The collection extends over many days, as the
pods do not burst at the same period. Some of the most valuable kinds
detach easily from the expanded husk and fall quickly to the ground,
which entails constant attention, and the quality would deteriorate
unless labour is always at hand to gather the cotton before it shall
fall naturally from the plant.
It will be therefore understood that, although many soils may be highly
favourable to the growth of fine qualities of cotton, there is an
absolute necessity for a combination of a peculiar climate, where
neither rain nor dew shall moisten, and accordingly deteriorate the
crop. Egypt is specially favoured for the production of first-class
cotton, as in the upper portions of the Delta rain is seldom known; but
the extreme carelessness of the people has reduced the average quality
by mixing the seeds, instead of keeping the various classes rigidly
separate.
The dry climate, combined with the fertile soil of Cyprus, would suggest
a great extension of cotton cultivation, when artificial irrigation
shall be generally developed, but so long as the present system of
collecting the dimes is continued, the farmer cannot produce the higher
qualities which require immediate attention in collecting. During the
delay in waiting for the official valuer, the pods are bursting rapidly,
and the valuable quality is falling to the ground; the cultivator is
therefore confined to the growth of those inferior cottons that will
adhere to the pods, and wait patiently for the arrival of the government
authority.
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