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THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



May 16, 1908. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holl.md, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date of April 27 last, in reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — ■ 



Since our la>t report We.st Indian Sea Island.-* have 

 arrived very freely. The demand from spinners, however, 

 is very limited, the tine spinning industry being in a <leplor- 

 able condition. 



The bu.siness amounts to about 'JOO bales, ehieHy 

 St. Cmix, Angiulla, and Barbados at \5(l , with a few bales 

 extra St. Kitt's at 16J,''., and various stains at lil. 



COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS. 



In their Sea Island cotton report, dated April 25 

 last, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, 

 state that in the absence of demand the market 

 remains nominally unchanged since their last report. 

 In reference to the ne.<t season's crop they write : — 



A reduction has lieen made in the acreage planted in 

 Georgia and Florida, but we are unable as yet to give definite 

 information as to the extent of this redu<.-tion. We can oidy 

 report that the crop has been planted in the three States, and 

 that it is up. So far it has met with no serious set-backs, and 

 has the promise of a rather favoiuable start. 



COTTON SEED IMPORTS INTO 

 BARBADOS. 



The Barbados (Ijjicinl, (inn'ttc. of April 27 last 

 contained the following order made by the (iovernor- 

 in-Execntive Committee on April 16: — 



Seed-cotton .shall not be imported or bronglit into this 

 colony from any country. 



Cotton seed sliall not be inipiMted or bioiiglil into this 

 (•(ilony from either of the ishinils of Antigua i r St. Kitt's. 



CONFERENCE OF COTTON GROWERS 

 AT BARBADOS. 



A conference of cotton growers was held at 

 IJarbados (jn Friday, .May lo. under the ausjjices of the 

 Agricultural Society, the object of the meeting being 

 to enable planters and others to consider and discuss 

 the present situation in regard to the Sea Island 

 cotton industry. Sir l>aniel Morris, K.C.M.(}., was in 

 attendance and took part in the discussion. A sum- 

 mary of the proceedings will be given in the next issue. 



WILD JAMAICA COTTON. 



Some interesting jiarticulars in relation to* 

 a variety of cotton found growing wild in Jamaica, by 

 Dr. N. L. Britton, of the New York Botanic Gardens, 

 when on a botanical expedition to the island, are given 

 in Science for April 24. last. Seeds of this cotton were 

 forwarded to the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, and it is stated that the plant will be grown for 

 Comparative study with other Central Aniericiin and 

 West Indian cottons, in the acclimatization and 

 breeding experiments c.irried on liy the Department. 

 In his letter accompanying the seeds. Dr. Britton 

 writes : — 



I am sending a small box of cotton with .seeds, eobected 

 yesterday near Portland Point, Jamaica, by Mr. Win. 

 Harri.s and myself. We were very much interested in 

 observing this cotton jilant, which is growing in great 

 abundance at that point, in the extreme southern part of 

 Jamaica, in coastal thickets both in s;vnd, and on nearly level 

 limestone I'ock where there is scarcely any soil. We noticed 

 it nearly over an area about a mile long and several hiindreil 

 feet wide. There is a total absence of weeds of cidtivation 

 the cotton being associated with characteristic plants of the 

 coastal lowlands. The flowers are small, the i>etals wliite 

 with a crimson spot at the base, fading through the day to 

 pink. The pods are small, nearly globular, the foliage 

 l)ubescent or very nearly glabrous. 



There are no white residents at tlie [ijace. The negroes 

 say that the cotton was brought there in slavery times and 

 planted : but the soil is .such that no cultivation would be 

 practii'able, and the remarkable ab.sence of weeds indicates 

 that no cultivation was attempted there. The negroes .say 

 that it was formerly collected and shipped. 



The occurrence of the plant at this place, a.s.sociateil 

 oidy with native species, has given us a strong impression 

 that it is indigenou.s, tliough this may not be the case. At 

 any rate it is a race of cotton that has been probably (piite 

 unchanged from its jiristine condition. 



It at once occurred to us that this variety might jirove 

 a very valuable one for breeding imr[io.scs, ina.siimch as 

 it furnishes a new point of departure. 1 therefore ask that 

 you transmit the seeds .sent to such officer of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture as will \w most intereste<l. 



The following notes on this Jamaica cotton, 

 prepared by Mr. O. F. Cook, who is in charge of the 

 breeding and acclimatization experiments above referred 

 lo, were published with Dr. Britten's letter :— 



riofi.,<.sor Britton's account of the crjiiditions under 



