248 ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 
and environment. Considerable experimental work and 
practical tests have been carried on in the South to deter¬ 
mine the best varieties of cotton to grow. Therefore, 
before selecting a variety to plant in your locality, it will 
be well to find out from successful cotton growers and 
your state Agricultural College the names of varieties 
that are best suited to your climate and soil. If the 
farmers of your section produce the same variety of 
Fig. 177.—Cotton planting scene. 
cotton, they will be able to market a grade of standard 
lint and seed. This will insure a better market for their 
crop. The Acala, Mebane, Rowden, Lone Star, Okla. 
Triumph No. 44, Cook’s Improved and Texas Storm 
Proof are some of our most familiar varieties of cotton. 
Soils for Cotton.—Cotton is grown on many types 
of soils throughout the South. The best soil for this crop 
is a deep, fertile, sandy loam. A soil of this type is easily 
tilled, holds the moisture well, and supplies sufficient 
plant food to produce a paying crop. Soils that are very 
thin and wash badly should not be planted to cotton. 
