The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-16
Varieties of Cotton. By R. J. Reading. Director of Georgia Exnerifuenf Station

J. E. OuSgar. Varieties of Cotton. By R. J. Bedding, Director of Georgia Experiment Station. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the characteristics of the best varieties of cotton from the standpoint of the practical farmer, and not from that of mill owner. Therefore. the qualities of the lint, or staple. that best answers the demands of the former. or of the seed that will supply to the latter the largest yield and highest quality of products. will not be considered. The former does not grow cotton flor fun" but the the money 1t brings him. He therefore wants variety of cot ton that during series of years to- gther-not less than five-will bring him the largest net returns for his efforts and outlay expended in producotin. If there were a steady, reliable market for Tong staple upland" or for green lint, or lint of any other color, the farmer would endeaveor to supply the demand, so far as conditions might permit-pro- ivided the prices offered shall enable him to secure a larger return for his labor. So far, such remunerative prices have not been offered, and the great mass of far 'mers will continue to produce the kind and quantity of cotton for which they may secure the greatest profit. There are some popular notions of what continues merit in variety of cotton that demand some consideration. As I have once stated. Some of these notions are as fallacious as they are popular, and others are as ridiculous as they are falla- cious"
 Perhaps the most persistent and wide spread of these popular notions is that of large turnout" of lint is conclusive evidence of excellence in a variety of cotton. That demand is for variety thata will more than third itself" While this point is of vafue as will be shown later on, it is by no means true that gerthat a variety of cotton that yields a large percentage of lint will therefore certainly yield more lint to the acre, and 1t will almost certainly yield less seed per acre. While a high percentage yield of lint is a valuable point, is should not be the sole test of merit, as Is quite of- ten the case
 Some farmers highly value early ma turity as test of merit. but 1t will be shown that-except under certain con- ditions-it is not desirable quality. Other farmers want bigg bolls. or round bolls, or long bolls. One former within my Knowledge spent years of care in selecting the largest, whitest seeds. and when he secured uniformity in this re- spect, he thought he had developed a valuable variety. Another farmer picks out all the green seeds and preserves them to plant, while still another picks out all the gray seeds, or the naked seeds. and throws aw ay the green, and 50 on.
 The Only True Test.
 After all. the only reliable test of mer- 1t in variety of cotton is It's behavior in the presence a pair of accurate, we'll balanced scales. and it's performance at the ginnery. It is said that the proof of the pudding lies in the eating of 1t, and not in chewing the empty bag" So the proof of excellence in a variety of cotton lies in the market value of its through a seroies of years, and not in the size of color of its seeds nor in the capacity of the basket that was used in gathering those products.
 l have found, in the course of four teen years experience in testing varie- ties, that very cerious fault of some kinds Is the want of uniformity I re- call a particular variety--the notorious. practically "out of print" as a publisher would say). The first year tested, it stood third in list of twenty-one va- rieties. The next year it stood first, in a list of thirty kinds. The third year it took the twenty-thrd place in list of twenty-five varieties.
 This variableness, or want of reliabil- ity, is not confined to one or two. or three. of the numerous varieties tested
 
 especially among the very early and the very late varieties.
 The true tset of merit, then. is the average market value of the yield per acre of lint and seed through a term of years. We want to know how much lint and how much seed-in market val ue-a variety habitually yields per acre in comparison with other varieties. We want a variety that has staying quali- ties.
 Exeriment Station Test.
 shall not refer to other than the work of the Georgia Station. of which I have had the direction for more than fourteen years, because unfamiliar with such oth- CT work If prefer, moreover, to conflne myself to that whereof have personal knowledge.
 In the course of the variety tests that have been conducted under my direction for fourteen years, some results have beer reached that are in themselves val uahle-indcpendent of the simple determi- nation IS to which. of a dozen or two varieties, gave the largest yields Of lint and seed through course of years.
 These tests have been conducted with exceeding care in every detail, in order to secure accurate results. but 1t is not necessary to go into these details For nIne years past (190e is yet to be taken in) results have every year been tabu- lated and thoroughly digested. covering particularly the following plants: CD Yield of seed cotton; @ percentage yield O. lint; (s) size of bolls; (D size of seeds; (5) early maturity; 60 height of the ma tured plants.
 The area devoted to these annually re- peated tests was usually about two acres O. course, every row was fertilized and cultivated exactly alike. and the Agrieul- | turist almost ''camped out' in the field