310 



THE AGKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



October 1, 1910. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date September 12, with refer- 

 ence bo the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



A moderate business has been done in West Indian Sea 

 Islands since our last report, chiefly in Barbados and St. 

 Croix at Idid. There has also been a sale of St. Vincent 

 stains at l'2d. 



The buyers who purchased stained V\ est Indian early in 

 the season, to take the place of Egyptian, have ceased to use 

 them, owing to the fall in price of the latter growth, and we 

 therefore can only depend upon the ordinary Sea Island 

 buyers, who value them on a distinctly lower basis. It would 

 be difficult to dispose of them at a considerable decline from 

 our original valuations. 



The Florida market opens at I'd. to 18rf., which is about 

 Id. to 2d. per B). more than was expected, but we do not 

 think that the present quotations will be held for long, as the 

 crop appears to be a fairly satisfactory one. 



The report of Messrs. Henry \V. Frost & Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending September 'A, is as follows: — 



As the crop is reported to be two weeks backward, and 

 harvesting has been delayed by recent heavy rains, we do not 

 think that receipts of the new crop will be large enough to 

 admit of the market opening before the middle of October. 



The stock remaining on hand here of old crop cotton is 

 only 53 bale.s, consisting of planters' crop lots, held at 40c. 

 to 50c. It is quite impossible just now to say at what price 

 the market will open, but we will, later on, endeavour to 

 give you some approximate idea of the views of buyers. 



COTTON-GROWING IN INDIA. 



The Textile Mercury for August 6, 1910, gives an 

 account of the proceedings nf a recent deputation to 

 Lord Morley, at the India Office, the purpose of which 

 was to urge the desirabilit}' of the provision, by the 

 Indian Government, of every assistance possible toward 

 the extension and improvement of cotton-growing in 

 India. Among the delegates was Mr. C. W. Macara, the 

 President of the International Cotton Federation. The 

 recommendaticins finally made by theni were as 

 folic iw's: — 



(a) That, in order to encourage the cultivation of better 

 qualities of Indian cotton, special attention be devoted to the 



selection of seed of the indigenous growths, and that an 

 increase be made in the number of seed farms. 



(b) The engagement of cotton specialists and trained 

 staff. 



(c) The establishment of cotton-buying centres similar 

 to those of the British Cotton Growing Association in Africa. 



(d) An increase in the number of agricultural banks. 



(e) The abolition of the export duty on cotton grown in 

 the Native States. 



(f) The introduction of fortnightly ginners' reports. 



THE SEA ISLANDS COTTON CROP, 1909-10. 



A report, dated September 3, 1910, received from 

 Messrs. Henr}- W. Frost & Co., Charleston. S.C, in 

 addition to their ordinary fortnightly report, contains 

 a statement of the Sea Island.s crop for 1909-10, and an 

 account of the Sea Islands market, during the same 

 period, the latter of which is reproduced here: — 



The crop was late in being marketed, as rains had 

 retarded the harvesting. Therefore, it was not until the 

 middle of October that the total receipts amounted to 300 

 bales. The market opened on October 16, with sales of 

 400 bales on a basis of Fine ■28c., Fullv Fine 30c., Extra 

 Fine 32c. 



The factors having disposed of their offerings decided 

 not to sell further, except at an advance of 2c., which caused 

 a quiet market until October 30, when they succeeded in 

 getting the advance asked, selling 1,350 bales on a basis of 

 Fully Fine 32c. This demand was principally for export to 

 England. Having disposed again of all the receipts to date, 

 the factors were much encouraged and then decided to hold 

 for a further advance of 3c., over their last sale, being con- 

 firmed in their views by the active demand for Georgias and 

 Floridas at advancing prices. 



It was not long before .some urgent demand admitted of 

 their selling, on November 6, 750 bales at the full advance 

 demanded, viz., basis Fine 33c., Fully Fine 35c., Extra Fine 

 37c. However, with this demand supplied, the market as- 

 sumed a quieter tone, with the stock accumulating on account 

 of large receipts. The sales during November, December 

 and January were confined to the lower grades, viz., Fine 

 at 32c., and Fine to Fully Fine, off in colour, at 28c. to 30c., 

 the buying being for England and the Northern Mills; the 

 trade generally refused to pay the full prices demanded for 

 the higher grades. Therefore, the stock continued to increase, 

 and in February both the planters and factors began to show 



