COTTON. 175 



(a) Improved Bancroft. — This variety is now giving 

 excellent results, especially in the Eustenburg area. The bolls 

 are large and pointed ; the seeds sparsely covered with white 

 fuzz, often naked; the lint is 1| to IVis inches in length; 

 requires 195 to 200 days to reach full maturity. 



(b) Zululand Hybrid, said to be a cross between Sea Island 

 and Nyasaland Upland, is very similar to improved Bancroft, 

 and is very favourably spoken of in Vryheid and Zululand. 



(c) Russell's Big Boll matures in about 200 days ; has laree 

 seed covered with green fuzz, and produces lint approximately 

 an inch in length. 



(d) Griffin is prolific bearing, with numerous small bolls to 

 which the cotton clings tightly. It is earlier than improved 

 Bancroft and the lint is probably a little better than that of 

 Russell's Big Boll. It is grown to a certain extent in Bar- 

 berton and Weenen districts. 



(e) Nyasaland Upland has large, branched open trees, lierht 

 foliage, rather small round bolls; seeds small and fuzzy; lint 

 1 to 1| inches. 



(f) Sunflower, Cook's Long Staple and Allen's all produce 

 lint approximately 1^ inches, and require a relatively long grow- 

 ing season. 



(g) King is a very early hardy variety. The lint is short, 

 f inch, and coarse ; consequently its cultivation is not advocated. 



(h) Uganda has line averaging from 1 to IVis inches, is 

 good yielding, but so far has not been able to replace any of the 

 better varieties. 



It is possible that in parts having a long growing season 

 and where irrigation can supplement the rainfall, some Egyp- 

 tian and perhaps some Sea Island types may be profitably 

 grown. 



Few of the varieties grown at present are pure, and as 

 uniformity in cotton is more important than in most crops, no 

 pains should be s]3ared to isolate pure strains of the different 

 varieties. This leads to a consideration of the next point. 



Seed Selection. — Probably in no other direction in the 

 cotton industry in South Africa can greater progress be made 

 than by seed selection. All the varieties grown at present con- 

 tain a number of strains both good and indifferent. While a 

 good deal of pure line work might well be left to the qualified 



