Super Cotton

Is King Cotton tottering on his throne? In the worried South, researchers preparing for the coming postwar battle with rayon and other synthetic upstarts have been hard at work experimenting with likelier strains, new methods of machine cultivation (TIME, Nov. 13). Last week they heard good news : a Georgia State Experiment Station has developed a "super cotton" which may give the king new life. The new strain, called "Empire":

P: Matures so quickly that the boll weevil, a late spring starter, can do it little damage. It is also practically immune to the bud-eating thrip.

P: Has long fibers of great tensile strength, grows in big bolls that are easy to pick, bears relatively few leaves (thick foliage shades cotton too much).

P: Yields about 25% more cotton lint per acre than the best previous strains.

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