.THK FARMERS' REGISTER. 



313 



c-iiltivatcJ careCiiIIy ami closely observeJ (Inririir ilie 

 \f hole year. You inus!t bear in miinl thai ilie «ea- 

 eoi) proved to be an exceeiiinyiy dry one, and in 

 every res|)ect or)e ol' the nioi>t [)ro|iilious ones tor 

 every det;cri|)li(in of the colton jilant llial we 

 have ever known. I believe there was nniliinii: 

 particularly lo be marked in iis ■frovvlh until 

 September, exce|)t the ffreat variety in the size 

 of the sialk. We observed, however, thai it sul'- 

 lered less lioin the dron<fht in May, .Kine and .Inly 

 than our JMexican lienerally did ; always looked 

 more liesh and i^reen, continued to i^row, and 

 lust but lew of its s(]uares, whilst the rest ol' our 

 crop lost a <rreai many. These remarks will ap- 

 ply to the JVlexican rows as well as the Egyp- 

 tian. I might here state also that the Egyptian 

 cotton, since we lirst planted it, has always ap- 

 peared 10 be less easily injured by Irosf. These 

 advanta<res it no doubt pariially derived from iis 

 becoming; a more hardy plant in the dry aimo- 

 s|)here ol' Egyfii, and perhaps also Irum beiii^ in- 

 vigorated Horn amalgamation vviih another varie- 

 ty, that ol' the JMexican. Cotton generally was 

 much tnore lorward that season than usual ; and 

 we commenced picking as early as the 25th ol' 

 July. The Egyptian cotton, usually so backward, 

 was almost as early in maturing its bolls, but 

 principally such stalks as appeared to be uii- 

 clianged by mixing with the JVlexican. The rest 

 liowever was also comparatively early. And 

 now, sir, were exhibited most ol the mteresiing 

 phenomena which I have to relate res|)eciing our 

 Egyptian cotton. As belbre mentioned, some 

 lew stalks sprung up to a considerable height, pro- 

 duced but lew boils, some ol them not even a 

 single form or bloom. The cotton from these 

 stalks was a most beautilul article, soft, fine and 

 silky ; fibre very long and strong ; biit not so rich 

 a cream color as the original Egyptian ; invaria- 

 bly contained a large green seed. Oiher stalks 

 did not grow so large, but had mote branches; 

 bore many more bolls, produced a long stronix 

 fibre, but not so silky ; contained almost every 

 variety of seed; upon some we Ibund the original 

 smooth black seed, tipon others, seed a \\U\e fuzzy. 

 Others again with a small brown $eed, and some 

 with a white seed. JVlany of the blossoms too 

 changed J'rom the Egyptian buti' color to the 

 JMexican white. Some of these stalks produced 

 remarkably well, but I cannot say positively which 

 variety of seed produced the most; but this was 

 very certain, that the green seed yielded the 

 smallest quantity, and produced decidedly the 

 most lovely cotton, resembling in every respect 

 in seed and cotton the Chinese silk cotton, which 

 has latterly attracted so much attention in this 

 section ol' country, and which I am inclined lo 

 think will prove the same. Think not that the 

 difference in the height of this green seed cotton 

 was owing to a difference in soil ; it was all the 

 same ; and generally we would ffnd one single 

 stalk of this 8 or 10 leet high, with others on 

 each side only three liiel. The Ibregoing remarks 

 apply principally lo the coiton grown from the 

 Egyptian rows ; and which I have termed the 

 Mexico-Egyptian cotton. That in the other al- 

 ternate rows I have designated, in contradistinc- 

 tion, Egyptio-Mexican. Let us now turn to this : 

 although perhaps it did not present so many in- 

 teresting points to the naturalist, yet it offered 

 more pleasing prospectii lo the planter. In tliij 

 Vol. IX.-23 



wc observed an evident and decided general m- 

 provcmeiit, boih n>i respecis the ///(.• und vigor ol 

 the plant, the (pialily ol'the cotton, and the quan- 

 tity yielded. The bolls grew larger, the fibre 

 somewhat larger, and much stronger. Nor was 

 the plant so liable to disease, consequently less 

 atlackcd by ivorms and insects. It grew rapidly 

 and matured early, and, iti tine, gratified my high- 

 est expectations. 



These seeds were carefully saved, tliat is, of the 

 ELrypiio-Mexican, and Ihe next season, in the 

 spring of 1840, I planted from them about twenty 

 acres, which yielded mucli better than any other 

 part of the plantation, although the soil was ra- 

 ther inferior to some of the rest. The cotton too 

 was so much superior that each bale was selected 

 from our other cotton in New Orleans, and classed 

 ;it a higher rate. I am so well satisfied of the su- 

 periority of the cross, that I have this season 

 plained nearly the whole of my crop with it, and 

 would have planted the whole liad I had the seed. 

 I have also [)lanted in such a manner as to pro- 

 duce a little greater mixture of the two cottons, 

 and may, perhaps, at some other time, give you 

 the result of further experience upon this as well 

 as other varieties of the cotton plant, some oi 

 which I have already tried without any good re- 

 sults. This is a subject of deep interest to our 

 southern country; and I wish you could draw 

 lorih for the public good the experience of many 

 of our practical and intelligent planters, induce 

 ihem to take a pride in the matter, as the Kentuc- 

 kian does with his stock, and ihe Virginian with 

 agriculture in general. I have perused with much 

 pleasure the remarks of Gov. McDuflie, of South 

 Carolina, contained in the Februa^ number of 

 your Register, upon this subject, and subscribe to 

 them most heartily. There is no doubt his advice, 

 it Ibllovved by all, would prove of incalculable be- 

 nefit to the cotton-growing region ; adopt a sys- 

 tem of general improvement ; improve our cotton 

 jilant, by crosses, and by such a system of culti- 

 vation and manuring of lands as will have the ef- 

 fect of producing a healthy stand of growing 

 plants ; gather our crop cleanly, and send it to 

 market in a better condition ; make less of it, and 

 thereby enhance its value; attend to other pro- 

 ducts and improvements, and we would soon find 

 ourselves richly repaid. I can give my testimony 

 to this. We have pursued this courr,e.for many 

 years; it always having been the ruling principle 

 with my lather whilst living, to do nothing e'xcept 

 what he did well ; consequently our crop is al- 

 ways sought for, its brand being well known 

 among the manufacturers; and it never fails to 

 bring two cents more per pound than other cottons. 

 There are also one or two other brands that go to 

 New Orleans, that command generally as good a 

 price, and attributable to the same cause. We 

 do not make as much per hand in bales ; but as 

 much in the proceeds after our sales. Our plant- 

 ers themselves should become interested, and no 

 longer trust so entirely lo overseers, an irresponsi- 

 ble and uninterested class, whose sole object is 

 either to lounge about in indolence and cheat their 

 employers, or in making as many coiton bales as 

 possible, at the expense of aimdftt every thing else. 

 I have above alluded to the Chinese silk cotton, 

 as it is termed, and expressed a doubt ol its being 

 any thing more than the green seed variety of the 

 Mexico-Egyptian cotton, although it is rc[)reient- 



