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Mr. Fretwell, are all reported to have failed from the 

 effects of the late floods. In fact, a perusal of the 

 several reports on this subject, submitted to the Bom- 

 bay Government, would induce one to imagine that 

 the very elements had formed a league against the 

 successful introduction of this new variety. But the 

 fact is, as I have stated before, that the experiments 

 were entrusted to persons who, while possessing 

 scanty knowledge of the subject, further contributed 

 towards the failures by a most careless and 

 indifferent procedure, and then attributed them to 

 natural defects. We can therefore scarcely blame 

 the Bombay Government in deciding to discon- 

 tinue the experiments, seeing that that decision 

 was formed on the basis of unsatisfactory reports. 

 But, considering the importance of the subject, 

 it is to be earnestly hoped that the laudable 

 attempts to acclimatize the American rice will 

 be resumed when occasion offers, and be then 

 entrusted to more competent and careful men. 



The other local Governments are in the mean- 

 time prosecuting their experiments, and success is 

 slowly crowning their labours ; but, so long as the 

 American method of cultivation is not followed as 

 far as is feasible in the Indian climate, the results 

 will, even in experienced hands, be always doubt- 

 ful and untrustworthy. 



The reports received from the Central Provinces 

 are generally satisfactory, and some trials made 



