342 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



October 26, 1912. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 lyritie as follows, under date October 7, with reference 

 t" the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



West Indian Sea Islands have been neglected since our 

 last report, the only business being about 25 bags of 

 St. Kkts at I'd. 



Buyers are waiting the opening price.s of the New 

 Crop Carolina Sea Island. Meanwhile, Old Crop Carolina 

 lots are offering at as low as 16c?., without finding buyers. 

 The best Floridas are oifering at loif/., but spinners prefer 

 Sakellarides Egyptian at Uhd. to 12(/. per to. 



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

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week- 

 ending October 5, is as follows: — 



There has continued some demand for the Planters' crop 

 lots left in stock from last year, which has resulted in the 

 sale so far of 65 bales of Uneeda at 38c. for export. 

 Also there has been put on shipboard, but not yet cleared, 

 100 bales medium Fine Islands which have been held in 

 warehouse by an e.xporter for nearly twc^ years. In our next 

 circular we will be able to give the destination of both of 

 the above lots. 



The receipts of the new crop to date amount to only 

 S9 bales, which the factors hive decided to postpone 

 sampling and offering for .sale until next week. The impres- 

 sion is that they would be willing to open the market on 

 a ba.=i.= cf, viz:^ 



Extra Fine 30c. =17rf. c.i.f., A 5 per cent. 



Fully Fine 28c. =16£f. „ „ „ 



OOTTON-GROWINGr IN ARGENTINA. 



The information below is part cf a report by H.M. 

 Consul at Buenos Aires, reproduced in The BoarJ 

 mf Trade Journal of September 5: — 



Cotton-growing in Argentina cannot be said to have 

 emerged from its initial stage of development, but indications 

 are not lacking of a possible flourishing and profitable 

 i-ndustry in the future. L^nfortunately Argentina does not 

 possess the population needed for the development of her 

 latent resources and is dependent upon immigration. The 

 lack of labour is undoubtedly the most serious obstacle to 

 the expansion of cotton-growing in the Republic. The only 

 ;. vailable local labour is supplied by a few native Indians and 

 ■ ■'■asauts from ^araoua^ and the Province of Corrientes. 



Apart from this difficulty cotton would seem to offer 

 extensive possibilities, the vast districts of the Argentine 

 lying to the north of the 32nd degree of south latitude being 

 admirably adapted to its growth. The climate is particularly- 

 favourable to the cotton plant, the absence of rain at the 

 critical ripening period conducing to the production of fibre- 

 of almost unrivalled quality. The greatest advantage of all 

 is bejond doubt the total absence in Argentina of the mucla- 

 dreaded boll weevil, to the ravages of which is attributed the 

 loss of a large part of the cotton yield of 1911 in the- 

 Mississippi valley alone. While this scourge is spreading 

 throughout the entire cotton belt of the United States, 

 causing millions of dollars of damage, the only parasite ia- 

 Argentina detrimental to the cotton plant is a cotton wornii 

 that is easily exterminated by the use of Paris green. 



The area under cultivation in the United States amounts 

 to .?0 000,000 acres and the same extent of territory is- 

 available for cotton-growing in Argentina. A Spanish 

 syndicate in Barcelona has sent a commission of experts to> 

 Argentina to study the industry more particularly fronai 

 a labour standpoint, a fact that tends to show how seriously 

 the problem is being grappled with, particularly when taken, 

 in conjunction with the large Spanish immigration into that 

 country, amounting to 102,277 in 1911. 



The future success of the industry would of course lie ia 

 cultivation for export, and the aim of the Barcelona syndicate^ 

 would be to draw supplies of raw cotton from Argentin* 

 instead of the United States. At present cotton is being- 

 grown on a scale that falls a long way short of even satisfy- 

 ing the modest den)ands of the home market. 



Out of about 6,200 acres at present under cultivation 

 some 4,700 acres fall to the share of the Chaco territory. 

 An expert comparison of the rich alluvial soil of this terri- 

 tory with that of the Mississippi valley leaves no room for 

 doubtitlg its productiveness. The principal centres of the- 

 cotton-growing industrj- are in the colonies of Resistencia,. 

 Benitez Margarita, Belen, Popular, Pastoril, Zapallar and 

 General Vedia. A government experimental station has also- 

 been started in the Chaco territory to supply seed which will 

 be distributed, on application, by the Ministry of Agricnlturej. 

 the industry is at present exempt from taxation 



The Government have started agiicultural colonies m. 

 the Chaco territory. These colonies may be occuj)ied by 

 settlers, who have a right to apply for a grant of land oq 

 payment of 2:', dollars per hectare (about \s. ^d. per acre). 

 This concession is offered to settlers who comply with the 

 law» Applications should be made to the Land Oflice, 

 C'alle Tucuman 950, Buenos Aires, but the only way to 

 secure the land appears to be by first settling thereon ani 

 then making application for a provisional lease. This leas^ 

 is only granted provided the land is entirely free from anjr 

 previous lien thereon. 



