1853-62.] 



CAENATIC : EIGHT DISTEICTS. 



201 



i " I first tried the Brazil or Pernambuco Cotton in 

 i 1860. The Honourable D. Arbuthnot, Collector of 

 Kurnool, gave me 12 seeds, from which 11 plants came 

 i up. These were planted out about the 25th March, in 

 ■ common garden soil, with a small quantity of old ma- 

 nure ; and were at first watered every day, or every 

 i other day, till they had attained about a foot in height, 

 j I then left Madras for the ISTeilgherries, and did not 

 i return till the end of May. I found that the gardeners 

 i had neglected the trees, and that four out of the eleven 

 s were dead. The remaining seven prospered, and with- 

 I out any care, and with only an occasional watering, 

 ; produced abundantly. In January and February they 

 yielded more than two pounds of picked Cotton. This 

 i Cotton was valued by London Brokers at from S^d. to 

 , 9^. per lb. A large quantity of seed was obtained, 

 , which was sown again in March and April — several 

 hundred plants in the People's Park and about two 

 hundred in my own garden, whilst a good deal of seed 

 was also distributed to various parties. At this time 

 (January, 1862) the plants in my garden are in full 

 bearing, and the crop promises well. The trees planted 

 in the People's Park have failed, evidently owing to the 

 very saline character of the soil. I hear that some 

 planted in Coorg are thriving. It appears likely that 

 this species will grow well in light Beddish soil, if 

 allowed sufficient space, and will be found productive. 

 Mr. Pischer of Salem informed me that it did not an- 

 swer there, probably owing to the greater dryness of 

 the air and the different character of the soil. 



" Egyptian and Bourbon seed were sown in the Peo- 

 ple's Park between the 1st and 4th April, 1861, and 

 were watered till the plants attained the height of one 

 foot ; after that they only got a little water occasion^ 

 ally. The earth round the roots was loosened once or 

 twice. Both these species have borne very well. Cot- 

 ton was first picked in August, and the plants have 

 gone on bearing up to the present time. A large 

 quantity of Cotton has been thus obtained from them. 



" In preparing the soil a small country plough was 

 used ; the greater part of the weeds and coarse grass 



