Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1847-07-14
LETTER OF COL. WICK.
Nitta. Yuma, Deer Greek, Miss,

March 10Th, 1871.
Dear Sir give YOU as recollection
serves me, and without regard to order,
some experiments and remarks on cotton
which, as opportunities offered, have
for many years been making, but which,
trusting to a memory somewhat tenacious,
[ have never recorded.
Seventeen years since, procured from
the Petit Gulf hills some excellent cotton
seed, known then, as now, as the little
brown, or drab Petit Gulf Mexican. For
the first seven years, ordinary care was
taken of them; when, having met with
none superior, set the resolution to I'M
prove them If | could.
first had few bushels of seed culled
from the bulk, of uniform appearance, and
of the description supposed best. This
was done for two years. | have since
found that this method can be practIsed
with advantages but only under cifcum-
stances hereafter to be named.
| next sent three men ahead Of the
other hands, assigning four rows to each,
with orders 10 pick The hes: bolls from the
best stalks only. was so much pleased
with the result, that practised this meth
cd for five years, under the impression
thatit was the best that could be devised,
| But it was not.
The summer aud fall Of 1913 spent
! on my cane-hIls plantation, seven miles
from Vicksburg. While experimenting
personally, as l had previously done, the
three men mentioned, | picked few of
the largest and most beautiful bolls from
LII NIB. f.h | ri N
my pockets, hat. handkerchief, bosom, and
tx every way could, and prepared up un
der notes and memorandums, for future
examination. To this method am III
debted for any thing | know respecting
cotton not known to every one.
of LIST Method: Little lis accomplish
, ed by picking a large, or even consld
cradle quantity of seed from a larg
bulk. For an amount of experience an
Judgment is required to do this with dis
elimination, that will never be possesse
: by any negro, rarely by an overseer, an
but seldom by any planter. But the see
. from single stalk may safely be truste
:, to a negro, or overseer, by whom the see
if any, may be sepa rated, papered apar
and tied up with those proper TO the stalk
This however. with the best stalk, shou
!, whenever convenient, be attended to b
; the planter himself, as we'll for study,
= satisfaction and profit.
~ Of2d Method: For field of 80 hand
- 400 to 500 pounds of cotton should al
nualy be culled. If this were done, Il
!, size and opening of boil, size, health al
= production of stalks, picking, quantity al
nj quality of lint, would all be advanced.
Of Sd Method: In favor of this met
!, cd, on which the gardner, orchardlst. &C
:, mainly depend, which is as old as I
80 practice. and older than the science
a. agriculture, too mech cannot be said.
-. In examining the products OF the d
"a ferent stalks, which amounted to hundre
- of bundles, and was the labor of W
:, ter spread the bundles out on The Ia
Is before me-satisfed that the fingers wo'
=. bring to light much valuable, perhaps
g, sential information, that would tie blot
;nr by the gin, determined TO make the
eli yestgation thorough and complete.
mo. was not long before plainly saw
,he what had supposed to be homogne'
m, stock Of cotton seed, consisted IN lac
lGH VI u UOZCn uIStiilCl
ho attentive to the shades of difference:
,hot these ten or dozen, SIX were evioel
I'D greatly superior to the rest; my select'
800 were confined to those. VI the SIX,
-; consisted of ID locks only. The size
,ha, beauty of the locks, style IN when
and were put up, the abundance, length
ness and lusire of lint, form and M
;, &c seed, led me to pronounce them at on
600. new, distinct, and valuable variety
SO picked them. They yielded precisely
and seed. Having many names 10 iur
-" the singularity OF the incident sugg'
81 a name that would sufficiently dlstin
III them, and at the same time, with me
o.oI, petuate their history. | calico lne'
o.uy 400 seed" cotton.
iI | planted these 100 seed IN 1914.
:. has ing 10 accident, but 80 were saved
:. 10" "s equivalent of boil. picked the