340 Elementary Principles of Agriculture 



that a liberal amount of moisture is essential for con- 

 tinuous fruiting and therefore for large yields. 



499. The Light Relation of the fruiting branches is 

 probably the second most important feature to be con- 

 sidered in caring for a cotton crop. Cotton plants do 

 best in warm, sunshiny weather. The normal healthy 

 growth of the fruiting branches is especially important. 

 Plants should never be so thick that the leaves on these 

 branches shade each other very much. On upland or 

 poor land where cotton stalks grow only 18 to 24 inches 

 high, the plants may be quite close together, 10 to 18 

 inches in the drill, and not injuriously shade each other. 

 On heavy bottom or other lands, greater space between 

 plants should be given in order to allow the light to reach 

 the lower fruiting branches. It may be noted that the 

 rule for spacing cotton according to the richness of the 

 land is the opposite of that for corn. Why? (H 149-466). 



500. Shedding of Blossoms. Cotton yields are often 

 reduced by the falling off of many blooms and young 

 bolls, leaving the branches unfruitful. This is not well 

 understood, but it is probably influenced by irregularity 

 in the moisture supply due to dry weather, hot winds, or 

 showers. Shedding may be serious either when growth 

 is very rapid or very slow. Sometimes shedding is 

 attributed to improper fertilization of the flower by the 

 pollen, sometimes to poor nourishing of the blooms, either 

 from rapid growth or dry weather. (See If 158-160). 

 The time consumed from the beginning of the bud to the 

 opening of the flowers is usually about 3 to 4 weeks. (See 

 Fig. 85). The time from the opening of the flower to 

 the maturity and opening of the boll is 30 to 50 days. 

 When the flowers open, usually about sunrise, they are 

 creamy white in upland cotton and yellow in Sea Island 



