374 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 18, 1916. 



COTTON. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date October 1(>, 1916, with 

 reference to the sales] of West Indian Sea Island 

 cotton: — 



Since our last report only a few odd lots of West Indian 

 Sea Island cotton have arrived, which have been sold at 

 prices varying from l-id. to 2ld. 



P.S. — Sakel Egyptian h^s advanced very rapidly, and 

 the best quality is worth 23d. to 2id. We are afraid this 

 will not be maintained, but if it should be, good clean West 

 Indian should be easily worth the same price 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the 

 week ending October^l4, 1916, is as follows: — 



ISLANDS. Receipts for the week were SO bales, and 

 total to date 176 bales. Factors are not as yet oft'ering their 

 receipts, nor naming prices, preferring to delay doing so 

 until the movement is larger. The market, therefore, has 

 not yet opened, and we are unable to give quotations. 



GEORGiAS AND FLORDiAS. The demand h(is been very 

 general with advancing prices, taking all offerings both in 

 Savannah and at all interior points. Consequently the 

 market clo.sed strong on a basis of Extra Choice 38c., Fancy 

 39c., with Factors unwilling sellers except at a further advance. 



The buyint; has been general on account of Northern 

 and Southern Mills as well as on speculation, resulting in 

 an advance of over .Ic. during the week. Notwithstanding 

 this, there is a general feeling that prices will advance further, 

 which encourages speculation and parties having stock on 

 hand to ask higher prices. 



The future of prices will depend on the ability of the 

 mills to sell their production on a basis of the high prices 

 current. 



We quote, as follows: — 



IJEOKGIAS AND KLORIDAS. 



Fancy 3«Jc. to 39c =40c to 40ic. landed 



Extra Choice 38c. to 38ic. = 39k. to 40c. 



with Factors holding higher. 



The exports from Savannah for the week were, to 

 Liverpool 250 bales. Northern Mills 4,284 bales, South- 

 ern Mills 369 bales, and from Jacksonville to Northei'n 

 Mills 2,211 bales. 



fifty-second meeting of the 

 Growing Association was held 



BRITISH COTTON GROWING ASSOCI- 

 ATION. 



The one hundred and 



Council of the Briti.sh Cotton ._,.„ g, .^.,..„^.„v.^..i ...v., utiu 



at the Offices, 15, Cross Street, Manchester, on Tuesday, 

 October 3, Mr. W. S. Kinch occuping the Chair. 



Interesting facts were brought forward, though largely 

 in relation to a different type of gptton to that produced in 

 the West Indies. 



WEST AFRICA. The purchases of cotton in f^agos to 

 September 23 amount to 9,198 bales, as compared with 

 5,852 bales for the .same period of .last year, and 13,486 bales 

 for 1914. 



The purchases of cotton in Northern Nigeria to August 

 31, amounted to 10,522 bales, as compared with 531 bales 

 to August 31, 1915, and 518 bales for 1914. 



There has been considerable difficulty in shipping cotton 

 from West Africa, but through the kind offices of the Govern- 

 ment, and of the West African merchants, arrangements have 

 been made for the Association to be given preference in 

 respect of shipments of cotton, but not of cotton seed. Aa 

 a result of these arrangements, shipments are now coming 

 forward more satisfactorily, and it is anticipated that the 

 whole of last .season's crop will have been shipped to Liverpool 

 by the end of March next. 



Various reports have been received dealing with the 

 increased quantities of cotton produced in the Zaria District 

 during the past .season. The Director of Agriculture for the 

 Northern Provinces states that it is certain that more than one 

 factor was responsible for the large influx of cotton at Zaria 

 from January to March last, the chief causes being: — 



A. The plentiful rains of 1915 resulted in an abundant 

 harvest, causing the local value of all produce to 

 fall considerably, but the Association maintained 

 a minimnim price of l;|rf. per lb. for cotton and 

 consequently the bulk of the crop was sold to them. 



B. The lower prices offered by merchants for ground 

 nuts consequent upon the war accentuated the 

 local fall in values, and resulted in there being less 

 money available in the North for purchasing Zaria 

 cotton. 



C. The increased use of cotton goods of English manu- 

 facture in the districts served from Kano is gradually 

 resulting in a reduced local demand for raw cotton. 



D. The constant demand maintained for cotton on 

 a cash basis by the Association during the past five 

 years has not been without its effect on the natives' 

 minds, though the poor crops of 1913 and 1914 

 have hitherto prevented this fact from becoming, 

 apparent. 



The only serious competitor of cotton as a cash crop in 

 the Northern Provinces is ground nuts. The labour in grow- 

 ing and marketing an acre of ground nuts is considerably 

 more than that involved for a similar area of cotton, and at 

 £10 per ton the cash return is also more. The complexion 

 of things, ho.wever, is entirely altered when the price of 

 ground nuts (decorticated) drops to its present level of £5 

 per ton. The whole question resolves itself into one of mak- 

 ing the crop as remunerative as possible, and this can best 

 be achieved by subsisting an improved variety of cotton for 

 the one now generally in cultivation, and so increasing both 

 the yield per acre and also the price per lb. 



The present season's crop so far promises to exceed the 

 past one, both as regards the ordinary native crop, and also 

 in respect of the improved varieties of long staple cotton. 



TGANOA. There is a considerable accumulation of baled 

 cotton in the interior of Uganda owing to the shortage of 

 available steamers on the lake, and the delays on the Uganda 

 railway. This is a very serious matter, as it involves a con- 

 siderable amount of capital being locked up in cotton. The 

 question has been taken up with the Government, and there 

 is reason to believe that the position will shortly improve, and 

 that the cotton will all be cleared for shipment in about two 

 to three months' time. 



The reports regarding the growing crop in Uganda continue 

 satisfactory, and it is estimated that the crop will amount to 

 about 40,000 bales, which is about the same figure as in the- 

 year prior to the war. , 



