The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-08-26
DANCER Of
GIN MIXED
COTTON SEED
GROWER, UNLESS HE AND THE
GlNNER TAKE PRECAUTIoN,
NAY GET i6 PER CENT OF HIS
NEIGHsoR's VARIETY.

Washington, D. c., Aug. 26.-Few
cotton growers realize when they take
back seed from an ordinary gin 10 use
in planting the next crop, the extent
to which their seed may be mixed
with the seed OF the cotton ginned
Just previous to their lot. Yet this
matter is OF vital importance TO all
cotton raisers who wish to grow uni
form variety OF cotton. AS every stu
dent of cotton breeding knows, even
few seeds of another variety in a
cotton field may through cross fer
! tilization cause interbreeding and de-
terioration in a large number of plants.
| Instead OF getting only few seeds
| from a neighbor's lot Of cotton, howey-
er. actual Investigations by specialists
Of the department of agriculture show
| that in certain cases lot OF seed will
contain as much as Il to l6 per cent
OF seed left in the gin boxes from
the cotton ginned Just before. In
the cases investigated not only has
there been a large percentage OF seed
from the variety ginned just previous
ly, but it is found that some seeds may
remain from the second bale preced-
ing. 1t follows, therefore, that grow
er may very readily mix one or two
other varieties with his special kind
of seed.
Where a grower is particular about
his seed. he can greatly minimize the
mixing by quick, simple and mex
pensive measures in which the aver
age ginner will be glad to cooperate.
The following precautions, which seem
to be entirely practicable and which,
in fact, are now exercised in some To-
calities, are strongly recommended in
department bulletin No. 22S, Custom
Ginning as a Factor in Cotton-Seed
Deterioration, soon to be issued.
The patron should accompany to the
gin the lot of seed cotton from which
he expects to save seed for planting,
and he should aid the ginner in see
ing that everything possible is done
to prevent mixing.
He should see that the flues, feed
ers and cleaners are cleaned as thor
oughly as their construction will per
nit before he allows his seed cotton
to enter them.
The rolls should be dropped from the
roll box and the box should be thor
oughly cleaned The dropping Of the
roll is an operation with which all
ginners are familiar. The construc-
ton of the gins is such that the roll
can be dropped and the box cleaned
in very few minutes. Some i'm
proved gins are arranged so that the
roll box may be emptied without stop
ping the gin, thereby further simpli-
tying the operation.
Having cleaned the machinery up
to and including the roll box, the next
step is to prevent the seed of the va
riety to be ginned from falling into
the conveyor 1t is impracticabe to
clean the couyeyor satisfactorily, and
therefore It should not be used when
planting seed is to be obtained. BY
adjusting the position of the apron of
each gin, the seed can be made to
fall upon the floor in front of the gin
instead of into the conveyOr. From
here it can be sacked easily.
The floors about the gins should be
cleaned to the extent that no seeds
are left lying around to cause mix
ing. Canvas spread upon the floor to
receive the seed from the gins is oft
en- used.
Such precautions require time in
which to carry them out effectively,
and time spent in this manner natur-
ally reduces somewhat the amount of
ginning that otherwise could be done
in a day. On this point the ginner may
find cause to base objection to such
procedure. but it should be possible to
meet the objection by fully compensat-
ing him for the extra time consumed.
The expense of special ginning in
some sections may be reduced by ar
ranging to have it done on specified
days or at the close of the season.
when more time is available. In any
event the amount of money that may
be required to secure the Cinners CO.
operation in the maintenance of pure
seed is almost negligible in view OF
the favorable effect such precautions
will have upon the farmers crops in
succeeding years.