COTTON 205 



except perhaps on very good virgin soils. The average 

 is said to be about 800 Ib. 



The best cotton-growing tract in the whole of Sind 

 for Sindhi cotton is said to be the Hala sub-division of 

 the Hyderabad District; botanically the cotton is of the 

 neglectum or Bengals type, and in growth it is much 

 more robust than the best in other tracts. 



Central Provinces and Berar. 



The cottons of this tract are in all respects similar to 

 those of Khandesh. The admixture of Upland Georgian 

 is most evident on the western side of the tract. Adjoin- 

 ing the Nizam's dominions, and being also the prevailing 

 types throughout them, is the high-class cotton known 

 in the trade as Hinganghat, existing not only as a kharif 

 crop, but also as a rabi crop in some parts. Finally, in 

 late years a plant known as Buri, a form of Upland 

 Georgian long under cultivation in Chota Nagpur, is 

 being grown to a considerable extent in parts where the 

 local crop is suffering from wilt, as it is immune to that 

 disease, which appears to be favoured by trie continuous 

 cropping of the land with cotton. The various forms of 

 neglectum, which composed the crop, were isolated and 

 tested separately some years ago by Mr. Clouston, the 

 Deputy Director of Agriculture, and the following 

 account is summarized from his reports : 



The experimental station at Akola now serves as a 

 centre of a pure seed supply for a large number of seed 

 farms, which again multiply the supply of selected Buri, 

 Yosea, and malvensis. The whole farm area is now being 

 sown with pure strains of cotton raised from selected 

 mother plants. To provide against possible deterioration 

 plant to plant selection is annually undertaken; the 

 selected strain of rosea now gives 40 per cent, of lint 

 against 39 per cent, of the ordinary field crop. Mr. 

 Clouston believes that, although it is subject to seasonal 

 variations, a high ginning percentage is a hereditary 

 character in cotton. Numerous crosses have been made 

 between the different varieties, but no definite conclusions 

 have been arrived at. Cambodia cotton and a variety of 



