10 
BULLETIN 526, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
however, 18 to 24 inches in the row. When inspected on June 3, the 
old-method plants were branching normally, indicating fairly early 
thinning. At this time, also, the plants in the single-stalk rows were 
rather too far advanced for the best results, numerous fruiting 
branches being visible. Although thinning was completed within 
the two days following, on June 4 and 5, it is reasonable to assume 
that more significant results would have been obtained had thinning 
been done several days earlier. When thinned the plants were 8 to 
12 inches high with 6 to 8 leaves. With a long-staple variety, this 
would have been more nearly the proper time to thin, but with Half- 
and-Half, a short-staple cotton, it unquestionably was too late. The 
plants were spaced about 8 inches apart. 
There were 12 rows in the experiment, and the two systems of 
culture were compared in alternate rows. Two pickings were made, 
the yields of each row for each picking being as reported in Table V. 
Table V. — Row yields obtained in a single-stalk culture experiment with cotton 
conducted in 1915 on the farm of R. K. Boney, Duckport, La. 
Yield of seed cotton (pounds). 
Row. 
First picking. 
Second picking. 
Total. 
Single 
stalk. 
Old 
method. 
Single 
stalk. 
Old 
method. 
Single 
stalk. 
Old 
method. 
No. 1 
38 
34 
38 
40 
35 
42 
34 
35 
34 
30 
35 
38 
16 
31 
29 
27 
24 
22 
24 
24 
22 
21 
21 
28 
54 
65 
67 
67 
59 
64 
58 
No. 2 
59 
No. 3 
56 
No. 4 
51 
No. 5 
56 
No. 6 
66 
Total 
227 
21 
10 
206 
149 
9 
6 
140 
376 
30 
9 
346 
Table V shows that the yield per row at each picking favored 
single-stalk culture in all but 4 instances, in one of which the yields 
were identical. In total yield, single-stalk culture led in four of the 
six rows. The total yield at each picking favored single-stalk culture 
by 10 and 6 per cent, respectively, the total increase for both pick- 
ings being 9 per cent. This difference is considerably less than was 
forecast by boll counts made on August 14, when it was found that 
single-stalk rows had from 40 to 50 per cent more bolls than old- 
method rows. The chief reason for this discrepancy between the 
boll counts and the yields reported may lie in the probability that 
more bolls opened earlier on the single-stalk rows than on the old- 
method rows and more of the cotton on the former was lost before 
picking time. This explanation appears the more credible if we 
take into account the fact that varieties of the type used in this ex- 
periment are lacking in stormproof qualities. 
