April, 1909. j 



327 



Fibres. 



return organic nitrogen to the soil, and 

 the most economical way to do this is by 

 ploughing under leguminous crops, such 

 as Crotalaria and Bersim or cotton seed, 

 which contains much nitrogen. 



This must always be ploughed under 

 at least one month before sowing the 

 cotton crop in February, ol' it will 

 retard germination. 



On newly-cleared land the writer 

 would strongly advise the use of two 

 and a half cwt of basic slag per acre ; 

 this should be applied broadcast at the 

 last cultivation before setting up the 

 ridges for planting, and will check rank 

 growth and increase fruiting capacity. 



It may be found advisable after grow- 

 ing cotton for three or four years to 

 apply a mixture of 75 lb. nitrate of soda 

 and 60 lb. of ammonium sulphate per 

 acre, in addition to the basic slag, but 

 this need not be applied during the first 

 three years of its cultivation. 



The effects of manure may be tried 

 experimentally on the station and the 

 public advised on these results. 



Artificials have proved very profitable 

 in Egypt and America when judiciously 

 applied to cotton. 



Cotton is not an exhaustive crop like 

 maize, sugar, or sesamum, and can be 

 grown for many years on the same soil if 

 manured ; this has been demonstrated in 

 parts of the United States, where cotton 

 has been grown for forty years on the 

 same land, producing a crop throughout 

 the entire period without diminishing. 



One does not advise consecutive crop, 

 and undoubtedly rotations are prefer- 

 able, where they can be put in practice. 



Climate.— The annual average rainfall 

 is about 50 inches ; two-thirds of this 

 falls in the months of October, Novem- 

 ber, December, and January, and as 

 much as 11 or 12 inches are not uncom- 

 mon in either November or December. 



Considering the temperature is at its 

 lowest at this time of the year, a rainfall 

 so heavy is excessive for cotton, and 

 tends to produce large watery plants 

 with little fruit. 



In America, where cotton is grown 

 without irrigation, the rainfall during 

 the growing period {i.e.. May, June, July, 

 August, and September) averages 22 

 inches, but the distribution is even, rain 

 falling every third day and the temper- 

 ature keeping high. 



Small crops of poor quality can only 

 be expected in the North-Central Pro- 

 vince without irrigation, as the rainfall 

 ot November and December is too heavy 

 and the temperature too low. 



It is always desirable to have a rising 

 temperature until the cotton flowers, 

 with two hot dry months for harvest- 

 ing, and this can only be obtained by 

 sowing in February, which necessitates 

 growing the crop by irrigation. 



In the North-Central Province the 

 strong winds of the south-west monsoon 

 may prove to be the worst enemy of 

 ripe cotton by casting the fibre, but by 

 selecting seed from plants which do not 

 suffer in this respect, a strong wind- 

 proof variety can be obtained. 



Tillage.— The land should be ploughed 

 at least one month before sowing, there- 

 fore tillage must commence before the 

 middle of December. 



The ploughing shoidd be deep and the 

 land left exposed for three weeks or a 

 month, then cultivated by the culti- 

 vator or disc harrow, rolled, and set up 

 in ridges 3 feet apart. 



A fine seed bed is necessary, which 

 should be dry at the time of sowing, 

 in order to secure a high pei'centage 

 germination. 



Planting— To be completed in the first 

 fortnight of February, eight seeds in 

 each hole on top of ridges 3 feet apart, 

 15 inches between holes, the height of 

 the ridge being 12 inches, quantity of 

 seed required 45 lb, per acre. 



Irrigation.— Considering there is seme 

 rain during the summer months, it is 

 difficult to lay down stated periods 

 between the irrigations, as is the prac- 

 tice in an arid country like Egypt, where 

 there is no rain during the cotton grow- 

 ing season. The writer considers that 

 20 inches of water per acre would be 

 sufficient to supplement the rain, and 

 this is equal to less than one-third of 

 the water considered necessary for irri- 

 gating an acre of village paddy. 



The first irrigation must be given 

 immediately after the seed is sown, and 

 should bj the heaviest, amounting to 

 about 4 inches per acre. 



It is advisable not to apply water 

 until the expiry of at least 45 days after 

 the first watering, in order to encourage 

 deep rooting ; the roots follow the water 

 into the soil. 



From this period till flowering the crop 

 may require irrigating every twenty- 

 five to thirty-five days, depending on 

 the weather, and after flowering the 

 irrigations should be fewer ; no water 

 being given for at least one week before 

 picking. 



A small irrigation after each picking 

 is beneficial as it opens the bolls. 



Before leaving the Experiment Station, 

 the writer explained to the Superin- 



