CLIMATE AND SOILS 25 



The best cotton seasons are the ones during 

 which there is an absence of abnormally heavy 

 rainfall, but where showers and occasional rains 

 are frequent enough to supply moisture for con- 

 tinuous but not excessive growth. Such sea- 

 sons permit the plant food to be assimilated 

 gradually, and also causes a sufficient setting 

 of early fruit to insure a fair yield. These 

 conditions distribute the bolls in such a manner 

 as to make the plant more symmetrical and give 

 a more extended opening period, resulting in a 

 better grade of lint, especially where pickers are 

 limited during harvest season. A cold, wet 

 spring is unfavorable, interfering with prepara- 

 tion, retarding planting operations, and early 

 cultivation. While such conditions materially 

 lessen the chances for a good yield, the cotton 

 plant is so adaptable to conditions of climate 

 and soil that fair crops have been made when 

 the early outlook was quite gloomy. Frequent 

 heavy rains during June, July, and August, 

 sometimes occur and seriously damage the crop. 

 Such seasons interfere with proper cultivation, 

 promote excessive plant growth at the expense 

 of fruit, and encourage the multiplication of 

 insect pests and fungous diseases that prey upon 



