278 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



September 5, 1908. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON ON THE 

 LIVERPOOL MARKET. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool 

 write as follows, (imler (late of August 17 last, with 

 reference to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton 

 ®n the Liverpool market : — 



There lias been a moderate enijuiry for West Indian Sea 

 Island cotton since our last report. This has resulted in the 

 sales of about 130 bales, comprising Barbados, St. Kitt's, 

 St. Croix, and St. Martin, principally at 14rf. to loit, with 

 a tew bales at 16rf. It will be seen, therefore, that prices 

 are without ,ehanc»e. 



COTTON PLANTING MACHINES. 



The following article dealing with the use of 

 machines in planting Sea Island cotton has been 

 contributed by Mr. Thomas Thornton, A.R.C.S., late 

 Travelling Inspector in eounexioti with Cotton Investi- 

 gations under the Imperial Department of Agri- 

 culture : — 



The introduction of machinery to take the i)lace of hand 

 labour and to cheapen the cost of proihu-tion is occnning 

 as rapidly in connexion with agriculture as with other indus- 

 tries, and it is important tliat agricullnrists should make 

 themselves accpiaintcd witli tiie latest labour taxing iniple- 

 incnts on the market. 



Growers of Sea Island cotton in the West Indies have to 

 compete with producers in the Southern States of America, 

 where a large part of the planting and cidtivation work is 

 carried out by means of machinery which saves both labour 

 and expen.se. Labour, it is true, is not so costly in the West 

 Indies as in the States, but cfimplaints are heard in many of 

 the islands that labour is scarce, while in cases where there is 

 no lack of men, the labourers aie frei|i;ei)tly uru-eliabli' and 

 tfie work is done in an unsatisfactory manner. 



Cotton and other seeds liave, so far, in tlu'se <■. ilonies 

 been planted almost exclusively by hand, but at the present 

 time there a''e several simjile macliines on tlie market for 

 carrying out this work. 



The land is of coiu'se prepared in the same manner 

 whether the cotton is planted by n\eans of the machine or 

 by hand, but nevertheless the iilanting machine is one of I lie 

 most useful implements that could be procured for a cotton 

 estate, and well repays the investment made. The machine 

 ]nay also be used for planting other seeds, such as maize or 

 .sorghum, as well as cotton. 



Sometime ago 1 imported for use on my estate in Tobago 

 a cotton and corn planter (.Vverys' ' Sod Planter " ), and 

 .since one or two slight alterations have been made, this machine 

 has given every .satisfaction. It is light in draught, so that 



a pony can draw it with ea.se, and by its mean.s as much as 

 8 acres of land can be planted per day. 



The machine is provided with an 'opener,' which tits 

 into the ground, and makes the furrow in which the .seed 

 Ls idanted. By suitable means, too, the seed is drojiped from 

 the machine, in proper amount, into this small furrow, while 

 ]jy means of two large spoon-like arrangements, passing near 

 the surface of the ground, the mould is drawn over the seed 

 in the furrow. Behind these there is a broad wiiecl with 

 a concave rim which presses down the mould over the seeds. 



The machine does excellent work when the .soil is in 

 a dry condition. After rain, however, when the soil is in 

 a sticky condition, the ii'nplement is apt to become clogged. 

 The opening through wllii'h the seed passes to the ground 

 becomes choked up with mould, which [irevents the setxl 

 from passing thnMigh. This, however, can be remedied, and 

 ex|ierience has .shown that if the ' opener " be removed, and 

 replacetl liy a pointed shovel, and the press wlwel at the back 

 be also taken away, the tnachine works well, even in a sticky 

 jilaee and inunediately after a shower. 



Jiwides the 'Sixl Planter,' the firm of B. ¥. Avery iV Sons 

 make a .second machine, 'known as the ' I'ncle Sam' cotton 

 and corn jilanter, which is almost identical with the 'Sod 

 Planter,' when the alterations mentioned above have been 

 niadi-. 



Ill such islands as St. N'incent and .'st. Kitt's, the 'Sod 

 Planter' would do good work; but in I'arbados, Antigua, 

 Montserrat and Tobag'o, the ' I'licle Sam ' planter will 

 probably be found most, satisfactory. 



These machines plant in straight rows only, or as straight 

 as a iKirse can be guided. Cotton seed can be planted in 

 a continuous drill, the (puintity of seed dropped being 

 regulated by a thin feed slide. If the seed is delinted, it may 

 be planted with corn plates, which drop the .seed at regular 

 intervals, three or four seeds being jjlanted at each hole. The 

 depth at which the seeds are ]ilanted can also be accurately 

 adjusted. 



'i'he price of these [ilantiiig machines in America is .'^12 

 each. 



Cotton in the Sea Islands. Me.ssr.s. Hemy Frost a- Co., 



of Charleston, writing on .\ugust 8 last, state that the market 

 f(ir ('otton from the Sea Islands was dull and with no demand. 

 The stock in hand ccjnsisted of about 100 bales, chietly of 

 ' l''ully Pine ' ((uality, for' which planters were asking ."lOc. 

 [ler Ih. 



With regard to the crop of the coming season, the nuicli 

 needed rain had occurred around Charleston, and in that 

 ilistrict |)rospects are favourable, h'rom Beaufort the re|)orts 

 received are not so good, and the outlook in that section is 

 not so promising. Iteports still speak of a reduction in the 

 acreage under Sea I.slan4 cotton. 



