20 



CIRCULAR NO. Ill, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



means of securing high yields, though the question of uniformity of 

 fiber is seldom raised in the short-staple market. But uniformity is 

 an important factor in the market value of long-staple cotton. Loss 

 of uniformity is one of the chief causes for the failure of many 

 attempts to introduce long-staple varieties into short-staple districts 

 of the Southern States. The usual inference in such cases is that the 

 conditions are unfavorable for the long-staple varieties, whereas the 

 injury has come usually through admixture of short -staple seed and 

 neglect of selection. This will soon destroy the uniformity and com- 

 mercial value of any long-staple variety, no 

 matter how well bred at the beginning. 



EDUCATION OF COTTON BREEDERS. 



Selection is not difficult for those who 

 have sufficient familiarity with the character- 

 istics of a variety, but most farmers are not 

 accustomed to doing work of this kind and 

 prefer to buy their seed instead of growing it 

 for themselves. Nevertheless, each commu- 

 nity should have enough local breeders or 

 seed growers to maintain the necessary supply 

 of select seed. The work of selection has 

 been rendered easier and more effective by the 

 development of improved methods, as de- 

 scribed in other publications of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry. 1 



A certain amount of practice in observation 

 is required to develop skill in recognizing 

 differences between individual plants, so as to 

 preserve those that are true to type and reject 

 all that are abnormal or aberrant. Ability to 

 do this is not rare, though seldom developed 

 or applied. The problem of educating more 

 cotton breeders is now receiving attention, 

 and it is hoped that opportunities of learning this art may be 

 provided in the Imperial Valley in the coming season. 



ERADICATION OF WEED COTTON. 



An unusual difficulty arises from the fact that in the Imperial 

 Valley cotton so frequently survives the winter in the fields or escapes 

 in waste places, wherever the seed happens to be scattered. Though 



" Local adjustment of cotton varieties, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Bulletin 159, and Cotton selection on the farm by the characters of the stalks, leaves, and bolls, U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Circular 60. 

 [Cir. Ill] 



Fig. 5.— Boll of Durango cotton, 

 showing typical form. (Natural 

 size.) 



