INDIAN CENTRAL COTTON COMMITTEE TWENTY -FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT 1946 TWENTY -FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT of the INDIAN CENTRAL COTTON COMMITTEE for the year ended 31st AUGUST, 1946. PRICE Rs. 2. Meeting o! the Indian Central Cotton Commlttee held in Bombay. In the photograph can be seen Sir Herbert St ewart (President), addressing the Meeting. On his right are Sir Chunilal B. Mehta, Dewan Bahadur Si r T. Vij ayaraghavacharya, ~tr. V .lswarsn and Sardnr Ujjal Singh . On his left are ~fr. Mahia (Secretary ) and Sir Purshotamdas Thakurdas. CONTENTS. PAOF. CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. ..Research •• 8-43 Cotton Technology 8 Cotton Genetics and Physiology 11 Cotton Research in Provinces and States 15 (i) Bombay.- (a) Broach Cotton Breeding Scheme 15 (b) Jalgaon Cotton Breeding Scheme 16 (c) Scheme for breeding wilt-resistant cottoll9 in Surat area 17 (d) Scheme for improvement of Wagad cotton at Viramgam and Jagudan 17 (e) Scheme for improvement of cotton crop in Kaira district 18 (f) Schemeforintorspecifichybridisation in cottons at Surat 19 (g) Scheme for improvement of Dharwar-Amedcan cotton 20 (h) Scheme for investigation of sniall-leaf disease of cotton 21 '(ii) Sind.- (a) Scheire for production oflong staple cottons in Sind 22 (b) Scheme for bollworm investigation and clean-up campaign in Sind.. 24 (iii) Punjab.- (a) Scheme for improvement of cotton in ,Jhang district, Punjab 25 (b) Scheme for improvement of cotton of south-eastern distdcts of the Punjab 26 (c) Scheme for improvement of cotton in south-western tract, Punjab • • 27 (d) Scheme for improvement of cotton in Lower Bari Doab Canal Colony 27 (e) Physiological Scheme 28 '(iv) Oentral Provinces and Berar.- Central Provinces and Berar Cotton Breeding Scheme 30 ·~v) Madras.- (a) Scheme for improvement of Mungari cotton in 1\fadras Province 32 (b) Scheme for improvement of Cocanadas cotton in Madras Province . 33 (c) Scheme for breeding Cambodia cotton in Ceded Districts in Madras · Province 34 iv PAGJ!l. (vi) United Provinces.- Scheme for hybridisation in arboreum cottons .. 36 (vii) Hyderabad State.- (a) Gaorani Cotton Improvement Scheme 3'T (b) Scheme for improvement of cotton of Oomras tract in Hyderabad Smw M (e) Scheme for improvement of Kumpta cotton .. (viii) Baroda.- Scheme for improvement of Mathio cotton at Amreli .. '1 (i<.) Mysore State.- Scheme for breeding Sea Island and Egyptian cottons in :Mysoro .. 41 CHAPTER III. Progress in the Introduction of Improved Varieties of Ootto11 H-6.a. (i) Bombay 45 (ii) Sind 40 (iii) Punjab i)l (iv) Central Provinces and Hornr ;;I (v) Madras 52 (vi) Unired Provinces f>(} (vii) Hyderabad Smte 57 (viii) Baroda State 59 (w) Rajpipla Smte 62 (x) Mysox:e State 63 (xi) Gw1>Iior State 63 (xii) Bahawalpur Smte 64 CHAPTER IV. Extension Work in Provinces and States 65-79' Bombay.- (a) Jarila Seed Distribution and Extension Scheme 65 (b) Deccan Cartals (Ja:rila) Seed Distribution Scheme 66 (e) Revised Jayawant and Gadag No. 1 Seed Distribution Scheme 67 (d) Scheme for cultivation of 1027 A. L. li'. cotton in Nawapur Taluke. 68 (~) Scheme for multiplication and distribution of 'Vijaya' cotton in Middle Gujerat . • • • .. • • . • • • 69 Ul Scheme for multiplication and distribution of 'Wagoter' cotton in Ahmedabad District 70 (g) Scheme for multipliction and distribution of 'Suyog' cotton in Surat tract (South of river Nerbudda) 71 v PAGE Sind.- (a) Seed Distribution and Extension Scheme (b) Firumcing of Seed Distribution 73 Central Provincea and Berar.- Scheme. for Distribution and Marketing of Jarila cotton in Central Provinces and Berar 74 MadraB.- (a) C.o.3 Seed Distribution Scheme 75 (b) Scheme for multiplication and distribution of Karunganni cotton in Ramnad and Tinnevelly districts . 715 (c) Scheme for maintenance of nucieus of pure seed of improved variet.ies of cotton 76 United Provincll8 ......:... Scheme for Distribution, Extension and Marketing of Perso-American cotton in Western United Provinces 76 Baroda State.- (a.) B. 9 Seed Distribution Scheme 77 (b) Scheme for creation of a pure Wagad Zone in Mehsana District in Baroda State 78 (c) Scheme for distribution aud multiplication ofVijaya cotton 78 (d) Scheme for distribution of Suyog cotton seed in Navsari District of Baroda State 79 iVysore State.- Scheme for multiplication and distribution of Selection 69 and M. A. V. in Mysore 79 · CHAPTER V. Cotton Sta.tisties 80-92 Indian Cotton Situation-1945-46 80 Staple length of Indian cotton crop 83 Demand for various types of India.n cotton 83 Stocks of cotton held in the country 84 Indian mill consumption 85 Exports 85 Statistics of cotton pressed 85 Unpressed (loose) cotton statistics 85 Statistics of cotton ginned 85 Application of Indwitrial Statistics Act, 1942, and Rules thereunder to cotton ginning and pressing industry · 86 Improvement of cotton forecasts 86 Publication ~f manual on preparation of All-India Cotton Fo~ecasts in Indian languages , • .. .. ; . • • • 87 Question of adv,;.ncement of dates of publication of third and fourth cottQn forecasts . • • • '·. • • • • • • 88 Publication of weekly weather and crop repo~s. ·in :tespect of cotton growing Indian States ····:· vi l'AGill ReVJsion of classification of Indian cotton adopted in All-India Cotton Forecasts 89 Accuracy of the All-India Cotton Forecasts 89 Scheme for crop estimating survey on cotton in the Central Provinces and Berar 89 Report on investigation into plot size in relB.tion to crop cutting surveys on cotton · 92 Scheme for crop estimating survey on cotton in the Punjab 92 Publications 92 CHAPTER VI. CoUon Marketing, legislation atul other protective measures 93-100 (i) Increased use of Indian cotton in mills in India 93 (ii) Restrictions on exporta .of Indian cotton 93 (iii) Sale price of Sudan cotton in India 93 (iv) Bombay Sales Tax Act, 1946 94 (t>) Cotton baling hoops 94 (vi) Reversion to pre-war lashings of cotton bales 04 (vii) Fuel requirements of ginning and preBBing factories H5 (viii) Dismantling of cotton ginning and preBSing factories !lo (io:) Regulated Cotton Marketq !J5 (x) Agmarking 116 (xi) Universal Standru·ds IJ6 (xii) Legislation to maintain the purity of cotton and other protective measures IJ7 (a) Cotton Transport Act 97 (b) Cotton Ginning and PreBSing Factories Act 07 (c) Prevention of Introduction of Foreign Cotton Pests OS (d) The Red (Sudan) Bollworm (:{)iperopsis castanea) and other posts 90 (e) Cotton Control Act !JO APPENDICES I. Members of the Indian Central Cotton Committee 101 II. Sub-Committees 103 III. Statement of receipts and payments for the year ended 31st March, 1946, Balance Sheet as at 31st l\iarch, 11!46 •• 105,100 IV. Stocks of Indian cotton on 31st January 1946, held by the mills and the trade in Madras Province 121 V. Indian raw cotton consumed in Indian mills 122 INDIAN CENTRAL COTTON COMMITTEE: ANNUAL REPORT. CHAPTER I. GENERAL. THE Indian Central Cotton Oommittee was established by the Government of Inilia in 1921, in pursuance of the recommendations of the Indian Cotton Committee of 1917-18, and this is its twenty-fifth Annual Report covering the period 1st September, 1945, to 31st August, 1946. At first, the Committee was purely a technical advisory body to Government on matters connected with cotton. In 1923, however, it was incorporated under the Indian Cotton Cess Act with separate funds for the improvement of the growing, marketing and manufacture of Indian cotton. The idea; from the very beginning was _that the Indian Central Cotton Committee should form a common meeting ground for ap. sections of the cotton industry with the Agricultural Departments of all cotton growing provinces in India. It was realised from the. outset that the cultivator's interests must be paramount in all matters comidered · and decided by the Committee and_ that no perm!1nent developments could take place unless they were in his interests. The Committee was given its own funds almos~ from the time of its inception._ These funds are derived from the levy of a cess of two annas a bale on all Indian cotton consumed iii mills in British- India or exported from British Indian ports. The ~st task of the Committee was to arrange for a well:directed co-ordi- · nated effort for the improvement of every aspect of cotton in India, ·including improvement of the race of the plant by the application of the technique and principles of plant breeding. The Committee was not slow ·to realise that in no cotton producing area can the crop be improved and that improvement maintained without a widespread recognition of the principles of plant breeding and the practical application of those principles. Grants were made to De~ partments of Agriculture in the various cotton growing Provinces and Sta~s for specific investigations on cotton in which improvement of the variety was -.naturally given high priority. The policy in the main has been to supple­ ment'arid not supplant the work of tlie Agricultural Departments in the cottOn 2 growing Provinces and States and, though, as a matter of convenience, certain lines of demarcation have been laid down regarding the investigations which the Committee considers most appropriate for its grants, assistance, as a general rule, is given in the dirootions where it is !Jl.ost needed in the carrying out of a co-ordinated policy of cotton improvement in the country. While the Committee's constitution ensures a broad outlook on all matters falling with­ in its purview, its primary concern is the interest and welfare of the cotton grower. Under the Indian Cotton Cess Rules, members, who are not ex-oJIU;io members, hold office for three years and one-third of their number retire each year in rotation. The term of office of additional members appointed by the Governor-General under Section 4 (xi) of the Indian Cotton Cess Act is three years or such lesser period as may be specified in the notification.