184546.] ME. FINNIE ON COTTON CULTIVATION. 107 



is very rich. In India three inches in the drill, and two feet CHAP. 



between the rows, is sufficient in the best lands. After ! 



sowing, the harrow follows immediately, and lightly covers 

 the seed ; and this operation brings the work of the planting 

 season to a close. Here it may be remarked, that one 

 steady ploughman with his horse and drill ; one woman to 

 sow the seed, with a little boy to wait on her and supply the 

 seed ; and a large boy with his harrow drawn by a horse ; 

 will altogether plant ten acres per diem. 



" Scraping" or hoeing. The scraping season commences 152 

 immediately after the plants are above ground. This ope- 

 ration is very important, as the success of the crop mainly 

 depends upon the neatness and accuracy of the scraping. 

 The great point is to secure a good stand of plants ; that is 

 to leave the plants in regular intervals, and proportioned in 

 width to the poorness or strength of the land. To achieve 

 this object a few careful Negro drivers give their whole care 

 and attention to it, following the hoemen to see that neither 

 too much nor too little is taken away. The Cotton as 

 it comes up stands thick in the drill. The hoe is passed 

 through the mass of plants, and cuts away in width as the 

 hoeman is directed by the driver, leaving two plants in a 

 place, thus ::::: 



If both the plants live, one of them is pulled out at the 

 next hoeing. A ploughman follows these scrapers or hoemen, 

 and runs a slight furrow on both sides of each Cotton row, 

 throwing a little dirt gently among the plants, to replace 

 that which had been taken away by the hoe. Alternate 

 ploughing and hoeing thus continue in rapid succession, 

 each round occupying from fifteen to twenty days, until at 

 length the pods begin to open. During this period, time 

 can scarcely be found to gather the "fodder" from the Indian 

 corn, or even to obtain the grain when it has at last 

 ripened. 



