159 
Ordinary Meeting, April 4th, 1871. 
E. W. Binney, F.RS., F.G.S., President, in the Chair. 
Mr. W. Mellor and Mr. S. C. Trapp were appointed 
Auditors of the Treasurer s Accounts. 
The President said that Mr. B. H. Green had presented 
to the Society another of the books of the late Mr. George 
Walker, from which he desired to give a few extracts. The 
following relates to the production of cotton : — “At Liver- 
pool, May 8th, 1784, met with Mr. Cock, lately come from 
Barbadoes, and who had resided in that island as factor for 
the last eight years. He says the crop of cotton in that 
island this year is greater than ever was known, and that 
the quality is very good; not less than 8,000 bags from 1 \ 
to 2 cwt. each will this year be produced there. The usual 
time for sowing the Cotton seed is in the month of July, 
and Cotton is ready to pick off said trees the next Christ- 
mas, say in five or six months. These trees would continue 
to produce Cotton annually for several years, but the planter 
finds it most advantageous to plant fresh seeds every year. 
The trees are pulled up by the roots when the cotton pick- 
ing is ended, and which is in April or May in each year. 
These shrubs serve for fuel. Betwixt the rows of cotton 
trees there are vegetables which come to perfection long 
before the cotton is gathered. This picking or gathering is 
performed every day as the pods open, and continues from 
Christmas to March. 
Proceedings — Lit. & Phix. Soc. — Vox. X. — No. 14. — Session 1870-71. 
