294 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



September IP, 1908. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON ON THE 



LIVERPOOL MARKET. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme & Hollund, of Liverpool' 

 •write as follows under date ot August 31 last, in refer- 

 ence to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton on 

 the Liverpool market : — 



Since our last report a moderate amount of business has 

 been done in West Indian Sea Island descriptions, but confined 

 almost entirely to extra fine cotton and .stains. 



The sales include Barbados at 14J(/., St. Vincent at 17'/. 

 to 2"2(7., the latter figure representing a few bales of very 

 .special cjuality, and stains at 3'/. to 8hii. 



The fine shipping trade continues very dull, and s]iinners 

 are quite inditterent about buying. 



COTTON NOTES FROM ST. KITT'S. 



Mr. F. R. Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent 

 of St. Kitt's-Nevis, has lorwarded the following notes 

 in regard to the present season's cotton crop in the 

 presidency : — 



The cotton prospects for the coming sea.son at St. Kitt's 

 are at present very hopeful. It is estimated that the area 

 planted is much the same as last year, viz., about 2,000 acres. 

 In i)ractically all cases selected local seed was planted. The 

 young crop in all parts of the island looks healthy, and shows 

 a vigorous growth. So far, no signs of disease have been 

 observed and the cotton worm has made an aj)[)earance in 

 only a few places. On one estate, where the i-rop v/as 

 planted early, some cotton has already been picked. This 

 however, i.s an exceptional ca.se, :uid at the date of writing 

 {September 1) , speaking generally, the crop is at the stage 

 of boll formation. 



Attention may be drawn to the important infiuence of 

 cultivation on the growth and development of the cotton 

 plants, .\bout three weeks ago the .\gricultural Superin- 

 tendent noticed a small fieUl of cotton where the plants weri' 

 affected with aphis and looked as if they wanted mamue. 

 The land was free from weed.s, but the soil was in a hard 

 <;ondition at the surface. It yv.ik at first suggested that the 

 plants should be sprayed with kerosene emulsion in order to 

 destroy the aphis, and that a (juick-acting manure such as 

 nitrate of soda .should afterwards be applied. 



It was decide<l, however, to try the effect of cultivation 

 on the plants. To this piupo.se a good stirring of the .soil 

 was begun ; the land was keiil loose with a hoe, a constant 

 mulch of loose soil being provided in this way, and the result 

 has been that at the end of three weeks the plants have 

 regained a normal lieiill liy condition, and ipiite lost their sit-kly 

 appearance. 



COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS. 



Writing nearly a month ago (August 22), Messrs. 

 Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, reporteil that 

 the condition of the American Sea Island cotton 

 market was still dull and tinehanged. Sales were slow 

 and factors were holding cotton of 'fully fine' quality 

 at 30c. per ft., and planters' crop lots at from 32c. to 

 40c. per ft. 



As regards the coming crop, rei)oits fiom the Sea Islands 

 are now less promising than they were a short time ago. 

 This is on account of the fact that the plants have taken on 

 a .second growth, which imperils the top liolls. The impre.s- 

 .sion now is that the crop will not equal that of last year. 



In Floiida the cotton crop is reported to be generally 

 liackward. From Georgia reports are favourable except in 

 some counties around Savannah. The reduction in the 

 cotton area in this latter State is estimated at from 1.") to 

 20 per cent. 



Messrs. W. W. Gordon it Co., of Savannah, have .sent 

 out enquiries to about I.'jO correspondents in the Sea Island 

 cotton belt, with regard to the present condition of the crop. 

 The greater number of the replies icceived up to August 20 last 

 stated that the weather experience<l during the previous 

 month had been unfavourable, and that the condition of the 

 cotton crop might best be described as fair. The tH)lls were 

 opening .somewhat earlier than last sea.son, and the promise 

 of crop was about the average. It was evident, however, 

 that the return would be somewhat lessened by the shedding 

 of bolls. 



THE LANCASHIRE COTTON CONFER- 

 ENCE AND THE IMPERIAL 

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



As already mentioned in the AiiricaUa ral News, 

 a resolution was passed at the l.ite Cotton Conference 

 held in Lancashire, urging His .Majesty's (jovernnient 

 to establish the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 for the West Indies ii[)on a permanent basis, and 

 expressing the opinion that with a continuance of the 

 support so far afforded by Imperial funds, the opera- 

 tions of the Department might with advantage he 

 extended so .is to provide facilities for education and 

 research work in connexion with tropical agriculture. 

 The following is the fidl text ofthe resolution : — 

 This Gonference is of opinion that the rapid and satisfac- 

 tory progress of the West In<lian cotton-growing industry is 

 largely due to the valuable a.ssistance rendered by the Imperial 

 I'cpartmenl of .\griculture, under the direction of Sir Daniel 



