342 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWb. 



October 30, 1909. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholine-nnd Holland, of Liverpool, 

 ivrite as follows, under dnte October 11, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



Since our last report, about 20O bales West Indian Sea 

 Islands have been sold ; they chiefly consist of the remainders 

 of crops, and include Barbados, I2ld. to l^^ld.; St. Croix, 

 12ld. tolUd.; St. Vincent, lUA to lold.; "Tobago, 15d; 

 Antigua, 13-|rf. to 15^rf.; Jamaica, 13d; St. Kitts, IHrf. to 

 13^(7.; St. Lucia, l-jr/. ;and Nevis, 13;',(/., the remainder being 

 stains at 7hd. 



Prices of all Sea Lsland descriptions are hardening, and 

 iiuotations of Georgias and Floridas are raised \ld. per lb., 

 this being the advance obtained for new crop. Carolinas and 

 "West Indians are raised hi. per It), in sympathy. So far, the 

 quality of the Georgia and Florida Sea Island is the best we 

 Lave seen for several years. 



The report of Messrs. Hem y W. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending October 9, is as follows : — 



The Sea Island receipts during the week were '2!)" bales, 

 making the total receipts of new crop cottou so far 325 bales. 

 The factors have not sampled or ottered for .sale any of these 

 receipts as yet, having agreed to delay opening the market 

 nntil the movement is larger. However, they express 

 a willingne.ss to contract to sell ahead 300 to 400 bales on 

 a basis of Fully Fine, 30c.-16|(/. There has been no 

 demand on this basis. 



The total weight of Sea Island seed-cotton sent in 

 amounted to 747,506 lb. This was 220,894 lb. less than 

 that received last .-ieason. The yield of lint was 205.688 Iti., 

 or 27-5 per cent, of the total weight of .seed-cotton received. 

 This percentage i.s 1'3 less than the record of tlic previous 

 year, and is in no small niei\sure due to the lact that one or 

 two large estates grew a fine variety wliich only gave a low- 

 percentage of lint — often below 25 per cent. The weight of 

 stained Sea Lsland lint was equal to 9'4 per cent, 

 of the whole. Twelve thousand and nineteen pounds of 

 !^[arie Galante seed-cotton were also received. This gave 

 2,781 It), of lint, e(]ual to 23'1 per cent, of the weight of 

 seed-cotton. 



The percentage weight lost in ginning the total amount 

 of Sea Island and Marie Galante seed-cotton sent in, was 1'3. 

 Six hundred and sixty-two bales were made during the 

 season, most of which contained 360 lb., net, of lint. 



For the purpo.sc of meeting the local and ex[)ort demand 

 for cotton seed, 11,032 lb. of Ottley Hall seed were 

 purchased at 1(7. per Ih. The lint from this seed fetched 

 18|rf. per lb., as against 16(7. per lb. for ordinary lots, and 

 the yield was good. After selection, the total quantity of 

 seed obtained for .sale was 8,313 lb., or about 75 per cent. 

 The price charged locally for the seed was 2^(7. per lb.; for 

 export 3d. per lb. From April 28 to August 27, 1909, 

 5,458 It), of treated seed, were sold to local growers. Besides 

 this, 2,356 lb. of planters' own seed was dealt with for them, 

 making a total of 7,814 lb., or a quantity sufHcieut to plant 

 1,302 acres. To other colonies 2,855 lb. was .sent. 



COTTON GINNING AND SELECTION IN 



ST. VINCENT. 



The following Mbstract.s are taken from the report 

 for the crop season 1908-9 (September 1, 1908, to 

 August 31, 1909) on the work of the Central (Govern- 

 ment) Cotton Ginnery in St. Vincent. Tiie quantities 

 of seed-cotton dealt with do not, of course, include that 

 •vvhich was sent to private ginneries in the island : — • 



The ginnery continued to be worked under the super- 

 vision of the Agricultural Superintendent. The staff 

 consisted of a manager, overseer and engine driver. When 

 in full work about twelve men and l)oys, and sixteen women 

 ■were also employed. Eight gins were worked successfully. No 

 breakdown occurred in connexion witli any part of the 

 :nachinery. The ginnery was opened for the receipt of seed- 

 cotton on October 26. tlinning was started on November 12, 

 and carried on as found necessary until Jlay 29, 1909. The 

 actual number of ginning days w.is fifty-eight, as against 

 eighty-four during the previous season. 



EXPORTS OF COTTON FROM THE WEST 



INDIES. 



The returns that have been received so far sliow that 

 the amounts of cotton exported from the following places 

 during the quarter ending September 30, 1 909, were : 

 15arbado.s, 320 bales (155,103 fl).), of an estimated value of 

 £7,755 3,<. ; of this cotton, which was all Sea Island, 302 

 bales (146,357 lb., value £7,317 17s.) was sent to the United 

 Kingdom, and 18 bales (8,746 lb., value £437 6.'.) to the 

 United States. St. Vincent, 46i bales (14,912 1b.), of an 

 estimated value of £780 IS.'-'. 4(7.; all thi.s wa.s exported to 

 the United Kingdom, and was made up of 28 bales (9,732 B)., 

 value £608 5.--.) of Sea Island, and 18.1 bales (5,180 lb., value 

 £172 13.'.-. -id.) of Marie Galante. Trinidad and Tobago, 13 

 bales (2,011 lb.) ; this all went to the United Kiugdom, and 

 was made up of Sea Island, 3 bales (511 lb.), and Marie 

 Galante, 10 bales (1,500 lb.). No cotton was exported 

 either from British Guiana or Montserrat during the stated 

 period. 



