CHAPTER XVIII 

 COTTON BREEDING 



AN important part of crop-growing is to maintain the 

 excellence of types and varieties, and to improve the plants 

 by constant attention to approved methods of breeding. 

 Cotton is no exception to this rule. 



266. Deterioration of cotton is easy. A large propor- 

 tion of the farmers of the cotton-belt plant impure, mixed, 

 and otherwise inferior cotton seed. Even where a start is 

 made with a pure variety the cotton usually " runs out," 

 or deteriorates, in a few years. This is not because soil or 

 climate is unfavorable ; the depreciation in productiveness 

 and quality is generally due to one or more of the following 

 reasons : 



(1) Failure to select plants as carefully for seed as did 

 the person who originated or improved the variety ; 



(2) Mixing of the seed at public gins with inferior seed ; 



(3) Cross-pollination by insects bringing pollen from 

 inferior varieties or from unimproved (scrub) cotton ; 



(4) The planting of seed obtained in the last picking, 

 many of which are immature, light and defective, or from 

 late, poor plants. 



Nowhere in the cotton-belt is there any necessity for 

 short-staple cotton to deteriorate. If it does become less 

 valuable, the cause will be found in want of due care to 

 secure good seed for planting. 



300 



