6 BULLETIN 279, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
While comparative yields comprise the most important consid- 
eration in such tests as long as the quality of the fiber is not injured 
in the system giving the highest yield, it is important to know what 
factors influence productiveness. Since the success of single-stalk 
culture depends primarily on the suppression of vegetative-branch 
development, it is important to know how conditions of climate 
and culture affect the growth of these branches. The rate of flower- 
ing and the setting of bolls are directly associated and have con- 
siderable bearing on the yields. The number of locks in the boll is 
not important so long as good yields are obtained, but a great 
reduction in the size of bolls would, of course, be undesirable under 
any system of culture. The distance to which plants spread between 
rows, especially near the ground, is important, since it may affect 
cultivation, picking, etc., and the distance apart rows should be 
planted may be limited by this feature. Data on all of these points 
were secured only in sections A and B, which included the largest 
part of the field. Onsome of the points, however, data were obtained 
from all sections. 
DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETATIVE BRANCHES. 
During warm and favorable spring weather in the region of San 
Antonio, cotton plants in wide-spaced rows develop five or six 
vegetative branches, but if the weather remains cool only two or three 
branches may develop. Though the development of vegetative 
branches was restricted more than usual by low temperatures in the 
season of 1914, it was possible by leaving the plants crowded in the 
rows to induce a further reduction in the number of branches. This 
can be clearly seen in Table I, which presents the average number of 
vegetative branches on plants in wide-spaced and single-stalk rows 
of Acala cotton in sections A and B. These averages represent the 
census from 25 consecutive plants in each of the rows. 
Taste I.—Average number of vegetative branches on plants in wide-spaced and in single- 
stalk rows of Acala cotton in sections A and B, San Antonio, Tex., 1914. 
Alternate single rows (section A). Alternate 4-row blocks (section B). 
Single-stalk W ide-spaced Single-stalk W ide-spaced 
rows. rows. rows. TOWS. 
Average _ | Average __ | Average _ | Average 
ROW | (sof 25. hh OM ol Ponas olyio rel ef amulyeey th violas 
saa plants. ; plants plants ; plants. 
3 0. 48 4 1. 56 62 0. 40 58 1, 56 
5 . 56 6 1. 60 63 . 64 59 1.68 
7 . 00 8 URC 4 60 60 2. 00 
9 40 10 1. 64 65 64 61 1. 20 
