2i; 
The soil of the cotton growing country there, is very suitable in 
general for this purpose, but the vicissitudes of the climate causes 
a considerable risk tG be attached to the industry. Another reason, 
which stands in the way of the extension of the cotton, industry, is 
the poverty and the indifference of the natives, so that there can 
be no question of an extensive culture; which in regard to the 
changeability of the weather might be somewhat improved. How 
little the culture is worked there shew the figures which are <dven 
as the average produce, these are 70-175 lbs. of cleaned cotton per 
■bouw. 
It is very difficult to make a first statement of the production 
costs for British India, therefore the following are only given as 
approximate. 
Ploughing and working of 
ground 
/ 4 55 
Seeds and Sowing 
- 
,, f- 4 ° 
Upkeep - 
. 
,, 4.20 
Reaping - 
- 
„ 5.60 
Cleaning ... 
- 
» 2.62 5 
Manuring - 
- 
- ,, 4.20 
Rent - 
- 
» 9 -lo 
Total per bouw, f 3 1.6 7 5 
If the average product of clean cotton is put at 150 lbs per bouw 
then the cost of production amounts toT2l cents per pound 
During the big cotton scarcity of the years 1861 and 1865, which 
caused the English spinning industry immense loss, the English 
did their utmost to spread the cotton culture in India in order to 
make the mother-country less dependent on America. 
This was successful to a certain extent; but not ‘long had the 
War in America oeen ended, when America actually took her old 
position again, and her cotton production increased, while that of 
India remained stationary or decreased. The spinning industry 
was however imported with more success. 
The first spinnery was erected at Bombay in 1834. Five and 
- >earS if fter there vvere 56, with 1,500,000 spools, and in 
1889 this number went up to 124 with 2,763.000 spools 
After these somewhat lengthy statements, regarding the cotton 
culture elsewhere, which may be considered as necessary for the 
proper judging nl the possibilities of the existence of this culture 
m our archipelago we shall follow what has been done here towards 
1 ‘" dUS i rV b y Government as well as by private individuals, 
extend a, fdh S n ‘ I ' ast (f lnd,a Company endeavours were made to 
these , d , h r 7 ?- “ tton cro P s >» the Netherlands Indies. Yet 
combi 7 °. n , y ° f P rofit i8 33 a bale of Javanese cotton, 
coming from the residency kediri, was sent by the Netherlands 
Trading Society to Holland, but there it was found to be inferior 
in fineness and length of fibre to the American sorts, so that the 
importation was discontinued. 
At about the same time however, after the abolition of the East 
India Company, experiments vvere made for the first time with sam- 
5 // 3 f 
