85 



growth, but estimating the crop at only eighteen thousand weight, 



the result will be as under : 



£ s. d 



Cleaning field twice a year 12 1^ 



Pruning once, £6 12s. ; picking at Is., for every 40 lbs. 



£67 10s. 74 2 Q 



Ginning, 6s. for every 110 ibs. 49 2 6 



Bagging, £12 Ss 9d. ; twine. 25s. 13 8 9 



149 11 3 



Estimated crop of eighteen thousand weight at 6d, net 450 



Gain £:iOO 8 9 



Equal to £30 per acre. 



Q. State the mode of cultivation adopted by you in detail ? 



A. I beg to lay before the Committee the following statement, 

 which wilf afford the information required I planted my cotton the 

 end of April, 1841, and the crop commenced in September, and fin- 

 ished in December; consequently about five months after phmting, I 

 commenced picking. The blossoms appeared the end of July, and be- 

 ginning of August, the pods opened six weeks after the blossom ap- 

 peared,°all the pods are not developed at the same time, but gradually 

 so that a field has to be gone over several times before the whole crop 

 is taken off. The crop which is picked between September and Decem- 

 ber, runs great risk of being damaged or stained by the October rains. 

 The parcel mentioned in my statement as stained was damaged during 

 that time, and as I could get no labourers to work continuously then 

 I lost a good deal of cotton, which was washed away by the heavy 

 rains. '1 he same risk does not attend the second crop, as it is picked 

 between February and April, before the May seasons set in. I ena- 

 ployed women to collect the cotton, as they were more expert at it 

 than the men ; they would f r. quently pick more than their task, but 

 the men not one half ; the task is 40lbs a day of seed cotton, for one 

 shilling, but in a large fi' Id, I am certain they could pick double that 

 quantity with ease. It is seldom that the perennial cotton tree pro- 

 duces a full crop before the second year of its growth, as I am inform- 

 ed, consequently, I have every reason to expect a much larger quan- 

 tity of cottun from mj fi.eld next year, from the favourable appear- 

 ance of the trees, which are now covered with pods. I consiler this 

 information correct. 



Q. How many years do the cotton trees continue to grow, and pro- 

 duce cotton, so as to render the cultivation profitable ? 



A. The perennial cotton lasts five years, and the other description 

 of cotton lasts but for one year. 



Q. Have you commenced picking your present crop, and what was 

 the description of seed which ycu used ? 



A. 1 shall not be ready for picking until February next. The seed 

 that is used is the seed of the Sea Island cotton. 



Q. Are you extending your field ? 



A. Not yet, but I am anxious to extend it, under the conviction 

 that it will be profitable. 



