Port-Gibson herald., 1842-09-08

dia for the last fifty years, to improve TIE
system Of culture. lie then adverted t.
the present, experiment. ManY Difficult
ties, he said, had been experiences; bst
the prospects Of success were now more
favorable. His latter statements were
mainly founded On letter from Dr
White, the superteniant Of the American
planters in the Madras Presidency. As
!he subject is one of deep interest, we
lcannot do better th0n present our readers
with the following extracts from that let.
ter, the date Of which, as will be obseryed,
| is recent
CoimJatore, Apru l1ta, 1912
| am now enabled to announce, that, il
nv opinion, our success may at length IL
considered complete, and thaf, next yea,
fall goes On smoothly, and we have but
moderately rroptious season, we MAJ
almost antieipate turning ont, from the
CoimbatoTc farms alone, little short Of
900 bales Of American cotton, besides
good MANY Of country cotton grown on
Che American plan. ! send yOu, along
with this, larger samples Of both our black
and red soils cotton than was sent last
month The staple Of the American grown
country cotton seems bat little, fiat al..
improved this season; but the plant \.
greatly So, aa.l hope our next crop fr3r,
our own seed will show an im2r5g5l ~
pie
Our black soil crop, which, III Jaalarv,
threatened - prove total fi,are, hs-.
within the lsst Two noathi, yie3sa naaI
I 81 1000 II of seel cotton. en- wa l3eI,
forward q getting between tWo aid tlfs.
thousand more IN which case, CIR aver
Iage viii be about 219 b., rar ia, a5
there NE sc.fceiy 70 acres fairtF cro3-
ped So much Of the seed proved utloTi.
worthless, and non 81 il Wis particularly
good, being all two years old before it v27
sown. This, it is true, is bit smaa
crop; bat yet, al things considered sieh
as we nsaF rei9icc ID no. for itsoEn yaiao,
which Is smsii enough, hat far Its ceHs7-
qaences, which may prove of iGealculss,2
value
The last Two months have been exce3
sheiY lot, ana there has been ia rs;T IL
serving tic name; one moderate shoH5ri
and yet or American plaats ara bearing
Tie heat actually better than laa nati9a
oaes, ard look healthier now than thal
Gii ii January, though, I believe, tae ii.
Is mean temperature is from 10 ID l5 63-
gFaes hiGharthan then. Tie soy rs eo72
iaoaceI tieasta month OF raj tkGr 5 & weeks
t5o late; from the first the weather E.as
cloudy, and from the first the plants had
soaroeiy a single dav ofelaur weather ua-
iii after the monsoon. Ihis protractsd
prevalence Of dar! cloudy weather, added
to deluses of rain, drew The plants 81
mach To staa, That they had lae outgrovn
their strength; when, oil Tie 81 Or 4th 81
Move lnber. the rains ce7sed, the clouds
disappeared, and bright warm weather
togk their place. For this sudden change,
from rain and darkness to liz brightest
Fight 81 the tropical sun, they we're quite
nnprepared, and within week began to
droop and look sickly. This cloadlcss
weather continued for nearly ten weehs,
and al that time without a single show
ct Of rain. The plants seemed paralysod,
their leaves dropped, became of sickiy
brown colour, and the whole plant appear
cd as i involved in premature old age, COW
cred with sickiy blossoms, and these al
attacked with insects. In the meantime,
however, the wood. which had been form
ed under such unfaYorable circumstances.
was gradually acquiring maturity and
Grmuess. About the middle of Januarv,
VIC had several days. rain, and again
about the beginning of February. These
rains infused new life into the plants, and
ere the end Of February we had common
oed picking ia small quantity we have
gone on adding and adding, until three
days ago we picked $500 lbs. Of Ameri-
,an and 1000 Of country cotton in one
lay, and during the week, ending 18th
April, about 6 1000 American, aud 1000
i more country. This result has worked
! total change on the minds of the plan
ers, all doubt Of the capabilities Of the
'lant % bear the he7ts of India is disipa
ed, and all are quite prepared TO resume,
With renovated hope and vigor, their op-
'rations next season. As a preparatory
tep, have had some Of our saved seed
own OH trial in tubs, and they appear ex-
'eiient; the young plants being most Wig
'rous. Stimulated by these results, ani
till more by the assurance that our ci-
nate does not oppose an insuperable bar
Ter to success, am taking measures to
ollow them ont on an effective scale
captain Hughes, last season, when al
vas new to the work and groping in tbs
ark. and while every thing had to BE-
aught and learned BY our native assist
nts, to have large farms: and, in place
/ allowing 100 or $50 acres to each, gave
hem only 50. These have proved sufi-
lent to allow Of our training many hands
the various operations Of pIoughing,
'o,elng, picking, &C.; almost every one of
'aom may be again employed to train
theirs, and act as overseers TO new squads.