April, 1912.] 



367 



Fibres. 



thia variety were distributed. The re- 

 sults were disappointing ; bani did badly 

 in most places, and from the selection of 

 seed no results of proved value were 

 obtained. Trials made with American 

 cottons at this time proved equally un- 

 satisfactory. Though grown with great 

 care, they gave poor yields of Hut and 

 the fibre was weak. The efforts made to 

 faciliate transport, however, were much 

 more successful. Owing largely to the 

 exertions of the Cotton Commissioner 

 the rolliug-stock of the country was in- 

 creased, new branch lines were opened, 

 suitable yards for storing cotton were 

 provided, and baling presses were in- 

 troduced. Though the highest expect- 

 ations formed at the period of the 

 American war were hardly fulfilled, the 

 -course of the cotton trade was, after the 

 first five years, one of steady progress ; 

 gins and factories sprang up one after 

 another, and the control of the trade 

 tended steadily towards Indian hands, 

 the pioneer European firms dropping out 

 one after another. 



The next important attempt at im- 

 provements dates from the year 1904, 

 when the Government of India, in 

 response to an appeal from the British 

 Cotton Growing Association, urged 

 Provincial Governments to take up the 

 question of cotton improvement once 

 more, and suggested the following lines 

 on which it might be carried out. (i) The 

 botanical examination and classification 

 of all existing varieties of cotton, both 

 wild and cultivated, (ii) The introduction 

 of better varieties and improved method 

 of cultivation, (iii) The provision and 

 distribution of good seed of the varieties 

 ordinarily grown. Steps were again 

 taken in these Provinces to improve this 

 staple ; but, strange to say, forgetful of 

 the failures of tfhe past, an attempt was 

 made once more to push bani at the 

 expense of jari, which needless to say 

 once more ended in failure. Very few 

 cultivators could be induced to purchase 

 bani seed, which the Department had 

 collected for distribution, and those who 

 did were dissatisfied with the poor 

 yields of the lint obtained. 



In 190G it was decided to work out a 

 scheme of improvement on scientific and 

 economic lines with the sole aim in view 

 of benefiting the grower. The different 

 indigenous races were classified; and 

 plaut-to-plant selection was started in 

 the case of each. Exotic varieties were 

 freely tried, and field experiments were 

 started designed to ascertain the relative 

 values, from an economic aspect, of these, 

 and of the indigenous cotton. 



The result of the classification of the 

 cottons grown in all the cotton-growing 

 taluks showed that the so-called jari, the 

 almost universally prevailing type, con- 

 sisted of a heterogeneous mixture of 

 different races — the plants of which differ 

 greatly in their habit of growth and in 

 the quality and quantity of their lint. 

 In the classification I was guided by the 

 work previously done by Prof. Gammie, 

 whose assistance throughout has been 

 invaluable. The character of the mixture 

 was found to vary greatly in different 

 parts of the Provinces. In the Tapti 

 valley and Nitnar the finer types, viz., 

 malvensis and vera predominate; in 

 quality the lint of this mixture is prob- 

 ably very similar to that of the jari or 

 oomras grown fifty years ago. In the 

 South including all Berar, where cotton 

 cultivation is more advanced and the 

 cultivators more intelligent, the coarser 

 but more productive types, viz,, rosea and 

 rosea cutchica were found to be in 

 excess ; this mixture is commonly known 

 as Berar jari, katevilayti or varadi. 

 Its origin is doubtful : it is said to have 

 been introduced from Khandesh. The 

 classification of six typical samples, three 

 from the Central Provinces and three 

 from Berar, is given below : — 



Percentage of 



Locality, 



Hoshangabad, CP. 

 Nimar, C.P. 

 Bhopal 



Kelapur, Berar 

 Amraoti, Berar 

 Ellichpur, Berar 



"3 r 3 



13 S 



g a > <& us t>< 



26 61 12 1 



38 55 5 2 



57 42 1 



.14 7 37 26 16 



19 22 33 24 2 



16 16 59 8 J, 



