The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-29
THE NEW COTTON CULTURE.
Improved Varieties That Yield Twice as
Much as Ordinary Cottons.

improved Varieties Tint Yield Twice as
Much as Ordinary Cottons.
Tho extraordinary increase in the i'm
portation of long staple Egyptian cot
ton. the decrease i'll production of do
nestle long staple Sea island cotton and
the decline III price of all grades of cot
ton have set farmers to thinking. Sew
eral state experiment stations have been
trying to improve the varieties of cotton
SO as to give planters kind that would
yield more pounds of cotton per acre
and of longer staple. Tho United
States depaltmen of agriculture last
winter imported seed of two of the most
promising Egyptian cottons-Afifi and
Bamia-which were tested by the sta
tions and by many planters last season.
The American Agriculturist has made
an inquiry into the present status of all
these efforts, with the result printed
below. Remember in reading them that
175 pounds per acre is the average yield
of lint cotton in the United States.
H. B. Battle, director Of the North
Carolina station when the Egyptian cot
tons were tested in five localities extend
ing from the eastern to the western por-
tion Of the cotton belt, reports as fol-
lows: The result in each of these cases
was adverse. The yield was very much
less than tho ordinary varieties grown
on the same land. Some OF tho improved
native varieties grown at our substation
have yielded at the rate of 040 to 1 600
pounds per acre III three pickings, of
which from 2S to "a per cent was lint p"
j. ). Newman of South Carolina
says: The Egyptian cannot be profita-
bly, grown hero OH account of their late
ness and very small yield, which is in
ferior to our Sea island, and the lint is
but little moro than half as long. |
have long staple upland varieties which
produce Il lint equal in length to that of
the Egyptian and tenfold in quantity.
For Georgia Director Redding writes:
THE Bamia produced ut the rate of 3l2
pounds of seed cotton and the Afifi 403
pounds per acre against from 1000 to
$500 pounds yielded by Is native up
land varieties. The stalks of the Egyp-
tian were very tall, but not branched,
except few branches near the ground.
The lint is long and fine, but of dirty
white color. | do not consider either
ms promising
Director Tracy of the Mississippi sta
ton reports disappointing results with
the Egyptian varieties, which failed to
mature before the plants We're killed by
frosts.
Director Bennett writes that, as n
whole, the results of tests with the Eeyp-
tian cotton at the Arkansas southern sta
tions were satisfactory. They were
scarcely affected by drought
In Louisiana tests have been made at
all three of the stations Calhoun, on
the hills of north Louisiana; Baton
Rouge, on tho bluff lands, and at Audo-
bon Park. New Orleans upon the allu-
vial bottoms of the Mississippi river
Director Stubs says: I'VE cannot rec
ommend this long staple Egyptian for
| the hill lands of this state, but upon our
alluvial soils it has done fairly we'll for
| the first season, the yields Of seed cotton
per acre last year having been as fol-
lows: Metafifi, 900 pounds, "a. . per cent,
being lint cotton; Aft, 1905 pounds,
1915 per cent; Bamia, 1900 pounds,
! 30.4 per cent, and Sea island, 1875
| pounds, 90 per cent lint.
| Our great trouble here with Sea is
land Is that it grows to such an enor-
nous height, the small per cent of lint to
seed and the difficulty of picking it,
while our saw gins materially reduce
the length of the staple. We consider
the Bamia and Afii as worthy of more
extensive trials upon alluval lands.
These varieties have yellow blooms and
their habits of growth, fruiting and ma
turing closely resemble Sea island. Our
| Peruvian cotton has been killed for two
successive years by frosts without show
ing boil. We have grown as high as
4S varieties, covering many hybrids or
crosses between Gossippium herbaceum
and q. Barbadcnse, which have yielded
from 1, 42S to 1881 pounds of seed cot
ton, covering all lengths of staple and
all proportions of lint to seed.''