COMMERCIAL LINT 129 



author's experience was the annual growth-race between 

 strains of cottons derived respectively from Willet's Red- 

 leaf, King, Asia Minor, and the average Egyptian plants; 

 first one and then another of the competitors would lead 

 on the same dates each year, according to their specific 

 peculiarities. 



If the differences between the components which 



go to make up a commercial variety were confined 



to mere structure and colour, there would 



Natural ^ very little material for natural selection 

 Selection. 



to lay hands upon; but since there are also 



these physiological differences, it follows that some kinds 

 of plants flourish best in one locality, and produce more 

 seed, with the result that the sowing of the next season 

 contains more of these plants, and the general properties 

 of the variety alter accordingly. The name given to this 

 alteration varies : if the change does not spoil the lint, it is 

 called "acclimatization"; if the lint of these flourishing 

 plants is inferior, the change is called " deterioration." 



Now, a commercial variety of cotton growing in any 

 one site and year is made up of many different strains of 

 Uniformit c tton and of hybrids between them. Some 

 and Cultiva- of these plants are well suited to their en- 

 tion. vironment, others are not. If cultivation 

 is very good, or, in other words, if as little tax as possible 

 is put upon the self -regulating functions of the plant, 

 even those plants which are comparatively unsuited to 

 the environment will grow fairly well, and will make as 

 good lint as they can; the crop resulting will therefore 

 U- as uniform as it can. If, on the other hand, cultiva- 



9 



