FIELD CROPS. 127 



Fertilizer, culture, and variety experiments on cotton, \l. J. 

 KeddinCt ( Georgia Sta. Bui. 35, pp. 561-587). — Tests of varieties (pp. 

 563-569). — Results of tests of 20 varieties of cotton are given in tables 

 and uotes. Strickland Improved gave the largest yield of seed cotton 

 (2,047 lbs. per acre) and produced the largest bolls. Texas Oak pro- 

 duced the largest percentage of lint (36.5 per cent) and proved the 

 most profitable. Tyler Limb Cluster and Griffin Drought Proof Pro- 

 lific were the earliest varieties; i. e., the largest percentages of the 

 total yields (97 and 96 per cent, respectively) were picked before Sep- 

 tember 15. 



Distance experiments (pp. 569-573). — These experiments have been in 

 progress 6 years (E. S. R., 7, p. 954). In rows 4 ft. apart, the plants 

 were placed at distances of 1, 2, 3, and 4 ft. The largest yield of seed 

 cotton per acre (1,853 lbs.) was obtained when the distance in the row 

 was 1 ft. The largest average yield of the 4 plats and the largest aver- 

 age yield for the 6 years was also in favor of this distance. An experi- 

 ment carried on in 1893, 1895, and 1896 to determine the best proportion 

 between the width of the rows and the distance between the plants 

 when 7,260 plants to the acre, or 6 sq. ft. for each plant are allowed, 

 led to the conclusion, from the average results of 3 years, that the dis- 

 tance between the rows should be little, if any, greater than the spaces 

 between plants in the row. 1 The distance between rows varied from 

 3 to 6 ft., while the distance between plants varied inversely as the 

 width of the rows. 



Fertilizer experiments (pp. 573-587). — To 6 plats 610 lbs. acid phos- 

 phate, 47 lbs. muriate of potash, and 373 lbs. of cotton-seed meal per 

 acre were applied, while 6 other plats received 448 lbs. of raw bone 

 meal, 47 lbs. muriate of potash, and 119 lbs. cotton-seed meal per acre, 

 the applications being equal in plant food. The acid-phosphate plats 

 yielded an average of 1,158 lbs. of seed cotton per acre, while the raw- 

 bone-meal plats yielded 1,017 lbs. This experiment shows that for cot- 

 tou crops the phosphoric acid of raw bone meal is much less available 

 and effective than the phosphoric acid of acid phosphate. 



In one experiment the effects of excessive applications of muriate 

 and sulphate of potash were studied. The basal fertilizer applied con- 

 tained the 3 principal elements in such proportions as experiments had 

 proveu to be best. The amounts of muriate of potash varied from 36 to 

 72 lbs. per acre, and of sulphate from 60 to 120 lbs. In both cases each 

 successive increase resulted in a successive decrease in yield. The sul- 

 phate produced a less marked effect than the muriate. The author 

 concludes that the excessive use of potash in either form is not only a 

 waste of that element, but an absolute detriment to the crop. 



A general fertilizer test proved unsatisfactory on account of a poor 



'At the author's request the wording of the conclusion was slightly changed from 

 that given in the bulletin. 

 4513— No. 2 3 



