Scientific Agriculture. 



174 



points to the fact that coffee with careful selection could be made to flourish on 

 the heavily impregnated iron soils, which are so abundant in this country. Investi- 

 gators at the present time are devotiug their energies in many directions. Many 

 are working to establish and fix a type of cotton plant which will ripen its bolls at 

 the same time. This is to lessen the expense of picking, whicli in many places 

 constricts the area and diminishes profits. If this object is successful, it is hoped 

 to bring forward machinery to take the place of the slow and laborious drudgery 

 of hand-picking. 



It is well known that the seed of American cotton as a rule is covered with 

 short lint. This occasions great difficulty in ginning by the roller gin, in fact, 

 in that country the saw gin is in universal use. This gin breaks and twists the fibre 

 so that its value is very much lessened. They are selecting lint-free seed from 

 ordinary plants and even crossing the existing varieties with smooth-seeded 

 varieties like Egyptian. In this way they hope to develop an Upland cotton which 

 can be easily ginned by the roller gin and so increase its market value. Strenuous 

 efforts are also being made to develop early ripening varieties of cotton. These are 

 for cultivation in the northern districts where the growing season is short. 

 It has also been found that to counteract the ravages of the boll-weevil, early 

 ripening varieties are the planters' only hope, where the pest is troublesome. 



A comparatively simple method of selection, which could be undertaken by 

 everyone, is as follows :— Train six or eight men to distinguish healthy well- 

 developed trees from the others. Before the general area is picked, send these 

 men to gather the crop from the trees thus fitted for seed production. Well-branched 

 and not spindly or leggy trees should be chosen. If possible, the pickers should 

 know something about quality, yield and early ripening. If under careful super- 

 vision, the seed from the cotton thus gathered will give results far superior to 

 that from the general crop. Another way is to purchase a small quantity of 

 the best seed and give it every care, reserving the resulting seed for the general area 

 under cotton the next year. 



(2.) The Keeping Back for Seed Purposes of the Biggest and 

 Best Developed Seeds. 

 The keeping back for seed purposes of the biggest and best developed seeds 

 from the whole crop is a step in the right direction. But it does not go far enough. 

 It, however, ensures that the seed contains a supply of nourishment sufficient 

 to give the young plant a good start in life, and to tide it over any early 

 struggles for existence. 



(3.) Spontaneous Types or Sports. 

 Spontaneous types or sports frequently occur in plant life. These differ 

 greatly from the surrounding plants, and if the qualities of the product are in 

 any way superior, the type should be propagated and tended until it becomes 

 fixed. Sports result chiefly from natural crossing in the field or from the influence 

 of soil, climate, and cultivation on that particular plant. Most of the Egyptian 

 varieties of cotton have been developed from plants such as those found by observant 

 cultivators. It is said that a single oat plant found growing in a potato field 

 in Scotland was the original of the popular potato oat which at one time had 

 such a wide vogue. 



Methods 4 and 5. 

 Methods (4) and (5) may be taken together. They are of great use to 

 the scientist and horticulturist. New varieties of potatoes are raised from seed 

 instead of planting the tuber, whilst date palms are raised also from seed instead 

 of planting the suckers. In grafting we take the bud from one tree to another 

 to work out our own ends in the improvement of the produce. 



