Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1914-02-12
SELECTING AND TESTING SEED
COTTON.
BY C. M. EVANS,

BY G. M. EVANS,
Superintendent Agricultural Extension
Department.
In a general way what has been
said OF corn is also true Of cotton.
There is about the same latitude Of
variation in varieties OF cotton as in
corn. There is hardly so wide a va
Ration in the adaptation OF varieties
to certain locality, except in the long
staple varieties, because cotton is an
all-Southern plant.
Varieties.
Owing to the fact that cotton is
cross pollinated by insects, there Is
the same difficulty in securing stan
dard variety in its pure form as there
is In corn.
The things which should determine
the variety farmer should grow are:
(1) Is the boil weevil present? In
boil weevil districts 1t is never ad-
visable to plant anything but early
varieties. Some varieties are twenty
to thirty days earlier than others, and
get the bolls set before the weevil be-
comes very numerous.
2. Type OF soil. On rich bottom
land 1t is not advisable to plant the
large, heavy leafing varieties, They go
too much to stalk, the bolls are late
in setting, and the dense shade often
causes them to rot or open very late
in the season.
(3) Available labor. Where large
crops are raised 1t is difficult to hire
labor to pick the small boiled varie-
ties. In some varieties fifty bolls will
make pound, while in others 1t takes
more than one hundred bolls to make
a pound.
ca Usual weather conditions in
the picking season. In some varieties
the locks come out very easily. This
makes them easy to pick, but obvious
ly is Objectionable where rain storms
occur.
The small boiled varieties usually
open early, but are not necessarily any
earlier in fruiting. AS shown by Prof.
R. L. Bennett in Bulletin No. 70 Of
the Texas experiment station, early
fruiting depends largely upon the type
of stalk. Stalks with fruit limbs low
and with short joints fruit early and
rapidly. 1t is possible for an early
cotton to be both large boiled and
storm proof.
Strong Seed Essential.
1t is agreed by all that in the boil
weevil sections an early start is es-
sential to high yields. Having to re-
plant because the seed were not
strong is responsible for most late
crops. Even though the variety is all
right, there is always danger of get
ting inferior seed. In practice this is
usually overcome by planting large
quantities. but it should be remember.
ed that weak seed can only make
weak stalks. When the stalk is young
is the critical time in the life of a
cotton plant, and everyone is familiar
with the little ''rateared" stalks pro.
duced by weak seed and other unto.
ward conditions.
Weak seed can only be detected by
a termination test. which is a simple
operation. Select 100 seed at ran
dom from a well-mixed sample. Germ.
mate (sprout) these between two
moist cloths in a box of sand or saw.
dust The same testing box used for
corn will do for this.
Set away in warm place. At the
end of six or eight days read the tests
and note the number of strong. weak
and dead seed Probably a large per.
centage of them will grow, but unless
at least 80 per cent grow strong the
seed should not be used No one can
afford to have weak seed planted in
their fields.
Planting.
No definite rule can be given as to
time of planting Extra early planting