21 I 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 3, 1915. 



COTTON. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ended June 5, is as follows: — 



The market remains very cpiiet with limited Inquiry for 

 the Planters' crop lots, which comprise the entire unsold stock, 

 lini no sales have been made k the Factors refused to meet 

 the views ol buj ers. 



There being no odd bags in stock, the quotations for 

 graded cotton are omitted. 



The crop lots are held at •_'•"»•. to 30c. 



This- report shows that the total exports of Sea 

 Island cotton from the United States to Liverpool, 

 and Manchester, up to May 29 1915, were 103 and 

 1,819 hairs, respectively. 



Mutation in Egyptian Cotton. According to 

 Mr. T. 11. Kearney in the Journal- of the AgrievXtural 

 Research (Vol. II, No. 1), the origin of Egyptian cotton is 

 obscure. According to one theory, it is a product oi hybridi- 

 zation between a brown-linted tree cotton and American Sea 

 Island, both of these types having been cultivated in Egypt 

 nearly a century ago. Whether or not this be trite, there 

 can be ii" question, says Mr. Kearney, that the varieties 

 now grown are of mixed aneestry, a condition which some 

 investigators regard as favourable to mutation. So far as 

 this scanty evidence goes, most of the Egyptian varieties 

 originated with a mutant, i.e.. an individual plant which 

 showed an abrupt and definite change in the characters 

 expressed. This conclusion is supported by the more 



complete data at hand regarding tile history of the varieties 



which have been developed in Arizona. 



Lastly, Mr. Kearney points out the very interesting 

 circumstance that Egyptian cotton exhibits, although in 

 a minor degree, the tendency to develop new varieties by 

 mutation, which characterizes the well known Oeiiotherii 

 Lamarkiand. 



Trt£rt£4L ftEPczr*, 



BRITISH GUIANA: REPORT OF THE DEPART- 

 MENT OF SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURE, 1913 U. 



The fact thai Professor 11 irrison's report comes to hand 

 more ft in a year after that with which it deals, does not 

 the importance of the large amount of useful informa- 

 tion and ci nclusiona which it contains. 



In tin oj ling i - 1 -. - mention is made ol official changes 

 that havi I during the year under review. There were 



two notalile i \ nts Of this nature, consisting in the arrival 

 of Mr. ('. K. Bancroft, M.A., from the Federated Malay 

 .-slates, to take up the post oi Assistant Director and Govern- 

 ment Botanist; and lie retirement ol Mr. J. V. Waby, Head 

 Gardener, alter thirfcj five years service. 



Professor Harrison's observations on the general agricul- 

 ture for the year, deal tirst with sugar. The work in 

 connexion with the raising of new varieties of cane was 

 continued, and in all 9,300 seedlings were obtained. Of 

 these 3,100 were retained at the experimental fields, whilst 

 a large number were distributed to the nurseries ol certain 

 sugar plantations. The chief crosses obtained were between 

 D. 1 18 and D. I Li, D. 118ahd D. 167, D. 118 and D. Hit, 

 D.118, and D.625. A large number of cuttings were distribol 

 ed to sugar plantations, chiefly from varieties 1 >. 1 18, D.625, 

 D. 721, and D. 167. The average yields ami characteristics 

 of the expressed juices from these canes were very satisfactory. 



Experiments with nitrogenous manures confirmed the 

 beneficial effects obtained in previous years, and it was again 

 shown that in normal years sulphate of ammonia is preferable 

 to nitrate of soda. Experiments with molasses as a fertilizer 

 showed that no appreciable action on the crops is produced, 



and the application of this material has resulted in heavy 



financial loss. Nor has any advantage accrued from attempt- 

 ed partial sterilization of the soil with chlorinated lime, 



though a good influence was found to lie exerted by caustic 

 lime on heavy clay land. The prevalence of disease among 

 the different varieties was noted, and again the Bourbon was 

 found to be the most susceptible variety. 



The sugar cane crop of the colony suffered from the after- 

 effects of the 1911 12 drought. The exports of sugar were 

 therefore low, amounting to sT.HI tons. A reduction was 



also seen in the case -qf rum, molasses and cattle food. The 

 campaign against the insect pests of sugar-cane was con 

 tinned with vigour, and special mention is made by 



Professor Harrison of the g 1 work done by the sugar 



estates' proprietors, attorneys and managers. 



The next crop dealt with in the report is rice. The 

 area under this cultivation fl i- 33.889 a decrease of 



B,035 acres on the area cultivate, | in 1912. This decrease 

 may be considered to be due mainly to the unfavourable 

 planting weather experienced in Ma\ and June, and to the 



depressing effects of the drought of 1912 on the cultivation 

 of this product in the colony. As regards experimental 

 work, by the removal from the fields of stools exhibiting 



variation from the type, and by selection of the grain, 

 the varieties arc maintained at the high standard of 

 99 per cent purity. The paddy is given live of cost to any 



1 a fidi lowers, iii quantity not exceeding 60 ft). 



The work of hybridizing rices has been continued. The 

 hybrids produced in 1911 were thirteen in number; their 



l'\. generation with the parentage i- given in the appended 



report on the Botanic Gardens. A fresh series of hybridiza- 

 tion trials was commenced in 1913: the hybrids will he 

 selfed in the h, and future generations, with the object of 

 ascertaining now u the distinguishing characters of varieties 

 are transmissible. This work is in a preliminary experi- 

 mental stage ami no opinion can lie expressed as to its 

 probable valui \'<\ direction of the Governor, trials have 

 been begun oi growing rice under irrigation with artesian 

 water. The crops *re to he grown continuously with the 

 object oi obtaining live crops in two years, the probable 

 maximum of rice crops in the climate ol Demerara. Results- 

 will not lie available until several ol the crops have been 

 n ipi I 



