G. L. KOTTUR 233 



(2) Length oj growing period. All herbaceum cottons, as I have noted 

 before, have a long growing period, but there is a great difference in the actual 

 average length in the cotton grown in different regions. The herhaceuni cottons 

 of Gujarat have a gro^^'ing period longer by two months than kumpta. The 

 former are usually planted in Jmi,e : the kumpta is somii. in August-September 

 as above noted. But the crop is obtained at about the same time, that is to 

 say, in February and March. 



(3) LeaJ Jail. Another inarked point of difference is the way in which 

 the kumpta cotton plants lose the greater part of their leaves at the beginning 

 of the cold seaosn. This does not occur with the herbacmm cottons of Gujarat. 

 It is not a matter of climate, for the Gujarat cottons do not drop their leaves 

 when grown in the kumpta region. 



(4) Size oJ boll. The GnjaTSit herbaceum cottons have a large round boll 

 quite distinct from the much smaller, slightly tapering boll of the kumpta 

 cotton. Various types of this latter are shown in Plates I and VII. 



(5) Colour of cotton. Another very marked feature is the different colour 

 of the cotton lint. The kumpta cotton has always a dull colour Wth a tinge 

 of red in it. The Gujarat herbaceum cotton, on the other hand, is very white 

 and much brighter in colour. 



(6) Ginning percentage. The usual ginning percentage of kumpta cotton 

 is very low. In this feature, herbaceum cottons differ very much indeed, and 

 the various types vary from 40 per cent, or more in the ghogari of Gujarat 

 to 32 or 33 per cent, in broach cotton, and to 25 or 2G per cent, in kumpta 

 cotton. Of all the cultivated types of Gossypium herbaceum, kumjM cotton 

 has the lowest ginning percentage. 



(7) Seed characters. The Jierbaceum cottons of Gujarat have as a rule 

 large and very fuzzy seeds. The seeds of kumpta cotton, on the other hand, 

 are smaller and much less covered with fuzz. The difference is again very 

 characteristic, and enables the seeds of the two types to be at once 

 distinguished. 



While these featm-es enable kumpta cotton to be easily differentiated 

 from the herbaceum cottons of the more northern parts of the Bombay 

 Presidency, it is not suggested that either one or the other, or in fact any 

 variety as usually cultivated, is a single definite type. It has often been said 

 that kumptu cotton is possessed of very stable characteristics. This has, in fact, 

 been repeated {vide supra) in the recently issued report of the Indian Cotton 

 Committee. But I have found it extremely variable and to consist of a large 

 number of distinct strains ^^ith different cultural, botanical and commercial 

 characters. True, the differences found are perhaps not so great as those 



