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Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1913. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER II DESCRIPTION OF COTTON PLANT THE cotton plant belongs to what is known as the mallow family. The okra, hollyhock, althea, some weeds and trees belong to the same family. Cotton is a tropical plant and is found growing wild in most tropical countries. It is an annual in the United States; but after warm winters occasional stalks of the old crop start new growth, indicating the perennial nature of the plant. In this country it is usually a shrub-like plant, ranging from two to seven feet in height. The extent of growth naturally depends on soil, climatic conditions, variety, and general treatment. A peculiarity of the mallow family is that all plants in it have flowers with five petals with numerous stamens that form a tube about the pistil. There are usually several leaf-like parts below and around the flower. In cotton there are three of these, which, with the inclosed bud, form what is termed the square. The leaves are alternate, lobed, with veins all beginning at a common point near the base. The genus or general subdivision of the family to which cotton belongs is Gossypium. A number of species are classed under this subdivision, but only two of these are of special interest to the American cotton grower. The first, and one of the greatest importance, is Gossypium Hirsutum, which includes all the upland cottons both long and short staples. The second, Gossypium Barbadense, includes all the Sea Island and Egyptian cottons. As indicated above, American upland cotton may be divided into two distinct classes: (i) short staple, and (2) long staple varieties. The chief distinction between the two is in the length and strength of staple. The short staple ranges from three fourths to one and one eighth inches, while the long staple ordinarily runs ...
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