Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 1.djvu/141

Rh is a country, apparently enjoying every advantage for its successful culture, one from which by far the best cotton has hitherto been derived, and which, contributes nearly 8- tenths of the quantity imported into England : realizing there, for her most ordinary kinds, from 20 to 30 per cent, more than the average prices of all those sorts, of East Indian extraction, technically known under the name of Surats. Is it probable that we shall ever be able to accomplish this object ? and if so, by what means are we most likely to succeed in so far improving the staple of our cottons, as to place them on a par with those of America ? These are important questions to this, as a productive country, and as such, ought, especially the first, to be well considered before an answer is given, since, if in the negative, it might have the effect of discouraging enterprise, and thereby, very materially tending to establish its own correctness, while, on the other hand, if answered confidently in the affirmative, might have the effect of leading to very injurious expenditure in a hopeless speculation.

The plan and limits of this work, not less than the short time allowed by the rapidly revolving months to devote to the elaboration of a comprehensive article on the subject, prevents me taking it up in all its bearings, I shall, however, endeavour to present a summary of what has been ascertained, and thence proceed to deduce such conclusions as will, I trust, prove a safe guide to future cultivators.

I stated above that in the English market even the cheapest sorts of American cotton, usually sell, from 20 to 30 per cent, higher than the East Indian sorts or ' Surats' as they are technically denominated in the Price Currents. Under these circumstances it became desirable that measures should be adopted to improve the Indian staples, with the view of placing them upon a more equal footing with the American, and the most obvious means of doing so appeared to be, to import seed and cultivate the American plant in India. It was, however, objected to this plan that as the Indian cloths, were more lasting or wore better than those fabricated from American cotton, that the Indian cotton was in reality better than the American, and that if more pains were bestowed on its cultivation, so as to render it a more marketable article, that it would from its own intrinsic merits supercede the latter. This objection was however readily answered by assuming, which is probably the fact, that the superiority of Indian cloth was not so much attributable to the quality of the cotton, as to its being used in a more favourable condition, and still more, by its not being injured by the application of acids, &c. in the bleaching.

On these grounds, and on the supposition that it might be easier to improve the cultivation by inculcating a little additional care in the management of a new and higher priced article, than by attempting to introduce any alteration in the management of one, which had been cultivated from time immemorial, and though not according to the most approved system, yet well enough to answer every useful purpose. Under this last view of the case, which to the best of my knowledge is strictly correct, it seems desirable to introduce as far as possible, the cultivation of some of the foreign sorts, were it for no other purpose than to establish improved modes of culture and preparation of the indigenous kinds, the quality of which, when well prepared, is considered but little inferior, if not, indeed, fully equal to Upland Georgian. To promote this object the Court of Directors with the concurrence and advice of the Board of Control, resolved in 1829, to establish experimental cotton farms under the Bombay presidency for the introduction of foreign sorts, especially the Upland Georgian and New Orleans, both belonging to the kind called " short staples" (from the shortness of the fibres of their wool,) and believing that it owed its superiority, partly, to the mode of cleaning, sent also American machines to separate the cotton from the seed.

The better to give these experiments every chance of success by diffusion, large quantities of American seed, accompanied by a copy of Captain Hall's instructions for its cultivation and the method of cleaning the produce as practised in America, was sent out in the course of that and the succeeding years to Bengal and Madras, and the Governments of these Presidencies instructed to distribute it among each of their Collectorates for experimental cultivation.

The seed thus received was accordingly distributed, but owing to accidents and delays too commonly attendant on first attempts, the greater part spoiled and failed to vegetate, and of that which did grow much was afterwards lost, some owing to improper soils having been selected, but by far the greater portion owing to the season, so far at least as the Madras Presidency was concerned, proving one of the most unfavourable that could be imagined for such an experiment. Extreme drought and famine prevailing generally throughout the country,