LESSONS ON COTTON" FOB RURAL COMMON" SCHOOLS. 7 
Next in importance to prolificacy or number of bolls is their size, 
shape, and manner of opening. Large bolls yield more cotton 
per boll than do small ones. There is also a difference in the average 
size of the bolls on different plants of any single variety. The prefer- 
ence should be given to the plants bearing the larger bolls, provided, 
of course, that the quality of lint is maintained and the increase 
in size fully compensates for the decrease in number. 
The shape or form should be true to that peculiar to the particular 
variety shown. Uniformity in shape or form in plants and fruit shows 
good breeding and also suggests ability to transmit desirable qualities 
to the progeny. Consequently it is of value to the plant breeder. As 
the bolls are of different shapes cut from one-half to one point as the 
number departing greatly from the variety shape increases. Special 
attention should be given to malformed bolls. 
The way in which the mature bolls open is of importance. The 
opening should be such as to make the cotton easy to pick, but at 
the same time it should not be such as to cause easy shedding of lint. 
For the best opening bolls give the plant a rating of 5 points. If the 
opening is only fair make a cut of from 1 to 1J. 
3. Yield of Seed Cotton. 
Yield of seed cotton, while depending on the qualities already 
discussed, that is, the right kind of a plant and a sufficiently large 
number of bolls of good size and shape, should have considerable 
weight in fixing the value of superior rating of any cotton exhibit. 
After the exhibit has been rated as to prolificacy and size of bolls, 
select a fixed number, say 10 four-locked or five-locked bolls already 
opened, pick the seed cotton from these bolls, determine the yield 
from these bolls, and then from this average calculate the yield 
from the entire 10 plants constituting the exhibit. Give the best 
yielding lot a rating of 30 points. Then as others yield less and less 
give them a maximum accordingly. 
After total yield has been rated attention must be given to the per- 
centage of lint produced by the different lots of cotton to be judged. 
This. is given a possible rating of 12 points, which should be assigned 
only to samples showing not less than 35 per cent of the lint to the 
cotton seed. For each and every 1 per cent below 33 the sample 
should be given a cut of 1 point. Thus if a sample should only show 
25 per cent lint it should receive a cut of 10 points, which, deducted 
from the possible score of 12 points, indicating perfection, leaves 
only 2 points to the credit of the sample. 
The percentage of lint should be determined by taking the contents 
of a few bolls from each sample, placing them in the sun, or, better, 
in a dry room, for a period sufficiently long to bring the samples to a 
