﻿AGRICULTURE. 
  143 
  

  

  few 
  years, 
  from 
  its 
  freedom 
  from 
  the 
  rot 
  — 
  a 
  disease 
  with 
  

   which 
  the 
  latter 
  became 
  infected. 
  

  

  They 
  both 
  gave 
  way 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  the 
  Mexican, 
  which 
  is 
  

   now 
  itself 
  chiefly 
  cultivated, 
  or 
  is 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   varieties 
  now 
  in 
  favor. 
  

  

  The 
  superiority 
  of 
  the 
  Mexican 
  consists 
  in 
  its 
  vigor- 
  

   ous 
  growth, 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  boll 
  and 
  its 
  free 
  expansion 
  

   affording 
  a 
  facility 
  of 
  gathering 
  by 
  which 
  three 
  times 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  can 
  be 
  picked, 
  as 
  was 
  formerly 
  the 
  case. 
  

   The 
  objections 
  to 
  it 
  originally, 
  and 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  

   a 
  great 
  degree 
  corrected, 
  were 
  the 
  coarseness 
  of 
  the 
  

   staple, 
  and 
  the 
  loss 
  sustained 
  by 
  its 
  falling 
  out, 
  if 
  not 
  

   gathered 
  speedily. 
  Like 
  the 
  Tennessee, 
  the 
  seeds, 
  

   although 
  larger, 
  are 
  coated 
  with 
  a 
  coarse, 
  felt-like 
  down, 
  

   of 
  a 
  dingy 
  white 
  or 
  brown 
  color. 
  

  

  The 
  Mexican 
  seed 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  first 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  "Walter 
  Burling, 
  of 
  Natchez. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  related 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  older 
  citizens, 
  who 
  were 
  

   well 
  acquainted 
  with 
  him 
  and 
  the 
  facts, 
  that, 
  when 
  in 
  

   the 
  city 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  sent 
  by 
  General 
  Wilk- 
  

   inson, 
  in 
  1806, 
  on 
  a 
  mission 
  connected 
  with 
  a 
  threatened 
  

   rupture 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  countries, 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  our 
  

   western 
  boundary, 
  he 
  dined 
  at 
  the 
  viceroy's 
  table, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  conversation 
  on 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  

   country, 
  he 
  requested 
  permission 
  to 
  import 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mexican 
  cotton 
  seed 
  — 
  a 
  request 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  granted, 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  forbidden 
  by 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   government. 
  But 
  the 
  viceroy, 
  over 
  his 
  wine, 
  sportively 
  

   accorded 
  his 
  free 
  permission 
  to 
  take 
  home 
  with 
  him 
  as 
  

   many 
  Mexican 
  dolls 
  as 
  he 
  might 
  fancy 
  — 
  a 
  permission 
  

   well 
  understood, 
  and 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  vein 
  was 
  as 
  

   freely 
  accepted. 
  The 
  stuffing 
  of 
  these 
  dolls 
  is 
  understood 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  cotton 
  seed. 
  

  

  Many 
  accidental 
  varieties 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  of 
  late 
  

  

  