102 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Apeil 4, 1908 



[•pool 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholine & Hulland, of I 

 write as follows, under Hafce March 16, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :— 



Since our la.st report about -150 brtle.s of AVest Indian 

 Sea Island cotton have been sold, comprised of 170 bale.s 

 St. Vincent, at ISd. to 20</. ; 120 Montserrat, 20 Nevis, 

 <50 St. Cn.ix, 40 Ikrbados, 25 St. Kilt's, and l-S bales 

 Anguilla, all at \7il. to 17^/. per Itj. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 

 In their report, dated February 29 last, on the 

 state of the Sea Island cotton market, Jlcssrs. Henry 

 W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, write : — 



With the continued absence of demand, the market 

 remains at a stand, and nominally unchanged. In order to 

 ftfect sales, however, fact<ir.s would, wi> think, be willing to 

 make consideiable concessions from their asking prices. 



On March 7, Messrs. Frost write : — 



With the continued alisence of demand for the better 

 grade.s, and only a limited demand for tinged and ' off ' 

 cotton, the (piotations continue more or le.ss nominal. A .sale, 

 however, has just been made, on private terms, of 200 bales 

 tinged and 'off" cotton on account of the northern mills. There 

 is also some emiuiry for the better grades, but at prices much 

 below the present views of the factors. Present jirices are : 

 Fidly fine to extra fine, 35c. to 40c.; fine, SOc; fully fine, but 

 tinged, 27c.; fully fine to fine, but stained, 20c. to 24c. 



COTTON INDUSTRY IN MONTSERRAT. 



Some notes on the progress of tiie cotton industry 

 of Montserrat appear in the 190(i-7 report on the 

 Botanic Station and Experiment I'lols of the island. 

 About 1,000 acres were untier cultivation with this 

 erop in l!)0()-7, and 100,000 Ih. of lint were shipped, 

 this giving an average of 160 lb. per acre. 



The bulk of the crop was grown from local seed, but 

 1 770 tt). of selected seed was import<Ml and sold iVoni llie 

 liotanic Station. 



The leafdilister mite and the cotton worm were preva- 

 lent in 19015-4, but Ixith pe.sts are now being kej)! in check. 

 In the case of the cotton worm this has been effected by the 

 use of Palis Green. As a safeguard against the ravages 

 of the leaf-blister mite all old cotton plants are destroyed be- 

 fore the season for planting the next crop arrives, (irowers 

 are also constantly reminded of the danger of attempting to 

 ratoon old cotton plants, since as the result of the adoption 

 of such a proceeding, tlie leaf blister mite lias a chance of 

 establishing itself. 



For the 1907-?^ cotton .sea.son, orders were booked for 

 5,500 lb of selected cotton seed. Practically all the planters 

 of the island used this seed. The number of peasant growers 

 of cotton has increased during the past two or three j'ears. 

 In 19015-7 there were at least 150 of these small cultivators 

 each of which grew less than an acre of cotton. For the 1907-8 

 season, about 170 peasant cultivators purchased selected seed, 

 and it is stated that this probably represents about half the 

 number of small holders that actually planted cotton. 



COTTON INDUSTRY IN THE VIRGIN 



ISLANDS. 



Since 1904, when the total value of the lint and 

 seed shipped from the Virgin Islands was no more than 

 £35, the cotton industry has undergone steady expan- 

 sion, and the estimated exports of lint and seed for 

 1907 are valued at £4-00, this being an increase of £13.5 

 over the shipments of 1906. It is gratifying to note 

 that a good priiportion of this cotton is grown in 

 Virgin Gorda and Anegada, where the soil is unsuitable 

 to most crops, Marie Galante cotton is cultivated as 

 well as the Sea Island, but it is recognized that the 

 latter is by far the more profitable variety. 



The Botanic Station Keport (190(5-7) states that there 

 was a marked imiirovement in the cpiality of the seed cotton 

 of last season's crop. The cotton is purchased by the Imper- 

 ial Department of Agriculture, and ginned at the factory 

 established at the Experiment Station. 'I'iiis .step on the part 

 of the Imiierial Department was nece.ssary to the success of 

 the industry, since the cotton growers are all peasants who 

 coul<l not afford to await the returns for their crop until the 

 cotton hail been sold in Kngland, and the money returned. 



.\t the \'irgin Islands E.xperiment Station, during the 

 past season, cotton w'as planted between the rows of lime 

 trees, on an area of about an acre. The .seed was ]ilantcd 

 about the end of .Tune, the first cotton being picked about 

 the middle of October. Very good results were obtained 

 U-i.m this plot, 9(10 lb. of .seed-cotton being gathered. 

 Another [ilot of Sea island cotton itlanted in August iiroved 

 an almost connilete failure. .May and .lune have certainly 

 proved the most suitable iiiontlis for planting in the A'irtd'n 

 Islands. ■ ° 



The cotton plots at the Ivvperiinent Station have 

 remained remarkably free from in.sect pests. Some few trees 

 were infected, but not seriously, with aphides, but S])iayinf 

 with tobacco juice and soft soaj) water .soon killed the.se pests. 

 Up to the present there has been no ap[iearance at the 

 Station of the cotton worm, so disastrous in other islands 

 and very few cnUon worms have been seen in the out-islands. 



