THE AOKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



Januakv 4, 1913. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 >vntc as follows, under date 1 >eceniber l(j, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



About .50 bales of West Indian Sea Island cotton have 

 laeen sold since our last report; they imlude Old Crop 

 St. Kitts, Barbados, Antigua and St. Croix from 15c?. to \7hl. 

 and New Crop St. Kitts at ISld. 



Prices are firm, but there is only a limited enquiry. 

 Holders of American Sea Islands, which have proved to be 

 undesirable in quality this season, are pressing sales. 



The report of Jlessrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending ] December 14, is as follows: — 



With only a moderate demand throughout the week, and 

 that chiefly for Extra Fine and No. 1 off cotton, the market 

 remains steady and unchanged, with Factors inclined to be 

 firm in their prices. We have, therefore, only to renew our 

 last quotations. 



There has been no further inquiry for Planters' crop lots. 



We quote, viz.: — 



"Extra Fine 

 Tully Fine 

 Fine 



Extra Fine off ) 



in preparation / 



I'ully Fine off "j 



in preparation J 



Fine off 1 



in preparation J 



THE WEST INDIAN COTTON-GROWING 



SEASON. 1911-12. 



As was promised in the last issue of the Agricultural 

 News, an article dealing with the general conditions during 

 the last cotton-growing season in the West Indies is continued 

 in this number. 



NKvis. At the commencement of the season, it was 

 estimated from the preparations being made that there would 

 be an increase of about 20 per cent, in the area planted in 

 cotton. In the next month, the work on estates was 

 concerned mainly with the selection of cotton seed for 

 planting and the destruction of the old plants; in May, it 

 was expected that there would be an increase in the area 

 J)lanted, new land being prepared in several places. Dry 



weather and want of labour during -Tune and July prevented 

 the realization of- this anticipation, as very few fields were 

 established by that time, although a large amount of supply- 

 ing was done. The continuation of the dry weather caused 

 most of the cotton planted during July to be lost, while that 

 put in during June made little progress. At the end of 

 August and September an impulse was given to planting by 

 the receipt of rains, and the result was that it could be 

 reported in October that the prospects of the crop had 

 improved considerably. I.eaf-blister mite and the cotton 

 worm made their appfarance The area under cotton for this 

 crop was about 2,060 acres, of which more than one-hnlf was la 

 the hands of small cultivators; the increase on the area in the 

 previous season was about 600 acres. In November, there was 

 an improvement in the crop, though there was considerable 

 loss through the cotton worm in one district; about .50,000 ft), 

 of seed- cotton had been gathered from "plants established in 

 ■June. In December, there was loss from boll -dropping, and 

 it resulted from this and the other causes indicated that the 

 yield per acre was generally below the average, though good 

 returns were obtained in some districts. A feature of the 

 season was tlie prolonged drought. T.efore April was reached, 

 by which time all the cotton had been [)icked and the old 

 plants were lieing burned, it was estimated that the total 

 yield of lint would be about 120,000 lb. 



THE viKiu.s islani>s. Favourable progress was made at 

 the beginning of the -season; and considerable interest was 

 shown by the peasantry, which was stimulated by the holding 

 of meetings in April, at which the Agricultural Instructor 

 dealt mainly with matters concerning cotton-growing. Sow- 

 ing was in full progress by the end of May, and the sale of 

 cotton seed at the Experiment Station exceeded that of any 

 previous season. Very dry weather began to be experienced 

 in June, and Aphis showed itself in .July: the demand for .seed 

 still continued during the latter month. I'.y the end of 

 August, it was evident that considerable areas of cotton would 

 have to be replanted; in some cases the verj- young seedlings 

 that had been obtained were cut off by lieetles. The dry 

 Cdndilions continued during the next few months, until near 

 the end of October, when useful rains fell and it seemed that 

 the recuperative power of the cotton plant would cause it to 

 show adverse effects less than any of the other crops; the 

 cotton worm -howed itself in many districts, and in December 

 some trouble was experienced with the pest, while by the end 

 of February leaf-blister mile had appeared to some extent. 

 In general, there had been much improvement of the crop 

 before picking came to an end at the beginning of June, when 

 the harvest had amounted to about .51,000 lb. of lint. 



When the complete returns of the exports from the 

 different islands have been received, an early opportunity will 

 be taken to publish these in the Ajricultiual Ntws. So far. 



