Vol. IV. No. 75. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



53 



COTTON INDUSTRY. 



Sea Island Cotton Market. 



The following is extracted from the latest report, 

 dated Jamuiry 28, received from Messrs. H. W. Frost 

 & Co., of Charleston and Savannali, in regard to the 

 Sea Island cotton market : — 



The demand this week was limited to old bag.s classing 

 fine and fully fine at 21c. to 23c., and tinged islands 20c., 

 the buying being principally for England. The factors are 

 unwilling .sellers at the decline quoted, and consequently 

 the sales were small. The unsold stock of 3,395 bags 

 consists very largely of planters' croii lots classing fully fine 

 to e.xtra fine for which there is no inquiry at present, with 

 the exception of 40 bags Lofton, sold for France at 28c. 



Factors are still refusing to entertain any bid for the 

 crop lots below 28c. to 30o., but should no demand spring 

 up they will have to modify their views in time. 



We quote : stained and tinged, 17c. to 20c. ; fine, 21c. ; 

 fully fine, 23c. to 24c. ; extra fine, 27c. to 28c. ; extra-fine 

 crop lots, 28c. to 30c. ; extra-extra-fine crop lots at 48c. 



Prospects of the Crop. 



From the fortnightlj' reports of local officers we 

 extract the following information \\ith regard to the 

 condition and prospects of the cotton crop: — 



Mr. F. R. Shepherd (St. Kitt's) writes : ' The bulk of 

 the cotton has now been picked, only the late-planted fields 

 remaining. Spooner's Ginning Factory has ginned some 

 26,000 lb. of lint, and the Stone Fort Factory is also making 

 a good start. Pump Bay Factory has been tried and will, 

 I hope, soon be in working order. At one estate the 16 

 acres, planted entirely with Rivers' seed, are giving a splendid 

 return, and the cotton is remarkably clean and well picked. 

 The leaf-blister nnte is not as troublesome as it was at this 

 time last year, but I have strongly urged all growers to pull 

 up the old trees and burn them at once.' 



From St. Vincent Jlr. Sands reports : ' At the factory 

 83 bales of seed-cotton have been ginned up to February 8, 

 and by the day the mail leaves there will have been delivered 

 for .shipment 9-5 to 98 bales, each containing 360 lb. of lint. 

 The disintegrator for grinding cotton seed has arrived and 

 will be erected at an early date. The cotton so far dealt with 

 appears to be well prepared and of good quality.' 



Barbados. 



The following report on the cotton industry in 

 Barbados for the fortnight ended February 22, has 

 been forwarded by Mr. J. R. Bovell, F.L.S., F.C.S. :— 



I am glad to be able again to report that the cotton all 

 over the island is, with few exceptions, practically free 

 from insect pests. 



A large quantity of the cotton has already been picked, 

 some of which has been sent to the Cotton Central Factory, 

 the remainder being sent to 5Ir. H. E. Thome's Factory. 



Owing to the long drought that occurred during 

 November and December, the yield of the cotton planted 

 late will, I regret to say, be not as much as was hoped. 

 Some of the planters of the early cotton got as much as 

 1,000 B). of seed-cotton per acre ; those who planted in 

 September and October are getting practically only half 

 that quantity. 



Up to the 21st. inst. the Cotton Factory had ginned 



196,872 m. of seed-cotton, yielding 54,483 ft. of lint. This 

 lint has been made into 142 bales, of which 59 have been 

 shipped, as follows : 24 bales by the S.S. ' Orinoco ' on 

 January 14, and 35 bales by the S.S. ' Trent ' on .January 28, 

 and 75 bales are being shipped by the S.S. ' Rosetti ' to day. 

 I may mention that I had intended .sending 55 of these 

 bales by the S.S. ' LaFlata ' which left here on Saturday 

 February 11, but at the last minute it was found that there 

 was no room for them. As the ' Rosetti' is the first available 

 opportunity, I am sending them by this ship, along with 

 20 bales of cotton ginned during last week and this week. 



Hayti. 



The Textile Mercury of January 21 has the 

 following note on cotton in Hayti : — 



In a report on cotton growing in Hayti, tlie United 

 States Consul at Port-au-Prince writes that the high prices 

 obtained for cotton last year offered great inducement to the 

 planters to cultivate this product on a more extensive scale. 

 No doubt cotton would have become a great factor in the 

 exports, and woidd have greatly added to the revenue of 

 this countr3', but for the great disturbance in Haytian finances, 

 which caused a rapid increase of all expenses and thus com- 

 pelled the planters to reduce their planting. While there has 

 been considerable increase over former crops, the improvement 

 will not be as great as was expected. This country is very 

 .suitable for the growing of cotton, 'and a large quantity could, 

 no doubt, be produced at a larger profit than iu the United 

 States. Haytian cotton once planted continues to produce for 

 twenty years without replanting, and requires but little care or 

 cultivation. The only expense is the gathering, ginning, and 

 baling. The staple is of good quality. Sea Island cotton 

 has to some extent been introduced with success, and the 

 planting is increasing, as it has proved to be very profitable. 

 This cotton, once planted, will produce four crops before the 

 plant dies out. 



DESTRUCTION OF RATS AND MICE. 



Reference was made in the Agricultural News 

 (Vol. Ill, p. 299) to the successful use in France of 

 cultures of pathogenic bacteria for destroying rats and 

 mice in districts where great losses had resulted from 

 their depredations on vines and growing crops. 



Messrs. Evans, Sons, Lescher, and Webb, Ltd., of 

 Liverpool, advertise in the Pharmaceutical Journal 

 as the sole agents for the ' Liverpool ' virus, for the 

 destruction of rats and mice, prepared by the Incorpora- 

 ted Liverpool Institute of Comparative Pathology 

 (Serum Department). The following information is 

 supplied : — 



The virus is nnt a poison, but is destructive to rats and 

 mice, amongst which it causes in a few days a contagious 

 disease. Rats, when infected with the disease, come out of 

 their holes seeking air and light. Others leave their haunts 

 immediately on the outbreak of the disease. 



It is suggested that this virus might be usefully 

 employed in the West Indies where rats and mice are 

 particularly destructive to grov/ing crops and stored 

 produce. With a view to testing its efficiency, 

 a supply of these cultures is being obtained by the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture for experimental 

 purposes. 



