TP 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Maech 22. 191&. 



COTTON. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



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

 •Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ended February "". 1919, is as follows: — 



ISLANDS. There has been an active demand throughout 

 the week for Fine to Fully Fine, resulting in sales of 

 upwards of 1.000 bales, although the Cotton Exchange 

 reports only 22.5 bales, the buying being on account of the 

 Northern Mills based on our quotations. The supply of 

 this quality is now reduced to .500 to 600 bales, for which 

 *bere is a good de»l of inquiry, and this limited amount 

 lemainin^j in the crop may at any moment be disposed of. 

 'The quality is better in grade, staple, and fineness, than any 

 selection we can make out of the Georgia and Florida crops. 



Of the unsold stock remaining on hand much the larger 

 proportion consists of cotton more or less off in preparation. 



We quote, viz: — 



Fine to Fully Find, 5.3ic. to 54c., f.o.b. and freight. 



Fine to Fully Fine, slightly off in preparation, 52c. to 

 52^c., f.o.b. and freight. 



OEoRGiAs AND FLORiDAS. There was a quieter feeling 

 an the market thLs week, and some orders were filled at some 

 slight concession in price. The market, however, is about 

 Bteady at our quotations, witb a moderate demand. 



We quote, viz.; — 



Extra Choice, o2^c., f.o.b. and freight. 



Average Extra Choice, 51c. to 5Hc., f.o.b. and freight. 



The exporte from Savannah for the week have been: 

 to Northern Mills 812 bales, and from Jacksonville to 

 2forthern Mills 800 bales. 



COMMUNITY COTTON PRODUCTION. 



The following remarks from the report of the act- 

 ing chief of the bureau of plant industry of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture for the year ended 

 June 30, 1918, corroborate the advice which has been 

 consistently given to West Indian colton growers by the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture: — 



lliat all cotton production should be placed ou an 

 organized community basis appears the more desirable with each 

 additional season of experience in such efforts The most 

 direct and obvious advantage of uniting upon a single variety 

 is that each farmer in the community can get more for his 

 cotton than if many kinds are raised- There is nn question 

 that large buyew and manufacturers will pay more for cotton 

 of one kind than can be had by the hundn.'ds of thousands of 

 bales than for cotton that can be bad only in small lots, with 

 each farmer feeling at liberty to grow a kind different from 

 hi^ jieighbonrs. 



The resalt of mixing the seed of many varieties at 

 pnblic j^ins, and of planting such 'gin-run' mixtures of seed ia 

 a general and nnntinnouH degeneration of varieties. This ■ can 

 be counteracted only in a partial and temporary way by the 

 breeding and distribution of seed of select stocks, which aoon 

 lose their purity and uniformity when grown in mixed 

 •^mmunitie?- 



The chronic deficiency of pare seed, even of the oldest and 

 iumt koown varieties, is traceable largely to the lack of comma- 



nities where seed of one variety can be grown without conttmi- 

 nation- The advantages of community production of one 

 kind of cotton and adeq"ate supplies of pure seed have been 

 demonstrated conclusively in the Salt River valley of Arizona, 

 which now has the largest body of uniformly pure cotton in 

 the world. The first communities that were organized in 

 different parts of the cotton belt are being utilized in the 

 same way as sources of supply of pure seed for other 

 communities that are beginning to organize. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



GRENADA. Plant distribution duiing the month of 

 January comfrised the following: coco nuts, 49; ornamental 

 plants, 55; other economic plants, 4: 17 pu-kets of seeds, and 

 1 bundle of cutting.^:. The Iccal price of cacao. Mr. Moore 

 states, had risen to 17s. per R)., while the loc-l price of corn 

 on cob was 1 2s- per barrel. The reaping of the sugar crop 

 was in progress. The area under Sea Island cotton is esti- 

 mated at 40 to 50 acres. The crop is being harvested, and the 

 prospects are reported to be fair. The cotton ginnery was 

 timed to be opened on February 10, and the crop is to be 

 handled on a co-operative system similar to that obtaining in. 

 St. Vincent. The rainfall recorded at llichmond Hill for the 

 month was 2-81 inches. 



ST- VINCENT- Mr. Sands writes to say that good pick- 

 ings of white cotton continued to be obtained durim; the 

 mouth of February- On the twelfth 400 bales of Sea Island 

 cotton were shipped to the War Office. Reports on the 

 Marie Galante cotton at Union Island are not satisfactory. 

 It is feared that cotton stainers, which now abound there, are 

 responsible. An investigation will be mide. The digging of 

 arrowroot was on some estates retardt d by the unwillingness 

 of labourers to undertake the task, althout>h the prices paid 

 were much higher than hitherto. Syrup is being made by 

 most estates growing sugar-cane. Exports of syrup have 

 been made to Canada. The return from Montserrat of Mr. S. O. 

 Harland, B. Sc, Assistant for Cotton Research, on February 4, 

 i.s recorded. On February 12, a scheme for agricultural 

 education in St. Vincent was discussed with the Administrator 

 and Inspector of Schools by the Agricultural Superintendent. 

 The weather during: the month was seasonable, the rainfall 

 recorded being. Botanic Station, 2-75 inches; Experiment 

 Station, 207 inche«. 



sr. LUCIA Tht.' following distribution of planta is 

 recorded for the month of January: limes, 400; budded 

 oranges, 42; cacao, .500; coffee (Robusta), 125; ornamental, 

 11; .'3 packets vegetable and 1 packet tobacco seeds. 

 Mr. Brooks states that the lime crop is practically over, and 

 reaping oj)eration« were in full' awing in connexion with the 

 sugar crop- Work has been commenced in converting the 

 Soufriore Market fc'quare into a public garden. The rainfall 

 registered at the Kotanic Gardens, Castries, during the month 

 was I "95 inches; at the Agricultural and Botanic Station, 

 Choiseul. 1 •.'W iachew- 



bOMiMC;!- Tho crop gathered in the lime experiment, 

 station during the month amounted to 25 barrels of fruit, 

 making a total of 1,060 barrels for eleven months. The work 

 of improving thin Htatiou was continued during the month. 

 Plant distribution included 200 packets vegetable and 6 lb. 

 ■•offee d<:o<l«. The loeal price for green limes, Mr. Jones 

 .stateK. has risen from 6s. to I65. per barrel, and that for rips 

 limes from '-is. Gd. to .5i. per barrel. Raw lioae juice advanced 

 from Ifi. t" ^d. per gallon. Cacao has been in demaudl 



