1845 46.] MR. FINNIE'S FOUR YEARS IN TINNEVELLY. 103 



Climate discovered to be of more importance than CHAP. 

 soil, During this period of emigration, the early adven- _ 

 turers had discovered, as we have already seen, that as they 

 advanced towards the South, the Cotton shrub became more 

 and more prolific, and produced a finer quality of wool. 

 This result is to be attributed not only to the superiority 

 of the soil, but also to the greater suitability of climate. 

 Though soil, says Mr. Finnie, exercises much influence on 

 the quantity and quality of the Cotton, climate is the greafc 

 desideratum. A good soil in a favorable climate will pro- 

 duce a large quantity of fine Cotton ; a poor soil in a favor- 

 able climate will produce Cotton a little inferior ; but an 

 unfavorable climate and poor soil will produce an article 

 inferior in quality and deficient in quantity. But however 

 rich the soil may be, no profitable crop can be produced unless 

 the climate is propitious. These remarks refer to the 

 climate which is essential to the production of Ame- 

 rican Cotton. As regards the climate of Southern 

 India, Mr. Finnie believed (1847) that it produced 

 a very good article of indigenous Cotton, which only requir- 

 ed care and cleanliness to render it very useful and valuable. 

 He feared however that the Indian climate was not suited to 

 the New Orleans variety. 



Nature of the lands in America on which the Anie- 145 

 rican plant is grown. All land in the Southern States 

 of America on which Cotton is grown, has been cleared 

 from forest at a comparatively late period. The Cotton 

 does not produce a good crop in the first season after the 

 land is cleared ; the great quantity of extraneous matter 

 causing it to grow to long watery shoots, which yield no 

 fruit. Accordingly Indian corn is generally grown as the first 

 crop. The land however is peculiarly suited to the Cotton 

 plant, being a rich vegetable loam, with a deep clay sub- 

 soil ; and it is moreover situated in a favorable climate. 



