1845-49.] AMERICAN PLANT 1ST INDIAN SEASONS. 71 



1st, Choice of soil. — Dr. "Wight observed on this 113 

 point, that the best crops of American Cotton which he 

 had as yet seen had been obtained from dark brown, 

 very light, sandy loams, mixed with much kunkur lime- 

 stone ;* a kind of soil easily worked, very permeable to 

 rain, and easily penetrated to a great depth by the 

 roots. Red soils, which had a large admixture of sand 

 securing for them the same properties, had also an- 

 swered well, and were easily cultivated. Stiffer clayey 

 soils had not answered so well, excepting in seasons 

 when showers were frequent and kept the ground in an 

 easily workable state ; otherwise when the weather was 

 dry, these soils were liable to bake and become very 

 hard. Black Cotton soils had been a good deal tried 

 at first ; but still Dr. Wight considered that they had 

 been condemned as unsuitable rather too prematurely. 

 Subsequent consideration had led him to doubt the 

 justice of the verdict. 



2nd, Preparation of the land for the seed. — Too 114 

 much care, says Dr. Wight, cannot be bestowed upon 

 the preparation of the ground for the reception of the 

 seed. Erom four to six months before the sowing 

 time, the land should be well ploughed, the deeper the 

 better, and then should be allowed to lie fallow. If 

 rain fell in the interval, then a second ploughing should 

 take place, so as to keep the land thoroughly open and 

 freely exposed to the conjoint action of the air and 

 sun ; this would prevent excessive absorption of heat ; 

 it would greatly promote fertility ; and it would clean 

 the laud by exposing and killing the roots of all peren- 

 nial weeds. Last of all, just before sowing, the ground 

 should have a final ploughing. 



3rd, Ploughing and hoeing during the growing 115 

 Season. — The ploughing and hoeing during the growing 

 season of the American Cotton plant should be regu- 

 lated as follows. If the seed is sown in drills according 

 to the American practice, then, whilst the plant is still 

 small, the land should be ploughed once or twice be- 



* The presence of this kunkur was the very thing that Mr. 

 Simpson the American Planter had urged as rendering the land unfit 

 tor the growth of American Cotton. See para. 77. 



