278 



SOUTHERN FIELD CROPS 



There are usually other differences between long- and 

 short-staple cotton, though these are by no means univer- 

 sal distinctions. As a rule the long-staple cotton plant is 

 late in maturing, tall, and supplied with bolls that are 

 slenderer and more sharply pointed than is the case with 

 most short-staple varieties (Fig. 130). Long-staple cotton 



FIG. 131. A SEA ISLAND COTTON PLANT. 



invariably has a lower percentage of lint ; the yield of lint 

 is less, frequently below 80 per cent of that yielded by 

 short-staple varieties on the same grade of land. 



The difference in price between long- and short-staple 

 cotton varies greatly from year to year. Generally this 



