Abstract

With the commencement of summer i. e. February -March, what corresponds to the Masipattam in the Tamil agri- cultural calender, large areas about 74,000 acres are cultivated I annually, with an American variety of cotton, popularly known as Uganda or Rajapalayam - G. hirsutum. The districts concerned are Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli and parts of South Arcot in the order of importance. The strain that is recommended for this zone of growth by the Agriculture Department is called MCU. 2 (Madras Cambodia Uganda-2). It is one of the best quality long staple cottons in India. Though this strain has almost covered the entire area, the method of cultivation varies from place to place giving scope for improvement. In this brief article the average cultivation cost and income per acre based on enquiries on three average holdings are furnished, together with suggestions by adopting which the cost can be reduced and the income enhanced.

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