152 SELECT PLANTS FOB INDUSTRIAL CULTURE 



parting with their cotton. The cotton roots are a powerful remedial 

 agent, which however should only be used in legitimate medical 

 practice. The barks of Hamamelis Virginiana and Yiburnum 

 prunifolium are antidotes (Phares aud Durham). 



For limitation of species and varieties Parlatore's " Specie dei Cotoni" 

 (Florence, 1866) and Todaro's " Osservazioni su Cotone" may be 

 consulted. Information on culture may be sought in Porter's 

 "Tropical Agriculturist" and in Mallet's work on "Cotton" 

 (London, 1862). 



The following notes were written for the use and guidance of 

 Victorian colonists : 



There are many parts of our colony in which all these species of 

 Gossypium could be cultivated, and where a fair or even prolific 

 cotton crop may be obtained. Good cotton, for instance, has been 

 produced on the Goulburn River, the Loddon, the Avoca and the 

 Murray Rivers, particularly in places where water could be applied. 

 All cultivated kinds of cotton plants are either naturally perennials 

 or become such in favourable climes, although they may be treated 

 strictly as annuals. Some of them will indeed in particular 

 instances grow to the height of 20 feet. The geographic parallels, 

 between which cotton culture is usually placed, stretch in various 

 girdles between 36 north latitude and 36 south latitude. Accord- 

 ing to General Capron, cotton is grown in Japan to 40 north 

 latitude, but superior quality is not obtained north of 35. 



All cotton culture in the Southern States of North America came to 

 7 million acres before the Civil war, cultivated by 1J million 

 negroes; India has now 14 million acres cotton. The primary 

 advantages of this important culture are : a return in a few 

 months, comparatively easy field operations, simple and not labour- 

 ious process of collecting the crop, and requirement of but little 

 care in the use of the gin machine in finally preparing the raw 

 material for the market, the woolly covering of the seeds con- 

 stituting the cotton of commerce. The oil obtained by pressure 

 from the seeds is useful for various technic purposes, and the oil- 

 cake can be used like most substances of similar kind for very 

 fattening stable-food. Crushed cotton seed-cake without admixture 

 is eaten by cattle and sheep with avidity. Sea Island cotton was 

 raised in splendid perfection in the northern parts of Victoria 

 fully twenty years ago from seeds extensively distributed by the 

 writer ; but the want of cheap labour has hitherto militated against 

 the extensive cultivation of the cotton, and so also against the 

 culture of tea and many other industrial plants. Cotton having 

 been raised far away from the influence of the sea air, it would be 

 worthy of attempts to naturalise various kinds of cotton in the 

 oases of our deserts, irrespective of regular culture. Our native 

 Gossypiums of the interior produce no fibre worth collecting. 



