399 
Agricultural  Society  of  Bengal  and  the  cheering  reports  of  the 
London  brokers  to  whom  trifling  samples  had  b&en  sent  were 
doomed  to  a short  life  for  although  the  cotton  plants  of  almost 
every  known  species  were  tried  and  grew  well  still  they  yielded 
but  few  pods  and  these  were  for  the  most  part  mildewed  and  con- 
sequently not  merchantable.” 
Administration  Report  1862-1863  records  that  “ The  cultivation 
of  cotton  iias  been  carried  on  on  a sm?dl  scale  in  the  Convict  Garden 
and  neighbourhood  of  the  Brick  Kiln,  the  plants  appeared  to  grow 
most  readily  and  to  be  perfectly  healthy  : in  many  instances  how- 
ever the  cotton  was  destroyed  by  a small  worm  by  which  the  pod 
was  pierced  before  it  was  sufficiently  ripe  to  be  plucked. 
“ In  Province  Wellesley  several  interesting  experiments  have  been 
made  with  respect  to  the  cultivation  of  cotton  and  though  in  many 
instances  the  trial  proved  unsuccessful  the  general  result  has  in 
some  respects  been  favourable  and  the  idea  of  introducing  the 
cultivation  on  a considerable  scale  has  not  been  finally  abandoned. 
One  batch  of  cotton  produced  is  described  by  London  brokers  as 
being  very  superior  to  any  samples  received  from  the  East  Indies 
and  if  furnished  in  parcels  of  two  or  three  hundred  bales  likely  to 
sell  at  high  prices,  the  colour  however  not  white  enough  the  ends 
of  the  different  flacks  having  a yellow  tinge 
In  Malacca  the  attempts  to  cultivate  cotton  were  only  partly 
successful.  ” 
ENCOURAGEMENT  OP  AGRICULTURE 
AMONG  THE  NATIVES. 
Experimental  Plantations  Office, 
Batu  Tiga,  i^th  September^  ^9^3^ 
.Sir, — With  a view  to  stimulating  the  interest  in  agricultural 
matters  among  the  natives  of  these  States,  I have  the  honour  to 
bring  to  your  notice  a suggestion  which  I would  ask  you  to  be  so 
good  as  to  consider. 
2.  It  will,  I think,  be  readily  conceded,  that  agriculture — so  far 
as  it  concerns  the  natives — is  at  the  present  time  in  a lamentable 
condition,  and,  so  far  as  I can  judge,  shows  little  promise  of  im- 
provement. Having  regard  to  the  future  prosperity  of  the  country 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  favourable  conditions  in  the  matter  of 
climate  and  soil  on  the  other,  the  present  situation  is,  I submit, 
worthy  of  the  most  earnest  consideration  of  the  Government. 
3.  The  question  which  naturally  arises,  is,  why  is  agriculture 
in  such  a backward  state,  and  to  this  the  general  answer  is  that  it 
is  due  to  the  indolence  of  the  natives  themselves.  Persorally  I am 
not  altogether  in  agreement  with  this  view,  and  after  considering 
the  matter  as  carefully  as  circumstances  would  permit  during  my 
term  of  service  in  this  country,  I have  arrived  at  the  conclusion, 
that  the  real  cause  of  the  present  state  of  affairs  is  due,  at  least  to 
some  extent,  to  : — 
