Washington telegraph., 1857-12-02
The Cultivation of Cotton in India.
TFrom Hunts Merchants Maga1ir

Mr.. John Mccullough, of Louisiana,
one of the nine Mississippi planters who
in 1910, went to India under the auspices
of the East India Company, to Introduce
the culture of American cotton, published
in the CoHcor,iiu MteyIigeMccr Of the 9TH
of September, 1857, 4 very interesting let
ter on the subject of that mission. The
agent who employed these planters carried
out with him boxes of soil from many
Southern plantations, so as to select like
soil in India, ON which TO grow Mi-sissip-
pi cotton seed under Mississippi culture,
in order that nothing might be left undune
which could contribute To the success Of
the experiment, which, nevertheless, was
a complete failure, and from the causes
we have assigned. We quote from the
statements OF Mr.. Mccullough, the sub
stance of his communication, as follows ::
We were divided into three parties of
three persons each. One party was sent
to Bengal, another to Madras, and the
third, to which l was attached, to Bombay
Presidency, where we arrived on the 18th
of September, same year.
The proper season for planting cotton
crop having gone by, We spent several
months between Bombay, Surat aud
BrOach, and finally located at the latter
place, the soil seemingly being best for the
experiment. Breach is situated ON the
Nerbudda River, aud in the district of
Guzzcrat, well known in India as the best
cottOn-producing district in all that cuun-
try. 1t Is gently uudulating, aud drains
well from Its natural formation. The soil
is fertile and has the appearance of being
well adapted to the growth Of cotton
Every acre that is worth cultiyating has
been in cultivation thousands Of wears.
and | eau say, without fear Of coptraiic-
tion, that there IS not native inhabiiant
Of this district that ever saw that, to Us,
familiar object, the stump Of tree. Here
l. where the Surat cotton, 50 fsvorablv
known in the English market, Is pro-
duccd.
Having prepared with plyws taken from
the United States, 500 acres of laHd in
different parcels near Breach, We had it
well plsnted with cotton seed. also taken
from this country, by the 18th Of the en-
suing ) uuc, which j. ,!,s u-u i season tECrs
when cotton is planted.
The monsoon or rainy seas IN invariably
sets in about the tenth OF June, varying
in BO instance more than few DAYS II
begins with light and ref eshing showers
at intervals OF from one to three or flu-
days, generally increasing violence un-
til at the end Of about three weeks it has
become almost one continued fall of rain.
All agricultural operations are then sus-
pended until its termination, which Is
about the lUth of September, wen it sub
sides IS it begun, with occasional showers.
With the first rains our cotton sprung M
and grew more vigorously for few weeks
than | have ever seen 1t do in this coun-
try When the monsoon had become well
established and the earth saturated with
water, our cotton crop had been scraped
to 4 standard had attained height of about
l. inches. Thus it remained until the
termination Of the rains, when it made a
feeble struggle for existence but perished
in few weeks without having thoroughly
matured single boil A few bolls, how
ever, partially opened during the death
agony, and from the 800 acres planted We
gathered 800 pounds Of seed cotton.
am not guessing the quantity, for it was
correctly weighed
This | candidly believe is rs GOOD
yield as will ever be had in the favored
district Of Guzzerat from the American
plant. During our residence of seventeen
months in India, We were in regular cor
respondenee with the parties sent to the
Presidencies of Bengal aud Madras, and
were informed that their failure was as sig
nal as our own. Some of them, however.
were not so candid in their communica-
tions to the Government as they were to us
Iattributed the failure TO alternate long
periods of wet and dry weather From
the middle of September to the middle Of
June, there is one continued Summer
of nine months without single cloud or
gentle peal of thunder to relieve the mo-
notony. Your readers know full well there
is no peculiar art in the cultivation Of cot
ton. They know also that this fertile val
ley Of the Mississippi, with the peculiar
seasons ! have described as existing in
India, they might experiment to the end
of time with no better success.
In our communications to the Govern
ment, we repeatedly informed them that
success was impossible unless they could
place us in latitude not subject to the
monsoon. This of course they could not
do in India.
Mr. Turner was never further from the
truth than when in the House of Com
mons he took the grounds, that the Amer
lean agents who had been employed to test
the experiment in India "never intended
to accomplish anything worth while in
India" Government held out fattering
inducements for US to embark in the en-
terprise on our private accounts, and had
success been within our reach, might
now have been a nabob in India, or per-
haps occupying the enviable position of
Mr.. Turner in the British House of Com
mons, instead of very humble cotton
planter in the low lands of Louisiana.
GOOD CAUSE FOR SUIcIDE.-A lady in