July 15, 1914 
Mutation in Egyptian Cotton 
289 
ORIGIN OF THE EGYPTIAN VARIETIES 
Although less than 100 years have elapsed since Egyptian cotton was 
first recognized as a distinct type, there is much uncertainty about its 
origin. It is known that two or more species of Gossypium were cul¬ 
tivated in Egypt early in the nineteenth century. One of these, G. viti- 
folium Lam. (?), was a brown-linted tree cotton which resembled the 
Peruvian type. Another was the American Sea Island cotton ( G . bar - 
badense L.). 
According to Prof. Balls (1912, p. 3-4) these species soon hybridized. 
Among the resulting recombinations was the low growing, brown-linted 
Ashmuni variety. The Mit Afifi was selected out of the latter in 1887, 
“and from this now degenerate complex of sub-varieties and splitting- 
forms other varieties have been selected.” This view of the origin of 
the type is sustained by Mr. Frederic Fletcher (1908, p. 382), who states: 
“We have then in Delile’s plant, G. vitifolium Lam. (and Cav.), the parent 
that mated with Sea Island cotton to form our present crop.” 1 
The evidence seems conclusive that more than one species of Gossyp¬ 
ium has contributed to the formation of the Egyptian type of cotton 
as we know it to-day. There can, at least, be no reasonable doubt that 
since the beginning of commercial cotton growing in Egypt the condi¬ 
tions have been and still are favorable to interspecific hybridization. 
Sea Island and American Upland cottons have been introduced from 
time to time, and the botanically very distinct “Hindi” cotton (referred 
doubtfully by Watt to Gossypium punctatum Sch. and Thon.) is almost 
everywhere present 2 and hybridizes with the Egyptian plants. Until 
very recently the importance of preventing crossing has been quite 
unappreciated in Egypt, and the only remedy for the rapid deterioration 
of the varieties has been the development of new ones. 
The appearance about the year 1850 of the Ashmuni variety marks the 
close of the first period in the evolution of the Egyptian type of cotton. 
This brown-linted cotton was quickly recognized as representing a new 
commercial type, quite distinct from any cotton previously known in the 
markets of the world. Although formerly grown in the Nile Delta, the 
Ashmuni variety is now confined to the region south of Cairo. Its place 
in lower Egypt has been taken by the Mit Afifi and by other varieties 
derived from the latter. According to Balls (1912, p. 106) “Afifi was 
introduced commercially about 1887, Abbassi in 1893, Yannovitch in 
1899, Nubari in 1907, Sakel in 1909, and Assili in 1910.” Numerous 
other varieties have arisen from time to time, but either failed to attain 
much commercial importance or have been supplanted by other sorts. 
1 The extreme complexity of the botany of Egyptian cotton is apparent from the treatment of the subject 
by Watt (1907, p. 214, 223, 256, 292). 
* Mr. O. F. Cook (1911) found Hindi plants in nearly every field which he inspected in Egypt, the propor¬ 
tion ranging from x to 20 per cent of the total number of plants. 
