126 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



a high temperature, a well-distributed rainfall during the 

 growing season, and little rain at the ripening period. These 

 desirable conditions are found in the cotton-belt states to a 

 greater extent than in any other part of the world. 



Cotton is a very old plant and was grown in the Old World 

 at least five centuries before the time of Christ. Pizarro 

 found the mummies of Peru wrapped in cotton fabrics, and 

 Cortez found the natives of Mexico cultivating the cotton plant. 



Cotton belongs to the same family of plants as the holly- 

 hocks and the mallows. It is a strong bushy plant and grows 

 from two to four feet tall. It grows from the seed every year, 

 hence it is an annual. The flowers are white, pale yellow, or 

 cream-colored. They become darker and redder each day 

 until they fall off on the third or fourth day. A little boll is left 

 where the flower was. This develops slowly until mature, 

 when it bursts open and exposes the seeds to which the white 

 fibres are attached. The fibres are called lint, and when 

 separated from the seeds they become the cotton of commerce. 



There are four kinds of cotton, namely: Sea Island cotton. 

 Upland cotton. Tree cotton, and Indian cotton. 1. The Sea 

 Island cotton is grown along the coasts of South Carolina, 

 Georgia, Florida, and the islands lying near by. The fibres or 

 staple of this cotton are quite long and sell for the highest 

 price. 2. Upland cotton is of two kinds, smooth and hairy. 

 Both of these can be grown on the uplands, but the hairy is 

 the principal one grown in the United States. The smooth 

 has long staple and the hairy has short. 3. Tree cotton grows 

 in India and lives five or six years, growing as tall as twenty 

 feet. It has short, fine fibres and is not much grown. 4. 

 Indian or Bush cotton is also raised mainly in India. It has 

 small pods and few seeds. 



