14 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. 



CHAP, to six feet. This Black soil appears to be peculiarly adapt- 



' ed to the growth of Indian Cotton, arid is to be found more 



or less in almost every District in the Presidency. In pre- 

 ofcoimba- paring the large Cotton Map which illustrates the present 

 Dec iw Sand Book, a sketch map of each District was forwarded 

 M - s * to each District Engineer, with a request that he would 

 colour those parts in which this Cotton soil prevailed. The 

 results are accordingly exhibited in the Cotton Map, and ge- 

 nerally serve to show the extent of land available for the 

 cultivation of Indian Cotton. The amount of Cotton land 

 actually under cultivation for the last eight years is also 

 exhibited in the Appendix, under the several heads of Go- 

 vernment lands, Inam lands, and Zemindary lands ; together 

 with the sum total of the yearly assessment of the Cotton 

 lands of each District in Rupees. Besides however the Black 

 soil, there are two other soils, viz., the Red and the Alluvial. 

 These two, but especially the Red, are found to be even bet- 

 ter adapted to the cultivation of American Cotton than the 

 Black. This fact will be fully discussed further on. It 

 will be sufficient to say, that should the American species 

 ultimately prove productive and profitable, the Madras Pre- 

 sidency could alone furnish an almost inexhaustible sup- 

 ply of Indian and American Cotton. 



] 7 Four great Cotton Districts : Bellary and Cud da- 

 pah to the north; Coimbatore and Tinnevelly to the 



south.- The present so called Cotton growing Districts of 

 the Madras Presidency, are eight in number, viz., Kristna, 

 Nellore, Cuddapah, Kurnool, and Bellary in the north ; and 

 Madura, Coimbatore and Tinnevelly in the south. Of these 

 however four are the principal, and those which must es- 

 pgcially be borne in mind, viz. 



NORTH. Bellary and Cuddapah. 

 SOUTH, Coimbatore and Tinnevelly. 



