206 Studies in Indian Cotton 



Cawnpore Station. Though the practical conclusions have of necessity 

 throughout received detailed attention the wider aspect has not been 

 neglected. The broadest interpretation, in fact, has been placed upon 

 the subject in the belief that by such means only can the breadth of 

 view be obtained which is essential to that comprehensive understand- 

 ing of the group of types under experiment which alone will lead to 

 success in practice. With this aim in view the range of the indigenous 

 forms has, as far as possible, been determined, the various types 

 isolated and grown in pure culture, and crosses made between them. 



The fact that the ultimate goal of the experiments is the improve- 

 ment of the forms generally cultivated has nevertheless imposed certain 

 restrictions which it is necessary to review here. The object is ex- 

 clusively an improvement of the forms grown in the United Provinces. 

 These Provinces are characterised by a comparatively severe winter, of 

 a severity sufficient not only to check all growth in the cotton plant 

 but to render all previously-formed branches incapable of flower produc- 

 tion. Before this can occur, a considerable amount of fresh growth 

 must take place and, by the time flowers commence to form, the brief 

 temperate period has given place to a summer so intensely hot and dry 

 that little or no fruit is set. Forms, therefore, such as are commonly 

 cultivated in the milder districts of Southern India have been grown 

 only with considerable difficulty. It has been found practically impos- 

 sible to isolate pure types of these and in many cases the only record is 

 one of complete failure to pass from one generation to the next. A full 

 investigation of such forms can only be accomplished in a climate more 

 suited for their cultivation. 



During the past few years there has been frequent reference in 

 India to " plant-to-plant " selection as a means of improving the quality 

 of the staple. This term " plant-to- plant selection" is one which has 

 received extended application in India and is there used to denote that 

 selective process by which the crop is grown from the seed of definite 

 selected plants. Fertilisation is allowed to take place naturally and 

 the effects of possible cross-fertilisation are disregarded. It is a method 

 which has been advocated on the assumption that cross-fertilisation 

 does not occur in nature — a view that has been maintained by Gammie 

 (8 and 9). On the other hand observations to the contrary have been 

 made by Balls (1) working in Egypt on a different series of types and in 

 India by Burkill (4), Fyson (7) and the author (11). Also throughout 

 their work both Middleton (13) and Watt (19 and 20) constantly indi- 

 cate their belief, not only that natural crossing takes place, but that 



