‘REPORT ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, FOR THE YEAR 1919-20’ [‎272r] (91/192)

1919-1920.]
AGEICULTUEE.
committee. In this way 553 khandis of lint were auctioned at a premium of
from Es. 22 to Rs. 75 above the ordinary price of Surat cotton. Both the
cultivators and the purchasers of the cotton expressed their satisfaction with
the operations. So far the work was comparable with similar work done in
this tract in previous years, but an advance is indicated by the fact that with
the new establishment the department was able to distribute over one million
lbs. of this seed for sowing during the current season, which will suffice for
at least 60,000 acres. During the past season a very large quantity of short
stapled cotton was imported into this tract for the purpose of fraudulent mixing
and leading members of the cotton trade expressed the opinion that no material
advantage could result from the activities of the department so long as these
fraudulent practises prevented the cotton from being marketed in a pure state
The marked difference in price during the past year, however, between Surat
and Broach cotton which amounted to Rs. 150 per khandi in favour of the
longer stapled -cotton and the fact that the Cotton Contracts Board in Bombay
has been strict in not passing inferior and adulterated cotton as genuine
Broach, should do much to make both the cultivators and the dealers realise
where their true interest lies and the legislation to control the movements of
cotton proposed by the Indian Cotton Committee, if carried into effect, should
produce most beneficial results. The work in connection with/ N. R.
Cotton in Khandesh was carried on, as before, by the ordinarv staff and
the value to the cultivator of N. R. Cotton as compared with the
ordinary Khandesh mixture is now so generally appreciated that the department
was able to turn over the bulk of this distribution work to Co-operative
Societies and Seed Unions and all that the department did was to supply
132,000 lbs. of seed direct to the farmers. Field trials again demonstrated
that N. R. Cotton paid the cultivator much better than the longer stapled
varieties in the Khandesh mixture and so long as the department has
nothing more profitable to distribute, it must adopt the policy of pushing this
variety. It cannot, however, be regarded as wholly satisfactory that the
growing of a cotton with such an admittedly short staple, should be encouraged
especially in view of the present tendency for the difference in price of long and
short stapled varieties to increase, and the results obtained during the past
season for a strain of a Comilla—Bani cross were very satisfactory. It still
has to be tested on a field scale and to be seen how far the advantage obtained
on the Government farms in a year of good rainfall can be secured, under
ordinary cultivators’ conditions and in years of short rainfall. In the case of
Dharwar No. I in Kumta tract also a special temporary staff was engaged to
deal with the distribution of improved cotton seed and the marketing of the
produce. Dharwar No. I cotton was grown on an area of 3,500 acres and the
produce was auctiond by Cotton Sale Societies and obtained a fair premium
over local cotton amounting to Rs. 20 per naga which means about Rs. 4 per
acre. This strain was selected largely on account of the fact that it was
regarded as advantageous from the agricultural point of view, (i.e, in respect
of yield) and it was expected that it would rapidly find favour with the
cultivators on this account. It has beaten local cotton in point of yield so
consistently on the Dharwar farm over a long series of years that no trouble
in this respect was expected. After a two years’ trial, however, the cultivators
ot the principal locality where it was distributed came to the conclusion that it
yielded less than ordinary Kumta cotton, and in some places there was not
much desire to take up the seed, in spite of the fact that the produce got a
premium for quality. How far this opinion of the cultivators is justified it is
at present difficult to say. The figures of yield obtained on the Dharwar Farm,
and the figures obtained by tests in cultivators’ fields do not bear out their con-
ention, but on the contrary show an advantage in the yield for Dhawar No. I.
he opinion of the cultivators may be partly due to the fact that during the
w ° years that it was distributed on a large scale the season was very bad
an( ^ 0n ^ m ocierate during the second year. It is a fact, however,
this cotton has a more upright growth than the ordinary Kumta
0 ton, and needs to be sown somewhat thicker. On the Government
arms where proper spacing is observed, this would not tell against it; but in
U lva tors’ fields where the stand of cotton is ordinarily very poor, this might
as iPy tell against it in a bad or poor year. If this is the cause of the adverse
Chapter IV.
PRODUCTION
AND
DISTRIBUTION.