326 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



OCTOBKR 12, 1912 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows.under date September 2:^, with reference 

 4o the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



West Indian Sea Lslands continue neglected and sales 

 are confined to about 30 bales stains from Ihl. to 9fl. and 

 a few liarbados at 1 8<f. 



I'lUyers are still wailing the price at which American 

 (.'■irolinas will open. The first arrival.^ of the Florida crop 

 ->re good in quality and th? price asked is 13icf. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending September 21, is as follows: — 



The receipts to date of new crop cotton are only 6 bales 

 vhich have not been sampled, consequently there are no 

 •offerings as yet for sale. The stock consi.^ts of old croji 

 o.itton, which is nomin&lly held at previou.« prices. 



\Ve omit quotations, as they would be entirely nominal. 



Cotton-growing in Egypt. The Commercial 

 lulelligence Branch of the J'.oard of Trade has received 

 Ji copy of a lleport on Cotton-growint; in Kgypt, by 

 3Ir. Arno Schmidt, Secretary of the International Cotton 

 federation, \\hiih has just been iisued. The report contains 

 information as to the history of cotton -growing in Kgypt, 

 together with sugge.-itions for the improvement f)f the indu.<- 

 try, and remarks as to its future prospects. 



At the conclusion of his report, .Mr. Schmidt summar- 

 izes the prospects as follows: — 



'The outlook for the future is decidedly hopeful. . . . 

 There are schemes under consideration for extending the 

 nrea of agricultural land. Lord Kitchener mentioned to me 

 that by a scheme which would be begun in January he hoped 

 t(i be able to get, in years to come, 1,000,000 feddans 

 ^feddau = 1'038 acres) under cultivation, half or a third of 

 ■which would produce cotton. ( )t.her land reclamation schemes 

 .'lie spoken of, and consequently we may expect that every 

 year in the near future will see an increased area under 

 cotton. The active Department of Agriculture will no doubt 

 ileal energetically with .<eed distribution, pests, and errors 

 of cultivation, and although the Afifi cotton has degenerated 

 there are signs of another new and improved quality, 

 'As.sili", taking its place.' {Thc.Jioard of Trade Journal, 

 W uch 21, 1P12.) 



THE QUALITY OF UGANDA COTTON. 



'Die following is appended to a report by the Imperial 

 Institute on samples of I'ganda cotton which is reproduced 

 in a Supplement to the Uganda O^iciat Ga'elte for Junt- 

 30, 1912;— 



'The reports of the Director of the Imperial Institute- 

 reproduced above bring out clearly the following points 



'I. That irregularity in strength and length are stilJ 

 outstanding features of Uganda staple which require- 

 attention on the part of the Agricultural Department. 



'2. That Uganda cotton is tending rather to improvtr- 

 than to deteriorate in length of staple, for whereas both these 

 samples are stated to possess staple mostly from 10-1'S- 

 inches in length, two samples submitted by the British Cottor* 

 Growing Association in July 1910 (ride Ga:ette of December 

 1.5, 1910) were reported on as having staple mostly frorr* 

 10-1 2 inches, and 9-1 '2 inches in length respectively. 



'Ginners would do well to note the remarks about 

 seed-husks and seed being found in the lint, and to endeavour 

 as far as possible to prevent these impurities from finding their 

 way through the gins 



'The two main causes of stained cotton in Ugand^t 

 undoubtedly are: — 



(a) The attacks of cotton stainers which suck the 

 juices from immature bolls thus checking their growth antS 

 arresting the ripening process. In this condition the bolls- 

 remain upon the plants and become stained and rotted l\v 

 the weather. 



(b) E.xposure to heavy storms in the picking .season, 

 'These causes can both be greatly controlled by the- 



establishment of one regular season for sowing cotton, and 

 a definite date for ujirooting the plants. 



' further, the proportion of stained cotton exported wilB 

 tend to dinunish annually as the crop gradually establishes 

 itself in tho.se districts best adapted by nature for its growth." 



The Cotton Industry of Car riacou.— Twenty- 

 two thousand, .seven hundred and ninety-four pounds of 

 cleaned lint, representing 76 bales, were turned out 

 from the factory during the year. Keceipts for cottoa 

 ginned amounted to £36 4s. id. and working expenses 

 (including repairs) to £24 Is. 2(/., thus disclosing a profit of 

 £12 3s. 2d. for the year under review. There are at present 

 seven steam ginneries, capable of turning out 60 bales of 

 cotton per da\', now at work in the island. (From the- 

 Report of the Commissioner, Carriacou District, for 1911; ii* 

 the Grenada dovinnnent Ga:ettr for May 1,1912.) 



