40G 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 20, 1913. 



COTTON. 



WEST INDIAN OOTTON. 



Measre. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date December 1, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton: — 



Since our last report about 100 bales of West Indian 

 Sea Island cotton have been sold, which include Old Crop 

 Montserrat at 15id., a few St. Kitts ll},d. to 20d, and the 

 remainder stains 10'/. to lOW. 



The market is steady, but there is very little stock 

 offering. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending November "29, is as follows: — 



There was a good demand throughout the week with 

 sales of 412 bales taking all of the offerings of odd bags of 

 Extra Fine, of which there will be only a limited supply in 

 the crop, and of Fully Fine off in preparation. There was 

 also some demand for Fully Fin? and better than, sufficient 

 to keep the market steady at our quotations. For Fine, of 

 ■which there are good offerings, there has been little or no 

 demand but owing to being relatively reasonable in compari- 

 son with the Savannah market. Factors are hopeful of an 

 early demand for them. 



We quote, viz., 

 Ertra Fine 2Gc. = li^d. c.i.f., & 5 per cent. 



Fully Fine 23c. to 23k = 13|(f. to 13id „ „ 



Fine 22c. " = 12^d. „ „ „ „ 



Tully Fine off V^Q, , ,^ 



in preparation) 



This report shows that the total exports of Sea 

 Island cotton from the United States to Liverpool, 

 Manchester and Havre up to November 29, 1913, were 

 .3,.57<) bales, 8,991 bales, and 1,794 bales, respectively. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON GROWING COM- 

 PETITION FOR SMALL HOLDERS 

 IN ST. VINCENT. 



The following interesting report by the Agricul- 

 tural Superintendent, St. \'incent (j\Ir. W. N. Sands), 

 has lately been received through the Administrator: — 



The competition was inaugurated with the object of 

 encouraging the cultivation of Sea Island cotton by small 

 holders along the best lines and was confined this season to 

 three districts: (a) Linley Valley, (b) Clare Valley — (^>ues- 

 telles, and (c) Stubbs and I'.righton. In each of these 

 districts Sea Island cotton is the chief crop. 



In May, meetings were held in each centre at which an 

 aveiage number of sixty small holders was present. The 

 object and nature of the competition were explained and 

 the following subjects discussed: cultivation; manuring; 

 draining to prevent wash; thinning and spacing; and the 

 control of pests. It was pointed out that no intercropping 

 with ground provisions, or cassava would be allowed in the 

 plots entered for competition, but that Indian corn might 

 he planted in every other row in holes not less than G feet 

 apartj and that pigeon pea.s might be planted as wind-breaks, 

 and subsequently through the cotton when it had reached 

 the boiling stage. 



During the month of Jul)', each of the plots entered was 

 visited and inspected and notes made of the work already 

 done. When necessary, opportunity was taken to advise 

 competitors on different points requiring attention. Taken 

 as a whole, the work in the initial stages was well done, but 

 some competitors lost marks through planting too much corn, 

 poor banking and lining, and by not opening good head 

 drains. 



The final judging of the ]i!ols was started on October 

 20 and finished on October 30, The Assistant Agricultural 

 Superintendent assisted in the work. 



The competition was arranged in two classes as follows: — 

 Class 1 : The best Sea Island cotton cultivation of not 

 less than 1 acre on a small holding over .5, 

 but not exceeding 10 acres. 

 Class 11: The best Sea Island cotton cultivation of not 

 less than i acre on a small holding not e.xceed- 

 ing 5 acres. 

 There were thirty nine entries, twenty-one in Class 1, 

 and eighteen in Class 11. 



In connexion with the judging, the following general 

 remarks may be of interest. 



LINLEY VALLEY. The work (lone was very creditable. 

 On one or two plots the drainage was not satisfactory and 

 the thinning of the plants was imperfectly performed. Where 

 the plants had been thoroughly thinned they were bearing 

 and holding up better than where two or more plants had 

 been left in a hole. T. W. Clarke's steep hillside plot 

 obtained the highest number of marks in the competition. 

 The banks and drains were well formed; tbe plants were 

 bearing heavily and due attention had been paid to the 

 control of 'black scale' and 'leaf-blister mite'. J. Alexander's 

 cotton was also situated on a steep hillside with land that 

 was considered by the previous renter to be too poor for 

 profitable cultivation in cotton or ground provisions. 

 Alexander had put up two donkey pens and with the aid of 

 the manure collected, combined with good cultivation, had 

 made the land fertile again. His cotton crop was full of 

 promise but was not quite as good as Clarke's, lloth Clarke 

 and Alexander deserve much credit for the intelligent 

 manner in which they handled their cultivations. 



The plots served as excellent object-lessons to other small 

 holders in the distiict. 



CL.VRE VALLEY — que.steLles. The cultivation here, with 

 the exception of .John Bramble's, left something to be desired. 

 In the initial stages, the work was very well done. More 

 attention, however, should have been previously given to the 

 growth of pigeon peas and the preparation of manure to keep 

 up the fertility of the lands. Certain of the plots although 

 given good cultivation showed in the general condition of the 

 crop that the soil was lacking in organic matter. Adol[)hus 

 Williams tried cotton seed-meal as a manure, and it is 

 unfortunate that owing to the absence of close supervision 

 the seed was sown much too thickly and the plants very 

 badly thinned. Although the growth made was strong and 

 healthy and the bolls set well, a good proportion of those on 

 the lower branches were lost in the wet weather. Some of 

 the holes were only about a foot apart with two plants over 

 6 feet high. The beneficial effect of the manure was, 

 however, clearly seen and an excellent crop would have been 

 obtained but for the defect noted above in the cultivation. 



Four of the competitors lost marks by allowing certain 

 trees and plants, for instance. Hibiscus, hog plum, and 

 sour sop, which were infested with 'black scale, to spread the 

 pest in their plots. W^here blighted trees and plants had 



