on BULLETIN 1320, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Weevil damage to mature bolls was a minor factor as compared with 
damage from anthracnoge, boll-rot, and bollworms. 
RATE OF SEEDLING GROWTH INCREASED BY LATER PLANTING 
In order to compare the rate of plant development in the four 
plantings, records of the formation of nodes on the main stalk were 
obtained from 10 representative plants in each planting. Differences 
in the growth rate during the seedling stage of these four plantings 
are shown by the interval between the planting date and the date 
of appearance of the first square in each planting. 
As shown by the data in Table 19, the period from the date of 
planting to the appearance of the first square on the April 5 planting 
was 51 days, as compared with 44 days for the planting of April 16, 
40 days for that of April 25, and 38 days for that of May 4. The 
latter planting reached the fruiting stage of development in 13 days 
less time than the planting made on April 5. 
TABLE 19.—Rate of nodal growth during the seedling stage of cotton grown in succes- 
sive plantings at Charleston on four different dates 
Number of days— 
Date planted, 1923 Average date of appearance of first fruiting 
After 
| planting! Per node 
PAN TA SE oe fs Ne OEE SOE a ee | Mayi261 bly x PEPE ESE OE RG pea 51 6. 37 
JENS OY aa GMs SP Me LOR EN i ei Ere eg Ny INP ay 3 Oe Seer oe ae set ee ar 44 5. 50 
PAT ZO ae Be te GG ate Se cael DyUnr en te Bo ee ew Ee eR 40 5. 00 
WED ja: Ue Te eee ee ep ee pera ee eee. eee JUNG ile 23 ip AE Es ak eT oe ate al 38 4.75 
if i 
1 As these records were made from the planting date rather than from the date of germination, a deduction 
of about five or six days is necessary in comparing these figures with those that were obtained in Texas. 
(See Table 3.) 
The April 5 planting required an average of 6.37 days for the 
development of each of the first eight nodes, as compared with 4.75 
days per node for the May 4 planting, a difference in growth rate of 
1.62 days. Higher air temperatures and warmer soil conditions dur- 
ing the seedling stage of growth are probably the factors causing this 
increased rate of growth in the later plantings. The cotton plant is 
very sensitive to low temperatures, and if the young seedlings are 
exposed to periods of cold weather their growth may be so checked 
that they may not readily resume normal growth when conditions 
again become favorable. 
PLANT GROWTH DURING THE FRUITING PERIOD 
Records of plant growth during the fruiting period indicate that © 
the accelerated development of the internodes He late-planted cotton | 
is practically confined to the seedling stage. The average date of | 
appearance of the first and twelfth fruiting branches on 10 plants of | 
each planting and the average interval between the appearance of | 
successive fruiting branches are presented in Table 20. The number | 
of days required by each planting for the development of the first | 
11 fruiting branches was as follows: April 5 planting, 31 days; April | 
16, 27 days; April 25, 29 days; and May 4, 28 days. | 
