21 1 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 1, 1916. 



COTTON CONFERENCE. 



FOURTH DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. 



(Conchcde'l.) 



The President then introduced for discussion the subject 

 of the rotation of cotton with other crops, particularly with 

 sugar-cane. 



ROTATION OF COTTON. 



Mr. A. O. Thurston (St. Kitts) thought that the sugar 

 industry suftered to some extent through cotton being 

 grown in rotation. He thought the land derived more benefit 

 if leguminous cover crops were planted instead. 



Mr. ,1. K. Yearwood (St. Kitts) said that pigeon peas 

 ■used to be planted, but the practice was different now. 



Mr. ¥. Iv. Shepherd (St. Kitts) said that wheie cotton 

 is planted at the right time, and taken off at the right time, 

 it can be advantageously rotated with sugar-cane. _ He 

 referred to the success which had attended this practice at 

 Brighton and Douglas estates. 



The President thought it was necessary to draw 

 a distinction between the St. Kitts practice of planting cane 

 after cotton, and regular rotation. As arising out of the 

 discus.sion, he thought it would be opportune if Mr. Harland 

 (St. Vincent) read some notes he had prepared on the 

 Anderson Oil Expeller, now operating in St. Vincent The 

 object of this appliance was to secure for manurial purpo.ses 

 a quantity of cotton-seed meal, and at the same time to 

 increase the returns fron\ cotton cultivation by extracting 

 and exporting the oil. 



Mr. Harland then read a paper describing the appliance. 



The President pointed out that the machine operates on 

 the principle of the ordinary meat mincer. The machine is 

 very effective, very simple, and affords an example of a finish- 

 ing process whereby raw material is converted into a useful 

 product. 



The Conference then adjourned for luncheon. 



H.\BTTS OF CEOWTIf OF THE COTTON PLANT. 



( )n resuming, the President asked Mr. Nowell to take up 

 the question of the branching habit of different types of cotton. 



In proceeding, Mr. Nowell said that the habit of growth 

 of the cotton plant was a subject which had a very important 

 "bearing on certain questions of cotton cultivation. Mr. Nowell 

 then described the sympodial type of branching, in which 

 reproductive branches only are produced all the way up the 

 stem; this type is obviously in a belter position to produce its 

 crop early than a type in which a con.siderable period in the 

 plant's dcvclojnnent is spent in producing from the lower axils, 

 branches comparable with the main stems. Attention had been 

 given to the subject in America where they hud to develop 

 this so-called single stalk cotton as a protection against the 

 ■boll weevil, and also in dry districts where the period of 

 growth was .so short that tlie ordinary cotton plant does not 

 have time to set enough flowers to give a good result. It 

 had been stated during the Conference that such a type of 

 cotton is found in the St. Vincent strain known as B.S. This 

 had the purely sympodial habit impressed upon it by heredity 

 and not by cultivation as in the case of single stalk cotton in 

 United States. ]\Ir. Nowell pointed out that the cultivation 



of this type in districts where the internal boll disease is 

 prevalent would be one of the ways of circumventing that 

 disease. 



Mr. S. C. Harland (St. Vincent) quoted a ca,se where 

 seed of the sympodial or single stalk type had yielded at the 

 rate of 400 lb. of seed-cotton per acre, while ordinary Sea 

 Island cotton near by had given only 10 tt). of clean seed 

 cotton from 5 acres. 



Mr. Shepherd (St. Kitts) pointed out that the St. Kitts 

 strains possessed to some extent the characteristics of the 

 single stalk cotton in regard to early maturity and high 

 productivity. 



Mr. A. O. Thurston (St. Kitts) thought it would be very 

 beneficial if they could produce in St. Ivitts a quicker bearing 

 cotton even by a month. 



Mr. K. P Pencheon (Montserrat) said he would like to 

 fry the single stalk type in that island. 



In concluding this discussion it was emphasized by 

 Mr. Ballon and Mr. Nowell, that the cultivation of the single 

 stalk cotton was principally advocated with a view to providing 

 a means of combating a specific pest, namely the cotton 

 stainer, just as in the Southern States the single stalk cotton 

 was evolved with a view to circumventing the boll weevil. 



The present session of the Conference was brought to a 

 close with the President reading an ext:act dealing with the 

 economic status of the Sea Island cotton industry in America, 

 in which it was stated that it is not advisable for American 

 planters to increase the area of Sea Island cotton under 

 present conditions. 



The Conference was then adjourned to 10 a.m. the next 

 day, Friday, March 1 7. 



On resuming, the Hon. 1!. L. Warneford said that as 

 a result of the suggestion made by the President in regard 

 to an alliance with the Fine Spinners and Doublers' Asso- 

 ciation, he begged to move the following resolution: 'That 

 this Conference is of opinion that it is desirable that steps 

 should be taken to secure the mutual interest of West Indian 

 cotton growers and Fine Spinners, on the lines suggested by 

 Dr. Watts at the meeting of the 16th instant, and hereby 

 request him, as Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, to take 

 such steps as he thinks desirable to ascertain whether the 

 Fine Spinners and Doublers' Association will be prepared to, 

 'mtertain proposals, on the lines of those suggestions'. 



Hon. J. S. Holllngs (Nevis) seconded the resolution, 

 which was carried unanimously. 



FORMATION OF COTTON CllOWKKS' ASSOLI.VTIONS. 



Hon. Pi. L. Warneford (Antigua) formally moved tlip 

 following resolution: 'That in view of the necessity for 

 taking all precautions to maintain the quality of the cotton 

 produced in the West Indian islands to safeguard the supply 

 of seed, and generally to secure the safety of the industry 

 and also the interest of growers, it is desirable that a Cotton 

 Growers' Association should be formed in Antigua. And 

 further that the delegates to the Cotton Conference are 

 requested to bring this resolution to the notice of delegates 

 from other cotton-growing islands with a view to securing 

 similar action if possible'. 



The resolution was adopted. 



[Since the above resolution was [jut forward, a L^ottoa 

 Grower.s' Association has been formed in Antigua.] 



BUYINli AN1> SELLING OF COTTON. 



Mr. K. P. Pencheon (Montserrat) suggested that it 

 might be possible to arrange for the buying of cotton by 

 samples, and that sales would be facilitated if the British 

 Cotton Growing Association could see their way to appoint 

 an agent in the West Indies for that purpose. He thought 



