384 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



The constant cropping which the cotton fields of the Southern States formerly received, 

 with little or no fertility restored, together with poor cultivation, have caused the soil in 

 many parts of that section to become nearly exhausted, and large areas that were once rich 

 cotton lands, are now regarded as unproductive, but with improved methods of agriculture, 

 and an intelligent use of fertilizers suited to the necessities of the soil and crops, this evil may 

 in the future be remedied and avoided. The adoption of a more thorough system of agricul 

 ture at the South within the past few years, together with the establishing of cotton mills and 

 other industries, have been the means of increasing and improving the cotton product of the 

 country, with at present a still brighter outlook for the future in this respect. 



The poems and romances of the Chinese literature of the seventh century are much given 

 to the description and celebration of the beauty of the cotton flower. The blossoms are 

 indeed very attractive, and a field of cotton in full bloom is a beautiful sight. Though 

 varying slightly with different varieties, the flower of the cotton plant resembles that of the 

 althea in size and shape. The color of the variety most commonly cultivated in this country 

 is, on first opening, a creamy white, changing to a light yellow the second day, and a purplish 

 red on the third, when it drops. The bolls are egg-shaped, varying in size, one the size of a 

 goose-egg being considered extraordinarily large. As they ripen or mature, the outer 

 covering turns brown and opens generally into four parts, the white fiber bursting out of its 

 enclosure, so that a cotton-field divested of its leaves resembles a field of white roses. The 

 leaves are a deep glossy green. By planting the seed in boxes, in order to secure an early 

 start, and transplanting as soon as the weather will admit, cotton plants could easily be 

 grown in Northern gardens as an ornament, their beauty exceeding many of the popular 

 varieties of cultivated flowers. Besides the extensive use of the cotton fiber in the manufac 

 ture of fabrics, and afterwards of paper, the seed is used largely in the manufacture of 

 oil, that which remains after expressing the oil being valuable as food for stock, and also as a 

 fertilizer of the soil. In Brazil and some other cotton-growing countries, the leaves of the 

 cotton plant are thought to have important medicinal qualities. The root is used to a limited 

 extent in medicine. 



Varieties of Cotton. There are several varieties of the cotton plant, although botanists 

 differ with respect to the exact number of species. Without going into a discussion of the 

 subject, as to whether there are five, seven, ten or more species of this plant, but leaving that 

 question for the botanists to settle among themselves, we shall mention only the most exten 

 sively cultivated kinds that furnish the great cotton product of the world. The two principal 

 divisions of the cotton product are those of the Old and New World, or what are known as 

 the Indian and American cottons, the difference in the botanical characteristics being slight, 

 but sufficiently marked to distinguish the one from the other, the seed of the eastern plant, or 

 that of India, never being black or divested of lint, while the curvature at the base of the 

 leaf lobes is composed of two opposite curves, instead of being heart-shaped like that of the 

 Western Continent. The cottons most, in demand are those of the United States, as we have 

 previously stated, while British India is second in this respect. The principal cotton crop, or 

 that most extensively grown, is of the short-staple variety, as the best quality of the long- 

 siapled or Sea Island cotton can be grown successfully only in certain localities, hence its 

 cultivation is necessarily limited to a comparatively small territory. The cottons most in 

 demand are the Sea Island and the New Orleans or Upland varieties. The former receives 

 its name from its being grown mainly upon the low-lying islands near the coast of Georgia, 

 Florida, and South Carolina, where the soil, climate, and peculiarly favoring conditions render 

 them especially adapted to the production of this variety, which surpasses all others in the 

 length, strength, and beauty of its staple, its fiber being very long and silky. It is used for 

 making the best quality of sewing thread, for mixing with silk, etc., and brings the highest 

 price in the market. The seed of the Sea Island or long-stapled variety is black and smooth, 

 with a little of the cotton fiber adhering to the small end. The variety known as the Georgian 

 Upland cotton is the result of cultivating the Sea Island cotton on the uplands of Georgia; it 

 is also sometimes known as &quot;Boweds.&quot; 



