200 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [1852. 



CHAP, with still greater rapidity. Previous to 1849,* notwith- 

 L_ standing the inducements held out of high prices and cer- 

 tain markets, the Ryots of Coimbatore would only cultivate 

 American Cotton to a very limited extent ; and then they 

 proceeded in such an unwilling and unsatisfactory manner 

 as almost to ensure a failure. At the same time, the reports, 

 which reached me from other parts of the country, were ge- 

 nerally unfavorable ; and almost led to the belief that the 

 soil and climate of India were actually unfitted for the 

 growth of American Cotton, and that my own convictions 

 to the contrary were based upon error; though in reality 

 they rested upon the fact that we usually produced good 

 average crops, and often very heavy ones, under circum- 

 stances which were by no means peculiarly favorable. 



264 Improved prospects during 185O-51 and 1851-52. 



Within the last ten years a series of changes have taken 

 place, not perhaps sufficiently advanced to admit of certain 

 conclusions, but still holding out a most encouraging pros- 

 pect. Within that brief period, many of the Ryots of 

 Coimbatore appear to have become so convinced of the 

 great advantages to be derived from cultivating American 

 instead of Native Cotton, that last season they planted 

 between 1500 and 2000 acres of ground with it, and seem as 

 if they intended to treble the quantity during the present 

 year. At the same time I have had numerous requisitions 

 from various quarters for supplies of seed ; and in answer 

 to my Circular addressed to the Collectors, all except one 

 have requested more or less of the new seed just arrived 

 from home for .their respective districts. Lastly, within 

 about the same period, a novel extension has been given to 

 the experiment, which promises to yield most important 

 results. I allude to those trials which are now in progress 



* The year Mr. Finnie, the American Planter, left India. 



