UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY 'AT, URBANA-CHAMPA1GN AGRICULTURE Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/experimentswithf7118mell Circul ating copy Agricultural Library BULLETIN No. 71. APRIL, 1896. ALABAMA Agricultural Experiment Station OP THE Agricultural and Mechanical College, AUBURN. EXPERIMENTS WITH FOREIGN COTTON- IP. PE. IMIIEIjXj. MONTGOMERY, ALA. : The Brown Printing Company, Printers. 1896. COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES ON EXPERIMENT STATION. I. F. Culver Union Springs. J. G. Gilchrist Hope Hull. H. Clay Armstrong Auburn. STATION COUNCIL. Wm. LeRoy Broun P. H. Mell B. B. Ross L. M. Underwood C. A. Cary, D. V. M J. F. Duggar, F. S. Earle President. Botanist. Chemist. Biologist. . .Veterinarian . . .Agriculturist. Horticulturist. ASSISTANTS. J. T. Anderson First Assistant Chemist C. L. Hare Second Assistant Chemist. R. G. Williams Third Assistant Chemist. T. U. Culver Superintendent of Farm . ^Ig^The Bulletins of this Station will be sent free to any citizen of the State on application to the Agricultural Experiment Station. Auburn, Alabama. 630,1 Cjiro tila^g o°py __ agricultural Library / EXPERIMENTS WITH FOREIGN COTTON. BY P. H. MELL. Within recent years much attention has been attracted to foreign cottons, especially those of India and Egypt, because of the yearly increased importation of the staple into this country. It is claimed by a few experts that the fibre, in some respects, is superior to the ordinary “upland” varie- ties grown in the South, and that there is danger of the im- portation increasing to such an extent as to seriously injure the trade in American cottons. The Indian cotton is gen- erally noted for its rich creamy color, its ready adaptabil- ity for certain dyes and the property the thread has of swelling in the process of bleaching, so that the cloth made of it becomes more substantial than that manufactured from the coarser grades of American cottons. These foreign staples are also used in the United States for mixing with the low grade American fibres to improve their color and the quality of the cloth. Several of the Experiment Stations in the South have cul- tivated some of the varieties of the cotton from India and Egypt in order to compare their properties with our native forms, but, so far as the knowledge of the writer goes, there have been no regular systematic experiments conducted in any state extending over a period of several years, except at the Alabama Station. Of course nothing definite can be de- termined about any foreign plant until it has become accli- mated by several years careful cultivation. The experi- ments at Auburn have been planned to accomplish first this result, The first step taken in these investigations was, there- fore, to acclimate the plants; secondly, to secure the best re- sults possible in health of plant, maturity of fibre and the yield of lint that the conditions of the soil and climate would 300 permit; and thirdly, to so blend the best properties of the foreign cotton with those of the superior grades of Ameri- can varieties as to produce an exceptionably fine cotton plant. This bulletin contains the results secured through the first and second steps, and the data are much more gratify- ing than the author anticipated. During the season ot 1895 several hundred crosses were made between the best Amer- ican cottons and these foreign species and the seeds were carefully gathered and assorted for cultivation during the coming season. From the present outlook some very inter- esting facts will be secured from these experiments. It is the intention of the writer to issue a bulletin after this crop is gathered to discuss the results secured by the third step in the plan outlined above. In conducting these experiments the following so-called varieties were secured from India, Egypt and Mexico, and most of them were first planted in 1894. (Three of the va- rieties, however, viz: Mit Afifi, Bamieh and Mannoah were first planted in 1893): Bajwara, Bamieh, *Bani, ^Bombay, Broach, *Bourbon, ^Creula, Deshi, Ghoghari, *Guchard, Herbucco, Indrepur, *Jari, Jakko, Mannoah, *These failed to germinate. {Requires two years for maturing balls. Mirzapore, Mit Afifi, “Mexican resists drought,” “Mexican,” “Mexican,” *“Nagpur jari, Narma, Nadam, Nimari bani, *Painaa, JEoji, Surat Kupas, *“Tree cotton” (Mexico,) “Upland Georgian” (Mexico,) *Wagaria Wadhwan. 301 As an indication of the importance of continued and care- ful experiments with these cottons before final conclusions are drawn the following extracts are taken from bulletin No. 65 issued bj this Station June, 1895. The Department sent out to the cooperative seed test experimenters some of these foreign cotton seeds before they were acclimated at this station and the reported results of one season’s cultiva- tion are thus given : Franklin County. — “Bamieh, Egypt. Yield 600 lbs per acre; quality good; growth vigorous and large, but bolls are too small for a desirable cotton.” Perry County. — “India Cotton No. 1. Quality poor; growth large stalks; yield very poor; staple short, and is inferior to any of our native varieties.” Madison County . — “Afifi, Egyptian. Lint, cream colored, medium length and very fine and silky. Appears to be hardy as to cold; was not injured by spring frosts when other varieties were damaged. Grows from six to ten feet high. Yield about 300 lbs per acre. Bibb County . — “Egyptian cotton. Yield per acre very poor; quality inferior; lint short and yellow.” Tallapoosa County . — “Egyptian cotton. Yield about 600 lbs per acre. Lint very long and strong. Another varie- ty is worthless on account of the smallness of bolls and be- ing so few on the stalk.” Pickens County . — “Egyptian cotton. Yield per acre about 200 lbs. Quality of product, fine strong fibre, dingy color. Stalk large, bolls small, does not pay for cultivating.” [The expression “fine strong fibre” seems to contradict this hasty conclusion.] Morgan County. — “Egyptian cotton. Yield about 200 lbs per acre. Lint very fine and weak. Stalks from 3 to 6 feet high, very few limbs and bolls.” Chilton County . — “Egyptian cotton. Yield about one-third bale per acre. Lint short, bolls scattering, very large growth.” Etowah County . — “Egyptian cotton. Complete failure.” 302 Hale County. — “Egyptian cotton. Yield per acre 1,200 lbs. Quality good.” Blount County. — “Egyptian cotton. Yield about 400 lbs seed cotton per acre. The quality of the lint was very fine and yellow. The growth tall, limbs long, bolls very small and scattering.” Pike County . — “Egyptian cotton. Yield about 300 lbs per acre. Growth rapid, stalks from 6 to 10 feet high.” Lauderdale County. — “Egyptian cotton. Yield about 250 lbs per acre. Quality of product good. Growth vigorous, 3 to 5 feet high. Yield poor on account of maturing so late. Afifi. Yield practically nothing. Growth extremely vigor- ous, from 6 to 10 feet high.” The statements made by these experimenters appear quite contradictory for the reason that three important fac- tors are overlooked. 1. The term “Egyptian Cotton” is too indefinite. The list given on page 300 will show that there are several species growing in Egypt as prominently dis- tinct from each other as exists between the so-called “Peerless” and the sea Island species. 2. The soil in one county differs materially from that in another — particu- larly is this true when the counties are separated by the length of the state. 3. The seeds sent out from Auburn were those direct from Egypt and India, and therefore not acclimated. The following items in reference to the derivation of the local names of these cottons may be of interest : Broach , Baroach or Bharuch , is a comprehensive term and is used to indicate the finer grades of cotton. It is the name of a district in India. Manual ?, Mannoah or Jettooee, in its native clime yields one-eighth of clean cotton, but it is cultivated with other crops. It requires nearly a year to mature. Miduopore or Mirzapore is the largest cotton mart in In- dia. Nadam is an inferior grade of cotton and is grown in the district of the same name in India not for exportation, al- 303 though it is used for adulterating the best grades which are sent to other countries. It is a triennial and poor bearer, and the fibre is cleaned with difficulty. Narma or Nurma, sometimes also called Deo-Kupas , is a fine silky cotton. It is the name of a section in India. The plant bears ten to twelve years in its native country. The fibre is more than one inch long and is used for the manufacture of the finest linens. It is cultivated near the temples for making the robes of priests. Surat Kupas is named after an important seaport town through which most of the cotton from one district is shipped. This term is often used in a general sense for cot- ton coming from Surat, Broach, and Berar districts. Kupas signifies clean cotton, or ginned. Wagaria, Wagriah or Wadhwan is also the name of a dis- trict in India and represents an annual cotton growing to the height of 2 or 3 feet with a single tapering stem. The bolls do not open wide, but remain closed except a crack at the apex. There is considerable trouble necessary to force them open and extract the fibre. The bolls are gathered • from the plants and afterwards opened by children. This cotton is suitable for the manufacture of only the coarser grades of cloth. The other names mentioned in the list are local rather than descriptive. Prior to 1810 the Indian and Egyptian cottons were coarse and of an inferior quality. But since that year a systematic effort was made by the English Government to improve the character of the plant by blending it with the American upland and sea Island varieties with remarkable success. The war between the states from 1861 to 1865 greatly encouraged the cultivation of cotton in these for- eign countries. Commissioner Young in his report of the cot- ton exhibit at the Paris Exposition in 1878, says : “From this exhibition I learned that the cotton of all or nearly all of thejlndian provinces has been greatly improved by the introduction of American seed,^ [It was in Dharwarjthat our 304 American planters obtained the greatest success, and I am told that the entire crop in this province is now from seed originally American.” BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION. A careful examination of the foreign cottons under con- sideration would classify them as follows : 1. Gossypium herbaceum var microcarpum Tod : Broach, Ghoghari. 2. G. Wightianum Tod: Nadam, Deshi, Jakko, Roji, Ni- mari bani. 3. G. roseum var albiflorum. Tod : Indrepur, Ghoghari, Surat Kupas, Mirzapore, Roji. 4. G. hirsutum var album Tod: Indrepur, Herbucco, Surat Kupas, Mirzapore. 5. G. maritimum Tod: Jakko, Manuah, Mit Afifi. 6. G. maritimum var polycarpum Tod: Bamieh. 7. G. Brazililiense Macf: Guchard, Creulo. The seed, when delivered at Auburn in 1893 and 1894, were badly mixed, rendering it difficult in most instances, to determine which plant represented the local name given on the package. It will thus be noted that in the above seven species and varieties the same local name has been repeated. After gathering the first year’s crop the seeds were careful- ly assorted, however, and the classification made as above stated. A detailed description of these species is given in accord- ance with “Relazione sulla Cultura dei Cotoni — Monografia del Genere Gossypium” by Agostino Todaro. 1. Gosypium herbaceum , var microcarpum Tod. Stem erect, covered with long soft hair ; branches spreading, slightly pyramidal ; leaves 3-5 lobed, rarely 7 lobed, lobes rotandate obtuse, apex min- utely mucronate ; stipules linear lanceolate, acuminate very short; peduncle erect and nearly equal to half of peteole ; bracts ovat 1 cor- date, with sharp cut teeth, general outline of bract leaf rotundate, bases united ; coralla longer than the bracts, obovate, unequally wedge shaped, yellow, marked at base with purple spots, after flow- ering the outside surface turns reddish ; bolls small ovate, hardly 305 subrotundate, apex deeply hollowed out, 4-5 celled, cells 6-7 seeded ; seeds ovate, short mucronate at hilum, covered with thick closely adhering fibre, in some cases white ash-gray, short, in other cases rather long and white. Broach — Ghoghari. 2. Gossypium Wightianum Tod. Stem. erect and covered with soft hairs; branches spreading, slightly ascending, leaves rather rotun- date, obscurely obcordate, 3-5 lobed, lobes ovate, obtuse with bases drawn together or wrinkled, the depressions between two lobes obtuse with small dentiformed lobes now and then interjected, stipules semiovate, somewhat sickle shaped? otherwise linear lanceolate, all acuminate; peduncles erect during the blooming period but recurved during fruit- ing; bracts ovate, very small, base united, cordate, acute, small serrated; corolla longer than bracts, obovate, unequal- ly shaped, yellow, base spotted dark purple but after flower opens, petals turn red ; bolls very small, ovate, 8-seeded ; seeds small ovate- subrotundate, densely covered with fibre ; fibre short and closely adhering and white. Nadam, Deshi— Jakko — Roji — Nimari barie. 3. Gossypium martimum , Tod. Glabrous, stem erect, branched, tall ; branches graceful, spreading, subpyramidal ascending, and later recurving; leaves rotundate-ovate, sub-cordate, 3-5 lobed, some- times intermingled with other entire leaves, lobes ovate, ovate-lan- ceolate, or lanceolate-oblong, depressions between lobes subrotun- date; single peduncle above the axis of leaf and stem, an inch long during flowering period, but afterwards elongating; bracts broadly ovate, cordate, adhering at middle of base with calyx, but not coalescing among themselvs , deeply cut into lobes, lobes near base slightly broader, lanceolote, terminating with an elongated point; corolla longer than bracts, petals yellow, or pale sulphur col- or, not entirely expanded during flowering period ; lower part of style free from stamens and equal in length to anther-benring column. Style somewhat three parted ; boll ovate-conical, acute, three to four celled, 6-9 seeded; seeds beaked at hilum, black, smooth and covered with long silky fibre. Jakko, Manuah, Mit Afifi. 4. Gossypium mar itimum var poly carp um Tod. Stem erect, simple; 1-3 peduncles in the axis of each leaf ; few if any branches. Bamieh. 5. Gossypium roseum var albiflorum Tod. Stem erect, branches slender, spreading profusely, pyramidal, slightly ascending; leaves palmate parted, cordate, marginally fringed with hairs, segments 5-7 ? lanceolate acute, base somewhat narrowed, depression rotundate, 306 two lower segments containing little interjected lobes ; stipule near peduncle semiovate. dentate, the other linear-lanceolate, somewhat curved like a scythe, both acute and covered with downy hairs bracts rotundate covered with long weak hairs through- out its entire length, ovate, cordate, deeply dentate from apex to middle, in the lower portions much less dentate, half united ; flow- ers bell shaped and corolla is about equal in length to the bracts. Short bract-like petals of corolla in the act of flowing approximate- ly convolute in the tube, obovate, base coalescing to each other al- most contracted into a claw, apex rotundate, dirty white, and pur- ple spotted from the base nearly to the middle; calyx base con- tracted unequally dentate ; naked anther column pubescent beneath, the remaining portion of style tube anther-bearing; boll very small ovate-acuminate, reddish, three celled, cells 5-6 seeded; seeds clothed with thick fibre, in some instances ash gray, very short and strongly adherent, while in other cases the fibre is short and rather reddish. Ghoghari — Indrepur-Mirzapore — Surat Kupas — Rogi. 6. Gossypium hirsutum var album , Tod. Stem erect, branches spreading, slightly ascending, pyramidal, hairy ; leaves ovate rotun- date cordate, 3-5 lobed, those found at end of branches are at times acute and entire, h'bes truncate-semiovate, subtriangular, acute or acuminate, the middle lobes larger and longer, at fold acute plicate; stipules ovate lanceolate, unequalateral, sharp rigid pointed, the other portion lanceolate acuminate; bracts large ovate, acumi- nate, in the upper portion deeply cut into many narrow lobes, in the lower part simply dentate, the clefts are elongate linear pro- duced at the apex into an attenuated point; corolla large, longer than bracts, during flowering period considerably expanded, petals pale sulphur color, afterwards rolling up and turning red ; style long, exserted; boll large, walnut shaped, generally four celled, apex rotundate terminating abruptly into a short point; seeds ovate covered with short white fibre firmly adherent. Indrepur — Herbuceo — Surat Kupas — Mirzapore. 7. Gossypium Brazililience Macf. Stem strongly, shrubby, erect, branched; leaves very deeply cordate, 5 7 lobes, widely radiate, spread out below the base nearly the length of the petiole ; bracts ovate-rotundate, longer than the convoluted corolla, deeply cut into narrow lobes; boll ovate, acuminate, shorter than bracts, cells 7-fl seeded, seeds closely adherent, wrapped up in long fibre. Guchard — Creulo. 1 Gramme is equivalent to 15.43 grains ; 1 Millimeter is 0.039 of an inch. DQO ft O cr ft o ft o to a, crcra o •2 § go3 . ^ g 2. p : d: © ■ izj OOOOOOOi^ wo wooooooo ©' ©o' Length of fibre. Milli- meters*. ooooooooooooooo o o o CO f— CO lO 05 to oooooooooooo ►— — to ©©©to©©©© to 05 05 4- to to tO OO tO tO I L lO 4- o o o to to to QO 4- 4- o o o o o o o o CO 4- to QO o o o o CO 4- 4- 4- to QO or. QO “CM 0 ft Qj ft_ 1 cT iiC'K ft O M n. 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