7 JIVIIUBEL 
sidered in vitable The leterioration :: : :;on varieties is often 
thought I in a siniilar way. as something that is sure to occur in a 
ars Bui such leteri ration can be avoided just as definitely 
as wounds from infection. 
The most frequent sourc th< infection that causes a variety 
: fcton 1 legenerate is mixture of seed .: crossing with other 
varieties The planting of different vari ■.-::-. s :". . s- tog "her and the 
xchang f s :: at the gin are the usual caused : : : aitamination. 
The present syste m : put ti : gins might be described as an unconso: c as 
spirac y f lestroy the purity of varieties and does millions of 
dollars' T :r:h of urn grazed damage in this way every year. The 
machinery of the gin is arranged to hold a bushel or more of the seed 
ichf isl :mer and to mix it int the seed of the next farmer in the 
line. Xo farmer can keep his variety pure who allows a public gin 
U handle his seed in the usual way. To keep his variety pure, a 
farmer must either have his own gin or he must find a public gm 
whei he is all wed tc dean the machinery and thus keep his seed 
from bei^' mixed. Very few farmers think of taking such precau- 
ia as Hi ypi fertc : :_ ■-". as a correspondent recent! y assured us. 
that what httl gi fes in at the gin will not do any harm." 
T\ hen mixture with other kinds of cotton is avoided, it is still 
possible for variety t legenerate, in the sense of losing its uni- 
formity. unless care be taken to recognize and remove the • 'sj rts 
or aberrant plants that continue to appear in even the most fully 
1st iks I rogue out these degenerate plants is as necessary 
as to. prevent mixing with kher varieties. The generate individ- 
uals are like so many different varieties, for the characters of many 
of them '"come true" when the seeds of such plants are saved and 
plan: - paratety. It is only by observing these two precauti ins 
of av ling admixture and roguing out the "freaks" or - "-as 
they appeal- that varieties are kept from deterioration and mad-, tc 
serve the pnrj jses f pre iuction for many years. 
After a disc ry like antiseptic surgery has been made it seems 
It aether tmreasonable that people should disregard it. at the risk 
of pain or even deain But it is the Lesson :: history that reforms 
si wly and the ioi:: : vement of the cotton industry is likely to 
this rule. It is only when we undertake to avoid infection or 
contamination that we learn how difficult it is to do so. Even after 
the farmer understands the importance of maintaining a pure stock 
^d there are many ways I bring in contamination, and some of 
the most intelligent and efficient farmers often make fatal mistakes 
in their first efl rts tc maintain a pure stock of seed. The m 
tpointing cases are thos wh : some accident or error occurs 
most of the precautions have been taken. It is not until the 
farmer learns to th: re, in terms of pure seed that he is 
able to guard himself all along the line of possible errors. 
