132 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [SfiB. SEASON. 



CHAP. Necessity for improving the construction of the 

 ' Gin. Upon the relative working of each of the gins, 



182 M r . Finnie reported as follows. It will be remember- 

 Mr. Fin- ed that he had two 5 saw gins, and one of 20 saws. 

 23rd sept.' Each of the two 25 saw gins required thirteen men a day to 



1847. I'avl 



Return ' work it; namely, two sets of six men to turn the wheel, and 

 relieve each other alternately; and one man to attend to 

 the gin, such as feeding it with seed Cotton, and removing 

 the staple freed after separation. One gin however would 

 clean 100 Ibs. of seed Cotton in one hour; whilst the other 

 would not clean the same quantity under two hours. Then 

 again the 20 saw gin did almost as much work as the best 

 25 saw gin, though it only required nine men to work it ; 

 namely, one man for the gin, and eight men at the wheel ; 

 the latter relieving each other alternately in sets of four. 

 This last gin had been made by Mr. Petrie, and was pro- 

 nounced by Mr. Finnie to be the best he had seen in India. 

 These facts served to show that much depended on the con- 

 struction of the machine, and that further improvements 

 might yet bring the gin into constant and profitable use in 

 India. 



183 Third season, 1847-48 : stage of the Cotton ex- 

 periment in Tinnevelly. The general operations of Mr. 

 Finnie during his first two seasons at Tinnevelly do not ap- 

 pear to have been attended with any particular result ; be- 

 yond ascertaining the facts that American Cotton would 

 yield a good crop inlocalities enjoying the benefit of both mon- 

 soons, and that the American gin as then constructed could 

 not be profitably employed in commercial transactions. Ac- 

 cordingly, he now desired to extend the cultivation of Ame- 

 rican Cotton, and to take steps for ensuring the co-operation 

 of the manufacturers and merchants at home. 



Planting operations: successful culture of Ameri- 

 can Cotton in the Court all um valley. It has already 

 been seen that the American Cotton grown during the second 



