93 



drought-resistant qualities. Although producing a larger crop than most varieties 

 on poor, dry upland, it responds well to better conditions. Forty bales have been 

 produced on 14 acres. Plant in drills 4 feet apart, leaving plants 15 inches apart. 

 Give thorough surface cultivation until the time of flowering. Keep the picking up 

 as closely as possible to prevent loss from lint falling out, although the loss from this 

 source is not likely to be greater than in other big boll varieties. Save seeds for 

 planting from early pickings from the best plants." {Dewey. ) 



4328. Gossypium barbadense. Egyptian cotton. 



From Texas. Received January, 1900. 



Mitafifi. ' ' The leading variety of Egyptian cotton imported by the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture and acclimated by five generations of cultivation by W. H. Wentworth 

 in southern Texas. Plants robust, 4 to 7 feet high, with numerous spreading branches; 

 leaves deeply 3-lobed; flowers large, yellow; bolls rather small, three-locked, numer- 

 ous, scattered along the branches; lint light brown — lighter than the imported Egyptian 

 cotton — soft, oily, strong, with well-developed twist, clinging together and remain- 

 ing compact after the boll opens; staple about 1|- inches long. A long, warm season 

 is required for the growth of this cotton. It is desirable to haye sufficient moisture 

 during its early growth to induce a rapid development of the plant, followed by 

 warm, dry weather while the bolls are forming, and to plant before the end of March, 

 if possible, on an upland loamy soil long under cultivation. The bolls do not begin 

 to form until the plant has attained nearly its full size, and in rich, moist land it 

 continues to grow too long, producing large plants with few bolls. Plant in drills 6 

 feet apart, leaving plants about 30 inches apart in the row. Give frequent surface 

 cultivation until time of flowering. Pick the cotton as soon as possible after the 

 bolls open, as the fiber loses its luster and soft, oily qualities by long exposure to the 

 weather. A roller gin must be used to obtain the fiber without injury and produce 

 a good quality of cotton that will compare favorably with that imported from Egypt. 

 Seed for planting should be saved from the early pickings from selected plants of the 

 best type. A peck of seed should plant three-fourths of an acre, and under favor- 

 able conditions the yield should be at least three-fourths of a bale per acre. ' ' ( Dewey. ) 



4329. Gossypium bakbadense. Egyptian Cotton. 



From Egypt. Received through Vilmorin, February, 1900. 



Matafifi. The leading variety grown in Egypt, where it is supposed to have devel- 

 oped from American Sea Island, early introduced there. A robust plant 4 to 7 feet 

 high, pyramidal, with numerous spreadiug branches; leaves deeply three-lobed; 

 bolls numerous, scattered along the branches, small, three-locked; seed black, with 

 small tufts of green fiber at the ends; lint yellowish brown, fine, oily, soft, very 

 strong, with well-developed twist making it cling together like wool, remaining com- 

 pact after the boll opens; staple about 1\ inches long. The lint averages about 33 

 per cent of the weight of seed cotton. The yield of this variety is usually higher 

 than that of other Egyptian cottons. There is a demand for it at prices about double 

 those of ordinary upland cotton. In Egypt it is cultivated throughout the cotton- 

 growing region of the Nile delta, where very little rain falls from the time of planting 

 in March to harvest time in November, but it is irrigated early in the season. It 

 requires a long, warm, dry season and is recommended only for the southern part of 

 the cotton belt in this country. It should be planted on upland sandy loam, in old 

 cultivated land, in drills 5 or 6 feet apart, with plants about 30 inches apart in the 

 drill. In rich moist soil more room will be needed, as large plants may be produced 

 with few bolls. Frequent cultivation should be given until time of blooming. Pick- 

 ing should follow the opening bolls as soon as possible to prevent injury to the soft, 

 oily qualities of the fiber by exposure to the weather. A roller gin must be used to 

 obtain the fiber in a condition that will compare with that of the imported Egyptian 

 cotton. The yield from the first planting of imported seed is likely to be less than 

 that of later generations that have become acclimated. Seed for planting should be 

 saved from early pickings from early maturing plants of the best type. \Dewey. ) 



4330. Gossypium bakbadense. Egyptian Cotton. 



From Egypt. Received through Vilmorin, February, 1900. 



Abbasl. "A variety of long staple cotton developed by selection in Egypt from the 

 variety known as "Kafiri," which in turn was obtained from Matafifi. It has a 

 spreading habit, branching from near the base; leaves rather deeply three-lobed, 



