Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-14


considerable area of Georgia, and our
farmers are face 10 face with the men,
ace which its presence brings TO every
land owner. OF all the things which
can be done to lessen its damage. there
is nothing more important than that OF
securing an early. rapid fruitlng. large
boiled variety Of cotton. Hence the
planting. of seed which fulfills these
requirements becomes a matter almost
or seIf-preservation in so far as the i'll
terest of the farmer is concerned. II
would seem appropriate. therefore, TO
offer some suggestions as TO the type
and character of cotton which should be
selected for planting next year. and TO
advise and urge upon the grower the
importance and necessity of securing a
good strain of seed.
In the first place, earliness is the
most important single factor To be con-
Sidered. and il is surprising the degree
OF difference which exists between va
rieties of cotton i'm this respect. The
writer knows from experience that there
are many varieties which have been cul-
tivated in the college demonstration
field for several years past which
would De utterly destroyed by the boil
weeviL whereas, other varieties might
easily mature the equivalent of a crop
Of a thousand TO fifteen hundred POUNDS
of seed cotton before the weevil damage
would become serious. Therefore, earli-
ness is a most important point TO en-
phasize. but il should not be consider
ed TO the exclusion of all other de-
sirable points.
Next To earliness would come uni
formity: that is. plants should be as
nearly as possible OF the same size and
.frn
and development so that they will ma
ture their crop at about the same time
In other words. there must be trueness
10 type.
In selecting a variety of cotton adap-
liability is an important matter, as some
varieties are better adapted for growth
in one section than another. hence ii
is important to secure a variety which
has been grown for a sufficient length
of time in a community to establish its
serviceability beyond the question OF
doubt. Then, of course, any variety
selected should be free of disease and
il should also be strongly resistant to
disease Certain varieties, as Coving-
toms TooIe. are strongly resistant to the
wilt disease. This variety is also an
early one and well adapted for growth
in south Georgia. 1t is one OF those
varieties which will apparently help
the farmer meet the boil weeYil lnva-
sion in that section Of the state with
a considerable degree of success. II
should be remembered, however, that
there are various strains of this Narie-
" on the market and some of them
are undoubtedly superior TO others.
Seed should not be bought at random
but should only be purchased from re-
liable parties who have grown II under
Il &C arr.arr
i'm postion to guarantee its character.
Another disease which attacks cotton
in Georgia is anthracnose, and ii has
proven very destructive in many in
stances. Some varieties are much more
subject to il than others. Only Varle-
ties should be selected for planting un-
der boil weevil conditions, therefore,
with strong resistance to anthracnose
as we'll as TO the wilt disease.
In selecting a variety of cotton ii
will be found that earliness can be Sc
cured along with high percentage OF
lint. This is a very important matter
because it has been demonstrated that
IN one case 1000 pounds Of seed will
make a bale Of cotton. while in other
instances 1.5OO TO 800 pounds will be
required. Naturally, when growing cot
ton under the disadvantages which the
boil weevil invasion imposes only varie-
ties which yield a high percentage or
sint should be selected. 1t is very de-
sirable also that the lint be uniform.
This can be easily ascertained by comb
ing out the lint on the seed selected
from different parts of the plant and
from different plants. When the lint
IS combed out on the seed il should not
present the appearance more or less OF
a butterfly. but should show uniform
length or staple. A great deal of short
lint on one end of the seed means that
the cotton Will grade on the basis of
the short lint. Naturally, lint of this
character is not a profitable kind for
the mill owner TO purchase or the
farmer TO grow. Therefore, select va
rieties from which this undesirable
characteristic has been eliminated to
high degree Ii is very important also
that the lint be of good quality: that is.
not only of uniform length but of good
tensile strength. There is a great diff
ference in varieties in this respect, lit
tie as it may be suspected by those
who have not studied the question care
fully.
In selecting for earliness il is also
desirable that varieties be chosen the