150 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May l;l, 191L 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date April 10, with reference 

 to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : — 



Since our last report there has been a complete absence 

 of demand for Sea Island growths, and all values are purely 

 nominal. The fine spinning trade is in a worse condition 

 than it has been for some years past. Spinners would be 

 quite willing to purchase, if there were any demand for the 

 finer classes of yarn. Meanwhile, they are using up their 

 old stocks bought last season. 



Holders in America are continually reducing their prices, 

 without effecting sales of the better sorts. Best Floridas are 

 offerinc at 14.Vi., and Fully Fine Islands at IS-Jd, without 

 business ensuing, and factors in Charleston are very dispirited. 



The report of Blessrs. Henry W. Frost &^ Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the week 

 ending April lo,is as follows: — 



The market has remained very quiet with only limited 

 demand. There has been some in(iuiry for Planters' crop 

 lots at prices below the views of Factors, resulting in the 

 sale of only one small crop of 17 bales at 32c. Since the 

 close of the E.x'change report a sale has been made of 100 

 bales of Fully Fine at 28c. at which the factors continue 

 unwilling sellers. 



However, the absence of any general demand causes 

 much concern, as the holders of cotton are becoming each 

 day more anxious to dispose of some of the stock. Therefore, 

 with orders in hand for quantity, we could probably buy to 

 advantage. 



We quote, viz 

 Extra Fine 30c. to 

 Fully Fine 28c. 

 Fine 27c. 



OflF Grades 23c. 



A New Ecfyptian Cotton.— A letter from Mr. 

 G. C. Dudgeon, Director (ieneral of Agriculture in Egypt, 

 appears in Nature {or March 30, 1911, stating that a form 

 of cotton has been produced, Ijy selection in the field, from 

 superior growths of the I'^gyplian variety known as Mit Afifi. 

 This is said to be a pure strain, and .similar to the Mit .\fifi 

 of twenty years ago. 



The name given to the new form of cotton is Assil, 

 a word which means 'of pure original strain'. In consequence 

 of this, and as there is the likelihood that, in the substitution 

 of Assil for the impure Mit Alifi, there may be considered to 

 exist the advocacy of the introduction of a new variety, it is 

 recommended by Mr. G. C. Dudgeon that this form of cotton 

 be referred to, for the present, as Assil Afifi. 



THE BRITISH COTTON GROWING 



ASSOCIATION. 



The following is taken from an account of a recent 

 meeting of the British Cotton Growing Association : — ■ 



Tlie eighty-sixth meeting of the Council of the British 

 Cotton Growing Association was held at the Offices of the 

 Association, 1.5, Cross Street, Manchester, on Tuesday, 

 April 4. In the absence of the President (the Right Hon. 

 the Earl of Derby, G.C.V.O.), Mr. J. Arthur Hutton 

 occupied the Chair. 



WEST AFnic.i. The Association's Manager in Northern 

 Nigeria has recently returned from a tour along the Benue 

 River, and reports favourably on the prospects for cotton grow- 

 ing in the Muri and Bassa Provinces. As a result of his report, 

 it has been decided to erect a small ginnery and cotton- 

 buying Station at Ibi, so that the cotton produced can be 

 ginned and the seed selected and distributed to the planters. 

 The local supply of superior cotton seed is proving altogether 

 inadequate for the demand this season, and a cable has just 

 been received asking for about 80 tons of Nj-asaland seed; 

 there is thus every reason to believe that a considerably 

 increased acreage is being planted under cotton this year. 



It was reported that 1,92.3 bales of cotton had been 

 purchased in Lagos during the month of Uarch, as compared 

 with 1,71.5 bales for March last year, and 3.130 bales in 

 1909. The total purchases since the beginning of the year 

 amount to 3,207 bales against 2,425 bales for the first 

 quarter of last year, and G,312 bales for the corresponding 

 period of 1909. 



Samples of the new crop from Lagos were produced, and 

 satisfaction was expressed at the great iniiirovement in the 

 quality of the cotton as compared with previous years. 



NYAS.\i,AND. A consideraljle quantity of seed is now 

 being distributed to native planters, and the Director of 

 Agriculture is quite enthusiastic in regard to the prospects 

 for cotton in the Karonga district, where the As.sociation 

 has sent a small ginning installation which will lie ready 

 to deal with next seison's crop. Measures are being taken 

 to have the cotton properly graded before it is ginned, and 

 that only seed from white cotton shall be issued to the 

 natives for planting. A further letter has been received 

 from the Director of Agriculture, stating that the native 

 crop for the past season shows a large increa.se, and that the 

 prospects for the new crop arc most favourable. 



sniiA.N'. Satisfaction was expres.sed that the Government 

 have arranged for a series of e.K|ieriments to lie carried out in 

 the Gezira Province, and it is anticij)ated that great develop- 

 ments will lake place in the Sudan, should these experiments 

 prove successful. 



