April — JUNE, 1857.] Observations on Cotton. 129 



QUANTITY OF COTTON PER ACRE seems to vary according to climate 

 and soil, — the Sea Island at Edesto River and St. Simonds Island, U. S, yield- 

 ing 100 to 150 lbs. per acre on " Pine Barrens," or land previously unproduc- 

 tive. South Carolina yields 600 to 800 lbs. of seed cotton per acre of land, 15'J to 

 200 lbs. of wool.— 250 to 300 lbs. is reckoned by Levi Woodbury the average of 

 United States' crops. The South is supposed to give 400 Jbs. and upwards in 

 Lou ; sana, Alabama, &c. A planter in Jamaica asserted to the writer that ha 

 had 1000 lbs. per annum from Sea Island at two crops ? Whatever quantity it 

 would yield may depend on a long dry season, and hands enough to pick it as it 

 opens, A warm climate where no frost, or little prevails, will have the advantage 

 in saving labour, and in abundant crops. It is an object to try whether, with 

 these advantages Free labour cannot compete with Slave labour, which with its 

 prime cost, deaths, clothing, food, &c. costs the Americans £30 or £40 per annum. 



ESSENTIAL POINTS REGARDING COTTON.— Prevent the increase of 

 insects, particularly the cotton bug, by destroying them before their eggs are de- 

 posited, by use of lime in powder, sprinkled through a cullender on the leaves &c* 

 —keeping them free of weeds ;— turkeys and fowls are of great service. 



PICKING THE TREES should be done as soon as the pods open, before the 

 feed cotton separates from its receptacles, it is then in its most clean state and ea- 

 sily collected. What is stained should be at once (in the act of picking) put by 

 itself, the picker having two bags, one for clean, another for stained or a dif- 

 ferent set of pickers following for the stained alone. 



DRY POD LEAVES.— Three fine leaves surround the pod which become 

 brown and very brittle (as the cotton is left longer on the tree) ; when neglected 

 it is very difficult to pick the seed-cotton from the pod without breaking these 

 leaves, and mixing it with the wool, but if picked as the pod opens, these three 

 leaves are then yellow and very tough, and therefore unbroken,— so as to be got 

 separate from the new entire seed-cotton. 



WOMEN AND CHILDREN are the best seed pickers,— their small fingers 

 getting hold of the tip of the three clusters which form the pod and pulling them 

 out entire without touching these three leaves, and having more nimble and pli- 

 ant joints save time and wages. If these dry leaves once get mixed, the Saw Gin 

 breaks them up to atoms, and they are spun into the threads, thus forming specks 

 ■which weaken and disfigure the gray cottons made from East India Wool. 



POPULATION — In order to secure plenty of hands for picking, it is desira- 

 ble to have cotton plantations near towns, or where plenty of young hands can be 

 obtained to collect the ripe cotton as it opens, ere it blows about in the weather. 



GINNING.— The use of the Saw Gin by rapid and powerful means is neces- 

 sary to compete with America for ordinary qualities ; a common hand Saw Gin 

 may do at the outset, but to any extent, Cattle, Water, or Steam, are necessary 

 to get the crop to market, and save expense of wages. The common 18 Saw Gin 

 •will give about 50 to 70 lbs. of cotton wool (from 200 to 300 lbs. of seed-cotton) ; 

 —the same Gin by steam will turn out 300 lbs. of wool. 



