14 



BULLETIN 526, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



made by Mr. E. S. Burt, agent for Bossier Parish; Mr. A. J. Scott, 

 agent for Caddo Parish; and the writer. Then there were 40 to 50 

 per cent more bolls on the single-stalk rows and it was confidently 

 expected by all present that the yields would vary in about the same 

 proportion, favoring single-stalk culture. It is believed that much of 

 the cotton on the single-stalk rows had fallen from the bolls before 

 picking time, for the crop was not picked until October 26, which 

 was unusually late. 



Table VIII. — Rozv yields obtained in a single-stalk culture experiment with cotton 

 conducted in 1915 on the farm of W. B. Wilbourn, Benton, La. 



Row. 



No. l. 

 No. 2. 

 No. 3. 

 No. 4. 

 No. 5. 

 No. 6. 

 No. 7. 

 No. 8. 

 No. 9. 

 No. 10 

 No. 11 

 No. 12 



Yield of seed cotton 



(pounds). 



Single 



Old 



stalk. 



method. 



35 



45 



35 



45 



30 



45 



35 



40 



35 



45 



40 



45 



30 



45 



30 



35 



30 



40 



30 



35 



35 



40 



35 



35 



Row. 



No. 13. 

 No. 14. 

 No. 15. 

 No. 16. 

 No. 17. 

 No. 18. 

 No. 19. 

 No. 20. 



Total 



Difference 



Increase per cent. 



Yield of seed cotton 

 (pounds). 



Single 

 stalk. 



Old 

 method. 



35 

 40 



40 

 35 



40 

 30 

 40 

 25 



780 



135 



17 



CADDO PARISH. 



Two experiments were conducted in Caddo Parish, one on the 

 farm of Mr. C. C. Herndon, near Shreveport, and the other on the 

 farm of Mr. William Mercer, at Gilliam, about 20 miles northwest 

 from Shreveport. 



While early seasonal conditions in this part of the State were 

 more favorable to the normal growth of the crop than in most other 

 sections, they were not ideal, in that some drought obtained during 

 April and May. 



The Herndon experiment. — This experiment was the only one of 

 the series in which single-stalk culture was compared with the usual 

 method on an acre basis. The single-stalk acre was located in a 

 rather low corner of a field of several acres, and it maintained only 

 a fair stand. Moreover, there were several skips in each row. The 

 field was planted rather late in April, and dry weather prevented uni- 

 form germination. 



There was a difference of only nine days in the time of thinning 

 the two plats in this experiment. The old-method rows were thinned 

 on June 4, when the plants were 3 to 4 inches high and had 2 to 4 

 leaves, while the single-stalk rows were thinned on June 13, when 

 the plants were 6 to 8 inches high and had 5 to 8 leaves. The 

 plants in the former rows were spaced 18 to 24 inches apart and those 

 in the latter 6 to 8 inches. 



