32 FIELD CROPS FOR THE COTTON-BELT 



condition of the bracteoles; (2) tiie /presence or absence 

 of nectar-yielding glands; (3) the nature of the floss and 

 fuzz that siuTounds the seed. The distinguishing features 

 of each section are given below. 



Section 1. — Species with a fuzz but no floss. This 

 section includes a number of wild species, none of which 

 are known ever to have been cultivated. The bracteoles 

 are free, and the seeds are covered with a firmly adhering 

 fuzz, but there is no trace of a true floss. These species 

 of cotton are said to b& distributed from the western coast 

 tracts and islands of America to AustraUa. 



Section 2. — Fuzzy-seeded cottons with united bracte- 

 oles, mostly Asiatic species, comprising both perennial 

 and annual shrubs. In all the species of this section the 

 bracteoles are united below and the seeds are covered with 

 an inner coating of velvet (fuzz) and an outer of wool 

 (floss) . With one or two exceptions these species comprise 

 cultivated types. The two most important species in 

 this group are Indian cotton {Gossypium obtusifolium) and 

 Bengal cotton {Gossypium arboreum). 



Section 3. — Fuzzy-seeded cottons with free bracteoles. 

 — American species with thickened leaf-stems and often 

 bearing conspicuous external and internal glands. The 

 seeds are large and covered with a distinct and complete 

 fuzz and a firmly adherent floss. The leaves are gen- 

 erally large, broad, and hairy. Both wild and culti- 

 vated species are represented in this section. The 

 two most important species are American upland cotton 

 (Gossypium hirsutum) and Peruvian cotton {Gossypium 

 peruvianum). 



Section 4. — Naked-seeded cottons with the bracteoleg 

 free or nearly so and glands conspicuous. — Both Old 

 and New World forms are included in this section. These 



