" BLUE COTTON." 173 



no means an adept in the culture of the long staple, I might 

 occasionally throw out a hint which might be extended and 

 improved upon by others more capable than myself. But to 

 the object of this communication : We have large portions of 

 land on the main, adjoining our salt-water rivers and inlets, 

 such as live oak flats, &c., which produce what is termed, in 

 our fraternity, Blue Cotton, from, I presume, the blueish cast 

 of the plant. These lands are very rich, and produce fine 

 crops of corn, but so far as I am acquainted, there has been 

 no remedy applied for Blue Cotton, which they almost inva- 

 riably produce. By this term we mean such cotton as comes 

 up and grows very luxuriantly, without any fruit, reaching 

 at times the height of eight or ten feet, having large leaves, 

 with crimped edges, and of a deep lead color, so much so that 

 a spot in the field may be recognised as far as the plant can 

 be distinguished. At other times, depending perhaps on a 

 very wet season, the plant, after growing several feet, and 

 bearing well, sheds all its fruit and becomes blue. 



This is a serious difficulty with our strong lands, and I hope 

 among your many readers, some one may be able to suggest 

 a remedy for the evil. It has been generally supposed among 

 us, that land containing a large quantity of iron would have 

 this effect why, I know not; but if such is the fact, it ap- 

 pears to me that lime would be a good application, and it is 

 my intention to try it. The chemical action of lime on the 

 organic substances of which our strong low flats and swamps 

 contain a great deal, is very considerable, and this is not only 

 in reference to vegetable remains, but it acts with equal 

 energy upon the dead and living animal matter. Its opera- 

 tion, therefore, may effect a change in the production of the 

 plant. Besides, if the soil contains sulphate of iron, this 

 is decomposed by the lime, which, uniting with its sulphuric 

 acid, forms the sulphate of lime, which is commonly called 



