Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 221 



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

 produced on the Goulburn, the Loddon, the Avocaand the Murray - 

 River, particularly in places where water could be applied. All 

 cultivated kinds of cotton-plants are either naturally perennials or 

 become such in favorable 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 geographical 

 parallels, between which cotton- culture is usually placed, stretch 

 in various girdles between 36 north latitude and 36" south latitude. 

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

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



The cotton-culture in the Southern States of North -Am erica 

 utilised seven million acres before the civil war, cultivated by a 

 million and a half of Negros ; India has now 14 millions acres in 

 cotton, as much as the United States in 1879, the yield in the latter 

 being at an average nearly half a bale per acre, and the export 

 thence in 1881 in value about 260 millions of dollars [J. R. Dodge]; 

 in 1883 the cotton-area of the United States was 16,777,993 acres ; 

 in 1882 the cotton-yield there 6,957,000 bales. The importations 

 of raw cotton into the United Kingdon in 1884 amounted to 15-| 

 million cwt., its value being 44,000,000 ; about two-thirds of this 

 came from the United States. In 1886 the import was 15,312,900 

 cwt. at a then value of 38,128,110 ; in 1889 it was 17,298,000 

 cwt. valued at 45,642,000 ; cotton-seeds imported that year into 

 Britain came to 277,394 tons valued 1,906,000. The greater part 

 of the cotton produced in the world is worked up in the United 

 Kingdom, where the annual consumption has increased from about 

 1,014,000 bales (of 400 Ibs. each) in the period 1836-1840 to an 

 average of 3,117,000 bales for the period 1876-1880, and to 3,700,000 

 bales during the last four years. After the United Kingdom, says 

 the "Bulletin du Musee commercial," comes the European 

 Continent ; taken as a whole the consumption has there increased 

 during the same period from 521,000 to 3,400,000 bales. The third 

 place is held by the United States, which surpasses all other 

 countries in the rate of increase, as the use for manufacture there 

 rose from 242,000 bales in 1840 to 2,137,000 bales in 1884-85. 

 (Journ. of the Soc. of Arts, 1890). The primary advantages of 

 this important culture are : a return in a few months, comparatively 

 easy field-operations, simple and not laborious 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 constituting the cotton of commerce. 

 The oil obtained by pressure from the seeds is useful for various 

 technic purposes, and the oil-cake can be utilised like most sub- 

 stances of a similar kind as a very fattening stable-food. This oil 

 can even be used quite well in domestic cookery [Colonel 0. Nelson]. 

 Crushed cotton-seed cake without admixture is eaten by cattle and 

 sheep with avidity. Of cotton seeds 212,000 tons were introduced 



