Bulletin Xo. 52,

:

January, 1891.

Agricultural Experiment Station
-OF
THE-

AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLEGE,
AUBURN, ALABAMA.

OOIRNI T

AJTJD COT TOJ T.

ALEX. J. BONDURA NT, AGRICULTURIST.

I.
II.

Varieties of Corn..................................3
Object of Experiment............................... 3

HII.
TV.

Intercultural Experiments with Fertilizers on Cotton. A Comparison of Varieties of Cotton.................

4
5

State on application to the Commissioner of Agric olture, Montgomery, Alabarna, or Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn) Alabama. All communications should be addressed to EXPERIMENT STATION, AUBURN, ALA.

X OThe

Bulletins of this Station will be sent free to any citizen of the

Published by order of the Board of Direction.
B3ROWN PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS, MiONTGOMERY, ALA.

BOARD OF VISITORS,
COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES ON EXPERIMENT STATION.

I. F. CULVER.............................. J. G. GILCHRI5T........... .............
H. CLAY

........... ......

Union Springs.
..... Hope Auburn.

Hull.

ARMSTRONG.............

..............

BOA E D

OF

EICWr-IOT_

.... ......... President. Agriculturist. ............. A. J. BONDURANT .......................... B. B. Ross......................................... Chemist. Botanist and Meteorologist. P. H. MELL ..............................

WM. LEROY BP.OUN.............

...........

J. M. STEDMAN ................................. C. A. CARY, D. V. M....................

Biologist.

....

......

Veterinarian.

ASSISTANTS:
J. T. ANDERSON....................... R. E. NOBLE ... ....................... C. L. HARE................... ....
... .... .....

First Assistant Chemist. Second Assistant Chemist. Third Assistant Chemist.
Superintendent of Farm.

R. L. BIVINs.......... .............
T U.
CULVEE.

Clerk, and Assistant Botanist.

.. ..............

VARIETIES

OF CORN.

OBJECT OF EXPERIMENT.

(a) To ascertain the best yielding variety. (b) To find a good early variety. The corn was planted on plots 1-40 of an acre large, and in checks 3x5 feet. A fertilizer, composed of 200 lbs. acid phosphate, 66 lbs. muriate potash and 66 lbs. sulphate of ammonia, was applied in the drill before planting, at the rate of 300 lbs. per acre. Four plots were planted in Experiment Station Yellow. Any difference in the fertility of the soil would be shown by the difference in the yield of those plots. A perfect stand was not secured and this with some inequality of the soil prevents drawing any reliable conclusions as to the best variety. Cocke's Prolific, Blount's Prolific, Experiment Station Yellow and Pride of America gave best yields in the order named. Cocke's Prolific and Blount's Prolific bear from 2 to 3 small ears to the stalk. With the other varieties named the ears are larger, and two to the stalk an exception. The best varieties of early corn were Clarke's Early Mastadon (yellow), Early Eclipse (yellow), Gentry's Early Market (white) and Improved Golden Dent. All varieties were planted April 8th. The shuck on these four was dry August 7th. To the farmer whose corn crib is low ih the Spring, it will be quite a saving to plant one of these early varieties. By planting early, any one of these would be dry by the first of August.

4

~6
Names of Varieties. o v. Z "°

2

~
°first fl - .h

Date of tassel. 17.IJune 17.3" 14.1 8" 24th 18th 24th 23rd 14th

1lExperiment Station Yellow... 2 Blount's Prolific.............. 3 Clayton Bread Corn..... .... 4 ocke's Prolific............... 5 Clarke's Early Mastadon..... 6 Fxperiment Station Yellow... 7 Early Eclipse (Y)............. . 8 Gentry's Early Market.... 9 Giant Broad Grain...........
10 Hickory

11 Experiment Station Yellow 1.2lmproved Golden Dent....... 13 Pride of America.............
14 Piasa King...
.....

King.................1.

..

30.7 30.9 28.3 41 6 24.7 30 23. 23.4 26.6 22.6 22.6 21 8 24.1
217

24. 24.3 20.5 32. 19. 21.6 18.6 .S 1 20.1
17.8

218 213 31 231 23 28 191 217 206
216

22 13.5
12.7

15 4 13.2June 9th 16th 12.9 " 14.3 20th
12 6

17.7 17.7 19.9
16.9

216

15 Experiment Station Yellow... l6ORoss Improved ............... 17Shoe Peg White............ 18 irginia Gourd Seed...........

22.6 24.7 21.8 24 2

17 19.5 18 186

188 174 221 247 21 174 21

12.6 20th 26th 14 2 23rd 12. 12 1 13.9 July 1st 12.8June 24th 32

VINTERCULTURAL

EXPERIMENTS WITH FERTILIZERS ON COTTO .

The object of this experiment was to ascertain whether it would pay to apply nitrogenons fertilizers interculturally. Six rows 210 feet long by 31 feet wide, equal to 1-C of an acre, were used. Just before planting, the following mixture of fertilizers was applied to each plot, at the rate of 200
pounds per acre:

Muriate 663 pounds Sulphate Ammonia. As soon as the cotton was up, it was chopped and sided with a heel scrape. About June 1st the stalks of cotton in each row were counted, and then all rows but one thinned to 90 stalks. The 5th row of plot 6 had only 76 stalks. The several numbers of stalks in this row probably accounts for the small yield of that plot.

Potash;

200 pounds Acid

Phosphate;

66( pounds

On June 22nd and July 7th the cotton seed meal and
nitrate soda were scattered broadcast and the cotton plowed with a large heel scrape. All the plots were the samve size and color up to July 7th and after that date the plots ferti-

lized interculturally became much larger and had better
color than the plots which were not fertilized after planting.

CONCLUSIONS.

1st. It pays to apply nitrogenous fertilizers to cotton on sandy land, provided there are good rains following their applications. 2nd. 200 pounds applied in June will be as profitable as 100 pounds in June and 100 pounds in July. The following table shows the yield per plot and the profit from each plot fertilized after planting. In calculating profit, the cost of nitrate of soda laid down in Auburn is used, and cotton seed meal is valued at $22 per ton. The seed cotton is valued at .02 cents per pound. The following table shows the results of this experiment :
June 22nd Name and quantity of fertilizers o applied interculo
p turally.

Name and quanti-

July 7th

U _

o

ty of fertilizers applied interculturally. .v

.
4P..>

1100 lbs cotton 100 lbs cotton seed meal.. seed meal
2200 ."
"

59.9
70.1

898.5
1051.5

2.20
4.40

2.33
3.95

200

"

"

"

3Check ........... .. ........ . 450 lbs nitrate soda.50 lbs nitrate soda
5100 " "
"

50.1 67.6
63.6

751.5 10t4.
954

2.82
5.64

4.60
.28

100 "

".

.

6Check ............................. 7200 lbs cotton seed...............
meal....................

45.5
60.9

682.5
913.5

. ..... 2.20
2.71

EXPERIMENTS WITH COTTON, 1893.
A COMPARISON OF VARIETIES.

This experiment consists of a comparison of twenty varieties of cotton. In preparing the land for planting, all the plots were fertilized alike. The rows were laid-off 31 feet wide, and the cotton planted in checks 3. feet apart. The culture of every plot, 1-20 of an acre, was the same. The cotton was carefully picked and weighed, and the following tabulated statement shows not only the total yield per acre, but the yield per acre of each variety at every picking, and the date of same. Each variety was kept to itself until the time of ginning, when it was re-weighed and ginned separately. The following is the table, showing list of varieties :

Yield per acre at

different pickings.
I cCr'J

I

2o
U -

2o&c
O o y -U U.-

C

0

Names of Varieties.

tI

m
-HU
90 190 210 230 100 80 170 220 50 70 1-O 90 260 130 110 190 190 50 130 70 II

0
1220 1375 1300 1260 1305 1230 1335 1320 1235 1245 1000 1455 1190 1430 1240 1620 1015 1390 1230 1435 1194 1346 1264 1236 1278 1224 1338 1256 1196 1172 968 1492 1140 1440 1554 1554 1388 1208 1410 388 416 402 386 404 424 414 384 392
378

Z 130 130 130 130 130 106 130 130 130
124

1 Peerless (seed from C. M. Cory).. 2Coltharps Eureka .......... 3 Coltharps Pride.... 4 Dalkeiths Eureka......... . 5 Herlong... ...... 6 Hawkins....................... 7 Jones' Long Staple............ 8 Mathews Long Staple
9Okra..

..

10 Peerless (seed. from C. M.

11 Peterkin (M. W. JOhnson Seed Co . 12 Peerless (old seed).......... 13 Peeler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Petit Gulf............
15

Cory)-.

T ruitt.

.... .

. . .. .. .. . . .

16 W onderful ...... ..... 17 W. A. Cook .. .............. 18 Welborn's Pet ........... 19 Whatley's Improved ............ 20 Peerless (seed from C. M. Cory) .. =I ~ i~l.

140 135 140 85 75 90 140 110 275 130 60 190 90 160 100 200 205 340 230 205

650f

340

600

535
580 615 590 620 700 420 860 450 710 620 840 830 730 520 810 11I

390 340 410 535 480 410 400 290 345 400 415 390 430 410 390 370 270 350 350 I ill

39.5 30.0 31.8 31.2 31..6 34.6 30.9 30.5 32.8
32.2

9600 2600 2600 2600 2600 2120 2600 2600 2600
2480

338 474 340 456 380 460 460 446 388 456

34.8 31.7 29.8 31.6 32.04 29.6 29.6 32.1 32.1 32.3

1160 2600 1840 2460 1600 2600 2600 2600 2600 2600

58 130 92 123 80 130 130 130 130 130

The following table shows the classification and grade of each kind of the twenty varieties of cotton as furnished by Mr. C. E. Porter, cotton broker of Opelika, Ala., whose long experience and good judgment guaranteed a correct report. A sample of the lint of each variety was taken and numbered so as to compare with the numbers on our record, sent to Mr. Porter and his report which follows, it is hoped will prove of interest to cotton prodncers :
z

CLASSIFICATION.

Length of staple..

GRADE.

.. . inch Very weak Strict Low Middling .. " ..... 15416 to 14 Irregular, but strong 2 " . .. linch ... 1 . lint..... Regular and 3 4 Good Middling ......... 1 3-16 to [4. Irregular, moderate strength.. 5 Strict Middling.........34 to ?~ Very irregular....... inch Very weak, poor staple. . . .... . Low 6 Moderate strength.......... I inch .... 7 Strict Middling ....... ....... 11-16 Strong and regular....... S lint .... Regular and 9 Middling.............. 1 inch ... Weak lint................ 10 Strict Middling........ 14 to 1%. lint. Irregular and 11 ...... 12 Good Middling ........ 1.14 inch .... Regular and strong 13 Middling............. 15-16 to 1 in Fine lint and irregular... lint.. 14 Strict Middling 8 to 1 inch. Irregular, very 15 % tol1inch. Irregular, fair strength ... ........ 16 Middling............. .1'4 inch .. . Regular and strong......... 17 !;ood Middling.........11 1-16 to l1%Very irregular, hut strong .... inch. Very weak staple ............ 18 Middling...............34 19Strict Low Middling. .. . 1 3-16 inch.. Very weak staple........ . 20 Strict Middling ..... %, inch. IVery and regular staple. .

94

fine

"

inch..

fine fine

.........

fine

fine