37S TRAVELS through 



The cotton of this eountry is of the fpecies 

 called white cotton of Siam. It is neither fo 

 fine nor fo long as the filky cotton, but it is 

 however very white and very fine. Its leaves are 

 of a lively green, and refenible fpinage very 

 much -, the flower is of a pale yellow, the feed 

 contained in the capfule is black, and oval like 

 a kidney-bean : it is commonly planted in fuch 

 grounds as are not yet fit for tobacco or 

 for indigo *, for the latter requires the grcateft 

 care. 



The fhrub is cut down to the ground every 

 two or three years, becaufe they fay it bears 

 ipore after it. The piftil of the flower changes 

 into an acuminated capfule, of the fize of a pi- 

 geon's egg, green at firft, then brown, and at 

 laft almofl black, dry and brittle. 



When the cotton is ripe, the heat of the fun 

 makes it expand ; the capfule that contained it 

 opens in three or four places with a little noife. 

 Then it muft be gathered quickly, left it fhould 

 be loft. Each capfule contains five, fix, or fe- 

 ven feeds, of the fize of peafe s the cotton fticks 

 to them, and it is therefore difficult to get the 

 feeds out, except in tim« and with patience ; for 



this 



