46 The Bulletin. 



y aria Hon s in High Yielding Varieties of Cotton. 



JAMES M. GRAY. 



In this report the records for the year of 1903 and 1909, inclusive, of the 

 North Carolina Test Farms have been used. Most of the information is 

 from the Iredell and Edgecombe farms, but the records from the Red Springs 

 farm were used for the three years this farm was in operation (1903-1905). 



In the experiments, from which the data for this report were gathered, the 

 fertilizers used were the same on each farm. A 7 — 2i^ — 2i^ formula was 

 used practically all the way through the series. The preparation of the land 

 and the subsequent cultivation was the same in each instance. The land was 

 broken with a two-horse plow eight to ten inches deep early in the spring 

 and harrowed just before planting. The cultivation was frequent and 

 shallow. 



On the Edgecombe farm the land is a Norfolk Sandy Loam, varying in 

 depth from 6 to 24 inches, with an average depth of about 12 inches. This 

 soil holds manure fairly well and gives a yield of about a bale and a quarter 

 of cotton without heavy fertilization. The seasons are of good length for the 

 maturing of cotton. 



The lands of the Red Springs farm are similar to those of the Edgecombe 

 farm, Norfolk Sandy Loam, but less fertile naturally. The season is some- 

 what longer and warmer than at the Edgecombe farm. These two farms 

 have approximately ideal conditions for cotton growing. 



The soil of the Iredell farm is almost entirely Cecil Clay with some Clay 

 Loam. The seasons are rather short for cotton, the farm being on the ex- 

 treme northern border of the cotton belt. Commercially, cotton is not grown 

 in this section to any great extent. 



In this report the following varieties will be used for comparison: Rus- 

 sell's Big Boll, Culpepper's Improved, King's Improved, Excelsior Prolific, 

 Edgeworth, Cook's Improved, and Simpkins's Improved. As will be seen, 

 the Edgeworth variety was the only variety run through a series of six years 

 on more than one farm. This irregularity in the tests made prevents the 

 conclusions from being as definite as they might otherwise have been. 



DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES TESTED. 



Russell's Big Boll is a hardy, large boiled and vigorous cotton that yields 

 well on a loam or sandy soil in Eastern North Carolina. It is very popular 

 with the pickers because of the ease and rapidity with which it can be 

 picked. Under average conditions this variety is not only prolific, but fairly 

 reliable. During a seven years test with the above mentioned varieties it 

 stood third on the Edgecombe farm, giving an average yield of 462.72 pounds 

 of lint per acre. 



Culpepper's Improved, a large boiled variety, is about ten days earlier 

 than Russell's Big Boiled. It has a large weed with spreading limbs, well 

 boiled and holds cotton well. It is more variable than is Russell's Big Boll, 

 but, notwithstanding this, in the seven years test it stood second on the 

 Edgecombe farm with an average production of 471.97 pounds of lint per 

 acre. 



King's Improved has a smaller boll than either of the aforementioned varie- 

 ties but runs a little higher in per cent of lint, averaging on the three farms 

 38.16 per cent for the seven years test. It has a rather small stalk with 

 spreading limbs fairly well fruited. 



Excelsior Prolific has large, deep lobed leaves and short, well matured 

 limbs that bear a rather small boll of high percentage of lint. It often runs 

 above 40 per cent lint, but because of its variability the average would be 

 somewhat under this. On the Edgecombe farm it gave an average yield of 

 528.86 pounds, leading all others. 



