ISO 



AGRICULTURE 



all may have had an equal chance. Hence, it is very easy 

 to improve cotton by selecting seed from the best plants. 

 The yield of lint and the percentage of lint in the seed- 

 cotton can be increased, the bolls made larger, the lint 

 longer, and the plants earlier or shorter-jointed. But all 

 of these cannot be attained at the same time. It is best to 

 start with a pure variety that is satisfactory in all but one 



/V-/.7-MS. 



PA. 



FIG. 96. SHOWING AMOUNTS OF NITROGEN, PHOSPHORIC ACID, AND POTASH 

 REMOVED FROM THE SOIL BY 500 POUNDS OF COTTON LlNT AND IOOO 

 POUNDS OF SEED 



Shaded squares indicate the small amount of plant-food in the lint; unshaded 

 squares show the large amount in the seed. 



quality, and then select from good plants that make the 

 nearest approach to this desired quality. The first rule in 

 cotton-breeding is to select chiefly for one quality at a time 

 and to keep up this selection for the same quality every year. 

 The second rule is to keep separate the seed of each of 

 the best twenty or more mother plants and to grow each 

 in a separate row the next year. The seeds from the best 

 rows should be saved. Always locate the breeding-patch 

 as far from other cotton as possible. Insects carry cotton 



