262 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



AuGu-^T 21, 1909. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland of Liverpool, 

 write as follows under date July 29, with reference to 

 the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



A good business has been done in West Indian Sea 

 Island cotton since our last report. About 450 bales have 

 been sold, including Barbados 13Jrf. to 15c/., Antigua, 

 St. Martin and St. Croix \od. to ISJd, St. Lucia I5d., and 

 St. A'incent 13'i. to 19'/. Stains from various islands 

 realized 7d. to 8ld. 



Prices remain firm, and the unsold stock does not 

 amount to more than 100 bales. 



The report of Jless.rs. Henry W. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending July 31, is as follows: — 



The unsold stock of Islands now consists entirely of 

 planters' crop lots, held here or on plantation, aggregating 

 457 bales. The factors are stdl refusing to sell any of them 

 luider 30c., and tlie larger proportion are held under instruc- 

 tions from the planters at 35c. 



There has thus been no change in this market 

 since the report for the week ending June 1!>. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON IN THE 



UNITED STATES. 



Information concerning the present position of 

 the Sea Island cotton industry in the United States 

 are given in a report by Messrs. W. W. (lordon & Co., 

 Savannah, Georgia : — ■ 



In some of the countries in the soutii west of Oeorgia, 

 where the Sea Island acreage was fairly large ;i few years 

 ago, the planting of Sea Island cotton has been practically 

 abandoned. In Florida, the acreage is practically unchanged. 

 An effort has been made to plant selected seed as far as 

 po.ssible and, in some cases, fresh seed has been imported for 

 tlie purpose from the Islands. 



So far, the crop is clean, but recent rains have caused 

 grass to appear in some parts. A continuation of these rains 

 will prove detrimental to the crop. The reports of its condi- 

 tion throughout the area, compared with that of last year, 

 vary irom ' worse ' to ' much better '; that in the north is 

 the best at present. 



The prospect of the yield is fair in some places and good 

 in others ; in only one comity is it bail. The crop will prob- 

 ably be a late one. While some early cotttm will make its 

 ajipearance during the first fifteen days of September, the 



new crop will not begin to move freely until October 1. It 

 is estimated to be one of 70,000 to 110,000 bales, but this 

 does not include some places where it is considered to be too 

 early as yet for prediction. All the estimates stipulate for 

 a long, open end to the season, if a full crop is to be- 

 produced. 



The Carolina Island acreage is reported to have been 

 reduced 5 per cent. The weather is favourable and the- 

 prospects are good. 



COTTON IN EGYPT. 



The following facts in connexion with cotton- 

 growing in Egyy)t are taken from the issue of Nature 

 for July 15, 1909. The reference to the depreciation 



of the Egyptian varieties through the concurrent culti- 

 vation of the less valuable Upland cotton is of special 

 interest in relation to proposals that have been made 

 in various quarters from time to time that the latter 

 should be grown e.xtensively in the West Indies : 



The prosperity of Egypt depends largely on the success- 

 ful cidtivation of the particular types of cotton known as- 

 ' Egyptian ". During the last twelve years, however, the 

 yield of cotton has steadily and appreciably diminished, the 

 loss amounting, at current rates, to about £o per feddan 

 (ld09 iicres). Many causes have been suggested as contri- 

 buting to this result, and in 'Cotton Investigations in 190S ' 

 (Cain) Scicnlijic Journal, February 1909), Mr. W. Lawrence 

 Balls puts forward the view, for which there is some direct 

 evidence, that a ri.se in the water table in Egypt has been an 

 important factor. Owing to improvements in irrigation, the 

 supply of water in Egypt is greater than formerly, whilst the 

 natural loss reniains more or less constant. Artificial 

 drainage is lacking, and in his view Egypt i.s in danger of. 

 becoming water logged, in which condition the soil is ren- 

 dered impervious to the roots of most plants. The remedy 

 advocated is extension of the drainage .system, an expen.Mve 

 proceeding, but justifiable if the reduced yield is due to the 

 rise in level of stagnant water. Another important matter 

 dwelt on in Mr. Balls's paper is the depreciation of cottons 

 grown in Egypt, owing to the hybridiz-ing of the Egyptian 

 varieties by the less valuable 'American I'pland ' races, 

 cultivated because of their heavy yield. To combat thi.s, he 

 j)roposes the breeding of a cotton bearing flowers in which 

 the stigma is buried dee[)ly an.ongthe stamens, thus reducing 

 to a nnninuun the risk of natural crossing. The rejiort i.s 

 accompanied by a photograph of a section of .such a .synthc- 

 sised flower. I'-g.^l't i"* leading the way in the practical 

 application of Mendel's discoveries, for 1909 has seen the 

 establishment, by the Kliedivial Agricultural Society, of 

 a Jlcndelian Experiment Station. 



