The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-14
COTTON STATISTICS
One Half the Crops Are Vast
ed by Negligence.
QUESTION is OF INTEREST
Same Acreage Could be Made
to Produce Double.

norance of planters? Herbert S. Weber.
Psychologist in charge of the govern
ment's planting laboratory, in a report
published by the Department Of Agricul-
ture says that it is.
This question is one of absorbing COM
mercial interest in view OF the shortage
and high prices that are disturbing the
| cotton market and closing some of the
big mills, both in England and the United
States
Mr.. Weber writes: 1T is safe to esti-
mate that the cotton crop would be dou-
| bled on the same acreage as now grown
by proper attention to the two factors
so necessary to success. namely, the uni
versal use of good seed and careful
methods of tillage and fertilization.
The writer has been frequently asked
which of these two factors he considers
| Of the greatest importance. 1t may be
stated that both are of primary import
ance and that no careful planter can
| afford to neglect either The Importance
| of good seed is prabobly more commonly
| overlooked than the matter of cultiva-
| ton. II is too frequently a practice for
planters TO take any seed they can Sc
| cure, regardless of whether it is adapted
| to their soil or climatic conditions. or
| whether il has been bred pto high
standard of productiveness. From obser-
vations in many parts of the cotton bet,
| the writer believes that fully half the
cotton planters use seed taken at random
| from public gins. about which they moth
| ing other than that it was produced
! somewhere in the same vicinity. No
planter can afford to be so negligent about
any matter so essential TO his success.
AS we'll might the breeder of fast trot-
ting horses Introduce dray animals into
his stables, or the breeder of intelligent
! hunting dogs introduce ordinary mongrel
ours into his kennel. The use Of good
seed and its production by a regular sys-
| tenn of selection is just as important a
factor in the production of the crop as
that of cultivation. No intelligent method
of farm management disregards the pro-
duction and use of good seed. The day
when growers can afford to plant any sort
Of cotton seed is past. Only seed of a
| known variety, selected because of its
desirable qualities and adaptability 20
local conditions should be planted.
| Den reason why systematic seed selec-
ton is not more commonly practiced is
| that the impression prevails that the
methods are costly and difficult of appli-
cation. Planters connect the simple meth,
DDS of selection with the abruse ideas Of
/ naturalization and cross breeding, and
| think that this work is something apart
/ from ordinary methods of crop produc-
| ton something for the scientific men
| only The fact is that the methods of
selection are easy to understand, simple
in application and inexpensive. Every
farmer has a method of cultivation which
he pursues with little variation each year.
In the same way every farmer should use
a definite method of seed selection and
carefully follow it each year. If the OBJ
ject is TO breed new ana distinct varieties
the work is more difficult. and greater
care must be given to all of the details,
/ but even in this case the methods are
comparatively simple.
1t is the writer's object in this paper
| to discuss the salient principles on which
| the production of improved seed rests,
and TO describe both simple and complex
| methods of selection. BY careful study
of these principles any grower should be
| able TO formulate method OF seed selec-
! ton with definite objects in view, and
growers cannot be too strongly urged to
adopt some sue hmethod and rigidly ad-
4 here 10 its use every year. For many
years the general belief has prevailed.
! though apparently in a large measure ira
/ ditional. that an occasional change OF
seed is necessary if good crops are to be
! regularly secured. Advancing knowledge
! of the results Of breeding are leading now
/ to the opposite bel ef-that plants must
ne bred and adapted to soil and climatic
| conditions. Evidence is accommodating
which shows that cotton and corn grow
ers. II they are to obtain the best re-
suits. must select their seed in the local
! ity where 1t is TO be regularly grown
This has been forcihiy brought out re-
/ Gently In the case Of Professor Hays
highly selected wheat
! In general. plants reproduce their main
/ characters unchanged. and the stability
of cultivated plants and natural species
depends upon this law of heredity. Plants.
+ however. are not absolutely fixed and
/ stable but are very unstable and highly
variable in minor characters A careful
examination Of a field II cotton OF any
standard variety VIII show that the plants
+ all differ from each other.
The cotton flower IS large and attrac-
tive and Is much visited By bees and other
I insects. 80 that the pollen is carried from
one flower to another in considerable
abundance: hence IN the beginning OF The
/ departmens experiments on cotton breed
/ ing II was supposed that the danger II
4 cross fertilization would have TO he care
/ fully avoided However the Towers are
abundantly self-fertile. setting seed nor
nanv when covered BY paper bags that
exclude al insects and experience has
shown that while there is some crossing
the large majority % SEEDS that set are
SELF fertilized IN several instances va
rieties have been grown n single lows
with other varieties al around them q
such kind that crossing where i oc-
CURED, could be easily detected IL The pro
geuv. Plants grown from seed InstUTed
under such circumstances show but few
crosses indicating that the majority must
have been seIf-fertil,zed. Judging from
( the observations thus far made Il would
/ seem tn, ordinarily only from % = Ter
/ cent % the seeds ar normally cross fecEzn-
+ dated
I with cotton therefore. ~ Is rot - I'm
I portsnt 20 grow the rIants r. AZ Isolated
/ location as in the case % esrn- NersE-
iheIess practical experience has shown
that when growers procure snail guam
tsy Of seed OF Al improved variety ard