APRIL SEPT. 1859.] 



Proceedings. 



211 



It has occurred to me, as there would probably be some diffi- 

 culty in getting the superior descriptions of American Cotton ac- 

 climated in any moderate space of time, that attempts to improve 

 the Native Cotton are well worthy of consideration, and I would 

 suggest that systematic experiments should be made of crossing 

 the native kinds with the ''Bourbon," "Sea Island," and "New 

 Orleans" varieties. In conducting the operation the same plan 

 should be adopted and the same precautions observed that are ta- 

 ken in crossing valuable flowers and fruits, with such signal sue* 

 cess, in Europe. An intelligent, active and conscientious person 

 should be employed, who would give the experiment a fair trial : 

 for, if the result should be the obtaining a variety of Cotton — 

 hardy, prolific and of superior staple, the benefit would be almost 

 incalculable ; whilst, if the experiment should not end in so favor- 

 able a manner as could be desired, a problem of very great interest 

 would have been solved, as to the affinity the several varieties of 

 Cotton bear to one another. 



The following is the plan I should recommend being adopted in 

 carrying out the experiment. 



A moderate number of each of the several varieties of superior 

 Cotton should be planted and carefully cultivated; each kind be- 

 ing kept separate. The Native Cotton should be planted in a 

 certain number of rows, and of so many of these rows all the plants 

 should have their flowers crossed by one description of superior 

 Cotton ; — the plants of so many other rows by another description 

 of superior Cotton, and so on : — and each flower, when crossed, 

 might be marked by a small piece of coloured twine being tied to 

 its stalk. 



The ripe seeds obtained from these crossed flowers should be 

 sown in distinct patches, — that is to say — those resulting from the 

 cross with the " Bourbon" in one place, those from the " New 

 Orleans" in another, and so on for the rest. 



When the plants raised from these seeds come into bearing, a 

 great diversity would probably be exhibited by them respectively, 

 as regards healthy appearance, prolificness and the quality of the 

 staple. The inferior ones should be pulled up and thrown away, 

 and the better kinds retained and numbered, and their compara- 

 tive qualities well examined and recorded. 



