18G COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [1849. 



CHAP, had been undertaken, should be in a position to examine 



! and report on these results, aided by his own extensive 



experience in the practical cultivation of Cotton in other 

 localities. Accordingly, the Directors expressed their opi- 

 nion, that Dr. Wight should retain the position of Superin- 

 tendent of Cotton Experiments under the Madras Presidency, 

 until these objects were accomplished; but at the same time 

 they approved of the decision of the Madras Government to 

 dispense with the services of Mr. Finnie at the termination 

 of his engagement. Mr. Finnie, as we have already seen, 

 left the Madras Presidency in October this year. 



241 State of the Farms at Coimbatore. Meantime, Dr. 

 Wight was staying at Madras preparatory to retiring from 

 the service ; but on receipt of instructions from the Madras 



turn* (1857) Government to resume his office of Superintendent of the 

 Cotton Experiment, he at once repaired to Coimbatore, and 

 placed himself in communication with Mr. Thomas, the Col- 



Para235. lector of the district. The lands he had rented, as described 

 in a previous paragraph, had all been given up to the Ryots, 

 except two or three fields which had been taken up by a 

 Cape Farmer named Prince, who had visited Coimbatore in 

 order to receive instructions in Cotton culture, and who but 

 for that accommodation must have returned without attain- 

 ing the object of his mission. 



242 Dr. Wight cultivates American Cotton by irriga- 

 tion. As the season was too late for Dr. Wight to cultivate 

 American Cotton as a dry crop, he resolved to try the plan 

 of cultivating both Native and American Cotton by the aid 

 of irrigation, as proposed in his Circular of the previous 



Para in. March. Accordingly he rented several garden lands, or 

 lands under irrigation ; and he proposed to have them cul- 

 tivated under his direction by the proprietors of the lands, 

 for the purpose of familiarising them with his practice. 

 In these gardens he proposed to sow every variety of 



