■i 3 t 



Similar results were obtained with these experiments, as the 

 following year the report had to state, that the experiments made 

 bv Government had as yet proved little successful. 



The experiments with New Orleans Sea-island and Egyptian 

 cotton seeds, as well as with those ot the native cotton from Demak, 

 vielded on the whole again unsatisfactory results, which was chiefly 

 due to the weather. 



The Director of Agricultures says in his report, that the inhabi- 

 tants are averse to the cotton industry because of its great un- 

 certainty, and the prices of the native as well as foreign cotton 

 kinds are not equal to the profits, which they can make with other 

 secondary plants. 



Not only did the Government, make experiments, in order to 

 induce the native to extend the cotton cultivation, but some private 

 individuals tried them also. 



In 1 86 1 the anonymous firm " The Netherlands India Cotton 

 Society " was founded with a capital of /300,oOo. The intention 

 of the society was to further and better the cotton industry in 

 the Netherlands Indies and the settling of cotton markets in 

 Holland. 



To this end, the named society, erected a cleaning and packing 

 : establishment at Soerabaia. In Demak and Grobogan and the 

 other parts, where the cotton cultivation had still some importance, 

 arrangements were made in order to ensure for itself the required 

 quantities of the first subsequent harvest. It also made many agree- 

 ments with farmers and planters outside of Java. 



The colonial report of 1864 had to state that the results of the 

 Netherlands Indies Cotton Society were very small. 



To characterise what has been done since years by Government 

 to make the cotton cultivation a national industry the editor of the 

 colonial report of the year 1870 says the following; 



" A proof of the small expectations concerning the hoped for 

 results as reported from the residency Tegal is that the failure of 

 not less than 2qo bouws of a plantation of 882 bouws, is looked 

 upon by the inhabitants as a very favourable result." 



On the environs the results are not much better, in the colonial 

 report of 1886 it was stated also " In the interior of Palembang the 

 cotton cultivation, as a secondary plant, on the ladangs isafavoured 

 industry. The market-rates have however been too low in the last 

 two years to induce an extension. In 1885, there came on the top 

 0! it many failures of the crops by untimely rains or lengthy 

 droughts. The total export, chiefly to Java, Singapore and China, 

 however still amounted to 25,738 piculs against 40,524 piculs in 

 1 884.'^ According to the colonial report of 1888 there were in 

 1887, from Palembang still about 13,322 piculs exported. From 

 the fact that in 1898, 68,000 piculs were exported from Palembang 

 against about 15,000 and 14,000 piculs in 1826 and 1897 respec- 

 tively, it can be seen how uncertain the cotton cultivation is in that 

 residencv. 



About the Southern and Eastern departments of Borneo is re- 

 ported that the cotton is grown in tin- department Amoentair and 



