Vol. IV. No. 84. 



THE AGR[CULTUKAL NEWS. 



199 



CONFERENCE OF COTTON GROWERS 

 AT ST. PHILIP, BARBADOS. 



On June 2i, a conference of cotton growers was held 

 at Holy Trinity Schoolroom, St. Phili[i, at which Sir Daniel 

 Morris, K.C.M.G., Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 was present. His Honour F. J. Clarke presided over 

 a large and representative gathering of the leading planters 

 of the district, including also many small proprietors who 

 evinced great interest in the proceedings. 



Sir Daniel Morris expressed his pleasure in meeting the 

 cotton growers of St. Philip, as that parish, a hundred years 

 ago, was an important centre of cotton cultivation, and, he 

 understood, it had already a larger area under Sea Island 

 cotton than any other part of the island. 



Since the new industry had been started, a good deal 

 was being learnt as to what was necessary to make it 

 a success. For instance, the land required to be cultivated 

 and manured as for sugar-cane, and Paris green, as a remedy 

 for the cotton worm, was to be at hand to be applied at 

 a moment's notice. Other pests could not be so ea.sily 

 controlled. They had to be dealt with in the general scheme 

 of cultivation ; that is, by keeping the plants in vigorous 

 health, and by destroying all old cotton plants as soon as the 

 crop was over. This could be done either by burning or 

 burying them. He was strongly opposed to ' ratooning ' Sea 

 Island cotton. 



As regards the best time for planting, it was stated that 

 they must adopt the 'old time' practice of jilanting immedi- 

 ately after 'good' rains in June. If it was not possible to 

 do this in every case, then the earlier the planting was done 

 Hftcr June the better. It was desirable that the cotton planters 

 should agree to adopt a general cotton season, and not, under 

 any circumstances, plant 'out of season ' cotton. The season 

 suggested was from June of one year until ilay of the 

 following year. For instance, cotton planted in June or 

 July would give the fir.st pickings in October and November. 

 Second pickings (depending on the rains) should be available 

 late in Decend:)er and in January, and third pickings in 

 March. If, as is probable, the cotton plants are dried up in 

 April and ^fay, they should then be removed and burnt or 

 buried. It iras important that no old cotton plants should 

 Ije left in the laml or carried over after the end of 2fai/. Any 

 cotton produced after tliat time would be of comparativel}" 

 poor quality ; and any diseases present would rapidly spread 

 to the new fields. 



In reply to the Chairman, Sir Daniel Morris mentioned 

 that by ' ratoon ' cotton he meant cotton planted, say, in 190.5 

 that was carried over and allowed to bear at any time after 

 the end of May 1906. If the cotton was planted in June 

 1905, then by May 1906, it would have been on the land for 

 nearly twelve months. If planted in October 1905, it would 

 have been on the land for eight months. The length of time 

 the cotton was on the land did not therefore determine whether 

 it was ' ratoon ' cotton or not. The essential point is that it 

 is not left on the land after June 1 of the following year 

 when the new planting begins. The Sea Island cotton plant 

 ap[)arently yields the best results as an 'annual;' and any 

 departure from this practice was likely to be injurious to the 

 industry. 



In summing up, Sir Daniel Morris stated that the planters 

 who were now ratooning Sea Island cotton were incurring 

 a grave responsibility. The cotton to be reaped from such 

 ratoon plants will be inferior in quality and will injure the 

 reputation of the island. The [ilants, in most cases, would be 

 badly attacked by disease, so that the yield per acre would be 



reduced, and finally by ret;iining these diseased plants on the 

 land the young cotton plants in the district would be 

 attacked, with the result that the main crop to be reaped 

 in 1906 would be reduced both in quality and Cjuantity. 

 Barbados had already lost prestige in regard to prices, and 

 if great care were not taken now at a crucial point in the 

 industry, by exporting a large proportion of 'ratoon' cotton, 

 the island would lose the high position it had hitherto 

 occupied among the cotton-producing islands in the West 

 Indies. 



An interesting discussion took place in which the 

 Hon. Dr. John Sealy, Dr. Charles E. Gooding, Mr. W. D. 

 Shepherd, and others took part. The opinion of the speakers 

 appeared to be in general agreement with the views put forth 

 by Sir Daniel Morris. 



Mr. H. A. Ballon, Entomologist on the staff of the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture, exhibited specimens and 

 drew attention to the prevalence of the snow scale 

 {Chionasjiis citri) on ratoon cotton plants in the district. 

 This circumstance, he mentioned, was strongly in favour of 

 getting rid of the old cotton plants with the view of 

 preventing the spread of the disease amongst the young 

 cotton now being planted. 



Sir Daniel Morris then made a brief statement in 

 regard to the formation of a Limited Liability Company of 

 cotton growers to take over the Central Cotton Factory in 

 this island. The terms offered by the Government and the 

 British Cotton-growing Association for their interests in the 

 Factory were regarded as favourable; a general meeting 

 of cotton growers was proposed to be held in July next. 



Reference was also made to the existence of cotton 

 stealing as having an injurious effect on the progress of the 

 industry. The general opinion was that the selling of cotton 

 without the production of a certificate by the grower should 

 be made prohibitive; and the buyer of cotton, who did not 

 obtain and file the grower's certificate in each case, should 

 be liable to a heavy penalty. 



On the motion of the Hon. Dr. John Sealy, M. L. C, 

 seconded by Dr. Charles E. Gooding, M. C. P., a cordial vote 

 of thanks was tendered to Sir Daniel Morris for his valuable 

 address. A similar compliment was paid to his Honour 

 F. J. Clarke, who, it was stated, had rendered signal service 

 as Chairmain of the Cotton Committee ; also to the 

 llev. G. A. J. Frederick (for the use of the sclioolroom), and 

 to Mr. J. R. Bovell. The meeting then terminated. 



ST. KITTS. 



Sir Robert Bromley, Bart., writes to the St. Kitt's 

 Daily Ex^jre^ss on the cotton industry. The following 

 are extracts from Sir Robert's letter : — 



I recently had the opportunity of meeting some of the 

 leading people interested in the cotton trade. These gentle- 

 men impressed on me the necessity for great care in the 

 selection of seed. They said that this was a point to which 

 the greatest attention should be paid in cotton cultivation, 

 and strongly urged that inquiries should be set on foot 

 every season to ascertain where the best seed could be 

 obtained and every effort made to procure it. All the buyers 

 of West Indian cotton that I have met have assured me that 

 if proper care is taken there is no reason why West Indian 

 Sea Island cotton should not have a sure footing in the 

 Lancashire market and even cut out the American Sea Island 

 cotton. The fact that some St. Vincent cotton this 

 year has been better than the American Sea Island cotton 

 proves what the West Indies can do if pains are taken. 



