28 BULLETIN 521, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Lesson 28. — The Cotton Industry in the South. 
1. History and statistics. 
2. Relation of cotton to southern agriculture. 
3. Present status of the industry. 
Lesson 29. — Uses of Cotton and Its Products. 
1. Cotton lint — a source of material for clothing. 
2. Cotton seed — a source of food for man, beast, and soil. 
Illustrative material : An exhibit of cotton and its products. 
Lesson. 30. — General Characteristics and Structure of Cotton. 
1. Botany of the cotton plant. 
2. Composition of different parts of the plant. 
3. Classes and grades of lint. 
Lesson 31. — Types and Varieties of Cotton. 
1. Species and types. 
2. Groups and varieties of American Upland. 
Illustrative material : Pictures and mounted specimens showing types and 
varieties. 
Exercise 30. — A Study of Cotton Varieties. 
Purpose: To familiarize students with the varieties of cotton suited 
to the section. 
Directions: Each student should be required to collect, classify, 
and describe 10 varieties of cotton, or as many of this number as are 
grown in the school district. 
Record and report: Notes should be taken regarding the fields from 
which the specimens are taken. The written descriptions should 
include : (1) Name of variet}^ and group to which it belongs, (2) size 
and shape of plant, (3) time of maturity, (4) size and relative number 
of bolls, (5) length and quality of lint, and (6) yield (record in 
district). 
Reference: Lessons on Cotto*n for the Rural Common School, United 
States Department of Agriculture Bulletin 294. 
Lesson 32. — Improvement of Cotton. 
1. Importance of selection. 
2. Qualities needing improvement. 
3. Methods of cotton breeding. 
Exercise 31. — Judging and Selection of Cotton. 
Purpose: To train judgment of students in selecting a variety and 
in the selection of plants in the improvement of a variety. 
Directions : Each student should have practice with a score card 
to the extent that time w T ill allow. After such practice the student 
.should select the nearest approach to his ideal from a variety common 
to the district which may be designated by the instructor. This 
practice is preliminary to selection of seed plants in the field. 
Record and report: A written report of the field selection should 
include a description of an ideal plant of the variety selected and 
