Variety to /Amt.—There are two general kinds of cotton grown, long-staple and short-staple. The writer has grown both, and always with the result that the short-staple is the more profitable under average conditions. He has never grown a long-staple variety that would yield more than 70 per cent as much as short-staple variety on the same land with the same treatment. No long staple he has yet tried gives more than 27 per cent lint, while any good short-staple gives 33 to 35 per cent lint. The difference in price is usually about two to three cents a pound.
There are so many varieties of cotton seed now offered for sale that one not accustomed to the advertising schemes of the high-priced new variety man will be puzzled to know what is best to plant. There are, in fact, only a few distinct varieties. One not familiar with the business cannot do better than to consult the leading farmers in his section as to what are the best varieties for that special locality. Some varieties will do well in one place that will be failures in another. In- the writer's experience, a short-staple variety, making a vigorous growth with medium long limbs, good-sized bolls, and seed with a tendency to early maturity, is best for general culture.
Growth characteristies.—A few facts in regard to the general nature of the cotton plant may be of interest. There is no fixed time as to when the seed will germinate after being planted, as this is governed entirely by the temperature and the moisture in the soil. Also, there is no definite interval from the date of germination to the time when the first "form" or square is seen, as this is determined by various factors, such as time of planting, variety, soil, temperature and culture. It will average twenty-one days from the time a square first appears until it is a bloom; then it will average forty-two days from the bloom to the time of opening. The first blooms will be a few days longer in opening, as will also the first bolls. The bloom opens wide early in the morning, and is of a light cream-color ; it begins to close and change to a pink color in the afternoon, and by the following morning is a deep pink color, and falls to the ground.
Gathering SWAM . —The gathering season usually begins in the hill country about the first of September, reaches its height in October, and is generally finished, except for scattering bolls, in November. On bottom-lands, the season usually begins later and lasts longer. The writer makes about three pickings, getting 20 per cent the first time. 60 per cent the second, and the remainder
the third or last time.
Handling the crop.—Before gins were so numer ous, farmers would pick out several bales, and per cent of the business is done on what is known as the "furnishing" or credit system. The crop is virtually put in the hands of the merchant and commission man before the seeds are planted. The farmer pledges his crop to the merchant for supplies (mules, tools, feed for himself and teams) to make his crop with. The merchant, in turn, pledges all the cotton he controls to the commission man and banker• for money tc supply the farmer. This system necessarily forces the bulk of the crop on the market in three or four months. Consequently, the speculators and others interested manipulate the prices very much to their own liking, and nearly always to the hurt of the producer. There is a decided ten dency of recent years, however, to market the often their entire crop, before hauling to the gin. When this was the practice, we had a much prettier staple. The practice now is to pick, haul and gin the same day, if possible. This is not a good practice, for much of the cotton is green, and nearly always has on it dew or rain enough to make it damp; hence it is impossible for the gin to do first-class work. The ginner is often crowded, in this way, until he cannot do good work. Many public gins employ incompetent men, and through their carelessness there is great loss to the farmers.
The package in which cotton is marketed is called a bale, and it is recognized as the most unwieldy package handled in commerce. It is only because of the pressing demand for cotton that many carriers will handle it. For a number of years the round, compressed bale was used, and it was much more convenient and neat. There is a great demand now for a better package. A bale of cotton (Fig. 359) weighs about 500 pounds. A characteristic load of cotton is shown in Fig. 367.
Marketing.—The usual means of marketing the cotton crop is unfortunate, to say the least. Ninety crop more slowly, and its effect has already been felt in the markets. A complete change in the system must be effected before the farmers are to get their proportion of the value of the product.
The prices received for cotton varies from year to year, depending on a number of conditions. The law of supply and demand is the determining fac tor. Ten cents per pound of lint cotton may be taken as the market price at present.