Vol. VII. No. 160. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



183 



Sir Daniel Morris, in summing up the various 

 addresses remarked that the Gtpnference had been 

 a thoroughly successful one, and the results were likely 

 to be of considerable benefit in regard to further efforts 

 to establish the cotton industry on successful lines. 

 Sir Daniel continued : — 



I am glad to fiml in the aildress made by Professor 

 d'Albuquer<iue that he drew special attention to the desirabil- 

 ity of cotton being regarded as a rotation crop, and that if 

 possible, canes and cotton should be associated in order that 

 the large amount of vegetable matter obtained from the leaves 

 of the cane.s should be returned to the land so as to main- 

 tain the supply of humus. This is in accordance with the 

 best methods adopted in advanced agriculture. At Barhados 

 where the soil is compaiatively shallow, and where it has been 

 continuously cultivated for more than 200 years, it is now 

 pretty well established that, cotton alone cannot be grown 

 continuously on the -same land. Another point made by 

 Professor d'Albucjuerque was that in steeping cotton seed in 

 a solution of corrosive sublimate, owing to the fact that the 

 seed coat so ([uickly absorbed the coii'osive sublimate, the 

 same solution should not be used again for disinfecting 

 a further lot of seed. It is therefore desirable that a fre-h 

 .solution should be used for every separate lot of .seed. Fuller 

 particulars in regard to this will shortly be jiublishod in the 

 Af/ricidtural Neirs:. 



The most imi)ortant point brought forward by '\\r. IJovell 

 was the necessity for a more general and careful .system of 

 seed selection, I referred to this in my opening remarks, and 

 I would now reiterate my conviction that the future of the 

 cotton industry in this island depends on the success in rais- 

 ing sjjccial varieties suited to the varying conditions of soil 

 a)id cHmate existing here ; also varieties capable of resisting 

 diseases. It should need no laboured afguments to show that 

 the same kind of cotton plant is not likely to suit the 

 different conditions existing in two parishes such as 

 St. Philip and St. John. Notwithstanding, I beheve that 

 with proper care and attention, St. Lucy and other leeward 

 jiarishes should be capable of i)roducing a good marketable 

 class of cotton that would pay the cultivator, although it 

 might not reach the highest standard of excellence in regard 

 to fineness. There are already twelvb estates where .seed 

 selection experiments are being carried on under the direction 

 of this Department. We are prepared to extend these experi- 

 ments still further, provided we can obtain a hearty co-opera- 

 tion of the growers, and our reconmiendations are carried out 

 for several seasons consecutively. 



I have already referred in my opening remarks to the 

 very striking siiccess that has been obtained by one j)lanter as 

 the result of skilful methods of seed selection This I am "lad 

 to mention is not a solitary iiistance. Another enterpri.sinc 

 cultivator with nearly 500 acres under cultivation has en faced 

 the services of a specially trained man tfj look after his cotton 

 fields and carefully watch the growth of.;the plants, and raise 

 .special varieties to suit local conditions. On the other 

 band, I am sorry to say that there are a number of jjcople 

 at present growing cotton who, in . their owji interest 

 as well as in the general interest of the island, ought not to 

 do so, as they are evidently not prepare*! to devote tlie neces- 

 sary time and attention to the crop, since they allow their fields 

 to be infested with pests and jirove a .source of infeciion to 

 neighbouring areas. One of the most effective means of pre- 

 venting the spread of pests, and especially scale insects, is to 

 uproot all old cotton beff)re the new crop is planted. It 

 would appear that this practice of keeping old cotton in fiekls 

 adjoining young cotton is moi-e prevalent at Barbados than 



in any other part of the West Indies. It would be a source 

 of great satisfaction to all concerned if it were possible 

 during the coming .season to start the new crop without the 

 ])Ossiliilitv of it being infected with diseases from old cotton 

 fields. 



As regards seed selection, wherever a planter comes across 

 one or more plants in a field exhibiting qualities of a desirable 

 character, such as productiveness beyond the average, or 

 immunity from disea.se where nearly all the other plants in 

 the neighbourhood are jioor or are badly attacked with disease, 

 the seed from such plants should be carefidly gathered by the 

 planter himself, .sown in'a luu'sery and watched, in order to 

 determine whether the special characteristics noticed previou.s- 

 ly are cunfinued in the .second generation. By repeating 

 expeiiinents c>f this nature over and over again, a local variety 

 might be established in process of time likely to prove of 

 great value. 



The question has been asked as to whether there i» 

 a danger of over productii>n in the supply of Sea Island cot- 

 ton, and this question is one that deserves careful consideration. 

 The present depression in prices and the difficulty in readily 

 disposing of Sea Island cotton are due, not to over produc- 

 tion, Ijut to tlie widespread depression in trade caused by the 

 .severe financial crisis through which the United States have 

 recently passed, which has since extended to nearly every 

 part of the world. Two years ago we were informed that in 

 the West Indies we could produce up to 20,000 or 30,000 

 bales f)f Sea Island cotton without seriously affecting the 

 market. So far, we have not produced, at the outside, more 

 than 10,000 bales, and if trade had been moderately good, 

 there is no douV.t that prices this 3'cir would have reached-, on 

 an average, !.«. 6rf. per lb. or possibly more. 



As you are aware, there is to be an important Conference 

 held at ^Manchester in August next, at which there will 

 be present representative cotton growers from the West Indies- 

 as well as leading spinners of fine cotton in Lancashire. 

 This Conference .should afi"ord an excellent opportunity for an 

 exchange of views between growers and spinners, and it may 

 be possible to obtain an authoritative ojiinion in regard to the 

 future demand for Sea Island cotton from the West Indie*--. 

 \\'e were assured oidj* a little more than twelve months ago 

 by a prominent Lancashire cotton spinner, who expends 

 annually two millions sterling in the purchase of Sea Island 

 cotton, that if we grew a good strong cotton of uniform 

 length, such a demand would arise as would admit of a large 

 extension of cotton cultivation in the West Indies without 

 risk of the supply on an average of years exceeding the 

 demand. Until we are more fully informed, we are justified 

 in regarding the present depression as of a temporary 

 character, and we should not be too readily discouraged. It 

 is reasonable that we should wait until we have all the 

 facts before us. 



In conclusion I have to express my indebtedness to the- 

 President and the members of the Agricultural Society for 

 having called together this Conference, and I tender my hearty 

 thanks to those present for their kindness and courtesy, and 

 for the deep interest that has been shown in the several 

 important matters brought forward this afternoon. I would 

 add that I sincerely hope that the President of the Society, in 

 his further experience with Sea Island cotton, will attain the 

 success he so full^' deserves. His case is of a somewhat spieciaf 

 character, and 1 am not yet sure that the problems involved 

 are not capable of solution either by a change nf locality or by 

 the evolution of a more hardy variety of Sea Island cotton. 

 A vote of thanks to Sir Daniel ^Morris brought the 

 proceedings to a close. 



