96 COTTON m THE MADEAS PKESIDENCY. [1ST SEASON. 



gathered from the whole plantation, the beautiful snow- 

 white tufts of vegetable wool begin to appear, thickly 

 interspersed amongst the deep green and yellow flowers. 

 jFrom that time until Christmas there is no cessation 

 of labour. Six days in the week from daylight to dark 

 the hands are in the field, except when they are inter- 

 rupted by rain, which is always injurious during the 

 picking season, when dry weather is most desired. 

 Every evening the day's gathering is weighed to see 

 that each hand has done its duty ; every hand being 

 expected to pick from 150 to 250 lbs. per diem, aver- 

 aging in fine weather about 200 lbs. ; a result which 

 strangely contrasts with similar work in India, where 

 Mr. Finnic never heard of a hand-gathering exceeding 

 fifteen pounds, and where from seven to ten pounds is 

 the usual day's work. After the weighing of the day's 

 gathering, the Cotton is carried in waggons to the gin- 

 house, and the day's work is over. Next day the Cot- 

 ton is spread out on plank scaffolds to dry ; and a few 

 superannuated Negroes pick it over, and take out the 

 trash that may have accidentally got mixed with it. 

 Thus the seed Cotton goes to the gin almost free from 

 trash, and consequently comes out clean. 

 154* Uncertainty of weather: average crops. — As re- 

 gards the general failure of the Cotton crop, Mr. Einnie 

 says that he had never known of such a case in Ame- 

 rica. Every year the speculators who have a stock to 

 sell get up a cry of failure ; whilst those who wish to 

 buy exaggerate the probable produce of the season in 

 order to lessen the price. The reason why there never 

 is a general failure seems to be as follows. Poor and 

 rich lands are interspersed through the whole country, 

 except immediately on the river ; and whilst the poor 

 lands produce the finest crops in a wet season, the new 

 rich hill lands, and all river bottom lands, produce the 

 best crops in a dry season, or rather in what the Ame- 

 ricans would call a dry season. In estimating the 

 climate, however, it is necessary to bear in mind that 

 the Americans plant their Cotton in the spring, at a 

 time when lands in general have been saturated by all 

 the winter rains, and when it is often difficult to get 



