198 COTTON 



Marketing. -- The quality and grade of cotton largely 

 determine the price. The grade depends principally upon 

 the color of fiber, the amount of trash, and the amount of 

 immature fiber. The grade is not usually influenced by the 

 length of fiber, but the length has an important influence in 

 determining the price. 



Principal Uses. Cotton is grown mostly for its fiber 

 which is used extensively in the manufacture of many kinds 

 otcotton goods. A number of products are made from the 

 seed. Large quantities of oil are extracted from the seed 

 and the residue is used for cattle feed and as a fertilizer. 

 Nitrogen is the chief fertilizer constituent in cotton seed. 

 Phosphoric acid and potash are also present in small 

 amounts. 



A ton of cotton seed usually produces 750 to 900 pounds 

 of hulls, depending upon the kind of machinery employed 

 in the process. The hulls are used extensively as cattle 

 feed. 



Insect Enemies. Several hundred species of insects are 

 known to feed upon the cotton plant. Some of the more 

 destructive are the boll weevil, bollworm, cotton caterpillar, 

 and cutworm. 



The boll weevil has spread over practically two thirds 

 of the cotton belt and has done more damage than all the 

 other insects combined. The boll weevil in the adult stage 

 passes the winter in grass or any kind of crop residue left 

 on the field. In spring the insects emerge and lay their 

 eggs upon the young buds and later in the season upon 

 the bolls of the cotton plant, into which the larvae bore 

 after hatching. As a rule all buds that are attacked 

 drop off. However, the larger bolls may be attacked and 

 still produce one or more locks of cotton. There are a 



