374 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 22, 1913. 



COTTON. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 •write as follows, under date November '■>, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton: — 



Since our last report the -sales of West Indian Sea Island 

 cotton have been confined to about 100 bales St. Croix 15d. to 

 Hid., 30 bales Virgin Islands l'>d. to lUhd., about 10 bales 

 superfine St. Kitts at 2\d. and a few stains at \0d. 



The American Carolina crop appears to be a good one 

 this season and 'Extra Fine' ia oflTering from Charleston about 

 IM. This cotton will compete seriously with all West Indian 

 cotton which is not superfine in staple. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending November 1, is as follows: — 



There has been some demand for export during the 

 past week resulting in sales on a basis of: Extra Fine 

 26c , Fully Fine 24c., and Fully Fine ofl" in preparation 

 at 20ic. to 21c. At these prices the Factors are will- 

 ing to continue selling, but refuse to make any further 

 concessions. From now on the receipts will be larger and 

 atlbrd a good offering stock from which we will be able to 

 buy satisfactorily. 



No sales have been made as yet of Planters' crop lots. 



We quote, viz., 



Extra Fine 26c. = 14|rf. c.i.f., ife 5 per cent. 



Fully Fine 24c. = 13Jrf. „ „ „ „ 



Fine 22c. to 23c. = 12fd. to ISJrf. „ „ ,, „ 



Fully Fine off!., „, _ ,, 

 in preparation j 



This report shows that the total exports of Sea 

 Island cotton from the United States to Liverpool, 

 Manchester and Havre tip to November 1, 1913, were 

 2,S.S.i bales, S,32.S bales, and 96-") bales, respectively. 



Condition of Peasant Cotton Growers in 

 Antigua • — At the suggestion of the .Superintendent of 

 Agriculture for the Leeward Islands, the Agricultural 

 Superintendent, Antigua, has made an inspection of the 

 peasant cotton cultivation in that island. The area under 

 this crop was found to be unexpectedly large; exact figures 

 are not available, but at a very rough estimate it is believed 

 that the total area in the two districts situated in the English 

 harbour quarter approaches 300 acres. 



The most important question attendant on peasant cotton 

 growing is the provision of Paris green for the control of the 

 cotton worm. Most of the importers obtain the poison in 

 packages containing 14 1b. and upwards. Merchants are 

 naturally unwilling to break these packages for the purpose 

 of retailing small amounts, but recently, owing to the special 

 conditions of the case in Antigua, a firm is retailing London 

 purple loose at 9rf. per B). The Superintendent of Agriculture 

 laid the suggestion before the Government that Paris green 

 and London purple should be provided on the credit system. 

 Apparently arrangements have been made to carry this 

 suggestion into effect. A special leaflet has been issued 

 containing instructions in regard to the working of this 

 credit system. 



EFFECT OF THE NEW AMERICAN 



TARIFF. 



In the Ji'fi'rmiiioi'iil Sutjar Juvrnal for October 1913, 

 some surprise is expressed at the small amount of attention 

 which the l,ovi$iana Planter has given in recent issues to 

 the impending catastrophe which sugar growers have to 

 anticipate in America. Expectations are amply fulfilled, 

 however, in the Louisiana Planter for October 11, 1913, 

 where a large amount of space is devoted to the eflfect of 

 the new tariff on the sugar industry. It is pointed out that 

 the United States consumes nearly one fourth of the sugar 

 produced in the world. Consequently sugar legislation in 

 the United States is regarded with extreme interest through- 

 out the remainder of the sugar world. As is well known, 

 all duties except the Dutch colour-standard duty will not 

 be removed until March 1, 1914. The journal referred to 

 above describes in the following words the effects which 

 it will have upon sugar producers during the coming four 

 and a half months. 



'We can see that the first impulse given to sugar 

 producers by the changed conditions would be to expedite 

 the sale of the 600,000 tons of domestic beet sugar, 

 which in order to receive the present protection of l-348c. 

 must be needed by consumers and must have passed 

 into the hands of practical consumers by March 1, IS 14, 

 but four and a half months distant. Next will come the 

 Louisiana crop, the marketing of which will begin about the 

 first of November, which may add 300,000 tons to the beet 

 crop sugar as stated, and then Hawaii will do what it can 

 with its sugars during this short space of time, and Porto 

 Rico will doubtless make strong eflForts to begin its campaign 

 early, and to carry it on with all possible rapidity to come 

 within the limits of Man h 1. The aggregate of these 

 four privileged crops, Louisiana, the domestic beet, Hawaii 

 and Porto Eico, will reach one half of the annual consump- 

 tion of the United States for the year, and its marketinsj 

 through the next four month.*, based upon the present 

 Dingley tariff rate, as reduced by tJie Cuban reciprocity, is 

 a practical impossibility.' 



lender the existing law, refined sugars in America are 

 taxable at the rate of -S^ 1,000 a day protection to a sugar 

 refinery turning out 4,000 barrels of sugar. 



It may be added, further, that the Cuban sugar crop 

 is expected to control American values, for this country can 

 send in 96° test at a cent a lb. duty and pure white sugar 

 at 1 09c. per lb. duty against l-46c. per lb. duty under the 

 existing system. In other words, Cuba can send in pure white 

 sugar at less than one-tenth of a cent per ft), greater duty 

 than 96° test. 



Another article i^^the Louisiana Planter puts forward 

 suggestions for meeting the changed condition in the sugar 

 business in Louisiana. CJreat importance is attached to 

 CO operative sale of while plantation sugar by the growers 

 themselves. This sugar, it is stated, should be packed in 5 

 or 10 B) cartons and advertized in most of the popular papers 

 having a wide circulation. Similar action should be taken in. 

 regard to molasses. This should be packed in from 1 pint 

 to 1 gallon tin cans, thoroughly advertised as 'Pure 

 'Louisiana Molasses'— without the addition of glucose made 

 from corn. 



