210 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [1852. 



CHAP, soils along the Coromandel Coast, aided by the humid at- 

 ' mosphere, are very suitable to the cultivation of American 

 Cotton ; a fact which is daily becoming more firmly esta- 

 blished by the success attending the well conducted efforts 

 of Messrs. Longshaws at Trichindore in Tinnevelly, and 

 of Mr. Kenrick at Madras. In addition to a light assess- 

 ment, these lands possess a further advantage, which is 

 important in a tropical climate, of being easily cultivated in 

 all seasons, whether wet or dry. Consequently the cost of 

 cultivation is materially lessened. Moreover, there is 

 moisture for the most part near the surface, and generally 

 within reach of the roots of the plant, which have a ten- 

 dency to penetrate to a great depth in search of it. I expect 

 therefore, that the crops will prove much more uniform, 

 inasmuch as they will be less liable to injury from occasional 

 protracted droughts. Giving due weight to these favourable 

 circumstances, I anticipate that crops averaging from 200 to 

 250 or even 300 Ibs. per acre, will generally be realised ; at 

 which rates, if the Ryots can only be induced to engage 

 heartily in the cultivation of these foreign Cottons, the 

 shores of the Carnatic will alone, in the course of a few 

 years, be able to produce many thousands of bales ; and, 

 having the advantage of cheap transit to the port of export, 

 at prices which will at all times enable the Indian to com- 

 pete with the American grower. 



282 Sir Henry Pottinger's Governmet condemns Dr. 



sir Henry Wight's Report. The foregoing Report of Dr. Wight did 



Mhmte. 61 '" n t meet with the approval of the Madras Government. In 



1852. pa??, fact Sir Henry Pottinger wrote a Minute violently condemn- 



(1857) p. ing it. Considering that it was the result of experiments 



extending over eleven years, he pronounced it to be a meagre 



and unsatisfactory document, in which the statements and 



opinions were alike unsupported by facts. 



