The History of Introduction of American Cotton Into India

Weekly Publication of Cotton Association Edited & Published by Amar Singh of India 2019-20 No. 48 25th February, 2020 Published every Tuesday Cotton Exchange Building, 2nd Floor, Cotton Green, Mumbai - 400 033 Phone: 022-23704401/02/03/04 Email: [email protected] www.caionline.in The History of Introduction of American Cotton into India Dr. M.V. Venugopalan, obtained his M. Sc and summarises the painstaking efforts to establish this Ph D degrees from the prestigious Indian Agricultural cotton in India. Research Institute, New Delhi and has 28 years of experience in cotton The Reason for Introduction research. He has published 99 research of American Cotton papers in national and international The industrial revolution, journals, authored 22 book chapters in England in the 18th century transformed the nature and scale of and 20 research bulletins. He is a cotton production and trade across member of the Executive Committee the globe. A series of inventions of International Cotton Researchers’ during this period, notably the James Association (ICRA). Presently he Watt’s steam engine (1776), William is working as Principal Hargreaves’s spinning Scientist (Agronomy) jenny (1764), Richard and Head, Priority Arkwright’s spinning Setting, Monitoring water frame (1733), Samuel Crompton’s and Evaluation Unit at spinning mule (1779) ICAR- CICR, Nagpur. and Eli Whitney’s cotton gin (1792), dramatically altered the process, scale There are four species of cultivated cotton – and speed of manufacture of textiles in England. Gossypium hirsutum (American cotton), G. barbadense The establishment of Lancashire textile industry (Egyptian cotton), G. arboreum (Asiatic cotton) and spurred-up the demand for cotton in England. G. herbaceum (Levant cotton). Till the middle of the 18th country, only the indigenous cotton species Ironically, only medium staple cotton with good viz G. arboreum and G. herbaceum (together called strength could be spun in Arkwright’s spinning desi cotton) were grown in India. These were short frame. Bulk of the cotton required was therefore staple and coarse cottons, but spinners and weavers imported from America where G. hirsutum cotton of dexterously spun very fine yarn and weaved them to medium staple length and good strength was grown produce the finest cloth. The first seeds of American abundantly. However, the American Revolutionary cotton were sown in the Indian soil 1790 and today War (1775-83) reduced the supply of raw cotton to more than 92% of the cotton grown in India is of the textile mills of England. The British therefore this type. This article recollects the reasons for looked towards other countries including Brazil, introduction of the American, G. hirsutum cotton and Egypt, Turkey and India to supply raw cotton. It 2 25th February, 2020 COTTON STATISTIcs & NEWS was felt that the short stapled and coarse fibred hired to set up experimental farms in India. A series desi cotton grown in India was not suitable for the of experiments were launched in various provinces mechanised Lancashire and Manchester mills. to acclimatise American cotton in India. In 1790, the East India Company started In Dharwar, based on climatic analogy, an systematic efforts in different parts of India to attempt was made to replace the indigenous replace desi cotton with medium and long staple Kumta cotton by New Orleans variety belonging to G. hirsutum (American) cotton to feed the textile G. hirsutum var latifolium in 1842. During the industry of England. period 1851- 1861, the area under New Orleans cotton increased from 31668 acres to 191026 acres. Early Efforts to Introduce American From Hubli taluk these cottons spread to Bankapur Cotton in the 18th and 19th Century and Ranebenur talukas where the rainfall pattern The Court of Directors of East India Company and soil moisture conditions were more conducive. was keen to establish and adapt American cotton The New Orleans variety soon became popular as in India to provide an uninterrupted supply of ‘Dharwar - American cotton’. raw cotton to the mills in England. They ordered a series of trials to be initiated in India to expand the Despite initial optimism, these introductory cultivation of American cotton. A brief account efforts could not provide lasting success. of these efforts at various locations is summarised Continuous mono-cropping of this variety (instead below. of the prevailing cotton - pearl millet rotation) caused decline in soil fertility and by 1870’s As early as 1790, Dr. Anderson was employed both the productivity and quality of Dharwar - for distributing seeds of American cotton from American cotton deteriorated and the local Kumta Mauritius and Bourbon cotton (G. hirsutum race cotton regained its lost acreage. The reputation of punctatum) from Malta throughout the Peninsular the Dharwar-American variety also fell, owing to India. In 1793, Dr Willam Roxburgh, ascertained that adulteration and admixture with the indigenous elevated, dry, less fertile soils of the Coromandel Kumta cotton. were better suited for Bourbon cotton. In 1818, four cotton farms of 400 acre each were established Efforts to introduce Dharwar American cotton in Tinnellvely, Coimbatore, Masulipatnam and into Broach (Gujarat) and Hinganghat (Central Vizakapatnam to test the American cottons. Province and Berar) in Bombay Presidency, also proved futile. Trials with Bombay (G. hirsutum) The Bourbon cotton was first introduced and New Orleans (G. barbadense) were conducted in the Bombay Presidency in 1790. In 1794, an between 1848 and 1853 in Coimbatore district of experimental farm was established at Rhaudaterra Madras province, but the yields were unimpressive near Tellichery in Malabar mainly for spices, but and though the experiments were terminated in in 1801 Mauritius and Nankeen cottons were 1853, the seeds were not withdrawn. evaluated there. In 1812, a fresh lot of seeds of Bourbon cotton was procured and distributed Attempt to grow American cotton in the to the Collectors of Surat and Broach along with United Province dates back to 1826. In 1841, the directions for its cultivation in the Bombay work was intensified by American planters, but Presidency. In 1815, Assistant-Surgeon Gilder their efforts did not succeed. In 1870, cotton farms succeeded in cultivating Bourbon cotton at Kaira, were established at Cawnpore and Allahabad. Gujarat, but the effort could not be scaled up. The work at Allahabad was later discontinued but the selection work continued in Cawnpore. In the In 1826, Lord Ellenborough the then President Central Province and Berar too, Brazilian cottons of the Board of Control for India, recommended were introduced in 1839, but the efforts proved undertaking additional trials across distant soils futile. More over in this region, a long staple G. and climates to try and adapt American cotton in arboreum cotton “Bani” was already popular. India. Cotton farms were established in 1829 in Broach, Gujarat under the supervision of Mr. Finney Experiments to introduce American cotton and in Deccan, Khandesh and Dharwar under the in the Punjab Provinces commenced in 1853 at supervision of Dr. Charles Lush. In March 1839, Shahpur farm. From 1876-77 onwards, seeds Captain Thomas Bayles of the Madras Army was of Dharwar American cotton were regularly deputed to America to procure seeds of American distributed at several locations in the Province but cotton. Experienced American planters were also the efforts failed to produce the desired results. COTTON AssOCIATION OF INDIA 25th February, 2020 3 After several failed attempts, it was concluded this work. Milne’s efforts resulted in the evolution that exotic cottons were not suitable under Indian of varieties 3F and 4F in 1912. The variety 4F had conditions. Susceptibility of American cotton to pests rough leaves, offered better tolerance to jassids and diseases, their inability to cope with the uneven and hence became popular. In a span of four years, rainfall pattern and progressive deterioration in 1913 to 1917, the area under this variety increased productivity and fibre quality were the main reasons from 30000 acres to 276000 acres. Subsequently two attributed for the failure to establish American varieties 280F and 285F were developed at Lyallpur. Cotton in India. In 1933, Sardar Bahadur Labh Singh developed Trials in the experimental farms and organised a variety LSS (Labh Singh Selection), a late maturing distribution of fresh American cotton seeds were but superior American cotton variety. This indeed discontinued. However, selection and purification was a landmark in cotton breeding in India. work continued in some farms. Efforts were also initiated to improve the indigenous cottons and American cotton improvement work in the preventing mixtures. In some pockets, farmers United Province resulted in a variety of mixed origin continued to grow small quantities of American later known as Cawnpore American. Sir Bryce Burt, cotton. the Deputy Director of Agriculture, isolated the Cawnpore American variety in 1909. Seeds of Hope in the 20th Century Systematic R&D work on cotton got a fillip up in Buoyed by the successful establishment of 1904, with the setting up of Agricultural Departments Cambodian cotton in Tamil Nadu, fresh seeds of in various Provinces. In 1904-05, exotic American American cotton were sourced from Cambodia cotton, adapted to the agro-climate of Cambodia and Mr. G. R. Wilson planted 40 lots of these seeds was introduced into the Madras Presidency. This separately at Coimbatore. Pure line selections

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