A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Pkice Id. 



S announced in the Ac/ricultural Nca-.'^- 

 (Vol. IV, p. 72), it will not be possible to 

 obtain reliable cotton seed from the United 

 States this year, as the planters in the Sea Islands have 



resolved not to sell their seei 

 of South Carolina.' 



■ to communities outside 



This means that in order to carry on the cotton 

 industry in the West Indies the planters will have to 

 depend on seed to be obtained locally. 



Although the situation, at first sight, might be 

 regarded as discouraging, there are good grounds for 

 believing that the promising cotton industry started in 

 these colonies will not materially suffer from the 

 action taken by the planters in the Sea Islands. 

 Thanks to the efforts made last year by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture, there is already- existing in 

 the West Indies a supply of Sea Island cotton seed as 

 good as, if not better than, the crop lots produced in 

 the United States. All that is necessary is to make 

 a rigorous selection of the best seed and, after having it 

 carefull}' disinfected, to place it within reach of the 

 planters in such quantity and at such a price that in 

 no instance will it be necessary to plant inferior or 

 doubtful seed. 



Last year the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 imported and sujDplied to planters 35,700 ft. of Rivers' 

 selected Sea Island cotton seed and the results from 

 this seed, in good soils and with suitable cultivation, 

 have been uniformly satisfactory. In some instances 

 Mr. Oliver reports that the cotton produced this 

 year from Rivers' seed in the West Indies 'is 

 better than Rivers' own cotton ; ' so that, so far from 

 having deteriorated, it would appear that the 

 soil and climate, in some localities at all events, 



