24 The Bulletin. 



This rotation, together with deep plowing and the fertilization sug- 

 gested above, which, however, will need to be varied as the fertility 

 of the soil increases, will insure a good crop every season on most of the 

 Cecil soils, even in the face of decreased rainfall, such, for example, as 

 we had during the summer of 1911, provided the surface of the land 

 is kept mulched by frequent shallow cultivation. 



The best rotation for the coastal plains section will depend on the 

 crops to be grown, but, in general, the organic matter requirements of 

 these soils must also be considered in any well ordered farm manage- 

 ment scheme in this territory. Most of the well drained soils need 

 more humus. The poorly drained soils first need drainage, after that 

 the humus supply must be kept up by a judicious use of leguminous 

 and other crops. 



It is likely that the rotation suggested for the piedmont section will, 

 in many cases, suit the coastal plains section except that, as a rule, 

 oats should be substituted for wheat. In case it is desired, for any 

 reason, to grow cotton after cotton, the use of burr clover outlined above 

 will be found advantageous. 



VARIETY TESTS. 



The Department of Agriculture has, for a number of years, been 

 testing different varieties of cotton at different points in the recognized 

 cotton district of the State. An effort has been made to get a variety 

 test on each of the leading soil types and thus ascertain the existing 

 varieties best suited to the different types of soil. 



In 1910 cotton varieties were tested at the Edgecombe farm with the 

 results given in Table No. 1 below. It will be noted here that the three 

 highest yielding varieties were Bradbury's Improved, Russell Big Boll, 

 and Cook's Improved, in the order named; while the lowest yielders 

 Avere Excelsior, Morgan's Climax, and Bank Account in the order named. 



During 1911 we made variety tests in eight different counties, the 

 results of which may be gathered from the following tables : 



Table 'No. II shows the results of the work at Goldsboro in Wayne 

 County. Here the best yielders were Summercur, Rosser No. 1, and 

 Thigpen's Prolific, in the order named; while the lowest yielders were 

 Webber, Allen's Multiplier, and Hawkins', in the order named. 



In Table No. Ill we find the results of the variety tests of cotton 

 in Halifax County, on the State Penitentiary Farm at Tillery. Here 

 the best yielders were Thigpen's Prolific, Bank Account, and Brown No. 

 1, with Webber, Hartsville, and Dean's Special standing at the bottom 

 of the list. 



At Williamston, in Martin County, we made the variety test, the 

 results of which are shown in Table IV. In this test the best varieties 

 were Cook's Improved, Round Boll, and Culpepper's Improved, while 

 the lowest yielders were Simpkins', Bank Account, and Brown No. 1. 



Table No. Y shows the results of the variety test at Whiteville, Colum- 

 bus County. The best varieties at Whiteville were Russell Big Boll, 

 Cook's Improved, and Morgan's Climax, while the lowest yielders were 

 Bank Account, Webber, and Allen's Multiplier. 



