238 



Effective Farming 



2. Characteristics of sugar-cane. Secure plants, roots, and stems 

 of sugar-cane, corn, wheat, and a tall-growing grass and compare them. 

 To what family does sugar-cane belong? 



3. Cropping methods for sugar-cane. Visit cane fields at the 

 planting, cultivating, and harvesting seasons and write description 

 of the methods followed. Visit, also, a cane mill while in operation 

 and study the methods of making sugar and molasses. 



4. Characteristics of the cotton plant. In the fall visit a cotton 

 field and study the characteristics of the plants. Notice the root sys- 

 tem, the kind of stem, the shape of the plant, the vegetative branches, 

 the fruiting branches, the arrangement of the leaves, the shape of the 

 leaves, the parts of the. flowers, and the shape of the bolls (bolls and 

 flowers are in the field at the same season), the number of locks, and the 

 length of the fiber. 



5. Pests of cotton. Study the life history of the boll-weevil and 

 the boll-worm and if these pests are prevalent in your vicinity, visit 

 the fields to study the insects, and their work. Write to your state 

 experiment station and the United States Department of Agriculture 

 for publications about these insects. Follow the same plan for cotton- 

 wilt and root-rot. 



6. The judging of cotton. Using the score-card below, judge sev- 

 eral samples of cotton. For complete directions concerning cotton 

 judging see United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin 294. 



SCORE-CARD FOR THE COTTON PLANT 



