March i, 1886.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



599 



anJ leaves were exceedingly brittle ami crisp, yet as 

 the machine advauceil, we only missed the liut — 

 stalks, limbs, and leaves remaiuiug intact. Of course 

 the lint, iu being drawn from the bolls, came in con- 

 tact with and adhcrt'd to parts of leaves almost pul- 

 verized. The shafts of the locomotive were attached 

 io one siile of the locomotive, so that the mule nio\-cd 

 between the rows while the centre of the machine 

 passed o\er the apex of the row. 



•' Of course the return trij) threw the mule between 

 the tirst and second row, and the machinery p.ASsed 

 over the same row twice. After the return trip we 

 noticed no change in the stalks, kc, but the lint 

 was nearly all gone, safely stored in pendant bags. 

 The result was wonderful — almost incredible to any 

 but an eye-witness. It could have scarcely been 

 subjected to trial under more unfavourable circum- 

 stances — those above mentioned -anti others that might 

 be enumerated — aud yet at each passage over the row- 

 about 50 per cent of the cotton there standing was 

 bagged. Its almost iuteiligeut selection of the open 

 cotton, to the exclusion of almost everything else, 

 was the most remarkable as well as gratifying feature. 

 Those who have seen it work in a field with lu.x- 

 uriaut weed, and on the first opening of the cotton, 

 testify to this wonderful result. The seeiled lint 

 alone was inithered, while the blooms, Iea\es, and 

 immature bolls were left uninjured. An intelligent 

 planter from Alississippi, who witnessed its perform- 

 ance at this stage ot the cotton plant, offered the 

 highest prospective price for the machine for his own 

 use in the present cotton crop. After close examin- 

 ation of the results, he gave it as his opiiiion that, 

 with the machine then working and three good hands 

 to follow and glean after it, he could do the work 

 of forty hands a day. 



'* We take pleasure and pride in reporting that, 

 io our opinion, this great South Carolina invention 

 will prove a success. Jlr. Mason himself, however, 

 is not yet wholly satisfied. He believes that with 

 better tools which he will soon have, all facilities for 

 perfecting, he can render his machine still more effect- 

 ive. He is now aiming at gathering all the open 

 cotton at a single passing over a row, and thinks he 

 can do it. He is sure he can make all the parts 

 adjustable, but doubts, from their present perfect 

 state, whether he need improve the strength and 

 durability of those already tested. He showed us 

 several machines of various sizes already prepared for 

 work, and pointed out several of bis contemplated 

 improvements, which none but a skilled machinist 

 cjuld appreciate. But the simplicity of true geuius 

 characterizes all its forms. The efficient parts are all 

 made on the same model, and are all interchangeably 

 adjustable. Any. one part can promptly be replaced 

 in the machine without derangement to the other 

 parts. .Vs it must ueces,sarily fall into unskilful hands 

 on the farm, this is vital to its success. The oper- 

 ator has only to retain his seat on the locomotive 

 and drive his mule aright, and the machinery itself 

 takes care of the cottou. The cotton gathered iu 

 this experimental trip of the machine was immediately 

 transferred to the JIason Cylinder Gin, and promptly 

 converted into lint ready for packing. Jlr. Mason 

 promises, as an adjunct to his machine, a cotton 

 cleaner, which will remove all the light debris some- 

 times adhering to the cotton. — Indian Aijnculturist. 



JIETHODS OF POTTING. 

 Although the putting a plant in a pot appears at 

 first sight a very simpla process, and, indeed, is so 

 with regard to plants of no very particular value, yet 

 to many plants or families of plants it is doubtless 

 of the fir.st importance. Of what use would it be 

 providing the best of garden structures, securing a 

 sweet and wholesome atmosphere, &c., if our most 

 delicate! and choice jjlants were badly potted ami 

 their soils in conwquence become sonr and stagnant ? 

 Ajid, .to ask further, what was it in former <lay8 

 that caused garden pots io greenhouses to he so 

 liable to a coatiDg of green scum, and the plauts so 



particularly liable to the depredation of insects ? Bad 

 soils and bad pottiugs, doubtless, as predisposing 

 causes. 



One of the first improvements that took place in 

 modern potting processes was the use of coarse and 

 turfy materials iusteal of the finely ridiUed composts 

 of former days. Abtnjt the period of this advance 

 people began to turn their attention to the make of 

 garden pots also, and it was speedily discovered that 

 the pots which had been so long in use were any-, 

 thing but faultless. Thoi-ough ilrainage as a prin- 

 ciple in potting was speedily a growing question, aud 

 received the utmost consideration from practical men 

 in all <iuarters who were well up in their profession. 

 Theje great improvements doubtless received an ex- 

 tra impetus through the introduction of so many" 

 choice plants, many of which, especially some of 

 the finer-rooted, commonly called New Holland plants, 

 showed evident siijns that they would not thrive 

 under the old system. The commencement of the 

 exhibition era also much facilitated progress of the 

 kind, and now it may be said that British gardeners 

 can grow, in the very highest perfection of which it 

 is capable, almost every plant placed in their hands, 

 from whatever clime or under whate\'er conditions in 

 its own locality. 



The first thing I would direct attention to is two 

 modes of potting ([uite distinct. I do not say that 

 there are but two ways, but, for the sake of simplicity 

 in the affair, w*? m.ay at once reduce them to two 

 modes: all others are in the main modifications of 

 them. One may be characterised as loose potting, 

 the other as firm or close potting. The loose mode 

 is applicable in the main to annuals and softwooded 

 plants, and, I may add, to most plants of what 

 may be called ephemeral character. The latter class 

 are required to make their growth as speedily as 

 possible, iu conformity with their habits and the 

 services they are qualified to render; the former 

 class requires durability in the texture of the soil 

 rather than rapid excitc:ment. 



Now,']>lants of these two classes ought to be potted 

 very differently ; aud, iu order to illu.strato the matter, 

 let ns take two i>lauts, a Balsam and a Heath. These 

 two everybody is familiar with. In potting the former 

 a compost is generally used, and this, in the ordinary 

 language of gardeners, means a mixture. AVhen such 

 is used it becomes necessary that, iu order to have 

 it uniformly mixed, the soil be passed through a riddle 

 or sieve. This compost is filled in lightly round the 

 Balsam plant, and a shake or two, with a very slight 

 pressure perhaps in filling, makes all right; but in 

 shifting a Heath this process will not answer so well 

 by any means. Here the skilful cultivator, after pro- 

 curing his sandy and fibrous heath soil in a dryish 

 condition, breaks it up into lumpy fragments, and 

 these he places around the ball, packing them some- 

 what^tightly, some even thrusting fragments of stones 

 amongst the turfy material. As for the finer particles 

 which fall out iu the haodhng, he uses little of this 

 but to coat the surface over. 



As to watering newly potted or shifted plants, I 

 may just show that this differs as much with these 

 two classes as the potting or shifting process. The 

 Balsam alluded to would in most cases benefit by a 

 good watering with a fine-ro.sed po* ; but the Heath 

 woidd require some extra caution. I\lost of our hard- 

 wooded plants when repotted require that their ball 

 of earth should be in a moist condition — not wet, 

 but equally moist throughout. This secured, and the 

 potting performed somewhat similarly to the Heath 

 before allu^led to, light waterings, not over-frequent, 

 with the spout of the pot will p>-ove most suitable. 

 When I pot Camellias I alw.ays make a point of so 

 dressing up and pressing the surface of the new soil 

 in the|pot as to leave the stem in a small concavity. 

 This induces the water when applied to penetrate the 

 old ball, a thing I hold to i)e of much importance 

 uutil the new soil is filled with roots, Iwhen the surface 

 may be made perfectly level. Many a valuable hard- 

 wooded plant is ruined by loose potting, the water 

 iu such cases rushing through the loose soil to the 



