198 



THE AORICULTURAL ISE^fS. 



Jdxe -21, 1913. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Jklessrs. WolsDenholiue anii Holland, of Liverpool, 

 •write as tollows, under dace June 2, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



About 300 bales of West Indian Sea Islands have been 

 sold since our last report, chiefly St. Martin from lid. to 

 18i/., Barbuda 17'?. and Nevis IGhl to ISrf , with a few 

 St. Croix at ISd. and Barliados at \9d. 



The stock has been largely increased with recent 

 arrivals. Buyers are only disposed to purchase from hand 

 to mouth, and prices in conteijuence are rather easier 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 endincf .May 24-, is as follows: — 



The sales this week consisted of several planters' crops 

 at 2Ge. to 32c., amounting to 170 bales. There continues 

 to be no demand for the remaining stock of odd bags of 

 otf cotton at the asking prices of Factors, so that with the 

 exception of the above sales of crop lots the market remains 

 unchanged, and therefore we have only to renew our last 

 quotations, viz : 



Kztra Fine 28c. to 29c. = \Qd. to IG^d. c.i.f., & o per cent. 

 •Fully Fine 26c. to 27c. = 14|rf. to 15^(i. „ „ „ 

 Fine 2.5c. = Hid. „ „ ,, „ 



Extra Fine otr\ .,., _ ,.,, , 



in preparation / 



f'""yl'"'°';."**'|lSc.to20c.= 10Rtoll.',d. „ „ ., ., 

 :n preparation J - - > 



18c. 



= low. 



Fine otl in "| 

 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 24-, 1913, were 1 336 

 ^bales, 4,451 bales, and 4,(308 bales, respectively. 



Agricultural Credit. — Prussian views have recently 

 been abstracted in the Ej-periment illation Record for 

 March 1913, where the legal limitations of mortgage indebt- 

 edness in relation to the taxable value of lands are dealt 

 ■with, together with the possibility of securing credit for 

 agricultural purpose" at lower rates of interest It is 

 fre<iuently held to be advantageou.s, to have the mortgage 

 indebtedness on land constantly increasing. In the article 

 referred to, however, this view is opposed, and it is main- 

 tained that economic advancement in agricultural land must 

 be accompanied by an increase in the investment of circu 

 lating (working) and fixed capital. This additional demand 

 is likely to lead to an increase of agricultural credit. 

 Increases in land values are held to reduce, and not to 

 increase, the circulating capital; for an agricultural popula- 

 tion, as a rule, does not grow richer in the same proportion 

 that the value of the land increases, and every lime the 

 land changes hands a larger amount of fixed capital must be 

 invested in order to work it properly. This amount is 

 usually taken from the circulating capital, and the larger 

 •credit which this increased land value permits does not 

 -affect operating capital but only places a higher charge upon 

 -agriculture. 



RECENT VIEWS ON THE UNIVERSITY 

 QUESTION. 



The Iteport of the C unmitcee appointed by ths Board 

 of Agriculture, Ceylon, to arouse public mtere.'t in the 

 question of a College of Tropical Agrijulturt- situated in 

 ihat island, has juA been received, and the following is 

 a summary of the case which it puts forward: — 



(1) A college and not a university is advocated, 

 though it is contemplated that a college might develop 

 naturally into a university in tlie course of time. 



(2) Proximi'y to the great centres of education and 

 reseaich in Europe and America is not considered essential. 



(3) On the other hand, the pro.ximitv of Ceylon to the 

 great planting areas in the Eastern Tropics, in tropical 

 Australia and \n British East Africa is considered an essential 

 feature of the case. 



(4) Great importance is attached to the existence, in 

 Ceylon, of large areas under diverse cultivations, to the 

 existence of a dry and wet zone, and to the superiority of 

 the Ceylon Iloyal Botanic Gardens, which have for years 

 been the training ground of a considerable number of 

 agricultural students. 



The Ceylon Beport has recently been criticized in the 

 India Rubljer Journal (May 3, 1913). Reference is also 

 made in this journal to the Trinidad proposals. The points 

 adduced may be stated thus: — • 



(1) That the Ceylon authorities are not clear as to 

 what is wanted 



(2) It is stated that 'the Trinidad scheme is nonsense.' 



(3) This journal is of opinion, however, that 'there is 

 something to be said in favour of a college or experimental 

 station on which young men, both in the Tropics and going 

 from home, might see something of the theory and practice 

 of tropical agriculture as applied to various products.' 



(i) Emphasis is kid upon the importaLce of maintain- 

 ing a well-trained and active minded start' of lecturers. 

 In this connexion, close contact with British Universities is 

 strongly advocated. 



In continuation of the subject, a letter, apparently 

 written by Professor Farmer, of Cambridge, has lately 

 appeared in Nature. (May 8, 1913). The views expressed 

 in this communication are as follows: — 



(1) It is doubted whether the advocates of the Tropical 

 University clearly differentiate between a University and 

 a College of University rank. 



(2) The latter, if generously maintained and kept in 

 intimate contact with British Universities would be, it is 

 believed, a valuable asset to the JMupire. The former, how- 

 ever, could not be immediately created, but would have to 

 grow and justify its own existence. 



(3) Sympathy is expressed as regards the West Indies 

 as a site for the University College advocated, in view of 

 the geographical situation of the islands and their diversity 

 of agricultural, climatic and labour conditions. 



The general inference to be drawn from the foregoing 

 opinions wculd seem to be that it would be advantageous 

 locally, as well as in a wider or Imperial sense, to have 

 an Agricultural College in the West Indies, and also in 

 Ceylon, provided that the latter could arrange to cooperate 

 with well established Universities. 



The exact meaning of the reference to 'seeing something 

 of the theory and practice of tropical agriculture' in (3) of 

 the second article cited, and the meaning of the terra 'college 

 or experimental station' in the .same section, is dillicult to 

 understand, in connexion with serious considerations oa 

 education. 



