Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-10-02
Miseellansu,ls 8eaaing.
JACKSON'S LIMBLESs COTTON.
It Is Fine Thing, But Is Not What Is
Claimed.

Claimed,
In THE ENQUIRER of last Wednes-
day was published an article about
Jackson's limbless cotton that reads
very much like fairy tale. But the
story is not altogether true. The fol-
lowing self-explanatory letter, publish
ed in the Greenville Mountaineer of
last Wednesday, throws additional
light on the subject:
GEORGIA EXPERIMENT STATION,
September 25, 1897.
Mr.. John Ferguson, Greenville, S. c.
Dear Sir In reply to yours of the
23d, beg to say that have repeated
ly published replies and interviews in
regard to the so-called African limb
less cotton. I have the same cotton
growing on this station from some OF
the same seed that Jackson used, hav-
ing secured it from a partner of jack
sons last year. I have also examined
Jackson's six-acre field of the social
ed African cotton. When the patch l
planted on this station commenced de-
veloping fruit, soon suspected that it
was none other than comparatively
old variety, known as "Welborn's
Pet," introduced and sold principally
in the west) for seven or eight years
past, by JEFF Welborn, now of Kerrs,
Ark. After it commenced to open its
crop, I became convinced beyond q
reasonable doubt that the African q
cotton is identical with "Welborn's
Pet" I had grown the "pet" in 1890
and 1892, and remembered its pecu'
liarities. I exchanged specimen Sec
tions of stalks with Mr.. JEFF Welborn
a few weeks ago, he sending me Sec
ton of stalk of his pet grown last
year. The result was that no doubt
whatever is left in his or my mind of
the identity of Jackson's "African"
and "Welborn's Pet" Our trial test
of 81 varieties does not show much
to the credit of the Jackson cotton.
1t will not yield as much as any one
of half the other varieties.
I saw Jackson's patch. 1t is grow
ing on land that originally was thin
upland, but it has been manured and
improved for many years until it is
now what we understand when we say
a "dunghill" spot besides this pre-.
vious manuring it has been loaded
down with cowpen manure from the
adjoining cowpen of 60 cows. 1t will
possibly make l to II bales Of cotton
per acre, if the frost holds off reason
ably late. The staple is ordinary, no
better than the average selected varie.
ties of upland cotton and will bring
no more in the market.
The whole thing is simply a scheme
to sell the seeds of fairly good varie-
ty of cotton at ar unconscionably ex-
orbitant price. Welborn sells them at
So per bushel, or possibly less. Jack
SON wants 81 per hundred seeds, or
$50 per pound The tale about the
seed having been introduced by a
"Wandering Jew" who found them on
a bush growing wild on the banks OF
the Congo, in Central Africa, is simply
a "yarn." If a single farmer, after
reading this, is humbugged about these
seed he deserves to be humbugged. l
have no interest in it except that be-
lieve it to be my duty as director OF
the Georgia Experiment station to ex-
pose all such attempts to impose on
the farmers.
You can make such use of this letter
as you may desire, for the benefit OF
your farmers.
Very truly,
R. ]. REDDING, Director.