Vol. XVI 1 1. No. 4."!; 



THK AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



COTTON, 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



The repori, of Messrs. Henry W. Frost. \r L'c>.. on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ended December 21, 1918, is as follows: — 



isi.ANMS. The maikct reiT,iain.s dull, -with limited demand. 

 With the .stock accuniuliiting, the Fictors are n :e de.-irous 

 of selling, but continue unwi.lingto make any further conces- 

 sion in price; conse(|iienlIy, we have to (juote, vi/' — 

 fine to Fully Fine 57c., f.o.b. and freight. 



There were orders in the market the early part of the 

 week at 56c., f.o. h. and freight, but could not induce the 

 holders to accept the price. However, with a cnntinuance of 

 no better demand, they may consent to sell to-day, it the 

 bid was renewed. 



(:eo"E»;i.\s AN']) KLORlD.\s. The Savannah market is 

 dull and nominal. Some buying has been going on in the 

 interior markets, and .sales are estimated to be about 600 

 bales. 



The buying is on account of the Xorthern Mills, and is 

 on a basis of — 



Extra Choice -35Ac., f.o.b. and freight. 



Average P^stra Choice 55c., f.o.b. and' freig'.t. 



The exports from Savannah for the week have bee n : to 

 Northern Mills 92 bales, and from .Jacksonville to Northern 

 Mills 104 bales. 



The United States Census Kareau reports the amount 

 of Sea Island cotton gitined to November l'\ as follows: — 



South Carolina ■4,821 bales] 



Georgia 14,291 



Florida 11,948 



again.st last year 83,352 

 • „ 1916 110,44S 



1915 83,810 

 1914 71,488 



J 



-making a total of 31,060 bales 



total crop 88,174 

 „ . 113,109 



8-5,278 

 .. ,. 78.857 



bales 



MAINTENANCE OF QUALITY OF 

 EGYPTIAN COTTON, 



A special article on the maintenance of the quality of 

 of Egyptian cotton, is contributed to the Biillctiii <,f thi 

 Impiruil luslititU, Vol XVI, No. 2, by Gerald C. Dudgeon, 

 CB.E., F.E.S., Consulting Agriculturist, Mini.stry of Agri- 

 culture, Kgypt. In this it is claimed that ]",gyptian cotton 

 holds its high position in the world's markets by reason of 

 the combined qualities of fineness, strength, and length, which 

 its staple posses.ses in comparison with that of cotton from 

 other parts of the world. 



The chmatic and cultural conditions found in Egypt 

 afford the country unique advantages, as far as it is at 

 present known, witji respect to the production of the par- 

 ticular kinds of cotton possessing the above mentioned 

 valuable qualities. 



.\ttention is directed to the fact that the life of any variety 

 of cotton in I'.gypt extends for a fen years only, such life 

 being determined by the length of tinn' occupied in the variety 

 becoming so impure that its characteristic advantages are no 

 longer apparent. This loss of purity, which by depreciation 

 in value has frequently rendered th- position of the Kgyp- 

 tian rotton industry precarious, has Ifd to the introduction 

 from time to time of new varieties .•showing improved quali- 

 ties in comparison with the varieties which have declined, 

 and which tlun- are destined to replace. These new varie- 



ties, in their turn, fr.r want of proper control, proceed tr> 

 deteriorate in the same manner, as soon as their cultivation 

 becomes extensive. The reason for this deterioration of varie- 

 ties is fully ex-plained in the arti^-le, and will be found btietiy- 

 stated in the summary apjiended. tosether with other matters 

 of interest, which we commend to the careful consideration of 

 cotton growers in the West Indies. 



(1) Egypt has so far as at present determined, unique 

 advantages for the production of a special kind of cotton of 

 high value. Attempts are being made in India and Arizona 

 to emulate Egypt's success in this respect, and attention i* 

 drawn to the progress made in America, to be regarded as 

 a warning of what may happen if steps be not taken to 

 maintain the purity of the existing Egyptian commercial 

 varieties in this country. 



_ (2) The period of life of an Ewyptiiin commercial 

 variety is not long, owing to the fact that the characteristic 

 ijualities which constitute its value, are ii.suallv rapidly 

 broken down by cross-fertilization in the field, and by care- 

 less mixture of seed in the ginneries. 



(3) The origin of all Egyptian commercial vari&ties 

 appears to have been a single plant in each case. These 

 plants may be assumed to have been 'mutant' strains, the 

 nature of which, so long as they are each inbred, is to breed 

 true to the parent type. The theory of the commercial varie- 

 ties being ever-splitting hybrids is therefore apparently 

 untenable. The assumption of the mutational origin of 

 Egyptian commercial varieties is supported by what has been 

 found to occur in experimental breeding from Kgyptian seed ia. 

 Arizona. 



(I') The inducement for certain cultivators to select single- 

 and remarkable plants, in order to propagate new varieties, has 

 arisen from a desire for money-making, but this advantage is 

 only coincident with the retention of a monopoly of the seed- 

 Impracticability of keeping this has resulted in the deteriora^ 

 tion of the variety as soon as control was lost. The Govern- 

 ment's attempts to fix and maintain the purity of existing 

 types are faced with the same fate when the pdrified seed 

 becomes widely distributed. The necessity of cultivator.s 

 askingj for the co-operation of the Government in prolonging 

 the life of pure commercial types should be brought to public 

 notice. The measures which the Government would have 

 to enforce, if control were to be exercised in this matter, are 

 stated. 



(5) Examples are given of the introduction of locally 

 undesirable types of cotton into areas otherwise confined to 

 the cultivation of one special kind; and of the injurious 

 irregularity introduced into the seed for solving by the- 

 fraudulent admixture of two totally differen', varieties of 

 cotton in the operation of ginning. A statement is made ot 

 the success which has attended the efforts of the Ministry of 

 Agriculture in the isolation of a purified type of cotton. . 

 which has yielded from 6| 'o 9?. kantars per feddan. 

 (620-906 Bb. of ginned cottoti per acre) in the last year, 

 and of which samples have been pronounced by buying 

 experts in Alexandria to be of excellent quality. Attention 

 is drawn to the fact that, in the process of the di.3semination. 

 of the seed descendant from the purified type, it must 

 under present circumstances, become impure, necessitating 

 the incessant selection each year of anew nucleus, in order to 

 overcome the establishnient of the inevitably d'-toriated. 

 descendants. ThisditEculty would disappear if the majorirv- 

 of cultivators, as well as the ginners, could be broaiiht r 

 understand the position thoroughly, and combine 

 ppeal to the Governmet.t to assist their.. 



