146 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May 10, 1913. 



Avho use inferior grades would not welcome a general 

 increased supjily of higher grade lint, in order to estab- 

 llish their industry on a more permanent basis of pros- 

 p« rity. It is therefore desirable in the Hrst place that 

 the producers should assert themselves in the direction 

 of general co-operation, with a view to producing in 

 •different localities a uniform grade of high class cotton, 

 :and if [jossible obtain some guarantee that inferior lint 

 •does ijot go to the consumer in the form of material 

 "which is not representative of the grade of produce 

 -employed in its manufacture. 



Before any progress can be made in a matter of 

 ■this kind it is essential that every cotton-growing 

 (locality should produce the best type of cotton in 

 ■uniform commercial i|uantities. 



A great deal of attention in the past has been given 

 %o the agricultural selection of cotton. In ihe case of 

 the Sea Island ty})e there has been a general improve- 

 iment in quality and yield and several localities in the 

 West Indies have established a reputation for the pro- 

 "duction of extremely high grade material. But even 

 "with Sea Island cotton, there are grades the improve- 

 ment of which is frequently limited by soil and 

 <climat,e. In time this may be overcome by improved 

 methods of selection and cultivation, but for the present 

 "the circumstance serves to illustrate the existence of 

 'Commenial grades in different communities even in the 

 •case of Sea Island cotton, and it would seem to be 

 ■desirab'c that efforts should be made to ersure unifor- 

 roity ill the production of the best possible quality. 

 °Jhe achievement of this end necessitates the co-opera- 

 •■fcion of a large number of growers determined to meet 

 a definite demand for a definite commercial grade. 



■ Such a standardization facilitates the sale of the 

 ;produce; it is indirectly of great benefit as regards 

 production. 



The first essential in creating uniformity in the 

 grade of cotton is for communities to produce their 

 own seed. As an example of what can be done 

 in this matter, reference may be made to St. Vincent 

 •where the cotton industry has already attained 



■ a high degree of organization. The growers in 

 this Colony depend for their seed supply upon 

 selected jilants in fields which have produced lint 

 of a high value and fi.xed grade the previous season. 

 The seed is ginned separately; it is afterwards selected 

 •Tb}' women specially trained in the operation: and before 

 5)lanting, the germination capacity is determined by 

 ^experiment in order to secure a quickly and evenly 



• ■established crop. 'J'he peasant growers in this island, 



obtain at a small cost, seed selected from their produce 

 at the Government Central Ginnery, so that in every 

 way uniformity as regards seed is rigidly assured. Iti 

 may be added in this connexion, that one of the more 

 obvious advantages that accrues from the planting of 

 graded seed is that, although cross-pollination may 

 occur during the flowering period — and from results 

 obtained in .Montserrat this appears to take place to 

 the extei.t of 20 per cent, of the total flowers — it is 

 not likely to interfere seriously with uniformity in 

 the type of lint. 



Occasionally it becomes necessary and advan- 

 tageous to ensure uniformity by means of legislation. 

 Again it will serve purposes of illustration to refer to 

 measures that have been taken in this direction ia 

 St. Vincent. The Agricultural Products Protection 

 Ordinance requires every grower to send in returns on 

 or before September 30 of each year, of the acreage 

 planted, thereby enabling reliable forecasts to be made 

 for statistical purposes. There is also in this Colony 

 a Plant Disease Ordinance under the provisions of 

 which all growers are r^juired to destroy by fire, 

 on or before April oO of each ^ear, all cotton 

 bushes that were planted or growing during the 

 previous season. A third law in this island compels 

 small growers to sell all lots of seed-cotton less than 

 100 lb. in weight to the Government Cotton (iiimery. 

 The object of this latter (Jrdinance is to put an etficient 

 check upon praedial larceny. 



Finally we m^iy turn from the above considerations 

 to the question of education in regard to uniform produc- 

 tion. In its broadest aspect any attempt at uniformity 

 has itself an educational value, particularly m the case 

 of the rising generation, who, being brought up under 

 the the influence of co-operative action are likely 

 to respond, later on, more quicklj' to fresh ideas 

 in the same direction. Localized industries have also 

 a hereditary influence, and because of this it is always 

 desirable that imported labour should not be employed, 

 and concerted action should therefore be taken to 

 establish villages and settlements in order to provide 

 a ])ermanent source of local supply. Technical educa- 

 tion has also its value. Action has already been taken 

 to provide instruction in agricultural science in 

 the rural schools, but more solid progress might per- 

 haps be made in this direction if the instruction 

 were based more directly upon the principles govern- 

 ing the cultivation of the crop in which the community 

 has specialized. Higher forms of education might use- 

 fully include a systematic study of the economics of 

 agriculture, in contra-distinction to the study of natural 



