THE CADUCEUS.
13
CREAM TO RED
COTTON BLOOM CHANGES COLOR
DURING DAY’S CYCLE.
During the past two weeks Camp
Greene has been a drab blotch amidst
acres and acres of cotton bloom. Sol
diers of the camp, who delight in
walking out over the hiils during any
hours that they are off duty, have
marvelled at the spreading beauty of
the fields of growing cotton.
Sometimes the flower which peeps
out from the tuft of briglit green
leaves Is cream in color and some
times a dark red. This phenomena
has been unexplainable to the camp
soldiers, who come from the section
where towering corn stalks and bil
lowy wheat fields cover the land
Miss Mary Randolph, living east of
Charlotte, and a graduate of Elon Col
lege, and who has been reared in this
region, which is in the heart of Caro
lina’s best cotton belt, consented to
write briefly on “The Life of the Cot
ton Plant” for The Caduceus
Her treatise follows:
THE COTTON PLANT.
"Camp Greene is located about fifty
miles south of the northern line of the
cotton belt. After the late spring
frosts the cotton seeds are bedded in
rows three feet in width. The seeds
should be planted two or three inches
below the surface of the ground. When
the plants are several inches high
they are thinned. The, stalks should
be left eighteen or twenty inches
apart.
“Cotton growth is rapid under nor
mal atmospheric and climatic condi
tions. Two months after planting
small squares from on the branches
of the cotton stalk. These squares
contain the miniature boll and bloow.
“The cotton bloom resembles the
Hybiscus in shape and size. In the
early morning the opening flower is a
soft creamy color, which turns into a
delicate shade of pink during the heat
of the day and into a dark red hue by
nightfall.
“To protect itself from frost the
cotton plant possesses the power to
accommodate itself to varying condi
tions of light and temperature. The
leaves are horizontal, exposed to the
rays of the sun, during the day and
drooped at night.
“Short staple cotton is grown al
most exclusively in North Carolina.
An average height for the cotton plant
in this vicinity is three or four feet
An acre of ground should produce a
bale of cotton. Fifteen hundred
pounds of raw cotton in the seed will
produce a bale of line cotton weighing
five hundred pounds.
“Cotton is not picked by machinery
in this part of the cotton belt. The
pods are still picked by hand. A
good cotton picker can pick as much
as one hundred and fifty or two hun
dred pounds per day.
“Cotton bolls begin opening as early
as August or September. Occaslonal-
iy, the winter snows ■ find open cot
ton in the fields, but under ordinary
conditions the crop is all gathered by
November.”
QUARTERMASTER
SURE.
Mention is made, on “Officers Page,”
last issue of “Caduceus,” in reference
to the tennis courts, “L. T. Wagner
early in the spring constructed the
courts with the notion that he would
keep them in condition, but then there
has been a change of Quartermasters
and not that we mean anything by
making the statement, yet the courts
do need leveling up.”
Quartermaster and staff would ad
vise that their telephone number is
inside nineteen, and unless the ten
nis court enthusiasts can avail them
selves of the opportunity and make
the necessity of the matter known to
our department wa cannot anticipate
their thoughts. The matter of mental
telepathy does not come under our de
partment. Might we request that the
tennis courts enthusiasts use a more
direct instrument for bringing the
matter of work on the courts to the
attention of the peersonel of the Med
ical Department.
• * *
TRANSFERRED.
Sgt. Margerum has been transferr
ed to the Officers’ Training Schcool at
Jacksonville, Fla. We all wish him
luck and success.
>(c
Sgt. Raymond sprung a big surprise
on us last Tuesday. He returned
from town with a package of ciga
rettes.
* « *
They are not all dead yet. Sgt. El
rod and Corp. Coleman were calling
on two girls the other night, and
amused themseelves by playing “tag.”
By CORP. E. J. O’MALLEY.
NEW canteen opens.
The Barracks branch of the Base
Hospital post exchange has been re
cently opened and is now running at
full capacity. Private George Shaw
is in charge, ably assisted by Joseph
Tondreau and Clarence Kramer.
“Shorty’’ Kramer is an old hand at
the game, having worked for several
months in the main exchange at the
hospital.
While the branch has hardly been
in operation a week’s time, still busi
ness is exceptionally good, there, it
being estimated, that between $60 and
$100 worth of material, cigars, soda
• and candy being sold every day. This
certainly must be so for there Is al
ways a large crowd to be seen in
front of the door and gathered on
the porch consuming some liquid re
freshment or munching a bit of candy
or cracker.
ON FURLOUGH.
The man who left for a ten-day fur
lough on last Saturday night were;
Cook, John Albert, and Privates First
Class Ellerbe E. Thomas, Joseph
Hutchinson, Ernest L. Cyr, Julius
Stunrpf, Bronislaw Kuprewicz, Wen
dell Roberts and Allan T, Wllklsson.
Japanese
Roof
Garden
DANCING
every night
8.30 to 11
Classes Monday, Wednes
day and Friday 7.45
Private lessons by
appointment
Reference required.
THE R. L. FOX
STUDIO OF
DANCING
217 South Tryon Street
Phone 3259
Near end of Hoskins Car Line
Fully Equipped
Soda Fountain
Cigars
Cigarettes
Tobacco
KODAK
WORK
a specialty
Private Fullerton is on a furlough
to Huntsville, Ohio.