78 COTTON IN THE MADKAS PKESIDENCY. [1845 49. 



CHAP, the water should be sparingly applied, and that little or 



! none should be given from the commencement of the 



picking. 



112 Five practical suggestions. Having thus explained 

 Dr. wight's ^ e P r i nc ipl es f American Cotton cultivation in India, Dr. 

 2othMar r ch, Wight proceeded to discuss five questions of practical detail ; 

 Ret 9 um Farl ' viz. 1st, Choice of soil ; 2nd, Preparation of the land for the 



} p * seed ; 3rd, Ploughing and hoeing during the growing season ; 

 4th, Distance between the rows ; and 5th, Treatment of the 

 plant as an annual and rotation of crops. These points have 

 already been noticed in previous paras ; but it seems advis- 

 able to repeat the conclusions here. 



113 1st, Choice of soil. -Dr. Wight observed on this point, 

 that the best crops of American Cotton which he had as yet 

 seen, had been obtained from dark brown, very light, sandy 

 loams, mixed with much kunkur limestone ;* a kind of soil 

 easily worked, very permeable to rain, and easily penetrated 

 to a great depth by the roots. Ked soils, which had a large 

 admixture of sand securing for them the same properties, 

 had also answered well, and were easily cultivated. Stiffer 

 clayey soils had not answered so well, excepting in seasons 

 when showers were frequent and kept the ground in an 

 easily workable state ; otherwise when the weather was 

 dry, these soils were liable to bake and become very hard. 

 Black Cotton soils had been a good deal tried at first ; but 

 still Dr. Wight considered that they had been condemned as 

 unsuitable rather too prematurely. Subsequent considera- 

 tion had led him to doubt the justice of the verdict. 



114 2nd, Preparation of the land for the seed. Too 



much care, says Dr. Wight, cannot be bestowed upon the 

 preparation of the ground for the reception of the seed. 



* The presence of this kunkur, was the very thing that Mr. Simpson the 

 American Planter had urged as rendering the land unfit for the growth of 

 American Cotton. See para. 77. 



