YoL. I. No. 10. 



THE AGRICULTUPtAL NEWS. 



153 



COTTON GROWING IN THE LEEWARD 

 ISLANDS. 



Ill the A(jriciilfa ml Xcirn (p. 10.3) iiu'iitimi was 

 made of the ex|)eriiiieiits that have recently been 

 con(hicted by the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 with a view of testing the possibility of re-establishing 

 a cotton industr}- at St. Lucia and Montserrat. The 

 following interesting paper, on cotton growing in the 

 Leeward Islands, read by the Hon. Francis Watts, 

 Government and Analytical CMiemist, before a meeting 

 of the Agricultural and Commercial Society of Antigua 

 on August \, tlirows additiimal light and points to 

 the possibility of the industry being successfully i-e- 

 established in a few, at least, of the Leeward Islands : — 



The question of cotton planting has recently received a 

 good (leal of attention in several of the West Indian Colo- 

 nies, planters being urged thereto l)y the ra}iid fall in the 

 price of sugar. When nuiscovadu sugar can he sold for 

 good prices, such as XIO |;ier ton and upwards, there is little 

 inducement for the inhabitants of such places as Antigua, 

 8t Kitt's, Nevis and Montserrat to think of cotton growing, 

 for people can lind i)rofital)le employment in the long-estab- 

 lished industry and cotton otters no prospect of greater gain 

 or more congenial employment. 



But now matters are on a different footing. Sugar of ^9° 

 test is selling at about £5 to £0 \0s. a ton, and molasses is 

 difficult of sale at 'Id. per gallon. On the other hand, cotton 

 appears to be in increasing demand, and relatively high 

 prices appear to be obtainable for certain kinds. This being 

 so, cotton wan-ants careful attention on the part of land<jwners 

 in these islands. 



VARIETIES OF COTTON. 



Varieties of cotton are roughly divided into two kinds : 

 (a) long stapled and (b) short stapled. Amongst the former 

 is the variety known as '.sea island': this has unusually 

 long silken filires and for this reason the product is always 

 valued at a nuich higher price than that of short-fibred 

 varieties. This variety of cotton can only be grown success- 

 fully in a limited area ; in the great cotton-producing 

 areas of the United States it can only lie cultivated 

 commercially in the maritime districts of the Southern 

 States, though the enterpri.se and skill of the American 

 agriculturist is breaking down this restriction. It is 

 this restriction of area which gives rise to the relatively 

 liigh price. Now the point of interest for us in the Leeward 

 Islands is, that this variety of cotton is a native of tlie.se 

 islands : the West Indian Lslands are the countries of its 

 origin, thus, with care and energy, we should be able to 

 succeed in the cultivation of sea island cotton beyond those 

 less favoured people amongst whom the plant is an intro- 

 duced one. 



Long stapled cottons of the sea island type are also 

 grown to some e-xtent in Egypt and the East Indies. 



Short stajiled cottons have a much wider range and are 

 capable of cultivation in districts where sea island will not 

 thrive. These short stapled cottons usually produce nuich 

 heavier returns per acre, but the cotton, is much less valuable 

 than sea island. 



With the.se facts before us, it is fairly evident that our 

 energies should be directed towards growing sea island 

 cotton, unless experiments prove to us that some other 

 variety will jiroduce such a large yi'jld per acre as to compen- 

 sate for its comparatively low price. 



QU.VLITY OF COTTON. 



If we arc to atteni[it to establish a cotton industry in 

 the Leeward Islands, I think there are several things we 

 •should set before our minds at the out.set : we should 

 endeiivour to [)roduce a high an! uniform gra<le of cotton, 

 and we should endeavour to put this ujioii the market in a 

 uniform maimer so as to estciblish well known nuuks and 

 thus secure ready sales at ma.ximuni prices. 



A\'ith regard to the first of the.se, we must reniendier that 

 cotton carelessly grown from badly selected seed is liable to 

 deteriorate year aftjr ycir. Conversely, with care in the 

 selection of seed, it may lie improved. We arc face to face 

 with a danger, and at the same time have two means of 

 averting it. The most rigid and careful selection of seed 

 should therefore be the duty of every cotton planter in 

 the Leeward Islands. 



The demand for a long sta})led cotton is increiising and 

 there is .some comjietition to .secure a good sui^ily. This 

 otters us the ojiportunity of establishing a steady and reliable 

 trade either with Great Britain or with the United States. 



In some of the districts where .sea island cotton is now 

 grown, the industry is stated to be ' chieHy in the hands 

 of small farmers of the coloured race, whose intelligence, 

 skill and care are wholly occupied in securing a bare 

 subsistence for themselves.' With our established estate 

 .system we ought to be able to improve upon those condi- 

 tions and jiroduce an article conunanding the highest prices. 

 If that can be done, cotton may jirove a very remunerative 

 crop. 



P.\CKINa. 



Now, as to the packing, a neat package has nuich to do 

 with the sale of high-class goods such as we must produce 

 here if cotton is to pay. The ordinary cotton bale is 

 anything but neat. One authority writes : ' Taken altogether 

 it is generally admitted that the American bale is the 

 clumsiest, dirtiest, most expensive, and most wasteful 

 jiackage in which cotton, or in fact any commodity of like 

 value is [lut u[> anywhere. It has no friends either among 

 manufacturers, buyers, sliipiiers, insurers or producers. 

 Custom .seems alone responsible for this incubus on the 

 industry.' (H. Hannnond, ?'Ae Cotton Plant, p. 3612.) I 

 learn that there is an improved method of baling known 

 as the Bessnnette system which, if not too costly, ai>pear.s 

 to be exactly suitalilc to the kind of trade we .slioidd 

 endeavour to establish. By this sy.stem the cotton (lint) 

 is tightly wound into a cylindrical bale about 30 inches 

 long and 1.5 inches in diameter ; these bales are easily 

 covered with cotton cloth and the ends are cajiped with 

 cotton cloth held in place by a small hooi) of wire ; no tie.s 

 are used nor are they necessary, for the bale retains its 

 shape without them. Prospective cotton growers are strongly 

 advised to make inipiiries as to the machinery reipiired for 

 this system of packing. A uniform system of baling for all 

 the cotton from a given district is much to be desired, and at 

 this stage, when all the plant will have to bo purchased, we 

 have the opportunity of securing the best, unhampered by 

 old machinery and traditions. 



No doubt, in the early stages of the new industry many 

 mistakes will be made, but these will be less serious if a 

 high ideal is intelligently aimed at. W^hat we must see is 

 that cotton is not merely cotton, but that there are good 

 kinds and indiff'erent kinds. Good kinds may deteriorate 

 with careless cultivation and careless handling, and we must 

 recognize that we ha\e all the conditions ncce.s.saiy to enable 

 us to secure the best, and make up our minds to use our 

 natural advantages to the full. 



(To he continued.) 



