214 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 10, 1909. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme Ar Holland of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date June 21, with reference to 

 the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



Since our last report about 1.50 bale.s of West Intlian 

 Sea Island cotton have been sold, chietiy llarbados at lobl. 

 to lid., with a few St. Vincent at H\'l<l. to ITfr/., the remain- 

 der being 'Stains' at -5'?. to 9d. The spinning trade is still 

 unprofitable, and consumers are not prepared to add to their 

 stocks at anytliing over present quotations. 



Messrs. Henry AV. Frost it Co., in their report on Sea 

 Island cotton in the Southern States for the week ending 

 June 19, discuss the situation as follows ; — 



The unsold stock of Islands now con.sists of planters' 

 (■roll lots held here (Charleston, S.C.), or on plantatiohs, 

 aggregating ihl bales. The factors are still refusing to 

 sell any of them under .30 c. and the larger proportion are 

 lield, under instructions from planters, at 35 c. 



COTTON SELECTION. 



As a result of careful .selection of the best seed from 

 the best plants in Antigua, Dr. Watts and Mr. Tempany 

 came to the conclusion that external conditions of soil and 

 climate had, in the experiments reported on, more effect on 

 the general quality of cotton lint than selectioD. 



As a result it is evident that in order to inqirove the 

 stock in any given locality, the best plants grown in that 

 locality should be selected for .sc^d ; and further, the fact 

 that a certain strain of cotton is known to give very good 

 results in any given neighbourhood, is no guarantee that it 

 will continue to do so in another, where the conditions of 

 moisture and the nature of the soil may be very ditt'ercnt. 



It has been found in America that imported cottons may 

 take three or four years to become completely acclimatized, and 

 will not give their best residts until this period has elajised. 

 Con.seijuently it is better to work steadily to improve a strain 

 that is already jjartially acclimatized, than to import con- 

 tinually new strains because they are kimun to have given 

 l)ettei' results in a different locality. 



The authors also found irt selecting seed, that the seed 

 with lint of about 1 J to IJ; indies gave the liest results, as the 

 plants produced from seed with longer lint often gave a lint 

 that was so weak as to be jiractically useless. E.^treme length 

 of lint combined with e\enness and strength, appears to be 

 greatly affected liy external conditions even when the best 

 seed alone is used for planting. It seems possible, however, 

 that a natural inqirovement in these qualities would be likely 

 to take place, as a strain becomes moi-e and more thoroughly 

 acclimatized, provided a careful selection is practised in choos- 

 ing plants for seed. 



PROSPECTIVE COTTON CULTIVATION 



IN CEYLON. 



The question of the e.\tension of cotton cultivation 

 in Ceylon is discussed in a Cin-ahtr (Vol. IV, No. 19) 

 recently issued by the Royal I5otanic Gardens of that 

 (•olony. 



Cotton was one of the crops grown in Ceylon as early 

 as 1838, although it was never cultivated on an extensive 

 scale. Several leading authorities state, however, that the 

 plant is indigenous to the island. 



In 190.'!, an Experiment Station was opened at Maha- 

 ilupl)alania, for the purpose of carrying out cotton experi- 

 ments. One oliject of these trials was to determine whether 

 ciittoii of long staple, such as is required for the Lanca.shire 

 market can be grown^ with nr witlmut irrigation, in the dry 

 regions of ( ,'eylon. 



It has already been demonstrated that Egyptian, Sea 

 Island, and Upland cottons will grow in the Xorth Central 

 I'rovince of the island, but that the Egyptian variety is the 

 most protitalile. The writer of the Ciirii/'ir recommend.^, 

 therefore, the advisability of fostering the cultivation of this 

 class of cotton. Upland cotton does not command a suffi- 

 ciently high jirice to be profitable, while the smaller yield 

 given by the Sea Island variety, and the limited demand 

 which exists for .the finest cpuilities of lint, are points which 

 lead to the conclusion that this kind would not be profitable 

 to grow in Ceylon. 



It would appeal- that the cultivation of Kgy|)tian cotton 

 under suitable conditions should be disiinctly remunerative 

 since there is an increasing demand for this class of staple, 

 and the variety cannot be grown in the Southern States of 

 America, as the summer is too short to mature the crop. 



As a result of the experiments which have already been 

 •■onducted at .Malia-iluppalaina, a supply of Egyptian "cotton 

 seed, of a strain which has been grown in the colony for 

 lliree years is now available. Another result lies in the 

 demonstration which has been made that cotton of good 

 quality and staple, worth about 9(/. per lb., can bo produced 

 in certain districts. It is believed that with careful cultiva- 

 tion, at least 300 Iti. of lint per acre should lie obtained. 



It is recognized that in order to develop and establish 

 the industry, a good deal of .selection work will have to be 

 •lone. Egyptian cotton has a special quality, viz., colour — an 

 even brown cotton always bringing the highest price. This 

 quality is ditticult to maintain out of I'^gyjit, but most of the 

 difficulties connected with the csfalilislnnent of a fixed tvpe. 

 can be overcome by selection. 



