372 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
it will save him much labor, and it will do the work 
of preparing the soil far better than he can alone. 
Another object gained by early plowing is the 
destruction of weeds. They are robbers of the 
wheat, and the sooner their growth is stopped by 
plowing, the less plant-food they will take from 
the soil. Early plowing will destroy them before 
they mature their seeds, and thus prevent per¬ 
petuating their kind. Late plowing admits of a 
large growth, and when this is turned under by 
the plow, it is impossible to compact the seed-bed, 
and the green manure affords a harbor for enemies. 
Early plowing admits of a better application of 
manure. Manure is most needed in autumn, and 
to be at once available to the roots of the young 
plant, it must be fine and near the surface ; not on 
top of the ground, but thoroughly incorporated 
with the upper layer of soil. If the ground is 
plowed early, the manure can be applied to the 
surface, and the work of preparing the seed-bed 
will fine it and mix it with the soil. Commercial 
manures should be sown with the grain. 
Early plowing admits of atmospheric fertiliza¬ 
tion. Whether it directly adds the elements of 
fertility to the soil or only frees and unlocks that 
which it already possesses, is immaterial. Plowing 
the land exposes a greater surface and permits of the 
easy passage of the air into the interior of the soil. 
Cotton as a Plant. 
A cotton field, when picking begins, is an interest¬ 
ing object, though the individual plant is lost sight 
of, and we look only to the product, the fibre. But 
a small proportion of all those who live in the 
Northern States have ever seen a cotton plant. At 
the Centennial Exhibition, a fertilizer company had 
a large bed filled with cotton plants in full growth, 
and probably no bed on the ground attracted more 
attention than this. Cotton may be readily had 
in Northern gardens, by sowing the seeds in pots 
or boxes in a hot-bed or in the house-window, 
treating the seedlings the same as tomato-plants, 
and setting them out at the same time. Give them 
an abundance of room; 
they should be planted at 
least three feet apart each 
way, when each will form 
a much-branched rounded 
specimen. The plants are 
ornamental, and to chil¬ 
dren they are a constant 
source of interest and in¬ 
struction. There are sev¬ 
eral species of Oossypium 
(the botanical name of the 
genus, from the Arabicjand 
these have become much 
mixed in cultivation; 
some being of Asiatic origin, and others natives of 
tropical America. The plant belongs to the Mal¬ 
low Family, and, of course, has much in common 
with the Mallow, Hollyhock, Hibiscus, etc. The 
ample, lobed leaves, make the cotton plant an at¬ 
tractive one. The flowers are borne upon stalks 
in the axils of the leaves; each flower-bud is at 
first inclosed in an involucre of three large, heart- 
shaped leafy bracts. The appearance of this, is the 
first indication of flowering, and when these bracts 
come, (fig. 1), planters say that the cotton is “ in the 
square.” The flowers, two inches or more in diam¬ 
eter, are quite showy, and have the general appear¬ 
ance (fig. 2) of the flowers of the family. In color 
they vary from white to pale yellow with a purplish 
spot at the base, and some have purple flowers. 
Fig. 3.— MATURE BOLL. Fig. 4.— OPEN BOLL. 
After the flowers fall, the seed-pod, or “boll,” as 
it is called, begins to grow. This is three or five- 
celled, and as the seeds increase in size, numerous 
fine long hairs are produced on their outer coats. 
Figure 3 shows the mature boll, and the appear¬ 
ance of the same, after opening, is given in fig. 4. 
The parts of the pod, technically the valves, spread 
open and curl backwards, exposing the suow- 
white contents. Probably the hairs upon the seed 
were originally of use, either to preserve it, or to 
aid in its distribution. At any rate, each seed is 
provided (fig. 5) with a copious tuft of long hairs, 
which, when separated from the seed by means of 
Fig. 5.— SEED, WITH ITS COTTON. 
the gin, forms the important industrial and com¬ 
mercial product, cotton. In fig. 6, a seed is shown, 
divided in two lengthwise, exposing the embryo 
within, the cotton remaining attached to the half 
of the seed-coat. When the bursting of the bolls 
begins, the cotton field presents a most attractive 
Fig. 6.—SEED CUT LENGTHWISE. 
appearance, especially to the planter. It shows 
that the crop is beyond all injury from the weather, 
save by frost, that his fight against the various in¬ 
sect enemies of the crop, is at an end, and that the 
returns for the season’s labor are nearly at hand. 
Railroad Gardening. 
The traveller in England finds that the railroad 
stations, however small, are in marked contrast 
with similar stations in this country. Instead of 
the usually desolate appearance, often increased 
by accumulations of old ties and other railroad 
rubbish, seen at home, the grounds surrounding 
the station houses are laid out and kept with all 
the care given to a private garden. So excellent 
an example has extended to this country, and one 
of the railroads running south from Philadelphia i( 
has for some years employed an experienced gar¬ 
dener to superintend the planting and care of the 
grounds around its numerous depots. ’ 
The present season, the grounds surround¬ 
ing the signal houses, on both sides of 
the Bergen Tunnel, have been put in 
order and large ornamental beds planted. 
These beds are in the “ fire-works ” style, 
but we are not disposed to criticise so 
long as something is done to relieve the 
former desolate appearance. It would be 
vastly better for each road to employ 
a competent person to lay out and plant 
the grounds around its stations than to 
leave this to the fancy of station-masters. 
So far as we have observed, when the 
plantings are thus left, efforts are directed j 
entirely to immediate effect. Areas are i, 
devoted to the usual bedding plants, but i 
no provision is made for the future. A 
competent superintendent, while he would not Ji 
neglect the bedding-plants, would set out orna- I 
mental trees, flowering shrubs and hardy peren- ,| 
nial plants. With these the surroundings of the i 
stations would increase in beauty from year to I 
year, and with a proper selection of hardy peren- I 
nials, the need of an annual renewal of bedding- 
plants becomes thereby greatly reduced. 
Another matter, much regarded in Europe, but 
little considered in this country, where it is much 
more necessary, is the planting of climbers around 
station buildings. The passing traveller has but : 
a few minutes, at most, to notice such improve- 
ments, and nothing is more striking than to see the | 
buildings draped with climbing vines. Besides . 
beautifying the surroundiugs of the stations, in 
some parts of France and Germany, the sides of 
the railway embankments have been turned to ac¬ 
count by devoting them to the cultivation of fruit 
trees of various kinds. The embankments on some 
of the roads in this country present a large area, 
which in time will produce something—usually a 
crop of weeds. If the embankments are not suited 
to fruit culture, they may generally be made use¬ 
ful by sowing them to grass, w'hich, besides keep¬ 
ing down the weeds, would render good service in 
binding the soil and preventing sudden “wash- > 
outs.” Some years ago the traveller over one of 
our Middle State roads must have noticed the vege¬ 
table patches attached to the cabins of the road- 
tenders. These were often examples of excellent 
culture, and served to show how the wasted land 
along the roads might be utilized. Land will not 
always be so cheap in this country as it is at pres¬ 
ent, and our railroad companies will find it to their 
interest to utilize a vast area that now goes 
entirely to waste, by planting trees and shrubs. 
Hemlock for Well-Curbs. 
In many sections of country stone is scarce, and 
plank is used for curbing up wells. Pine lumber 
gives a disagreeable taste to water. A neighbor 
has a curb that has been in use for two years, and 
the water still has a bitter taste. This spring I 
induced him to put in a hemlock one, such as I 
have used for the last twelve years, and which is 
still in good condition. He commenced using 
from this well as soon as the water had fairly set¬ 
tled, and it has never tasted a particle. Hemlock 
lumber is usually cheaper than pine, and can be 
obtained at most lumber yards. Five hundred feet 
of lumber is sufficient for a well 14 feet deep, 3 by 4 
feet outside measurement. The four posts should 
be 4 by 4 inches, and the planks 2 inches thick, 
fastened on with heavy spikes. Dig down until 
there is danger of caving, and then put in the 
curb, with planks enough on to reach the surface 
of the ground. Afterwards dig the earth from 
the inside of the curb, and put on the planks as 
fast as needed. In some soils that are loose, the 
weight of the curb will settle it down as the work 
progresses ; should it not, drive on the posts. Such 
a curb, made of sound hemlock, will last for years, 
and give pleasant water from the first. W. D. B. 
