18 



BULLETIN 526, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The early thinning was done on May 10 and the later thinning on 

 June 5. When thinned, the plants in the old-method rows were 4 

 to 6 inches high and had 4 to 6 leaves, while those in the single- 

 stalk rows were 8 to 10 inches high and had 6 to 8 leaves. The old- 

 method plants were spaced 8 to 12 inches apart and the single-stalk 

 plants 6 to 8 inches apart. 



There were 20 rows in the experiment, 10 in which the systems 

 of culture were compared in alternate rows, and 10 in which com- 

 parison was made in 5-row blocks of adjoining rows. The yields 

 from each of the two pickings made are reported in Table XII. 



Table XII. — Roiv yields obtained in a single-stalk culture experiment with cotton con- 

 ducted in 1915 by J. E. Tanner, Texarkana, Ark. 





Yield of seed cotton (pounds). 



Row. 



First picking. 



Second picking. 



Total. 





Single 

 stalk. 



Old 



method. 



Single 

 stalk. 



Old 



method. 



Single 

 stalk. 



Old 



method. 



Alternate rows: 



No. 1 



8 

 8 

 7 

 7 

 7 



8 

 8 

 9 

 8 

 9 



8 

 6 



8 



8 

 8 



9 

 9 

 9 

 9 



8 



3 

 4 

 4 

 3 

 4 



4 

 4 

 5 

 3 

 5 



4 

 5 

 3 

 3 

 2 



3 

 2 

 3 

 3 

 3 



11 

 12 

 11 

 10 

 11 



12 

 12 

 14 

 11 

 14 



12 



No. 2 



11 



No. 3 



11 



No. 4 



11 



No. 5 



10 



5-row blocks: 



No. 6 



12 



No. 7 



11 



No. 8 



12 



No. 9 



12 



No. 10 



11 







Total 



79 



82 

 3 

 4 



39 



8 



26 



31 



118 

 5 

 4 



113 























Table XII shows an increase of 4 per cent in the total yield from 

 the first picking for the old method, doubtless because of the lateness 

 of thinning of the single-stalk rows. But as often happens in such 

 cases there was a greater difference, 26 per cent, in favor of single- 

 stalk culture for the second picking, making the total yield 4 per cent 

 greater for this system. 



The Latta experiment. — Mr. W. B. Latta, of Texarkana, used 

 Mebane cotton in two experiments on his farm. One of these was 

 planted on April 25 and the other on May 10. He used about 30 

 pounds of seed per acre and a good stand was secured on both fields. 

 The thinning of the old-method rows was done at the usual time, 

 May 10 and May 25, respectively, the plants being spaced 12 to 15 

 inches apart. The single-stalk rows were thinned when the plants 

 were 10 inches high and had 7 or 8 leaves. They were spaced about 

 6 inches apart. 



When inspected late in August, these experiments promised to be 

 very favorable to single-stalk culture, as about 25 per cent more bolls 



