38 



THE AGKICOLTUKAL XEWfc. 



February b, 1919. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



The report of Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 endeit .January ix. 1910, is as follows: — 



ISLANDS.. The Cotton Exchange reports the market 

 dull, with no sales, the demand being limited, and Factors 

 still unwilling to meet the decline and sell on a basis of 

 Georgia?! and Floridas. However, some business has been 

 done on private terms, resulting in sales of upwards of 

 500 bales on a basis of quotations. Should no better demand 

 spring up, the Factors will in lime consent to sell at this 

 decline quoted, which would admit of our buying to advan- 

 tage. We still think that Fine to Fully Fine Islands, afrour 

 quotation, are relatively much cheaper than Georgias and 

 Floridas, being better in grade, siaple, and fineness. 



We quote viz : — 



Fine to Fully Fine Islands, 54c. to 64^c., f.o.b. and 

 freight. 



I'LANTEKs' CKOP LOT.s OF EXTRA FINE. There is no 

 demand at present, but the crops are firmly held at very 

 full prices, the supply being very limited. 



GF,oE<.iA> AND FLORiiMs. The Savannah market 

 remains dull, as the Factors are generally unwilling tc accept 

 current prices. 



The receipts and sales reported arc cotton bought in the 

 interior, and shipped to Savannah to be forwarded to the 

 Northern Mills. 



The demand is more general, the mills becoming inter 

 ested at prices now current. '!^It is possible the small crop 

 (estimated at not over 48,000 bales) will all be required, and 

 that present prices may be maintained. 



We quote, viz: — 



Extra Choice to Fancy, -ji !,(:., t.o.b. and freight. 

 Average Extra Choice, 53ic., f.o.b. and freight. rj-i^i ,, " 



The exports from Savannah for the week^have been ; to 

 Northern Mills .">."^0 bales, and from .Jacksonville to Northern 

 Mills 204 bales. 



COTTON LEGISLATION IN ST. VINCENT. 



The following notice has bwiD itsiied by the Agri- 

 cultural Superintendent of St. Vincent to cotton grow- 

 ers in the colony. It is published aa an example of the 

 steps which ought to be taken in every cotton -growing 

 island in the West Indies, if the industry is to be 

 maintained and the crop protected from the ravages of 

 leaf-bli'«ler initc and cotton stainers: — 



1. All C'ttton btalks must be pulled up and burnt before 

 the end of March. 



•2 Cott»jn stalks should be burnt in'the field as soon as 

 possible after they are pulltrt up ') 



.'1 No cntion may be phjnt";d in the month of April 



4. It i.s advised that cotton planting be deferred until 

 the month of .June. 



•5. Near buildings used for storing and sorting cotton 

 all weeds and bu.'h should be destroyed. 



6. The borders of cotton fields where cotton stainers and 

 bush bugs may find shelter and food should be cutlassed. 



7. Any cotton stainers which may be found near build- 

 ings and elsewhere should be collected on heaps of cotton 

 seed, and killed. 



8 All cotton-seed traps should be inspected daily, 

 prevent the cotton stainer breeding after feeding on iheiu. 



It must he noticed that the Hrst three sections are 

 subjects of legislative enactment, and failure to comply 

 with them entails",iegal pains and penalties. Without the 

 thorough carrying out of regulations like the above, it 

 is hopeless to think that cotton cultivation can be 

 successfully maintained in any of these colonies. 



COTTON SEED DISTRIBUTION IN EGYPT. 



The method of distribution of cotton seed for planting- as 

 practised by the Government of Egypt, may be of interest to 

 readers of this Journal who are cotton growers in other cotton- 

 producing countries. 



In addition to the cotton seed from the Government 

 experiment stations and seed farms, which is limited in 

 amount, large quantities of cotton seed are purchased from 

 the ginneries, for distribution principally to the small cotton 

 growers. The agricultural inspectors in the Provinces, with 

 the as.sistance of the managers of the ginneries, are able to 

 purchase for the government, the seed of specially good crop 

 lots of cotton as this is passing through the gins, at a fixed 

 percentage advance in price over the market value of ccmmer- 

 cial seed. Many of these crop lots of cotton have been 

 reported upon by the agricultural inspectors just before they 

 were picked This seed is bagged as it comes from the gins^ 

 and set aside for distribution in the following planting season. 



Cotton growers who desire to obtain this government 

 seed make application through regular official channels, stating 

 that it is desired for planting by the purchaser, and not for 

 sale: the applicant is required to show what area is to be 

 planted with the an^ount of .seed applied for, in order that 

 no iraud may be practised. 



In this way the small grower is able to procure seed 

 from good crop lots at a reasonable price— seed which has 

 been passed by a Government Inspector — the price being 

 much lower than of seed sold by speculators, and the quality 

 much better. 



This system does not do anything to improve the strains 

 of cotton, but it is of great value in preventing rapid deteri- 

 oration in the varieties grown, since it results in the best 

 seed being supplied to the small growers. 



That this section of the work of the Ministry of Agri- 

 culture of Egypt is of great importance is shown by the 

 development of the work, and the amount of seed distri- 

 buted in this way in recent years. 



The following figures are taken from an article by 

 Mr. A. S. Merton, Director of the Commercial Section, Minis- 

 try of Agriculture, which was published in the Ai^ricul/ural 

 Journal of Egyft, Vol. VII, 1917, p. 154. The distribu. 

 tion of ordinary .seed, such as that mentioned above, increased 

 from 39,576 ardebs in 1912 to til, 321 ardebs in 1916. As 

 an ardebei|Uals about 5^ bushels, weighing about 170 1b., 

 these amounts are seen to be very considerable. The 

 amount distributed in 1912 was •J,7'Jb,260 %,. and in 1916 it 

 was 1.3,824,.'>70 tf). This amount distributed in 1916 provided 

 se'.'d for planting <i.bout :i44,000 acres. 



