104 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [!ST. SEASON. 



CHAP. Manure, consisting of old stalks and rotten seed, 

 IV> buried in a furrow between the rows. The land, says 

 146 Mr. Finale, is manured when required. The poor old land 

 is manured early in the spring, by running a deep furrow 

 between the old rows, which are filled up with the old Cot- 

 ton stalks ; but the poorest lands have some other manure 

 added, of which well rotted Cotton seed is found to be the best. 

 Here America differs from India, for it produces so many 

 better things than Cotton seeds as food for cattle, that the 

 seeds are of no value. When the manure has thus been 

 laid in the furrow, it is covered up by running two furrows, 

 so that the mole laps, and forms a slight ridge over the ma- 

 nure ; and in this state the stalks and seed are allowed to 

 lie until the planting season, by which time they are well 

 rotted. The advantage of this operation is two-fold : first, 

 the land is manured ; and secondly, half the ploughing is 

 accomplished which is necessary for preparing the land for 

 planting. The operation, as already seen, is carried out 

 very early in the spring, before the frost has ceased to fall ; 

 and when the frost is over and all fear of it has ceased, one 

 or two furrows are ploughed along either side of the manure 

 ridge, which is subsequently broken up. This is done to 

 save time, the great object being to get the seed into the 

 ground as early as possible. 



147 Climate : very humid at night, but hot in the day. 

 The climate is damp all over America, but in the Southern 

 States it is very humid, causing heavy dews and thick fogs 

 at night ; these however are soon dispelled on the appear- 

 ance of a bright sun, which usually prevails in the morning 

 and during the whole day. The rains may be thus charac- 

 terized. During spring, summer, and autumn they consist 

 of heavy bursts of frequent showers. During the winter the 

 climate is proverbially described as consisting of three heavy 

 white frosts, and a hot sun in the day, which is succeeded 

 by a heavy rain generally of one day's duration, but occa- 

 sionally extending over ten days. 



