294 



THE AGEICULTUIIAL NEWS. 



SEPTEiMBEE 



1905. 



WEST 



Under 



INDIAN COTTON EXPORTS. 



the above headinsf the Morning Po.st of 

 Alienist 12 has the following article on the West 

 Indian cotton industry : — 



Only three or four years have elapsed shiee the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture for the West Indies undertook 

 the experimental cultivation of cotton with the object of 

 ascertaining whether the industry could be recommended to 

 the planters as a profitable one. The experiments were 

 entered upon with confidence, because originally cotton 

 formed one of the principal sources of wealth, the islands 

 being, in fact, the home of the most valuable variety of 

 cotton grown — now known as the Sea Island variety. So 

 encouraging were the results of the experiments that the 

 .sugar planters lent a willing ear to the advice that they 

 should embark upon cotton as a subsidiary industry. 

 Considering the brief interval since the reintroduction of 

 cotton growing, the [nogress made has been very remarkable, 

 every season witne.ssing an extensive increase in the acreage 

 devoted to the industry. The Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture has collected statistics relating to the export 

 of cotton from the islands during the first halt of the present 

 year, which were publi.shed in the A'/rkultural News, Vol. 

 IV, pp. 278.9. 



COTTON CULTIVATION IN JAMAICA. 



In the Balhtin of tie Department of A<jricultar<\ 

 Jamaica, for August, Dr. H. H. Cousins treats as follows 

 of the subject of a suitable rotation of crops for cotton 

 and other matters connected with the cultivation of 

 cotton : — 



I fully agree with the recommendation not to ratoon 

 cotton over the first year, having observed serious ravages on 

 young cotton from caterpillars derived from old plants that 

 .should have been destroyed at the end of the year. 



The gist of the matter to my mind is as follows : — 



Plant the cotton at the natural season, so that rains may- 

 keep it growing until it has attained size and then dry 

 weather will follow for the crop. Cotton planted late is 

 .stunted and unhealthy. It is very subject to fungoid disease 

 and is severely attacked by caterpillars. It is very apt to 

 ripen seed prematurely, so that when the rains come the seeds 

 germinate in the green pods and the whole contents turn 

 black. I am speaking from personal observation here of 

 a large area planted late with the above result. 



Cotton planted at the right time will ripen in about 

 five months, and if the old plants be trimmed back, a second 

 hush will follow and a picking of second-crop cotton be 

 obtained so that the whole can be cleared oli" the ground in 

 eleven months. I consider that it is very desirable to uproot 



the old plants and, liaving gathered them into heajis, to burn 

 them, so as to destroy the eggs, caterpillar.s, and cocoons of 

 the cotton worm. The land can then be prepared for the 

 next planting. Local experience as to corn planting seems 

 to be a safe guide as to the correct time to plant cotton. 

 This permits of a narrow margin and must be strictly 

 complied with if failure is to be avoided. 



Under these condition.s, I think the lands iu Vere and 

 St. Catherine, where cotton has grown well this year, would 

 grow it in continuous annual crops for a long period of years 

 without rotation of crops. 



With reference to rotation crops for cotton, it must be 

 recognized that corn (maize) does not pay to grow in the 

 plains. Leguminous crops can only be grown as snatch 

 crojis. Tobacco can only be grown on a limited area, 

 owing to the great demand for labour. Further, tobacco 

 barely pays expenses in .Jamaica. 



Cassa\a would do admirably, but here again there nuist 

 he a factory on hand to deal with it. I have been trying 

 to establish data as to the cassava industr}', and there is no 

 douVit it would pay even better than cotton. 



L'nder present conditions, I think cow peas might be 

 planted between the rows of cotton after the first crop and 

 be idoughed in when preparing for the new jdanting It 

 should be remembered that our cotton lands north-west of the 

 irrigation area in St. Catherine and the light lands in Vero 

 are jiractically virgin soil and very rich in fertility. Ten 

 croiis should not exhaust these lands. 



HIGH PRICE FOR ST. VINCENT COTTON. 



^lention was made in the Aijrlcidtaral Newn 

 (Vol. IV, p. 274) that the cotton from Petit Bordel 

 estate in St. Vincent had fetched the highest price 

 recorded from the West Indies, viz., I.s. Gd. per lb. 

 It has since been reported by Mr. Sands that another 

 bale of St. Vincent cotton fetched the same price. It 

 is interesting to record that this bale was grown by 

 Hugh Browne, who completed his training at the 

 Agricultural School last year. 



Mr. Sands states : — 



During the planting season Browne cleared and culti- 

 vated a .small plot, not quite | acre in area, in cotton at 

 Stubbs Village on the Windward Coast. The seed he 

 jilanted was the River-s' selected seed obtained through the 

 Agricultural Department. r)rowne did all the work of 

 planting to reaping in his spare time. 



From the pilot he obtained, when ginned, 142 It), net of 

 lint, which .sold at the price named above. After deducting 

 all charges he received nearly £10. 



