181 



arboreal in preference to the herbaceous shrub, must diminish the cost 

 ,of tillage very considerably, we shall proceed to show what is common 

 to all systems in the gathering in of the crop. 



" The Cotton pods are not all developed at the same time, a circum- 

 stance which makes it necessary to go several times through a field 

 during the period of crop, in order to collect the locks, as they come 

 forward. The intervals between these gatherings differ according to 

 the variety of the plant. In some cases the same field requires to be 

 gone over by the prickers at the end of every four or five days, while 

 with other varieties, a week, or even ten days may be allowed to elapse 

 between each gathering. In any case, if too long a period is allowed 

 to intervene, the filaments adhere so slightly to the pods, that they 

 either fall or become the sport of the winds which scatter them about, 

 so that, if even they could be all c Elected, they would be deteriorated. 

 Another reason for avoiding delay, is the probability that wet weather 

 may set in, which would prove highly detrimental to the quality of 

 the Cotton. But if neither of these evils should be experienced ; if 

 the lock should still remain attached to the pod, and no rain should 

 supervene, the quality of the Cotton may be injured through the dry- 

 ing of the calyx, which being thus converted into a kind of dust, falls 

 upon the Cotton, and cannot afterwards be removed. 



When the Cotton is gathered, it must be exposed without delay to 

 the heat of the sun, but sheltered from the access of dust ; and this ex- 

 posure must be repeated from day to day, until the seed is hardened. 

 A wooden platform, or one of tiles is chosen for this purpose. If the 

 weather is uniformly fine, an exposure for three successive days will 

 be sufficient. The wool should never be thus exposed until after sun 

 rise, and it should always be conveyed under cover before the sun goes 

 down. Should the weather immediately after the gathering prove wet, 

 such an exoosure is of course impracticable. In this case, it is de- 

 sirable to admit the air as freely as possible to the Cotton, in order ef- 

 fectually to carry off the moisture ; to facititate which, it should be 

 spread in thin layers, and occasionally turned, that the air may exert 

 its full effect upon the whole ia turn" (Ibid, page 20, 21.) This briefly 

 is cotton culture. 



It is very obviovs that in growing cotton by standard cultivation,or 

 in other words, in cultivating trees of perennial growth, gathering in 

 the crop at short intervals when ready for picking, a system is pursued 

 suited for a family of small settlers. In a few acres around a cottage, 

 in which cotton fields intermingle with garden grounds, with the cus- 

 tomary esculent roots and fruits, and herbs and cereal grains of the tro- 

 pics, there will be afforded constant employment to a household of both, 

 oung and old, at morning, evening, and noon-tide, without any ex- 

 austing exposure. A friend of mine tried the exp3riment of setting 

 out several rows of standard cotton plants He found the yielding 

 abundant, and although high grown accessible to the pickers. In 

 four years the trees had spread so as nearly to touch each other at six 

 or eight feet apart. The avenues were clear and open, the picker stood 

 to his work under shelter of the over-spreading foliage, and the plants 

 bourgeoned from year to year without pruning, developing such a con- 



