12 BULLETIN" 1030, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



provide the proper facilities for growing* and handling the crop. 

 In this way it was hoped that communities might be organized for 

 growing only the Meade cotton. 



STOCKS OF MEADE SEED SCATTERED IN 1920. 



The attention that Meade cotton had attracted in Georgia and 

 South Carolina led to numerous inquiries for seed from other sec- 

 tions of the cotton belt, particularly Arkansas and Texas, and in 

 order to ascertain the amount purchased in other sections a list 

 of the names and addresses of farmers to whom Meade seed had 

 been sold and the quantit}^ purchased by each was obtained from 

 the cooperators who had supplies for sale. It was found that while 

 a few of the growers had confined their sales to their own locality, 

 a number had sold seed to farmers in Arkansas and Texas and even 

 to Haiti in the West Indies, where a sufficient quantity had been 

 sent to plant about 2,500 acres. 



Numerous plantings of the Meade variety have been made in 

 Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, and California, but the results generally 

 do not encourage growing it in these States on a commercial scale. 

 Favorable local conditions may be found, but Meade cotton, like 

 all other extra long-staple varieties, is subject to injury from 

 drought, such as is likely to occur in either Arkansas or Texas. 

 Drought weakens the fiber and withers the bolls, causing them to 

 split immaturely. Even in favorable seasons it still is necessary to gin 

 the Meade cotton on roller gins, not generally available, and farmers 

 are advised not to attempt to introduce this variety in short-staple 

 Upland districts. 



Disregarding such warnings, several hundred bushels of Meade 

 seed were purchased and planted in both Texas and Arkansas. In 

 one county alone in the western jpart of the latter State about 200 

 acres were grown.'' 



The absence of roller gins made it certain that the production 

 from these fields would be ginned on a saw gin and probably 

 marketed as IMeacle cotton. To prevent further damaging criticism 

 of the variety, a warning statement was issued to bu3'ers and manu- 

 facturers against the probable appearance on the market of this 

 gin-cut cotton {11). 



PLANTINGS IN SOUTH CAROLINA IN 1920. 



Although not more than 500 acres of Meade cotton were found to 

 be sufficiently isolated in South Carolina to warrant roguing, more 

 interest in the variety was found among some of the Sea Island cot- 

 ton growers who had for many years been producing the finest grades 

 of Sea Island fiber. 



* It was subsequently ascertained that the crop from these 200 acres was ginned on a 

 saw gin and badly gin cut. While the injury to the fiber was recognized by the farmers, 

 the variety did so well in other respects that 6,000 acres were planted in 1921. 



