178 



POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



yellow j plant perennial and tree-like^ from ten to fifteen 

 feet in height. It furnishes the cottons of Brazil^ Per- 

 nambucOj Bahia^ and Peru. It is remarkable for produ- 

 cing its seeds in a curious kidney-shaped clump. Many 

 others are mentioned by Dr. Eoyle as not producing com- 

 mercial cotton ; but he thinks that more accurate investi- 

 gation may reduce all the species to these four : G. Fem- 

 vianum (or G. aciiminatum), G, IncUcim (or G. herhaceum), 

 G. arboreuMj and G, Barhadensej which are undisputed and 

 well defined. 



The cotton-plant is essentially a tropical plant, and admits" 

 of only very limited cultivation within the temperate zones. 

 It is usually cultivated in fields or plantations, and treated 

 as an annual plant, which practice is found to be better 

 than allowing it to stand several years. The seed is sown 

 in holes, eight or ten in each, a short distance apart, but 

 sufficient to allow the growth of the plants, only one of 

 which is suffered to continue in each place ; maize is often 

 dropped in the drills, and is suffered to grow amongst the 

 cotton-crop. About eighty days after sowing the seeds, the 

 plant produces its blossoms, which are handsome mallow- 

 like flowers, either red or yellow; these are succeeded by 

 pods or lolls, containing the seed and cotton, which are 



