MEADE COTTON REPLACING SEA ISLAND. 7 
SMALL ACREAGE OF PURE SEED IN 1918. 
While not more than 250 acres, all tolcl, of the Meade plantings 
in 1918 had been sufficiently separated from other kinds of cotton 
to insure their freedom from possible hybridization, it was thought 
that with careful handling sufficient seed of good quality would be 
available for a large acreage in 1919. With the assistance of the 
farmers these fields were carefully inspected and all hybrids and 
off-type plants were destroyed. 
Though familiarity with Meade cotton is usually necessary to dis- 
tinguish some of the off-type plants, the hybrids between the Sea 
Island and Meade cottons are easily recognized by their larger and 
deeper cut leaves, in which they resemble the true Sea Island. Once 
these plants are pointed out and their contrasting features noted they 
are easily recognized, even by those who have not done any special 
breeding work. (Pis. IV and V.) 
SELECTION WORK CONTINUED IN THE HARVEST SEASON. 
During the harvest season the plantings that had been sufficiently 
isolated were again visited for the purpose of instructing the farm- 
ers in the methods of seed selection for breeding stocks. From 100 
to 200 plants that conformed to the Meade type were selected from 
each of the isolated fields for separate picking and ginning, the seed 
of which was to be used for a seed-increase block the following sea- 
son. In addition to this bulk selection, a number of especially desir- 
able plants were selected for progeny-row planting at each point. 
The bulk of the Meade crop was to be ginned on the regular com- 
mercial Sea Island gins most convenient to the plantings, except in 
an experiment near Sylvester, Ga., where a new roller gin had been 
installed for ginning only Meade cotton. The farmers were warned 
against the danger of the Meade seed becoming mixed with that of 
the Sea Island at the gins unless special care were taken to have the 
gins thoroughly cleaned before the Meade cotton was put through. 
GINNING COMPLAINTS FROM MEADE GROWERS. 
During the ginning season complaints were received from some 
of the Meade cotton growers that the Sea Island ginners were ob- 
jecting to Meade cotton on account of the large size of the seed, 
which failed to pass through the seed grids (manufactured especially 
for the small Sea Island seed) as rapidly as the seed of the Sea 
Island and consequently slowing down the ginning process. 3 
3 This difficulty in ginning was subsequently met by one of the manufacturers of 
roller gins, who put a new seed board or grid upon the market designed especially for 
ginning Meade cotton. (PI. VI.) This seed board has fingers instead of ribs, doing 
away with the edge that formerly prevented the passage of seed near the stripper or 
hacker bar. The fingers are also farther apart than the ribs in the seed board used 
for Sea Island ginning. It has since been ascertained that moving the ordinary seed 
grid back from the stripper bar from one-half to three-quarters of an inch permits the 
Meade seed to fall through without difficulty. 
