Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-08-01

Atlanta, Ga-The time has come in
Georgia when successful cetton pro
duction demands careful and persist
ent attention to the breeding Of the
highest type Of seed, says the State
Board Of Entomology in a buIletin ON
cotton breeding shortly to be issued
for the information and advantages Of
farmers of this state.
Good seed, the department points
out, is not only imperative in planting
to meet boil weevil conditions, but to
produce strains that are resistant to
the many destructive diseases to
which the cotton plant is subject in
different sections of the state
For the benefit of Georgia's cotton
growers the department employs a
number of experts in cotton breeding,
whose entire time lie given to this
work. Among them are Ira w. VIII
liarns and c. A. McLendon, both of
whom have furnished valuable data
for the bulletin soon to be issued
These experts are at the service Of
the farmer upon request, whenever he
may desire their assistance in the mat
ter Of producing higher and stronger
type Of seed.
Every f~fmer should develop hts
own cotton seed both to meet boil wee
vii conditions and to resist disease
The reason for this is, as Mr.. Nc
Tendon points out, that the cotton
plant is the product OF two forces,
environment and heredity. Climatic
and soil conditions and methods OF cul-
ture vary in different sections; there
fore, the best seed for q particular
locality is produced in that locality it.
self. AS to heredity, selection be-
comes a comparatively easy matter
because it involves simply the choice
from year to year OF the seed from
the plant or plants which grow the
strongest, mature the earliest and man
ifest the greatest degree Of resistance
to black root or wilt disease and 9th.
er diseases attacking the plant
For WeeVl Conditions
Good "pedigreed" seed locally adapt
ed is absolutely essential, Mr.. Will
hams points out, if weevil infestation
is very great. BY pedigreed seed is
meant that which extends back for
number of years and which has been
developed as rapidly as possible from
8 single stalk.
THE proper method is to select say
fifty stalks of the variety considered
best and plant these fifty stalks in If
ty different rows; examine carefully
and study the different rows, and Sc
lect the most desirable and most pro-
ductive row. Increase this row into q
block and from the block into as large
an area as possible. If this large area
does not plant the entire field, in
crease again the next year. Select the
individual stalks each year from rows
or blocks of previous selection and re-
peat the method every year By this
means the farmer will have pedigreed
seed coming as close back as possible
from one stalk, and continuing this
process from year to year, the period
OF breeding will ultimately extend
through long number of years.
IF farmer is not willing to go to
the trouble of developing his seed by
this method, he should purchase one or
more bushels Of seed each year from
some man near him who does do this,
and from such seed plant his entire
crop"
Adapted To Locality
The State Board of Entomology has
found by numerous tests that a va
riety OF cotton good in one section of
the state, is failure in another That
is why It is most important to get
a variety as well bred as possible that
is best adapted to the locality. The
seed chosen should be from stalks
which are absolutely free from any
signs of wilt or root knot. After a
wilt resistant variety is secured, the
farmer should see to it that his cotton
is free from other diseases. If he is
compelled to lose some cotton from
the boil weevil, he can not afford to
lose it from any other cause. Among
the most destructive of these diseases
are angular leaf spot, or black arm"
as 1t is known by sea island planters,
which is q germ disease, and anthrac-
nose, fungus disease, which is next
to black arm, and, in conjunction with
It, the nsst destructive agency to the
hollis OF cotton. These two diseases
are perpetuated In the seed, which
makes 1t of the highest importance to
choose the seed from plants unaffect-
ed by them.
The type Of stalk TO be chosen IN
der boil weevil conditions Is small
stalk with as little foliage as possible,
bat which should be equally productive
as larger stalks. II should have me
dunn sized boIls, because the greater
the number of bolls to the stalk, the
larger will be the number Of them to
reach maturity free from weevil at
tack. Unless q farmer Is breeding for
length Of lint and selling upon that
basis, 1t is better to devote his energy
to securing the highest per cent of
lint. This Is largely matter of in
dividual decision.
What is known rs mass selection"
may be practiced undey certain condi-
tions with good results. This consists
! itvlgoing sthrough the field and select
ing the seed from the heaIthiest and
most productive stalks from wilt re-
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