88 CLIMATE AND RESOURCES OF 



cotton-plants thrive much better on land turned over with it, 

 and also require less water than they do on soil ploughed with 

 the country plough, the yield of cotton per acre on land tilled 

 with English tools being twelve pounds above the highest 

 return of any of our other fields, though land wrought with 

 the foreign implements was considerably inferior in quality 

 to the field from which our highest return by the native 

 system of culture was obtained. The former was four times 

 watered, while the latter got nine waterings all over, and part 

 of it got ten. 9 



1 f Deep ploughing, in addition to its direct advantage to 

 the plant, would thus appear to result in the saving of a con- 

 siderable amount (say fifty per cent.) of water in irrigation, 

 and consequently, in addition, in a saving of cattle power, 

 and therefore of expense in lifting the water. It may thus, 

 if proved to be as advantageous as would appear, and if 

 largely practised in years to come, eventuate in the saving of 

 large sums of money in irrigation works, and even tend to 

 reduce the disposition to certain classes of fever now said to 

 be so prevalent in the neighbourhood of irrigation canals. 

 Further, it would appear to double the advantage received 

 from a fixed supply. If this be the case, the rainfall in a 

 district where it is naturally scanty and insufficient, would, in 

 effect, be artificially and indirectly doubled by this deep 

 ploughing and superior treatment of the soil." 



In the same extract, the plough sent by the Marquis of 

 Tweeddale is mentioned as being " very easy to work." 



The extract given about the cultivation of cotton refers 

 to experiments made, I believe, in the Province of Scinde, 

 notorious as having the smallest rainfall of any part of 

 India ; and here deep cultivation reduces the amount of water 

 required by one-half. In the greater part of Upper India 



