142 SELECT PLANTS FOR INDUSTRIAL CULTURE 



Gossypium Taitense, Parktore. {G. religiomm, Banks and Solan- 

 der.) 



In several islands of the Pacific Ocean. A shrub. Petals 

 white. Seeds disconnected, glabrous after the removal of the 

 fulvous cotton fibre, which secedes not with readiness. 



Gossypium tomentosum, NuttaU.* {G. Sandvisense, Parlatore; 

 G. religiomm, A. Gray.) 



Hawaia. Perennial. Petals yellow. Seeds disconnected, after 

 the removal of the tawny cotton-fibre fulvous velvety, not 

 easily parting with their cotton. The cotton roots are a 

 powerful remedial agent, which, however, should only be used 

 in legitimate medical practice. The barks of Hamamelis 

 Virginiana and Viburnum prunifoUum are antidotes (Phares 

 and Durham) . 

 For limitation of species and varieties Parlatore^s " Specie dei 

 Cotoni'^ (Florence, 1866) and Todaro's " Osservazioni su 

 Cotone " may be consulted ; information on culture may be 

 sought in Porter's " Tropical Agriculturist " and in Mallet's 

 work on " Cotton" (London, 1862). 



The following notes were written for the use and guidance of 

 Victorian colonists : — 



There are many parts of our colony in which all these species of 

 Gossypium could be cultivated, and where a fair or even pro- 

 lific cotton crop may be obtained. Good cotton, for instance, 

 has been produced on the Goulburn River, the Loddon, the 

 Avoca, and the Murray Rivers, particularly in places where 

 water could be applied. All cultivated kinds of cotton plants 

 are either naturally perennials or become such in favourable 

 climes, although they may be treated strictly as annuals. 

 Some of them will indeed in particular instances grow to the 

 height of 20 feet. The geographic parallels, between which 

 cotton culture is usually placed, stretch in various girdles 

 between 36° north latitude and 36° south latitude. Accord- 

 ing to General Capron, cotton is grown in Japan to 40° 

 north latitude, but superior quality is not obtained north 

 of 35°. 



All cotton culture in the Southern States of North America came 

 to 7 million acres before the civil war, cultivated by 1 J milUon 

 negroes ; India has now 14 million acres cotton. The primary 

 advantages of this important culture are : a return in a few 

 months, comparatively easy field operations, simple and not 

 laborious process of collecting the crop, and requirement of 

 but little care in the use of the gin machine in finally prepar- 

 ing the raw material for the market, the woolly covering of 



