ACCLIMATIZATION OF KEKCHI COTTON. 17 



EFFIXTS OF (ilATEMAI.AX CONDITIONS ON UNITED STATES VARIETIES. 



I'he behavior of the United States varieties under changed climatic 

 conditions in Gnateniahi is interesting in several ways. The " King," 

 which in the United States appears to resemble the Guatemalan 

 variety most nearly, hero loses most of its distinctive characters and 

 l)reaks up into a variety of types, many of which would not be recog- 

 nized in the United States as at all related to King. One of these is 

 n " limbless " or " cluster " variety, which for a time appeared to 

 Mr. Kinsler as a very promising new sort. It was smaller and dis- 

 tinctly earlier than King plants of the normal type, and seemed 

 likely to be more productive, but only a few bolls developed, and 

 these proved to be of abnormal form, with deep grooves or notches 

 across the tip. 



One of the features in which the change of climate seems to ])ro- 

 duce remarkable effects is that of earliness. The King, which in the 

 States is looked upon as the earliest variety, is found by Mr. Kinsler 

 to be somewhat exceeded in this respect by " Allen," which has not 

 been looked upon as a competitor. The Sea Island and Egyptian 

 varieties, too, prove to be much more precocious than was expected. 

 Some of them begin flowering almost as soon as the Upland sorts. 

 The Rivers variety of Sea Island cotton, in particular, was very 

 early, robust, and productive, distinctly ahead of the near-by Janno- 

 vitch, though not so tall. 



ACCLIMATIZATION OF KEKCHI COTTON IN THE UNITED STATES. 



It was not unexpected that the Kekchi cotton would show a change 

 in its method of growth on being transferred to Texas. New condi- 

 tions of soil and climate often cause notable disturbances of the 

 organism. Some of the tropical cottons planted in Texas for experi- 

 mental purposes have grown into large bushes without showing the 

 slightest tendency to produce fruit or even flowers. In 1904 cotton 

 from Peru planted at Victoria, Tex., grew most vigoro^.sly to a 

 height of 18 feet, but remained quite sterile. It is possible, howcA^er, 

 that even in their own country these Avere what are called " tree 

 cottons." which usually grow to considerable size before beginning 

 to flower. Letters from Mr. Kinsler, in charge of our experimental 

 l)lot at Pierce, Tex., relate a similar behavior on the part of the 

 Kekchi cotton, which at that place has grown large and rank; but 

 toward the end of July it was beginning to fruit, so that the ripening 

 of seeds in Texas is to be anticipated. 



Two or three years will probably suffice to diminish this abnormal 

 vegetative vigor, due to the stimulus of the new conditions, and ])er- 

 mit a return to the normal earliness of the variety. Similar results 

 9962— No. 88—05 m 2 



