COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. 



CHAP, central table land by the abrupt and elevated wall of 



mountains. In two or three favoured localities however, 



and especially in the neighbourhood of Coimbatore, there are 

 breaks or chasms in the Ghauts, through which the clouds 

 are carried by the South- West wind, and produce a 

 fertility which is not to be found in regions which only enjoy 

 the benefit of the North-East monsoon. The bearing of these 

 influences upon the cultivation of Cotfcon will be found large- 

 ly illustrated in the following pages. 



Climate of the Madras Presidency and Cotton 

 States of North America compared : reversal of 

 Seasons. Before noticing the other local peculiarities of 

 the Madras Presidency, it may be as well to compare the 

 climate generally with that of the Cotton States of North 

 America. We have seen that every part of the Presi- 

 dency lies to the southward of the twentieth degree north 

 latitude ; and we may now add that all the Cotton States 

 of America lie to the northward of that degree, and in- 

 deed to the- northward of the thirtieth parallel. This dif- 

 ference of latitude is obviated by a reversal of the seasons, 

 the Winter of India being taken as the Summer of the Cotton 

 cultivation. In other words, whilst in America the Cotton is 

 sown in April and gathered in September, in India it is sown 

 in October and gathered in March and April. A further com- 

 parison of the results of this reversal of the seasons will be 

 found further on. 



Revenue Divisions of the Madras Presidency. 



The Madras Presidency is divided, for the purposes of collect- 

 ing the Revenue, into twenty Districts, each of which is 

 under the charge of a Revenue Collector. These twenty 

 Districts may be classified, in accordance with the physical 

 division already indicated, in the following manner. 



