G O S 



the corolla: anthers kidney-form : the pistillum 

 is a roundish germ : st)le columnar, the length 

 of the stamens : stigmas thrte or four, thickish : 

 the pcricarpium has a roundish cnpside, acumi- 

 nate, thiec- or iour-cellcd : paitilicns contrary : 

 the seeds very many, oval, and involved in cotton. 

 The species cultivated are : 1. G. Iterlaccinn, 

 Common Cotton ; 2. G. uriorcinn, Tnc Cotton ; 

 3. G. hirsuluw, Hairy American Cotton; 4. G. 

 Barbadense, Barbadoes Cotton Tree. 



The first has a ta] cring woody root, with 

 numerous fibres, annual : the seed-lobes two, 

 kidney-form, terminating gradually in a long 

 petiole with the ligure of a halved funnel : the 

 stem three feet hiiili, upright, round, pubescent, 

 as is the whole of tl)e herb, at bottom brown, 

 with slight chinks, at top spotted with black: the 

 branches are axillary, scarcely longer than the 

 lea:' at their origin : the leaves are alternate, only 

 half the lenjTth of the petiole, tomentose, odorous 

 whilst young. The flowers are of a yellow 

 colour. It IS a native of the East Indies, and 

 often known by the title of Levant Cotton. 



The second species has the stem eight feet 

 high, the thickness of the human leg, with a 

 rugged brown bark, and lonu', diffused, twisted 

 branches: the leaves arc three- or five-lobed, 

 without glands, smooth, scattered, petiolcd ; the 

 lobes short: flowers entirely yellow, terminating, 

 and solitary. A native of the East Indies, Sec. 



The third has a shrubby stem, a fathom in 

 height, erect, striated: the branches hirsute; the 

 leaves alternate; the upper ones divided, cor- 

 date, acute, entire, rough with hairs about the 

 edge; the lower three-lobed, the lobes little divid- 

 ed, ovate, acute, entire, hirsute beneath, smooth 

 above : the petioles round, striated, dotted with 

 black, hirsute: there is a single glandular pore 

 on the midrib underneath, and sometimes two or 

 three on the next nerves: the pedimcles are three 

 times shorter than the petioles, thick, stifif', hir- 

 sute, dotted with black. The flowers are yellow, 

 and succeed by large pods. 



The fourth species has the stem from six to 

 fifteen feet in height, suffruticose, biennial, and 

 smooth: the brant iies arc almost erect, round, 

 and smooth or pubescent : the leaves alternate, 

 the upper three-lobed, the lower five-lobed ; 

 lobes ovate, acute, nerved, smooth above but 



fiubesccnt underneath : petioles five or six inches 

 ong, roundish, patulous, smooth or sometimes 

 pubescent : glandular pores commonly three, 

 on the midribs of the leaves underneath : the 

 peduncles opposite to the petioles and shorter, 

 thickish, round, striated, jiubescent, one-fiower- 

 cd : ihe flowers arc large, yellow, turning finally 

 red, succeeded by oval pods. It is a native of 

 the West Indies. 



G O S 



Culture. — All these plants are raised here frorrj 

 seed, which must be sown in pots filled with 

 lioht earth, in the early spring months, plunging 

 them in the common or bark hot-bed. W ben 

 the plants have attained a few inches in growth, 

 they should be removed into separate pots, and 

 ae;ain placed in the common or bark hot-bed, 

 w4icre they must con-tauily remain. 



The first and third sorts, as being annual, 

 must have the seeds sown every year. Ihe 

 fourth is perennial, and the last biennial. 



They flower and produce seeds in the stove, 

 where a few plants afford much variety. 



In the West Indies, where these plants are 

 cultivated for the cotton which they produce, 

 the seed, according to Martyn, is set m rows, 

 about five feet asunder, at the end of September 

 or beginning of Octobcr,bcingat firstbut slightly 

 covered ; but when grown and strong, the root 

 is well moulded up. The seed is apt to decay 

 when it is set loo deep, especially in wet weather. 

 The soil should not be stiff or shallow, as this 

 plant has a tap-root. The ground must be 

 hoed frequently, and kept very clean about the 

 young plants, until they rise to a moderate height, 

 otherwise they are apt to be destroyed by cater- 

 pillars. It grows from four to six feet high, and 

 produces two crops annually ; the first in eight 

 months from the time of sowing the seed ; the 

 second within lour months after the first; and 

 the produce of each plant is reckoned about one 

 pound weight. The branches are pruned or 

 trim.med after the first gathering; and when 

 the s^rcAVth is over-luxuriant it should be done 

 sooner. When a great part of the pods are ex- 

 panded, the wool is picked, and afterwaards 

 cleared from the seeds by a machine called a gin, 

 composed of two or three smooth wooden rollers 

 of about one inch in diameter, ranged horizon- 

 tally, close and parallel to each other, in a frame; 

 at each extremity, being toothed or channelled 

 lonsjitudinally, corresponding one with the other; 

 and"the central roller, moved with a treadel or 

 foot-lathe, resembling that of a knife-grinder, 

 which makes the other two revolve in contrary 

 directions. The cotton is laid, in small quan- 

 tities at a time, upon these rollers, v-diilst they 

 arc in motion, and, readily passing between them, 

 drops into a sack, placed underneath to receive it, 

 leaving the seeds which are too large to pass with 

 it behind. The cotton thus discharged fnmi 

 the seeds, is afterwards hand-picked, and cleans- 

 ed thoroughly from any little particles of the 

 pods or other substancss which may be adhering 

 to it. It is then stowed in large bags, where 

 it is well trodden down, that it may lie close and 

 compact ; for which purpose some water is 

 occasionally sprinkled upon the outside of the 



