, the principal requisite being a hot and humid atmosphere, but
the results of acclimatisation indicate that the humid atmosphere is not
entirely necessary if irrigation be employed, as this species is
undoubtedly grown extensively in Egypt." The height of this species
varies from 3 to 4 feet if cultivated as an annual, and from 6 to 8 feet
if allowed to grow as a perennial. When in full leaf and flower, it is a
most graceful-looking plant. Yarns having the finest counts, as they are
called, are all spun from Sea Islands, which belongs to this class. When
we are told that a single pound of this cotton is often spun into a
thread about 160 miles long we can see that it must be exceedingly good
and strong cotton to do this.

Image: FIG. 4.--The Gossypium Barbadense.

_Lint_ is the name given to the cotton which remains when separated from
the seeds. Every other American type of cotton gives a greater
percentage of lint than the Sea Islands cotton, though it should be
stated that the price per pound is greater than any other kind of cotton
grown in the States. There are from six to nine seeds in each capsule
and the prevailing colour is black. A cotton grown in Egypt and known by
the name _Gallini_ is of the Sea Islands type and has been produced from
seed of the G. Barbadense. It should be added that the colour of the
flower is yellow and that in India this plant is known by the name of
Bourbon Cotton.

_Gossypium Herbaceum_.--As indicated by the name, this type is
herbaceous in character, especially the cultivated type. When Lamarck
classified this tree, he gave it the name Indicum because he considered
most of the Indian types and some of the Chinese belonged to this
particular species. India, too, is considered by Parlatore to have been
the original home of the herbaceous type, and he specially fixes the
Coromandel Coast as the first centre from which it sprang. There is much
conflict of opinion in localising the primitive habitat of this type,
and it is now thought that the present stock is probably the result of
hybridisation of several species more or less related to each other.
However, the areas in which this class of cotton grows are very numerous
and extensive, for we find it growing in India, China, Arabia, Persia,
Asia Minor, and Africa. A very characteristic feature of this plant is
that it quickly decays after podding, when cultivated as an annual.

The _Vine Cotton_ grown in Cuba belongs to the herba