EARLY EXPERIMENTS IN COTTON PLANTING 
IN THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 
The following extracts from Logan’s Journal will doubtless 
prove interesting to many readers. The work in which they were 
originally published is so rare and difficult to procure now that apo- 
logies for reproducing them at a time when all available informa- 
tion on the cultivation of cotton in the Empire is in all men’s minds, 
are unnecessary. The experiments in cotton growing were carried 
on some years after this report wa. written but as in so many other 
parts of our colonies died out, as it was not possible to compete 
with America. It will however be remembered that in these early 
days the Malay States were not available for planting, and the area, 
and soils adaptable for the cultivation in the Straits Settlements 
were small and hardly suitable. Times have changed since then, 
and we have now a better choice of land on which to experiment 
and it would be well worth while to try again. — Ed. 
ON THE CULTURE OE COTTON IN THE 
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 
The elements necessary to the cultivation of cotton on a large 
scale are extent of territory, soil, climate, labour, intelligent super- 
intendence, and capital. The extent of territory adapted for the 
better description of cotton, which according to experience does 
not arrive at perfection if grown at a distance from the sea coast, 
is limited to the island of Singapore and Penang, with about 40 
miles of coast line in the Malacca territory, and 25 miles in Pro- 
vince Wellesley, but should a greater extent be required, no difficulty 
will be experienced in obtaining the entire western coast or readily 
turn it over to Government for annual pensions. 
Climate . — This is the only point on which any doubts are likely 
to be raised with regard, to the successful culture of cotton in the 
Straits. Singapore, the only. Settlement in which it seems to have 
been attempted, can scarcely be said to have a decided dry season, 
and the failure of the experiments made by the late Sir JOSK 
d’ Almeida about io years ago was attributed to this cause. The 
seeds introduced were those of the Bourbon cotton, with a long 
and fine staple, and the Pernambuco variety, with a long but harsh 
and wooly staple, both of which were perennials. The plantation 
was formed at 1'anjong Katong, neat the beach, on a sandy soil 
enriched with decomposed vegetable matter, and evidently well 
suited to the plant, for it throve vigorously, put forth numerous 
blossoms, and produced cotton which was highly approved of by 
judges of the article both in Bengal and Great Britain. But there 
was no regular crop. The pods opened throughout the year, and 
if allowed to remain in that state on the tree until a sufficient num- 
ber had accumulated to repay the labour of picking, the heat of the 
sun and the moisture combined were calculated to draw the oil 
from the seed, discolouring the fleece, and consequently deteriorat- 
