Vol. VII. No. 152. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



55 



SEA ISLAND COTTON CROP. 



The particulars given below aiu abstracted from an 

 article in the Cotton 'Trade Journal of January last : — 



The Sea Island cotton crop in sighe'^- up to the |)resent 

 tiino at the principal receiving ports is 50,046 bales, as 

 against 40,771 bales at the same time last season. The total 

 exports from all ports to date are 35,687 bales against 

 32,002 bales for the corresponding period a year ago. The 

 stocks at Charleston and Savannah are 14,359 bales. 



The markets continue dull and respond to nothing. 

 Fancy quality (Jeorgias show practically no change, but 

 lower grade qualities show a tendency to fall slightly in price, 

 as there is very little a])parent demand for them. For other 

 s[)ecial staples the situation is about the same. 



What is attracting most attention at present is the 

 actual extent of the Sea Island crop. As shown above, the 

 number of bales in sight this year is 10,000 in excess of the 

 quantity of last yeur. What (juanfity is yet to come in 

 is still a question. It is thought that a considerable amount ir, 

 being held back, more especially in Florida, where the 

 planters are well organized. The growers of that State have 

 agreed upon a fixed niininuun price, below which they refuse 

 to sell, and they are sup[iosed to be wiiiting for buyers to 

 accede. 



Jleanwbile the general demand for goods manufactured 

 from Sea Island cotton keeps normal. It is thought that 

 there is an inclination among spinners to keep out of the Sea 

 Island market for awhile in the hope that prices may show 

 a down^^•ard tendenc}-. 



BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE COTTON 

 FACTORY. 



The origin ainl eslabliahuient of the Barbado.s Co- 

 opeiative Cotton Factoi'}' (brnied the sul)ject of a j)aper 

 read by the Hon. F. J. Clarke, C.K.G., Chairman of the 

 Board of Directors of the Factoiy, at ihe lale Agri- 

 cultui'al Conference. 



Mv. Clarke mentioned that the first cotton factory was 

 opened in July, 1903, and was further enlarged in 1904. It 

 was managed by a committee appointed by the Agricultural 

 Society, in co-operation with the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture. 



In view of the success that attended the cotton industry 

 during 1903-4, the committee felt that the time had arrived 

 when the factory might be carried on without Government 

 or other assistance. 



The Barbados Co-ojierative Cotton Factory Conqiany, 

 Limited, was registered under the Companies' Act in August, 

 1905, and the present factory was opened in January 1907. 

 The building is equipped with a double expansion engine, 

 a Stirling w:\ter tube boiler, twenty-four gins, a hydraulic 

 baling press, and a seed disintegrator. 



It now forms the largest Sea Island Cotton Factory in 

 the world. The working of tbe factory has been highly 

 satisfactory both to the cotton growers who utilize it for the 

 ginning of their cotton, and to the shareholders, who have 

 received good dividends. 



At the conclusion of the paper, the Conference 

 delegates paid a visit of inspection to the Cotton 

 Factory under Mr. Clarke's guidance. 



In this connexion it may be interesting to note the 

 following facts and figures, taken from the latest 

 report of the Directors, which relate to the results of 



woiking of the factory during the half-year ended Sep- 

 tember 30 last : — 



After deducting the cost of material, labour, expenses 

 of management, and minor repairs to house, the net profit 

 for the half-year from April 30 to September 30, 1907, 

 amounts to $5,850'30, which, together with the balance 

 brought forward from April 30, 1907, makes a total of 

 !|8,676'05. Of this amount, the Directors have given as 

 a bonus to the staff, the sum of $170, equal to one month's 

 salary, and it was agreed that the balance, $8,506'05 be 

 appropriated as follows : — 



(1) That a dividend of 7 per cent., equal to 16'08c. per 

 share, amounting to 82,036'83 be declared. 



(2) That $1,000 be transferred to the reserve fund, 

 bringing this fund up to $3,000. 



(3) That 2 per cent, of the cost of erection of the fac- 

 tory buildings and plant be written off. 



(4) That a bonus at a rate of 4c. per 100 Bb. of seed- 

 cotton be given to those persons who have sent cotton to the 

 factory to be ginned on their account. This will absorb 

 $6.s8-35. 



(5) That the remainder, $4,179-93, be left to the credit 

 of this account. 



TOBACCO INDUSTRY OF JAMAICA. 



An official of the U.S. Department of Commerce 

 and Labour, stationed at Kingston, reports as follows 

 on tobacco ))roduction in Jamaica: — 



Tobacco in Janr^ica is cultivated on about 300 acres. 

 The tobacco districts are situated in the parishes of St. 

 Andrew, St. Catherine, and Clarendon, in the southern part 

 of the island. There is a good future for the successful 

 cultivation of the leaf here, the retinired conditions of soil 

 and climate being liberally afforded ; in fact, it is claimed 

 that Jamaican lands in certain localities are capable of 

 producing 600 It), of tobacco per acre. The official statistics 

 of 1906 give the number of cigar factories on the island 

 as sixteen, four of which are equipped with machinery. One 

 factory emjiloys 200 persons and produced during the season 

 3,137,473 cigars and 30,020,122 cigarettes. Another firm 

 employs 120 persons and produced 3,068,513 cigars and 

 1 2,342,160 cigarettes. Productions of other factories were 

 appreciably less. The following quantities of tobacco (in 

 pounds) were exported in 1906: Cigars, 40,325; cigarettes, 

 11,261; leaf, 6,554; the total valuation of which was 

 $106,117. The larger percentage of these exports was 

 taken by British possessions and by the United Kingdom. 

 The .shipments to the United States were valued at $1,435. 

 A large modern tobacco factory is now being erected in tlie 

 city of Kingston by American capitalists. 



Reference is also made to the tobacco industry of 

 the island in the lately issued Annual Report on 

 Jamaica (1906-7), from which the paragraph below is 

 extracted : — 



There are several excellent cigar factories in Kings- 

 ton, and the merits of Jamaica cigars are becoming slowly 

 recognized. The demand for the tobacco is in excess of the 

 supply, and in view of the special skill required in its treat- 

 ment, the position in this respect will be changed only very 

 gradually. Five of the chief factories produced last year 

 quantities of cigars varying from 245,000 to 3,459,000 each, 

 and two factories produced 3,000,000 and 23,000,000 cigar- 

 ettes resi)ectively. The cigarettes are chiefly made from 

 imported tobacco. 



