1842 43.] Da. WIGHT ON AMERICAN CULTURE. 41 



which he had adopted, viz. that of freely loosening the sur- CHAP. 



face and digging out the weeds. Had he not gathered up '. 



the grass roots as fast as they were dug up with the hoe, 

 they would have subsequently grown all the faster. This 

 defect in the American system was, however, amply com- 

 pensated for by liberal ploughing between the rows. 



Banking up the ridges, first with the plough and 52 

 afterwards with the hoe. When the hoeing has been 

 completed, or a few days later, the plant is sufficiently ad- 

 vanced to admit of the plough being used between the rows. 

 The plough employed is small and light, such as can be drawn 

 by a single bullock ; with it a light furrow is run within 

 five or six inches of the plants, turning the earth inwards 

 towards the roots to supply the place of that previously 

 removed by scraping. This operation of banking up the 

 roots is completed with the hoe. If the soil is foul, and at 

 the same time soft enough to be easily worked, the plough- 

 ing may be repeated several times, the more effectually to 

 destroy the weeds. 



Keeping down extraneous vegetation until the 53 

 crop ripens. By the time these various operations are 

 completed, the plant is between two and three months old, 

 and in good soils should be between two and three feet in 

 height. The agricultural operations are then drawing to 

 a close ; subsequent proceedings being mainly confined to 

 keeping down extraneous vegetation until the crop begins 

 to ripen. The period that elapses from the fall of the flower 

 until the bursting of the pod, is from six to eight weeks. 

 The sooner the Cotton is picked after the pod bursts the 

 better. This system, pursued at Coimbatore, was of course a 

 very costly one, as compared with the simple and indolent 

 practice pursued by the Natives. 



