as as to where it will
grow. Let it be planted farther north than forty-five degrees and it
will only thrive under glass; or try to cultivate it farther south than
the thirty-five degree line and it will also balk. This, you see,
leaves a rather narrow zone that answers its demands in the way of
temperature and soil. For the kind of soil cotton likes has to be
considered also. If the land is too sandy the moisture will soon dry up
and the plants shrivel; or if there is an undue proportion of clay the
excess moisture will not drain off and the plants will run to wood and
leaves. Therefore you have the problem of getting the right proportions
of clay, loam and sand in a climate where the temperature holds
practically even."

"Why, I shouldn't think any spot on earth would fill that bill,"
grinned Carl.

"We do succeed in getting just such areas, however," returned Captain
Dillingham. "North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Indian Territory, Missouri,
Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, and Oklahoma all contrive to answer the
requirements to a greater or less degree. These States boast soils that
are blends of clay, sand, and loam in the desired proportions; and
while some of them are better than others both soil and temperature are
such that cotton can be grown in them. Given these two assets the rest
of the conundrum is up to the planter."

"I should think most of it was answered for him when he has these two
important factors," Mrs. McGregor asserted.

"But to have climate and land is not enough," protested her brother.
"Once he possesses the land the owner must take care of it. It cannot
be allowed to run out but must be plowed up, fertilized, and the crop
tended like any other farm product. Before cotton growers realized
this, not much attention was paid to these laws and in consequence the
crop of many a southern plantation suffered. Now cotton-raising is done
far more scientifically. The old stalks are gathered and destroyed; the
land is plowed and fertilized, and afterward seed-planting machines go
up and down the rows, scattering five or six seeds into each hole, with
a space of not more than a foot between the holes. Then the seeds are
covered over lightly and left to sprout."

"How long is it before they come up?" interrogated Carl.

"About ten or twelve days," was the reply. "A couple of days later the
first leaf appears and then trouble begins. April sees the