TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 63 



Gibson. He added, however, that the planters confined their experiment to the 

 black soil produced by disintegrated trap rocks of the Broach district, which only in 

 appearance resembles the black alluvial soil of Louisiana, and which, though agree- 

 ing well with the Indian, has in all the former experiments been found unsuitable to 

 the American cottons. This is related in all the printed accounts of these experi- 

 ments. But even in the present experiment, some American seed sown in a garden 

 which differed in having the common sandy soil of the district, produced good cotton 

 plentifully. The experiment has been ordered to be resumed by a planter from 

 Bengal and another from Madras. 



The planters destined for Bengal were detained in this country, and visited Man- 

 chester and Liverpool, where they had seen various brokers, spinners, and manu- 

 facturers, from whom they received much valuable information respecting the kind 

 of cotton, and quality best suited for the different manufactures. They did not, how- 

 ever, reach their destination until March of last year, and had little time for choosing 

 eligible sites and getting settled in their farms, as sowing usually commences in the 

 middle of June, after the rains have set in. This year they did not begin until the 

 20th of July, and lasted only six weeks instead of three months, as usual ; they were 

 besides supplied with an insufficient number of large bullocks, the small ones of the 

 country being unfitted for the American plough ; but still, with all these disad- 

 vantages, the experiment may be considered decidedly successful, inasmuch as 

 though the quantity of cotton is small, the quality is good, and it is well cleaned ; 

 and one of the planters considers that the culture will be decidedly profitable, as cotton 

 can be produced cheaper than in any other part of the world. But the most im- 

 portant result obtained, was, that the American cotton continued to produce blos- 

 soms, bolls and cotton long after the Indian cotton cultivated by the natives had dried 

 up. Also, the Indian cotton cultivated in the American method assumed quite a dif- 

 ferent appearance, as, instead of growing like a straight stick, it threw out lateral 

 branches, which were covered with flower-buds, and continued, like the American, 

 to bear cotton long after all the same kind of cotton grown by the natives had com- 

 pletely withered up. These points were confirmed by letters from Capt. Bayles, 

 Messrs. Mercer and Finnie, two of the American planters ; also by the report of Mr. 

 Lowther, the Revenue Commissioner, who had visited the farms for the purpose of 

 inspection. Mr. Mercer is well pleased with the soil and the people, who readily 

 adopt the improved methods when taught by example. He complains only of the 

 dryness of the climate, and he has had a very trying season in that respect. The great 

 canal which has been sanctioned by the Court of Directors to be made through the 

 centre of the Doab, and which is to be 500 miles in length, and will afford water for 

 irrigating five miles on both sides, as it will render famine impossible, so will it make 

 the cultivation of cotton easy and independent of dry seasons. 



The above experiments having been carried on in 2/ = of N. latitude, it is interest- 

 ing and extremely important to find that a like result has attended those undertaken 

 in the Madras Presidency in the district of Coimbatore, in about 12° of N. latitude. 

 The planters were first sent to the Tinnevelly district, and afterwards removed to 

 their present localities near Ernaud and Coimbatore ; so that in this way some time 

 was unfortunately lost. Their experiments were made both with the New Orleans 

 and with the native seed, in both the black and the red soil, the latter the result of 

 disintegrated granitic rocks. 



The season here seems to have been at first untoward, apparently from the great 

 dryness of the weather, as the accounts which were received by the January mail 

 stated that the experiment had not succeeded in the way that had been anticipated, 

 probably either from unsuitableness of soil or season, in reference to the times of 

 sowing and the modes of culture. Dr. Wight, however, the present superintendent, 

 saw enough to be convinced that the American method, with some modifications, was 

 sure to succeed, and he was ready to rent land for the purpose of establishing 

 this culture. That he was not too sanguine was evident by his subsequent letters, 

 all which gave more encouraging prospects. In that dated 17th April, 1842, he 

 was enabled to say that he considered the experiment to have completely succeeded, 

 as the plants had thrown out fresh leaves and flowers, and that the bolls had set, 

 ripened, and produced good cotton ; so that from fields which they thought had 

 ceased to bear, they obtained no less than 15,000 lbs. of seed cotton, and were still 



