Vol. III. No. 50. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



85 



COTTON. 



Cotton at St. Vincent. 



The following notice, signed by Mr. W. B. 

 Seabrook, Cotton Expert, and Mr. C. H. Knowles, 

 Acting Curator of the Botanic Station, has been 

 inserted in the St. Vincent papers : — 



Cotton planters are asked to facilitate tlie work of the 

 Cotton Factory and also to further their own interests by 

 giving careful attention to the following points when jiicking 

 and j)reiiaring the cotton for ginning at the Factory : — 



(1) Ko .■ihorf-sfaji/e cuttvn of any kind should on any 

 account be mixed with the long-staple Sea Island. 



(2) Great care should be taken to remove all trash, bits 

 of leaves, etc., from the cotton when [licking and before it is 

 mixed in bulk. 



(3) Yellow stained cotton can be ginned, but must be 

 sent separately and not mixed with clean white cotton. 



Cotton Bales. 



We extract the following note on this subject 

 from Mr. Foaden's report to which we referred in the 

 last issue of the Agricultural News (Vol. Ill, p. 09): — ■ 



The American cotton bale leaves a great deal to be 

 desired, and the question is one which has been discussed at 

 great length during recent years. Compared with an 

 Egyptian bale, it is very inferior : it shows the cotton in 

 many places, the bagging is inferior and the ties often break. 

 The standard size of the American bale is about -54 inches 

 long, 27 inches wide and about 16 inclies thick, weighing 

 about 500 lb. The Indian bale is smaller and lighter, the 

 Egyptian, though not nuich larger, is heavier. The average 

 weight of the bale of the chief cotton-growing countries is 

 approximately as follows : — 



American, 500 ft. ; Brazilian, 2.30 lb. ; Egyptian, 740 ft ; 

 Indian, 400 ft. ; and Peruvian, 182 ft. 



The Supply of Cotton. 



The following note, taken from the January number 

 of the Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, 

 gives a hopeful account of the prospects of the cotton 

 industry in the future, which should do much to 

 remove any doubts of growers as to the ultimate 

 success of the efforts now being made to revive the 

 cultivation of cotton in these islands : — 



There never was a period in the history of cotton when 

 the prospects of a great world shortage is so evident as now, 

 a shortage, too, not like the one cau.sed by the Civil War in 

 the United States. Formerly it was almost wholly the 

 county of Lancashire in England that consumed cotton. 

 Now it still takes as much as ever — or would if it could get 

 it. It is not through want of trade but lack of supply 

 that the mills there have .shut down, and Belgium, Germany, 

 Italy, Japan, India and the United States have all large 

 cotton-manufacturing industries besides. The United States 

 does not supjily itself with just the varieties of cotton that 

 we can grow best, viz., Sea Island and Egyptian. It imports 

 from Egyjit annually 7i million dollars worth of cotton. 

 Was there ever an industry with such a good chance — when 

 the world gasps for supplies and cannot get them ? Will the 

 demand last 1 It is calculated that it will, for the L^nited 

 States are using more and more of their Upland cotton, 

 while it is not i)rol)able that they will ever be able to grow 

 all the Sea Island they require. A shortage for many 3'ears 

 yet is in sight. 



DIVERSIFICATION OF CROPS IN THE 

 WEST INDIES. 



The following is a letter addre.ssed by the 

 Imperial Comnn.ssioner of Agriculture to the Editor 

 of the Louisiana Planter on the above subject: — 



In the Louisiana Planter, No. 26, for December 26, I 

 notice it is stated that although during late years I have 

 been advocating a diversification of crops in the British West 

 Indies, I am now said to have slightly changed my views. 



As the Louisiana Planter is so widely read in these 

 colonies, as well as in other parts of the world, I would ask 

 your permission to place on record that the views I have 

 consistently advocated for twenty-five years have in no 

 degree altered in regard to the necessity for a diversification 

 of crops as a means of improving the circumstances of the 

 West Indies. 



In my address at the Sugar Conference, held at Jamaica 

 on November 1 1 last, I drew special attention to the sugar 

 industry and advocated its extension, because in the eager 

 rush for profits arising from the cultivation of bananas there 

 were indications that the claims of sugar, as one of the staple 

 industries of the island, were in danger of being overlooked. 

 I went on to .say that a prosperous sugar industry would al.so 

 mean a prosperous pen-keeping industry. The sugar 

 industry and cacao and other industries were essential in 

 order to i)lace the circumstances of tlie island in a stable 

 condition, so that, if anything liappened to one industry, the 

 others should be able to take its place. It was not safe to 

 dejiend alone on a flourishing banana industry. It was 

 necessary that a flourishing sugar industry and flourishing 

 cacao, coffee and other industries should also be maintained 

 in the island. 



At the present moment, in order to aid still further in 

 the diversification of crops, I am taking an active part in 

 encouraging a cotton industry and in starting on a moder- 

 ately large scale the cultivation of rubber trees, onions, 

 ground nuts, vanilla, oranges, grape fruit and pine-api)Ies. 



I would take advantage of this opportunity of thanking 

 you very heartily for the .sympathy and the interest shown 

 by the Louisiana Planter in the welfare of the British West 

 Indies 



In reviewing this letter the Editor of the Louis- 

 iana Planter writes as follows in his issue for 

 February 13 : — 



Elsewhere in this issue will be found an interesting 

 letter from Sir Daniel ilorris, the Imperial Conunissioner of 

 Agriculture in the British West Indies. The letter explains 

 the present position of Sir Daniel, and we were led into our 

 conclusions, to which he takes exception, by Lis seeming 

 reference to the sugar industry as the main dependence, after 

 all, of the British West Indies, when the continually falling 

 markets throughout the entire sugar world are seemingly 

 carrying disaster to that industry everywhere. 



Sir Daniel Jlorris has done such excellent work already 

 in urging the diversification of crofis in the West Indies, that 

 we can only praise his untiring interest, unflagging energy 

 and supreme devotion to the cause in which he is engaged. 

 In this connexion we may give, as applicable to Sir Daniel's 

 present position, a clijiping from a recent issue of the Jamaica 

 (•'leaner, which really states the whole case : — 



' The great point in Sir Daniel's agricultural gospel is 

 the necessity for more industries to supplement those on 

 which the island relies to too great an extent at present. He 

 urged this when he was formerly in the island ; he has urged 

 it on every visit he has paid to it since ; he again urges it 

 more emphatically than ever.' 



