2 BULLETIN 644, U. S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGRICULTURE. 
That a clearer understanding may be had of the relations between 
lint percentages and lint indexes in cotton varieties, as discussed in 
this paper, a brief definition of each is included, together with a word 
as to the adoption of these measures of cotton values. 
LINT PERCENTAGES. 
The percentage of lint, or lint per cent, as it is generally termed. 
is the relation between the weight of the fiber and the weight of the 
seeds from which the fiber is obtained in the process of ginning and 
is expressed as a percentage of the unginned seed cotton. A decrease 
in the weight of the seeds without a corresponding decrease in the 
weight of the fiber would alter this relation in the direction of in- 
creasing the percentage of lint. Conversely, an increase in the 
weight of the seeds without change in the weight of the fiber would 
result in a reduction in the percentage of lint. 
The first commercial use of the percentage of lint was made by 
early operators of gins, who purchased cotton in the seed, ginned it, 
and resold the products. In those days, when the seed was consid- 
ered a waste product, it was of especial importance to these gin oper- 
ators to know the ultimate value of the seed cotton they purchased. 
The amount of fiber they might secure from a given weight of seed 
ccttcn, or the lint percentage, was the basis of such purchases. The 
emphasis laid upon the percentage of lint by these buyers of seed 
cctton naturally led to the belief among the growers that it was the 
chief factor or measure of value of varieties. To-day this relic of 
an admittedly bad method of selling cotton 1 is still accepted with- 
out question or apparent examination by planters and also by many 
of the breeders of cotton. The result is that inferior and unproduc- 
tive varieties frequently have been planted merely because their lint 
percentages are high, while varieties that are superior both in pro- 
ductiveness and in quality of fiber have been rejected because their 
percentages of lint are considered low. 
LINT INDEXES. 
The lint index is the weight in grams of the fiber produced by 100 
seeds and may be said to be a measure of the abundance of the fiber 
rather than a measure of the relation between the weight of the 
fiber and the weight of the seed, as is the percentage of lint. 
Through years of association, the general cotton-growing public 
lias come to consider a lint percentage of 33-1- a basis of credit for a 
variety of cotton. So, in time, breeders may determine a basic lint 
1 Ores-well. C. F. Disadvantages of selling cotton in the seed. 1'. S. Dept Apr. Bui. 
■ ;7.-.. is p. 1916. 
Losses from selling cotton in the seed. U. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. T7.~>. 
8 p. 1916. 
