The Bulletin. 59 



790 pounds, respectively; in 1903, 663 pounds, when nine varieties were 

 incorporated, 724 pounds in 1904 with twenty-one varieties, 576 pounds 

 in 1905 with twenty-three varieties, 915 pounds in 1906 with twenty-six 

 varieties, 758 pounds in 1907 with twenty-seven varities, and 659 pounds 

 in 1908 with thirty-one varieties. The average of these differences is more 

 than the average annual yield per acre of seed cotton in North Carolina. 

 To grow cotton cheaply per pound, more must he produced per acre 

 than is at present done on an average. To do this, better varieties must 

 be planted, more thorough preparation and cultivation be given to the 

 land, and more intelligent fertilization, either directly or indirectly, 

 must be practiced. It costs no more to cultivate a prolific variety of cot- 

 ton than one that has few bolls to the stalk or has a larger number of 

 stalks missing in the row, due to imperfect germination of the seed, or 

 some other avoidable or unavoidable cause. 



WHAT A VARIETY SHOULD BE. 



A variety of cotton should be a group of plants having some special 

 excellencies, such as total yield of lint per acre, resistance to disease and 

 insect pests, etc., and the seed of which should be able to transmit to 

 their progeny, with certainty and without diminution, the excellent qual- 

 ities of the parent plants. If the designated group of plants does not 

 have these qualities, then it is not worthy to be styled a variety. Neither 

 should the same variety have two names. 



EARLY-MATURING VARIETIES. 



The earliest varieties, judged from the percentage of total cotton open 

 at first picking in the past three or four years' tests at the test farms 

 of the Department, are Dozier's Improved, King's Improved, Hodge, 

 Shine's Extra Early Prolific, and Webb. The first two named are prob- 

 ably the earliest-maturing varieties we have thus far tested. They are 

 especially adapted for growth in regions where cotton is liable to be 

 cut off by frost, mattering not whether the prolonged growth be due to 

 climate or soil. 



MEDIUM-MATURING VARIETIES. 



Culpepper's Improved, Cook's Improved, Excelsior Prolific, Peter- 

 kin's Improved, and Edgeworth are varieties that matured during the 

 past year at a medium date. 



LATE-MATURING VARIETIES. 



Russell's Big Boll, Black Texas Wood, and Moss' Improved were the 

 latest varieties tested. Some of these are good yielding varieties when 

 grown where the season is long enough for complete development of 

 their bolls before frost. 



VARIETIES WITH HIGH PERCENTAGE OF LINT. 



Of the varieties tested, Moss' Improved, King's Improved, Brown 

 Texas Wood, Peterkin's Improved, Cook's Improved, Tool's Early Pro- 

 lific, Hodge, Excelsior Prolific, Brown's No. 1, Edgeworth, and Mortgage 



