180 COTTON TN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [CHAP. t. 

 DR. WIGHT'S FINAL REPORT, 12th MAY, 1852. 



263 Stage of the Cotton experiment in 1849 —The fol- 

 lowing Eeport has been delayed in order to enable me 

 to exhibit the very important changes which have taken 

 place during the last three years, and which are going 

 on, I trust, with still greater rapidity. Previous to 

 1849, # notwithstanding the inducements held out of 

 high prices and certain markets, the Eyots of Coim- 

 batore would only cultivate American Cotton to a very 

 limited extent ; and then they proceeded in such an 

 unwilling and unsatisfactory manner as almost to en- 

 sure a failure. At the same time, the reports, which 

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

 nerally unfavourable ; 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 con- 

 victions 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 circumstances which were by no means 

 peculiarly favourable. 



264 Improved prospects during 1850-51 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 en- 

 couraging prospect. "Within that brief period, many 

 of the Eyots 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 ad- 

 dressed 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 



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



