COTTON-WOOL. 



375 



may be in use), one for the stained and inferior, the otlier Appendi 

 for the good cotton, in order by preventing their being 

 mixed in the first instance, to avoid the necessity of any of 

 those operations in cleaning, which produce that adhesion 

 of the fibres, and that defect in the colour so generally com- 

 plained of. It is then recommended, that the prime part 

 of the crop should, as far as the state of labour will admit, 

 and after the seed has been carefully separated, be finally 

 cleaned and prepared for the bag by hand-picking only, 

 without the use of sticks to beat or shake out the dirt 

 (called by the West India planters switching), or any 

 other machinery whatever, it being in this stage that the 

 mischief complained of (no doubt) takes place. 



8. A due attention to these particulars would materially 

 increase the value of the principal part of the crop, and 

 would probably bring some of the finest marks into com- 

 petition with Sea Island Georgia, which would produce 

 a further advantage upon such marks of one penny to 

 three-pence per pound ; and it is suggested that the 

 stained and inferior cotton, after havhig undergone as 

 much cleansing as circumstances will admit, would always 

 find a market in England, at a price which would pro- 

 bably more than reimburse the planter for the extra 

 labour bestowed upon the first quality. It is scarcely 

 necessary to remark, that the practicability of what is 

 here recommended must depend greatly upon especial 

 care being taken, that in separating the seeds from the 

 cotton they be not broken, and thereby mixed with 

 the wool, which, whenever it happens, must necessarily 

 render the process of hand-picking tedious and ex- 

 pensive. 



9. After what has been said relative to Pernambuco, it 

 cannot be needful to advert so particularly to the other 

 sorts of Brazil cotton: it will be sufficient to point out 



their 



