2 COTTON 



duced by hybridisation of the Sea Island plant with 

 G. vitifolium, Lam. 



With reference to the Indian varieties, Professor 

 G. A. Gammie writes : " It is clearly evident that we 

 have at the most only one true species of cotton in 

 India, Gossypium obtusifolium, with its two sub- 

 species, G. arboreum and G. herbaceum." Other 

 botanists, however, regard the Indian cottons as 

 derived from various distinct species, including G. 

 herbaceum, G. neglectum, G. Wightianum, and G. 

 arboreum. 



Brazilian cotton is generally considered to be the 

 product of G. brasiliense, Macf., and Peruvian cotton 

 that of G. peruvianum, Cav. 



The cotton plant is a perennial shrub or small tree, 

 but is usually grown as an annual. The flowers vary 

 considerably in colour, according to the species. In 

 the case of the typical American Upland variety, the 

 petals are generally white or pale yellow when the 

 flower-bud first opens, but they gradually become 

 darker and redder until the third or fourth day, and 

 then fall to the ground. The flowers of the Sea 

 Island plant and most Egyptian varieties are yellow 

 with crimson spots at the base of the petals. Those 

 of the Indian varieties are mostly yellow with crimson 

 spots, but some of the tree cottons of India and Africa 

 (Gossypium arboreum) have deep purplish-red flowers. 

 After the petals have fallen the young fruit remains 

 enveloped in the calyx ; it gradually increases in size, 

 and is known as the " boll." When the boll is ripe, 

 it dehisces by from 3 to 5 valves, exposing the cotton, 

 which, now that the pressure on it is released, rapidly 

 expands and forms a large fluffy mass. As soon as 

 the boll has opened completely and is quite dry, the 

 cotton is ready to be gathered. 



The seeds bearing the cotton fibre, forming the pro- 

 duct known as " seed-cotton," are collected from the 

 ripe bolls, and the cotton fibre or " lint," after removal 

 from the seeds by the process known as " ginning," 

 constitutes the raw cotton of commerce. Seed-cotton 

 usually consists of about one-third of its weight of 

 cotton fibre and two-thirds of seeds. 



