98 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April 8, 1905. 



in the West Indies are capable of producing 

 a higher quality of cotton than the Sea Islands 

 themselves. This is contirnied by the fact that the 

 shipments of G2 bales from Messrs. Simmons & Hazell 

 of St. Vincent 'are quite the best cotton grown under 

 the auspices of the British Cotton-growing Association 

 and have been sold at an all-round price of 17^/. 

 per It).' If this cotton had been ' in the market in 

 October and November last,' it is stated, 'it might easily 

 have been sold for 2l(J. per lb.' Again we arc informed : 

 ' West Indian cotton is to-day fetching 2(7. to 3(7. per Iti. 

 over similar qualities of American cotton.' 



It is reasonable to suppose that, if the seed from 

 the high-priced cotton, above referred to, were carefully 

 selected and grown under suitable conditions, the 

 crop to be reaped next year should be as good as, if 

 not better than, this year's crop. 



The advantage is all in favour of the West Indies, 

 for this is the original home of Sea Island cotton, and 

 the conditions, on that account, should be more 

 congenial to it here than in South Carolina. 



Coming now to practical measures, it is proposed, 

 in order to .safeguard the prospects of the cotton 

 industry, that the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 should undertake to acquire all that can be spared of 

 the best seed and have it carefully hand-picked and 

 disinfected and supplied to the planters at cost price. 



The Department will purchase the seed in the 

 condition in which it leaves the gins, mixed with 

 bits of lint, immature seeds, trash, etc. It will have 

 this carefully picked over by hand so as to retain 

 only about one half to consist of the largest and 

 finest seed for planting purposes. The residue will 

 be returned to the grower to bo crushed for feeding 

 purposes. The selected seed will then be disinfected in 

 order to protect it from fungoid and insect posts and 

 it will be offered to planters for sowing purposes 

 at the rate of .5c. (2hl.) per lb. This, as already shown, 

 (p. 33) is at a lower rate than is charged for long-staple 

 cotton seed either in the Sea Islands or in Egyjjt. 



It is strongly urged that no cotton seed be planted 

 this year unless it has been disinfected beforehand. 

 Otherwise, in the case of seed shipped from one island 

 to another, there would be the probability of intro- 

 ducing either the cotton worm, the leaf-blister mite, 

 the cotton stainer, black boll, anthracnosc oi" other 



diseases into localities where, hitherto, they have been 

 unknown. For instance, the cotton worm is not 

 prevalent in St. Vincent, the leaf-blister mite and the 

 cotton stainer are not present at Barbados, and few, if 

 any, of the diseases fiimiliar in the lesser Antilles are 

 to be fount! in Jamaica. 



A general and indiscriminate interchange of 

 untreated cotton seed between the several islands 

 would result in such a wide-sjjread distribution of 

 cotton diseases as would probably kill the industry. 



It is desirable, therefore, under the special circum- 

 stances now existing, that the distribution of seed for 

 planting purposes should be placed in the hands of 

 a central authority, having no pecuniary interest in 

 the matter, possessing the confidence of the community, 

 and provided with the necessary staff and appliances 

 for carrying on the \\ork solely in the interest of those 

 concerned. 



Cotton growers who desire a supply of the 

 'selected and disinfected cotton seed' offered by the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture for planting 

 during the coming season are advised to communicate, 

 without delay, with the ofificcrs of the Department in 

 the colonies in which they reside. A remittance for 

 the full amount must accompany the order, or it cannot 

 be entertained. Orders will be received, for the 

 Leeward Islands, by Dr. Francis Watts, Antigua; for 

 Barbados, by Mr. John R. Bovell: for St. Vincent, by 

 Mr. W. X. Sands. Applications from Jamaica, British 

 Guiana, Trinidad, and other colonies, not mentioned 

 above, may be forwarded direct to the Imperial 

 Commissioner of Agriculture, Head Office, Barbados. 

 Applications will be dealt with in the order in which 

 they are received. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Observations on Muscovado Sugar. 



The Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc, Govern- 

 ment Analytical and Agricultural Chemist for the 

 Leeward Islands, has for\\arded ' Some observations on 

 Muscovado Sugar ' which deal with matters of special 

 interest to sugar planters. The following is the first 

 part, dealing A\ith :— 



