1852.] DE. WIGHT'S FINAL COTTON REPORT. 183 



cultivating the land between the rows. The Natives 

 have already discovered and appreciated one great ad- 

 vantage in this last measure, namely, the facility it 

 affords for fallowing, whilst the crop is still on the 

 ground, by repeated ploughings between the rows as a 

 preparation for the next rotation. Tallowing is much 

 in vogue amongst the Natives, apparently because it 

 furnishes a cheap substitute for manuring. 



Refutation of the theory that the climate and soil 269 

 of India are unfitted for American Cotton. — The view, 

 that the climate and soil of India are so far inimical to 

 the constitution and habit of the American plant as to 

 render its naturalization impossible, is based on im- 

 perfect observation and on a comparison of dissimilar 

 things. 



1st, The theory is founded on the assumption that 270 

 Indian Cotton has succeeded when the American has 

 failed. — The opponents of the cultivation of American 

 Cotton in India assume that the Indian plant is less 

 precarious than the American plant, and that the Indian 

 has generally succeeded when the American has failed. 

 This assumption, however, is not only incorrect, but 

 the real case is exactly the reverse ; for whenever we 

 had bad crops of American Cotton, the crops of Native 

 Cotton were much worse. I am satisfied that, if during 

 the last ten years equal areas had been annually appro- 

 priated to each, the out-turn from the American would 

 in most cases have exceeded that from the Indian both 

 in weight and value. 



2nd, The theory is based upon a comparison of 271 

 crops grown in India, and of crops grown on the Mis- 

 sissippi, instead of those grown in Georgia. — Again, 

 many have compared the crops of American Cotton 

 grown in India with the crops grown in America, with- 

 out sufficiently adverting to the difference in the cir- 

 cumstances under which they have been respectively 

 produced. Neither the soil nor the climate of India 

 are inimical to the American plant. This is proved. 

 For eleven years the American plant has been cultivated 

 in India in all kinds of soil, such as rich and poor, wet 

 and dry ; and in all kinds of climate, such as temperate 



