MISCELLANEOUS CROPS. 657 



cultivated to a fine condition for sowing. While the cultivation of cotton 

 grown without irrigation may be largely on the Hat, in the case of irrigated 

 cotton, after the first cultivation the earth should be gradually worked 

 toward- the plants, to form a central furrow for the water and to support 

 the plants. 



Picking. 

 The first flower-buds appear about forty to titty days after planting, and 



it is another thirty days before the flowers are fully opened. After 

 fertilisation the (lower drops oft', and the small boll commences to develop. 

 Meantime other flowers are being produced, and will still be appearing when 

 the first bol are ripening. The bolls increase in size until they are about 

 U in. in length and slightly less in diameter. On maturity (towards the end 

 of February. in the case of the first bolls), the bolls burst, exposing the 

 cotton, which is held very lightly in the open boll. It is not necessary to 

 pick at once, and as a rule picking is not commenced until sufficient bolls are 

 open to allow of a fair day's picking being done. The cotton bolls continue 

 to form until the plants are cut back by frosts. Hence the plants must be 

 picked over several times ; as a rule about three pickings are made. 



Many attempts have been made to devise a machine that will pick cotton, 

 but so far nothing of a practical kind has been evolved, and picking must, 

 still be done by hand. 



The cotton is, of course, very light. AVhere the fibre is of good length the 

 produce of about SO to 100 bolls will weigh I lb., but when the bolls are 

 smaller from 100 to 150 bolls will be required to give 1 lb. of cotton. 



The cotton should not be picked when it is wet with dew or rain, and when 

 the mornings are d<^wy picking should be delayed until the sun has dried the 

 cotton. It is also essential that the cotton be kept clean. All trash, such 

 as dead leaves, &c, .that may become attached to the cotton must be picked 

 off before it is put into the bag. When the cotton is picked in a damp 

 condition it must be dried by spreading it out in thin layers on a clean cloth 

 before baling. 



The different pickings should be baled separately, as there is generally a 

 difference in the quality of each picking. 



From the foregoing it will be seen that there is likely to be no difficulty 

 about growing cotton, provided .that the right district is selected, and that 

 good farming methods are adopted, the various operations being carefully 

 carried out as outlined above. 



The limiting factor in regard to its profitable production is the labour 

 involved in picking. Under average conditions the yield can be set 

 down as about 600 lb. per acre, although where the soil is very fertile 

 and the weather conditions favourable, up to 1,000 lb. or more can easily 

 be obtained. 



The amount of seed cotton which can be gathered per day depends, of 

 course, upon the pickers. The work does not entail heavy labour, but 

 it requires speed in the movement of the hands and steady application 

 throughout the flay. A fair day's picking is from 80 to 100 lb. Assum- 

 ing a yield of 600 lb. per acre, the total time occupied in picking one 

 acre would therefore be six days. If a wage of 12s. per day is allowed the 

 picker, the cost of picking works out at approximately 1 |d. per lb. As the 

 cotton is picked from the plant it is called " seed cotton," as it still contains 



