The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-14

| Mighty selected. ard deterioated when Sc
| lection was discontinued. While the ef-
/ feet OF cross-fertilization is. therefore. not
so great in some plants. it is neverthe-
less OF sufficient Importance to justify
certain precautions being taken.
| After the selections have been made.
| 1t is desirable that they be grown togeth-
er in a patch as far removed from all
other cotton as possible. the seed from
/ each select individual being Kept togeth-
| er and plainly marked. The pollen of cot
ton is carried by been mainly. and there
| fore it is practically impossible 10 secure
absolute isolation in any cotton country,
as this would require a distance OF five
10 ten miles from any other cotton Prac-
teal isolation however. may be secured
by planting the special patch at dis
| lance Of quarter or a half mile from
any other cotton, particularly Il the patch
can be placed so that it is surrounded by
| woods. Planting in this way will insure
that ali of this seed produced in the selec-
| ton patch will be fortified by pollen from
individuals having good mothers. as ali OF
the plants in the patch were grown from
seed of carefully selected mother plants
of the preceding year. In practical seed
selection this precaution Is all that il is
desirable TO attempt. If very careful
scientific experiments are being conduct
ed. it may be found desirable in some
cases to be more particular and rogue
out the patch as rapidly as the plants rns-
ture sufficiently TO exhibit their chsrac-
tiers.
The first selection should be made in
large field of the variety which II is deSir-
ed to improve The field from which the
selections are made should have good soil
and should be thoroughly cultivated in
order TO insure good development OF the
plants and satisfactory for making
selections. Just before the first picking.
when some of the lower bolls are well
open on all the plants. the field should be
gone over and every plant examined with
reference to the productiveness. number
and size of bolls, vigor and shape of
plant. earliness. etc.
1t is desirable to mark more plants than
are expected to be used. because in going
over and comparing the plants the first
time it is ordinarily found difficult 10
carry the characters desired in mind with
sufficient accuracy to enable a careful
JuuSllcLl " De IDd0r. ire CAOlc S'hiV
fifty of the plants should be first marked
and numbered. so that these can be more
carefully examined a second time and
the number reduced possibly one-half or
more. The permanent numbers should
be placed only on the plants which are
finally selected. Before each field care
full man should go over the field and
pick the cotton from each plant in sacks
numbered to correspond with the num-
bers on the plants in order that the diff
ferent pickings from the same plant may
be kept together.
In the fall. after the close OF the pick
ing season. the seed cotton from each
individual plant can be more carefully
compared and weighed. and any of the
plants which are found to have fallen
below the standard in production or in
any other important feature should be
rejected. The remainder should be ginned
care being taken to have the gin thor
oughly cleaned out before beginning the
process, so that the seed from the selec-
tons will not become mixed with ordin-
ary seed. After ginning each individual
plant the seed should be carefully picked
up and replaced in the numbered sack,
so that all of the seed from the same
select individual Will be retained by it
self
In describing the method of procedure
it is much clearer 10 base the explanation
on the selection of one superior plant
each year, as the process with one plant
nlpustrates clearly what should be done
with each of the ewtny-fve or more which
are selected in practice.
The seed of the individual plant select
ed the first year is planted in the spring
OF the second year and plainly marked.
in order TO distinguish il from the seed
of any other plant selected. Each cotton
plant yields from five hundred 10 two
thousand seeds and therefore five hun
dred or more seedlings win probably be
produced When these plants reach the
proper stage of maturity the entire pro-
geny should be examined TO see whether
the plant selected the first year has
shown strong transmitting rover. II
large percentage of the progeny possess
the desired qualities in a marked degree.
showing that the transmitting power is
fairly strong. several selections Of the
best plants should be made from among
them If. one the other hand, the trans
hitting power has been weak the quail
ties for which the plant selected not hav-
ing been transmitted the entire progeny
should be discarded
The possibility Of having 10 discard the
entire offspring of a select individual is
the principal reason for urging that
number Of selections be made. instead Of
only one or two. The specially selected
plants Of this second generation should
be carefully examired with reference 10
the particular qualities desired. and
single plant finally selected which r. SUI
perfor 20 all OF the others. The seed of
this individual should be preserved sep2T-
atelv and handled exactly IN the same
vrsv as the selectio- made the first year.
The seed from the remaining plants pro-
d,sced bv the single individual selected
the first year should BE sinned separately
in order TO avoid mixing. and retained
10 plant a seed patch OF about five acres
the third year. II order 70 obtain suff-
Gent seed OF select strain 70 plant
general crop the fourth year.
The seed from the plant selected the
second wear is planted by itself IN the
spring OF the third year. care being taken.
again 70 mark the progeny q this plant