COTTON 95 



facts only. Their application must be worked out 

 by each individual planter on his own individual 

 farm. 



Nor is this difficult. You must put out of your 

 mind the idea that seed selection is costly, or that 

 it involves unusual labor. An axe that is sharp- 

 ened is an improved axe; a plow that turns a deep 

 furrow and pulverizes the soil in an efficient 

 manner is better than one that does not; a hog that 

 reaches maturity on a given amount of food in 

 nine months is superior to one of any breed or 

 class which uses an equal amount of food and 

 requires ten months for maturity. So a particular 

 cotton plant which shows a larger number of 

 desirable characteristics than other stalks underthe 

 same soil, climate, and other influences is an 

 improved specimen; and it is simple waste, as has 

 been said, not to use its powers to the full extent in 

 furnishing seed for the next year's crop. 



SEVEN POINTS OF IMPROVEMENT 



But what are desirable qualities to be sought? 

 We discussed some of these qualities in a previous 

 chapter. There are, in all, the following: 



(1) Better yield of fiber 



(2) Greater length of staple 



(3) More uniformity in length 



(4) Greater strength in fiber 



(5) Ability to resist disease 



(6) Increased yield in seed 



(7) Greater effort to make the plant at home. 

 These characteristics are important, all of them. 



They must be kept in mind with every effort to 

 improve the seed. 



And next we have only to remember that the 



