264 



KUMPTA COTTON AND ITS IMPROVEMENT 



pure line cultivation, was made at Kirkee by Mr. Gammie. The resulting 

 seed was sent in 1904 to Surat, where prolific plants were deliberately recrossed. 

 This double cross between different strains of humpta was gro^vn at Surat till 

 1908, when it Avas finally transferred to Dharwar. 



The work at that time was not conducted with real precision, and the 

 produce was only further selected by mass selection on the basis of ginning 

 percentage and better staple. The resulting seed, which was given the name 

 of " kumpta cross," gave good promise of success from the first, at Dharwar. 

 The staple was considered better than that of ordinary kumpta, and it was 

 noted as being similar to hrocuh cotton in style. In subsequent trials, the 

 yield was, however, fomid to be lower than that of kumpta : while the ginning 

 percentage and staple maintained more or less their superiority. By 1911, 

 however, it was evident that the type was not pure, that it was rapidly losing 

 its specif characters of high-ginning percentage and staple, and that to obtain 

 any satisfactory and re'iable results individual selection would have to be 

 carried on. The following figures which are interesting as showing how 

 rapidly " deterioration " took place, indicate how the characters changed, 

 Avhen only mass selection was employed between 1908 and 1913 : — 



As it was obvious that the type had lost its special characters, individual 

 selection was again begun in 1913, and the seed has been maintained in this 

 manner since. The originally selected seed, self-ferti'ized, has been found to 

 breed true, and has now formed a very useful type of kumpta cotton, which I 



