154 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1934. 



SOIL-FERTILITY INVESTIGATIONS. 



The next is the subappropriation for soil-fertility investigations 

 into organic causes of infertility and remedial measures, maintenance 

 of productivity, properties, and composition of soil humus, and the 

 transformation and formation of soil humus bv soil organisms, 

 $45,060. 



That is the same amount as was asked for last year. 



CROP ACCLIMATIZATION. 



Page 92 : 



For acclimatization and adaptation investigation-s of cotton, corn, and other crops 

 introduced from tropical regions, and for the improvement of cotton and other fiher 

 plants by cultural methods, breeding, and selection and for determining the feasi- 

 bility of increasing the production of hard fibers outside of the continental United 

 States, etc., $132,500. 



COTTON VARIETY IMPROVEMENT WORK. 



There is an increase asked there of S20,000. The increase is de- 

 sired for enlargement of the cotton variety improvement work, with 

 special reference to the southeastern conditions, where, at present at 

 least, until the prices began to go up. exceeding depression oecause of 

 boll-weevil trouble and low prices and low yield has existed. 



It is desired to develop at some point in the southeastern territory a 

 nucleuar variety improvement unit for pure-seed production activi- 

 ties, somewhat comparable with that which has for some years been 

 maintained at Greenville, Tex., where the Lone Star variety of cotton 

 has centered, which has become a very important feature of cotton 

 production there. 



The Southeast is disheartened, to an extent disorganized, in its 

 whole cotton-production effort, and the way out appears to necessi- 

 tate as one important thing the concentration of the production upon 

 fewer varities. 



Mr. Anderson. Good. 



Doctor Taylor. Which can be grown, ginned, marketed, upon a 

 standard-quality basis, and the time is ripe for that work now, we 

 feel. 



Mr. Buchanan. Do we not have many private individuals engaged 

 in trying to get such a cotton ? 



Doctor Taylor. Yes; and some with distinct success, with very 

 marked success, and upon a fairly large scale. 



Mr. Buchanan. And there are several, even, in tiic Texas territory 

 that have varieties of cotton that is just as much in demand as the 

 Lone Star ? 



Doctor Taylor. That is quite possible. That presumably will be 

 so. The department has no monopoly of the ai)ility in tlie country 

 in the field of cotton imj)rovement or production. The department 

 has a certain responsibility, we feel, and a certain degree of capacity 

 to handle and in a measure lead the way in tliat work. 



Mr. BuciiAX.VN. 1 was just wondering whether or not in all of these 

 things, corn, cotton, dates, and everything else, if it woidd not be 

 more desirable that the tlepartment arouse an interest in the devel- 

 opment along an improvement, some improvement line, and then 

 leave it to j)rivate enterprise. 



