3SS 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Dki KMBEP. 



1914. 



COTTON. 



ginned ill .Jamaica, was nuivkedly .supfricir to the |)laiit staple, 

 and fetclied 2-5c. per 9> 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messis. Wiilstf uhulme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date November 17, 1914, with 

 reference to the sales ot West Indian Sea Island 

 cotton: — 



There lia\e been no sales of West Indian Sea Island 

 cotton this month. The stock is confined to about 200 

 bales, which are held off the market for Ijetter prices. 



We see no jinwpects of an improvement in prices while 

 the Germans occupy Belgium and tlie northern parts of 

 France. Jleanwhiie Carolina Sea Island new crop are 

 offering 1.3tf. for Fully Fine, and IW. for Extra Fine. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending November 7, is as follows: — 



The receipts for the week were 184 bales making total 

 to date 4.51 bales. The market remains quiet with Factors 

 still asking 2.5c. for Extra Fine, and 23c. for Fully Fine, but 

 no sales have been made as yet. There is very little inquiry 

 in the market, and to induce business they would have to be 

 willing to accept lower prices. 



Mr. J. Arthiir Hutton, Chairman of the British 

 •Cotton Growing A.ssociation, writes as follows under 

 date November I(): — 



Business seems to be slightly improving, but 1 am 

 sorry to say it is only very slight at present. Still it is 

 something to see things moving again in the right direction. 



CAUTO COTTON IN JAMAICA. 



Trials of Canto cotton are being made in Jamaica, 

 where it is hoped that this variety will prove useful for 

 certain soils in very dry districts. The following note 

 from the Kew BicUetm, No. 8, 1914, p. 304, was taken 

 from a letter from Mr. W. Harris, Superintendent of 

 Public Gardens and Plantations, Jamaica, under date 

 of July 16, 1914:— 



Cauto cotton is an interesting jilant, and promises to 

 be a valuable agricultural crop, for dry districts. Here, at 

 Hope, it was planted in the middle of August last, and the 

 crcip was picked from the middle of Febiuary to May 1 this 

 year, the yield being fiOO lb. of seed-cotton per acre. 



The plants are growing at 8 feet by 8 feet, and had 

 they been planted at 4 feet by 4 feet, for the first year, and 

 tlien thinned out to 8 feet by 8 feet the yield would have 

 been much heavier. They are now bearing a fine ratoon 

 croj), and it is said that they yield good crops for at least 

 three years. 



There are .50 acres of this crop on the limestone in 

 Lc)Wer Clarendon, an exceedinglj' hot and dry district, and 

 they have made excellent growth even better than ours at 

 Hope where the .soil is a light, gra\elly alluvial. 



The yield of lint from some of the Clarendon cotton was 

 ."^6 per cert., and the 1914 crop has been sold iij U.S.A. at 

 J 8c. per R., whilst the ratoon cotton, grown in Cuba and 



COTTON EXPORTS FROM THE 



WEST INDIES. 



The following table gives the exports of cotton from the 

 \\'est Indies for the quarter ending September 30, 1914: — 



Origin. No. of bales. Weight, Estimated value, 



ft. £. 



3,7.50 19.5 



5,635 .S.52 



nil 



1,599 110 



27,000 1,688 



1,747 109 

 nil 



17,445 1,381 



2,711 LSI 

 nil 



Total 155 .59,887 4,016 



Besides the above quantity, there was exported from 

 Grenada 672 ft., and from St. Vincent 13,299 tb. Marie 

 Galante, and from .Jamaica 9,303 &. Cauto cotton, \alued 

 respectively, at £19, £1,381, and £291. 



The following statement gives the return of Sea Island 

 cotton exported from 'the various West Indian colonies during 

 the period October 1, 1913, to September 30, 1914:— 



Origin. Weight, ft. Estimated valve, 



£. 



Antigua 160,490 8,401 



Barbados 28.3,031 16,797 



Grenada nil 



Montserrat 293,162 18,090 



St. Kitts 372,633 23,2t<9 



Nevis 268,520 16,784 



Anguilla 94,372 5,899 



St. Vincent 373,122 29.564 



Virgin Islands 28,035 1,869 



.Jamaica 31,872 1,778 



Total 



1.90.5,237 122,471 



Besides the above Sea Island cotton, there was exported 

 from Grenada 358,378 lb., and from St. Vincent 57,747 ft. 

 Marie Galante (cotton, of the estimated value of £10,444 and 

 £2,406, respectively. Also from Jamaica 9,303 tb. (!auto 

 cotton, valued at £291. 



The cotton crop in Nyasaland was a failure in the 

 highlands, owing to unfavourable climatic conditions; on the 

 other hand, the crop in the lowlands, which is largely grown 

 by natives, was the largest on record. The European planters 

 would be likely to discontinue growing this crop, unless they 

 could obtain something more than 5rf. per ftp. for their cotton 

 delivered in Liverpool. 



AMth regard to West Africa, the purchase of cotton in 

 Lagos uj) to the end of September was only slightly less than 

 that of the corresponding period of last year. In Noithern 

 Nigeria, however, the purchase of cotton up to the end of 

 July was only a little more than a third of that for the same 

 period of 1913. {West India Cojumitfre Circular, November 

 17, 1913.) 



