270 



C O T T O N. 



In some parts, particularly on the coasts of Guiana 

 and the Brazils, the perennial cotton tree is almost ex- 

 clusively cultivated. Of this we are enabled to give a 

 very accurate account, which we have derived from an 

 acute and intelligent planter in the colony of Deme- 

 rary, where the cultivation of cotton has been carried 

 to a high pitch of perfection. On the coast of Guiana 

 the land is all alluvial mud, thrown out of the great 

 rivers that empty themselves into the ocean in its im- 

 mediate neighbourhood. Land is daily formed by the 

 same causes. The elevation above the level of the sea 

 is so inconsiderable as to render inundations not uncom- 

 mon, and the whole country is intersected by ditches, 

 without which no cultivation could be carried on. 

 This peculiarity of the country is to be considered, 

 whatever is the object of cultivation; but there are 

 some particulars that are to be exclusively attended to 

 by the cotton planter. The land in which cotton is to 

 be planted must be formed into beds of about 36 feet 

 wide, which are to be surrounded by drains that run 

 across the estate, and empty themselves into the trenches 

 that run parallel with the length of the estate. These 

 beds should be slightly elevated towards the middle by 

 means of the soil dug out of the drains, so as to throw 

 off the superabundant water more readily than if they 

 were perfectly horizontal. This is peculiarly necessary, 

 as any stagnation of the water around the root of the 

 tree is very injurious to it in every stage of its growth. 

 When the land has been thus prepared, it is divided 

 into squares of from three to six feet, according to its 

 nature, but the average is about five feet. Some indeed 

 do not divide the surface into squares, but into paral- 

 lelograms of five feet by four. The squares are marked 

 out by a line prepared for that purpose, or by pickets 

 stuck into the ground, in which small holes, four or five 

 inches deep, and six or eight wide, are dug with a hoe, 

 a little light earth is then scraped into the hole, and a 

 small handful of seed laid upon it ; the whole is then 

 lightly covered with earth. If the weather be showery, 

 (which it ought to be when cotton is planted,) the seed 

 will spring up in three or four days. When the plants 

 are three or four inches high, they ought to be pulled 

 by the hand, leaving three or four in each hole. This 

 is generally done within a month after the first plant- 

 ing. About the same time the ground generally re- 

 quires a first weeding, Avhich must be repeated every 

 month, until the trees are fully grown. At the second 

 or third weeding, one tree only is left in each hole, and 

 then if it be eighteen inches, or two feet high, the tops 

 are nipped off to make the tree throw out a sufficient 

 number of lateral shoots. The usual period of planting 

 cotton in Dutch Guiana is during the months of De- 

 cember, January, April and May. If in the two first 

 months, which are preferable, the tree will require to 

 be pruned in June, to prevent its becoming too high. 

 This is done about three feet above the ground, at the 

 same time all the shoots from the stem above one foot 

 from the ground are pulled off. But if the cotton be 

 planted in April and May, the branches will only re- 

 quire to be nipped about twice with the finger, and the 

 plant will generally yield some cotton before Christmas, 

 indeed from the month of October if the weather be 

 dry. In general, however, the cotton tree rarely produ- 

 ces a full crop before it has attained its second year, 

 and its duration is generally estimated at four or five 

 years. The replanting is not done in any regular way, 

 but whenever a tree fails another is planted in its place, 

 which is called supplying a field of cotton. This is 

 .particularly attended to at the period of weeding. The 



cotton trees that are a year old are regularly prun- 

 ed once a year, between the months of April and July. 

 The time of beginning depends in a great measure on 

 the weather, and the prospect of the trees yielding any 

 more. 



In regular seasons, the crop in Guiana is generally 

 finished in April, and if the season be mild, May is 

 the fittest month for pruning, which generally employs 

 the gang for about a month. The fields must be pre- 

 viously weeded, care being taken to cut out all the old 

 or rotten branches, to regulate the distance of these 

 branches, as well as the height of the tree, which 

 should be about four feet. This last circumstance must 

 depend in a considerable degree on the nature of the 

 soil. After the pruning, the utmost attention should 

 be paid to keeping the ground free from grass and 

 weeds, which grow very rapidly at that season. To 

 produce the desired effect, the fields should be weeded 

 thrice between the pruning and the gathering in of the 

 crop. This must be regulated by the number of peo- 

 ple on the estate. The cotton, if the season be favour- 

 able, begins to throw out abundance of blossom by the 

 end of July, or the beginning of August ; the pods form 

 in succession, and generally begin to open in about 

 six weeks : it rarely happens that there is any general 

 picking before the end of October, and it continues till 

 about the end of December, making what is called the 

 first crop. The short rainy season then begins, and 

 during its continuance the trees vegetate with uncom- 

 mon vigour, and blossom. The second crop, when die 

 weather is mild, should commence by the end of Fe- 

 bruary, and continue to the middle of April. To en- 

 sure the vigour of the trees, the fields should be weed- 

 ed between the first and the second crop ; if possible, 

 immediately on the close of the first. Little confidence 

 can, however, be placed in the expectation of a second 

 crop, from the prevalence in Guiana of cold northerly 

 winds, accompanied with much rain from December to 

 April. These always injure, and generally destroy, the 

 crop, either by making the blossoms and young pods 

 drop from the trees, or if the latter arrive at maturity, 

 by making the seed and cotton stick to each other in- 

 stead of bursting freely. The disease thus induced is 

 called the blast ; and we shall give a more particular 

 account of it hereafter. 



In the West India islands, and in Georgia, the same 

 mode of cultivation is pursued. The cotton trees, 

 however, must be annually planted, owing to some lo- 

 cal peculiarities. 



In Guiana the pure blue clay is considered the best 

 for this species of growth, particularly that which is 

 daily forming along the shores of that part of South 

 America. From this fact, it has been inferred, that 

 salt promotes the growth of the cotton tree ; and, in 

 conformity with that opinion, the old lands are fre- 

 quently inundated with salt water, and we believe with 

 very considerable benefit. Other soils, such, for in- 

 stance, as are sandy and gravelly, are equally produc- 

 tive with the clay, provided they be situated near the 

 sea. This is particularly the case in the West India 

 islands. There is an exception to this observation in 

 the interior of Georgia, where cotton grows very abun- 

 dantly. Possibly the cotton of Georgia may be a par- 

 ticular species, and this idea is borne out by the fact 

 of the Georgia cotton being much inferior to that of 

 the sea islands. 



Several species of cotton have been tried in Guiana, 

 but none succeed so well as the loose and close seeded 

 cotton. The last of these is preferred. 



Cotton. 



