90 



WILD AND CULTIVATED COTTONS 



Hybrid 

 stocks. 



Ancient 

 cultiva- 

 tion. 



Soft silky 

 floss. 



Inferior 

 soils. 



Annual 

 races. 



Seminal 

 selection. 



There is thus no manner of doubt as to the possibility of hybrids, 

 nay, more, as to the existence of many hybrid stocks in every cotton- 

 growing country in the world. Eeverting to India, it can be said 

 that with a little practice the recognition of such forms becomes, 

 moreover, almost intuitive, so that one feels justified in arranging 

 forms which manifest varying degrees of participation in the 

 G. arboreum influence. The value of such intuition becomes 

 apparent when it is seen that the classification thus established bears 

 a fairly definite relation to recognised qualities or agricultural crops 

 of ascertained property, such as suitability to particular climates 

 and soils, or to the capabilities of the cultivator. And there is still 

 another signification of no small importance, viz. historic evidence. 



It may be accepted, moreover, that in India at least G. arboreum 

 cultivation is quite as ancient, if not more ancient than that of any 

 other cotton. In recognising, therefore, a strain from that species we 

 have determined a feature of great strength, one might almost call it 

 of prepotency, some aspects of which it may be the object of 

 cultivation to develop or to eradicate. For example, several of the 

 Indian races or hybrids of cotton, referable to this species (primarily), 

 may be regarded as having derived from G. arboreum the soft silky 

 character of their flosses, while the length and strength of their 

 staples have come to them from the other ancestral elements. In 

 others a strain from G. arboreum would seem to have been sought on 

 account of the strength thus imparted to withstand seasonal climatic 

 changes, the plant for the most part becoming a hardy perennial. 

 And some of these arboreous races or hybrids are accordingly met 

 with on the most inferior soils that are ever placed under cotton. 



Moreover, it would seem probable that the Indian cottons, the 

 loss of which merchants often deplore, had fairly long staples and 

 were possessed of a silkiness which in all probability had been 

 derived from G. arboreum or G. Nanking. 



There are many cultivated states of the present species found all 

 over India, Egypt, and Africa. As already explained, these manifest 

 a constant tendency to throw back towards the arborescent plant with 

 dark purple flowers, whenever they are allowed to become perennial 

 or to be naturalised. The annual races may be regarded as chiefly 

 hybrids of G. arboreum, Linn., with G. obtusifolium, Boxb., and 

 possibly also G. Nanking, Meyen, the most prevalent of these crosses 

 being G. neglectum, Tod. (= G. viridescens, Ham.). 



Selection from seminal sports may also, of course, have given 

 origin to not a few of the G. arboreum races, but the writer believes 



