The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-11-29
Work of the United States Az.
ricuItural Department.
IMPROVING COTT( N
Experiments 10 South Carolina. The Sc
lection of the Best Seed Improves
the Standard Varieties of OF.
t, n and Otter Crops. Tea
Cir. Wn in this State.
Cir. Wn in this State.

t n and Ohter Crops. Tea
Cir. wn in this State.
TIE annual report of the secretary
OF agriculture for the year 1905 has
just become available and contains
much interesting information relative
to soil, crops, metht ds of planting,
etc., In South Carolina.
In TIE breeding and improvements
of cotton the first experiments we're
made in 1899. At this time little had
been published concerning cotton
breeding. The # qlency Of natural
crossing in the field has been given
attention, so that different varieties
might be grown without risk OF nix
Ing and dete~riorating. Toe correla-
ton Of characters, the law governing
the splitting Of hybrids, the form Of
plant and other important matters
have been carefully studied. The
most important problem In the CO ton
industry Is the securing Of varieties as
productive as ordinary staple SORTS,
Tut producing better and longer lint
This can be done by two distinctly
different methods. The first method
Is to- Sc cure hybrids Of the long sta.
pie, sea island cotton with the stand
ard short staples, with a view towards
securing new sorts which combine,
first, improved length Of staple with
large bol!s, openiI 6 well; aid, sec
ond, the productive c 'aracter OF the
plant of the short sls, le. The de-
partment has secured h birds, one
class of which is a distiLc " upland
type and produces large round 5 lock
ed bolls, has fine silky lint from l l 2
to / 5 8 inches in length and a smooth
black seed, so that it may be easily
ginned en- roller gins is desired, the
fiber of this will rval the Egyptian
and lower grades or sra island. Two
other varieties secure; bv the depart
ment are similar, bat b.. We lint aver
aging only l 3-8 inches.
A SIC nd method Of securing i'm
proved staple, which has giV-n very
striking results, is the straight selec
ton of tie standard short staple va.
rieties. 1t was found by careful ex
animation of such varieties IS Ru5,
sell and Jones improved, that there
was considerable variation in the
length of lint produced by different
plants. Careful experiments have been
made with both these varieties and
the average length Of lint In the breed.
ing stock Of these two varieties has
increased from the ordinary l to l l 8
inches until it is now from l l 4 to l
3-S inches; meanwhile tt plant, have
maintained their full productiVeness
and all other good characters.
All varieties of cotton have been
found to vary greatly in their produc
tivity In the case Of d.flrent indiY!d
uals and d ffarent strains Of the sans
variety. One strain, Pride Of Geor
gia, which has for several years been
selected for IL cressed yield by a care
full system Of pedigree breeding, haS
shown marked improvement. A COD
siderable quantity Of this seed will be
distributed to planters in the spring
of 1905, and In 1907 a still higher
grade of select seed Of the same va.
riety will be available.
In the boil weevil infested area
there is great demand for earlier va
rieties of big boil types. The extensive
experiments inauguratd in 1904 10
this line have not yet reached a stage
where safe conclusions can be dawn.
but preliminary experiments stated
tie year preceding have given ONE
very early. strain, selected from q ma
tive Texas big boil sort, With which 1t
has been CON pared. A limited tria?
distribution OF the seed Of this varie
ty will be mace in the spring Of 1905.
Alarge quantity Of Egyptian c 'ttor
Is imported into tt is G. untrY annually
and used in the mills. 1t Is not improb
allie that in some secti obs of the cot.
ton growing area suitable soils for this
could te found.
During the last two years the bu'
reau OF plant industry las had a skill.
ed corps Of men in the field battling
against the boil weevil, and wherever
trt uole along this line has been re
ported, experiments have at ones
been commenced. The most important
work. however. in this connection, has
been the fsld demonstration wo:k
which has bad for its object the bring
ing home to til Q people practical meth
eds of tillage, cultivation and plant
ing to enable them to grow cotton de
spite the preserc &c of the weeVil.
Rice has received special attention
during the last six or seven years
The Japanese, or Kiushu variety was
brought into the country and disSim
mated. Since this introduction the
oeyelcI ment of the rice industry In
the South has been phenomenal. Be-
tween 1899 and 1904 the rice acreage
of Louisiana and T, xas increased from
2lO, 1896 acres, yielding l79, 9l9 2s3
pounds Of rough rice, in 1895 to elO,
700 acres in 1904, yielding $50 426 800
pounds, an increase Of upward OF 100
Del cent In acreage, but far the great
est increase being In Texas. In 1889
Texas had l7S acres OF rice, In 1899
Sill acres, while in 1904 the acreage
had increased to 376, 800, or more than
forty.three times the area under this
crop six years ago.
In the drug plant Investigations
field study of small areas OF many
, kinds of drug producing plant has