1845-46.] ME. FIN1STE ON COTTON CULTIVATION. 95 



I corresponding intervals of from six to twelve inches, 

 i or even of fifteen inches where the land is very rich. 



In India three inches in the drill, and two feet 

 . between the rows, is sufficient in the best lands. After 

 ■ sowing, the harrow follows immediately, and lightly 

 f covers the seed ; and this operation brings the work of 



the planting season to a close. Here it may be re- 

 ! marked that one steady ploughman with his horse and 

 j drill ; one woman to sow the seed, with a little boy to 



wait on her and supply the seed ; and a large boy with 

 [ his harrow drawn by a horse ; will altogether plant 

 i ten acres per diem. 



! " Scraping" or hoeing. — The scraping season com- 152 

 I mences immediately after the plants are above-ground, 

 i This operation is very important, as the success of the 

 j crop mainly depends upon the neatness and accuracy 

 i of the scraping. The great point is to secure a good 

 , stand of plants ; that is, to leave the plants in regular 

 j intervals, and proportioned in width to the poorness or 

 I strength of the land. To achieve this object a few care- 

 ) ful Negro drivers give their whole care and attention 

 j to it, following the hoemen to see that neither too 

 much nor too little is taken away. The Cotton as it 

 comes up stands thick in the drill. The hoe is passed 

 i through the mass of plants, and cuts away in width as 

 i the hoeman is directed by the driver, leaving two plants 

 i in a place, thus 



If both the plants live, one of them is pulled out at the 

 I next hoeing. A ploughman follows these scrapers or 

 hoemen, and runs a slight furrow on both sides of each 

 Cotton row, throwing a little dirt gently among the 

 plants, to replace that which had been taken away by 

 the hoe. Alternate ploughing and hoeing thus con- 

 tinue in rapid succession, each round occupying from 

 fifteen to twenty days, until at length the pods begin 

 to open. During this period, time can scarcely be 

 found to gather the " fodder " from the Indian corn, or 

 even to obtain the grain when it has at last ripened. 



Gathering. — The gathering season commences about 153 

 the middle of July, when only a few of the first-formed 

 bolls begin to open. Before, however, these have been 



