42 COTTON IN THE MADEAS PKESIDENCT. [4tH SEASON. 



the second and third seasons, as regarded the propor- 

 tion of Cotton produced to the extent of acreage, may- 

 be thus exhibited. 



^nd Season, 1842-43. 3/-i Season, 1843-44. 



Acreage 910i acres. 1,090 acres. 



Seed produced 207,632 lbs. 177,126 lbs. 

 Average per acre 228 lbs. 162J lbs. 



The proportion of wool obtained from the season in 

 two different years is shown in the following table, 

 which exhibits the proportion of wool obtained from 

 100 lbs. of Cotton seed. 



2nd Season. 3rd Season. 



New Orleans 29J lbs. 27| lbs. 



Boiirbon 26 „ 26i „ 



Oopum (Indian) 22|- „ 23i „ 



64 Fourth Season, 1844-45 : experiment of treating the 

 plant as a biennial. — Hitherto Dr. Wight had treated 

 the Cotton plant as an annual ; that is, he had annually 

 rooted out the old plants of the preceding year, and 

 then resown the ground. He found however that the 

 Bourbon variety was constantly treated as a biennial in 

 India,* as was also the Sea Island in Egypt. Accord- 

 ingly he proposed to try the experiment with New 

 Orleans Cotton, of pruning the plants nearly down to the 

 ground, and leaving the roots to yield a crop of fresh 

 wood for the second year. By this method, 

 he believed that during the second year the 

 roots would penetrate much deeper into the ground 

 than they did the first. The roots would thus pass 

 into an unexhausted soil, and would therefore be better 

 nourished; whilst a considerable saving would be 

 effected in the expenses of cultivation during the 

 second year. This experiment however ultimately 

 Dr Wiaht's t^^i'ied out a failure. This fourth season 

 letter, 16th is chiefly remarkable for having produced a 

 Pari.' Return ^^^^ larger and finer seed, which again 

 (18*7), p. 402. produced from three to three and a half 

 per cent, more of Cotton wool. 

 G5 Comparative produce of the four Seasons. — The 

 average produce per acre of the four successive crops 

 of Cotton, obtained during the four years 1842, 1843, 

 * See foot note to para. 34. 



