19081 
Field for Economic Plant Breeding 
11 
It has yielded with the best of the varieties tested at our State 
Experiment station, and its money out-turn was the greatest of 
any, on account of the premium which its long staple commands. 
My own experiments with this cotton seem to coincide with 
those obtained at Clemson the last season. I tested it with nine 
other varieties and, though the general results were not conclusive, 
owing to irregularity of stand, Columbia undoubtedly stood first in 
money value. 
Dr. Webber’s Citranges are also an important addition to our 
economic plants, as they provide an entirely new class of fruits for 
the cotton belt. 
A plant of Rusk Citrange which fruited in my garden last sea- 
son has thus far proved entirely hardy. The delicious ade made 
from this fruit may soon be expected to alleviate the situation in 
the broad area of southern prohibition territory. 
I would like to mention the work of a number of the men in the 
Bureau of Plant Breeding, but refrain from lack of space. I 
must say, however, that Mr. A. D. Shamel has obtained results 
with shade grown tobacco that deserve the widest notice and com- 
mendation. He has, in fact, revolutionized that industry. Mr. 
Orton also, in saving the cotton plant from extinction over con- 
siderable areas, has earned the gratitude of the cotton states. 
The production of varieties of cotton similar to Columbia, 
suited to each section of the south, is one of the most promising 
opportunities now in view for southern plant breeders. This work 
is especially important to the eastern part of the belt where up- 
land cottons average less than one inch in length of staple and 
sell in the markets of the world at a lower price than any except 
East Indians. 
It should be noted that most of Dr. Webber’s promising new 
cottons, including Columbia, originated with selections from exist- 
ing varieties and not from hybrids. 
My method of cotton breeding is similar to that originated by 
Dr. Webber, but differs in a few details. I started with a deter- 
mination to breed, if possible, an up-land cotton of maximum 
production that would command a staple premium. All extra 
staple varieties then known to me were much lower in yield than 
