670 



Handbook of Nature-Study 



cotton as well as the picker. Children have been known to pick one 

 hundred pounds per day, and a first-class picker from five hundred to six 

 hundred pounds, or even eight hundred; one man has made a record of 

 picking sixty pounds in an hour. Cotton is one of the most important 

 crops grown in America, and there are listed more than one hundred and 

 thirty varieties which have originated in our country. 



References — The various bulletins of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture and of the experiment stations of the Southern States. The 

 most complete of these is Bulletin No. t,t,, Office of Experiment Stations, 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, published in 1896. 



LESSON CLXX 



COTTO.NI 



Leading thotight — Cotton has had a great influence upon our country 



politically as well as in- 



- ^e. 



dustrially. Its fibre was 

 used by the ancients, 

 and it is to-day one of the 

 most important crops in 

 the regions where it is 

 grown . 



Method — A cotton 

 plant with blossoms and 

 ripe bolls upon it may be 

 brought into the school- 

 room or studied in the 

 field. 



Observations— 1 . How 

 many varieties of cotton 

 do you know? Which 

 kind is it you are study- 

 ing? 



2 . What sort of root 

 has the cotton plant? 

 Does it go deep into the 

 soil? 



3. How high does 

 the plant grow? Are the 

 stems tough or brittle? 

 What is the color of the 

 bark? Of the wood? 

 Do 3^ou know of a coun- 

 try where cotton stalks 

 are used for fuel? Do the 

 stem and branches grow 

 erect or very spreading? 



4. Are the leaves opposite or alternate? Are the petioles as long as 

 the leaves? Are there any stipules where the petioles join the main stem? 

 How many forms of leaves can you find on the same stem? How do the 

 upper differ from the lower leaves? Describe or sketch one of the large 

 upper leaves, paying especial attention to the veins and the shape of the 

 'lobes. 



A donkey laden with cotton slallzs in Cairo, Egypt, the 



bundles to be sold for fuel. 



Photo by J. H. Comstock. 



