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


and managers, to proceed to the East .
Indies, and superintend the cultur"
of cotton in that country tor the pc
Rod of ten years. The object was
to make a fair experiment IN cotton
raising in India, and that there hight
be no mistake or chance OF failure II
success was possible, unlimited means
were risked in the experiment. The
best American plows, noes, cotton
gins, and other implements used III
the culture of cotton in this country,
were bought and taken out, and
large quantity of the best American
cotton seed, of every variety of cot
ton, was purchased also, and used in
the experiment.
The exp 'riment was fairly tried
in different sections of the country,
and with results not at all satistac
tory to the gentlemen Employed
Most of these gentlemen remained
the whole ten years. some even lon
ger, and used every effort III different
sections Of the country.
/ Mr.. Thos. J. Finuie, one of the
ten gentlemen alluded to, more re
Gently a lawyer of Memphis. Tom.
in letter dated Girard House. Phil
adel hia, Feb. l6, 1857, gives some
Of the reasons Of the failure 1t
seems that Mr. Finnie was satisfied
after the first two years that the cx
pertinent was a taiiHre. and so re-
ported to the East Iutia Govern
the whole period of ten years accord
ing to agreement. Mr.. Finnie says
that "the causes of failure are both
moral and physical. The physical
defect is the result OF uncquab!c eli
ma.e-a climate not of equal tcmp"ra-
ture and of sufficient duration to ma-
lure the plant: the extremes OF cN-
elusive humidity and exclusive arid
. ness, or drouths long continued and
consequent heat; and even VIII. n ia
vorable circumstances continue, and
the plant l. growing well, and It's
: abundant forms, or embryo fruit,
, promise m abundant harvest, the
; boil worms" bud the plant, main
! stem and branches, and also enter tn"
: " forms" and cause them to fall III
mvriads and cover the ground with
what would have been the staple II
,, ma:ured.
The plant will grow and produc,
we'll if it is irrigated. but that pro.
cess is too expensive to be Pr ti'abie
Cotton must be produced ~ the fer
tilzing influence OF the natural RI ms
which we are told fall Oh the jus
and the unjust" The natural dews
of heaven must trutity the earth, o.
# her ordinary products cannot be prof
{ i:ably produced.
l. The moral d,fect is the immobi!
l. ity of the Hindoo character. The,
Y will not change; they will do a
their father did forever; they vii
1, not adopt the means OF improvement
:. they will not adapt themselves to III
r appliances essential to success"
p Millions Of pounds sterling wer
:. expended in the experiment, st
they have not seen ortelt any bcnet!
, cial consequences.
A considerable amount of yer
inferior article of cotton is raised i
. India. but it seems that the expcn
!, siveness of production is such that
cannot be sold for less than eighte-
!, or twenty cents per pound, willis
y, the superior American cotton can Il
prof,ably produced, or at least wa
formerly, at half the amount. Thi
n India cotton is likewise almost wortl
g. less, owing to the sh r;ness of tn
ID staple, unless it is mixed with tn
s. longer staple of America. We se'
PIT from the very latest accounts, tha
IS. there is no change for the better /
If. this respect, and there is evidently
err great deal of uneasiness in Englan
ns respecting future supplies of the ST.
pie. AS to the supply from til
>, country, for many years to come, I
=, calculation can be made. We ca
safely say that no estimate of futul
crops, made by our northern and F.
IT. ropean friends. can be relied upon, ;
even an approximation to the trut
IL We shall not now mention any est