94 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [1ST SEASON. 



when the hands employed have been once brought 

 under strict discipline, they give but little further 

 trouble to the Planter. The operations of the year may 

 be thus described. The week's holiday, which is an- 

 nually granted to the negroes, is over by the first of Janu- 

 ary. The first operations of the Planter are to clean 

 and prepare his old land, and to clear a piece of new. 

 On the old land, advantage is taken of every interval of 

 fine weather, for a few steady ploughmen to run the 

 manure furrow already described between the old Cot- 

 ton rows ; while women and children follow them, and 

 beat down the old stalks and lay them in the furrow. If 

 necessary, the carts follow with the manure, and then the 

 ploughs again run over the land to cover up the manure 

 at once. On the new land, the trees are cut down for 

 fences, whilst the under-grown and thick canes are cut 

 flat to the ground, and when sufficiently dry, are set on 

 fire and burnt off clean. Before the embers are cold, 

 this new land is planted with Indian corn ; because 

 the latter is not so delicate as Cotton, and is not killed 

 by the frost. The three agricultural operations of 

 planting, scraping, and gathering may now be described 

 in their natural order. 

 151 Planting. — The planting season lasts from the first 

 to the thirteenth of April. The first of April is the 

 great commencing day, and then every available 

 " plough team " is put in harness, and often the carriage 

 horses are pressed into the service of the plough. A 

 few additional furrows are thrown to the slight manure 

 ridge already mentioned, in order that the closing fur- 

 row may drain the surplus spring showers. JS*ext fol- 

 lows the drill, which opens the ridge ; whilst an active 

 woman keeps pace with the horse, and sows the seed 

 in a beautiful straight line in the little furrow opened 

 by the drill. The interval between the plants varies ac- 

 cording to the poorness or richness of the soil. In poor 

 land the Cotton is planted close together, but in rich 

 lands wide apart, thus reversing the order of grain hus- 

 bandry. Accordingly, the plants are sown in rows 

 from four to eight feet apart, varying according to the 

 quality of the land ; and the seed is left in the drill in 



