118 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April 18, 1908. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholine i<: Hollanil, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date March 20, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



The fine spinning trade continues extremely depressed, 

 and buyers in consequence are only jo'epared to buy small 

 jiarcels for immediate recjuirements. 



As the West Indian Sea Island cotton sujjply is in 

 conii)etitii)n with a stock of 3,000 hales American Sea Islands 

 lying at Charleston, spinners will only buy at a marked con- 

 cession in values. 



Holders of West Indian cotton are anxious for sales at 

 full prices, but under present conditions, it is only with 

 <litiiculty that fair market prices can be obtained. 



The sales amount to about 2.30 bales, including St. Kitt's 

 at IG'l to 171(7.; St. Croix at 171(7. ; Nevi.s, chiefly at 16d, 

 with a few at lid. ; Montserrat and Anguilla at 16(7. to 161-. ; 

 and a few bales of St. Vincent at 19(7. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON IN THE BAHAMAS. 



Experiments in the cultivation of Sea Island t-ot- 

 ton, which seem to promise well, were carried out in 

 Long Island and Exnma, two of the Out Islands of the 

 Bahan-as, during 1907. Reports on the work done, 

 and the results obtained, appear in the Bulletin of the 

 A(jricult(rrul Department of the Bahamas for .January 

 last. 'J'he experiments were carried out under the 

 direct supervision of the Resident Justices of the two 

 islands, who are also in each case the chairmen of the 

 local Boards of Agriculture. 



Five acres of land weri^ i)lantcd uilli cottim in Long 

 l.sland. The seed was sown, on soil well ii'|iri-M'utiiig the 

 average of the island, at the end of .lune anil lieginniug of 

 •July. The plants did well, altliough on the more hilly 

 poition of the area, growth was retarded for want of rain. 

 Fears were entertained that the cotton stainer would Jirove 

 a .serioUN |ii •^t, but the few insects that did appear were kej)! 

 well under. A first |iicking of cotton was obtained in October, 

 and after the rains experienced during that month, the jilants 

 blossomed afresh, and good prosjiects of a second picking were 

 reported. 



The total cost i>f clearing and i)reparing the bush land, 

 weeding and destroying insects over the .") acres, amounted 

 to £16 •i.s-., while the vabu,' of the return (estimated in ihc 

 rei)ort to be at least SOO Ih. of lint) is placed at £6(5 \'if. 4(7. 



.\ slightly larger area (.51 acres) was planted with cotton 

 in l':.\nma, another of the Out Islands, the .seed being .sown 

 about the middle of .Inne. Drought was exi)erienced in 

 Augut;t, but the plant^ grew fairly well. Several .showers of 

 rain did a great iIcmI of good in .S.^ptember. .\ small gather- 



ing of cotton was made in October, Ijut the chief picking 

 took place at the end of Novendier, when 400 Hx of .seed- 

 cotton were gathered. Xx the time of writing the report 

 (.January 7) the second picking had not been made, but 

 an excellent return was anticipated. The total cost of cidtiva- 

 tion, etc., amounted to £11' lO.s., the heaviest item being the 

 ex|(ense of picking, ^vhich was about -o.s. per 100 lb. of seed 

 cotton. 



These re.sults certainly indicate that Sea Island cotton 

 can be profitably gi'own in the Bahamas. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



In their report, dated ^larch 14 last, on the st.-ite 

 of the Sea Island cotton market, Messrs. Hein-y W. 

 Frost & Co., Charleston, write : — 



The .sales of the week include the 200 bales of tinged 

 cotton referred to in our last circular, and 100 bales of fine 

 ciuality, at 30c. ])er Iti., sold this week. The market is quiet, 

 with some demand, but at priees niudi below the present views 

 of factors. 



On March 14, Messrs. Frost write : — 



Tlie sales of tins week consist fif 3.5 bales tinged Sea 

 Islands at "J7c., and later, further .sales have been made of 

 .50 bales fine ipiality on private terms. The buying has been 

 on account of the Northern mills. The factors continue to 

 hold the planters' crop lots at 3.5r. to 40c. and upwards, and 

 also in\A bags classing ' fully fine,' at 35c., but there is no 

 demand at the.se prices. Spimiers eimld, however, pr(.>bably 

 piu-chase at a concession. The following are the present 

 iirices : Fully fine to extra fine, 35c. to 40c.; fine, 30c.: 

 fully fine, but tin.yvd, •.'7c.: fully fine to tine stains, •JOc. to 

 24c" 



SEA ISLAND COTTON IN THE SOCIETY 

 ISLANDS. 



Sea Island cotton at one time foriried a \ery valu- 

 able item of export from the French colony of theSocip- 

 tv Islands. Up to about twi'nty-five years ago the annual 

 shipments of lint reached over 1,000,1)00 Ih. per annum. 

 About ItS8.5 the industry began to fall off", but latterly 

 it has again revived. In 1905, 18,375 lb. of baled cotton 

 were shipped to England from these islands, and the 

 exports increased to 52,800 It), in 190(). The Govern- 

 ment is anxious to encourage the industry, and has 

 caused the publication in the official journal of the 

 colony of a series of long articles dealing with the 

 cultivation. A banic closely connected with the 

 colonial Goverinnent has also guaranteed a minimum 

 price of 7c. ]ier lb. for all seed-cotton grown in the 

 colony. 



