184549.] AMERICAN PLANT IN INDIAN SEASONS. 77 



rangement of sowing seasons already indicated in the locali- CHAP. 



ties under the influence of the North-east monsoon, or under 1_ 



the influence of both monsoons ; namely, that of employing 

 the earlier weeks of the regular autumnal period as the Cot- 

 ton spring season, the later weeks and part of winter as the 

 Cotton summer season, and the conclusion of winter and 

 part of spring as the Cotton autumn. 2nd, The employ- 

 ment of irrigation as in Egypt ; by which course the In- 

 dian cultivator would be comparatively independent of the 

 seasons, as by sowing in November he would secure for the 

 growing plant a rising range of temperature in the place of 

 a falling one. 



Experiments in irrigation, securing a rising tern- 

 perature to the growing plant. Dr. Wight first tried 

 the experiment by sowing an acre of ground about the end 

 of January. On the 4th of February the young plants 

 began to appear above ground. On the 10th of March 

 many of them were upwards of a foot high, all very healthy 

 and already showing abundance of " forms," or coming 

 flowers; and that too with the thermometer in the shade 

 daily above 90, once or twice 96 ; thus proving clearly 

 that high temperature, when there is sufficient moisture in 

 the soil, is not injurious to New Orleans Cotton. This ex- 

 periment however was only undertaken to establish the 

 principle, as the cloudy weather and rain in May, would 

 interfere with the perfect maturation of the crops. Had 

 the sowing been earlier, that is immediately after the cessa- 

 tion of the North-easterly rains, then- a full crop would have 

 been obtained. Fortunately the latter experiment had been 

 tried by Captain Lawford, Civil Engineer. Captain Law- 

 ford wished to prove to the Natives of Tanjore, that Cot- 

 ton cultivated under irrigation was as productive as Rice. 

 The seed was sown in November, and the pickings com- 

 menced about the middle of February. Dr. Wight however 

 recommended that in carrying out this irrigation method, 



