Shreveport semi-weekly news. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-09-05
The Cotton Experiment in India.


our readers, that in lS4O the East In
dia Company engaged the services
OF ten practical Southern planters
and managers. to proceed tothe Last
Indies, and superintend the cultur"
of cotton in that country FIR the pc
Rod of ten years. The object was
to make a fair experiment IN cotton
raising in India, and that there mig hit
be no mistake or chance OF failure il
success was possible, unlimited means
were risked in the experiment. The
best American plows, hoes, cotton
gins, and other implements used IN
the culture of cotton in this country,
were bought and taken out, and 4
/ large quantity of the best American
cotton seed, of every variety of cot
ton, was purchased also. and used in
the experiment.
/ The exp 'rimen, was fairly tried
in different sections Of the country,
and with results not at all satiStac
tory to the gentlemen emp!oyed.-
Most of these gentlemen remained
the whole ten years. some even lon
ger, and used every effort in different
sections OF the country.
Mr.. Thos J. Finnie, one of the
ten gentlemen alluded to, more re
Gently a lawyer of Memphis. Tenn.
in Il letter dated Girard House, Phil
a,lel, hia, Feb. l6, 1857, gives some
of the reasons of the failure Ii
seems that Mr. Finnie was satisfied
after the first two years that the cx-
pertinent wa. failure, and so re-
) ported TO the East India Govern
ment; he nevertheless continued for
the whole period of ten years accord
ing TO agreement. Mr.. tlnn'e says
that "the causes of failure are both
moral and physical. The physical
defect is the result OF unequabIc eli
ma.e-a climate not of equal tcup"ra-
. ,ure and of sufficient duration to MT
ture the plant; the extremes of cX-
elusive humidity and exclusive arid
t ness. or drourhs long continued and
consequent heat; and even VIII. ia
vorablc circumstances continue, and
the plant is growing well, and its
! abundant forms, or embryo fruit,
e promise m abundant harvest. the
: boil worms" bud the plant, main
Il stem and branches, and also enter tn"
5 forms" and cause them 10 TALL III
mvriads and cover the ground with
what would have been the staple il
p matttred.
The plant will grow and produce
. we'll if it is irrigated. but that pro-
cess is too expensive 10 be profitable.
Cotton must be produced by the fer'
tilizing influence OF the natural rams,
which we are told fall Oh the just
and the unjust" The natural dew-
of heaven must trutity the earth, on
IT her ordinary products cannot be prot,
'e itably produced.
/ The moral d,fect is the immohil
I ity of the Hindoo character. They
y will not change; they will do a.
their father did forever; they vii
d, not adopt the means of Improvement
t they will not adapt themselves to thu
pr appliances essential to success"
p Millions of pounds sterling wer'
$. expended in the experiment, ST !
they have not seen or felt any beneti
- cial consequences.
A considerable amount Of vcr'
inferior article of cotton is raised il
India. but it seems that the expvn
siveness of production is such that !
cannot be sold for less than eighte-l
J. or twenty cents per pound, willis
/ the superior American cotton can 10
protitably produced, or at least wa
formerly, at half the amount Thi
IL India cotton Is likewise almost worth
G. less, owing to the sh r;ness of tn
IN staple, unless it is mixed with tn
RS longer staple of America. We Sc.
pit from the very latest accounts, tina
IS, there is no change for the better /
Ir. this respect, and there is evidently
er great deal of uneasiucss in Bingham
ms respecting future supplies of the sta
pie. AS to the supply from thi
-, country, for many years to come, n
y calculation can be made. We ca
safely say that no estimate of futur
crnns made hx nur rnrtL.rr and Il