COLTIVAZIONE DFf. COTONE
   166
   tbe future cultivation ought to be based on the specie* and varieties already in cultivation, or on others to be yet introduced.
   There are two kinds of cotton cultivated in Kiod« of cot-Italy, and, perhaps, one Comes originally from M?"!** India and the other from America  the Gossypium Herbaceum of Limasene, and the Gossypium Siamense of Tenore, of which the last species has two varieties, the one white and the other yel-low l). The white, the kiiul most anciently introduced, appears to have been brought into Italy before the commencement of the eleventh century, by the Saraceus. We are unable to teli at what period after the discovery of America the second variety was introduced. We tìnd in none of our early writers any reference to the cultivation of the yellow cotton 2); but, at ali events, the two species have been cultivated in Italy from time immemorial.
   I have examined the cemmercial qualities of Qualityofthe our cottons aloug with manymen thoroughly versed in this special matter, and, amongst others, along with Mr. W. Wanklyn, who was deputed to make this inquiry by the « Manchester Cotton Supply Association. » For several days Mr. Wanklyn examined, with the greatest possible atten-tion, ali our samples of cotton, and his observa-tions and estimates have been brought together in the report submitted to that Association 3). It is a great fortune for Italy that the two species of cotton which for centuries have been culti-
   ') Appendix C.
   *) Amongst other writers, Giovan Battista della Porta, a writer of the fifteenth century, in his « Libri della Villa, » in which he accurately describes ali the plants cultivated iu Ms day in Italy, mentions only the yellow cotton. Nulluni lini genus liuic candore, et raollitie praefertur.  L. 1., c. 59.
   3) Appendi* B.