DAMAGE FROM THE HINDI CONTAMINATION. 43 



the Delta reirion a large proportion, probably 50 per cent or more, of 

 the Hindi plants that germinate in the fields are rogned out. The 

 sorting of the fiber in the ginhouses must take out a still larger per- 

 eenta<re of the Hindi cotton that is harvested. 



Some of the ginners are also said to sift out the smooth seeds, or 

 even to resort to hand picking to keep the smooth Hindi seeds from 

 being planted. While it is to be expected that the various ginning 

 establishments would be found to differ greatly in the thoroughness 

 with which these precautions are observed, the general elfect must be 

 to exclude a large proportion of the Hindi seed every year. Under 

 any jNIendelian nde or other customary idea regarding the effects 

 of selection it might be expected that the expression of the Hindi 

 characters would have declined long since to a negligible quantity, 

 but the facts certainly do not correspond to this expectation. The 

 result demonstrates instead that the system of selection now in opera- 

 lion is entirely inadequate to eliminate the Hindi variations. 



As already noted in connection with the seed characters of the 

 Hindi cotton, the tendency to an increased representation of this type 

 is not limited to the factor of prepotency, but may prove to be due 

 partly or Avholly to more prompt gennination of the seeds, owing to 

 the absence of fuzz that allows more effective contact Avith the soil. 

 Experiments Avith other types of cotton have shown that varieties 

 having less fuzz germinate more promptly, but ccmiparisons will 

 also be made between Egyptian and Hindi. 



ESTIMATE OF DAMAGE FROM THE HINDI CONTAMINATION. 



As the percentages of Hindi cotton in the Egyptian fields do not 

 represent the full amount of Hindi contamination, so they do not 

 indicate the full extent of damage to the crop. In addition to the 

 true Hindi plants and the obviously Hindi-like hybrids, supposed 

 to represent the first generation, more careful inspection always 

 shows a considerable number of obscure or dilute hybrids as well as 

 many individual variations that may reasonably be ascribed to the 

 same general fact of Hindi contamination. These aberrant plants 

 include those that show the white flowers, tlie flowers with pale 

 spots, and other peculiarities that can often be detected only by 



to raise the mark or grade of cotton they use, and to add increasing propor- 

 tions of superior varieties, such as Nubari and Jannovitch, merely to obtain 

 the same results as they formerly secured with Afifi alone. Strength is abso- 

 lutely essential in the manufacture of ' twist ' yarns for warping, and in spite 

 '.if improved spinning processes, greater loss in waste through taking out a 

 larger proportion of short staple, and more careful and costly methods gen- 

 erally, the spinners have had the greatest ditficulty in maintaining the quality, 

 of their yarns." (See T(Kld. .John A., "The Market for Egyptian Cotton in 

 1909-1010," L'Egj'pte Contemporaine, no. 5, January, 1911, p. 5.) 

 210 



