78 
THE TROPJCAL AQRICULTURfST 
[July i, 1891. 
blow will be dealt to the industry now held 
almost as a monopoly by the United States.' 
There are several desoriptions of cotton in every 
cotton growing country known as "grades," which 
is an accurate term since the cotton is botanically 
the same, only produced on different soils and 
under difftrent conditions. There are supposed 
to be five distinct botanical species, bus for 
practical purposes cotton may be divided into 
two great divisions, viz, cotton of the East, and 
cotton of the West, or cotton of the Old and New 
Worlds. The former is distinctly inferior to the 
latter, and in addition to its infiigenous superiority 
has had the advantage of scientifio cultivation. 
The finest iiesoription of cotton grown IS a superior 
grade cf Egyptian, and next to it comes the 
famous Sea Island. This is supposed to be a 
native of Honduras, whence it spread to the West 
Indies and was thence transferred, about 100 years 
ago, to the United Slates. It requires a mild, 
soft; maritime clionate, and before the present 
century the principal supply was obtained from 
the West Indies, and the finest probably ever grown 
was raised on the Island of Tobago. It was for 
a long time supposed that Sea Island coitoo, 
hence the name, could not be grown on the 
mainland ; and it was not till Florida was cedei 
to the United States that it was discovered that 
it could be grown there to perfection. It is, 
however, a curious fact that " iu-brei-diog," or 
using the seed from the same locality time after 
time, has a mo.st deteriorating effect on the quality. 
It, is now believed that the finest descriptions of 
cotton, including Sea Island, can bo grown in the 
Argentine Eepublic and on the banks of the Eiver 
Plate, and experimental cultivation is shortly to 
be attempted. If the supposition prove correct, 
a large increase will be added to the already 
enormous crop of American desoriptions, which ia 
also likely to be augmented by certain improved 
methods of cultivation and selection of setd in 
existing cotton States. 
We thus see that Egypt, America, and India are 
all yearly endeavouring to increase their out put, 
whilst East Aferica, Central Asia, and Ceylon 
are all in a fair way to assist in the production 
of cotton. So long as the demand for cotton con- 
tinues, and new spinning mills continue to find 
work, so long may we expect to find a correspon- 
ding stimulus given to cotton cultivation, and it 
is idle, in the face ot such facts as we have 
given, to attribute the falling off in trade to over 
production. As soon as it ceases to pay to produce 
cotton its production will receive a check ; but 
even at the present low range ot prices there 
is, so far, no evidence of the industry having 
been found a losing speculation. It will be well, 
however, for producers to bear in mind that with 
EO many markets for buyers to choose from it is 
of the first importance that the greatest attention 
be paid to quality. Hitherto the supply and demand 
have Bcarcfcly been balanced, and any kind of cotton 
has in coneequence been aoeeptei, and worked up 
in the best manner possible. Quite the reverse, 
however, will be the case when buyers begin t j 
pick and choose. — Madras Mail, May 26th. 
Caodtciiouc can be dissolved more readily 
(according to Pluirm. Ccittralh.) by adding from 5 
to 15 per cent, of oil eucalyptus to the benzol or 
carbon bisulphide used ; in the latter proportions, 
the mixture ol carbon bisulphide will dissolve nearly 
20 per cent, of caoutchouc. — Indiaruhber Journal. 
* In Ceutrttl A ia tbo real question will be tha'' 
of pleiititul, fill ftdy and chtap labour, in which th 
Korthcru Ameriuau (States ace so exoeptiouall./ 
favoured.— Eu, T, A, 
FORESTS AND RAINFALL. 
The following letter from a well known hand 
appears in the Madras Mail : — 
bia, — Since last addressing you on this important 
subject iny attention has been called to a work which 
should be carefully perused by all Civilians aud Native 
statesmen—" Man oiid Nature," by George Warsh, 
(Messrs. Smopsou Low & Co., Lonilon, 1864)— and I 
trust you will allow me to quote the following pissage 
whioh 80 deaisivcly confirms what I have previously 
pjinted out on thu effeois of woods in causing rain 
to fall in moderate showers distributed over a consi- 
lierable number ot days ; whereas, in the absence of 
woods, the tendency of rain is to fall in destructive 
torrents which afford to agriculture a comparatively 
small amount of benefit accompanied with a large 
amount of damage. Mr. Marsh, I may obsi-rve, is nn 
extremely cautious writer, for after giving many in- 
stai'oes to prove that in tropical countries especially, 
forests incit-ase raiufall, be thus B\ime up at p. 196 : — 
" The effects of forests on precipitation ia not 
entirely free from doubt, and we cannot posi- 
tivirly affirm that the total quantity of rain is dioii- 
ni>hed or increased by the destruction of the woods, 
thongh the theoretical considerations and the balance 
of testimony strougly favour the opinioo that more 
rain falls in wooded than in open countries. The 
important conclusion, at least, upon the meteorological 
infljence of forests is certain and undisputed : the 
proposition, namely, that within tneir own limits, and 
near their own borders, they maintain a more uniform 
humidity in the atmosphere than is observed in cleared 
grounds. Scarcely less can it be questioned that they 
promote the frequency of showers, and that, it tbey 
do not augment the amount of precipitation, they 
equalise its distribution thr ugh the diffrrent seasons." 
Woods also, he tells us, influence the dewfall, anoiher 
most important point, and on this Mr. Marsh quotes 
Schacht {Les Arbres p. 412) who remarks on the effeot 
of forest in increasing the deposition of dew in the 
Utfighbouring fields. He also says that it attracts 
rain from the clouds, and observes that '■ forests, 
in a word, exert in the interior of continents, 
an influence like that of the sea on the climate 
of islands and of coasts ; both water the soil, 
and thereby insure its fertility." With reference to 
what Schacht wiites as to woods attraciug rain from 
the clouds, I may mention that Mr. J^imieson (Super- 
intendent of Cinchona Gardens) informs me that he 
has often found the trees in the sholaa dripping where 
the land outside of them was quite dry. 
At page 201 Mr. Mar-h remarks on the gre-it im- 
portance of forest s in economising the water in rivers, 
and this effect here is most marked, and many clear 
proofs are given in corroboration. In fact, the effect 
ot forests is like the effect of nndrained moorlands 
at the sources ot streams. The forests and the un- 
draiued moors part with their moisture slowly, and 
afford an even and moderate supply of water for a 
long period. But cut down one and drain the other, 
ani you have the same quantity of water perhaps, but 
rapidly running away in destructive floods. In such 
floods in the tropics how much valuable water must run 
to waste, and, almost worse still, silt up tanks and other 
irrigation works. I have pointed out that forests in- 
crease the humidity of the air, and it may be well to 
quote Marsh (p. 177) who says that " trees increase the 
humidity ot the air by pouring out into the atmosphere 
in a vaporous form the water they draw up through 
their roots, and the last operation at the same time 
lowers the temperature of the air in contact with or 
proximity to the wood, by the same Uw as in other 
cases of the conversion of water into vapour." In short 
a wood is an irrigation work for moistening the atmos- 
phere and increasing the dewfall, and whether it in- 
creases the total raiufall or not, it practically inoreases 
it for the agriculturist by oau'^ing thu ra'n to fall in a 
better way, and to bo distributed over a great number 
nf days and lastly, but by no means leastly, woods 
economise the rain after it has fallen. It is clear then 
that woods can enormously increase the availab'e water 
supply in India, and its they can also greatly increase 
the available manure by doing away with the necessity 
