Malvacee.| THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS. 95 
procure for me the following note respecting the last investment imported of this supe- 
rior cotton: 8 bales of it, of 300Ibs. each, were sold 10th September last, marked 
«Hughes, Tinnevelly cotton,” at 10}d., at the same time with 222 bales of a very superior 
kind, at 84d. and 8d. The ordinary Madras, grown in the same country, being at the 
same time worth 7d., and some of the other Indian cottons not more than 53d. The 
principal superiority of this cotton consisted in its being of a more silky quality and of 
longer staple, though a small part of its value was also owing to its being cleaner. 
Though the island of Salsette and the coasts of Guzerat and Cutch appear particularly 
eligible for the cultivation of cottons, the experiments on the introduction of American 
long staple cottons have hitherto failed, though the first crop has sometimes been good, 
from the subsequent deterioration of the seed. This might perhaps be remedied by 
exchanges of seed between different districts, particularly as” upwards of thirty years 
ago cotton was grown by Dr. Scott in the island of Salsette, which was considered 
equal to Bourbon cotton. Much might here, as elsewhere, be done by trying all the 
varieties of seed, improving the native seed, varying the cultivation according to circum- 
stances, and when all the information possible has been obtained by experiments on a 
small scale, extending the cultivation to the desired extent. The introduction of 
American seed into the upper provinces of India does not seem to have inspired the 
experimenters with any idea of the imapplicability of the climate of India for the 
production of the finer cottons ; though Mr. Colebrooke relates a failure which occurred 
at Benares. Mr. Gisborne mentions that a friend of his procured a few seeds, he believes 
of Brazil cotton, from which he in time obtained three bales of cotton, which was sold 
in London for a shilling a-pound, at the time that Indian cotton generally was 
between 4d. and 5d. Mr. Huggins raised cotton from the Upland Georgia seed about 
Allahabad, of which the produce was much more abundant than from any other 
description of cotton that he had seen, the pod more than double the size, the cotton 
good, and the plants did not require more labour than the common cotton of the country. 
Major Colvin also sowed some seed of American cotton early in 1832, in the vicinity of 
the Delhi canal, and the produce was obtained about the middle of October, and 
during the following month; the capsules were very large, and the superiority of the 
cotton in quantity and quality over that usually grown in the country where cotton is 
very extensively cultivated, was so manifest, that all the zumeendars were anxious to 
procure some of the seed. | 
So few attempts have been made to improve the cottons indigenous to India, that no 
idea can be formed of what is practicable. From some experiments made with Broach 
and Surat cotton, it appears, that by bestowing more care in picking and cleaning, some 
sold for 54d., and some which was still more carefully cleaned sold for 64d., which was 
quite as high as that of Upland American cotton at the time. I commenced some 
experiments at Saharunpore, which it was my intention to have prosecuted, as the results, 
though the soil was too clayey, were satisfactory. The Bourbon cotton, which had been 
several 
