Vol. VJI. No. ].J'J 



THF. AGUECULTLTKAL NEWS. 



165 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



In tlu'ir report of May 2 last, on 'th(.' sales of cotton 

 from the Sea Islands, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., 

 of Charleston, write : — 



The .sales for the week eoii.si.sted of a .small planter-s' crop 

 of 15 bales for France. There was some further enquiry for 

 crop.s, but at lower price.s than factors were willing to accept. 



On May 9, Messrs. Frost write : — 



The sales for the jjast week consisted of stainer] and 

 tinged cotton, together with a small lot slightly inferior in 

 class, at ijrices ranging from 15c. and above. The princii)al 

 buying was on account of French spinners, the exports of the 

 week being 267 bales to Havre. There is some enquiry for 

 plantei-s' crop lots but the prices bid ai-e much below the 

 present views of factors and planters, and consequently no sales 

 are reported. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON AT 

 LIVERPOOL. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date of May 11 last, in refer- 

 ence to the sales of West Indian Sea, Island cotton on 

 the Liverpool market : — 



Since our last report a better business has lieen done in 

 West Indian Sea Island Cf)tton, sales of about 600 bales 

 having been reported, but late business will increase that 

 figure to about 1,000 bales. The business has been chieHv 

 in cotton about H-Jd, including Anguilla, Antigua, Barbado.s 

 Barbuda, Montserrat. Nevis, St Croix, St. Martin and A'irffin 

 Islands. Several small lots of stains have been solrl at from 

 6(7. to 9(7. per lb. 



Prices are steadier, but we understand that the chief 

 buyers are jiurchasing for stock. 



Many planters appear to have ignored the fact that 

 owing to the combination of most excellent trade conditions 

 and a short crop from Georgia and Floi'ida, last season's 

 prices were quite exceptional, and this season they do not 

 appreciate the acute trade depression which has followed the 

 financial panic of October last in New York. All raw 

 material has suffered in price, and the depression lias prob- 

 ably been most acute in cotton. 



All cotton has depreciated enormously; Fgyptian has 

 fallen from 10 J'/, to 7{rf., and many Egyptian houses have 

 .suspended in consequence. 



Orders for yarns have been <-ancelled wholesale, and 

 .spinners have not liad the courage to buy cotton to stock. 

 It is the worst reaction we h:.ve known for many years. 



At present prices, or a shade under, we think "that West 

 Indian cotton would be rapidly absorbed in a normal season. 



ST. VINCENT CENTRAL COTTON 

 FACTORY. 



The Annual Rt'[,urt (l!»0(J-7) on St. Vincent, just 

 to hand, contains the following note on the Central 

 Cotton Factory of the island: — 



The Central Cotton Ginnery, erected in 1903-4, still 

 i-emains under the successful management of the officers of 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture. The rate charged 

 fur ginning and baling is fixed at hi. per ft)., and at this 

 low rate a considerable profit lesults after paying for labour 

 and (ither outgoings. The lint again .secured the highest 

 price in the English market, which fact is in a great measure 

 due to the care and expert supervision bestowed on the 

 ginning and |)reparation of the produce for export. 



The disintegrator for crushing cotton seed was not used, 

 and practically all of the seed produced locally was sent t(' 

 Harbadiis for .sale. It is much to be regretted that this 

 should he the case, but it is difficult to see how things can be 

 altered until effective oil-extraction machinery has been 

 erected in the colony. 



COTTON EXPORTS OF ST. VINCENT. 



Mr. \V. N. Sands, Agricultural Superintendent 

 of St. Vincent, has forwarded the following- table show- 



om 



e 



ing the quantity and value of the cotton exported fron 

 St. Vincent each year since 1903-4. The figures an 

 for the period from May 1 to April 30, but in" the case 

 of 1907-8 they eover only the period from May 1, 1907, 

 to March 31, 1908, since the figures for the shipment.s 

 of last April are not yet available : — 



