MEADE COTTON REPLACING SEA ISLAND. 



cured, and in 1917 the experimental plantings were extended 

 throughout the Sea Island district of Georgia in order to ascertain 

 the behavior of this cotton under boll-weevil conditions in compari- 

 son with that of the Sea Island type. Tliat these preliminary plant- 

 ings showed additional promise for the variety is shown by the 

 results obtained. 



At Thomas ville, Ga., under conditions of extreme boll- weevil in- 

 festation, 1 acre of Sea Island and Meade cotton was planted in alter- 

 nate blocks of four rows. The Meade yielded at the rate of 1,499 

 pounds of seed cotton per acre and the Sea Island at 501 pounds. 

 At Valdosta, Ga., only small plantings were made to ascertain the 

 comparative earliness of the two types. By September 13 the Meade 

 test rows had yielded 230 pounds of seed cotton, but it was not until 

 September 28 that 117 pounds of seed cotton were secured from the 

 Sea Island rows. In addition to the difference in earliness and yield 

 shown in this test, Table 1 presents the results obtained in a compari- 

 son of Meade and Sea Island bolls. 



Table 1. 



-Comparison of Meade and Sea. Island halls groivn in alternate rotes 

 at Valdosta, Ga., in 1911. 



Variety. 



Weight of 10 4- 

 locked bolls 

 (grams). 



Percent- 

 age of 

 Unt. 



Lint 

 index. 



Number of 4-locked 

 bolls to — 



Weight 

 of seed 

 from 



Total. 



Lint 

 only. 



Pound 

 of seed 

 cotton. 



Pound 

 of fiber. 



500- 

 pound 

 bale.. 



bale of 



cotton 



(pounds). 



Meade 



65.70 

 35.75 



17.6 

 10.9 



26.8 

 30.7 



5.45 



69 



257 

 412 



128, 500 

 206,000 



1,365 



Sea Island 



4.93 i 126 



1,111 











This experiment shows that it required 57 more bolls of Sea Island 

 than of Meade cotton to make a pound of seed cotton, 155 more bolls of 

 Sea Island to make a pound of fiber, and 77,500 more bolls of Sea 

 Island to make a 500-pound bale. (PI. III.) 



While the ratio of fiber to seed in the Sea Island was 30.7 per cent 

 and in the Meade 26.8, the actual weight of the fiber from 10 four- 

 locked bolls of each was much greater for the Meade on account of the 

 larger size of the Meade seed. 



In addition to these advantages of the Meade over the Sea Island, it 

 should be remembered that a large percentage of the Sea Island bolls 

 have only three locks, while most of the Meade bolls have four locks 

 and a fair percentage have five locks. 



At Statesboro, Ga., 5 bushels of Meade seed were used to plant a 

 block of 8 acres. The cooperator was a prominent Sea Island cotton 

 grower, producing that year some 40 bales of this fiber. The 8 acres 

 of Meade cotton produced 6 bales of fiber, and both the Sea Island 

 and Meade crops were ginned on the same gin and baled in the same 



