2«0 



THE AQRIUULTUBAL NEWS. 



AUGUST 23. 1919. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



The following information concerning the change 

 In the situation of West Indian Sea Island cotton has 

 been furnished by the British Cotton Gnnving 

 Association undor date of July 22, 1919. 



Owing to the ravages of the boll weevil in Georgia. 

 Sonlli Carolina and Florida, the situation <f Weat Indian 

 Sea Inland cotton has completely changed. The Sea Island 

 crop grown in the United States, which formerly amounted 

 to f. Jill 80,000 to 120,000 bales, is not expected to exceed 

 30,000. 



The larger cnnsumers who took over the Government 

 supply of West Indian cotton hold considerable st cks, but 

 under the changed circuiusunces, we have no doubt they 

 will continue to buy. Meanwhile, the smaller users and 

 also the French spinners are without a supply, and are eagerly 

 enquiring for the better qualities of West Indian. 



The new address of the British Cotton Growing Assoc- 

 iation is ,330- .350, The Koyal Exchange, Manchester. 



JAMAICAN SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



The following extract is taken from the 

 Louisiana Planter, for August 2 ; — 



Jamaica's hope for a state-owned central factory has 

 at last been achieved, through the members of the Legislitive 

 Conncil unanimously jtassing a vote for £220,000 to 

 provide a 5,000 ton factory in eastern St. Th' mas Parish, 

 and the necessary extra railway needed to connect with the 

 factory. 



It seems almost unbelievable that after all the trouble 

 taken to get the vote to establish this most needed toonomic 

 venture for St. Thomas, we learn that most of the large 

 landowners in the parish prefer still to put their faith and 

 cash in the frail chances of banana and coco-nut cultivation; 

 ania.s if Kismet were on their side, competition in the fruit 

 trade has quite recently secured better jirices to the l)anana 

 man. It seems somewhat cruel to suggest, but still it is 

 said, that if an unusually severe tropical hurricane visits 

 Jamaica this year, and happens to strike St. Thoma.a, it will 

 not only wi| e out the fruit trade, but all the clinging faith 

 of the banana planters also, and Jamaica will start fair 

 with enough cane contracts to justifj' the erection of a 

 10,000-ton pinnt, instead of the .5,000-ton one now voted 

 for. 



As fur as we have gone, there are a number of small cane 

 growers in the vicinity who are willing to enter into the 

 projected co,, tracts, guaranteeing about GOO acres. Tue 

 United Fruit Company lia.s also promised to plant out 

 1,000 acres in one for the factory. The districts of St. Thomas 

 were visited by Sir Francis Waits while he was in Jamaica 

 some year.< ag", and in bis opinion they offered great possi- 

 bilities for the cultivation of sugar-cane Despite the luke- 

 warm interest shown by the large landowners, however, we 

 are optimistic enough to prophesy that as toon as 

 the factory is stiirted we shall have contracts showering in. 

 The machinery, it is ur.dersiood, will be ordered from the 

 United States if Amcri<;H. 



The agreement.'^^, which the contractors are asked to sign, 

 are of the usual lei'gih, and deal with numerous points, but 

 they seem to cover all that is necessary to bind the contracting 

 parlies, and cover protective measures on either side. 



Besides this advance in cano interests in tho island, 

 reports come from Trelawney that the eftates Hyde HalJ, 



Long Pond, and Content are to be merged in^o one estate 

 with a central of 2,000 tons capacity. 



With the sanction of the Legislative Council the 

 Government has power to purchase fifty cane cars from 

 Messrs. Keeling, Lindo, Bros., while provision was also made 

 to considerably increase the rolling-stock of the Government 

 Railway. 



Far greater interest in the problems of sugar manufac- 

 ture is noticed daily in this little island making such strenuous 

 efiforts once again to hold her own in the sugar-making 

 world. We have one writer impressing upon tis the ' need 

 of scientific knowledge in the making of sugar ' and pointing 

 out ' why research work in these days is of the utmost 

 importance.' Mr. Twiney, the writer of the article, does 

 not seem very optimistic as to the benefits to accrue 

 to us from imperial preference, for he remarks : 

 'Imperial preference, then, is very far from implying that 

 Jamaica will receive an assured position in the English 

 sugar market. Even assumiug that the preference reaches 

 the producer (for some, if not all of it, will probably remain 

 in the hands of merchints, shipping companies, and other 

 middlemen) the sugar planers in Jamaica mu.st still be 

 prepared to meet the fiercest competition. The days when 

 cane sugar was supreme, with rivalry undreamt of, will 

 never return. 



'The one thing that raised beet sugar to tbe position 

 it held before ihe war was the work of the technical 

 chemist ; and the only thing that will place cane sugar in an 

 equal or better position is likewise the work of the technical 

 chemist. The manufacturer who aims to produce sugar in 

 these present circumstances without the help of a proper 

 technical staff, is foredoomed to failure. Fortunately theie 

 is some realization of thi.s fact, as evidenced by a proposal 

 that came before the Legis aiive (Council for the appoint- 

 ment of an Indus' rial chemist, and the awarding of scholar- 

 ships to suitable candidates to be trained as sugar chemists. 

 Vot it may be doubted whether the more common view of 

 the subject is not rather utter indifference, due to a complete 

 ignorance of the nature and scope of the work of a techiiical 

 chemist ' The writer is jusified, however, in pointing out the 

 necessity of technical chemists, and keeping the up to date 

 and clearly proven facts of running sugar manufactories on 

 scientific knowledge before the .1 imaica sugar planters ; so 

 very few of them seem to realize the li nefit and vital 

 necessity of these expensive appendages, if they are to 

 compete with neighbouring rivals. From sentimental reasons 

 many of the proprietors prefer to continue running their 

 small plant.", instead of combining and establishing centrals 

 which could stand the cost of scientific control ai d up-to- 

 date methods, and again so few of the proprietor sugar 

 planters will cut loose from the old and worn-out methods 

 (jf ihe old Ufjiiue. 



'When this reaches print most of the sugar estates will 

 have ceased to grind ; in the western |)ari.shes the factories 

 are mostly all silent, In Vere the estates are making up for 

 those days when they had to shut down in May, owing to 

 the damage to roads and bridges from the excessive rainfall 

 in that month. Ideal weather is with iis for the 1920 crop 

 now in the ground, but it is also ideal for the 'tares'. The 

 problem of cleaning canes grows apace, and the labourer is 

 refusing task work, and of course, only does a comparatively 

 small amount of work for his day'.s pay, which continues 

 to be l.v. t)i/. per day. Thi're is much talk, however, 

 of a Labour Bureau here, but this will take time to 

 materialize, as so many are against the idea, claiming that 

 it will be an unnecessary expen.se to the island, but the 

 (iovirnor liai appointed a comiiiillcc to enquire into tho 

 practicability of such an undertaking. 



