56 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [4xn SEASON. 



CHAP. Dr. Wight's answers to the queries of the Marquis 



'. of Tweeddale. In September 1845, the Marquis of Tweed- 



Dr wi ht? ^ a * e Emitted several queries to Dr. Wight respecting the 

 September 1 cos ^ ^ ^ ne Cotton experiment at Coimbatore, the superiority 

 R 8 e 4 turE ?ar1 ' of the American to the Native Cotton, the extension of the 

 0847) p. i m p rove( j methods of cultivation among the Ryots, and the 

 adoption of the saw gins by the Natives. The return of ex- 

 penditure was so very imperfect that it need not be produced 

 here. On the three other points, however, Dr. Wight sup- 

 plied the following information. 



83 Superiority of the American Cotton to the Indian, 



As regards the superiority of American'Cotton to the In- 

 dian, Dr. Wight reported that the American was about 20 

 per cent, more valuable than the Indian, or nearly as 5d. is 

 to 3f d. Again, the American seed produced from 7| to 9 

 per cent, more Cotton wool than the Indian seed ; in other 

 words, lOOlbs. of American seed yielded from 28|lbs, to 

 SOlbs. of clean Cotton wool, whilst lOOlbs. of Indian seed only 

 yielded about 2 libs, of clean Cotton wool. 



34 Extension of the improved methods of cultivation 

 among the Ryots. Upon this point Dr. Wight's report 

 was not satisfactory. He had introduced the American 

 mode of cultivating and cleaning, to the extent of having 

 invariably carried it out himself. Very few of the Natives, 

 however, had followed his example. He had offered them 

 American seed to any extent; he had invited them to culti- 

 vate for him ; he had even engaged to purchase the produce 

 of the foreign seed until its market price could be ascertain- 

 ed.* But still the Natives hung back from adopting either 



* The price offered by Dr. Wight for American Cotton appears to have 

 been first 20 Rupees (or 2) and afterwards 15 Rupees (or 305.) per candy 

 (500 Ibs.) for clean and well picked seed Cotton ; the ordinary price of Indian 

 seed Cotton as it comes from the field averaging about 12 Rupees (or 24s.) 

 per candy. Dr. Wight however argued that Government would be a 



