TP2 



THE AniUCULTUnVL NEWS. 



JcxF. 7, 1913. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



.MeBsre. Wolsienhoinie aiiH llnlland, of Liverpool, 

 ■write as lollows, under dace May 19, with reference 

 "bo the sales of We^t Indian Sea Island cfr.in : — 



Duiing the past fortnight, the only business in West 

 Indian 8ea Island has been a sale of 25 bales St. Kitts 

 cotton at 20d., and we report prices without change. 



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

 .Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 eadiiig 31ay 17, is as follows: — 



The sales this week consisted only of 17 bales oflf cotton; 

 ■conseiiuently the market has remained quiet and unchanged. 

 We have, thorefore, only to repeat our last advices, that in 

 the absence of demand. Factors are continuing to hold for 

 Jheir asking prices, and to renew our last quotations, viz.: — 



Extra Fine 28c. to 29c. = 16d. to 16id. c.i.f., <fe o per cent. 

 Fully Fine 26c. to 27c. = Ufcf. lo 15'^ „ „ „ „ 

 Fine 2.5c. = 14|t?. „ „ „ „ 



Extra Fine off 1 22c = Uld 



in preparation / '''^ ' " " " " 



Fully Fine offK,.^ ^^ ,^^ ^ ^^ ^ , ,^ 



in pieparitionj ^ _ o >i i i 



Fine oti in "1,0 mi j 



18c. = lOia. „ ,, ,, 



preparation J ^ " >> ^ » 



This report shows that the total exports of Sea 

 Island cotton from the United States to Liverpool, 

 Manchester and Havre, up to May 17, 1913, were 9t;i 

 bales, :),9-51 bales, and 4,608 bales, respectively. 



COTTON IN THE ST. VINCENT 

 GRENADINES. 



The agricultural conditions during lUlO in the 

 St. Vincent Southern Grenadines, namely Canouan, Mayreau 

 and Union Island, were described in the Agricultural JVttrs, 

 Vol. IX, No. 217, pp 262 and 2()3. A report on a more 

 ■recent visit to these islands by the Assistant Agricultural 

 Superintendent, St. Vincent (Mr. F. Birkinshaw), has lately 

 been received through the Agricultural Superintendent, in 

 -which i.s de.scribed the progress that has taken place in 

 these dependencies during the past two years. 



The report shows that considerable development has 

 occurred, mainly, it appear.s, as the result of the purchase 

 of Union Island by the (Jovernment in 1910, and the sub- 

 sequent facilities offered by the Government for the sale of 

 'Mar'e (Jalante' and Sea Island seed-cotton on a prodt- 

 sharing basis. 



UNION isLA.Ni). In the report abstracted in the number 

 of the Agricultural Xews referred to above, the area of 

 Union IsUnd is ^tated to be 2,600 acres, or probably larger. 

 According to the more recent report Union Ii-land is 2,067 

 acres. At the presimt time there is a little over 800 acres 

 of this area under cultivation. The crops grown are chieriy 

 cotton, corn and pigeon peas. Last year 109,181 lb of seed- 

 rtotton were sent to the Government ginnery, yielding 

 i8,241 lb. of lint. Previous to the purchasing of the island 



by the (Jovernment, th<>re were 320 acres under cultivation 

 from which l.'5.376 lb. of lint was obtained. 



Daring the past season seedcott>n has been bought by 

 the Goverumeal at 2o. p^r lb. and t'le uonus subsequently 

 paid was equ d to another 2c. per lb. The total amount 

 paid for seed-cotton was £960. 



.\s is well known, Marie Galaute' is the staple vaiiety, 

 liui last yar some seeds of Sakellarides Abassi, and .Mitaliti 

 cottons were sent from St. Vincent for trial. The yield from 

 SakellMxides is very encouraging, being at the rate of 

 3 02.T lb per acre. It is stated in the report under consider- 

 ation that it is proposed to plant a larger area of this cotton 

 during the coming season, when, besides the yield per acre, 

 observations will be made to determine the percentage of 

 lint to seed-cotton. 



M-WREAU. Similar crops are grown in this island to 

 those cultivated at Union. As is commonly known, the 

 'Metayer' system prevails, but the cotton is ginned at the 

 Government ginnery in St. - lucent. Last season 32,019 lb. 

 of seed-cotton were dealt with, yielding 7,862 lb. of lint. It 

 is indicated in the report that this constitutes an increase of 

 about 10,000 tt). on the amount produced in 1909-10, which 

 was 22,422 Hi. As in the case of Union Island, last year's 

 crop was purchased by the Government on a profit-sharing 

 basis. 



lASODAN. This is an island of 1,712 acres, 1,600 of 

 which are owned privately: the remaining 1 1 2 acres are 

 divided amongst fniall proprietors who send their cotton to 

 the (Tovernmeiit ginnery. Last season 16,247 lb. of Sfed- 

 cotton from Canouan were dealt with at the (lOvernment 

 ginnery, yielding 3,976 lb. of lint. 



An interesting discovery of a new type of indigenous 

 cotton was made by the Assistant Superintendent of Agri- 

 culture during his visit to this island. The bolls of this 

 cotton are small, being only 15 mm. in length, the bracts 

 being about 4 mm. longer. The seed is small and covered 

 with 'fuzz', and the lint sparsely covers nearly the whola 

 surface. The longest fibres are 30 mm. (1^ inches). 



INSECT I'E.STS IN THE GRENADINES. It IS Stated in the 



Report that white scale {IIeiuic/iionasj)is minor), the cott^iu 

 stainer, and the leaf-blister mite were more or less in eviience 

 in those islands that were visited. Cotton stainers are 

 considered not to be present in sufficient numbers to do any 

 immediate damage. Both at Union Island and Canouan leaf- 

 blister mite was moderatelj' prevalent. White scale was 

 common on cotton slumps; but since the tendency at present 

 in vogue is to cut the cotton lower than has been the practice 

 before, there is less opuortunity for the insecis to find ideal 

 shelter for their maintenance during the non growing season. 



At the One Hundred and Eleventh meeting of tha 

 Council of the Uritish Cotton Cirowing Association, it was 

 stated that the cotton returns from West Africa (Lagos) 

 amounted this year to 10j.")00 bales as compared with 6,903 

 biles for last year. As regards Nyasaland 8,055 bales were 

 e.tported from the Protectorate valued at £80,550, comparcj 

 with 3,392 bales for the previous year valued at £42,591. 

 The Council was further .informed at this meeting that, 

 in regard to India, the (iovernment of P>ombay and the 

 Bombay Millers' Association had decided to establish 

 a buying agency for long staple otton in Sind, ,and for 

 ginning and baling and conveying the cotton to market. In 

 connexion with the Sudan, the statements as to the crops 

 at Tayiba and elsewhere continue to be very satisfactory. 

 The report cincludes with the information that it is proposed 

 to hold a Cotton Trade Exhibition at Manchester in 1914. 



