The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-08
Cotton I'm India.

Confidence in the vast and admitted supe-
riority of our soil and climate over oil others
for the production of the great staple which
clothes the civilized world, has led our peo-
pie to pay little heed to the progress OF cot
ton culture in other lands. Some leading
facts, however, relative to cotton-growing in
India-a region which now ranks neGt to
the United States in the cultivation OF the
fbre-will be of general interest to the read
ers Of TIE NEWS.
India is the oldest cotton producing coun
try, the plant having not only been grown,
but manufactured there from the earliest
ages OF which we have any authentic record.
Until within the last hundred years, Europe
drew the bulk Of her cotton supplies from
the ia. East, and only lately has the scale
been turned, and the looms Of the eastern
hemisphere become dependent upon the
plantations of the western. The frat import
OF East India cotton into Great Britain oc-
Cured in 1888. The average annual receipts
from that year until 1872, were IS, $50 lbs,
from 1893 to 1900, 1928, O39 lbs.; from 1901
to 1910, 6,357, 600 lbs; from 1911 to 1890,
"a, 0l6, sos lbs. from 1921 to 1880, 1885,
SGT lbs. from lS4l to 1850, 1885, 4O3 lbs.,
and from 1851 to 1859, 23,Ol7, 80 lbs. In
lS50-5l, India exported to all parts OF the
world, 225, 47S, ,6e3 lbs. in 1866, 237, 49,
94s lbs, and in 1867, 5l9, 65S, 524 lbs.
up to 1860 The cotton growers of India
labored under very serious disadvantages,
almost inseparable from the state of society
and peculiar political aina.iInli'.s-.-'-
there. The ':ryots" or nrmers were exceed,
ingly poor and generally each year were
compelled TO mortgage their coming crop to
the local money lendsfs, who charged exor-
bitant interest, and il The borrower failed to
meet his engagements, sheaea him little
mercy. Knowing That the most ii not all !
OF the product, good or bad, would he he. sWa.- /
lowed up by the usurers, the ryot paid scarce
" any attention to the cultivation, and as
'.jowree"-the grain on which the poorer
classes chiefly depend for food-ripenS about |
the same time as the cotton, he allowed the
Iatter to take care of itself until he had
gathered his breadstuf1, On which 70 loan
had been effected. Consequently the cott'
was left to fall, and becoming wet with I'D
and slogge6 with dust and dir, was =, '.e@ y'.
scrambled together, thrust ir4;o s,os. 'ais .,s
sent off to markes. 'N
Our civil var ~ ,o. h,ossi ~
lso''' .a gave them start a lire, which
nav nrobably never could hav received un-
der any other circumstances. England want
ed cotton; America could not supply it; and
so she turned to India. Railways were push
ed into the cotton districts OF the empire;
the laws we're 30 :.mended that the money.
lenders could not take the farmers lands for
debt, and with this and other guarantees
that he would be able to reap the fruits o
his own toll, the ryot went to work with
will and raised more and better cotton thar
ever before
In 1864, when the price had advance
from % rupees per "bhoja" to l+o' cast
poured into the cotton rGiser's pockets IN
s way that he had never dreamed OF. He va!
: enabled to get out OF debt, surrounded hlm
e self and his family with more comforts, ane
:, largely improved his agricultural resources
: "Jowree" was left for the birds to eat, AMI
: the cotton jealously watched, syslematlcall
;, ;, picked, and carefully packed for shipment
Dealers in England were astonished to tint
). the once despised "surats," as India cotto
h was formerly called, almost rs clean an
g fine as that raised in the United States; an
l. although the termination of the war la
IS brought the balance again heavily in on
st favor, yet the ryot has not forgotten the les
e sons taught him in his season OF prosperity
" He has thrown away his inferior seed, an
~ now uses the best to be obtained from thi
~ y, country; and planting, picking and paci
,e ing are properly attended to, though, irol
r. the nature of the sell and climate, and th
10 difference in handling, India cotton ca
n never equal ours in quality Not less tina
ts 400 600, 900 lbs is the average annual e1
70 mort from India to England during the pa;
d. few years. Berar, valley situated in Wh'
ts was formerly known as the Nizams territor
10 ~ Is perhaps the best locality for cotton grow
"a ing in India; and Oomrawattee, one OF Il
* principal towns, is probably the largest Int
We rior market for the raw article. Busine'
o. here is exceedingly lively, and the energ
n and shrewdness displayed by the dealer
e- SAVIOR more OF The Yankee character us
OF the Hindoo. The cotton "dokras" or car
a. arrive from the surrounding country durin
:. = the night and are stationed in long line
-. often 10 the number OF q thousand or fftee
ri. hundred, around the central mart. At
I'd very earl, hour the streets are full Of Eor