COTTON BREEDING 193 



United States. This group includes both the long-staple 

 and short-staple varieties. 



The second group, or Sea Island cotton, is grown only in 

 limited areas, in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It 

 is considered a profitable crop only within a distance of 

 about 100 miles of the coast. The fiber is long, fine, and 

 silky. It is considered the best fiber produced and sells 

 for the highest market price. 



The third group, Egyptian cotton, includes the leading 

 varieties now grown in Egypt. The fiber of this cotton is 

 somewhat longer than that of the American upland long 

 staple, but is shorter and less valuable than that of Sea 

 Island. During recent years, experiments have been con- 

 ducted in practically all the cotton-growing states with this 

 variety. It is not considered a profitable crop except 

 within very limited areas. In the southern parts of 

 Arizona and California where the growing season is long 

 and where irrigation is practiced, this cotton usually 

 gives very good yields and produces a fiber equal to that 

 imported. 



Cotton Breeding. Cotton breeding has received little 

 attention in the cotton belt. The low yields of cotton in 

 the South are not due to poor soils and unfavorable climatic 

 conditions alone, but principally to the planting of unim- 

 proved seed. A large proportion of the farmers of the 

 cotton belt do not practice seed selection, consequently the 

 seed of this crop is impure, mixed, and in other respects 

 inferior. Pure varieties, with ordinary usage, usually " run 

 out " within a few years. This is due to a lack of seed 

 selection, to cross-fertilization, and to the mixing of seed 

 at public cotton gins. 



With proper selection and breeding, any of the following 



M. AND H. PLANT PROD. 13 



