About this Book
An extremely rare monograph on the cotton cultivation scene of India by the british botanist George Alexander Gammie (1864-1934). Complete with 14 colored lithographs of the diverse varieties of cotton plants in India, this is a rare publication from The Agricultural Research Institute, PUSA. In original softcover, Printed by Thacker Spink and Co., Calcutta, 1907.
Published in the botanical series, this monograph takes an intimate look at George Gammie’s reflection and is written as a memoir of the department of agriculture in India. Traditionally, the Bengal delta and Madras regions produced some of the finest cotton fabric in the world, including the famed Dhakai Muslin and beyond, patrons of Indian muslin being nobles of the Mughal and Persian courts and later prominent figures such as Jane Austen, Marie Antoinette and Josephine Bonaparte. By 1907 when this memoir was published, most of the cotton trade has fallen into decline because of the effect of colonization on traditional cotton farming and demand for indigo. Nonetheless, this is a remarkable account of the history of Indian cotton and it’s diversity in varieties. All colored lithographs are printed in London.
This present account by George Alexander Gammie provides a detailed description of the history of cotton cultivation in India, the different varieties of cotton grown in the country, and the processes involved in cotton production, including spinning and weaving. The book also explores the economic and social impact of the cotton industry on India, including the role of British colonialism in shaping the industry.
