4 BULLETIN 121, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The Durango is a Variety developed by the Department of Agri- 

 culture from a selection made from cotton which came originally 

 from the State of Durango in Mexico. The staple of the bale tested 

 was lfV inches and the grade good middling. 



The hale of Columbia from Easley, S. C, was from a selected 

 strain of that variety carefully bred by Mr. Carpenter. It stapled 

 1 T 3 ¥ inches and graded strict good middling. The season had been 

 adverse in this locality, and this cotton was not as long as is fre- 

 quently produced by the same strain under more favorable conditions. 



The bale of Lewis cotton was obtained from the originator of 

 this variety, who is unable to give a detailed account of its origin 

 beyond the fact that it was developed from a single plant which 

 is believed to have been originally of Delta stock. The entire pro- 

 duction of this variety has up to the present time been consumed by 

 local mills. The bale tested stapled a full l T 5 e inch and graded good 

 middling. 



The Webber variety has been developed by Mr. D. E. Coker, of 

 Hartsville, S. C. The original plant was selected from the Colum- 

 bia variety and was pointed out to Mr. Coker by Dr. H. J. Webber, 

 then of the Bureau of Plant Industry, as closely approximating his 

 ideal of what a Columbia cotton plant should be. By systematic 

 selection Mr. Coker has decidedly improved the length of the staple 

 and has named his strain " Webber " in honor of the originator of 

 the Columbia variety. 



It is fair to state that other strains of Columbia in the hands of 

 skillful breeders have shown similar improvement over the original, 

 type. The two bales of Webber tested were grown under high 

 fertilization and intensive cultivation by an excellent farmer and 

 represent what may be expected of this variety under favorable 

 cultural conditions. The}* graded middling and each stapled l-fa 

 inches. 



After the bale of Durango cotton was purchased it was brought to 

 the attention of the department that the grower had not been taking 

 measures to maintain the purity or standard of the variety, but had 

 grown it for a number of years in fields adjacent to short-stajDle 

 varieties. This may account in some measure for the large per- 

 centage of short fiber found. It was, however, then too late in the 

 season to secure a bale of better parentage. 



SOIL TYPES REPRESENTED. 



The Durango grew on Texas river-bottom land heretofore given 

 over entirely to the production of short staples. The Lewis and 

 Columbia were grown in the Piedmont section of North Carolina 

 and South Carolina at elevations of 800 feet or more, while the 

 Webber was produced in the level, Pee Dee River section of the 



