404 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



December 19, 1914. 



COTTON. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, ol' Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date November 80, 1914, with 

 reference to the sales ot West Indian Sea Island 

 cotton: — 



The only business in Sea Island cotton since our last 

 leport has been 1.5 bales stained at 7hd. 



Carolina Islands are worth 12},d. for Fully Fine, and 

 ISJrf. for Extra Fine, but we do not anticipate much demand 

 vmtil the Germans are out of France and Belgium, as large 

 quantities of Sea Island cotton and yarn are used there. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending November 21, is as follows: — 



The movement of the crop to market is unprecedentedly 

 small, the receipts to date being only 901 bales, against 2,497 

 bales last year. Although this is partly due to the small 

 planters' unwillingness to accept prices now current, however, 

 it does not fully account for it, therefore the Factors are 

 beginning to realize that the acreage was very much reduced, 

 and crop estimates now range around 6,000 bales. 



The quality of the Planters' crops seems very good, but 

 the odd bags do not show the improvement hoped for, and 

 the present outlook is that the supplj' of Fully Fine and 

 E.\tra Fine will be small. 



There has been some demand during the week, resulting 

 in the above sales on a basis of Fine 18c., Fully Fine 21c. to 

 22c., Extra Fine 23c. The market closed quiet, with verj' 

 limited offerings. 



"We quote, viz: — 

 Extra Fine 2.3c. = IS^d. c.i.f. and .5 per cent. 



Fully FiTie 21c. = 12U „ 



Fine 18c. = llrf. „ „ „ „ 



I. eights have advanced Ic. per fc. and are difficult 



to secure. 



A later report dated November 28 gives the 

 following information: — 



The movement of this crop continues very slow, the 

 receipts for the week being only 214 bales, and to date 1,197 

 bales, against 2,957 bales last year. Although crop esti- 

 mates are reduced to 6,000 or 7,000 bales, much the larger 

 portion is still on the plantations, and will probably be 

 marketed more freely during December, furnishing a larger 

 irffering stock to buy from. 



The demand continues on a basis of our quotations, the 

 larger portion of the sales consisting of Fine and Fully Fine 

 on account of the northern mills. The limited supply of 

 Extra Fine to be selected fi-om the odd bags is also in demand. 



We quote, viz: — 

 Extra Fine 2.3c. = I3ld., c.i.f. & 5 per cent. 



Fully Fine 20c. to 21c. = 12d to 12irf., „ 

 Fine 18c. -llo!. ' „ „ „ ," 



Fine off in colour 17c. = 10A(i. 



CONSIDERATIONS AFFECTING THE 



COTTON INDUSTRY IN THE 



WEST INDIES. 



As was promised in the last number of the Agri- 

 cultural Neivs, an abstract of the concluding portion 

 of Dr. H. A. Tempany's address to the Agi'icultural and 

 (J'ommercial Society of Antigua is here given.: During 

 Dr. Tempany's visit to England, he spent some days 

 in Manchester and Liverpool so as to observe the 

 conditions attending the consumption of Sea Island 

 cotton. The following is an abstract of his remarks 

 on this sidijeet. 



West Indian cotton has attained at the present time 

 a perfectly well-recognized position in the market for Sea 

 Island cotton, and is looked on as a regular source of supply 

 of some of the highest grades of cotton now handled. The 

 position which the West Indian grades occupy in the cotton 

 market may be understood from the following. Fine staple 

 cottons comprise suit growths as the Egyptian Sake! 

 variety, which has largely displaced the coarser growth of 

 Sea Island from Georgia and Florida; it usually sells at 

 about Is. per fti., with ordinary West Indian fetching about 

 18(i. The grades above this particular quality are the finest 

 cottons from the Sea Islands of Carolina, and the West 

 Indies. There is this important distinction: that whereas 

 the demand for cotton of the Sakel type is very large, that 

 for the classes finer than this is limited. Therefore, if West 

 Indian cotton is t<:i maintain its position, the very greatest 

 care must be paid ti) the quality of the seed supply. West 

 Indian planters nuist try to understand clearly the rei^uire- 

 ment of the spinner. The class of cotton at present supplied 

 by the West Indies meets fairly well the highly specialized 

 requirements of the spinners of the finer classes of yarn. 

 These islands are peculiarly adapted for the production of 

 this type of cotton. If, however, owing to carelessness in 

 ■seed selection, the character of the staple falls oft. West 

 Indian cotton will be clas.sed with the lower grades, and not 

 only will a reduction in prices take place, but the reputation 

 which these islands now have, of being reliable sources of 

 supply for the finer type, will become impaired. During 

 the last few years there has been an improvement in quality 

 doubtless to be attributed in some measure to the attenCion 

 which has been bestowed on the question of cotton selection 

 throughout these i.slands by the officers of the Agricultural 

 Departments. 



The market for the finest type of cotton in England is 

 limited, and practically entirely in the hands of one group of 

 consumers. Nevertheless, each .season the whole ot the West 

 Indian cotton has been consumed. At present, however, 

 there does not seem t& be room for any great expansion of 

 area devoted to this crop. Dr. Tempan3' was much impressed 

 by the care that is taken in the .selling of West Indian cotton 

 by Mr. Charles Wolstenholme, the broker of the British Cotton 

 Growing Association, and thinks that it is largely owing 

 to the time and trouble that he has expended on the work, 

 that West Indian cottons have attained their present position. 



Considering that West Indian Sea Island cotton is such 

 a highly specialized article, it would be probably the best 

 course for the grower&in all these islands to combine together 

 to form an Association, which would be able to some extent 

 to regulate the supply. At the present time the crop is flung 

 haphazard on the market for the spinners to take or leave, as 

 they like. If the sujj^ly could be regulated in an intelligent 

 manner, many of the very real grievances of growers here 

 would be removed. 



Unfortunately, ttcre is no doubt that the fine cotton 



