26 BULLETIN 1320, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
The average number of squares formed on 10 plants of each spac- 
ing is shown in Table 14. The unthinned plants averaged 10.6 
squares each on June 27, as compared with 10. 1 squares on thinned 
plants. On August 9, when the final record of all squares formed 
was obtained, the thinned plants averaged 34 and the unthinned 
plants 25.4 squares per plant. 
The greater fruiting capacity of individual plants when two plants 
are left in hills does not represent the relative fruitfulness of thinned 
and unthinned cotton. When equal areas of each spacing are com- 
pared, the greater number of plants in unthinned rows, usually more 
than offsets the difference in fruiting capacity of individual plants. 
This is illustrated in Plate III by the number of bolls set on equal — 
sections of rows of thinned and unthinned plants. 
PRODUCTION OF FLOWERS ON THINNED AND ON UNTHINNED ROWS 
Daily records of the number of flowers were obtained from July 2 
to July 7 and at 2-day intervals thereafter until August 6. These 
records were obtained from a 50-foot section of rows of thinned and 
of unthinned plants, each section being representative of similarly 
spaced plants throughout the test. There were 144 plants in the 
section of unthinned cotton and 98 plants in the thinned section. 
The data of flower production are given in Table 15. 
TaBLE 15.—Flowers counted in 50-foot sections of rows of cotton unthinned com- 
pared with those on plants thinned to two in a hill with the hills 12 inches apart 
at San Antonio 
Un- | : | Un- . | Un- : 
Date, 1923 fainted | Thinned |} Date, 1923 +Hanned Thinned | Date, 1923 aed Thinned 
July 2... 30 10 || July 13___.__ 64 46 || July 29-.____ 30 | 23 
ike ae ee July ino 69 41 || July 31______ 19 | 21 
pile Soe as 22 14 |] July 17______ 58 || Aug. 2. ___ 4 17 
Fahye5 se 31 El aly: 19s 54 48 |} Aug. 4______ 3 14 
July 6_______ 52 17 || July 21______ 46 41 || Aug. 6_____- 1 11 
Julytea: = 33 22 || July 23______ 41 35 
See aces 62 40:\| Joly. goo |? atl "Total 782 566 
July (he 24" 50 17 | Satyr 27230 36 41 | 
| 
Although individual plants of thinned cotton have a greater fruit- 
ing capacity than unthinned plants, comparisons of equal areas of 
each spacing show that a larger number of flowers were produced 
by the unthinned plants. A total of 782 flowers was counted on the 
50-foot section of unthinned cotton, as compared with 566 flowers 
on an equal section of thinned plants. The difference of 216 more 
flowers on the unthinned cotton represents an increase of about 
38 per cent in favor of the unthinned plants im this test. 
A greater degree of earliness of the unthinned plants is indicated 
by the number of flowers produced during the first part of the flower- 
ing period. A total of 372 flowers was recorded on the unthinned 
plants during the period from July 2 to July 13, as compared with 
175 flowers on the thinned plants during the same period. 
WEEVIL DAMAGE TO BOLLS 
A record of the extent of weevil injury to bolls was obtained from 
two 50-foot sections of rows in the late-planted cotton. On August 
4 
4 
