362 



Acres, 186S-'69. Acres, 1639-70. 



Nerbudda 141, 751 131, 271 



Chutteesgiuh 23G, 589 228, (.97 



East Berar G22, 51G G4rS, 177 



West Berar 004, 220 707, 009 



2, 037, 017 2, 239, 813 

 2^037,017 



Increase 202, 190 



In the Central Provinces the increased acreage wa^^ 73,152 acres, or 

 9 J per cent. : in the Berars, 129,044 acres, or abont 10^ per cent. In the 

 former provinces cotton occnpies abont 0^ per cent, of the whole cnlti- 

 vated area, and in tlie Berars abont 30 per cent. 



With such an increase in acreage a larger snpjily of cotton was of 

 course looked for, but unseasonable rains and the boll-worm reduced 

 the product about 23 per cent, below the preceding crop, the exports 

 for the year toward Bombay aggregating only 214,582 bales, against 

 275,712 bales in 1808-09. The decrease is pretty evenly distributed 

 over the cotton producing districts, each station showing a falling ottin 

 exj^orts. Tbe estimated stock left in the provinces is 8,000 bales. 



The commissioner reports great improvement in packing the cotton 

 in the interior. In 1807 the system of pressing was commenced. At 

 first "full pressing" did not njake much progress, 2 per cent, only of 

 the croi> passing through the full presses. The half presses, however, 

 secured 13 per cent., so that 15 per cent, of the crop was shipped i)ressed 

 more or less, against 85 per cent, sent to market in loose bags. During 

 the season just closed 59 per cent, of the crop exported went to the full 

 presses, and o3^ ])er cent, to the half presses, leaving but a small per- 

 centage to be sent in tbe loose bags. 



Experiments with exotic plants are reported failures, though the sea- 

 son was deemed tavorable to them. Further trial will be given them 

 this season. Much attention has been devoted to the imi)rovement of 

 the indigenous varieties by selection of seed, &c., and various experi- 

 ments have been tried with manures, deep plowing, &c., with satisfac- 

 tory results, notwithstanding the unfavorable season. In one instance 

 the combined effect of good seed and deep plowing resulted in a crop of 

 255 pounds of cleaned cotton to the acre. Ordinary helds, similarly 

 treated, produced 170 pounds to the acre. 



The connnissioner renmrks that deep plowing appears to be of gi-eat 

 benefit to the plant, and that those parts of the seed farm wliich have 

 been thus treated show very favorably by the side of the fields culti- 

 vated in the ordinary metluxl. The plants in the well-plowed fields 

 were nnich stronger and healthier than their neighbors, and while 180 

 pounds of clear cotton were picked from these fiehls, the ordinary native 

 fields yielded hardly 50 pounds to the acre. It is i)roi)Osed to order 

 from England a steam plow for use in the Central India country. 



Although the past .season has been an unfavorable one, with a large 

 decline in the ex])orts, the commissioner thinks the prospect of the cot- 

 ton trade in the Central Provinces and the Berars far from discourag- 

 ing, and that an increased area would be planted for the crop of 

 1S70-'71. 



