7 



EARLY EXPERIMENTS IN COTTON PLANTING 

 IN THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 



The following extracts from Logan's Journal will doubtless 

 prove interesting to many readers. The work in which they were 

 originally published is so rare and difficult to procure now that apo- 

 logies for reproducing them at a time when all available informa- 

 tion on the cultivation of cotton in the Empire is in all men's minds, 

 are unnecessary. The experiments in cotton growing were carried 

 on some years after this report was written but as in so many other 

 parts of our colonies died out, as it was not possible to compete 

 with America. It will however be remembered that in these earlv 

 davs the Malay States were not available for planting, and the area, 

 and soils adaptable for the cultivation in the Straits Settlements 

 were small and hardly suitable. l imes have changed since then, 

 and we have now a better choice of land on which to experiment 

 and it would be well worth while to try again. — Ed. 



ON THE CULTURE OF COTTON IN THE 

 STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 



The elements necessary to the cultivation of cotton on a large 

 scale are extent of territory, soil, climate, labour, intelligent super- 

 intendence, and capital. The extent of territory adapted for the 

 better description of cotton, which according to experience does 

 not arrive :it perfection if grown at a distance from the sea coast, 

 is limited to the island of Singapore and Penang, with about 40 

 miles of coast line in the Malacca territory, and 25 miles in Pro- 

 vince Wellesley, but should a greater extent be required, no difficulty 

 will be experienced in obtaining the entire western coast or readily 

 turn it over to Government for annual pensions. 



Climate. — This is the only point on which any doubts are likely 

 to be raised with regard to the successful culture of cotton in the 

 Straits. Singapore, the only Settlement in which it seems to have 

 been attempted, can scarcely be said to have a decided dry season, 

 and the failure of the experiments made by the late Sir JOSE 

 D Almeida about 10 years ago was attributed to this cause. The 

 seeds introduced were those of the Bourbon cotton, with a long 

 and fine staple, and the Pernambuco variety, with a long but harsh 

 and wooly staple, both of which were perennials. The plantation 

 was formed at Tanjong Katong, near the beach, on a sandy soil 

 enriched with decomposed vegetable matter, and evidently well 

 suited to the plant, for it throve vigorously, put forth numerous 

 blossoms, and produced cotton which was highly approved of by 

 judges of the article both in Bengal and Great Britain. But there 

 was no regular crop. The pods opened throughout the year, and 

 if allowed to remain in that state on the tree until a sufficient num- 

 ber had accumulated to repay the labour of picking, the heat of the 

 sun and the moisture combined were calculated to draw the oil 

 from the seed, discolouring the fleece, and consequently deteriorat- 



