THE COTTON PLANT. 



409 



smooth wooden rollers, of about an inch diame- 

 ter, ranged horizontally, close and .parallel to 

 each other in a frame ; at each extremity they 

 are toothed or channelled longitudinally, corre- 

 sponding one with the other ; and the central 

 roller being moved with a treddle or foot-lathe, 

 resembling that of a knife-grinder, makes the 

 other two revolve in contrary directions. The 

 cotton is laid, in small quantities at a time, upon 

 these rollers whilst they are in motion, and 

 readily pressing between them, drops into a sack 

 placed underneath to receive it, leaving the seeds 

 which are too large to pass with it behind. The 

 cotton thus separated from the seeds is afterwards 

 hand-picked and cleansed thoroughly from any 

 little particles of the pods or other substances 

 which may be adhering to it. It is then stowed 

 in large bags, where it is weU trod down that it 

 may be close and compact, each bag containing 

 300 lbs. An acre may be expected to produce 

 from 240 to 300 lbs. of cotton. 



The Tree Cotton (g. arboreum). This, as the 

 name implies, assumes the form of a tree, and 

 reaches the height of fifteen to twenty feet if left 

 unpruned. The leaves are five-lobed, spear- 

 shaped, and grow on hairy petioles. It is a na- 

 tive of India, and probably the same as seen by 

 Marco Polo at Guizerat. " Cotton," says this 

 observant traveller, "is produced here in large 

 quantities from a tree that is about six yards in 

 height, and bears during twenty years ; but the 

 cotton taken from trees of that age is not adapted 

 for spinning, but only for quilting." 



The Vine-leaved Cotton (g. mtifolium). In 

 this species the leaves resemble those of the vine. 

 This is also indigenous to the East Indies, and is 

 the kind chiefly cultivated at the Mauritius. 



The Hairy Cotton (g. hirsutimi). The stalk 

 is herbaceous, with lateral branches, about three 

 feet in height, and covered with a thick down. 

 The upper leaves are undivided and cordate; the 

 lower divided into three and sometimes five 

 lobes, and covered with hair. This plant is bi- 

 ennial, and in warm situations even perennial. 

 It is said to be indigenous to South America, and 

 is occasionally grown in the "West Indies. 



The Spotted-barTced Cotton (g. religioswm ) . 

 The bark and petioles of this shrub are spotted 

 with black ; the leaves are three and five lobed. 

 The Silk Cotton Tree (g. homhyx ceita). This 

 is one of the tallest of oriental trees. Its stem 

 is of a reddish colour, and hairy or prickly. The 

 leaves are palmate, divided into five lobes. The 

 flowers are first white, then they change to rose 

 colour, and finally become red. Lamarck sup- 

 poses this tree was indigenous to the lower lati- 

 tudes of America. The wood is very light, and 

 not much valued except for the constniction of 

 canoes. The trunk is very large, and when hol- 

 Iiwed out makes canoes capable of containing 

 from fifteen to twenty hogsheads of sugar, of 



from C to 12 cwt. each. When sawn into boards 

 and well saturated with lime water, it bears ex- 

 posure to the weather for many years. It is also 

 formed into laths for roofs and other domestic 

 purposes in the West Indies. The seed capsule 

 contains a down of a coarser quality than the 

 other cottons. 



This tree is cultivated in the Mauritius, where 

 there are two varieties, one producing a white, 

 and the other a yellowish brown cotton. A cot- 

 ton of this colour is also cultivated in China, and 

 forms the cloth called Nankin. 



These are a few of what are perhaps distinct 

 species. The varieties of the cotton plant are, 

 however, exceedingly numerous. Dr Rohr, an 

 extensive cultivator of cotton in the island of 

 St Croix, who paid much attention to the sub- 

 ject, enumerates upwards of thirty species ; and 

 Mr Bennet, a cultivator in Tobago, remarked 

 more than one hundred varieties. Dr Rohr con- 

 siders the different forms of the seeds as distinc- 

 tive of the different kinds of plants, and classi- 

 fies them accordingly. Others again consider 

 the distinctive difiference to reside in the shape 

 of the seed-pod, the number of its divisions, or 

 the manner and time in which the cotton is re- 

 tained in its place after the bursting of the pod ; 

 while others believe the only circumstances wor- 

 thy of attention in the classification to be those 

 which regard the staple or fibre. 



Very white cotton is not considered the best ; 

 a slightly yellow tinge, when not the efltect of 

 accidental moisture or of an inclement season, 

 is indicative of greater fineness. 



The number of seeds in one pod vaiy accord- 

 ing to the different species; the pods of some 

 containing only ten or twelve seeds, others as 

 many as thirty ; while in all there is a marked 

 difference in colour, shape, and size. 



The shrub which grows wild in many parts of 

 the West Indies, especially in low and marshy 

 grounds, has a rough black seed. The cotton of 

 this is in colour a pale red, and is of so short a 

 fibre that it cannot be spun ; in consequence, it 

 is scarcely worth the trouble of gathering, and 

 what little is picked up is used for stuffing mat- 

 tresses and pillows. Among other varieties, the 

 Brazil and the Guiana cottons bear the same kind 

 of seed as the wild species, differing slightly in 

 shape; these are both nearly alike as to the 

 quality of their produce. The Guiana is, after 

 the "Sea Island cotton," the most esteemed in 

 Europe, on account of its colour and fineness, 

 and the length and strength of its staple and 

 fibre ; it is likewise extremely productive, as it 

 furnishes two gatherings in the year. It is far- 

 ther valuable, as the seeds of this kind conglo- 

 merate, or adhere firmly to each other in the pod, 

 and are easily separated from the cotton. This 

 variety requires a moist soil, such as generally 

 predominates in D'.itch Guiana. 

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