1849.] STOPPAGE OF THE COTTON EXPERIMENT. 161 



Wight had agreed to pay the Government assessment, 

 and something more to the Ryot as compensation ; 

 that is, half as much more on dry land, and twice as 

 much more on garden land. # The whole of these 500 

 acres was worked by his Farm establishment and cattle ; 

 but in addition, he was preparing about 200 acres to be 

 cultivated by Native labourers employing their Native 

 implements and cattle on the contract system. The 

 ploughing for the season had already been completed ; 

 and he proposed to sow the land in two months' time, 

 that is, in July, with three different kinds of American 

 ' seed ; and also with some Sea Island seed lately re- 

 ceived from the Court of Directors. The Court's order 

 for six thousand bales was about half executed ; and 

 Dr. "Wight continued to purchase Native seed Cotton, 

 ! and to gin it, as it kept the gin-house cattle at work, 

 ; and the ginned Cotton yielded a profit of 20 or 25 per 

 cent, on cost and charges. He had 100 bales of ginned 

 Native Cotton at Cochin ready for shipment ; and 

 8000 rupees worth of seed Cotton, purchased at Coim- 

 batore, was being ginned as rapidly as possible. As 

 regarded the culture of the coming season, Dr. Wight 

 calculated that it would pay all the agricultural ex- 

 j penses of the Farm, exclusive of his own salary ; and 

 ' he considered that, now that the sowing time had been 

 ■ changed from the cold weather to July, the American 

 ; Cotton could no longer be regarded as an uncertain 

 1 crop. 



Application of Dr. Wight to be permitted to sow 236 

 and gather one crop more : refused, June. — It will be 

 seen from the foregoing para., that Dr. Wight was 

 under contract both to Native landholders and to Na- 

 tive cultivators ; and that the land had been engaged, 

 ! and compensation paid, up to May, 1850. Accordingly 



* All lands under a system of artificial irrigation are called nunjah 

 j or garden lands. Those under no irrigation, beyond what is supplied 

 by the natural fall of rain, are called punjah or dry land. The Na- 

 ~ tive Cotton is generally grown on dry land or punjah. Dr. Wight 

 - however had been anxious to try the experiment of growing Ameri- 

 I can Cotton on nunjah, or irrigated land. It need scarcely be re- 

 marked that a higher rate of assessment is raised from nunjah than 

 from punjah land. 



M 



