Account of a small Crop of Pennsylvania Cotton, 297 



rate of 425 lbs. and a fraction to the acre. The Cotton 

 was of good quality, and was made into Stockings,]* 



* [At the instance of Mrs. Washington, about 25 years ago, 

 I made trial of several species of cotton^ and particularly of 

 that kind cultivated in Virginia. I followed her directions, and 

 added all the information I could otherwise obtain. I persisted 

 during four years with assiduous perseverance. Someof the sea- 

 sons were favourable, and some hostile. One season was -similar 

 to our present mild autumn (1825). But I could not succeed so as 

 to encourage a continuance ; and I abandoned the pursuit. I 

 gathered very fine pods through the warm weather ; but my main 

 crop was invariably caught by frost, and ruined. If the pods 

 could be sufficiently matured, before the heavy frosts arrived, 

 they would not be injured and might be gathered at leisure. But 

 I never could ripen them sufficiently. Even of those collected in 

 summer, many were touched by disease, or injured by insects. 

 Nor had I the ginn, to assist in the dressing. Others may be 

 more successful, but none can take more pains. Circumstances 

 now compel changes of our crops ; and there may be localities 

 more favourable to this plant, than others It would be well 

 for farmers to begin, if only by way of experiment, some change 

 in their culture : for the farinaceous plants we have heretofore 

 <jultivated, are now reduced so low, as scarcely to repay the la- 

 bour and expense of raising them ; especially where markets are 

 liable to be glutted by products conveyed from great distances, 



R. Peters. 1 



