OTHER FAPM CROPS 547 



climate are factors that have to be considered when the selection of 

 a variety for a given locality is made. Plants can be selected as well 

 with reference to their disease resistant qualities, thus it becomes pos- 

 sible to raise good crops in sections where failure has resulted owing 

 to the existence of some fungous disease. Again, careful observation 

 will lead to the conclusion that there is a marked difference in varie- 

 ties with regard to the manner in which the cotton is retained in the 

 boll, hence there is room for improvement of the storm resistant 

 qualities of most of the varieties which are grown at present. 



The field should be carefully inspected and a number of plants 

 which show marked superiority labeled. Each plant should oe as- 

 signed a definite number so that exact information may be obtained 

 when the entire crop for the season has been picked. In separating 

 the best plants from the inferior grades, there are three or four 

 items which should be given some prominence in the comparisons 

 that are made. It has already been intimated that productiveness is 

 a prime requisite, hence a plant containing a large number of well 

 formed, good sized bolls should be taken in preference to the plant 

 which contains only a medium number of bolls. "Like begets like" 

 is an old well-established law and it would be proper to expect seed 

 from the prolific plant to produce plants with like characteristics. 

 A vigorous, well shaped plant should always be selected, since a plant 

 of this description will carry a larger number of bolls than a plant 

 which lacks in this respect. The earliness of maturity can also be 

 ascertained at the time of selection. It would be well to select more 

 plants than will be used for the reason that some of the individuals 

 may fail to come up to the required standard. 



After plants are labeled and numbered, small sacks with cor- 

 responding numbers should be provided so that the product from 

 each individual plant may be kept in a separate sack. The earliness 

 of the various plants can be determined by weighing the respective 

 pickings as they are taken during the fall. A few notes and meas- 

 urements may be made during the fall, and these in turn can be used 

 for reference in making further comparisons. This part, however, 

 is not absolutely necessary, but the suggestion is made so that any 

 who wish may follow the work through minutely. When the entire 

 crop has been picked, the product from each individual should be 

 weighed accurately and recorded. A careful comparison of these 

 weights will enable one to select the best individual plant, or the best 

 six plants in the list. The cotton can then be ginned, but scrupulous 

 care should be exercised to see that no mixing occurs. It is a very 

 easy matter to get a few inferior seeds from some outside source 

 mixed with the pure lots. Return the pure seed to the respective 

 sacks, and make sure the proper notes and numbers are recorded 

 on each, and store the same in a safe place for the winter. In the 

 spring a special piece of ground, and it may be added here that the 

 soil should be representative of that portion of the farm upon which 

 the general crop is raised, should be prepared for the seed patch. 

 The selected seed from the best plants is planted on this ground, and 

 the crop is given good attention during the spring and early sum- 



