October 20, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



579 



growth but are often aborted when the plants 

 are crowded, much as are the lower branches 

 of trees in a crowded forest. From each node 

 of these branches secondary fruiting ones grow 

 in a similar manner as do the primary fruiting 

 branches from the main stalk, although the 

 inner ones may be thrown off on account of 

 the dense shade, as will be noted from the 

 diagram. 



strength of the plant will be thrown into the 

 fruiting ones and a greater and earlier crop 

 will result. 



Out from nodes number six, seven and eight, 

 will be noticed some secondary vegetative 

 branches; from these also fruiting branches 

 occur as from the primary. On small plants, 

 dwarfed from lack of water or of plant food, 

 these are usually wanting but may occur on 



PlahT No. ZH Jf/S 

 Fig. 1. Plant No. XIV. 



Above the vegetative branches, coming out 

 from nodes three to eighteen are the primary 

 fruiting branches. The bolls on these are 

 larger and earlier than those found on the 

 secondary fruiting branches mentioned above 

 as well as on those yet to be mentioned; from 

 the complete record of this plant it was noted 

 that seventeen bolls opened on the primary 

 branches before any opened on the secondary. 

 Farmer's Bulletin No. 601 explains a new 

 system of cotton culture which is based on this 

 fact and on that of the abortion of the vegeta- 

 tive branches, mentioned in the preceding 

 paragraph. The claim is made that with 

 thicker planting, late thinning, and by leaving 

 more plants per acre than is usually done, the 

 vegetative branches will be aborted, the 



plants having good conditions of environment 

 or may come out as a result of topping or other 

 injury to the plant. The diagram shows no 

 true branching of either vegetative or fruiting 

 branches. Mr. 0. F. Cook in Bui. No. 198 of 

 B. P. I. says : 



Pruning or other injury, or renewed growth in 

 late season may cause the formation of secondary 

 limbs from primary limbs, or even from axillary 

 buds of fruiting branches. 



He further points out that vegetative 

 branches ordinarily arise from axillary buds 

 and fruiting branches from extra-axillary ones. 

 For other variations in the branching or in 

 the location of the flower bud, the reader is 

 referred to this publication. In these dia- 



