The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-06-15
COTTON BEARING TREE
Species Successfully Grown Ii
Mexico to Be Tried In Texas.
IT PRODUCES 4 HEAVY YIELD.

wealthy Planter Declares the Tree
to BE Commercially PracticabIe-Hs
Immune FROM Pests, TneIuding the
Destructive hon weevn - Expense
Of Harvesting the crop About one
Cent Per round.
In a supplemental report which Sc
nor Don IIiiario Cuevas, wealthy
planter q SAN Luis soyatlan, state OF
Jaliseo, Mexico, recently made to the
Mexican government on the cotton
tree which he Is successfully cultivat
ing upon bis plantation, be says that
he has demonstrated That the industry
is q practical commercial proposition
1t is asserted that this tree is adapted
70 Tie soIl and climate Of southwest
Texas. aud the experiment OF growing
1t there i to be tried. says dispatch
FROM Austin Tex t0 the Kansas City
star. i number of persons who be-
came Interested in Senior Cuevas sue
cess have obtained seeds Of the tree
from him, and these have terminated
nicely aud the trees give promise Of a
rapid growth IL the trees can be sue
eessfully grown Ii Texas ID win mean
the solution Of the boll weevll problem.
us tests show the cotton tree 10 be i'm
nlune from the attacks of this pest
The recent otiicial report Of United
States Consular Agent Light Of Guada-
la1ara, Mexico, to tie United States
agricultural department al The com
meicial possibilities &c tie cotton tree
WIS not altogether favorable, bis Chief
objection being that the expense Of
picking the cotton from the tree would
be too great to make its cultivation a
practical success. Senior Cnevas has
answered dis objection He says.
There II 40 difficulty whatever ii
gathering the crop d the larger trees.
When the trees are half grown tie
higher branches are pulled downward
50 that the cotton can he easily picked.
but when they are fun grown the
branches are thick and strong enough
e allow q hoy to climb tile tree ana
walk along the branches and 81 gather
the fruit.
In fertile ground and good climate.
with no frost YOU may estimate that
each tree will yield from twenty to
twenty pounds, including the seed
When planted 80 as to be irrigated
say for instance, Iii June, this plant. 81
tree viii produce its first crop Of cot
ton IN the month Of January next. TO
my mind there IS no objection 10
dwarfng the tree. as undoubtedly the
lower branches would yield better
crop ana 50 compensate for the loss og
the upper ones,
II have seen the cotton tree growing
very finely on the rancho Ia Cofradia.
near the town OF Tuxeueca, state Of
Jalisco. The ground consists entirely
Of rocks and sand, covered with 4 vege
table subsoil % only few inches ii
depth
#Ihe cotton trees can be planted at
a distance Of about ten feet apart More
than 400 trees to the acre can be cul
tlvated, aud at an average yield of
twenty pounds Of cotton each the yield
per acre would be 5000 pounds, or six
teen bales This n Ii conservative Is
Innate 81 tile average yield.
The expense az planting the cotton
Is no greater than the expense Of plant
ing corn The cotton tree is able to
withstand drouths during eight months
1f tie year Il Is net attacked by boil
weevil. the great enemy Of the ordinary
cotton plant which causes 50 much
lamase among the cotton plantations
IN the northern portion Of the republic
1T IS planted once m from twenty
Eve to thirty years 4 short time ago
4 tree was cut down on account Of it
being III the way II was planted in
Tie time Of Macmillan Il never fail
"a In its production, nor was it attack
"a by any insect or suffered any other /
accident.
Tile seed is planted at the beginning /
q the rainy season Al four months |
old Il IS about four feet high and be- |
gins 70 blossom, and al The age Of two /
years II g about Ten feet high and the +