Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-03
PRESERVING A RESIRABLE
STAPLE IN COTTON

Cotton, like every other plant, is
Influenced by its ancestry and the
enviromental>condi to which 1t
in exposed. The staple of cultivated
ee.tton is much superior to that of
Wild cotton. How has this improve
ment been brought about? By CIV
ing cotton better conditions under
which to develop than it enjoyed in
a wild state. BY studying the grow
ing plants and observing those pos
sessed of especially desirable charac-
terists and selecting them out and
using the seed thereof for planting
purposes. The plant breeder has
also aided materially through the
successful hybridization or crossing
of desirable strains, thereby adding
the good qualities say OF two varle'
tjss to the progeny and eliminating
MANY of the inherent weaknesses
which might hitherto have character
Lied the individual parents. Natur-
Nv our manufacturers have been
&stlv concerned from a commercial
Mt Of view with the development
b maintenance of good staple
cotton. Length, uniformity, and
cength are the things chiefly de-
Med. The grower naturally desires
Mat the cotton he cultivates shall
lake a high percentage of lint. Can
lese various things be combined,
md can we maintain a desirable
Dgrade of cotton through the assist
ance of the plant breeder? The an
swer is a positive yes. This conclu-
sion is based on the Investigations
made by our cotton industry oil
vision. For number of years past
complaints have been made to the
effect that the staple of the cotton
grown in north Georgia was not as
good as it should be; that it had de-
Perforated on account of the cultlVa.
ton of an admixture of undesirable
strains. An investigation showed
this to be the case. Work was then
begun to develop a strain adapted
for cultivation throughout the state
and which possessed the qualities
\ chiefly desired. The results obtained
are detailed below and indicate that
we car again regain the prestige for
the production of cotton of superior
staple in north Georgia which we
temporarily lost.
During the last few years. there
has been a complaint trcm the cot
ton trade that the STAPLE of georgia
cotton has seriously deteriorated,
and that buyers were being forced
to go into the western cotton states
to secure the type of. cotton desired
by the spinners.
North Georgia has always had the
reputation of producing cotton of
high quality and good staple, while
the staple from south Georgia has
not been quite go good, but more
uniform in length.
In the endeavor to secure varie-
ties thought to be better suited to
boil weevil conditions, numerous So
called varieties, most of which are
early, small boiled cottons have been
introduced into the state with the
result that a high per cent of the
cotton now grown in the state is of
an inferior staple.
Variety tests made by the Georgia
State College of Agriculture show
conclusively that where the aver
age of several years is considered,
these inferior staple cottons do not
produce as much lint cotton per
acre and that the value per acre is
by no means as high as can be Sc
cured from well selected seed of the
medium early, large Doll cottonS as
college No. 1 and Cleveland big boil.
In making recommendations in re-
gard to the best varieties of cotton
!, to grow, the needs of the spinners
must be considered in order for the
producer and consumer to under
stand the problems of each other.
Community meetings of the spinners,
cotton buyers, bankers, and civic or
carnations along with tho cotton
growers, where questions of mutual