20 BULLETIN" 279, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



April and May. No rain fell between the first of June and early in 

 August. These abnormal conditions caused a restriction in the 

 development of vegetative branches. That the single-stalk system 

 was effective in still further reduchig vegetative growth is shown by 

 the fact that even though the average number of vegetative branches 

 produced on plants hi wide-spaced rows was only 1.6, on single-stalk 

 plants it was reduced to 0.53 branch per plant. 



More flowers were produced daily on the single-stalk rows than on 

 the adjoining wide-spaced rows. At the end of 40 days single-stalk 

 rows alternating with wide-spaced rows had produced 84 per cent 

 more flowers than the latter. In alternating blocks single-stalk rows 

 had produced 78 per cent more flowers than wide-spaced rows in the 

 adjoining block. 



Single-stalk rows produced an average of 5.5 bolls per plant and 

 wide-spaced rows 8.6 bolls per plant. The difference in the number 

 of bolls per plant was much more than offset by the greater number 

 of plants in the single-stalk rows, so that the single-stalk rows set 

 from 50 to 150 per cent more bolls in the same row space. 



A larger percentage of 4-locked bolls was produced in single-stalk 

 rows and in rows close together than in wide-spaced rows where the 

 plants were set either close together or far apart. 



The bolls hi the single-stalk rows were slightly smaller than those 

 in the wide-spaced rows. Nineteen 4-locked bolls from single-stalk 

 rows were required to equal the weight of eighteen 4-locked bolls from 

 wide-spaced plants. The ratio of weight for 5-locked bolls is 11 to 10 

 for single-stalk and wide-spaced rows, respectively. 



The plants in single-stalk rows were taller than those hi wide- 

 spaced rows. The single-stalk rows were spreading at the top, while 

 the wide-spaced rows were broader near the ground. 



In all cases single-stalk rows yielded more than the adjoining wide- 

 spaced rows, regardless of the distance between the rows. 



An examination of the fiber hi the field showed that there was no 

 perceptible difference in the quality or quantity of lint produced in 

 single-stalk and hi wide-spaced rows. 



Plants tliinned to a few inches apart in the row had fewer vegeta- 

 tive branches than plants spaced farther apart, the thinning having 

 been done at the same time hi each case. Late-thinned plants had 

 fewer vegetative branches than plants thinned earlier to the same 

 distance. 



Early thinning and late thinning gave higher yields than very late 

 thinning. 



WASHINGTON : GOVBBNMENT PBINTING OFFICE : l?15 



