186 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



June 4, 1904. 



THE COTTON FACTORIES AT BARBADOS 

 AND ST. VINCENT. 



The following is a report, dated May 17, 1904, by 

 Mr. J. H. Hart, F.L.S., Superintendent of the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens, Trinidad, on a \isit recently made 

 by him to the cotton factories at Barbados and 

 St. Vincent : — ■ 



On the invitation of Sir Daniel Moni.s, K.C'.M.G., and 

 with the ai)proval of his Excellency the Acting Governor, I 

 proceeded to Barbados hy the mail of May G, for the i>urpose 

 of witnessing the operations carried on in the cotton-ginning 

 factory at Bridgetown, estahlished hy the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



Communicating immediately on iny arrival with 

 Sir Daniel ^Morris, I was able to make arrangements to see the 

 gins at work on the morning of Monday, May 10. On 

 arrival at the factory, I was met by ilr. J. K. Bovell, who 

 was kind enough to show me the machines in ojieration and 

 to explain their working in full detail. 



As described in the West Indian Ihtllttin, Vol. IV, p. .317, 

 the Barbados factory consists of six single-action roller 

 Macarthy gins (Platts) and a hand-power baling press. My 

 visit was timed to enable me to .see the factory in full work 

 and the first impression I received was the business-like 

 character of all the o[perations. There apjieared to be an 

 abundance ot raw cotton waiting to be ginned, and the 

 machines were rapidly turning it into clean and marketable 

 [iroduce, in bales of i^M to 300 It), each. 



Mr. Bovell exjilained that, on the delivery of the cotton, 

 each grower was given a receipt for the gross amount of 

 seed-cotton delivered at the factory, and when the work of 

 ginning was comi)lete, the grower received a statement showing 

 the net weight of lint and seed produced, after deducting 

 for any loss which occurred in the operation. The cotton is 

 at once baled and addressed ready for the market. It is 

 sent on to the British Cotton Growing Association, which 

 undertakes to dispose of the parcels to the best advantage 

 of the producers. 



The working of the power gins was thoroughly 

 e.xamined, and the most important features were clearly 

 pointed out to me by Mr. Bovell. There appears to be 

 little difficulty in obtaining operatives, and I am informed 

 that they rapidly acquire the necessary skill. Each gin is 

 attended by one man to feed and one woman to pick and 

 dispose of the cotton as it leaves the machine. 



The seed is crushed by a roller mill and is returned to 

 the growers for cattle food; most fif the present season's seed 

 has been treated in this manner, as it is intended to use 

 imported seed for the next croi). 



As the full statistics of the Barbados factory will be 

 published in due course, it is unnecessary to enter into details 

 in this report. It may be mentioned, however, that the 

 cotton api>eared to be of excellent (piality, and the maidpula- 

 tion all that could be desired. The soft and silky cotton 

 coming from each machine at a regular speed, proved that 

 they were working smoothly and well, and at a rate which 

 caused the single baling press to be kept going at its best 

 speed all the time. 



Ha\ing to pay a visit of inspection to the Tobago Botani(; 

 Station, I returned by the Intercolonial Steamer, which 

 enabled me to land at St. Vincent and inspect the factory in 

 that island. Sir Daniel ^lorris being on board, I was able 

 to ■ accompany him on his visit to the factory, which is 

 situated a short walk from the landing place. The inspec- 

 tion showed an adnurably arranged three-storj' building with 

 six gins at work and plentj' of cotton to work upon. This 



mill, I was informed, is considered by Mr. Seabrook, the 

 American giniung exjiert, to be fully eipial in its arrangements 

 to any in the United States. 



The factory was in full work. The gins are of three 

 different makes — two Platts, two Dobson k Barlow, and 

 two Asa Lees. The gins, like those at Barbados, are some 40 

 inches in width, and their capacity has been estimated to be 

 300 It), of lint per hour for six gins, or .50 lb. per hour for 

 a single gin. The hand gins imported for use in Trinidad are 

 roller gins of Platts make, and are about one-third the 

 capacity of the jiower gin when dri\en at the same speed. The}' 

 can be worked bj- power and are supplied with i)arts for that 

 purpose. I was informed that hand gins can never be 

 exi>ected to do as good work as power machines, on account 

 of the unpreventable variation in speed which occurs with 

 hand laljour. The Trinidad hand gins have, however, jier- 

 formed all the work they were called upon to perform during 

 the present season, and their work api)ears to compare 

 favouraldy with that done in other colonies. If, however, 

 a large area is jdanted in Trinidad during the coming sea.son, 

 they will not be sufficiently powerful to deal with the crop, 

 and further provision would have to be made to meet the 

 wants of growers. 



On enijuiry I find that in none of the islands are 

 advances made for growing cotton, liut that full provision is 

 made for giniung and marketing all that can be produced : it 

 is considered a better policy to assist the industry by 

 such means than Ut make direct advances to the growers. 



I have, in cr>nclusion, to record my api)reciation of the 

 kindness of Sir Daniel Morris in inviting me to inspect the 

 working of the cotton factories under his Department, and 

 for the personal trouble he took to ensure that 1 should 

 make myself fully acquainted with essential details of the 

 machinery and the methods of work which have been so 

 successfully adopted. 



BRITISH GUIANA. 



Assistant Instructor in Agriculture. 



Ajiplications are invited from candidates f(ir the above 

 post, who should l^e Ijetween twenty and thirty }'ears of a^e. 

 Preference will be given to candidates having knowledge of 

 and experience in the growth of tropical products under the 

 conditions existent on the coast-lands of British Guiana. A 

 knowledge of draiidng oj)erations is of importance. 



Candidates must submit with their aitplications copies 

 of satisfactory certificates of good health and of good 

 character together with coi)ies of not more than three 

 testimonials from their present or former employers. 



The salary attached to the post is §600 per annum. 



Duties. To give instruction in practical horti-agri- 

 culture to farmers and settlers in the various districts of the 

 colony, to assist in the inspection and exanunation of the 

 scholars of primary schools in the elements of agriculture, 

 to assist generally in the supervision of experiments carried 

 on under the auspices of the Bf)ard of Agriculture, to assist 

 in the work of the nurseries at the Botanic Gardens and to 

 take i)art in the general work of the Board. 



The instructor will be expected to avail himself of 

 the many opiiortunitiea which will be aflbrded him of 

 increasing his knowledge of tropical agriculture, and will be 

 reipiired to undergo a course of instructiDU in agricultural 

 science at the Government Laboratory. 



Applications should be addressed to the Dejtuty Chair- 

 man, Board of Agriculture, Georgetown, British Guiana, on 

 or before August 31, 1904. 



