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young plants get buried in the soil during the 

 process, 



At this time also, all grasses and weeds that may 

 have appeared in the meantime should be 

 thoroughly eradicated, by the hoe preferable. In a % 

 week or ten days the plants will be sufficiently 

 matured *to suffer further thinning, only the 

 strongest plant of each cluster being now left. 



Weeding must be closely attended to, all 

 interlopers being carefully destroyed, and the soil 

 washed down from the ridges should occasionally 

 be drawn up round the plant as before. 



Topping. When the plant evinces a disposition to 

 produce wood and leaves at the expense of flowers 

 and seeds, the tops should be nipped off when the 

 podding commences ; this will generally have a 

 most material effect in increasing the outturn by 

 encouraging the growth of the lateral branches. 



Gathering. The cotton should be gathered when 

 the pods burst, as exposure to sun and dew 

 deteriorates the staple to a considerable extent. 

 The picker should be provided with a couple of 

 bags, for the purpose of keeping the best and 

 cleanest sort separate from cotton gathered from 

 inferior pods. Special care should be taken that 

 none of the leafy enclosures of the pods gets mixed 

 with the cotton ; and a premium should be given 

 to the gatherers for the largest percentage of clean 

 cotton. 



