Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-09-01
Daily Tir9inian.
From tie Nsp York Times. Ell.
Tho Ability Of India to Supply Europe


with Cotton.
During considerable portion of the late
sion "f the British Parliament. Select Committee
of the House of Commons wac engaged In hearing
evidence ON tho progress and prospects and the
best means to be adopted for tho promotion Of Eu-
ropcan colonization In India, especially In the
hlly districts and healthier regions Of that coun-
try,as also for the extension OF British commerce
| With Central Asia. The general tenor Of this ev-
icnce s to the effect that, though colonization in
thu broad sense of the term, is absolutely imprac-
ticable, owing to the chenpness Of labor, the ina
blity of Europeans to perform agricultural work,
and tho difficulty Of rearing European children.
yet lndin presents n fine Geld for tho investment
of capital in the cultivation Of cotton sugar, indi.
60, coffee, and other tropical products BY native
labor, under the supcrlntendence of Europeans.
Col onsow. of the Madras army. thinks that cap.
ital might be proRtably employed in purchasing
cotton from the native eultvators cleaning il on
the spot 10y tho American gin, pressing it. and
then sending 1t TO Liverpool. whore it would ar-
rive IN much better state than II does at present
lie adds that Mexican cotton 10 gradually super
crding the Indigenous kinds in the south Of ln-
da, and that American gins ARE dsplacing the
rude machines Of the natives. Mr.. Balston, tho
contractor forthc Great Indian Peninsula Railway,
who mnee journey through Guserat, to observe
tho cotton cultivation Of TINT province. and Was
two seasons in Srindc. examining the system Of
irrigation pursued there, regards water ns tho
ono thing nccdnl to enable 1ndin to compete
with tho United States in the production Of
cottpn for tho supply Of the European markcts
and proposes the formation ot an extensive system
o! canals, which would carry water wherever il is
required and nj the same timo furnish tho means
of cheap transport to the const. lilo says that tho
effect ot irrigation ON the cotton plant Of lna. is
TO raise it from diminuti,e annua. producing
ift! or sixty pounds Of cotton per mere, to large
perennial Yielding ton times the quantity worth
40 ucr cent thun rho prrscut Indian cotOp
and quit" equal in quality To any produced in
Amcricn. lie has tho cotton plant eight teet
high and with 3oO balls on Il, In n garden a Bonn
hay, wh're there, plenty Of water and considens
tina, the same results would proceed from tho use
Of the like means on large scale but irrigation
IL too expensive at present to bc nynlcd of for tho
production of GOTTEN, and hence il il applied only
to the cultivation ofthe sugar aud such things
as pln"tains. chilios, pepper. &c for ho,ne con-
sumption. Canals, Mr.. Bnlston snys, would ena-
BILE the planters, to produce bale oi cotton Of 400
pounds from an of land, and TO deliver il at
sen port at cost Of f2 Ss Cd. which balc Of cot
ton would br worth flO. and the seed lss, lcav-
ing profit Of fa % I'D pcr acre. Water ncSer
fails h. lcus,hcn the s,aple Of cotton in India. aud
he believes that the cotton raised bv irrigation
would drive American cotton out OF the market
entirely, soon rs it came in sufficient quantity
Both SIR l.. Perry aud Mr. Wiloughby, who have
been in India, appear from tho manner in which
they examined the witnesses. To bo somewhat in
crcdulous, both IN 40 tho feasibility of th" canal
project and the results expected from ii; hut he
maintained that the only difficulty would be that
involved in raising tho necessary capital. and re-
ferrrd Ia their latter point. to letter from Mr.
Vary, late superintendent Of cotton-growing
experiments in the southern lIahratta country in
which it is said; "The cottbn.plant. ns at present
cultivated, 10 An annual the seed is tow ards
the end of the monsoon, when the ground is full
Of mosture: the bush seldom exceed. three feet and
half in height, and 10 pounds per acre Of cleaned
cotton is considered u fair crop After the cotton
is collected. the bushes ure pulled up and burnt
they all dis during the hot weather for want Of
moisture. by irrIgGlinE cotton you will be able
| To retain the same bushes for several years !
have seen burh. nine years old, producing three
crops yearly ot inc cotton. You will therefore get
two three crops yearly instead Of one. and in
stead Of ~ pounds yearly; aud the quantity Of ir-
rigated cotton is $50 per CT better than 6eldcnti-
yaicd cotton, which ID easily accounted for In the
| non-irrigating system when tho hot weather sets
in. the bush, from the want Of moisture, becomes
dried up and siunted. and this renders the cotton
short aud crisp. The SAM Of cotton which have
grown in gardens.or where there was plenty Of
water. is fine, long. and silky any in the world
and there is no doubt, if it can be produeed in
largo quantities. it would be preferred to
American or any other" Mr. bALsToS has
not ascertained practically whether cotton
would pay the cost Of irrigation, but he stated
I
that were mnde in India would drive Ameri.
can cotton entirely out Of the country, simply
from the eheapness Of labor in India. lie is Of
opinion that cotton quite equal to the average Of
| American might be delivered at n seaport from
any part Of India at q cost of 3D. per pound. This
low cost OF production would not. however, much
affect prices in Liverpool until Indian cotton is
produced in sufficient quantity to dsplace Amsri-
can. 50 long AS American cotton can be sold in
Liverpool at a profit. 80 long will Indian cotton
sell Mt proporlonate price, whatever the cost Of
production may be- Mr.. Balston calculates that
.. to reduce prices in Liverpool 2,000,OoO bales in
of the present supply are required from In
din. Torroduce this quantity by the present mode
Of cultivation would require additional $1,000
ooo acres of land, allowing a crop of cotton once
in three years. and extra four or FIVE millions
of aborers. The quality, as regards staple would
not be improved, and the cost Of production would
remain the same as At present, except m to the
extent to which the cost Of carriage may be here
after reduced by tho construction Of railways IT..
rigation would do more, in his opinion tn furnish
n large supply Of cotton from India than railways
and he urged upon the Committee that, the lower
the price is reduced the greater will be the power
Of the English manufacturers to compete with
those Of India. To the native manufacturer, who
is also the cultivator, the cost of the material
value in England, and the cost of spinning it into
20s. twist, l0d. per pound making total cost
Of lid. per pound for the yarn. The cost of pro-
ducing the same yarn in England would be sgd.
for the cotton and I'D. for spinning, giving the
%snufs'Srsr ma s margin q ID per pound .? eIysr
erpool could be reduced to 3d. per pound the cost
Of the yarn could he only AID. and the additional
margin thus obtained would enable The English
manufacturers to compete with those Of the East
to much greater extent than at present. Mr..
Ialston observes that, although the cutivstors of
V.ls. Al