B. P. I.— 64S. 



HINDI COTTON IN EGYPT 



INTRODUCTION. 



Inspection of many cotton fields in different parts of Egypt shows 

 that the so-called Hindi cotton is a general contamination of the 

 Egyptian stock, responsible for a large amonnt of diversity and de- 

 generation. Expression of inferior Hindi characters renders many 

 of the plants not only worthless from the standpoint of prodnction, 

 but dangerons to fntnre crops. The establishment of a profitable 

 culture of Egyptian cotton in Arizona and southern California de- 

 jDends largely on the exclusion of the Hindi contamination." 



The Hindi cotton complicates the problem of acclimatizing and 

 adapting the Egyptian cotton to the cultural conditions found in the 

 United States. In this case a problem of heredity had to be studied. 

 Instead of the physical factors alone, it has been necessary to analyze 

 the characters of the plants in order to determine the causes of im- 

 purity and find means of elimination. 



°" Hindi is the name applied in Egypt to an undesirable type of cotton with 

 a short, weak tiber. that injures the high-grade Egyptian varieties by infesting 

 them with hybrids. The skill and cheapness of the native Egyptian labor enable 

 the exporters to have the cotton sorted by hand in their baling establishments, 

 so that a high reputation for uniformity has been secured in spite of the Hindi 

 admixture. 



" The introduction of the Egyptian cotton into the United States brings also 

 the problem of the Hindi cotton, but without the resource of cheap labor which 

 enables the difficulty to be surmounted in Egyjit. The practicability of estab- 

 lishing a conunercial culture of the Egyptian cotton in the United States de- 

 pends largely upon the elimination of the Hindi contamination and other forms 

 of diversity, so that tlie fiber may l)e produced in a satisfactory condition of 

 uniformity. The Hindi cotton i)r(>bleni might be coniparetl to that of the red 

 rice that mixes witli the white and depre<-iates the value of the crop. In the 

 case of the cotton, there is a better prospect that adequate linowledge of the 

 vegetative characters may enable the undesirable plants to be removed from 

 the fields without tno seriously increasing the cost of iiroduction." (See Circu- 

 lar 42, Bureau of I'lant Industry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, entitled "Origin 

 of the Hindi Cotton." 1909, p. 3. This circular contains the results of a previ- 

 ous study of the Hindi cotton made in connection with experiments in Arizona. 

 It will be sent free on application to the Secretary of Agriculture.) 



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