80 



Kidney Cotton (Sittam, Ashantee, Dudgeon) ; Black-seeded 

 Cotton (Labolabo, Dudgeon). — Vine-leaved Cotton. 



Probably native of S. America ; distributed by cultivation to 

 Africa, S. United States of America, West Indies, &c. 



Seeds without a fuzz, that is, black naked ; lint long and silky, 

 readily detached. 



It is difficult to distinguish between this species and G. barba- 

 dense, with which it is regarded as identical. 



They are separated by Watt (1. c. p. 266) on industrial rather than 

 on botanical grounds, and as this authority has been followed in 

 the other species and varieties enumerated G. vitifolium and 

 G. barbadense are maintained as distinct species. 



As a rale botanical delimitations are rarely recognized in culti- 

 vation, and the numerous hybrids and varieties are usually 

 classified by cotton growers without reference to parentage. 



Indigenous cottons of Nigeria have been spoken of as u black- 

 seeded lowland" (cf. G. barbadense and vitifolium), and "woolly- 

 seeded upland" (cf. G. arboreum, var. sanguinea; G. mexicanum ; 

 G. obtusifolium, var. africana ; G. peruvianum ; G. punctatum, 

 var. nigeria). The black-seeded cotton has been stated to be 

 better suited to the Lancashire trade than the upland white or 

 woolly-seeded kinds which have been reported on by brokers as 

 useful, and about equal to middling American (Brit. Cotton 

 Assoc. Rep. 1906-07). 



The essential conditions of cultivation and preparation appear 

 to be careful selection of seed ; a rich black, or alluvial well- 

 drained soil ; adequate rainfall (50-80 inches) or irrigation during 

 growth ; dry weather and clear skies during the opening period ; 

 good tillage and manuring up to the time when the bolls begin to 

 form ; careful picking, drying, ginning, and baling. 



In Lagos, July is considered a good month for sowing (Brit. 

 Cotton Assoc. Rep. No. 20, August, 1907). The seed should be 

 disinfected beforehand, and the following method has been found 

 successful in the West Indies. 



" A wooden tub should be carefully washed out, and a solution 

 of 1 in 1,000 corrosive sublimate made up in it. This should 

 then be covered and allowed to stand. After a few days (say a 

 week), when the reaction between the wood and the corrosive 

 sublimate has finished, this solution should be run away, and a 

 fresh supply made up by dissolving 1 oz. of corrosive sublimate 

 to every 7 gallons of water. It is estimated that 1 gallon of the 

 solution should be sufficient to disinfect 12 lb. of seed at a cost of 

 a little more than lc. The cotton seed is soaked in this solution 

 for twenty minutes, then removed and spread in a thin layer, on 

 a clean floor, or a clean canvas, to dry, either in the shade or in 

 the sun. While drying, the seed should be turned several times, 

 and when thoroughly dry it will be ready for planting, or may be 

 put into bags and stored for some time. No seed should be 

 planted without first being thoroughly dried. It is advisable to 

 use a new solution for each new batch of seed. 



" It has been shown that it is unnecessary to wash in pure 

 water after soaking in corrosive sublimate if the seed is not to be 



