•204 THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON. 
At'^. //. — Cultivation of Cotton, By W. 
Bruce, Esq. RemarJcs on the culture of 
Cotton in the United States of America, 
Capt. Basil Hall’s Travels. RemarJcs 
on the best method of cultivating New 
Orleans Cotton, Ibid. Regarding the 
cultivation of Cotton, Ibid. On the 
cultivation of Cotton in Central India^ 
By Baboo Radhakant Deb. Obser- 
vations on the culture of Cotton in the 
Doab and Bundlecund, ByW. Vincent, 
Esq. On the artificial production of new 
varieties of Cotton, By H. Piddington, 
Esq. On the method ttsed in Cayenne to 
preserve the Cotton Plant. On a specimen 
of Cotton gathered in the Boglepore dis- 
trict from a shrub in its wild state, by 
F. Hunter. 
Use of the Sdwgin, by F. MacNaugh- 
TEN, Esq. Cotton' of Ava. Cotton of 
CacJiar, by Capt. S. Fisher. O^i 
Cotton grown in Cuttacic and its sta- 
ple for spinning, by M. T. Weekes. 
On the native Cotton produced in the Ga- 
now Hills, by Capt. A. Bogle. Report on 
specimens of Cotton reared by Col. Combs, 
at Palaver am. On the cultivation of Up- 
land Georgia Cotton at Allahabad, by 
Mr. W. Huggins. On the cultivation of 
Pernambuco Cotton at Tavoy, by W. 
Mainby, Esq. On the cultivation of Sea 
Island Cotton in the district of CuttacJc. 
On Upland Georgia and Sea Island Cotton. 
Transactions of the Agricultural ^ Horti- 
cultural Society of India — Vol. II. 1836. 
The importance of the articles under re- 
view is best shewn by the great national 
benefit which has resulted to America from 
the capital and skill which have been em- 
ployed in the cultivation of cotton. The 
quantity of American cotton exported 
annually is, 294,310,115 lbs., the value of 
which is 29,359,545 Spanish dollars, 
£ 6,330,651 ; whereas the total export from 
all India was only 68,411,015 lbs., the 
value of which, at 25 shillings per maund 
of 80 lbs., would be i^l,068, 922 ; so that 
the importation of the American cotton in 
Britain has increased from about 19,000 
lbs. to 294,000,000 lbs., and the increase 
of the Indian cotton is but 68,000,000, 
lbs. Our information is derived from Mr. 
Crawford, who is of opinion, however, that, 
supposing the same capital and skill had 
been employed in the cultivation of cotton 
in India as was employed in the United 
States, a similar increase in the ex- 
portation of Indian cotton might have 
taken place. The cultivation of cotton 
hitherto has not been considered of prima- 
ry importance ; the ordinary kind cul- 
tivated has been for the most part the 
coarsest, because they are the most easy to 
rear ; the finer varieties are very rare. The 
great objection to the Indian cotton has been 
owing to its want of strength in the staple, 
always dirty, short in fibre, coarse, and the 
seed adheres vei*y closely to the wool. The 
consequence is that there has been no cul- 
tivation of cotton by Europeans in Bengal. 
It has been supposed that the province of 
Bengal is not fit for the cultivation of cot- i 
ton, because it has afforded none for expor- j 
tation ; but this is entirely owing to a 
want of skill and attention ; for instance, 
there is a superior growth of cotton extend- 
ing about forty miles along the banks of 
the Megiia and about three miles inland : 
it is from this the fine muslins of Dacca are 
produced. This happens to be cultivated by 
the natives alone. Dr. Roxburgh has 
given an account of the Dacca cotton ; he 
designates it a variety of the common herba- 
ceous annual cotton of India, and states 
that it is longer in the staple, and affords 
the material from which the Dacca muslins 
have been always made. But that good cotton 
can be made in Bengal, has been fully 
shewn by Mr. Piddington, who has exhibited 
samples of cotton ; the field growth of his 
estate, forty miles north-east of Calcutta. 
This cotton thrives so luxuriantly as fre- 
quently to oblige him to root it up. Mr. 
Piddington was of opinion that there was 
no fear of its degeneration, as he had culti- 
vated it for some years. Some Liverpool 
merchants examined this cotton* and de- 
clared their decided opinion that it was 
a very useful description, clean, and fair in 
