CHAPTER II 



DESCRIPTION OF COTTON PLANT 



f ^HE cotton plant belongs to what is 

 known as the mallow family. The 



* okra, hollyhock, althea, some weeds 

 and trees belong to the same family. Cotton 

 is a tropical plant and is found growing wild 

 in most tropical countries. It is an annual 

 in the United States; but after warm winters 

 occasional stalks of the old crop start new 

 growth, indicating the perennial nature of 

 the plant. In this country it is usually a 

 shrub-like plant, ranging from two to seven 

 feet in height. The extent of growth naturally 

 depends on soil, climatic conditions, variety, 

 and general treatment. 



A peculiarity of the mallow family is that all 

 plants in it have flowers with five petals with 

 numerous stamens that form a tube about the 

 pistil. There are usually several leaf-like parts 

 below and around the flower. In cotton there 

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