he harvest.'

'What a strange plant, papa! I quite long for the time when the heads
will come out. What are you going to plant upon that bit of land you
have got ready for sowing now? It is about six acres.'

'I mean to plant cotton there, Hubert. I have sent to Buenos Ayres for
seeds of what are called Carolina Upland, and I expect them here in a
few days.'

'But it takes a great deal of labour, does it not, papa?'

'The calculation in the Northern States, Hubert, is that one man can
cultivate eight acres of cotton, assisted by his wife and children at
certain periods; and that as his labour is not always required, he can
with his family cultivate another eight or ten acres of other produce;
so that about half of a peon's labour will be required, and in the
hoeing and picking time we can all help.'

'Is not machinery required to separate the seeds from the cotton?'
Charley asked.

'It is not absolutely necessary, Charley, although it is of course
economical when the cultivation is carried on upon a large scale. The
variety I am going to try is sometimes called "bowed" Carolina, because
it used to be cleaned by placing it upon a number of strings stretched
very tight, which were struck with a sort of bow, and the vibration
caused the seed to separate from the cotton. I have a drawing of one of
these contrivances in a book up at the house, and when the time comes,
you boys shall make me one. It will be work for us to do indoors when
the weather is too hot to be out. Of course if I find that it succeeds,
and pays well, I shall take on more hands, get proper machinery, and
extend the cultivation. I intend to plant the rows rather wide apart, so
as to use the light plough with the ridge boards between them, instead
of hoeing, to save labour.'

'How much cotton do they get from an acre?' Mrs. Hardy asked.

'In the Southern States they expect twelve hundred pounds upon new
ground,--that is, twelve hundred pounds of pods, which make about three
hundred of cleaned cotton. When I have got the cotton fairly in the
ground, I mean to plant an acre or two of tobacco, and the same quantity
of sugar-cane, as an experiment. But before I do that, we must make a
garden up at the house: that is a really urgent need.'

'Couldn't we grow rice here, papa?'

'No doubt we could, Hubert; but I do not mean to try it. To succeed with
rice, we should have to keep the ground on which it grew in a state of
swamp, which would be very unhe