230 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 15, 1910. 



COTTON CONFERENCE. 



FIFTH DAY'S PROCEEDINGS AND 

 CONCLUSION. 



FLUJTHER ])IS(US>ION OS I'ESTS AND DISEASES. 



Some discussion followed between Mr. S. C. Harland 

 (St. Vincent) and Mr. W. Nowell (Imperial Department of 

 \2riculture) in connexion willi selection of cotton for resist- 

 ance to disease. Mr. Nowell pointed out that there was 

 a greater chance of succeeding, if the selection were done 

 with special reference to a specific disease than m respect 

 of diseases in general. Mr. S. C. Harland called attention 

 to the fact that in the selection, unless resistance was shown 

 in the next generation there was no use going any further. 



In bringing the discussion on pests and diseases to an 

 end. the IVesident in the course of some remarks called 

 attention to the need for an institute of research in relation 

 to the science of agriculture in the West Indies. 



The subject then brought up for discussion was whether 

 cotton bushes should be destroyed by burning or burying. 

 Mr F. 11. Shepherd read a few notes on the subject in which 

 lie advocated the burying of cotton, provided certain precau- 

 tions are taken. Dr. H. A. Tempany (Leeward Islands) 

 said that from a manurial point of view, burying was open to 

 objection only on poorly aerated soil. 



■ The Montserrat delegates thought that the destruction 

 of cotton bush should be made compulsory. They appeared 

 to be of the opinion that as long as it was done thoroughly, 

 it mattered not whether bush was burned or buried. 



Mr H A. Ballou and Mr. W. Nowell said a iew words 

 to show that it is not likely that any insects or disea,ses ot 

 importance would be carried over by burying cotton bush m 



the soil. , „ . , , , , ,. 



Turning to another subject, the President asked Mr. 

 T. Jackson (Antigua) to read a note on hybrid cotton. In 

 the course of this it was learnt that this cotton was a special 

 type for cultivation on clay lands in Antigua, where ordinary 

 Sea Island cotton did not thrive; it was useful in enabling 

 planters to rotate cotton with cane. 



Mr. Harland was asked to give an account ol the work 

 he had done in regard to the budding of cotton. In the 

 course of some remarks he said that he had obfciined success, 

 and that it was possible when one has a particular .juality 

 and a pure strain and wants to continue it, one can do so by 



budding. ,,• ,, 



\fter a few speeches of a general nature by Ills Honour 

 the Administr.'itor of St. Kitts, Dr. Watts (the I'resident) 

 and others, the Conference was brought to a close. 



The next day, Saturday, March 18, a special session of 

 official experiment station workers was held with the object 

 of discussing measures that should be adopted in the s('lection 



of seed. . . ,. , ■ 



For an account of the various .systems the reader is 

 referred to the report of the first and second days' jirececdings 

 of the Conference. During the present session, it was 

 decided that the scheme of selection work in the diHercnt 



islands should remain practically the same. In regard to 

 Antigua, however, it was suggested that seed should be 

 interchanged between Yepton seed farm and a station on 

 the windward coast, with a view to deciding whether the 

 etfect of environment was really so pronounced as to render 

 the extra trouble and expen-se of a second seed station 

 necessary. It was also suggested that in the examination of 

 type, Balls's Target method should be employed as the best 

 means of determining the purity of strain. 



PEODl'CTKJN OF SELECTED STRAINS. 



The progeny row method, which received much consid- 

 eration in previous discussions, was generally recognized as 

 the only satisfactory way of selecting cotton. In regard to the 

 West Indies, it was decided that the best process to follow 

 was that given below: — 



First year. Progeny rows. 



Self a convenient numbers of plants for continuation 

 of series. 



Examine each plant in each progeny row for true- 

 ness to type 



Obtain Spinners' and Brokers' opinion of cotton 

 from each progeny row. 

 Second year. Plant plots from one or two best progeny 

 rows to form seed plot for commercial planting next 

 year 



Select seed for starting new progeny rows and 

 repeat work as in first year. 

 Third year. Large scale planting (commercial) from 

 last year's seed plot. 



Continuation of work as in tir.st and second years. 



It was further suggested that productivity should be 



judged (a) by number of flowers and (b) by weight of lint, 



while the general habit of the plants in each experiment 



plot should be recorded. 



LAISOKATOfiV METHODS. 



In connexion with the discussion on the laboratory work, 

 Mr. Harland demonstrated the method used by him of deter- 

 mining mean maximum length by measuring lint on scjuared 

 paper. 



As regards the measurement of lint length, it was slated 

 that in the Leeward Islands the mean length of available tibre 

 is generally adopted, while in St. \'incent the mean length of 

 the longest fibres was taken, it was thought that lialls's 

 method whereby the mean maximum length was determined 

 was perhaps not generally suitable for We^t Indian cotton on 

 account of there being, in all probability, much greater range 

 of lint length than there was in l-",i;yptian cotton. The method 

 of measuring lint jjulled from the seed should not be hastily 

 discarded. 



The general result of the discii.ssion was, that it is 

 regarded as essential that each worker should state precisely 

 in his report what method of lalioratoi y working he adopts. 



The following factors should be recorded:— 



Lint Index. The total weight from 100 seeds — This 

 should be estimated on something over 100 seeds 

 and calculated to the 1 UO. 



Available Fibre. All fibre measuring .ST millimetres and 

 over is to be reckoned a.-~ available fibre. This is to 

 be determined on ten seeds, and recorded as a per- 

 centage on the weight of the seed-cotton. 



Ginning Outturn, i.e.. weight of lint per 100 parts by 

 weight of seed-cotton, should also be recorded. 



Some discussion took place during this session concern- 

 ing the value of score cards for cotton field- 

 selection used in the Leeward Islands. 



