Jan. 1, 1865.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



ON THE COTTON PLANT. 



BY MAJOR TREVOR CLARKE, P.R.H.S.* 



In the spring of the present year I was one of a party of officers — 

 of this Society, by whom the idea was started, that a series of short 

 lectures, each illustrative of some one plant, should be undertaken by 

 ourselves arid other Fellows who might have made such plant or 

 family of plants his particular study. 



As it was known to some present that I had for several years turned 

 my attention to the improvement of the cotton plant, by cross breeding, 

 with a view to its better cultivation in India, and as I happened to 

 have one of the beautiful golden blossoms of the illustrious Sea Island 

 plant in my button-hole, I Avas at once "told off" "to do" Cotton. I 

 accepted the challenge, but I knew not what I had undertaken. The 

 cotton plant is a vast and difficult subject ; its cultivation at home or 

 abroad is yet a problem ; its history and commercial statistics voluminous ; 

 its botany impossible. I use this word advisedly, and will explain 

 presently why I do so. In the mean time, in deprecation of the many 

 shortcomings which will inevitably appear in my lecture, I must, in 

 justice to myself, now glance at the difficulties I had to encounter. 



Seed was scarcely to be had in England, and the habits of the 

 different kinds under glass were almost unknown. Now, to carry out 

 the scheme properly, I had to show the plant — its species and varieties — 

 to the botanist in flower and fruit, to the horticulturist in the pride of its 

 strength and beauty ; and to the commercial mind of our country it was 

 due that I should display, not only the plant decked in its fleecy 

 ornament, but should be able to turn out my own little harvest in as 

 great variety and quantity as possible, accompanied by such specimens 

 in the pod or seed, from the countries where it is cultivated, as I could 



* A Lecture delivered before the Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society, 

 Nov. 8. 



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