366 DR. EDWARD SCHUNCK ON THE 



colour in cotton staple may be considered, I think, a 

 normal variational state, rarely met with in the present 

 day, but very probably natural to the wild forms now 

 nearly extinct and very imperfectly known. The two 

 plants which have the best claim to be considered wild 

 species that I have met with, namely the Polynesian plant 

 of Nuttall and the Sao-Paulo one of Mr. Aubertin have 

 both of them yellow cotton. The coloured state, how- 

 ever, is common to several cottons, probably to all. We 

 find it in the hill-cotton of Assam, and in samples from 

 China (Ningpo) — both Gossypium herbaceum proper; and 

 I am told it is not unfrequently found in the fields of this 

 species in India and elsewhere. In Tndia, however, the 

 sort actually in cultivation is the yellow form of G. hir- 

 sutum (Orleans) ; and my samples from Malta are of the 

 same kind. The only use that I know of for this staple 

 is to make the cotton -blanket clothing of the Afghans ; 

 and I think also the Kabyles use it for the same purpose. 

 It seems to be an object of regard and veneration amongst 

 the aborigines of various countries. In Peru the country 

 people weave a striped cloth, white and yellow, from it; 

 and the bodies of their ancient princes (the Incas) were 

 found to have been buried enveloped in the rich brown 

 wool of a coloured form of the large native plant. The 

 paler brown staple coming from Africa is the produce of 

 a coarse kind of Egyptian, and is of stronger quality than 

 most. The curious kidney-cotton also assumes this ap- 

 pearance, as I have samples of it from Parahyba del Norte, 

 and have raised plants from its seeds. In all cases the 

 staple suffers an unfavourable change when assuming this 

 state, and is invariably more or less weak and short." 



The experiments, of which I now propose to give a short 

 account, were made in order to ascertain the cause of the 

 peculiar colour by which Nankin cotton is characterized. 



