64 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [184549. 



CHAP year ; and consequently his picking season was going on, 

 ' when he ought to have been ploughing; and thus he was 

 deprived of the benefit of the best part of the rains, and 

 compelled to sow in what the Natives called " hot" ground. 

 As regarded the third point, his Farms had been shut out 

 from the South-west monsoon by ranges of hills ; and ac- 

 cordingly had no rain from May till October. Again, his 

 Farms had been situated at such a distance from the East 

 Coast that the North-east rains were short arid scanty, and 

 the North-east monsoon was cold and dry, being unmoisten- 

 ed by the sea. As regards the fourth point, Dr. Wight had 

 now discovered that the Sandy Brown Loams, generally in- 

 cluded under the head of Red land, were better adapted to 

 the growth of American land, than the ordinary Black 

 Cotton soil. He had never obtained more than 300 Ibs. of 

 seed Cotton per acre from the Black lands, whilst he had 

 repeatedly obtained 500 Ibs. and once 1000 Ibs. from the 

 Sandy Brown Loams ; and indeed it was from this latter 

 soil that Mr. Wroughton had once obtained 1100 Ibs. per 

 acre. 



91 Results of four successive seasons on a new Farm, 



1845-49. Under the circumstances mentioned above, Dr 

 Wight removed to a locality, about ten miles to the South 

 of his old Farm, and to a spot which was out of the influ- 

 ence of the hills, and consequently open to the South-west 

 monsoon. The results of the four seasons may be stated in 

 a few words. During 1845-46, one field which he ploughed 

 in May, and which consequently was well prepared for sow- 

 ing in July, produced a crop of nearly 1000 Ibs. per acre. 

 Other fields of inferior quality produced crops of 500 Ibs. 

 per acre. Other fields however, which could not be ploughed 

 before September, and which were sowed immediately after 

 ploughing, failed to produce a good crop. The second season 

 (1846-47) was a failure in consequence of the failure of both 



