702 G O S S Y 
and in Malta, Sicily, and the kingdom of Naples, as 
well as in niofi par's of Alia. It is a native of the Eaft 
indies; and was cultivated here by Gerarde, as a gar- 
d'M! ' lant, in 159+. “ It groweth (fays he) about Tri- 
poiis and Alepo in Syria, from whence tlie fadtor of a 
V orih'i'fiill niercliant in London, Mailer Nicholas Lete, 
di l .f 'ud unto his laid mailer divers pounds weight ot 
the fe^'d, wdtereof fome were committed to the earth at 
the i.i'pi'eflion he'reof (1597): the fuccefs we leave to 
tr L. r:l. Notwithllanding myl'clf three years pall did 
low ,.f 'lie feeds, which did grow very trank;y, but pe- 
riilicd before it came to perfeiflion, by reaibn oi the 
cold Troll, tiiat over'ook it in the time of flowering.” 
Few pl.uirs are more ufelul, fmce it lurnilhes materials 
for ( lothing in tlic four quarters of the world, particu¬ 
larly to the Aliatics. The feeds alfo are an article of 
food, and elleemed wholefome. 
2. Goirypium arboreum, or tree cotton: leaves pal- 
ma'c, withi lanceolate lobes; flem flirubby. Stem eight 
feet high, the thicknefs o-f the human leg, with a rugged 
bioivn bark, and long, dilTufed, twifled branches. Leaves 
three or flve-lobed, without glands, finooth, Icattered, 
pietioled; tlie lobes Ihort. Flowers entirely yellow, ter¬ 
minating, foiitary. Native of the Eall Indies, and the 
ealtcrn coall of Africa. 
3. Goirypium hirfutum, or rough cotton: leaves five- 
lobed with one gland underneath, the twigs and petioles 
pubefcent. This is planted, fays Browne, in a few gar. 
dens in J.imaica, but is not much cultivated, for tlie 
cotton i^ not thought to be fo good,- and the feeds are 
fo final!, that it is a difficult matter to feparate them 
from the cotton. It grows however more luxuriant than 
the common, and rifes generally from I’even to nine leet 
in height, bearing a great number of leed-vellels on all 
the brunches. 
Swartz mentions a variety, called Cotonier dcfoie, (Xy- 
lon .Amcricantim prasftantiffimum ot Tourneto'rt,) the 
cotton of wliich is better than any of the reft. 
4. Goirypium religiolum, or fpotted-bark cotton-tree: 
leaves tin ce-lobed, acute, with one gland underneath ; 
twigs fpofted witli black. This is”a Ihrub, with the 
braixhes not hairy, but having fmall black dots fcat- 
tered over them, as the petioles alto have. Leaves 
cordate, deeply three-lobed, in a very fertile foil five- 
lobed, as big as the palm of the hand, acuminate, with 
a Angle gland under the midrib. The ftamens are en¬ 
tirely monadelphous. According to Swartz, the ftem is 
a fathom in height, biennial, roundifli ; branches fpread- 
ing very much, angular, llriated. Upper leaves three- 
lobed, lower five-iobed; lobes ovate, entire, nerved, 
pubelcent; with three glandular pores underneath on 
the midribs of the leaves. Petioles long, round, patu¬ 
lous, hirfute, with black atoms Icattered over them. 
Flowers oppofite to the petioles, large, tulvous, on 
dotted peduncles. Outer calyx lubtriphyllous, pube¬ 
fcent, dotted ; the fegments large, deeply and unequally 
tootiied ; the inner is very'fliort, and five-lobed in waves. 
Capfule leathery, thickiih, thiee-celled, three valved ; 
the partitions inferted in the middle of the valves, which 
are wrinkled within, and the edges turn back after they 
open. There is no receptacle, but the feeds are fixed 
in a doiibld row to the central angle ot the cells. Seeds 
about fix in each cell, ovate, tapering tovvaids the um¬ 
bilicus, convex on_one fide, angular on the other, and 
wiiite, Merian deferibes it thus: “This tree grows in 
a fliort time at Surinam ; infomuch that in lix months 
after town, it will become as large as an European 
quince. The Indians ute the leaves for cooling and 
healing wounds; the tree bears rich fulphur-coloured 
flowers, very large and beautiful. After the flowers 
di'op, a head of teed follows, which, when it comes to 
maturity, btirlls open, icatters the leeds, and difeovers 
the white cotton; this cotton the Indians fpin into 
thread, and make the hammocks in which they tleep.” 
Native of India, and tlie Society Itles. Cultivated in 
P I U M. 
Jamaica. Introduced[hcre in 1777, by Daniel Charles 
Solandcr, L.L.D. It is alfo a native of China, where 
rt confii'utes the Glothfing of both fexes '.hrougliout 
tliat vaft empire and its neighbourhood. In China is 
chiefly cultivated that particular fpecies or variety of 
the gotTypium tliat produces the cloth ufually called 
nankeens in Europe. Tlie down enveloping tlie feed 
conftitutes wha.t, in the language of trade, is called cot- 
ton-w'ool, whicli is of a white colour in the common 
plant, but in that growing in the province' of Kiung- 
nan, of which the city of Nankin is tlie capital, the 
down is of the yellow tinge which it preferves when 
fpun and W'oven into cloth. The colour, as well as tlie 
fuperior quality of this fubftance, in Kiung-nan, was 
fuppofed to be owing to the particular nature of the 
foil ; and it is alferted, that the feeds of the nankeen 
cotton degenerate in both particulars when tranfplanted 
to another p>rovince, however little different in its 
climate. 
5. Goffypium latifolium, or broad-leaved cotton : 
leaves acute, the loweft undivided, the reft tliree-lobed, 
Avith one gland underneath. Stem four or five feet high, 
perpendicular, round, ftraighter at the bale, the thick- 
nels of a fwan’s quill, above flexuofe and thicker, fom.e- 
ryhat angular, Iwelling at the origin of the branches, 
green, rugged, jutbefeent, branched. Leaves large, ho. 
rizontal or oblique, cordate, broad, 'the lower undi¬ 
vided, the upper deeply three-lobed, with acuminate 
lobes, pubefcent cfpccially on the' veins. 
6. God'ypium Barbadenfe, or Barbadoes cotton-tree : 
leaves three lobed, quite entire, with three glands' un¬ 
derneath. Stem from fix to fifteen feet in height, fuf- 
fruticofe, biennial, fmooth. Tins is the fpecies w'hich 
is fo much cultivated in tlie "Well Indies, 'and forms a 
confiderable branch of tlieir exports. An emulfion of 
the feeds is recommended in the bloody-flux ; and an 
oil is obtained from them by expreffion, w'hich .fiipplies 
the boiling-lioufc lamps in fome plantations. This and 
the third and fourth fpecies are not eafily diftinguiflied, 
for they vary in the fize of the parts, the divifion and 
pubefcence of the leaves, the colour of the feeds and 
cotton, the adherence and tenacity of the latter, the 
number of glands at the back of the leaves, &c. fo that 
it is difficult to fay which are I'pecies, and which are 
varieties. 
Propagation and Culture. All the fpecies of goflypiuin, 
or cotton, are very tender, and will not grow in the 
open air in England. T he firft and third will ripen their 
feeds here, if they be fown early in the fpring, upon a 
good hot-bed ; and when the plants are come up, planted 
each into feparate pots, and plunged into the bark-bed 
to bring them forward : when they are too tall to re¬ 
main under the frames, remove them into the tan-bed in 
the ftove; and when the roots have filled the pots, re¬ 
move them into larger. ViTith this management the 
flowers will appear in July, and the feeds will be ripe 
tov/ards the end of September. 
Cotton is propagated in the Weft Indies by the feed, 
which is fet-in rows, about five feet afunder, at tlie end 
of September, or beginning of OiTober, at firft but 
nightly covered; but after it is grown up, the root is 
well moulded. The feed'is fubject to decay, when it is 
let too deep, efpecially in wet weather. The foil fliculd 
not be llitl, nor fhallow, as this plant has a tap-roo-t. 
The ground is hoed frequently, and kept very clean 
about the young .plants, until they rife to a moderate 
height; otherwile they are apt to be deftroyed by cater¬ 
pillars. It grows from four to fix feet high, and pro¬ 
duces two crops annually ; the firft in eight months 
from the time of towing the I'eed; the fecond, within 
four montlis after the firft; and the produce of each 
plant is reckoned about one pound weight. The branches 
are pruned or trimmed after the firft gathering; and 
if the growth is over-luxuriant, this (hould be done 
fooner, When great part of the pods are expanded, the 
wool 
