1849.] RESUMPTION OF THE COTTON EXPERIMENT. 187 



Cotton seed which he had in his possession ; namely, Sea CHAP. 

 Island and Bourbon of the long stapled varieties ; and New ' 

 Orleans, Petit Gulph, and Native Cotton of the short sta- 

 pled varieties. Dr. Wight had also written to Mr. Cuxton 

 in Tinnevelly, to ascertain the capabilities of the climate on 

 the South-eastern coast for the production of American 

 Cotton by a similar course of procedure. 



Postponement of Dr. Wight's Cotton Report. 243 



The clear and connected account of the experimental culti- 

 vation on the Coimbatore and other Farms, which the Court 

 of Directors had called on Dr. Wight to supply, was post- para. 210. 

 poned for a while until the latter could obtain further 

 materials. Upon this point Dr. Wight observed that such 

 a report, to be really useful and satisfactory, must be com- 

 prehensive, embodying both principles and practical details. 

 Accordingly, the completion of the Report was delayed for 

 two years and a half, and was not finally addressed to the 

 Madras Government until May 1852. Before however ex- 

 hibiting the subject matter of this final report, three mat- 

 ters require especial notice; viz. 1st, An attempt to im- 

 prove the Indian Churka ; 2nd, An attempt to simplify the 

 American saw gin; and 3rd, The further progress made in 

 the cultivation of American Cotton. 



1st, Mather's improved Churka. This machine was 

 constructed in Bengal, and obtained a prize, but was never 

 fairly tried in the Madras Presidency, nor indeed does it 

 seem to have been regarded as generally satisfactory. It Parl 

 differed from the ordinary Madras Churka, described in 

 para 25, in the following particulars. The upper roller was 439'. 

 of steel instead of wood. The motion of one was communi- 

 cated to the other by means of a spur wheel and pinion 

 instead of an endless screw, by means of which the upper 

 roller performed four revolutions to one of the lower roller. 



367 n ,4?4,and 



