6 BULLETIN 1030, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



manner. Both crops were shipped to Savannah, and samples were 

 submitted to Sea Island cotton buyers with a note that this cotton was 

 offered as a substitute for the Sea Island. It was stapled at If inches 

 and sold for 73^ cents a pound, which was one-half cent a pound 

 premium over the prevailing price for the best Georgia Sea Island on 

 that day. 



The report of this sale naturally attracted the attention of cotton 

 growers throughout the Sea Island belt, and the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture received many requests for seed of the Meade 

 variety. At that time the supply of this seed was very small, and no 

 general distribution could be made, but it was hoped to produce from 

 the 1918 plantings enough seed for a large acreage in 1919. 



INCREASING SEED SUPPLIES IN 1918. 



The preliminary experiments having shown much promise for the 

 Meade variety as a practical substitute for the Sea Island cotton, 

 plans were laid for a rapid increase in the seed supply from the 1918 

 plantings. 



Several reliable farmers scattered throughout the Sea Island dis- 

 trict of Georgia and South Carolina were willing to cooperate with 

 the United States Department of Agriculture in its efforts to pro- 

 vide an adequate supply of pure seed. Sufficient seed was fur- 

 nished by the department to plant from 5 to 75 acres, under an 

 agreement that to prevent possible crossing with other varieties the 

 plantings would be made in isolated fields at least 300 yards from 

 any other kind of cotton; or if this was not practicable, 50 or 60 

 rows of corn should be grown between the Meade and any other 

 variety. Representatives of the department were to visit the plant- 

 ings during the season for the purpose of roguing the fields or pull- 

 ing up the off-type plants and furnishing information in the methods 

 of seed selection. The department was to receive one-third of the 

 seed grown from the crop, while the farmer retained the lint and 

 the remaining two-thirds of the seed for his own use or to sell to 

 his neighbors and thus make it possible to establish community pro- 

 duction of Meade cotton and maintain adequate supplies of pure seed. 



FARMERS FAIL TO ISOLATE PLANTINGS. 



An inspection of these plantings in June of that year showed that 

 while some of the farmers had observed the precaution of isolating 

 the Meade field many of the plantings were not separated from 

 other cotton and on that account were useless for pure-seed purposes. 

 Some of the plantings were close to Sea Island fields and others to 

 short-staple Upland varieties or mixed stocks. In several cases 

 where poor stands of the Meade had been secured replanting had 

 been done with Sea Island seed. In one instance 26 acres of Meade 

 cotton had been flanked on one side with a field of Sea Island and 

 on the other by short cotton. 



