The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-03-01

and Culpeppcr's Improved, and some other SINH
lar kinds, are the ones that have generally pro-
duccd the largest number of pounds OF lint cotton
per acre, which is the important consideration.
In the selection of a variety of cotton for plant
ing, one must not be misled by high percentage
Weld of lint, for often between two varieties the
one yielding the smallest percentage of lint will
give the largest number of pounds of lint cotton
per acre. This was strikingly brought out in re-
suits obtained at the Red Springs Test Farm in
1902, when Culpeppcr's Improved, which only
yielded 37.5 per cent of lint, produced ffty-eight
pounds more of lint cotton per acre than Peter
kin's Improved which yielded 4O.6 per cent OF lint.
1t must be remembered that for the Piedmont and
western portion of the State on a red clay soil
which warns up slowly i'll the spring, the larger
boiled varieties will not as a general thing do so
well, as they will not mature thoroughly before
frost catches them; hence an early maturing va
riety such as Kings Improved or Sugar Loaf. will
do best here. This is also true of the extreme
northeastern counties of the State, for the aver
age season. In fact, last year (Which was an ex-
ceptional one. being very dry in the spring and
seed remained in the ground several weeks after
planting before sprouting, and having an early
frost), Kings Improved showed up In our tests on
all types of soil as one of the best varieties; but
for an average season in the eastern part of the
State on sandy or loam soil we'll drained, the large
boiled varieties will usually give the best results.
After one has secured a good yielding variety
of cotton adapted to his soil, the most rapid
method of it's improvement will be by selection of
seed in the fall from plants in the field, having
especial reference to total yield of lint per acre,
date of maturity, vigor, hardness, form and size
of stalks, limbs, leaves, etc., because with plants
as with animals, like has a decidedly strong ten
dency to produce or beget like, and the longer the
planting of intelligently selected seed with desira-
BILE characteristics is continued the. mere fixed
will become the characteristics. Above all things,
the practice of securing seed for planting at ran
dom from the gin should not be followed, for it
cannot possibly be known whether the seed thus
obtained are produced on stalks that bore few or
many bolls. If seed of the former kind are Sc
cured, then the tendency of these seed when plant
ed Will be to produce stalks that will bare a small
number of bolls and hence small yield results, and
vice versa. Another serious objections to secur-
ing seed from the gin is that we usually wait until
late and get seed from the last picking which are
the poorest of all the seed produced by the plants.
The proper method of selection, because the one
that produces the most remunerative results, is
to go over the cotton field just before picking time
and In some way mark the stalks that have the
largest number of large, well-developed bolls. The
cotton from these stalks should be picked and
ginned separately, and the seed reserved for next
years planting.
It must be remembered that as intelligent feed
ing and good care stand to animal Improvement,
so does proper fertilization and thorough ~cultiya-
ton of the soil stand to plant Improvement; for
IT proper food and care are not furnished both
plants and animals, improvement will not only be
impossible, but retrogression inevitable. With the
same thoueht and care, results are obtained much