COTTON 97 
uniformity of staple—qualities which count in the 
market place. And as you grow cotton for the 
market you must produce what the market de- 
mands. 
DO ONE THING AT A TIME 
You will make a mistake if you attempt the 
improvement of your cotton in all directions at one 
time. It would be too big a task to undertake, 
even though you should devote your whole time 
to the work. Work in one direction, therefore: 
the one most important to you. When your effort 
here has resulted in improvement and becomes 
fixed and stable, begin work in another direction, 
but on the stock you have so far improved. 
Remember it does not require money or much 
extra labor to work in one given direction. What 
you do expend in this way comes back to you with 
rewards a hundred fold. Set yourself to improve 
your cotton in one particular quality: always select 
plants that will produce most of marketable lint 
and seed. This you can readily determine by a 
thorough field examination. 
HOW TO SELECT SEED 
The most productive plants in any given variety 
are those that have the largest, best-formed, and 
most numerous bolls. The eye will readily detect 
these plants. Select one hundred of the choicest 
bolls from superior plants for your initial work 
the coming season. From this quantity you will 
secure from 3,500 to 4,500 seed, which will be 
sufficient for planting a seed plot of at least a 
quarter of an acre, and this should produce some- 
