COTTON. 



chance destroy a stalk or two ; and 

 being not over two or three inches 

 high, and ten to twelve inches apart, 

 they do not injure each other. When 

 I use the scraper, there is so little 

 lioe work, that each hand is required 

 to clean the row at one time by chop- 

 ping through to himself, sweeping off 

 the side of the plants, then with a 

 push of the hoe he cleans the oppo- 

 site side of the stalks, and reduces 

 to a single stalk at the same motion. 

 Our usual work is three quarters of 

 an acre per hand ; but with the scra- 

 per, and earth in the same condition, 

 from one to one and a quarter of an 

 acre is as easily done ; this is when 

 the crop is got into in due time, which 

 I make a point of doing as soon as I 

 have what I consider a full stand up, 

 never waiting for height or age of it, 

 and only when too cold. On referring 

 to my farm-book, I find I commence 

 reaping from fifteen to twenty days af- 

 ter sowing, owing to the season, and 

 whether earlier or later sown ; if the 

 seed be sown early, it is the longer 

 period, the earth being cool, and the 

 sun not powerful enough at this sea- 

 son to warm it. 



"As soon as lean return for other 

 business, say in ten to fifteen days 

 at the outside, I throw earth to the 

 plant with the bull-tongue plough, run- 

 ning near and deep, and with any or- 

 dinary attention the plant is moulded 

 well with fine, light earth ; the soon- 

 er this can be done the better, the 

 light earth serving to protect the 

 stem of the plant, the furrow to drain 

 off moisture and loosen the earth, 

 and to give warmth. The plant be- 

 ing thus stimulated, if the weather 

 be not too cold, will resume its green 

 colour if it has turned yeliowisli, and 

 commences growing ; the last half 

 of cotton requiring working, and if 

 rain falls about this time, it may not 

 be possible to get into it earlier than 

 ten days, but at all events we should 

 do so some five days before lioe 

 hands go into it to clean with the hoe. 

 The hoe follows this moulding with 

 the bull-tongue, levels the earth 

 around the plant, and cuts up what 

 grass and weeds there may be pres- 



R 2 



ent. This working will take us into 

 May, when our heavy rains are over, 

 and when the plant begins to grow 

 off; if I find the earth to crack or be 

 hard, I follow the hoes, in a few days, 

 with the shovel-plough ; if the plant 

 will bear it, the large shovel, if not, 

 the small one, next to the plant, and 

 break out the entire middle deep and 

 thoroughly. This is the only time I ev- 

 er plough deeper, probably, than two 

 inches after pitching my crop, and I 

 do not use the turning-plough after 

 barring off. If the earth be light and 

 mellow, I use the double shovel- 

 plough, three furrows moulding the 

 plant and sweeping the entire middle. 



"At this second working I reduce 

 to a stand, leaving the stalks about 

 twenty to twenty-four inches in ordi- 

 nary land ; on the richer land, from 

 two feet to thirty or even thirty-si.K 

 inches. After this working I keep 

 the earth stirred with a cultivator, or 

 sweep, or double shovel, or harrow, 

 keeping the bed of the row or drill 

 free from weeds and grass, throwing 

 a little earth at each working to the 

 plant, but not enough to be called a 

 ridge. 



" I give the crop as many and as 

 frequent stirrings as I am able, sel- 

 dom less than three or four, with the 

 hoe and plough each, making it a 

 point to keep the ploughs in advance, 

 unless an unfavourable season, when 

 tlie earth is rather wet to plough, or 

 grass has grown too fast ; I then re- 

 verse it. The object in keeping 

 ploughs and hoes several days apart 

 is to give a chance for grass to die, 

 so that what has not been killed or 

 covered by ploughs can be cut out 

 with hoes. 



" I endeavour to have my land in 

 good order before planting ; plough 

 as deep as my horses can pull tiie 

 plough, and commence to clean my 

 crop before grass has got started, 

 and by frequent stirring keep the crop 

 entirely under my control. I have 

 tried all tlie plans (except Dr. Cloud's, 

 and intend to give that a trial) of 

 planting and cultivating cotton, and 

 think I can make as much on the 

 same land with those implements that 



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