196 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXV. No. 4 
on the main stalk has been recognized and described in several publi¬ 
cations. 2 
The rate at which fruiting branches are formed on the main stalk is 
an important factor in the production of fruit. Data on formation of 
branches have been obtained in the United States from several varieties 
of cotton, at Sacaton, Ariz., Greenville, Tex., and Charleston, S. C. 
The data from Sacaton and Charleston show the intervals between the 
first appearance of floral buds on successive branches, while those from 
Greenville show the intervals between the flowers. Harland 3 working 
with Sea Island cotton in the West Indies determined the rate of appear¬ 
ance of fruiting branches by using the interval between flowers on the 
first nodes of successive branches. 
The first indication of a new fruiting branch is the appearance of a 
minute triangular bud, commonly called a “square,” deeply inclosed 
between the stipules of the primary leaf. The appearance of tlie square 
always precedes the development of the intemode on which it is borne, 
and may therefore be considered as a definite indication of the formation 
of a fruiting branch. ' Table I gives the mean interval between the 
appearance of successive fruiting branches for each variety. It is 
evident that there is a close agreement of varieties in the rate of pro¬ 
duction of fruiting branches. 
TablB I .—The rate of formation of fruiting branches of different types of cotton 
Variety. 
locality. 
Year. 
Average num¬ 
ber of days 
between the 
appearance of 
successive fruit¬ 
ing branches. 
Lone Star. 
Sacaton, Ariz. 
1921 
1921 
1921 
1921 
1922 
1922 
1922 
3- 30±0. 088 
2. 80 ± . 067 
2. 87 i . 097 
2. 8i± .043 
2. 36dh .038 
3. ©3± . 156 
2. 86 ± . 081 
Acala. 
.do. 
Durango. 
.do. 
Pima Egyptian. 
.do. 
Lone Star 1 . 
Greenville, Tex. 
Meade.. 
Charleston, S. C. 
Sea Island. 
.do. 
1 Figured from number of days between flowering dates. 
It should be stated that these data represent the mean number of 
days between the appearance of successive fruiting branches for the 
entire period of observation. A comparatively wide range in the interval 
between the appearance of branches was found, but no significant dif¬ 
ference could be traced for different periods of growth or groups of 
nodes. Individual records of the number of days between the appear¬ 
ance of branches ranged from one to six days, but these differences 
occurred at no definite period. 
. * Cook, O. F. dimorphic branches in tropical crop plants. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. Plant Indus. 
Bui. 198, 64 p., 9 fig., 7 pi. 19x1. 
-morphology of cotton branches. In U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. Plant Indus. Circ. 109, p. 11-16. 
1913- 
-and Meade, Rowland M. arrangement of parts in the cotton plant. U. S. Dept. Agr. 
Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 222, 26 p., 9 fig. 1911. 
McIvAchlan, Argyle. the branching habits of Egyptian cotton. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bur. Plant 
Indus. Bui. 249, 28 p., 3 pi. 1912. 
* Harland, S. C. manurial experiments with sea island cotton in st. vincent, with some notes 
on factors affecting the yield. In West Indian Bui., v. 16, p. 183. 1917. 
