415 



of the Carolina rice instead of growing from broadcast seed. Results : 

 Carolina rice — area planted, 3,334 square jards; manure, 5 maunds of 

 cow-dung; seed, 6 i)ounds 6 ounces; yield, 2,464: pounds of grain, and 

 89G pounds of straw. Native rice — area, 5,277 square yards; manure, 

 6 maunds of cow-dung;- seed, 308 pounds ; yield, 2,480 pounds of grain, 

 and 906 pounds of straw. The rain-fall in the first case amounted to 

 30.31 inches ; in the second to 20.24 inches. 



The conductors of this experiment regard it as indicative of great 

 advantage in the introduction of the Carolina rice. The cultivato;i'S 

 were quite desirous to obtain the Carolina s^ed, and directions for its 

 culture are to be distributed throughout the district. 



Cotton EXPiJliiMENTS in India. — An experiment in growing cotton 

 was made in the season of 1869-70, on the Khandeish model farm, In- 

 dia. The Hingunghat seed was used, and the crop was neither manured 

 nor irrigated, l3ut was carefully cultivated according to the native 

 method of shallow plowing. The first half of the season was very 

 favorable, but subsequent heavy and jirolonged rains seriously injured 

 the crop by beating the cotton from the plant ; further loss was caused 

 by scarcity of laboreri? at the time of picking. The areas of experiment 

 amounted to 152 acres, which gave an average yield of 72^ pounds of 

 cleaned cotton per acre. The fields varied greatly in product, the larg- 

 est yield being on four acres of rich soil, the debris of a deserted village, 

 which returned 2291 pounds of cleaned cotton per acre. 



The superintendent of cotton experiments in Sind details experi- 

 ments with sea-island, Egyptian, and American seed at the Halla farm, 

 thirty-four miles north of Hyderabad. The farm is watered by two 

 canals, which seldom fail to give an abundant supply of water daring 

 nine mouths in the year. The soil used is represented as fit for any pur- 

 pose, from brick-making to the producing of good mangoes. The se^i- 

 island, the first in time of planting, failed entirely. The Egyptian, next 

 in order of planting, germinated well, and flourished until the plants 

 were about nine inches high, when they assumed a sickly appearance. 

 After a prolonged struggle they had, at the time of report, attained a 

 fine, healthy appearance, but had not yielded any cotton. The Ameri- 

 can is favorably reported, both in respect to the condition of the plants 

 and the yield. 



Mr. Strachan is continuing experiments with crossed and hybridized 

 seed, and by the introduction of suitable implements and improved cul- 

 tivation of the soil. 



Fiber from cotton stalks. — B. F. Thompson, civil surgeon, in a 

 recent letter to prominent officials in India, recommended the utilization 

 of the fiber of the stalks of the cotton plant in the manufacture of 

 gunny-cloth and other textiles. He claimed that the fiber ofi'ered an 

 excellent and cheap substitute for jute, and forwarded for examination 

 specimens of the fiber, and of a gunny-cloth made therefrom, which he 

 thought equal to the best cloth nmnufactured from fine jute. He also 

 referred to papers bearing on the subject in the United States Agricul- 

 tural Reports for 1854 and 1859. The letter and accompanying speci- 

 mens were referred to the fiber committee of the Agricultural Society'. 

 Mr. Knowles, of that committee, reported that he had examined the 

 fiber and considers it equal to a middling quality of jute, and that it 

 has neither the color nor the strength of fine jute. Mr. Robinson ranked 

 the fiber with a very low quality of jute, as it seems very deficient in 

 strength and color, but that the fiber might be useful for some of the 

 purposes to which inferior jute is applied. 



