230 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 



1908, 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Planters will be glad to note by the accompany- 

 ing letter from Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, dated 

 July G, that an improved condition of affairs has 

 lately prevailed on the Liverpool Sea Island cotton 

 market : — 



Since our la.st report a good business has been dmie in 

 West Indian Sea Island cotton, and about 780 bales liu\x' 

 been sold at steady prices. 



The enquiry lias been mostly confined to the lietter 

 medium grades at IM. to 15'/., very little having been sold 

 above the latter figure. A fair quantity of stains have been 

 .sfild at 7d. to Sd. per Hi. The sales include Auguilla, \5il.: 

 Autiffua, 15(1.; Barbados, 14.',f/. to \5hd.; Mmitserrat, \5d. 

 to i:j},d.; Nevi.s, 14]^?.; St. 'Croix Hrf. to 14^^/.: St Kitt's 



14fcZ. to 15|c/.; and St ^farti 



14'?. to IM. 



ARRIVAL OF COTTON GINNERY 

 PLANT AT ST. LUCIA. 



The Wiler of .SV. J.i'cla, of July 4, coidained the 

 accompanying note : — 



A conqtlete Cotton (Jinnery, with oil engine and all 

 accessories has been received from (Jldham, Kngland, ly 

 Messrs. Macfarlane, .Junior it Co., of St. Lucia. The building 

 to contain the j)lant will be set up in Ca.stries between the 

 new Public Works Yard and the Riverside Cemetery, facing 

 the Castries river, and work on this is to commence at once. 

 It is intended that everything shall be ready for taking otf 

 tlte cotton crop to be ]>icked in the early months of 1909. ' 



i'ho establishment of this ginnery should certainly 

 be a stimulus to cotton-j)lanling operations in the 

 island, and it is greatly to be hoped that the industry 

 and this new venture of Messrs. Macfarlane, Junior 

 & Co., will meet with the success deserved. 



COTTON CONFERENCE IN ENGLAND. 



The (Jonlcrence of cotton growers aiul spinners 

 which has been arranged under the auspices of the 

 British Cotton-growitig Association will be opened at 

 Manchester on August .5, and, as reniarkcd by the 

 H'cs^ liulia Ctiruhiittce Circuhir, shouhl prove useful 

 in giving cotton growers some insight into the present 

 position and prospects of the market for Sea Islantl 

 cotton. 



Sir Daniel Morris, K.C'.M.C, will attend the Confer- 

 ence, and the West Indian delegates who hav(; been nominated 

 by the .\grieultund Societies include : — I'.arliados : lion. For- 

 .»;ter M. Allevne. I 'r. C. K. Gooding, !Mr. Alistalr Cameron, 



.Mr. T W. 1!. O'Xeal, and Mr. .1. 1!. Bovel! : St. Vincent: 

 Hon. Coinad .T. Sinunons, Mr. Alexander Smith, ^Ir. Duncan 

 MacDonald, Mr. H. Hay ward, and Mr. AV. X. Sands ; Antigua: 

 Hon. E. St. John Branch, Hon. J. J. Camacho, Mr. K. liry- 

 son, Mr. E. T. Cole, Mr. F. Holborow, [Mr. A. M. Lee, 

 Mr. J. AV. A. Alaginley, and Mr ..J. Dew ; and Montserrat : 

 Air. J. T. Allen, and Mr. S. AV. Howes. 



COTTON CONFERENCE AT ANTIGUA, 



A Conference of cotton growers was held at the 

 Agricultural and Commercial Society Room, Antigua, 

 on June 1.5 last, for the purpose of considering the 

 position and prosj)ects of i\\v cotton industry in the 

 island. Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., presided, and the 

 meeting was largely attended. 



Dr. AVatts in the course of bis address referred to the 

 fact that the market for Sea Island cotton was at present 

 somewhat depressed, which had resulted in the production of 

 a tendency towards the reduetion of the area under cotton 

 cultivation. The low prices, however, were not due to over- 

 produrtion, and the markets were undoid)tedly imin'oving 

 and sales were being more readily etiected. There was no 

 danger of over-i)roduction of Sea Island cotton in the AVest 

 Indies at present. Moreover, he reminded those present that, 

 in 190.'i, when tlie cotton industry was started, it was 

 estimated that the price likely to be obtained for their 

 product was about Is, to l.<. 'Id. \k\- lb., and on tins basis the 

 remunerative character, or otherwise, of the industry had been 

 calculated. It was evident, therefore, that it was too early 

 to coniplain when market prices were still at 14'/. to loi?. 

 per It.. 



The past .season had undoubtedly been unfavoiu-able t(c 

 cotton glowers in Antigua : weather conditions were unjiro- 

 pitious, and in addition, a new and .serious insect pest which 

 caused the tlowerd)ud-dro])ping disease had been noticed 

 tor the first time. The severity of attai'k from this insect 

 was [iroliably due to the f)eculiar seasonal condition.-;, and with 

 mori' favourable «catlu'r it was t.ielieved that its ravages 

 would be largely reduced. Mr. H. A. Ballou, ALSc, Entomo- 

 logist to the Imperial De]iartment of Agriculture, had to 

 a large extent woiked out the life liistory of the Hy causing 

 the flower-buddropping disease, and suggested a number of 

 remedial measures for the control of the insect during the 

 eonung .season. Chief among the.se was the application of 

 ' A'aporite' to the .soil, which would prolialdy destroy the Hy 

 in the pupal stage, which takes place in the ground. 



The cotton worm still caused trouble but this e<ndd be 

 readily held in check by the use of Paris green and lina-. 

 As for the leaf blister nute, it had been shown that this 

 could be controlled by timely hand picking of di.seased leaves,, 

 and by the application of sulplutr and lime to infected plants. 



