224 Effective Farming 



The stems are covered with a fairly tough bark and the in- 

 side is brittle ; consequently after the crop has been harvested, 

 the old plants can be broken down readily. The leaves are 

 arranged alternately and are usually three-lobed, although they 

 vary in shape in different varieties and often on the same plant. 



The flowers are large and are attached to the stems by short 

 branches. In the upland varieties, the blossom is white or 

 pale cream on the first morning and changes to a pink or red 

 on the second day. The petals fall on the third or fourth day. 

 In the sea-island varieties, the blossom the first morning is 

 yellow with a purple-red spot at the base of each petal. The 

 flowers of cotton have five large petals and five inconspicuous 

 sepals. The base of the flower is surrounded by three to five 

 fringed bracts. The unopened buds inclosed by the bracts 

 make up the so-called " square " of cotton. After the petals 

 fall there remains an enlarged base of the pistil surrounded 

 by the bracts. The enlarged pistil is the seed-pod. As this 

 develops the bracts fold backward and the divisions, or locks, 

 separate, exposing the white, fluffy mass of fiber and seeds. 

 The pistil is divided into three to six parts and the number is 

 the same as that of locks of seed cotton that develop in the boll. 



The single fibers of cotton are very small. Each is an elon- 

 gated, twisted tube. The twists in a fiber are what cause 

 threads to hold together when the cotton is spun into yarn. 

 Because it will make a stronger yarn, cotton with a large num- 

 ber of twists in the fiber is more valuable than that with a 

 comparatively few twists. Maturity of fiber is of importance, 

 as immature fibers have but a few twists and thus make weak 

 threads. For this reason cotton should not be picked until 

 the bolls are well opened and mature. The length of the fiber 

 also determines its value, a long fiber being more valuable 

 than a short one. 



130. Types of cotton. The most important type of cotton 

 grown in the United States is the American upland, which is 

 of two classes, the short-staple and the long-staple. In the 



