46.081 Mortgage 462! 4571 436! 433! 872! 52.30 862! 51.73! 839 49.47 841 49.18 7 66 From the above table it will be seen that the Peterkin and varieties having similar qualities were decidedly in the lead at Auburn in 1904 in the production of lint. Taking the yield of lint made by the Peterkin group as 100, we find that the average relative yield of the semi-cluster group may be represented by 78; of the King type by 78; of the big boll group by 77;_ and of the long staple group by 66. This throws some light on the question of the difference in productiveness on upland soils of the long staple varieties as compared with the other groups. The varieties Allen long staple and Simms long staple are not included in; this average for the reason that they grew on the lowest, and doubtless the richest, plots in the field. The local markets usually pay little or no premium for the long staple varieties, which, however, command a premium of several cents a pound in the larger southern seaport markets. This year at Auburn for the four long staple varieties to have nearly equaled the Peterkin group in value per acre it would have been necessary for long staple lint to sell for 15 cents per pound when Peterkin was 10 cents, or for 10 1-2 cents when Peterkin was worth 7 cents. If we compare the long staple with either of the other groups a much smaller premium would equalize the values. Long staple cotton should have rich bottom land for its best development. While the Peterkin group is ahead this year, it by no means follows that it will maintain its lead when seasonal conditions and soils are different. PER CENT. OF LINT IN VARIETIES TESTED IN PLOTS AT AUBURN IN 1904. During a study of cotton varieties extending over a number of years a large amount of data have been obtained regarding the proportions of seed and lint of 175 or more varieties which have recently been grown. The following table gives onRly so much of this data as was obtained in 1904, 10 -by ginning the cotton on these plots of which the yields are reported in the first table of this bnlletin. Per centi of lint in Variety )Vlt tests at Auburn in 1904. Per Cent Lint IlCook Improved. 2Gold Standard.........38.911 3Peterkin...............38.711 4Jackson ............... 38.31 .39.11 Per Cent. Line Variety. Parker .................. Doughty.....,........ Pride of Georgia....... . Shine ................. Nancy Ranks ........... Meredith ............... Texas Burr ........... Mortgage Lifter......... Jones Improved......... Sunflower.............. 34.11 34.01 34.01 33.8 33.7 33.733.4 5jWise..............37.61 G6Prize................ 81Garrard ............... 9IGrier's King......36.81 1OIMascot .............. 111 Hawkins.......... 71lWillett Red Leaf. 37.01 37.21 l21Johnson's Excelsior 131King................1 .. 135.3 35.21 lGlPulInot .............. 1 35.211 l7lCameron Early ....... I 35.011 l4IAlex. Allen ........... 15-1Edgeworth ........ '' 35.91. 36.0 36.811 33.21 33.11 33.11 Drake.... Russell.................. Lealand ..... .. 1 181 Schley ............... 191 Culpepper ............ 2olTruitt................13.1 34.311 o4.611 Sa Woodfn Prolific.. 33.0 Blue Ribbon (fuzzy seed) 32.8 32.41 Floradora.............. 32.11 Simms Long Staple.. Blue Ribbon (black seea) 31-.51 Allen Long Staple... ............. 33.11 33.01 30.81 It will be noted that the proportion of lint to seed is unnsnally high. This was also the case in the variety tests recent newsat the Georgia station in 1904, as indicated paper article by Director 11. J. Bedding. This concordance in a of resnlts snggests tof 1904 was favorable to the increase of lint or to the relative decrease of seed. It will be noted that the long staple varieties have much lower percentages of lint than most of the short staple varie, ties. VARIETY TESTS ON -that something- in the climatic conditions PRAIRIE SOIL IN MONTGOMERY 1904. COUNTY IN Throngh co-operation with the United States Department ,,of Agriculture as before stated, we are this year enabled to 11 -print the results of a variety test made on the A. H. Clarke plantation about half a mile northeast of the depot at McGehee's Switch station, Montgomery county. The soil is gray prairie upland of about average quality, not recently fertilized, so far as is known, until the present .year. Planting was done'April 29-30. On June 1, fertilizers as below were applied on the side of the row in the \shallow furrow made by the first cultivation. The fertilizer was then covered by the throwing out of the middles. The fertilizer used consisted of: 200 lbs. acid phosphate per acre. 200 lbs. kainit per acre. 100 lbs. nitrate soda per acre. This date of application was doubtless too late for god results for this season and on this soil, as shown not only in variety tests, but in fertilizer tests on another part of the same field. Through a misunderstanding the plots were not -thinned to a uniform stand, but it was found that the yield of three plots of Truitt did not vary greatly with variations in the stand. As it was impracticable to gin the seed cotton of each plot separately at McGehee's, the yield of lint is by multiplying the weight of seed cotton by the of lint found in the variety test at Auburn in 1904. pper cent. -obtained 12 filds ojf varieties aj coton at 'McGehee"s S Yield Switch, AI/a 1n11904. 1 .d ~~~~acre. "VARIE-TY.O per C b "- . O 181 14f 221 11 Schley..............170701 5IToole Lbs jLbs [bsJl$ $ 23.52' 24.3: 801( 2871 543( 32.50) 23.89 2281 360( 31.23 2 Peterkin............ 160901 7501 290( 460(' 31 Drake..............1(65001 690 32.22 23( 171 4lCrossland...........15750( 770 277 493 31.151 22.84 1 211 .............. 164101 Av. 5, 101 6King ............... 71Bancroft Herlong 1(56301 7901 270 520( 30.721 22.62 and 151 .............. 7461 256f 4921 201 9iSimns ............. 176301 7501 2411 5091 16(1 t1Floradora.........161001 7201 2331 4871 11 11Hawkins ........... .2261 3941 (Russell ............. 156701 6501 2151 435 1 '121 13Cook Long Staple .1830j6801 2071 4731 191 14(Doughty Long StapleI69l0l 6001 204 3961 (i15Jaclison ............ 158001 5401 207 333 l6jParker ............. 16000 5601 1901 3701 81Truitt II 730j 2621 4681 29.471 21,(IJ (6800 8001 256( 544 29.41 21.73 ~ 197 1 1 1 29.03'. 21.35; 2j-l2 3i 159101, 6201 27.66' 26.701 25.351 24.541 24.05 23.17 20.43 19.71 18.57 18.09, 17.84 17.05 41I lI 81 23.03 21.59 171 Sunflower .... 5601 1851 375 21.12 15.57 of Georgia ... .155201 5301 1801 3501 20.45 .15.05 191Mortgage Lifter..150001 5001 1671 33 18'Pride 163601 17.8215.89 131 2O1Allen Long Staple . .160401 5001 1541 3461 17.821 13.20. 19.031 14.02' 'Seed valued at 70 cents per 100 pounds or $14.00 per ton. The varieties affording the largest value of seed and were Schiey and Peterkin, closely followed by Drake and Crossland. lint Toole-stands fifth. In this test, as at Aubnrn, 283'1.-2 pounds) of, lint per. acre." age as Big follows: Peterkin group the varieties of the Peterkin type, Peterkin Crossland stand to the front with ani average yield of well namely, and Taking this yield of lint as. 100 per cent., the groups of varieties hitherto classified aver78. (Peterkin and Crossland) ............ 100. boll group (Russell, Schiey, Truitt, Pride of Georgia, Mortgage Tifter...................... and 131J geniicluster group (Hawkins and Drake) .. Long staple group (Floradora, Cook, Long Stapie, Doughty, Sunflower, and Allen long staple;...... EELATIVE EARLINESS OF VARIETIES. 6. 69. Tfhe invasion of the-cotton states by the cotton boll weevil menders more important than ever before careful studies of The early varieties. It has been found that only the earliest varieties can be, profitably grown in infested regions, even when all other known methods of colbatting the weevil are employed. The rapid spread of the weevil eastward in Louisiana during the past season Ilakes it important that the farmers of Alabama should be ready for this invasion as promptly as possible. It, would be well for every neighborhood, and perhaps for every -farm, to have at least a small portion of its crop in one of the very early varieties so that seed of early varieties may be everywhere available when urgently needed. It is easy to determine at a glance that one variety is early rind another l ate, but it less easy to indicate the relative earliness of intermediate is varieties. In the two tables which follow the figures show how many bolls had opened on a given date early in September out of every 100 bolls maturing during the entire season. These figures are based on counts of bolls on five selected plants of each variety made by Mr. C. H. Billingsley, of the United States Department of Agriculture. 14 Relative earliness of varieties at Auburn in 1904, as shover by j5er cent of boils often on- Sep/ember 1 on counted plants. -; L I-C C Vatriety.o Variety. King ................... Mascot ~I L 7711 4211 4611 4611 .................. I 4911 Meredith ................. Garrard.................. I Grier's King ............. . Lealand ................ I Nancy fHanks.. .......... Shine...................I Jackson.................. Hawkins................ . Layton ................ ,..... Johnson Excelsior Edgeworth..............I I Texas Burr .............. Pride of Georgia.........I1 Qarneron Early .......... I Cook Improved .......... Drake........... ........ Wise .................... Prize . Jones Improved....... Schley .................. . Sunflower .............. . Gold Standard .......... . Parker ................. Blue Ribbon (wooly seed) Alex. Allen .............. Woodfln.................. .201, 191 191" 19~ 18~ 167 151 3211Culpepper ............... Blue Ribbon (black 4211 Peterkin ................ 41j Doughty................. seed) 14G1' 141' 15j 3011 3211 Russell.........I Pulinot................. Floradora 13f ................ 131' 121 101 2211 .... ............... I 2111 Mortgage Lifter......... Simms Long Staple ... Allen Long Staple.......I Truitt.................... Cook Long Staple ........ Willett Red Leaf....... . 71 61 Relatizve earliness of v'arieties at AleGe/ee 's as shown by3 5crcent 0f1)0/is oj5en on Sepemnber 7, 1904. Vanety. variety. Toole ........................... King Simrns.................... 3911 Mortgage Lifter........... 3311 Allen Long Staple......... 321 I 27 I Sunflower .... ........... Jackson................1.2711 Parker .................... I iTruitt ................ Crossland ............. .. 1 231 6611 ................... Russell Schley ..... ........... 2511Hawkins .............. Bancroft............. Pride of Georgia ... Cook Long Staple .. Peterkin .............. Floradora ............. Doughty .............. ... 2-31, 181 17i . 15. * .I 141 121 .. . 131 .. :.:..........1.211Drake................. ........ 2411 I1 15 The above tables are based on careful counts made on. five plants of each variety. Since individual peculiarities of:: some of these plants have greatly affected the positions in the table, it is in place to say that judging only by the general appearance of the plots the varieties matured more nearly together than indicated by the table and at Auburn the following varieties especially appeared earlier than is indicated by their positions in the tables: Alex. Allen, Woodfin, and Culpepper. WHERE TO GET SEED. The experiment station is unable to supply seed of any of these varieties. In order to enable farmers to obtain seed of such of these varieties as they desire, addresses are given below of parties from whom our seed were obtained in 1904: Culpepper from J. E. Culpepper, Luthersville, Ga. Drake from R. W. Drake, Laneville, Ala. Cook Improved from J. R. Cook, Schley, Ga. Edgeworth from J. C. Little, Louisville, Ga. Blue Ribbon from S. C. Experiment Station, Clemson College, S. C. Gold Standard from Excelsior Seed Farm, Bennettsville, S. C. Sam Woodfin Prolific from S. V. Woodfin, Marion, Ala. Parker, Sunflower, Russell, Mortgage Lifter, King and Jackson from Unitel States Department of Agriculture, Washington, T. C. Truitt and Peterkin from Harvey Seed Co., Montgomery, Ala. Simms, Allen Long Staple, Willett Red Leaf, Doughty Long Staple, Cook Long Staple, Floradora, Hawkins, Jones Improved and Schley from N. L. Willett Drug Co., Augusta, Ga. Pride of Georgia, Cameron Early, Layton Improved, Meredith, Nancy IIanks, Garrard, Grier's King, Mascot, Shine, 163 Texas Burr, Prize, Wise, Alex. Allen, and Pulluot from the -Georgia Experiment Station, Experiment, Ga. Leal and from H. P. Jones, lerndon, Ga. Johnson Excelsior from C. R. Baird Co., Chattanooga, Tenn. & OTHEI EXPERIMENTS IN PROGIESS WITHVARIETIES OF COmON. This bulletin relates to only about half of the varieties on the experiment station farm at Auburn in 1904 The space available was not sufficient for the remaining varieties to be grown on areas large enough to afford accurate determinations of the yields. The remaining varieties, grown on very small areas, as well as the varieties here reported, constitute part of an experiment, the main object of which is to obtain accurate descriptions and photographs of every variety obtainable east of the boll weevil region. It will require at least .another year before results can be published:;meantime. this ~experiment will be continued in 1905, and for use in this ,experiment the writer will be glad to obtain by mail from growers or originators small packages of seed of the well ,grown established variety which each is growing. The senders are requested to exercise care in fully labeling the package on the outside, giving the name and -postoffce of the sender and the true establishel name of the variety. Our are hereby extended to all of those who in the past few years have furnished small lots of seed for this thanks experiment. I- would repeal here the statement have made every spring in the circular. letters sent ers. Fromt the nature of which I to growcafl the exrperiment no report ,made by letter as to howr any i5 the intention to is of the bulletin that will b completed.. send to variety be standsL However, it each contributor of seed a copy published when the investigation