118 



THE AGPJCULTURAL NEWS. 



April 12, 1913 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 xvnte as follows, under date March 2'\ with reference 

 1)0 the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



Since our last report, about 100 bales of West Indian 

 Sea IslanH rottnn have been sold, chiefly St. Vincent 22d. to 

 ■2i'l., Barbados I9},d to 20(/. and St. Kitts at 2()d. 



The market remains ver\- firm for the finer rjualities, 

 particularly St. Kitts and St. Vincent; the coarser stapled 

 Jots do not find a ready sale. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending March 22, is as follows: — 



There was a continuance of the demand for the odd bags 

 of Fine to Fully Fine off in preparation at prices ranging 

 from lOo. to 19c., resulting in sales of upwards of 6.50 bales 

 during the past ten days. Of these sales about 300 bales 

 ■were included in our last report. There was also .some 

 inquiry for the Planters' crop lots, resulting in the sale of 60 

 bale" Ifaniliii at 32c. The buying was for England and the 

 Cintinent, but principally for the former. 



In consequence of the above demand, the Factors are 

 less willing sellers of the cotton off in preparation at the 

 decline quoted, a.s such sales have entailed serious loss on the 

 planter, being below the co.st of production. 



We quote, viz: 



.Extra Fine 28c. to 29c. = 16d. to 16.W. c.i.f., i o per cent: 

 Fully Fine 26c. to 27c. = 14|i. to \b\d. 

 Fine 25c. 



Extra Fine off) 

 in preparation / 



F'>"yFine.^'ff)l,Sc.to20c. 

 in preparationj 



Fine off in ") 



preparation J 



This report shows that the 

 Island cotton from the United 



Manchester and Havre, up to March 22, 1913, were'421 

 bales, 721 bales, and 4,00.S bales, respectively. 



'.h 



4c. 



18c. 



= Uld. 

 13Jd. 



= low. toll W, 



lOhd. 



total e.x ports of Sea 

 States to Liverpool, 



NEW FACTS CONCERNING COTTON IN 



AMERICA. 



In a recently received Circular (Xo. 1 1 1 ) .jf the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry of the United Stale.s Department of .Agricul- 

 ime, information is presented in connexion with two interest- 



ing subjects, ( 1 ) the new type of cotton called Durango. and (2) 

 a botanical abnormality of cotton in certain districts, which 

 consists in the presence of supernumerary carpels in coltoa 

 bolls Dealing first with the former subject, the publicatioa 

 defines Durango cotton as a new type of long-staple Upland 

 cotton recently introduced, and now w^ll acclimatized to the 

 irrigated conditions in the south-western States. The 

 superiority of the Durango variety lies in the fact that it 

 combines the desirable cultural qualities of short-staple 

 varieties with length and strength of lint formerly obtained 

 only from the so called Peeler varieties of the Delta region of 

 Mississippi and Louisiana. The defects of the Peeler cotton 

 are said to be absent from th'j Durango variety, which is 

 early and productive, and has abundant, uniform fibre. 



The second subject referred to, that of supernumerary 

 carpels in cotton boll.s, is of particular interest in view of 

 certain observations in the W>st Indies on the occurrence of 

 bolls with five loculi in the Sea Island plants. 



In its simplest form the abnormality consisted of 

 a solid, elongated wliitish body developed near the centre of the 

 boll between the placentae or tissue.s which bear the ovules. 

 In many instances, this body was divided into two to 

 five longitudinal compartments, resembling miniature loculi 

 which enclosed rudimentary ovules. In one district nearly 

 all the specimens were sutticiently well developed that they 

 contained rudimentary lint-covered .seeds, and in one specimen 

 norm;il seeds and lint had developed in one of tht.se super- 

 numerary carpels 



The occurrence of the abnormality has been fairly 

 conclusively correlated with climatic conditions. 



In conclusion it is pointed out that in some respects 

 the abnormality resembles that found in the navel oran"e. 

 There is a difference, however, in that the supernumerary 

 carpels of the cotton boll develop at the base of the placentae, 

 whilst in the orange they are produced at the opposite end 

 of the fruit. 



A New Invention. — A description is given in the 

 Expcriiiii'it Siiio'oii Jiiiord, for December 1912, of a new 

 cotton picker, the mechanism of whiiih consists of all! inch 

 cylinder, 12 inches long, on which are mounted twenty 

 spindle shaft frames each carrying seven spindles, making 

 140 picking fingers in all. As the cylinder revolves, the 

 spindles are caused to revolve at high speed as they stand in 

 a vertical positinn, and the cotton wraps around them. Whea 

 they come to a horizontal position they are thrown out of 

 gear and the cotton is stripped of}" and passed to a basket in 

 the rear. It is claimed that this picker will do the work of 

 from ten to twelve men, requiring only a team and driver. 



