The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-13

: tain the adaptation OF different soils to tn,
American plant and culture In general. Ii
, circumstances the Americans were engaged
In instructing the native landholdert
In the use OF implements and processes
: Notwithstanding unrestricted outlay nnt
persistent efforts, the results we're wholly
unsatisfactory. and the conclusion was re.
luctantly reached that the transplanted
varieties were less desirable and less pro-
ductive than the Indigenous. and that their
culture was less profitable.
The abortive attempt to introduce pro-
liflc foreign varieties was followed by en-
deavors to. improve the Indigenous, and
these were supplemented by the distribu-
ton OF hundreds OF cottage saw-gins OF
English manufacture and the offer OF a
premium OF $4,000 for the invention OF q
gin. OF low cost. suited to native use.
The results flowing from the efforts Of
sixty years in the direction OF improved
varieties and culture are measured by the
exports. Under stimulating war prices the
exports OF 1918 reached s6.Oo0.ooO pounds,
largely taken. in all probability. from tho
ordinary domestic supply: yet the exports
from 1874 to 1s4s averaged but 100000
pounds per annum. while the culture had
Possibly the failure OF these costly and
long-continued experiments is attributable
to the absence OF all effort to find districts
with climatic conditions analogous to those
from which the exotic varieties had been
brought. The only effort had been to adapt
the transplanted forms to Indian soils re-
gardless Of climatic conditions; yet climate
is OF far more Importance In cotton growing
| entl ,l,,,, L., Hal l.
and comparatively easy. while climatic
amendment Is impossible.
Mr.. BhoDaET. In his " Cllmatology Of the
United States" shows that although cotton
Is tropical plant, it is. like maize, most
| valuable and prolific near the cold limit Of
Its actual cultivation. and that the great
advantage there Is wholly Chronological.
Referring to Indian cotton culture he says:
Tho wants of tho British Governme nt and the In.
terests of their rule In India. have induced every
snortt to initiate new modes of cultivation well
to improve upon those existence there the
American species and processes were transpanted a.
hwhole In the hope Of attaining success OF the
character But the American adaptation was itself
apparently spontaneous result. and triumph in
conflict with olimatoogca difficulties; and IL an.
pears to be wholly impossible to transplant Its peculiar
succesa To the of India the biennial perennial
species are bast adapted and its tropical climate
them to perennais. The annual Of . few months
growth far valuable than the OF the tropic
Tho best American cotton districts border
OF tho sugar region and within It. The form
10 much moro prolific And profitable our rich up.
lands than in the aemttropcal districts OF India
where tho herbaeeons form 10 retained with difficulty"
Likewise Sir w. w. HUNTER, in his Ind
ian Empire" makes this statement as to
the effects of the American civil war upon
tho not tpp piprr Ind ,<,fT pdi
"The best native varieties found in tho Central
Provinces and Berar. passing under tho trade
of Hinganghat and AmrAotL These varieties have been
successfully introduced into the Bombay district Of
Khandesh. Experiments with seed from Now Orleans |
have been conducted for several years past t1ss0
the Government farms in many parts Of India But 1t
cannot be said that thoy have resulted in success
cept In the Bombay district Of DhArwAr, where the
exotic cotton has morally suppantsd the
staple. - Tho fact is that Indian cotton has .
short staple and is inferior to American cotton"
That America has as little to fear from
Indian competition in the worlds cotton
market as In that for wheat. is shown by
the fact that Notwithstanding the low per
diem wage Of agricultural labor in India,
such Is its inefllclency and so primitive and
crude its mechanical aids. that the money
cost Of growing an acre Of cotton is quite
as great in India as in the United States,
while the yield IN acre Is as three Is to
seven. That's. the average yield OF Indian
fields Is IS pounds an acre as against an
American average OF 175 pounds.
With yield but throe-sevenths OF the
American. and the acreage cost OF cultiva-
ton as great. 1t would seem that we have
even less to fear from Indian competI-
ton than we have from that Of Egypt,
where the acreage yields are double those
Of the Southern States. Happily the
Egyptian cotton area is limited, and there
Is no probability Of any great increase OF
cotton production until Souda-
nese political conditions are more settled
and the rich cotton lands OF the inverted
Khartoum delta shall have been brought
into production; and this is a somewhat re-
mote contingency.
The following table shows the cotton
acreage OF India in recent years. the guam
tity of cotton produced annually. the ex-
ports. and the quantity retained for home
Quantities are expressed In
terms of tons OF 1000 pounds. for the reason
that bale is an indefinite quantitative term
varying with each producing country.
Data as to product. exports. and Indian
are not available for the 1929
crop year. The datum in relation to acreage
shows that the Indian area is much more
subject to variation by reason OF unfavor-
ible meteorological conditions at seed time
han is that Of the Southern States.
During the nve years for which product.
Exports. and consumption are shown. 49,
$4,000 acres produced 5000. OOO.O pounds
If cotton. a rate Of TAT pounds an acre.
From the crop OF 1898. India retained ,
2 per cent. for domestic use and exported /
3 per cent. Five years later. from crop I
II about tho same volume. the relation OF 7
he percentages exported and consumed q
vas practically reversed. As per cent. hay
ng been exported and IS per cent. retained
or domestic consumption.
hdfen
Prodne. IMPORT. s~snrsTtfss | G
Aoedgs IN in tons in top. =
ss7-sS .16, $4,000 100000 $4,000 10000 =
SSS-s0 14.4s7,Ooo $4,000 $4,000 25aCoo !,
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