EXPERIMENT STATION
TUSKEGEE NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE
TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE, ALABAMA
BULLETIN No. 26, 1915 By G. W. CARVER
A NEW AND PROLIFIC VARIETY
OF COTTON
IMPROVED COTTON
' LASLIE & PREER
Cotton Factors
Tuskegee, Alabama
Prof. G. W. Carver, March 22, 1915.
Tuskegee Institute, Alabama.
Dear Sir:- We received from you to-day one bale of cotton raised on the Exper¬
iment Station.
We wish to state that this bale of cotton is extra good staple, being 1 to
1 1-16 of an inch in length, and shows that it has been nicely handled as re¬
gards picking and ginning. If all the cotton in this section was thus harvested
and ginned, it would bring on an average of $1.25 more per bale.
We are enclosing check for this cotton at 8 1-8, but will state that, being
only one bale in so many of only average staple, we cannot handle it to any
better advantage because of this extra staple. Thanking you, we are,
Yours very truly,
LASLIE & PREER
With an average crop year this would mean for Alabama nearly 1 1-2 mil¬
lion dollars, and for Macon County alone over $39,000.
Printed by Tuskcgee Students from funds
supplied by The Ash Fund established
in memory of Mrs. Ellen L. Ash.
A NEW AND PROLIFIC VARIETY
OF COTTON
I am deeply interested in two of the great move¬
ments that are designed and calculated to sweep this
grand old State of ours from center to circumfer¬
ence.
The first slogan applies to education, and is
captioned "Alabama's Illiteracy; Let's Remove It."
The second implies health, wealth, independence,
and happiness, and is captioned '"'Alabama Must
Feed Herself."
Were I asked to submit a third I would unhesi¬
tatingly add this one; "More Cotton per Acre at Less
Cost, and Better Prices." Such a condition is not
impossible, and it is the purpose of this little leaflet
to tell how it can be done.
History
Sixteen years ago the Experiment Station un¬
dertook the production of a type of cotton that
would possess the following characteristics:-
1. A longer and finer staple.
2. A more prolific variety.
3. A disease resistant variety.
4. A cotton that produces well on light, sandy
soils.
5. An early maturing variety that would escape
more or less the ravages of the boll weevil.
In all the above matters a marked degree of suc¬
cess has been obtained.
3
4
TUSKEGEE EXPERIMENT STATION
This cotton has the following well-known types
.carefully bred into it: Sea Island, from whence it gets
its long, silken fiber; Russell's Big Boll, from whence
it gets its large bolls, and its adaptability to upland
conditions of soil and climate; Jackson's Wilt Re¬
sisting, from whence it gets its power to resist to a re¬
markable degree the troublesome diseases known as
wilt, black root, etc.; Simpkin's prolific, from whence
it gets its great fruiting habit.
How to make large yields from this cotton
This cotton like allothervarieties, produces good
or bad in proportion to the proper or improper prep¬
aration, fertilization, and after-cultivation of the soil.
Preparation of the Soil
In this it is safe to say that fully two-thirds of
our farmers fail. They fail, first, because they do not
turn (broadcast) their land in the fall, just as soon
as the crop is off; second, they do not plow deep
enough. Plowing should be from 8 to 10 inches deep.
Fertilization
In addition to a well-prepared seed-bed, the
land must be well fertilized if large crops are ex¬
pected. By "large crops" I mean from 1 to 1 1-2,
and in favorable localities, 2 bales per acre. There
is an abundance of land in Macon and adjoining
counties that can be made to produce two.bales of
500 lbs. lint per acre.
Barnyard manure is the very best fertilizer
known for cotton, and, on an average, our soils will
require from 15 to 20 tons per acre. This should be
spread over the land and plowed under. Where the
soils do not wash and are not leachy, the manure can
A NEW AND PROLIFIC VARIETY OF COTTON 5
be spread and plowed under in the fall; otherwise
spread and plow under in the spring.
We have found, for our light, sandy soils which
rust cotton badly, that a commercial .mixture approx¬
imating the following gives excellent results:
200 lbs. cotton-seed meal per acre
210 u acid phosphate " "
125 " kainit " "
I found that during wet springs it was better to
divide the fertilizer and put only half of it
down when planting, and the other half just be¬
fore the plants begin to form squares. This is easily
and quickly done with a fertilizer distributor.
Cultivation
There is such a wide difference of opinion in
the matter of cultivation that one hesitates to put
himself on record. These facts, however, are promi¬
nent, and in whatever way they can be secured, will
be acceptable.
If the best results are to be had, all weeds and
grass must be kept down; the loss of water must be
saved by frequent and shallow cultivation; the sur¬
face roots should be injured just as little as possible.
Another important point for the farmer to keep
in mind is the fact that all plant foods in the soil are
rendered ndn-available or worthless to the plant unless
there is sufficient water in the soil to properly dissolve
and distribute them. Hence, in the thirsty soils it is
doubly necessary that the cultivation be done in such
a manner as to save the water, say from 2 to 2 1-2
inches deep.
Cotton is a typical tap-rooted plant, made to gc
deep into the soil for both water and plant food, but
TUSKEGEE EXPERIMENT STATION
the man;y decades of soil skimming, poor seed selec¬
tion, and bad cultivation, have dwarfed both root
and top, and produced a plant that has lost much
of its original characteristics. It ha's been so lower¬
ed in vitality that the roots, stem, leaves, and
bolls are all subject to a large number of destructive
diseases.
Aside from the tap root going deep in the
ground of well-prepared soils, it throws out numer¬
ous laterals, often four and five feet in length.
The largest of which as a rule are just below the sur¬
face of the ground; hence the wisdom of shallow
cultivation.
Off* Grade
The following things cause cotton to bring a
lower price per pound than it otherwise would, and
the farmer can and should avoid every one of them.
Immature Cotton
Cotton growers divide their pickings into three
divisions known as "crops"—viz., the first bolls
to open are called the bottom crop; the second, the
middle crop; and the third, the top crop. The bot¬
tom and middle crops are nearly always the choicest
staple. The top crop is the poorest, as it is frequently
immature. Such should be kept ginned and sold
separately, as it lowers the price of it all when mixed
with the bottom and middle crops. Bolls of cotton
picked before they are well open and those that do
not open before frost, usually contain a large num¬
ber of unripe fibers.
Foreign Impurities
Another important factor in determining the
grade of cotton is, its freedom from foreign impuri
A NEW AND PROLIFIC VARIETY OF COTTON 7
ties. Such as leaf, boll, husk, stalk, seed, and sand
impurities. These can be reduced to the minimum
if the proper care is exercised in picking and hand¬
ling.
Color
This probably affects the price as much as any
other one thing. Some local buyers go altogether
on color, the highest grade being a creamy white.
If cotton can be picked before the rain falls upon
it, it will be very choice in color.
Tinges, Stains^ Etc.
Cotton that has tufts in it that are off color, such
as pink, green, yellow, etc., is called tinged. When
the color is very deep and general throughout, it is
classed as stained. Both conditions originate prac¬
tically from the same source; viz., immature bolls,
juices from crushed seed water dripping from the
leaves of the stalk, frosted cotton, cotton that has been
put into large piles and allowed to sweat and mildew.
All these materially reduce the price as well as poor
seed, bad preparation of the soil, insufficient fertiliz¬
ers, late planting, poor cultivation, etc.
We hope the letter on the cover will inspire
every cotton grower to set about at once to raise the
standard of his cotton, in both quantity per acre and
quality of fiber, which means greater prosperity
for the State, more money for the county, and great¬
er peace and happiness for the individual farmer.