194 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



the entire surface ; that is, the foot of one ridge commencing 

 where the other ridge ends, and rising about eight inches 

 above the natural level of the land, thus presenting a surface 

 almost as smooth, and almost as deeply worked as a garden- 

 bed. This ridging is carried on but a few days ahead of the 

 planting. The ridge, if the operation has been carefully 

 done, is from 2 to 2$ feet broad at top ; it is then trenched 

 on the upper surface with the hoe, six inches wide, and 

 from three to six inches deep, depending upon the period of 

 planting. 



"PLANTING. In the beginning, if the seed is covered 

 more than two inches with soil, the soil will not feel the 

 inflence of the sun, and the seed will not vegetate later; that 

 is, in April up to the first of May, you must give from three 

 to four inches of covering to preserve the moisture, or there, 

 too, you fail from an opposite cause, the wind and burning 

 influence of the sun drying the soil too much for vegetation. 

 In most countries, after sowing the seed the roller is applied; 

 but in cotton- planting, in our ridge-husbandry, the foot in 

 covering the seed and pressing down the earth well sup- 

 plies its place. 



" QUANTITY OP SEED PER ACRE. A bushel of seed is 

 generally sown to the acre, 1 believe half a bushel is better ; 

 for where the evil comes, whether the worm, or wind, or 

 drought, or wet, there is no security in the many ; but on 

 the contrary, where they come up thin, they soon grow out 

 of the way of injury from any enemy. 



" AFTER-CULTURE. The cultivation of Sea-Island cotton 

 is carried on by the hand-hoe, and the quantity always 

 limited to four acres to the laborer. The operation of 

 weeding commences as soon as we finish planting, because 

 in our flat and sandy soils the grass-seed springs with the 

 first growth of the cotton, and by the time we finish plant- 

 ing, say the first of May, what we planted in March requires 

 the hoe. The land is kept in the operation of hoeing and 

 weeding as far as may be, at its original level, the beds 

 neither increased or diminished, that rains which generally 

 fall with beating power, and in redundant quantity, in the 

 month of August, may as little as possible injure the grow- 

 ing plants, which are then in full bearing. The young cot- 

 ton is thinned out slowly at from six to twelve inches apart 

 on the ridge, by the 10th of June. As soon as the rains 

 commence, which is about the last of July, it is wise to leave 



