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disinfected, to place it within reach of the planters in such quan- 

 tity and at such a price that in no instance will it be necessary to 

 plant inferior or doubtful seed. 



Last year the Imperial Department of Agriculture imported and 

 supplied to planters 35,700ft). of Rivers' selected Sea Island cotton 

 seed and the results from this seed, in good soils and with suitable 

 cultivation, have been uniformly satisfactory. In some instances 

 Mr. Oliver reports that the cotton produced this year from Rivers' 

 seed in the West Indies ' is better than Rivers' own cotton ;' so 

 that, so far from having deteriorated, it would appear that the soil 

 and climate, in some localities at all events, in the West Indies 

 are capable of producing a higher quality of cotton than the Sea 

 Islands themselves. This is confirmed by the fact that the ship- 

 ments of 62 bales from Messrs. Simmons & Hazell of St. Vincent 

 ' are quite the best cotton grown under the auspices of the British 

 Cotton-growing Association and have been sold at an all-round 

 price of I/d. per ft).' If this cotton had been ' in the market in Oc- 

 tober and November last,' it is stated, ' it might easily have been 

 sold for 2 Id. per ft).' Again we are informed : ' West Indian cotton 

 is to-day fetching 2d. to 3d. per lb. over similar qualities of Ame- 

 rican cotton.' 



It is reasonable to suppose that if the seed from the high-priced 

 cotton, above referred to, were carefully selected and grown under 

 suitable conditions, the crop to be reaped next year should be as 

 good as, if not better than, this year's crop. 



The advantage is all in favour of the West Indies, for this is 

 the original home of Sea Island cotton, and the conditions, on that 

 account, should be more congenial to it here than in South Caro- 

 lina. 



Coming now to practical measures, it is proposed, in order to 

 safeguard the prospects of the cotton industry, that the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture should undertake to acquire all that 

 can be spared of the best seed and have it carefully handpicked 

 and disinfected and supplied to the planters at cost price. 



The Department will purchase the seed in the condition in 

 which it leaves the gins, mixed with bits of lint, immature seeds, 

 trash, etc. It will have this carefully picked over by hand so as 

 to retain only about one-half to consist of the largest and finest seed 

 for planting purposes. The residue will be returned to the grower 

 to be crushed for feeding purposes. The selected seed will then 

 be disinfected in order to protect it from fungoid and insect pests 

 and it will be offered to planters for sowing purposes at the rate 

 of 5c. (2id.) per lb. This is at a lower rate than is charged for 

 long-staple cotton seed either in the Sea Islands or in Egypt. 



It is strongly urged that no cotton seed be planted this year 

 unless it has been disinfected beforehand. Otherwise in the case 

 of seed shipped from one island to another, there would be the 

 probability of introducing either the cotton worm, the leaf-blister 

 mite, the cotton stainer, black boll, anthracnose or other diseases 



