The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-02
Leading Varieties of Cotton.

There are two general classifications of
the cotton raised in the United States,
long stapled and short stapled. Of the
former, the best is the sea island cotton
of this country. The cultivation of the
sea island, also known rs the tree cotton,
is local, and the amount produced rs
compared with upland or green seed is
bat small. 1t will not flourish at dis
tance from the sea, hence its growth is
limited TO districts along the shores of
South Carolina, Georgia., Florida and
Texas. The most filvorite point for its
cultivation is Edis,o Island, on the coast
of South Carolina, south of Charleston.
The average yield per acre is little more
than half that ofthe upland, but it is the
finest cotton grown in this country and
consequently command, the greatest
price Its staple or filament is long, sill
ken and delicate. The height of the
plant varies from two to six feet. As,
even with the application Of fertilizers,
the average yield ofsca island cotton is
not much more than half the average Of
upland cotton, to pay as well as the short
staple it must obtain double the price per
pound. Since 1920 the price has greatly
advanced so that this long staple cotton
has often commanded quadruple the
market value of ordinary staple. Care
full experiments have proven that, to
keep up the standard of sea island cotton,
manures rich in phosphates, rich in pot
ash, aud having u considerable amount
of suphuric acid, must be freely employ
ed. 4 dressing composed of well-rotted
cotton seed mixed with the eXcrcmenls
of domestic animals, when used in sufli-
cient quantities., supplies the required ell
emen:s. Oh fertilizers not directly the
product of the soil, Peruvian guano, bone
dust dissolved in Sulphuric acid and the
varous refuse of manufactures rich in
potash are numbered with the best. Sea
island cotton is cultivated in very much
the same manner as upland, except that
more reliance is placed upon the hoe and
less upon the plough. Much more care
is observed in picking, ginning and mark
citing the long staple than with the ordi-
nary upland. In gathering from the
fields it is kept free from trash and stains,
and is transferred at once to the drying
scaffald, where it is sorted before packing
away in the cotton-housc. The ginning,
if possible, is done in dry weather, when
the cotton is again summed and picked
over; any that has been left unpicked un-
til after rains is run through thresher to
free it from sand and loose dirt.
The upland, known rs short staple, is
of Mexican or West India origin. and has
received the name of upland to designate
it from the product of the islands and low
districts near the shore. 1t constitutes
the great bulk of the crop of the United
States. The improvement of this variety
has not only enabled quite number Of
prominent and enterprising planters to
realize large fortunes but has resulted in
choice developments. Among the very
first of these was the well.known Petit
Gulf" which in turn has produced some
excellent varieties. These and other i'm
proved varieties, the seed of which are
introduced from time to time and whose
merits are loudly praised, are but the
product of common kinds, grown in fa-
vorite season on fertile snil and in the
best portion of the cotton belt. The gen.
erous use of fertilizers rich in pbosphates
has not a little to do in the improvement
of the length and fneness of the staple of
the upland as well as of the sea island
cotton. As guano is rich in phosphate
it is much employed in combination with
fertilizer that supplies some other prin-
cipal constituent of the plant, as, for in
stance, lime. The effect of the one is to
stimulate the fbruus growth of the plant
and give it size; of the other to increase
its produclireness by enlarging the size
of the seeds, increasing their vigor and
thus producing long and finely colored
staple. Cullivators generally agree that
all fertilizers are productive of best re-
suits when applied early in the season
and we'll Incorporated in the soil by
the plough and the harrow.