244 



ItUMPtA COftO^r AND ITS IMPROVEMENT 



It may be here noted that among all Indian -grown cottons that I have 

 examined, except acclimatized American and Cambodia, the three-celled boll 

 is predominant. Among American varieties belonging to Gossypium hirsulum 

 four to five-celled bolls are the most common. 



The number of ovules in the cell varies from five to eight and this char- 

 acter is somewhat variable. The most common number is seven, which 

 occurs in about sixty per cent, of the cases. Few cells (about 4 per cent.) 

 contain five ovules. Still fewer (about one per cent.) contain eight ovules. 

 The ovules are arranged one above the other in two rows. These rows contain 

 four and three when there are seven ovules in the cell, contain fcm" and two 

 or three and three when there are six ovules in the cell, and contain three and 

 two when there are five ovules. The cells containing eight ovules often show 

 a different arrangement, mto three rows containing 4, 3 and 1 or 4, 1 and 3. 

 These arrangements are illustrated in the figm'e below (Fig. 9). 



Fig. 9. 



The actual frequency of each number in one hundred examples is shown 

 by the following figures : — 



Total 



100 



The im^xTtance, from the point of view of yield, of the number of ovules 

 per cell of the boll is hardly capable of being appreciated on the present data. 

 At fii-st sight it would seem that a large number of ovules per cell will 

 probably mean a big boll and large yield. Whether this is so, will be a 

 matter for further study. 



(6) Ginning ^percentage. Among the moit important characters in 

 determiiung the suitability of a cotton for cultivation is the gimiiiig percentage, 



