The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-17 00:00:00

COTTON CULTIVATIOIV IN BENGAL.

(From All the Year Round.)
Since the beginning of the present year, cotton has en-
grossed the attention of the British Indian Government.
With an uncommon promptitude, it is exerting itself to the
utmost extent compatible with the financial means of the
country, towards facilitating an immediate increase of the
production of cotton, as well as towards improving the
means of bringing the product to shipping ports, in order
to maintain the activity of Manchester and the manufac-
turing towns in Yorkshire. In a recent speech delivered in
this country, Mr. Laing, the chancellor of the Indian ex-
chequer, frankly acknowledges the existence of serious diffi-
culties in the way of the Indian supply ever rivalling the
annual supply from America ; but he still holds out the
hope that the Indian Government will continue its efforts
towards making England as much independent of America
in the supply of cotton as possible.
It has been-said that the Indian cotton is inferior to that
of America; that the present estimated annual production
of the former is only 2,500,000 bales, being 1,500,000 bales
less than what is consumed in England itself; and that it
will take too long a time to facilitate the means of transport
in India. But it has not been satisfactorily proved that
these defects are irremediable. A superior mode of cultiva-
tion may improve both the quantity and quality of Indian.
cotton.

From the earliest ages, India has supplied the finest mus-
lins, made of her own cotton, to various civilised nations.
Not to refer to the Book of Esther (ch. i., v. 6), where the
Sanskrit word karpas (for cotton) occurs, it is pretty well
known that Indian muslins were used in Europe in the first
century after Christ. The " seria3 vestes," so highly valued
by the ladies of Imperial Rome, were made of Indian cot-
tdn. The author of the " Periplus of the Erythrean Sea"
mentions the extreme fineness and transparency of the
muslinsof India. Two Mahomedan travellers of the ninth
century corroborate the above statement. They say, "In
this same country (India) they make cotton garments in so
,extraordinary a manner that nowhere else are the like to
be iseen. These garments are, for the most part, round,
and wove to that degree of fineness that they may be
drawn through a ring of middling size." Further, the
abroan, or •• running water," the " shubnem, or " night
dew," and various other so-called fine cloths, the delight of
the females in the household of Mahomodan emperors, were
also produced in India.

Undoubtedly, the best muslins used to be manufactured
in Dacca only ; but those of other parts of India were quite
good for ordinary purposes. There is no intelligible reason
India should not retain, or rather regain, her position
producing country. If she had not a rival in
aAsmaeZt..:--and
i:olanters had been encouraged instead of
nd libelled, the commerce of India
hating been snubbea 2
iL a N ery different condition to-
palsed through the district
in cotton woukl have been
day!' In March last the writer
of Burdwur, in Bengal. He made man; inquiries respect-
ing the mode of cotton cultivation, and a bref sketch of
their results is now offered to the reader.
The seeds of cotton collected from previous crops, and
intended to be sown, are picked with care and dried in the
sun. They are kept stopped up in a vessel, generally an
old receptacle of oil or clarified butter, and hung up to the
roof of the hut used as a kitchen. Before the approach of
the month of Aswin (September-October), the proper time
of planting, the seeds are steeped in water for several days,
and are then sown in some rice manure : generally, the
bedding of cowhouses. When the blades appear, the
plants are removed to the ground already prepared. High
lands are chosen for the crop, and are ploughed crosswise
from Bto 12 times until they present a level surface. The
plants are then set in regular rows, distant about 2 cubits
from each other. The labour of four men is necessary to
the planting of one biggah (one third of an acre) in one day.
The plants grow to the height of from 3 to 31 feet, their
branches spread each way from 1 to 11 feet, the roots going
to a depth of the same extent, and reaching sidewise the
length of from 9 inches to 1 foot. In the months of Dec.
and Jan., the labour of two men per biggah is employed in
furrowing round the plants and weeding. During the month
of Falgoon (February-March) the plants flower, and the crop
is gathered during the months of Vaishakh and Jaishth
in other words, from the latter end of April to the middle
of June May being usually the busiest month. Irriga-
tion is resorted to when there is a paucity of rain ; but, as a
general rule, the plants are watered twice a month during
March and April. '.Cho plants are not generally subject to
any particular disease; though hailstorms during the ap-
proach of summer, and a kind of grub called lal-poka, or
red insect, sometimes injure them. A crop is estimated at
from 60 to 90 seers (21b to the seer) per biggah ; and the
average proportion of wool to the seeds is as one to three
nearly : the wool selling at less than 10 rupees (a rupee
equal to 2s) per 30 seers. It has been estimated that
more than 3,000 biggahs of land arc undcr cotton cultiva-
tion in Burdwan, while the annual produce realises about
25,000 rs.

P 49 0)?9119 Ot4tmeut io Pcgt APplicol49 t 9 9ther

districts in Bengal, such as Houghlee, 24 Pergunnahs, Bare.
set, &c. Content with what they have learnt from their
ancestors, and wanting encouragement and example, the
cultivators go on according to their old rude methods. It is
more than probable that British skill can introduce many
important improvements into the mode of cultivation. Nor
are the people of India, at least of Bengal, unwilling to co-
operate with the capitalists of Britain. Conversation with
more than one zemindar, or landholder, and with several
cultivators at different places, brought out the fact that they
would gladly turn their whole mind to the cultivation of
cotton if they were properly remunerated. The latter clause
is italicised, because it is the writer's belief that the culti-
vators rarely got adequate remuneration when they aro
employed by Europeans, such as indigo planters. Not
that the European makes a rule of not paying for the
work performed, but because their native servants deprive
the cultivators: of their due. These natives, as a class—
whether they be in the employ of indigo planters or of
zernindars, or even of Government—may be characterised as
uneducated and unprincipled. It is from their intercourse
with such natives that some English writers have un-
fortunately drawn their opinion of the national character
Gain (by whatever means it may be secured) is the all-ab-
sorbing object of their lives, and they never miss an oppor-
tunity of extorting money from the poor ryots. The ryots
area timid race of men, who seldom dare make any com-
plaints, especially as the native officials take care to impress
them with the falseh and that the saheb (meaning the Euro-
pean) is himself deter mined not to pay them more. [Should
any ryot ever venture to lay his grievances before a Euro-
pean planter, he is gem,oally met with a Chulla jao gadha
" Get away you ass 1" clitherbecause the European is duped
by his wily servants, or• because he thinks it inconsistent
with his dignity to inter fere with minor details; sometimes,
perhaps, because of shoe r idleness. The consequence is, that
the ryots grumble, and blame their employers and jog on.
What is the remedy for this evil ? How ought the Bri-
tish capitalists to proceed with regard to the cultivation of
cotton ? The unprincipled amlahs should be as much dis-
pensed with as possible. Employ educated natives, and ten
to one they will prove themselves faithful both to their em-
ployers and the ryots. Give them decent salaries, and in the
long-run they will prove to be cheap. The educated men in
Bengal being generally resident about towns, may not be
familiar enough with the mufussil, or provincial affairs, to
be at once perfectly useful ; but their honesty and integrity
will amply compensate for their want of local knowledge,
which they will soon acquire. Such employment will ren-
der the educated natives, the almnniof colleges and schools,
far more useful to their country than they can now possibly
be. These remarks are written by one of the Hindoo race,
who confidently hopes and believes that if British capita-
lists will adopt proper methods for the raising of cotton in
India they will not only be able to invest their capital pro-
fitably to themselves, but will also be the instruments of
conferring lasting benefits upon the people of that country,

COUN7BY MARK.ETS.

HULL—OcT. 15,

At our market to-day we had a small supply of English
wheat, which sold freely, and prices were is to 2s advance
on last week. Malting barley firmer, and grinding sorts in
good request, at about the same prices as of late. Beans,
peas, and oats all rather dearer. The linseed trade rather
animated.

Wheat.... Old white per qr. s2s Od to 58s Od
Old red ,,
New white .. „
New red .... ~
Dantzic, Konb , &c. old white Ms Od to 63s Oct
Dutch, Belgian, and French. 50s Od to 58s Od
Baltic and Hamburg, red 548 Oct to 55s Oct
St. Petersburg and Riga, old 468 Od to 488 Oct
Barley.... English malting 328 Od to 36s Od
Grinding 3OB Od to 32s Od
Saal and Oderbruck
Holstein and Danish 528 Oct to J4B Oct
Grinding
Oats English, old
Archangel and Riga per st 05123/4d to 13d
Friesland and Dutch, oBl3d to Oslnd
Swedish and Danish Osl24d to osl3d
Beans .... English, old, per qr
New pigeon 428 Od to 448 Od
New tick. 4OB Od to 42s Od
Egyptian . 3Bs Od to 40s Oct
Peas Foreign breakers
Grinding 3os Od to 32s Oct
Tares ....Spring. a Od to —s Oct
Indian Corn
Linseed, feeding
crushing
Linseed cakes (Hull) £lo 0 oto £0 0 0
Foreign' BlO oto 9 0 0
Rape cakes 6 0 oto 6 5 0
Bones 415 oto 5 0 0