214 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 15, 1905 



SEA ISLANDS MARKET REPORT. 



Recent reports of Messr.s. Henry W. Frost & Co., 

 have the following notes on the Sea Islands croji : — • 



We ha\e liad more seasonable weatlier during tlie jiast 

 week, admitting of iilantation work being resumed after the 

 long rainy spell ; consequent]}', conditions are more promising, 

 and we hope we shall be having better advice? from now on. 

 The acreage planted is fully equal to last in Carolina and 

 Florida ; and the impression is that there has been some 

 increase in Georgia. (June 3, 1905.) 



The weather during the week has been very favourable, 

 admitting of plantation work being generally resumed, and 

 the advices generally report the condition improved. The 

 fields liavc now been worked, good stands have been obtained 

 and the crop is in better condition than at this time last 

 year. (.June 10, 1905.) 



As the weather has been favourable for the past week 

 the reports from all sections are good. The crops are now 

 free of grass, good stands have been secured, and the outlook 

 is promising at present. (June 17, 1905.) 



WEST INDIES. 



At a meeting of the second Inteniatioual Cotton 

 Congress held in Manchester on June 9, Mr. J. Arthur 

 Hutton, Vice-Chairman of the British Cotton-growing 

 Association, read an interesting paper regarding the 

 operations of the Association. The following is extracted 

 from a report of the meeting in the West India 

 Committee Circular : — 



Mr. Hutton went on to say that it was in the AVest 

 Indies that the efforts of the Association had been most 

 successful, and this was princii)ally due to the fact that 

 the jilantations were in the hands of Europeans, and that 

 the Association met with most hearty co-o[ieration from the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture, which took up the 

 cause of cotton growing with the greatest zeal. In no other 

 part of the Empire had the Association's work advanced 

 so rapidly, or so nearly approached a commercial basis. 

 Fortunately, it had been proved beyond all possible doubt that 

 the West India Islands could grow Sea Island cotton of the 

 best possible quality, and that the planter could make money 

 out of it. If it came to a que.stion of competition, the 

 conditions were so much more favourable in the West Indies 

 that the planters there could produce Sea Island cotton more 

 economically than could be done in the United States. 

 Cotton from the West Indies was arriving now by every 

 steamer, and tliebulk of it was selling at 16(/. to IS;/, per lb., 

 and the quality was very much inqiroved and considerably 

 better than the average quality of American Sea Island 

 cotton. 



EXPORTS FROM 

 On p. 151 of this 



THE WEST INDIES. 



the Afji'ictdtiiral 



volume 

 iVc?r.s' a statement was published (furnished by the 

 Customs Department in each case) shiiwing the 

 amount and estimated value of cotton exported from the 

 various West Indian Colonies dui'ing the quarter ended 

 March 81, 1905. Since that statement was published 

 returns have come to hand from Jamaica showing that 

 3,918 lb. of cotton (variety unknown), of the estimated 

 value of £154, were exported during the quarter. This 

 makes the total weight of cotton exported from the 

 British West Indian Colonies, during the quarter, 

 418,1(56 lb., of the e.stimated value of £19,608. 



ST. VINCENT. 



At a meeting of the St. Vincent Cotton Growers' 

 Assocuition on Jtme 28, Mr. W. N. Sands, Agricultural 

 Superintendent, read a paper reviewing the position of 

 the cotton industry in St. Vincent with suggestions for 

 the present planting season. 



The following is a short summary oi' Mr. Sands' 

 ])aper : — 



In Jlay 1904, and in one or two ca.ses a month or so 

 earlier, planting was connnanced on a much larger scale than 

 the previous season, but only Sea Island cotton seed was put 

 in. Before being distributed it was thoroughly disinfected 

 at the cotton factory to prevent the introduction of any 

 cotton diseases not already existing in the land. The seed 

 was .sown at intervals from May until October, but the chief 

 areas were planted from June until August. The total area 

 planted was 1,471 acres. In some unfavourable localities 

 and exposed situations, the growth was poor, or the bolls 

 failed to mature. It was observed that jioor returns were 

 obtained from cotton sown earlier than ilay or later than 

 August. On the whole, however, the sea.son of 1904 might 

 Ije considered a favourable one for the plants, the rainfall 

 being well distributed. 



The cotton factory was open from the first week in 

 January till June 15. The total amount of seed-cotton 

 received at the factory was I'SljOOG t)., which ^^hen crinned 

 gave 77,814 ft. of lint and 199,941 ft. of .seed." The 

 proportion of lint to seed-cotton by weight was therefore 

 27'6/i per cent. The lint was made up into 233 bales, each 

 containing on an average 333 ft. net. 



The prices obtained have been in every way satisfactory, 

 and for the first-quality cotton an all-round price of Is. 5c/. 

 per ft. has been obtained. I have not yet heard the price 

 realized for cotton of other grades. The reports received 

 from the brokers and others have been very gratifying, 



