LESSONS ON COTTON FOE KUEAL COMMON SCHOOLS. 5 
A blooming cotton plant: 
Root: Fibrous or taprooted ? 
Stem: Shape of stem, color of bark, color of wood. 
Leaves: Alternate or opposite ? Shape. Number of lobes. Make 
drawing showing veins. 
Calyx: Size, shape. 
Corolla: Color, shape, size. 
Petals: Number separate or coalescent. 
Stamens and pistils: Number of each. Make drawings of sta- 
mens and pistils. 
Exercises. — Bring a sufficient number of cotton stalks into the 
schoolroom, or better still, go with the class to a field of standing 
cotton. Make notes of your observations in answer to questions on 
Topics for Study. 
References. — Bureau of Plant Industry Circ. 109, pp. 11-16; 
Bureau of Plant Industry Buls. 221, 222, 249; Textbooks on ele- 
mentary agriculture ; Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 33, pp. 67-80. 
LESSON III. 
Subject.— Judging cotton. 
Tojncs for study. — Object of cotton judging. Meaning of expres- 
sion cotton "runs out." Four reasons for depreciation in productive- 
ness and quality. Crossing versus selection as a means of improving 
cotton. Simplest method of selection. Principal qualities desired in 
the plant. 
Exercises. — With the use of the score card and directions for 
judging cotton given below, determine the best plant selected by the 
pupils. 
DIRECTIONS FOR JUDGING COTTON.i 
1. The Plant. 
On the score card as suggested the ideal plant is given a rating of 
25 points. In judging the exhibits in contests, cuts should be made 
more severe as the plant departs farther from the standard. 
For plants departing only slightly from the variety standard as to 
size, a cut of 1 to 1^ points should be made. If this departure is 
very marked a cut of 3 points may be made. 
For excessively long joints and poorly placed and developed 
branches cut a maximum of 2 to 5. For slight defects in these 
respects cut from 2h to 3 points. 
For a plant which develops a single central stem bearing numerous 
horizontal fruiting branches allow five points as the perfect score. 
i Adapted from directions published by the Georgia State College of Agriculture. 
