34 



THE AGllICULTURAL NEWS. 



February 11, 1905. 



him exhibited the characteristics of true Rivers' 

 cotton which had been |iiirchased b}' his firm for the 

 last fifty years and was well known to him. Further, 

 we may refer to the experience of Mr. Carter Rey, of 

 Anguilla, (quoted in the last issue of the A<jricultiind 

 News, p. 21) who states: 'I have not been able to 

 discover a single mixed variety in the fields planted 

 with Rivers' seed ; it is also notable that this cotton is 

 more vigorous than the local variety.' Similar informa- 

 tion has been received from other sources ; whereas in 

 no case has any planter shown that lint obtained from 

 Rivers' seed, when carefully dealt with, has failed to 

 reach the standard of good commercial Sea Island 

 cotton. 



In order to afford a still fiu'tlier and what should 

 be regarded as a conclutiive test of the merits of 

 Rivers' seed distributed last year, all the slightly 

 'fuzzy' seeds were, in one instance, removed and sown 

 by themselves. The plants raised from these supposed 

 inferior seeds have since matured and they have 

 produced a crop of cotton with the characteristics both 

 in lint and sccd-i of true Rivers' cotton. 



The final test will be the prices which will be 

 obtained for cotton raised from Rivers' seed as 

 compared with cotton raised from other seeds. We 

 hope to refer to these later. In the meantime, the 

 imjjortant point to settle is what kind of cotton seed is 

 desirable to plant in these colijnies for the crop of next 

 season. 



There can be no doubt that it must bo Sea Island 

 cotton seed, either imported or grown locally. The 

 present position of the cotton market, where Upland 

 cotton is quoted at less than -id. per tb., leaves the 

 planter no alternative but to continue to plant Sea 

 Island cotton. The price of this has also fallen to 

 some extent, but if, as is possible, good Sea Island 

 cotton is likel}' to obtain about Is. per lb. — more or 

 less, according to the quality of the fibre — the profit to 

 the planter should not be less than o(f. to 0'/. per 

 pound. In addition, the seed used for feeding purjjoses 

 on the spot would be worth at the rate of about £2 an 

 acre. The details on which these returns are based 

 are given in A.B.C. of Cotton Phmtinij, p. 14. 



To return to the question: What kind of seed 

 should be jilanted during the next season. In 

 localities where Rivers' seed only has been planted, and 

 the bushes have been maintained in good health and 

 have yielded satisfactory crops, those who are prepared 

 to undertake the risk might jjlant entirel}' with the 

 local seed; but those who are desirous of keeping up 



their reputation for first-class cotton are advised to retain 

 a sufficient quantity of local seed for planting, say, one 

 half of the area proposed to be placed under cotton 

 next season and to obtain a fresh supply of Rivers' seed 

 for the other half. This would be the safest course to 

 adopt, as the loss, if any, from the use of the 

 local seed would be counterbalanced by the probable 

 gain from the new seed. It would also carry out the 

 idea of gradually acclimatizing Sea Island cotton so as 

 to produce a variety exactly suited to the conditions 

 existing in the West Indies. 



In all localities where more than one kind of seed 

 has been used, and where cross-fertilization has 

 probably taken place, or where the results have not 

 been entirely satisfactory, it is recommended that all 

 the seed planted in 1905 should be imported seed. 



As announced in the last i.ssue of the Agri- 

 Cidtund Xt'ir:^ (p. 24), the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture is prepared to assist the cotton industry 

 by making arrangements to procure a fresh supply of 

 Rivers' Sea Island cotton seed to be delivered early this 

 3'ear. Those who desire a supply of this seed, which 

 will be charged at cost price (5c. or 2ld. per lb.), 

 are desired to communicate, without delay, with the 

 officers of the Department in the colonies in which 

 they reside. 



In each case pa\-ment will be required before- 

 hand. The seed will be disinfected on arrival 

 and tlelivered in ijuantities to suit applicants. 

 It is proposed to receive applications for new 

 Rivers' seed up to March 18 next. After that date no 

 a])plications for new Rivers' seed can be entertained by 

 the Department. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Barbados Molasses Crop. 



We leproduce from the Barbados Globe of January 

 2.5 the following review of the report of a Committee 

 appointed by the Barbados Agricultural Society for 

 the purpose of obtaining an estimate of the molasses 

 crop : — 



At the meeting of the Barbados Agricultural Society on 

 October 28, Professor d' Albuquerque expressed the opinion 

 that the fall in prices of molasses last season was due to the 

 erroneous estimate made owing to the lack of statistics, and 

 he strongly recommended that the Society should take steps 

 to form a fairly correct estimate this year. The suggestiooL 



