Vol. III. No. 71. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



421 



COTTON INDUSTRY. 



Prospects of the Crop. 



From the fortnightly rc-jjorts of local officers we 

 extracb the following information with regard to the 

 condition and prospects of the cotton crop : — 



In St. Vincent pic-king was being activelj' carried on, 

 and it was estimated that over ^0,000 It), of seed-cotton had 

 been picked up to December 16. The leaf-blister mite was 

 present in several cultivations but not in alarming [iropor- 

 tions. 



In St. Kitt'.-?, Mr. Shepherd reports, cotton was being 

 picked on several estates, and the product was clean and of 

 \-ery good cprality. On most of the other estates the plants 

 were well advanced and promising excellent yields. The 

 effect of the leaf-blister nnte was to be seen on some of tlic 

 older trees, but these were too far advanced to be seriously 

 damaged. Some cotton planted at Bourkes in November 

 was ifkely to be a useful experiment in late planting, and the 

 results will be carefully watched. 



ilr. Bovell reports that at Barbados ' the cotton all over 

 the island is, so far as I know, with a few exceptions, in 

 a healthy condition and practically free from insect pests.' 

 In two cultivations the red maggot has appeared ; in these 

 cases dead and dying branches are being carefully cut out. 



West Indies. 



iVIr. C. M. Wolstenholme, of the firm of Wolsten- 

 holme & Holland, Liverpool, writing to the Liverpool 

 Mercury, makes the following reference to cotton 

 growing in the West Indies : — 



In the West India Islands, which have been in a state 

 of lethargy since the decline in the value of cane sugar, I can 

 confidently say that we have established a mosf. profitable 

 industry on a sound commercial basis. The planters are 

 enthusiastic, and a member of the association, who is 

 a practical spinner, is now in Barbados with Sir IJaniel 

 Morris, the Imperial Counnissioner of Agriculture, arranging 

 final details. The West Indian crop this season pronuses to 

 be 5,000 bales, worth £100,000, apart from a considerable 

 cpiantity of indigenous cotton. Last season we marketed 

 upwards of 2,000 bales of new growths, including the 

 product of Sea Island seed, which sold up to \^d. per Kx; 

 and Egyptian seed, which sold at the price of 'good fair' 

 brown. 



Cuba. 



Mr. F. S. Earle, Director of the recently established 

 Agricultural Department, Cuba, writes as follows to the 

 Havana Post on cotton growing in that island : — 



The planting of cotton is attracting considerable 

 attention in Cuba at this time. The present indications are 

 that the conditions here are all favourable for this crop 

 with one important exception. Intending planters should be 

 informed that the boll weevil exists in many parts of Cuba 

 and that it is likely to prove exceedingly troublesome. It is 

 not necessarily certain that the damage will be as great 

 here as it has been in Texas, for the boll weevil is supposed 

 to be a native of Cuba, and in many cases native insect ])ests 

 have natural enemies of one kind or another that hold them 

 more or less in check. It is when they nugrato to other 

 . countries and succeed in leaving their enemies behind them 

 that insects become more destructive. While there is thus 



reason to hope that natural enenues of the weevil exists here, 

 none have so far been observed, and we can only conjecture 

 what the effect on this insect will be of the rapid increase in 

 its food supply that is now taking place in some parts of the 

 island. 



The best time for planting cotton in Cuba seems to be 

 in May and June, so that the crop will mature during the 

 dry season. It is almost impossible to harvest cotton 

 that ripens during a period of frequent rains. Another point 

 to be carefully considered by those intending to plant on 

 a large scale is the matter of an adequate supply of labour 

 for picking the croi>. Cotton picking is a slow, lrtl)orious 

 process at best, and with a scanty supply of unskilled labour 

 it would be exceedingly difficult to harvest a large crop 

 properly. It is by no means intended to discourage the 

 l)lanting of cotton in Cuba. The crop is on many accounts 

 a most attractive one, but it would seem wise not to invest 

 too heavily in it until its possibilities under our conditions 

 are more thoroughly understood. This year's experience will 

 probably demonstrate whether or not it can be profitably 

 grown here. 



GOAT RAISING IN MEXICO. 



The following interesting account of goat raising 

 in Mexico is taken from the LT. S. Monthly Consular 

 Eejwrtti for Atigust • — 



The ordinary domestic goat, so well known in the 

 United States, is the species raised throughout iMexico. It 

 is valued for its pelt, its tallow, and its flesh, both fresh and 

 dried. As yet no use has been made of either horns or 

 hoofs. In the vicinity of San Luis Potosi the entrails have 

 been spun into long strings of so-called catgut, and the finer 

 and more delicate strings have been profitably exported by 

 mail, in small parcels, to Chicago and New York. 



The Angora breed is not appreciated in Mexico, though 

 it finds favour in western Texas, near the Mexican border. 

 If of pure blood and if neglected during the season for 

 pulling, it is ai)t to leave its hair scattered upon the scrub 

 and brush. Furthermore, whether pure or crossed, it is 

 more of a sheep than a goat, its skin being less than one 

 fourth as valuable as ordinary goatskins. This destroys the 

 value of the Angora in Mexico. 



The ordinary goat, when slaughtered, yields 4 H). of 

 dried meat and 6 B). of refined tallow, which, together with 

 the skin, are worth here in the home market, in Mexican 

 .silver, !?3-46 (-SI -57 in gold) — the 41b. of dried meat, at 20c., 

 80c. ; the 6 lb. of refined tallow, at 16c., 96c. ; the cured 

 skin, 2 K)., at 85c., $1-70. The original cost of goatsfor 

 breeding purposes is, on an average, $2-50 a head in Mexican 

 silver (^?ld0 in gokl). The common goat, well cared for, is 

 hardy and well suited to the country. It breeds four times 

 in three years. 



The Profits of Goat Keeping.— The idea that 

 a Croat is an unprofitable and useless possession should be 

 dispelled. A good goat will yield on an average, for the first 

 three months she is in milk, 3 pints daily. During the 

 next three months she will yield 1 i pints, and _ for 

 the remaining ninety days f pint daily. This brings 

 the return from milk to 240 quarts, which, at id. per 

 quart, is £i from this source alone. Then there is 

 the new-comer to be considered. If it be of good pedigree, 

 healthy and well marked, it should fetch sufficient to pay all 

 the expenses of the parent's keep, so that one goat may show 

 a profit of £4 within the space of eight months. (Affri- 

 ruttura! World.) 



