Vol. IV. No. 74. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



37 



COTTON INDUSTRY. 



Profits of Cotton Growing in Barbados. 



In reference to the note on the above subject in 

 the last issue of the Agricultural iVcti's (p. 21), the 

 following summary of the expenditure and receipts is 

 likely to be useful in showing clearly the profits 

 obtained : — 

 C(/rti and Cotton. — £ s. d. 



Cost of cultivation S 521-94 = 108 14 9 



Total receipts 2,471-84 = 514 19 4 



Net profit (22 acres) . . . 

 Profit per acre 

 Cotton only. — 



Profit per acre . . 



1,949-90 = 406 4 7 

 88-63 = 18 9 3 



79-82 = 16 2 7 



Sea Island Cotton Market. 



The following is extracted from the latest report, 

 dated January 21, received from Messrs. H. \V. Frost 

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

 Sea Island cotton market : — 



The sales for the week consisted very largely of odd 

 bags on a basis of fully fine, 23c. ; fine, 21c. ; tinged and 

 stained, 20c. and 17c., the buying being principally from 

 England. The unsold stock of about 3,000 bales is comi)osed 

 chiefly of planters' crop lots held at 28c. to 30c., for which 

 there is at present a very limited incptiry. Factors are 

 very anxious to sell, but are refusing to accept any lower 

 prices at present. The character of the odd bags coming to 

 market is tinged and stained, showing the last of the crop, 

 and very little really sound cotton can be selected. The 

 Beaufort cotton has been marketed only in a very limited 

 way, and the owners are very desirous of selling before 

 shipping. 



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

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

 crop lots, 28c. to 30c. ; and extra-extra-fine crop lots at 35c. 

 to 50c. per lb. 



Cuba. 



The Consular Report on the trade of Cuba for 

 1903, dated, Havana, November 5, 1904, contains the 

 following reference to the prospects of cotton growing 

 in that island : — 



The numerous experiments which have been made down 

 to the present time, some of them on quite an extensive 

 scale, have clearly shown that a superior class of cotton can 

 be raised in Cuba. 



The only question which remains to be decided is 

 whether there is sufficient labour available at reasonable 

 prices for picking the cotton if planted in considerable 

 quantity. Should no serious difficulty be experienced in this 

 direction, there is every reason to expect that the industry 

 will soon come to be of great importance, and that large 

 shipuients will be made to the United Kingdom, thus 

 increasing the commercial movement between the two 

 countries and greatly benefiting the direct carrying trade in 

 British bottoms. 



I should mention that the variety of cotton found to 

 grow best in Cuba is that known as 'Sea Island,' which 

 is of fine quality and long staple. 



Prospects of the Crop. 



From the fortnightly reports of local officers we 

 extract the following information with regard to the 

 condition and prospects of the cotton crop : — 



From St. Vincent, Mr. Sands reports : ' Favourable 

 weather having been experienced, picking operations have 

 " not been kept back, and constant supplies of seed-cotton have 

 come forward. Tlie Central Cotton Factory has been 

 continuously at work, and 49 bales of cotton have been 

 delivered for shipment. The cotton ginned has been well 

 prepared and appears to be of excellent quality.' 



Mr. Shepherd writes from St. Kitt's that picking was 

 going on rapidly all over the island, and that on some of the 

 estates all the cotton had been gathered. Caterpillars had 

 not been troublesome, and the cotton was too far advanced 

 for much damage to be done by the leaf-blister mite. 

 Ginning was going on at Spooner's Factory and would soon 

 begin at Stone Fort and Pump Bay Factories. 



!Mr. Hollings reports that the weather in Nevis had been 

 abnormally dry since October, but the cotton crop did not 

 seem to have been adversely affected by the drought, and 

 picking was at its height. 



ilr. Fishlock writes from the Virgin Islands, under date 

 January 23, that cotton was coming in from Virgin Gorda, 

 1,666 Bb. of seed-cotton having been delivered in the previous 

 week. The gin had been running satisfactorily, but the 

 aerinotor worked rather fitfully. In the five days during 

 which it had worked, 400 lb. of lint had been ginned. 



As the result of his visits of inspection to cotton fields 

 in Antigua, Mr. Patterson reports the prevalence of fungoid 

 diseases in most of the fields, but that, on the whole, the 

 plants were giving fair returns. 



In Montserrat, also, diseased bolls were to be seen. 

 Picking was being pressed on, Mr. Jordan states, and 

 75,00011}. of seed-cotton had been harvested up to January 

 16. Satisfaction was being expressed on all sides at the 

 appearance of the staple obtained from the Rivers' seed 

 imported by the Imperial Department of Agriculture. Six 

 bales (of 400 lb. each) had been shii)ped from one estate. 



Exhibits of Colonial-grown Cotton. 



Among the exhibits at the Colonial Produce 

 Exhibition, opened in Liverpool on January 10, was 

 a display of colonial-grown cotton provided by the 

 British Cotton-growing Association, under the super- 

 vision of Mr. C. M. Wolstcnholme. The Textile 

 Mercury quotes the descriptions accompanying twelve 

 specimens, from which we extract the following : — 



9. — Grown from native West Indian seed, sold at %\d.; 

 value of fair Peruvian at same date, &%d. 



10. — Grown from Egyptian seed in Barbados (West 

 Indies), .sold at 6id, August 17, 1904; value of good fair 

 brown Egyptian at same date, l\d. 



ll._Grown from American seed in St. Vincent (West 

 Indies) sold at 6-54rf. ; middling American, same date, 6-54cf. 



12.— Grown from Sea Island seed in Barbados, sold at 

 I7f/. on June 11 last ; value of Sea Island at same date, \"td. 



It is also stated : — 



The best results in colonial cotton growing have been 

 obtained in the West Indies. The sample shown at the 

 Colonial Exhibition from Sea Island seed has a soft and 

 lustrous appearance, a long and regular staple, is as silky to 

 the touch as Sea Island, and under the microscope strong and 

 well-knitted cellular walls are shown, while the natural twist 

 is perfect. 



