388 



COTTON-WOOL. 



Appendix. One even sees in the same plant, one stem give way to 

 the injuries of time and another survive. 



The general opinion is, that cotton has degenerated. 

 This opinion is founded on these trees having no longer 

 either the same beauty or the same size. Some cultivators 

 of the Isle of France, where for a dozen years past this 

 culture has been more attended to, confirm this decay, 

 admitting it partly to proceed from the impoverishment 

 of the soil, occasioned by time, and by the mode of culture, 

 which evidently appears to be prejudicial to it. It is to 

 be observed, that formerly it was customary to plant the 

 cotton-trees at two feet distance, and now they are planted 

 three, and even twelve feet asunder. Opinions are much 

 divided as to the advantage or necessity of pruning the 

 cotton-trees every year. This operation generally takes 

 place in October and November. October is preferable, 

 because in November the rains often cause the sap to 

 ascend. At Bourbon they are commonly cut every year : 

 at the Mauritius, on the contrary, they are only pruned 

 every third or fourth year, and some never cut them at 

 all. I could not take upon myself to decide between these 

 different opinions. Perhaps at the Mauritius the low 

 price of grounds is the cause they do not try to make the 

 most of them ; instead of which at Bourbon, by cutting 

 the cotton-trees they have the advantage of planting 

 maize between the rows. It may be inferred from hence, 

 that the difference between each method is not very 

 great, since it produces results differing so little from 

 each other. 



There exists also another idea, respecting which opi- 

 nions are similarly divided. Here the inhabitants pretend 

 that the cotton-tree only produces a third slight return 

 at the end of the third year, and still less the fourth : 

 this I have myself witnessed. It is inferred from thence, 



that 



