The indigenous plant of India is an annual, tmd succeeds best in the rich black soil that dam terizes various districts. The American plant, though in reality perennial, is practically an annual in India ; for in India neither native nor foreign cotton is cultivated on the same ground more than OTIC year in three, its properties being found to exhaust the productive powers of the soil. Amerimii cotton grows well on the black soil of India, but thrives still better on the light red lands. Each of these species possesaes advan tages peculiar to itself. The Indian variety is capable of being manufactured into fabrics of extraordinary durability and wonderful fineness ; its colour, too, is superior, but the staple short. The American species, on the other hand, excels in length of staple. The plant yield.3 more flowers, and each flower a larger pod, whilst the quantity of seed contained in the pcxl is smaller, and more readily separated from the fibre.
3fr. Laing, in a letter to The Times as to the future supply of Indian cotton, showed that Sir C. Wood makes it entirely a question of prie,e, citing the authority of Lord Hardinge. Mr. Laing thinks that both climate and soil are so much against India, that its average produce per acre will never approach that of . America. But 3fr. A. N. Shaw, collector of Dharwar, has expressed an opinion that while Mr. Laing's facts may hold good of indigenous cotton, there are few parts of India where American cotton will not grow as luxuriantly as in Alabama, the best cotton-field in America.
3fr. Talboys Wheeler, who wrote the Cotton Handbook for the Madras Presidency, drew the following four general conclusions, viz. : 1st. American cotton can be grown, but the profit is questionable.
2d. Indian cotton may be improved, but only to a degree.
3d. American cotton must always command a higher price than Indian.
4th. The demand for Indian cotton must always depend on the supply of American.
But a superior cotton can undoubtedly be raised in the Karnatic at a cost not exceeding the production of the common native fibre. The tenure of land in the Madras Presidency leaves the ryot free to grow what crop he pleases ; there is no export duty or special tax on cotton, and the assessment is nowhere heavy. The exports of cotton from the 3Iadras Presidency have increased of late years ; and if cotton be still not grown in the quantity or of the quality desired, the cause must be that some other crop is more remunerative to the ryot. A steady market at a remunerative price is the great want, and this the mercantile community alone can supply. There is grovrn in India. a vast
supply of cotton, and it is capable of increase by extended cultivation consequent on increased demand. A large portion of the existing supply is absorbed by the local manufacturers, but is capable of diversion if increased prices are offered by exporters. The diversion to other markets may be immediate ; but an increase requires the lapse of at least one season after the demand arises, and some prospect of continuance of that demand. Every rise in price of Indian cotton in England, however small, if likely to be permanent, exercises an immediate effect on the export of cotton from India to England. The quality is capable of great improvement, but by a more tedious procesS. Tho American cotton plant cannot withstand so much drought as the Indian. The ordinary native cotton-cleaning machine, for freeing the cotton fibre from the seeds, has not yet been equalled by all the mechanical skill of Europe.
Native Indian cotton is a small-podded, small seeded, short-stapled variety ; but in picking the seed, in carefully gathering and ginning, it may be much improved.
Indian cotton is somewhat difficult to spin, from its often breaking, and requiring more turns of the spindle, and from its shortness of fibre, than that of America. But the yarn made from a pound of East Indian cotton, which costs 30. sterling, will sell for 7d., while from the American, which costs 4id. the pound, the yarn sells for 7id.
Imports into Great Britain.
1877, 12,112,819 cwt. value 235,489,197 1878, 11,978,288 33,524,362 1879, 13,171,043 36,278,660 1880, 14,547,283 42,765,183 In the four years 1877 to 1880, 75 per cent. of the quantity imported was received from the United States, 8 per cent. from British India, and au equal quantity from Egypt.
The yields per acre of cleaned cotton in the years 1874-75 to 1878-79, ranged as under : Madras, . . 36 to 49 lbs. Oudh, . . . 17 to 51 lbs. Bombay and Central Prov., 22 43 Sind, 48 Berar, . . 40 71 , Nat. St., Hyderabad, . 39 51 N.W. Prov., 29 56 Mysore, . . 17 61 The value of the raw cotton exported from India has been . Rs. 9,38,35,340 1880-81, . Rs. 13,24,17,341 1878-79, . 7,91,30,458 1881-82, . 14,93,59,595 1879-80, . 11,14,54,528 The largest consumption of cotton-wool is in the tropical countries. Americans consume pounds per head ; and it has been calculitted that the British Indian people consume 10 pounds per head, but Great Britain only 4i pounds per head.