86 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 14, 1914. 



FIBRE CROPS. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Meesra. Wolstenholtne and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date February 2-3, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton: — 



Since our last report about 150 bales of West Indian 

 Sea Island cotton have been sold; these are chiefly com- 

 prised of Nevis 16d. to 20(1.. Barbados and Anguilla IGd. 

 to 19c?., St. Jvitts 19d. tx) 21rf. and a few St. Vincent 

 at 21^. 



Fine qualities are eagerly enquired for, but are not 

 plentiful; medium grades are rather neglected and the lower 

 grades are very unsaleable, owing to the low prices at which 

 American Sea Islands are selling. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending February 21, is as follows: — 



The receipts (224 bales and sales 257) reported for 

 the week consisted of crops which were sold for export 

 and delivered from the plantations. There is now at ship 

 side and to be included in the exports this coming week 

 .365 bales, reducing the stock on hand to 787 bales, largely 

 held by one Factor at 2c above the views of buyers, being 

 influenced in doing so by the large sales and advance in the 

 Savannah market. 



We quote, viz: — 



Extra Fine 26c. 



Extra Fine offl .,„ 



.. y 2oc. 

 in preparationj 



Fully Fine 23c. 



Fine 20c. 



Fine&FullyFine|.,Q^ 



off in preparation / " 



Stains 17c. 



This report shows that the total exports of Sea 

 Island cotton from the United States to Liverpool, 

 Manchester and Havre, up to February 21, 1914, were 

 ■3,282 bales, G,09-5 bales, and 3,9-33 bales, respectively. 



= 14|<f. c.i.f., & 5 per cent. 



= Uld. 



= Uld. 



= Hid. 



= IVld. 



= \0d. 



11 II 11 



)) !» )» 



)> 11 11 



SISAL HEMP IN FIJI. 



Interesting figure.s are given in the Annual Report of 

 the Superintendent of Agriculture, Fiji, for 1912, in con- 

 nexion with the returns obtained per acre and the amount 

 of labour required in sisal hemp cultivation. 



The total weight of fibre from three plots occupying 

 altogether 1 acre and obtained during cuttings spread over 

 three years was as follows: 1910, 566 tt ; 1911 1,348 R.; 

 1912, 1,710 lb. from 635 plants. The rate per acre would 

 thus be each year 607, 1,454 and 1,836 ft), respectively, or 

 allowing off 10 per cent, for misses or poor plants, 546, 

 1,309, and 1,652 B). — an average of rather over iton 

 per acre per annum. The poor results for 1910 were due 

 to the effects of storms. 



As regards labour, allowing eighty-one men for reaping 

 the leaves from 635 plants, it would require 90 units to 

 reap 1 acre, or an average of 30 units per annum. In other 

 words, one man will take thirty days to reap the leaves off 

 1 acre. The fact must be taken into consideration that 



reaping will only go on in fine weather. Allowing 180 days 

 for this work it will be seen that one man would be able 

 to deal with the leaves of 6 acres in the course of the year. 



The report states further that certain experiments are in 

 progress for determining the influence of several cuttings on 

 the time of poising; for comparing the value of bulbils with 

 suckers, for comparing suckers from poled plants with those 

 from plants which have not poled: and finally work has been 

 instituted in regard to the selection of plants. 



In the cultivation of Manila hemp one cutting gave the 

 following figures: twenty-eight stems, average length 6 feet, 

 weighing 766 lb. gave 17 5 lb. of dry fibre, at the rate of 

 25 per cent. 



At the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and 

 Ireland a series of lectures has been delivered recently 

 on 'The llesearch Chemist in the Works, with special 

 reference to the Textile Industry'. The lectures reviewed 

 the position of the chemist in relation to the manu- 

 facture and the various treatments of textiles. One 

 interesting point dealt with was mercerization. In giving 

 a historical sketch of this process it was pointed out that it 

 was not realized for many years industrially that the essential 

 factor in the production of artificial silk is that the process is 

 partly chemical and partly physical. It was not realized that 

 the fibre during the time that it is immersed in caustic soda 

 must be kept under a condition of strain during at least one 

 part of the process; nor was the fact appreciated that a long- 

 stapled cotton (Egyptian) must be used if the treatment is to 

 have its maximum effect. It would be interesting to know 

 whether the maximum effect has yet been obtained, since 

 West Indian Sea Island cotton has a longer staple than any 

 produced in Egypt. 



ESTIMATED COST OP CULTIVATING 



ONE ACRE OF CASSAVA. 



The Department is indebted to the Agricultural 

 Superintendent, St. Vincent (Mr. W. N. Sands, F.L.S.), 

 for obtaining and forwarding the following estimate of 

 the cost of growing 1 acre of cassava in that island: — 



£ s. D. 



Clearing land 5 



Banking 10 



Plants 4 



Planting 1 6 



Manuring (not usually specially manured) 10 



Weeding 10 



Reaping 5 



Carting to factory 4 



Manufacture 15 



Packages for starch, etc. 10 



Management expenses 15 



Total cost 



£5 9 6 



The section in the recently issued Report on the Depart- 

 ment of Agriciiltt'.re of the Union of South Africa (1912-13) 

 dealing with the work with cotton at the East London Experi- 

 ment Station, provides the information that Sea Island cotton 

 has done very well on the fertilizer plot. This variety 

 attained a height of 5 feet and bore a fair number of bolls. 

 Nyasaland and Abassi are also stated to be varieties which 

 have done well. 



