108 OBSKKVATIONS ON ASIATIC fOTTONS. 



a short season the yield largely depends on the number of sympo- 

 dial branches which alone bear IVuit, ii would ajijiear that certain 

 t^'pes are more suitable than others. In this respect Type 2 

 appears to be the least suitable. ( )wing to the secondary thieken- 

 \ug of the sympodial branches, these are practically infertile. The 

 fertile portion of the plant is therefore limited to the apices of 

 these branches and the tertiaries borne by the branch developed 

 from the accessory bud. Not only, therefore, is the fertile por- 

 tion of the plant limited, but it is developed after a long vegetative 

 period. 



Those t3'pes in which a marked ilevLlopment of the accessor}' 

 bud takes place are also .somewhat late in bearing. Owing to 

 the vigour of the acces.sory shoot, the main sympodial .shoots, 

 especially the lower ones, are ver}' reduced and even wither. 

 Little fruit is borne, therefore, until the tertiary branches of 

 the accessor}' shoot develop. 



From the above quoted report it is clear that these types of 

 cottons could be considerably improved by more careful picking. 

 The diflficulty is one which is inherent in all forms of herhaceum 

 cottons and leads to the question of the possibility of growing 

 kinds which are not of this form. From the above review it is 

 clear that no other form is indigenous to Persia, so that the 

 problem resolves itself into the (|uestion of the possibility of 

 importing some foreign cotton. The review of the cottons 

 already found in Persia indicates that a plant of the husrihim 

 type is already well established in the country. It would appear, 

 however, to have undergone a certain amount of " degeneration." 

 The possibility of establishing a plant of this type which will not 

 undergo this degeneration or of establi.shing the more valuable 

 Egyptian type naturally suggests itself. Indian experience does 

 not give much hope for anticipating success in the former. In 

 the appendix is given for comparison a statement of the rainfall 

 and temperature data for a series of stations in Lower Egypt 

 and Persia. There appears to be a marked similarity between 

 the two countries in this respect. It seems reasonable, there- 

 fore, to anticipate the po.ssibility of establishing the cultivation 



