COTTON 169 



Since 1901, however, owing mainly to the energy and 

 enterprise of the British Cotton Growing Association and 

 similar organizations, efforts have been made to increase the 

 production of cotton within the empire. 



The chief empire producing countries are : 



India. From prehistoric times the cotton plant has been 

 grown in India, and the fibre woven, and dyed, and worn 

 by the people of India. After the Crusades had opened up 

 trade between Europe and the East, calico (from Calicut) 

 was one of the materials brought to Europe from India. 

 Later on, other cotton materials were exported, and this trade 

 grew and flourished down to modern times, so that hand-made 

 Indian cottons formed a very important source of wealth 

 to the various East Indian Companies. 



When we began to manufacture cotton by machinery this 

 export declined, and it became the custom for us to buy our 

 raw cotton from America, and sell it manufactured to India 

 and other countries, and to such an extent has this plan been 

 pursued, that we have come to regard it as an unalterable, 

 almost a divine, law, that we should buy our raw cotton from 

 America, and sell it manufactured to India and the East. 



Now, however, this condition of things is changing, and 

 we are beginning to look to India as one of our most hopeful 

 sources of supply of raw cotton. The land available is almost 

 limitless, 1 her climate in many places is suitable, and in many 

 others, where it is too dry, the defect could be remedied by 

 irrigation. 



The chief cotton districts at present are Gujerat, in the 

 Bombay Presidency, the North-West Provinces, and the 

 Central Provinces, also, to a smaller extent, the Punjab, and 

 Madras. 



In addition to these districts, there are thousands of acres 

 in Sind and Hyderabad under cotton on irrigated lands, and 

 millions more will be available as soon as the irrigation works 

 are extended. 



1 In 1914 over 13 million acres were under cotton. 



