Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-11-08
From The slSts1saau SoutIa.v

EDITOR OF THE Republican, prom
ised in this letter to say something about
the cotton interests of Montgomery but [
must first say word about tie weather
I can very easily understand now why
this is called the Sunny South" The
sun shines with peculiar brightness and
constancy here, even though it is the last
of October, and the temperature is as uni
form as in the very heart Of our June
days. Ihave watched the mercury for
several days, and / find it about 20,
morning and evening, and about so at
midday, and during all this time we have
had the most clear and beautiful sun
light, by day, and moonlight by night,
and with it all we have the mocking
birds song both night and day [ took
stroll about the city a few days ago and
it seemed to me as if the world was never
so beautiful before. In almost every
yard l passed the geraniums and VERDE
mas were in full blossom and the foliage
plants at their best and, Of roses 1 never
saw such profusion and not like many OF
our roses in the north, large and coarse,
with but little fragrance, but as delicate
in tint and IS rich in fragrance as any
raised in our northern green houses. Our
rooms are filled with the odor of roses all
the time. The little children of the
Swayne school and Of our church bring
them in fresh, almost every day. think,
Mr. Editor, that even your delicate health
might be benefited by these beautiful
days and that, after a while, you might
attain to something Of the proportions of
other people. But now for the cotton.
l have made several visits to the large
warehouses here, also to the large steam
ginnery and to the Compress. have
also been in the fields among the growing
cotton, and from these various sources I
have gathered up great many interest
ing facts.
First, in regard to the culture of the
cotton. It is planted in April, in about
the same way as we plant corn az the
north, and it is tended nearly the same,
except that the hoeing and cultiyating,
from the time that the plants are large
enough until the cotton is ready to pick,
is constant. About the first of August
the picking begins. The plants grow, in
some instances, as high as six feet, usual
Nv from four to six. First there will APP
pear large yellow blossom, this soon
gives way to what is called a "form," a
little pod inclosed in thin husk. After
while the pod becomes a ball, about
the size Of an ordinary peach. It then
bursts the husk and stands out alone. As
it comes towards picking time the ball be-
gins to open, like the covering of hick-
CRY nut, and soon the fine, white cotton
will appear, and when it is fully ripe it
rolls right out of the ball and can be gath
cred readily by the hand There are Of
ten found on a single stalk as many as
three hundred balls, yielding two pounds
Of clear cotton.
When the time Cor picking the cotton
comes there will be ripe cotton on the
lowest part Of the stalk, the green balls
in the middle and blossoms at the top.
By the time that which ripens first is
picked that in the middle of the stalk is
ready, and by the time this is picked that
at the top is ready, provided the frost
holds of, long enough. So the whole
| field is gone over from two to three times
and often cotton picking lasts from the
first Of August till Christmas The aver
age crop to the acre is fifteen hundred
pounds. This is the cotton just as it il
picked, which includes seed as we'll a
cotton, the seed being wrapped up in thu
cotton. Before the cotton is ready 70
market the seed must be taken out. Thi
is done by means of the famous cotton
gin, invented under such difficulties b,
the ingenious Yankee, Eli Whitney. Al