12 BULLETIN 644;, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



caution, since it is misleading if used except in connection with the 

 lint index. 



(2) An increase in the percentage of lint may be due entirely to 

 a reduction in the size of the seed without change in the quantity of 

 fiber. 



(3) The lint index is a measure of the abundance of the fiber 

 rather than a measure of the relation between the weight of the fiber 

 and the weight of the seed, as is the percentage of lint. 



(4) The lint index determines the number of bolls yielding a 

 pound of fiber. The number of seeds and of bolls required to produce 

 1 pound of fiber is constant for all varieties of cotton that have the 

 same lint index, regardless of the percentage of lint. 



(5) An increase in the lint index is correlated with an increase in 

 the weight of the seeds and reduces the number of bolts required to 

 produce a pound of fiber. 



(6) The lint index is an important factor in the cost of cotton pro- 

 duction. An increase of a single gram in the weight of the fiber 

 per hundred seeds, without change in the percentage of lint, mate- 

 rially reduces the labor of picking cotton. The efficiency of the 

 pickers also is thereby increased. 



(7) It is essential that a planter know the lint index of a variety, 

 as well as the percentage of lint, in choosing a variety to be planted. 



(8) Simple methods for ascertaining the lint index, the lint per- 

 centage, and the weight of seeds are described, and tables to simplify 

 computation are given. 



(9) The importance is shown of using a standard specimen of 

 100 grams of seed cotton in making determinations of lint percent- 

 ages, lint indexes, and the weights of seeds. 



(10) A method is described by which a planter, without special 

 apparatus, may estimate the lint index and the size of the seed of 

 a variety of cotton by counting the number of seeds in 3|- ounces of 

 seed cotton and referring to the tables in this bulletin. 



WASHINGTON GOVEItNMENT PRIXTIN<: OFFICE : 1911 



