78 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIST 
[July i, 1891 . 
blow will be dealt to the industry now held 
almost as a monopoly by the United States.* 
There are several desoriptiona of cotton in every 
cotton growing country known as “grades," which 
is an accurate term since the cotton is betanioally 
the same, only produced on diilierent soils and 
under different conditions. There are supposed 
to be live distinct botanical species, but 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 dislinotly inferior to the 
latter, and in addition to its indigenous superiority 
has had the advantage of ecientihc cullivation. 
The finest desoription of cotton grown is a superior 
grade of Egyptian, and next to it comes the 
famous Nea Island. This is snpposed to be a 
native of Homluras, whenee it spread to the West 
Indies and was thence transferred, about 100 years 
ago, to the United Slates. It requires a mild, 
soft, maritime climate, 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 lime supposed that Sea Island co lon, 
hence the name, could not be grown on the 
mainland ; and it was not till Florida wa.s ceded 
to the United States that it was discovered that 
it could bo grown there to perfection. It is, 
however, a curious fact that " in-breeding,” or 
using the seed from the same locality time after 
time, has a mont deteriorating effect on the quality. 
It IS now believed that the finest descriptions of 
cotton, including Sea Island, can be grown in the 
Argentine Bepublic and on the banks of the Fiver 
Plate, and experimental cultivation is shortly to 
be attempted. If the supposition prove oorroot, 
a large increase will be added to the already 
enormous crop of American descriptions, which is 
also likely to bo augmented by certain improved 
methods of cultivation and selection of seed in 
existing cotton States. 
We thus see that Egypt, America, and India are 
all yearly endeavouring to increase their out put, 
whilst East Aferioa, Central Asia, and Ceylon 
are all in a fair way to assist in the produoiion 
of cotton. So long as the demand lor cotton eon- 
tinues, and new spinning mills continue to find 
work, BO long may we expect to find a correspon- 
ding stimulus given to cotton cultivation, and it 
is idle, in the (ace of such faets as we have 
given, to attribute the falling oil in trade to over 
production. As soon as it oeases to pay to produce 
cotton its preduotion will receive a check ; but 
even at the present low range of prices there 
is, BO far, no evidence of the industry having 
been found a losing speaulation. It will bo well, 
however, for producers to bear in mind that with 
so many markets lor buyers to choose from it is 
of the first impurianoe that the greatest attention 
be paid to quality. Hitherto the supply and demand 
have scarcely been balanced, and any kind of cotton 
has in oonsequenoe been acceptel, and worked up 
in the best manner possible. Quite the reverse, 
however, will be the oaes when buyers begin ti 
pick and choose . — Madras Mail, May 26th. 
Caodiohouc can be dissolved more readily 
(according to Pharvi. Centralh.) by adding from 6 
to 15 pec cent, of oil eucalyptus to the benzol or 
carbon bisulphide need ; in tbs latter proportions, 
the mixture of carbon bisulphide will dissolve nearly 
20 per cent, of caoutchouc. — Indiaruhber Journal. 
• In Centrsl A«ia the real question will ba tha'' 
of plentilul, steady and cheap labour, in which Ih 
Northern Ameriuau States ace so exceptionally 
favoured.— Eo. 2'. d. 
FORESTS AND RAINFALL. 
The following letter from a well known hand 
appears in the Madras Mail : — 
hiu,— Since last addressing you on this important 
subject my attentiuu has been called to a work which 
should be carefully perused by all Civilians and Native 
statesmen — " Man and Nsturo,” by George Marsh, 
(Messrs. Sampson Low & Oo., Loudon, 1864)— and I 
trust you will allow ino to quote the following passage 
wbicb BO decisively confirms what I have previously 
]i lilted out on the elleois of woods in causing rain 
to fall in moderate aliowers distributed over a oousi- 
detable number of days ; whereas, in the absence of 
woods, the tendency of rain is to fall in destructive 
torrents which siford to agriculture a comparatively 
small amount of benefit accompanied with a large 
amount of damage. Mr. Marsh, I may observe, is an 
e.xiremely oautiuns writer, for after giving many in- 
Btaitees to prova that in tropical countries espeoially, 
forests inorease rainfall, ho thus suras up at p. 106 : — 
” The sfiects of forests on precipitation is not 
entirely free from doubt, and we oaunot posi- 
tivity alfirm that the total qnautity of rain is dim!- 
uisbed or inoieased by the ilestruotion of the woods, 
though the thooretioal considerations and the balanco 
of testimony strongly favour the opinion that more 
rain falls in wooded than in open countries. The 
important conclusion, at least, upon the meteurologioal 
iufi'ience of forests is oertsin and undisputed : the 
proposition, namely, that within their 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 qnett oned that they 
promote the frequency of showers, and that, if they 
do not augment the smonnt of precipitation, they 
equalise its distribution thr ngh the different seasons." 
Woods also, he tells us, iufiuence the dewfall, another 
most important, point, and on this Mr. Marsh quotes 
Sebaoht {Les Arhres p. 412) who remarks on the effect 
of forest in increasing the deposition of dew in the 
neighbouring fields. Ue also says that it attracts 
rain from tha olouds, and observes that *' forests, 
in a word, exert in the interior of oontinents, 
an influence like that of the sea on the climate 
of iHland.s and of coasts ; both water the soil, 
and thereby in.sure its fertility.” With reference to 
what Schaebt writes as to woods attrao'ing rain from 
the clouds, I may mention that Mr. Jnmieson (Supor- 
iutoudent of Cinohona Qardees) informs me that he 
has often fouml the trees in the siiolas dripping where 
the land outside of them was quite dry. 
At page 201 Mr. IVlsrrh remarka on the groat im- 
portance of forests in economising the water in rivers, 
and this effeot here is most marked, and many clear 
proofs are given in corroboration. In fact, the elfcet 
of forests is like the effeot of nndrainod moorlands 
at the sources of streams. The forests and the un- 
draiued moors part with their moisture slowly, and 
afford on even and moderate supply of water for a 
long period. But cut down one and drain the other, 
anl you have the samu quantity of water perhaps, but 
rapidly running away in desiruotive floods. In such 
Hoods in the tropics how mnoh valuable water must run 
to waste, and, almost worse still, silt up tanks and other 
irrigation works. I have poiutrd out that forests in- 
crease the humidity of the air, and it may he well to 
quote Marsh (p. 177) who says that " trees iuorease the 
humidity of the air by pouring out iuto the atmosphere 
in a vaporous form the water they draw up through 
their roots, and the last operation at the same time 
lowers tiie temperature of the air in oontset with or 
priixiinity to the wood, by the same law as in otlier 
cases of the conversion of water into vapour." In short 
a wood IS an irrigation work for moistening the aimos- 
pheto and increasing the dewfall, and whether it in- 
creases the total rainfall or not, it prsclically increases 
it for the agrioulturist by oansing the rain to fall in a 
b.'tter way, and to be distribuied over a great number 
of days and lastly, but by ni means lesstly, woods 
economise the rain ofter it has fallen. It is clear then 
that woods can enormously increas.i the available water 
supply in India, and us they can also greatly in ireaso 
the available manure by doing away with the necessity 
