Vol. X. No. 239. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



199 



which has ]ed to the formation of the British Cotton Growing 

 Association. 



After describing Ijroadly the si.\ classes to which all kinds 

 of cotton may be referred, according to present idea.s, the 

 pioneer work of this Association is mentioned briefly — work 

 which led it to decide to concentrate its main efforts on 

 Nigeria, Uganda, Nyasaland and the West Indies. A review 

 of cotton cultivation in the West Indies states that the reports 

 of the progress of cotton cultivation ni these islands are 

 satisfactory, and highly encouraging. In this connexion, 

 reference is made to the work of Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., 

 late Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, by which an 

 expoit of lint and seed valued at £9,676, in 1902, has been 

 increased to an amount worth £2-50,000 at the present time. 

 It is pointed out that, although this indicates satisfactory 

 development, the amount of production in the West Indies 

 is naturally limited, chiefly by the area that is at liberty 

 for, and suitable to, cotton-growing. 



In relation to the three other countries mentioned, atten- 

 tion is drawn to the wellrknown fact that Africa is likely to 

 become the largest of the new producers of cotton for 

 Great Britain. On this continent, the part giving the 

 greatest promise for cotton-growing is West Africa, where 

 there are large areas of territory particularly suited, as 

 regards soil and climate, for the plant: where cotton has 

 been grown by the natives probably tor many hundred 

 years; where the population is comparatively dense; and 

 lastly, where there are old established ports which are as 

 well within touch of British ports as are those in the 

 West Indies or the United States. The present is not the 

 tirst time in which Africa has given assistance to British 

 cotton manufacturers, for during the great cotton famine, 

 Lagos, as was the case with the West Indies, produced cotton 

 for their use, the amount of lint in 1869 from this source 

 being valued at nearly £77,000. This West African colony 

 has, in fact, made the greatest progress so far, among those 

 in Africa, while all the other African areas except Gambia 

 and Sierra Leone are giving large promise for future useful- 

 ness. In relation to these matters, reference is made to the 

 recent work of the British Cotton Growing Association for 

 the purpose of increasing its capital in order to obtain larger 

 assistance from the Imperial Government. 



What has just l>een said refers to the West African 

 colony. No account would, however, do justice to the subject 

 which did not give attention to the remarkable progress that 

 has been made in Nyasaland, in East Africa. In this 

 country, the export of cotton in 1902-3 was purely experi- 

 mental in nature, and reached the inconsiderable value of 

 £3. In 1908-9 it was valued at £28,353, when it formed 

 the item of largest value in the exports. 



After reference has been made to the large amount of 

 work that is being carried on by the Agricultural Department 

 in Nyasaland, attention is given to Uganda, where within 

 a few years, the production of cotton has risen from nothing 

 to £50,000, in value. The author quotes Sir Hesketh 

 Bell, K.C.M.G., in his opinion that Uganda .should form one 

 of the greatest cotton fields in the Empire, and that it 

 possesses natural conditions that are absolutely favourable to 

 cotton-growing, and a population that is eager to take up the 

 work. Consideration is then given to the prospects of cotton 

 jiroduction in the East African Protectorate, and the Sudan, 

 including the Atbara district and the Gezira plain. 



Reference to conditions in South Africa shows that the 

 main territories cannot be expected to produce much cotton 

 for some time, though Rhodesia gives promising indication.s 

 that a native industry will lie developed eventually, under 



European guidance, much in the same way as this has been 

 done in Uganda, Nyasaland and West Africa. In other 

 field.", the work in India and Ceylon will have to be con- 

 cerned chiefly with improvement of methods of production, 

 and in the latter case an extension of the cotton-growing 

 areas, as well. Mention is made of the other possible British 

 cotton-growing countries, namely Australia, Borneo, Fiji, 

 Straits Settlements, Malay States, the Seychelles, Mauritius, 

 Cyprus, the Malte.se Islands and St. Helena, from which no 

 very great output or increase of output of fibre can be 

 expected for some time to come. The article concludes by 

 referring to the amount of cotton, namely 3| million bales 

 of 500 lb., required for the demand in Great Britain, and 

 by dra,wing attention to the fact that a much larger expen- 

 diture of money than that which is at present being made 

 for the encouragement of cotton-growing will be required, if 

 this demand is to be supplied from sources confined to the 

 Empire alone, „ , , 



COTTON IN CYPRUS. 



The Cyprus cotton crop of 1910 was slightly in excess 

 of that of the previous year, while the value of the cotton 

 increased by about 48 per cent. ' 



The final figures are not yet available, but they will be 

 found to be approximately as follows: 1908, 6,176 cwt., 

 value £14,028; 1909, 8,006 cwt., value £23,728; and 1910, 

 8.928 cwt., value £34,250. 



Practically the whole of the crop is exported from 

 Larnaca, and the export is in the hands of three firms. 



Exporters are at the present time supplying three times 

 the quantity of seed that they did last year, which, should 

 conditions be favourable, augurs well for a record crop in 

 1911. 



Since the new ginning machinery was imported, two or 

 three years ago, European buyers have expressed great satis- 

 faction with the quality of the Cyprus production, the cotton 

 being much cleaner than was formerly the case. 



Naturally, the prices obtained depend a great deal upon 

 the state of the world's cotton supply. In 1910 the prices 

 realized by exporters were 15 to 20 per cent, higher than in 

 1909, partly on account of a shortage in the supply, and 

 partly on account of better trade conditions abroad. At the 

 present time there is a very good demand for Cyprus cotton. 



The quantity of cotton planted each year depends princi- 

 pally upon two things— good prices, and late rains in March 

 and April. 



There was a cotton spinning mill at Famagusta some 

 years ago, and it is a matter for regret that it had to close, 

 owing to competition with Italian yarns, which can be im- 

 ported into Cyprus very cheaply. The latter are made from 

 Indian cotton, and as the firms give credit of from four to six 

 months, it would be almost impossible for a Cyprus manu- 

 facturer to compete with them. 



There is hardly any crop from which the villager himself 

 benefits so greatly as that of cotton, while the revenue derived 

 from it is large, and easily collected. It is, therefore, much 

 to be desired that every possible encouragement should be 

 given to the industry, and it is to be hoped that the tendency 

 of the last few years, for the rainfall to increase, will continue, 

 and tend to promote the extension and development of this 

 industry in the Island. (From the Cyprus Journal, Anril 

 1911, p. 542.) ^ 



