COTTON 97 



uniformity of staple qualities which count in the 

 market place. And as you grow cotton for the 

 market you must produce what the market de- 

 mands. 



DO ONE THING AT A TIME 



You will make a mistake if you attempt the 

 improvement of your cotton in all directions at one 

 time. It would be too big a task to undertake, 

 even though you should devote your whole time 

 to the work. Work in one direction, therefore; 

 the one most important to you. When your effort 

 here has resulted in improvement and becomes 

 fixed and stable, begin work in another direction, 

 but on the stock you have so far improved. 



Remember it does not require money or much 

 extra labor to work in one given direction. What 

 you do expend in this way comes back to you with 

 rewards a hundred fold. Set yourself to improve 

 your cotton in one particular quality: always select 

 plants that will produce most of marketable lint 

 and seed. This you can readily determine by a 

 thorough field examination. 



HOW TO SELECT SEED 



The most productive plants in any given variety 

 are those that have the largest, best-formed, and 

 most numerous bolls. The eye will readily detect 

 these plants. Select one hundred of the choicest 

 bolls from superior plants for your initial work 

 the coming season. From this quantity you will 

 secure from 3,500 to 4,500 seed, which will be 

 sufficient for planting a seed plot of at least a 

 quarter of an acre, and this should produce some- 



