294 



THE AOEICUTURAL NEWS. 



Seitember 13, 1913. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 vrite as follows, under date August 2-"), with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



Since our last report about 200 bales of West Indian 

 Sea Island cotton have been sold, including Virgin Isles at 

 I6'i., St. Croix \6d., Tobago \6d. to lid., Barbados I8d. to 

 18Adt., and a few superfine St Vincent have also been dis- 

 posed of on private terms. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 fending August 23, is as follows: — 



We have only to renew our last quotations in the absence 

 of any sales. 



We quote, 

 Eitra Fine 280. to 29c. = 16rf. to IGiti. c.i.f., & 5 per cent. 



Fully Fine 26c. to 27c. = 14|rf. to 15J<i „ 



Fine 2.5c. = IV^d. „ „ ,, „ 



?^'^*^''"^°^l24c.to26c. = 13Ktol4U„ „ „ „ 

 in preparation i ' _ .. >f n 



Fully Fine offi 22c 

 in preparation/"' 



Fine off in jgOc 

 preparation / " 



This report shows that the total exports of Sea 

 Island cotton from the United States to Liverpool, 

 Manchester and Havre up to August 23, 1913, were 

 K.Ha bales, 7,731 bales, and 4,823 bales, respectively. 



= 12^^. 

 = IIH 



)i II 



SAKKLLARIDES VERSUS SEA ISLAND 

 COTTON. 



A letter has ju.st been received from Mr. John W. 

 McConnel, of Manche.ster, with reference to the report of 

 Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland (.June 30) published in 

 the A;fricidhiral A'ec'.s, Vol. XII, p. 230. This report makes 

 reference to Sakellarides cotton, and it is recommended that 

 in view of its great strength all planters should select Sea 

 Island seed for fineness. 



Thi.s reference to a possible competition between Sakella- 

 rides and Seal.-iland cotton suggested to Mr. Mcl'onnelthedesir- 

 ability of writing the letter referred to above. In this communi- 

 cation, Mr. McConnel proceeds first to point out that during 

 his visit to the West Indies in 1911, he was frequently asked 

 for information concerning Sakellarides cotton, and there 

 was a good deal of alarm less this new and prolific growth in 

 Egypt should destroy the demand for West Indian. Mr. 

 McConnel ventured to e.xpress a different view, and to 

 recommend planters to continue to grow good styles of West 

 Indian Sea Island. There can be no doubt that to a large 

 e.xtent the experience of the last two and a b-alf years has 

 indicated the correctness of this view. 



Air. WE.ST INDIAN STYLES KI.VEK ASP I.Ok'UER THAN '.SAKEL'. 



In some respects, Mr. McConnel says, 'Sakel' cotton has 

 ■worked almost a revolution. It apparently produce.s about 



as much lint to the acre as the inferior cottons of Egypt. It 

 has consequently to a very large extent taken their place, and. 

 its buying price is kept down about on the same level asi 

 other Egyptian stjles that will not spin so fine or so strong 

 a yarn. It has also, .been used to some extent, as Messrs. 

 Wolstenholme A: Holland say, in place of poor Sea Island 

 from America and, perhaps, also from the West Indies. 

 But these Sea Island kinds which 'Sakel' has replaced are 

 just the style of cotton which it seems undesirable for 

 planters to grow in any case. Some of the cotton grown 

 in Florida and Georgia, which is sound and well grown 

 is perhaps not fine enough to escape the competition 

 of 'Sakel'. But so far as Mr. McConnel has seen, all 

 West Indian Sea Island styles are finer and longer than 

 'Sakel'. That is to say, they are suitable when properly 

 grown for finer counts than those properly spun from 'Sakel'. 

 And it is only when they are imperfect — i.e. when they are 

 exceptionally wasty, or irregular, or wholly or in parts weak 

 — that 'Sakel' is able to compete with them. 



':<AKEL' INCKEASKS !>EMAND for .sl'l'ERI'IXE SKA ISLAND; 



Mr. McConnel's own view remains just what it was, 

 namely; that the effect of the introduction of 'Sakel' cotton 

 with its combination of excellence and cheapness, is to raise 

 the entire standard of the yarns in which it can be used. 

 And a secondary eftect of this is that in the counts finer 

 than the 'Sakel' count, users of yarn will want the standard 

 raised as well: and as Mr. McConnel has said over and over 

 again in the West Indies, it is just the same characteristics 

 rf brightness and strength in which the West Indian Sea 

 Islands have excelled the Sea Islands of Carolina. 



( ULTIVATE FOR .SOUNriNESS. 



Mr. McConnel, consequently, again urges readers of 

 this journal, not indeed to strain after exceptional fine- 

 ness or length, but to cultivate for soundness, regularity 

 and freedom from waste. These qualities will make the 

 cotton maintaiii its price, and at the same time tend towards 

 a greater production of lint, and consequently a smaller 

 cost of production.* 



At the one hundred and fourteenth meeting of the 

 Council of the British Cotton Growing Association, reference 

 was made to ;i receipt visit of the Kabaka of Uganda and his 

 party to Manchester, and a letter was read frora the Secretary 

 of State for the Colonies conveying an expression of thanks 

 for the trouble which had been taken to make the visit of 

 the Kabaka of Uganda an agreeable and interesting one. 

 All concerned ate confident that the visit of the Kabaka and 

 his Chiefs will have good results in stimulating the cotton- 

 growing industry in the Protectorate. 



*fii regard tu tlie letter deult with above, the opinion may 

 be expre.ssed tli.it the (lualities of excellence to vvhich Mr. 

 McConnel calls attention i\vv inHuence<l very largely by 

 environment and appear only when .ill the cimditii.ns uf soil 

 and weather are eminently favcuuiible. An adverse season, 

 .such as may lie occasioned by r.iins fiilliu',' at inopportune times, 

 or by insullicieiit [uecipitjition, will lesull in irregularity, waste 

 and weakness. 



No doul)t tlie excellence of St. Vincent and St. Kitts 

 cotton is to a large extent dependent on the very friable and 

 deep soils of these places. 



It is probable, that careful seed selection lias done a very 

 great de.il to iuiprov e West Indian cotton, but however careful 

 a planter may be, if lie has a bjul season, his cotton is alway.s 

 liable to siitt'er in quality. In coiise<|uenee of the fact that tho 

 question raised by M". McConnel lias already attracted 

 considerable attention n\ the West Indies, it would be of 

 interest to have the view!< on the sulijeet, of other readers oP 

 this journal.— [Ed. A.N.] 



