220 COTTON Ilf THE HABEAS PBESIDENCT. [CHAP. TI. 



of a most worthless description, and its intrinsic value 

 is not therefore sufficient to enable it to bear a costly 

 land carriage. I am not myself of opinion that the staple 

 is likely to be improved in any way by Native agri- 

 culturists. The modes of cultivation, picking, and pre- 

 paration, are all too slovenly to permit any reasonable 

 hope of material improvement being effected by un- 

 taught Native efforts, even should the Eyots be willing 

 to make any efforts of the kind. There is no doubt, 

 however, that when the ordinary Cotton of this coun- 

 try reaches a price sufficient to pay the cost of the 

 expensive land journey to the coast, it can be produced 

 in this district to a large extent, and the limit to its 

 cultivation is simply its proportionate remuneration 

 to the producer, as compared with that of grains. It 

 appears certain, therefore, that the completion of the 

 canal to Madras, and the cheap means of communica- 

 tion that will then be offered, will enable traders to 

 pay a much larger price for the ordinary Cotton of this 

 district than they can now afford to do ; and should 

 the present demand for the article continue, its pro- 

 duction in this part of the country will be increased. ' 



341 Improvements in the quality must be effected by 

 the Merchants themselves. — " Should the exigencies of 

 the English market induce English capitalists to settle 

 in the district, under their guidance some improvement 

 would doubtless be effected in the picking and prepara- 

 tion of the article. I doubt, however, the practicability 

 of any real improvement being made in the staple ; and 

 believe that if England looks to India for her Cotton 

 supply, our manufacturers must learn to make use of the 

 present inferior description, which alone the country 

 appears capable of producing." 



342 (3) Cuddapah: present state of Cotton as reported 

 by Mr. Wedderbum, the Collector. — Cuddapah is also 

 a Cotton-growing district, about 50,000 acres being 

 Mr Wedder- '^^^^^ ^^^^ cultivation. Mr. Wedderbum, 

 bum'sietter, the Collector, reports as follows. "The 

 1881. ^'"^''' out-turn of this district last year was calcu- 

 lated at more than two millions of lbs., 



valued at 3^d. per lb. upon the spot, or about £30,000, 



