Vol. III. No. 61. 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



261 



COTTON NOTES. 



r 



Cotton Growing in the West Indies. 



Under the auspices of the Liverpool Chamber of 

 Cominei'ce a large meeting was held on July 6 at the 

 Exchange Station Hotel for the 'purpose of hearing 

 a(ldre.sses by Sir Gei'ald Strickland, K.C.M.G., and 

 Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., on the possibilities offered 

 by the West Indies for cotton growing. Sir Alfred 

 Jones, K.C.M.G., presided. 



Sir Gerald Strickland jjointed out that in the 

 West Indies there was much land, which was not 

 suitable for sugar-cane cultivation, which might be 

 utilized for cotton growing. He referred to the fact 

 that lip to a comparatively recent time sugar had been 

 the main industry in the Leeward Islands. It was 

 desirable to establish a cotton industry side by side 

 with sugar. 



In the course of his address Sir Daniel Morris 

 made the following remarks, for a report of which we 

 are indebted to the Liverpool Mercury of July 7 : — 



Next year tliey hoped to have 8,000 to 10,000 acres 

 under cotton. In addition to Sea Island cotton .seed, they 

 put in Ei^yptian cotton seed, and they al.so planted native 

 cotton. In spite of the bad quality of the .seed they sowed 

 last year, the price they received this year for their cotton 

 was very favourable indeed. The greater part of cotton from 

 Barbados — the be.st qualities — was fetching \M., 16f/., and 

 16W. per tti., whilst one bale of the .same cotton had fetched 

 \s. 6d. per ft). This showed that, where they got good 

 seed and proper cultivation, they were obtaining good returns. 

 They hoped, before many years had passed, that the West 

 Indies would export 20,000, .30,000, and up to 50,000 bales 

 of cotton to this country. They had there an organization in 

 the Department of Agriculture which could assist and advise 

 the planters what to do. He said those who proposed to have 

 any dealings with the West Indies at the present time could 

 rest assured that the prosi>ects of investment of capital were 

 as good as in any part of the world. 



Cotton Growing in Jamaica. 



We extract the following from the report of the 

 usual monthly meeting of the Jamaica Board of Agri- 

 culture as published in the Gleaner of July 20: — 



The report of the sub-committee appointed to inquire 

 into tlie cotton industry was submitted. It recommended 

 that the Board should do all in its power to bring forcibly to 

 the notice of the Government the advisability of pushing this 

 industry with all its resources, especially in fostering the 

 industry in the plains of St. P'lizabeth where little that can 

 be exported is produced at present. The committee also 

 recommended that the Board should get in close touch at 

 once with the British Cotton Growing Association and 

 impress on them the capabilities of Jamaica for growing 

 cotton, that the people are awakening to the importance of 

 the industry, the results of experiments so far as gone, and 

 the price of Jamaica cotton already marketed. 



The matter of cotton growing in the parish of 

 St. Elizabeth has been enthusiastically taken up by 

 the local branch of the Jamaica Agricultural Society. 

 The Travelling Instructor is to visit certain districts of 

 the parish to rojiort upon their suitability for cotton 

 growing. 



St. Vincent Cotton Growers' Association. 



We leai-u from the Sentri/ that in response to the 

 invitation of the Acting Administrator a meeting of 

 gentlemen interested in agriculture was held at 

 St. Vincent on July 27, at which it was decided to form 

 a Cotton Growers' Association in order to have a recog- 

 nized local body to watch the interests of cotton growers. 



The officers of the association are — Mr. Alex- 

 ander Smith, Chairman ; Mr. J. G. W. Hazell, 

 Treasurer : and Mr. W. N. Sands, Secretary. 



The following resolutions were carried : — 



1. Resolved that this meeting considers that it is 

 desirable to form a local Cotton Growers' Association to 

 protect and further the interests of the cotton industry, in 

 this colony. 



2. Resolved that, in order to establish such an associa- 

 tion as an organized body, growers of cotton and others 

 interested in the cultivation who desire to become members 

 of the association be required to pny an entrance fee of 5s. 

 and a monthly subscription of Is. The funds to be applied 

 in such manner as the association may direct. That a 

 President be elected under a working committee one of whom 

 shall be nominated as Chairman, and that a Secretary be 

 appointed. 



3. That the Government and Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture be asked to recognize the association as an 

 established body to co-operate in all matters for the advance- 

 ment of the Cotton Industry. 



Cotton Cultivation in Porto Rico. 



The following account of experiments in cotton 

 growing in Porto Rico is contained in the Consular 

 Report for 1903:— 



Cotton cultivation experienced an active revival all over 

 the island under the auspices of an American firm, which 

 supplied a considerable quantity of seed gratis. 



About 10,000 acres are said to have been planted with 

 cotton during the year and to have yielded satisfactorily 

 (some 5,000 bales), both as regards quantity and quality. 



The results are jn-onounced capable of important 

 improvement as soon as the now inexperienced cultivators, 

 pickers, and handlers have mastered the methods of the novel 

 industry. 



At present the introducers of the venture contrast the 

 native labour very unfavourably with that in the American 

 cotton fields and ginneries. 



Ginneries have been erected at San Juan, and other 

 plants will follow at various points of the island to meet 

 requirements that doubtlessly will be doubled or trebled in a 

 short time. 



The .sort is Sea Island. To the end of the year cotton 

 to the value of £871 was exported to the United States. 



Mr. Yice-Consul Wilson reports on cotton cultiva- 

 tion in the Arecibo district as follows : — 



There has been some attempt at planting Sea Island 

 cotton in this district, but the result has not been so satisfac- 

 tory as was expected, mostly owing to the poor attention 

 given to the fields and the lack of experience in picking, etc. ; 

 however, the reports as to quality and stoutness of the fibre 

 are favourable. 



