406 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 24, 1909, 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



The report of Messrs. Henry VV. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, tor the week 

 ending December 4-, is as follows: — 



The market remains very quiet, with apparently no 

 demand. The sales consist of only one crop lot of 3.5 bales 

 \V. G. Hinson-Midway on private terms for France. In the 

 absence of an inquiry, the factors continue to hold, viz : 

 Extra Fine at 37c., Fully Fine at 35c., Fine at 33c. Our 

 impression is that with orders in hand, especially for quan- 

 tity, we could succeed in buying at some decline. 



On November 27, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., 

 reported as follows : — 



Although the figures of the amount ginned this year 

 jioint to a much larger crop than the last, factors and interior 

 merchants still think it will bo smaller, the falling otf being 

 chiefly in Florida; that the plant has ceased bearing, the 

 crop has all been picked and a larger portion of it ginned 

 than in previous years, and they continue to hold to their 

 estimates of 90,000 to 9.5,000 bales. It would reiiuire, how- 

 ever, a great falling oft' in the ginning from now cm to warrant 

 these estimates. 



(Owing to the fact that this number of the A;/yirnlfnral 

 Kews went to i)ress earlier, on account of the Christmas 

 Holidays, itessrs. Wolstenholme and Holland's report is 

 unavoidably held over.) 



THE COTTONS GROWN IN THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



A report entitled AgrieuUural Jm-preffsions of the 

 Atiwrlni/ii Cotton Crop, prepared by the Director of 

 Agriculture. Nyasaland, has recently been issued. It 

 contains an interesting account of the present position 

 of the various cottons that are grown in the United 

 States, from which the following extracts are taken: — 



.SEA ISLAND COTTON. This is a small high quality cro|) 

 forming less than 1 per cent, of the American cotton crop, 

 but of greao importance owing to its high (juality. It is 

 grown to the highest degree of perfection on .James and 

 Edistow Islands, which lie to the west and southwest of 

 Charlestown, in the State of South Carolina. The largest 

 part of this crop is grown on the coast line of South 

 Carolina, the interior of Georgia and the north centre of 

 Florida, the coast countries of Georgia and Florida 

 producing little cotton owing to the inferior character of the 

 soil and the absence of necessary labour. With this crop, 

 planting is very wide and in most ca.ses .5 feet is left between 

 the rows and 22 inches between the plants, i)lanting 

 commencing in March and harvesting in the latter part of 

 August and continuing till December. The island-grown 



cotton is much superior to the mainland crop, which is- 

 always inferior owing to the large amount of hybridization 

 with Upland cotton, which is grown in close proximity with 

 the mainland crop, as well as to the lack of humidity in the 

 atmosphere. The inland cultivators of Sea Island cotton say 

 that their Sea Island crop is superior to their Upland crop 

 when the sea.son is warm with much rain, and vice versa 

 when there is drought. The inland-grown crop is shorter of 

 staple and lacking in lustre, the best results always being 

 obtained by growing the inland crop from Island-grown seed. 

 During the present year the Island cultivators have formed 

 a union to prevent the .sale of Lsland seed, as they say the 

 increase of mainland Sea Island is affecting their prices. 



It has been predicted by several that there is very 

 little possibility of extending the Sea Island cotton industry 

 in America under' the existing conditions. The i)rincipal 

 reason is that the cost of labour is very high, and the 

 crop gives such small returns when planted outside of its 

 ideal conditions. It is more profitable to grow ordinary 

 Upland in most districts, as it is a far surer cropper, especially 

 in drought seasons, which frequently occur in the States of 

 Carolina and Georgia, which have the most suitable situations- 

 for this crop. 



The mainland Sea Island cotton is classified according 

 to length into 'East Floridas', 1| to 2 inches, 'Floridas', 1^ to 

 l-J inches, 'Georgias', 1 g inches; and further classified accord- 

 ing to strength, cleanness and evenness of staple into fancy, 

 extra choice, choice, extra fine, fine, and 'dogs' — the average 

 mainland Sea Island selling from 17c. to 25c. per lb. 



ui>L.\Ni> COTTON (Short .Staple). Upland cotton is the 

 principal cotton of commerce, and is very e.xteusively 

 cultivated in every State of the American cotton belt. The 

 principal Upland cotton States are South Carolina, Georgia 

 and Alabama on the east side of the .Mississippi, and the 

 eastern half of the immense State of Texas on the west side 

 of the Mississippi. It is con.sidered that Georgia and 

 Alabama grow the best short staple Upland, and the best 

 variety I saw in this country was '(^ook's improved'. The 

 soil of (icorgia and Alabama is red and rich in iron, much of 

 it being light and specially suitable for fruit-growing, which 

 is an important industry in tho.se two States. 



During my lour through the States of Georgia and 

 Alabama I saw few crops which would yield 400 lb. of lint 

 ) per acre, and many cro[)S which would give under 125 lb. 

 'fhis is a i^reat contrast to conditions in the delta of Kgyi>t 

 where 500 lb. of lint or 5 cautars of seed-cotton is considered 

 an average crop. Texas cotton is inferior to Georgia and 

 Alabama cotton, and especially that which is produced in 

 South west Texas, which is distinctly interior to north and 

 central Texas cotton. 



The system of handling Upland cotton in America is 

 disgraceful; the bale coverings are of the cheapest materials, 

 and quite inadequate to protect the fibre or hold it together; 



