46 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [4iH. SEASON. 



CHAP. 2nd Season, 1842-43. 3rd Season, 1843-44. 



Acreage 9101 acres 1,090 acres. 



Seed produced 207>632 Ibs. 177,126 Ibs. 



Average per acre 228 Ibs. 162* Ibs. 



The proportion of wool obtained from the season in the two 

 different years is shown in the following table, which exhibits 

 the proportion of wool obtained from ] 00 Ibs. of Cotton 

 seed. 



2nd Season. 3rd Season. 



New Orleans 29 \ Ibs. 27| Ibs. 



Bourbon 26 26J 



Oopum (Indian) 22} 23J 



64 Fourth Season, 1844-45 : experiment of treating 

 the plant as a biennial. Hither to Dr. Wight had treat- 

 ed the Cotton plant as an annual ; that is, he had annually 

 rooted out the old plants of the preceding year, and then 

 resown the ground. He found however that the Bourbon 

 variety was constantly treated as a biennial in India,* as 

 was also the Sea Island in Egypt. Accordingly he proposed 

 to try the experiment with New Orleans Cotton, of pruning 

 the plants nearly down to the ground, and leaving the roots 

 to yield a crop of fresh wood for the second year. By this 

 method, he believed that during the second year the roots 

 Para. 117. wou id penetrate much deeper into the ground than they did 

 the first. The roots would thus pass into an unexhausted 

 soil, and would therefore be better nourished ; whilst a con- 

 siderable saving would be effected in the expenses of cul- 

 tivation during the second year. This experiment how- 

 Dr.wight's ever, ultimately turned out a failure. This fourth season 

 Feb er ' i84 is chiefly remarkable for having produced a much larger 

 umi'c 1847) and finer seed, which again produced from three to three 

 and a half per cent, more of Cotton wool. 



* See foot note to para. 34. 



