358 



TUE AGKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



NOVEMBEU li', 1910. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date October 24, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



Since our last report, only about 100 bales of West 

 Indian Stained Sea Islands have been sold; the stock now is 

 practically all sold. 



Owing to a storm on the Florida and Georgia coast, 

 there has been a fear that the American Sea Island crop may 

 have been damaged in quality, with the result that prices 

 of the best Floridas have risen from 16 if/, (at which the 

 market opened) to 18f/., this being the price now ruling; but 

 should the reported damage not be corroborated, prices may 

 probably ease. 'Fully Fine' Carolina Island is offered 



at mcf. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending October 15, is as follows: — 



The receipts for tlie week were 2.59 bales, against 600 

 bales last year, and total to date .351 bales, as against 925 

 bales last year, confirming the lateness of the crop. 



The market opened this week, and all offerings w-ere 

 readily taken at the a.sking prices, viz.: Extra Fine -STc, 

 Fully Fine 35c.. Fine 33c. 



Although the exchange reports only 300 bales, the actual 

 sales were 500 bales. The buying, we think, was chiefly on 

 speculation, the purchasers being influenced by the advancing 

 market in Savannah. 



The Factors are refusing to sell further until the above 

 sales are filled, and they have some accumulation of stock; 

 and unle.ss the market is absolutely quiet for a week or two, 

 they will ask higher prices. 



THE BRITISH COTTON GROWING 



ASSOCIATION. 



The following account of a recent meeting of the 

 British Cotton Growing Association is taken from the 

 Monthhj Magazine of the Liverpool Chamber of 

 Commerce for September 1910:- — 



The Seventy-ninth Meeting of the Council of the British 

 Cotton Growing Association was held at the Offices, 15, Cross 

 Street, Manchester, on Ttiesday, September 6. In the 

 absence of the Earl of Derby, G.C.V.O. (President), 

 Mr. John E. Newton occupied the chair. 



WEST AFRICA. The purchases of cotton in Lagos for 

 the month of August were 241 bales, as compared with 323 

 bales for August last year, and 137 bales for 1908. The 

 purchases since the beginning of the year amount to 5,469 



bales, against 11,489 bales for the same period of last year, 

 and 5,400 bales for the whole of 1908. The prospects for 

 cotton-growing during the present season are all that can be 

 desired, and about 400 tons of cotton seed have already been 

 given out by the Association, most of which has been 

 distributed through tie Government Agricultural Depart- 

 ment to native farmers. Large supplies of seed have also 

 been distributed to native cultivators in Northern and South- 

 ern Nigeria. 



icASD.v. The purchases of cotton in this Protectorate 

 continue to be most satisfactory, and at the present time the 

 Association have nearly 3,000 bales either in Liverpool or in 

 transit. The prospects for the new crop are most favourable, 

 and it is expected that picking will commence towards the 

 end of October. During the month of August the Associa- 

 tion received 1,415 bales of cotton from East Africa. 



NYASALANi). The machinery and buildings for the 

 ginnery at I'ort Herald have been despatched, and every 

 effort is being made to have the ginnery ready for this year's 

 crop, which begins to come in about this time. The reports 

 received both from the Government officials and also from 

 the Association's representatives with regard to the crop are 

 most encouraging, and in one district alone, which is situated 

 near Lake Nyanza, the Association have purchased over 100 

 tons of .seed-cotton grown by the natives. 



Considerable satisfaction was expressed that arrange- 

 ments have now been made with the t'nion Castle Line for 

 a direct .service of steamers to East Africa through the 

 Suez Canal. This will greatly benefit the cotton industrj- in 

 East Africa and Nyasaland, as the cotton will now reach 

 Liverpool several weeks earlier than was formerly the case. 



RHODESIA. The Council of the Association have now 

 approved of the arrangements for the development of cotton- 

 growing in Fihodesia, in conjunction with the Briti.sh South 

 Africa Company. Several months ago Mr. Bateson, one 

 of the As.sociation's most experienced agriculturists, who 

 has been in charge of the experimental plantation in 

 Lagos for some years, was sent to Ithodesia to report 

 upon the suitabilty of the soil and climate frf>m a cotton- 

 growing point of view. Mr. Bateson made a careful studj' 

 of the conditions in Noithern Pihoilesia, and was greatly 

 assisted in his work by the officials of the British South Africa 

 Company. He reported that there were many large districts 

 along the railway between Livingstone and Broken Hill, 

 where the conditions were favourable for cotton-growing. 

 There are a number of white planters, who, with few excep- 

 tions, have not been very successful, mainly owing to the lack 

 of expert assistance. In some cases the land has been badly 

 selected, and attempts have been made to grow cotton on 

 sand}' and unsuitable .soil, and in others the land has been 

 wrongly tilled. In order that planters may receive theneces- 



