Agriculture in India. 1

Abstract

IN his report on the condition of agriculture in India, Mr. Coventry is able to state that the progress recorded in earlier reports has been welf maintained, and the beneficent and productive character of the Department's undertakings made much more apparent. Sustained efforts are being made in the cotton tracts to improve the quality and increase the quantity of the staple. In Madras, the improvements have taken two lines—the separation and selection of the best indigenous variety and the introduction of the exotic Cambodia. Similar improvements are also noted in the Central Provinces and Bombay. The well-known work of Mr. and Mrs. Howard on the improvement of Indian wheats is being carried on and has entered a new phase by the establishment of seed farms where the new varie-ties can be grown on the large scale for distribution to the growers. The sugar industry, however, is in a critical condition, the native product failing to com-pete with sugar from the West, but it is hoped that the industry can be remodelled on scientific lines.