1837.] Remarks on the Cultivation of Cotton. 87 



has entirely failed, the former succeeded : two samples of Upland 

 Georgia, 1836 and 1837; the former has partially failed; one of Bour- 

 bon succeeded perfectly. One of Egyptian 1837, entirely failed; a few 

 seeds of Egyptian, communicated by Mr. Liddell from plants raised in 

 his garden, some with downy, others with smooth seeds, both have 

 vegetated : a few seeds of Pernambuco (?) gathered by myself from a 

 tree in Bangalore, all vegetated. These examples show that much 

 disappointment may be prevented by thus testing all foreign supplies 

 of seed, before sowing them on a large scale. 



The soil in which they are sown is a light grey sandy loam, the soil 

 in which they are afterwards to be planted is of the same kind. But, 

 to do justice to such an experiment, different soils should be selected, 

 not only for the different kinds, but for each kind, as some may suc- 

 ceed well in some soils and fail in others. It is already known that 

 the Bourbon and American varieties thrive in red, sandy, calcarious, 

 also in light sandy grey, and in alluvial, soils, but altogether fail in the 

 black cotton soils, which the country variety prefers. The Sea Island 

 and Upland Georgia have been successfully tried on the saline sandy 

 soils of the coast, both at Bimlipatam and Ingeram (at the latter of 

 which places, the Bourbon had previously signally failed), and pro- 

 duced an abundant crop of fine cotton. The coast soils generally con- 

 tain a considerable admixture of calcarious and saline matter. Such 

 are the soils of the Sea-Islands, and so tenacious is that kind of proxi- 

 mity to the coast, or as it is said in America of a " saline atmosphere," 

 that much of its good qualities are lost by removal twenty or thirty 

 miles inland. On such, therefore, our experiments ought to be most ex- 

 tensively (but not exclusively) tried, and such being in some degree the 

 character of my garden soil, it is from that and the New Orleans I anti- 

 cipate the greatest success. The Bourbon however also succeeds well in 

 grey sandy soils, as I had an opportunity of observing at Bangalore, 

 where it seems to thrive exceedingly well. 



In conclusion, I beg to add that the experiments ought not 

 to be exclusively under the management of Europeans, neither 

 ought the poorer ryots to be called upon to take a share in 

 them, unless ensured against loss, but as many as possible of the 

 wealthy and intelligent native proprietors of every district, who can 

 be made to understand the object and principle of them, should 

 be invited to assist in them, as their (the native proprietors') suc- 

 cess will prove a much more satisfactory standard of comparison 

 and means of encouragement to the poorer classes, for whose benefit 

 principally they are undertaken, than that of Europeans, however con- 

 clusive, and will tend much more to diffuse a knowledge of the plan, 

 and its advantages, if any, by giving them constant opportunities of 



