26 



BULLETIN 564, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



EFFECT ON PLANTS. 



After the first few shakings it was noticed that this operation was 

 having a decided effect on the growth of the plants. The shaken 

 plants were becoming much shorter than the check plants and were 

 more bushy and compact in growth. This became so pronounced 

 that on August 1 the height of 200 plants in each end and the center 

 of each plat was measured. These 600 plants in the picked plat 

 averaged 48.6 inches in height, while those in the check plat averaged 

 58.6 inches in height. Thus the plants in the check plat averaged 

 10.3 inches higher than those in the picked. 



BOLL COUNTS. 



In order to secure some index to the fruit being set in these two 

 plats, 100 plants were examined in each end of each plat on July 17 

 and the bolls counted. At this time it was found that the picked 

 plat averaged 3.9 bolls to the plant, while the check plat averaged 5.4 

 bolls to the plant. These observations were checked very carefully 

 by a thorough examination of both plats, and it seemed obvious that 

 the check plat, generally speaking, was fruiting better than the picked 

 plat. However, the factor of drainage had become operative at this 

 time, and it was seen that portions of the check plat were injured 

 seriously by the drowning of the plants in poorly drained areas. 



PRODUCTION. 



The seed cotton matured hi these plats was picked on October 30. 

 The amounts secured are shown in Table 23. 



Table 23. — Seed-cotton production in Hecla plantation test, Mound, La., 1916. 





Plat and treatment. 



Area. 



Seed-cotton pro- 

 duction. 





Per plat. 



Per acre. 





Acres. 

 1.18 

 1.18 



Pounds. 

 591 

 541 



Pounds. 

 501 





458 







From Table 23 it is seen that the picked plat exceeded the check in 

 production by 43 pounds of seed cotton per acre. This was a gain of 

 9 per cent over the check. At first glance this result seems rather 

 surprising in view of the result of the boll counts and other observa- 

 tions made on the relative fruiting of the two plats, which showed the, 

 check plat to be leading the picked plat by a considerable margin. In 

 fact, the boll count showed the check plat to have a 38 per cent margin 

 over the picked plat. Of course, such boll counts are not absolutely 

 accurate, but they usuallv prove fairly representative. However, 



