102 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April 3, 1909. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstciiliulme & Hi)lland, of Livei'pool, 

 urite as follows, under date of March 1.5 last, in reference 

 to the sales of West India.n Sea Island cotton : — 



During the past fortnight a good busine.s.s lias been 

 <lone in West Indian Sea Island cotton, and jirices art' steady. 



The .sales include Anguilla and St. Croix at 12i,''/. and 

 Vid ; Barbados, \2ld. and ]^d.i Virgin Islands, 13-/.; 

 8t. Kitt's and Nevis. KW. and [id.; and St. Vincent, li^d. 

 and \6hd. The total sales amount lo about .tCO bales, of 

 whieli quite a half were St. Vincent. 



Although the Charleston stock is now reduced to about 

 1,000 bales, the large (juantities sold have simply been trans- 

 ferred into spinners' hands for stocking purposes. We there- 

 fore think that prices, although not likely to go lower, will 

 l^robably not advance materially this sea.son. Unless trade 

 improves considerably, consumers can afford to be indifferent 

 about the market for sume time to come. 



may not be confined only to the past season, but that, 

 since the peasant proprietors have had an object-les.soti 

 in the good results of careful methods of cultivation, 

 they may be induced to continue these methods in the 

 cominc; vcar. 



COTTON CULTIVATION BY PEASANT 

 PROPRIETORS. 



Praiseworthy efforts are being made by the Nevis 

 Agricultural and Commeicial Society to encourage the 

 peasant holders of the island to cultivate their cotton 

 plots according to the most approved methods. 



For this jmrpose, in the past sea.son a special com[)etition 

 was arranged among the peasant proprietors, and money prizes 

 of 30s., 26s. and lO.v. resiiectively, were offered for the three 

 best cultivated cotton plots. Over twenty entries were made 

 in this cnmpetition, the prizes for. v.'hich were awarded at the 

 Agricultural Show held at Nevis on .January 28 last. 



The Agricultural Instructor at Nevis ('Mr. .John O. 

 iMaliiney) supervised the laying -ont and planting of the 

 cotton plots, and the final judging to determine the prize 

 cultivations was made by .Mr. Maloney and Mr. Mills, an 

 experienced planter. 



The juclges stated that the competition had a stinndat- 

 ing effect on the amount of care and attention given to their 

 plots by the small holders. Every effort was made to adopt 

 and carry out the most rational mctlinds of cultivation, and 

 the results were so generally satisfactory that it was difficult 

 to discriminate between the several claims for the prizes. 

 Finally, it was decided to divide the second prize into two 

 oijual parts, so that one i)rize of 30.s. was awarded, together 

 with three prizes of 10.<. each., The prize- winneis were : 

 1st prize, Henry Scarborough ; 2nd prize, divided l)etwecn 

 John Hanky and James Brown.j 3rd prize, John Stanley. 



It is hoped that the elTects of this competition 



COTTON GROWING AT JAMAICA. 



'J"he evidence elicited by the Connnitteeon Cotton 

 Growing lately appointed at Jamaica is iiid'avourable to 

 the proposition that any encouragement should be given 

 by tiie Government to stimulate the industry. The 

 uiisuitability of the climatic conditions wliich jirevail 

 in many paits of the island where cotton growing has 

 been tried, the lack of knowledge on the part of the 

 ]3easantry as to the best methods of cidtivation and 

 treatment, the prevalence of insect pests, and the fact 

 that the land nnght, in preference, be r.tilized for crops 

 which demand less attention and give more profit- 

 able returns, were all brought forward as arguments 

 against any effort being made to encourage cotton 

 growing in the colony. 



The conditions at .Jamaica are not altogether coniiiarable 

 with those that exist in .some of the smaller West Indiau 

 islands, and agriculturists in the former island possess the 

 advantage that they have a larger choice of croi)s at conimanil 

 than iilanters and small holders at Antigua, St. V'inceiit, 

 Barbado.s, etc. Not only sugar-cane, but bananas, oranges-, 

 cocoa-nuts, cacao, coffee, cassava (for starch manufacture), 

 ginger, pimento, etc., are grown on a commercial .scale, and 

 since they all offer a more or less profitable return to the 

 planter and peasant holder, they are iireferred to a new 

 i-ultivation like cotton. It is apparent, too, that in district.s 

 of the island where it was at first hi>pfd to establisli cotton 

 growing on an extended scale — as in Vere — the weather 

 con<litions lately have been peculiarly unsuitable for the crop. 



It was pointed out that the jieasant settlers of Jamaica 

 fretpicnfly cultivate plots of land situated .some distance 

 trnm their homes, and often do not visit their Imldings 

 more than once a week. This fact made tliem unwilling 

 to grow cotton, a crop which needed a good deal of attention, 

 aixl which demanded more frc<|uent visits, and necessitated 

 greater care tlian they were in the habit of giving to their 

 plots. 



Stress was also laid \\[t<<>i the fact that sfUlci-s and 

 others who took tip cotton growing in the past had suffered 

 from lack of instruction, and that if any steps were taken 

 to encourage the industry, one of the first things nece.s.saiy 

 would be to provide facilities for giving teaching aiuL 

 demonstration as to the best methods of cultivation aiidF 

 treatment. 



