THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



January 27, 1917. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



The report of Messrs. Henry W. Frost «.V Co. on 

 Sea Islaml cotton in the .Southern States, for the week 

 ending December 28, 191(i, is as follows: — 



ISLANDS. The market was quiet throughout the week, 

 with sales of only 30 bale.s Fine Islands at our previous 

 quotation of 53i c. landed. With factors holding only small 

 stocks, and expecting moderate receipts from now on, they 

 are unwilling .sellers at any decline. As the Bureau reports 

 the amount ginned to the 13th instant as only 2,32-5 bales, 

 they fear the crop may not much exceed 3,000 bales 



In the absence of demand we can only repeat our pre- 

 vious quotations, viz: 



Fine 52c. = 53 Jc. landed. 



Extra Fine 55c. = 56ic. „ 



There have been no further sales of Planters' crop lots. 



GEOEuiAS AND FLORiiiAs. The market remained very 

 quiet throughout the week, sales reported as only 75 bales. 

 The offerings are small, and Factors are unwilling sellers at 

 any much concession in price. The interior markets are 

 reported easier, but holders vriil not consent to;sell at much 

 decline. With orders in band, however, we may occasionally 

 buy at quotations, viz: 



Extra Choice and Fancy 51c. = 521 landed. 

 Choice 50c. = 51-ic 



The exports from Savannah for the week have been: to 

 Liverpool 24 bales. Northern Mills 53 bales. Southern Mills 

 100 bales, and from Jacksonville to Northern Mills 625 bale.s. 



The United States Census Bureau reports the amount 

 of cotton ginned to December 13, as follows: — 



South Carolina 2,325 bales"! 



Georgia 7.3,395 ,, Imakinga total of 1 10,44S bales. 



Florida 34,728 „ ) 



Against last year 83,810 „ Total orop 85,278 „ 



1914 71,488 „ „ 78,857 „ 



1913 69,312 „ „ 8.5,544 „ 



,, 1912 .58,804 „ „ 66,169 „ 



Factors in Savannah think there is an error of 10,000 bales 

 in the Florida report — that Stapled Uplands have been 

 counted as Sea Islands. The Census Bureau reports all 

 cotton ginned in Florida up to December 13 as 49,343 bales, 

 of which 34,728 bales are Sea Islands, leaving for Uplands 

 only 14,615 bales, which is too small for the State; the same 

 time last year Uplands were reported as 26,661 bales. It is 

 therefore possible this report may be corrected later on. 



PROGRESS IN THE MINOR INDUSTRIES 

 OF ST. VINCENT. 



The following note.s on the minor crop.s of St. Vin- 

 cent appear in the Report of the Agricultural 

 Department, for I9I.5-I6: — 



INDIAN CORN. 



Owing to (a) the high prices of tlour and oats, (b) the 

 remunerative prices of Indian corn in the intercolonial mar- 

 kets, and (c) the facilities ottered by the Oovernnieiit Cotton 

 Ginnery for the purchase of corn on a profit-sharing basis and 

 the kiln-drying of it for .shipment, increased attention was 

 given to this crop. 



It was difficult to obtain figures of actual production as 

 a large proportion of the crop was used as food for man and 

 beast, for the reasons mentic/ned above in (a). The actual 



exports of Indian corn in 1915 amounted to 1,518 bushels, 

 but a far larger export is to be looked for in 1916. 



The corn drying machinery installed at the Government 

 Ginnery consisted of a No. 1 Ideal He.ss Corn Drier with 

 a capacity of 400 to 500 bushels in ten hours, and a Little 

 Victor Sheller and Cleaner, together with the necessary acces- 

 sories. The machinery was driven off the main driving shaft 

 of the Ginnery, anid the steam far the coils of the drier was 

 obtained from the boiler of the steam engine. 



Two small laills for grinding corn were also erected to 

 allow those small growers who desired to convert their corn 

 into a meal for di imestic use to do so at a charge of hd. per 

 gallon of meal. It is proposed to obtain a large power grinding 

 mill to afford fuither facilities to growers in this direction. 



As was noted in the last issue of the Agricultural Nexos, 

 a considerable amount of work was undertaken by the Officers 

 of the Department in the endeavour to breed good varieties; 

 to ascertain the best methods of planting and the control of 

 pests; and also to bring the results of the experiments to the 

 notice of planters throughout the Colony. ' 



The outlook for corn cultivation now that a kiln drier is 

 available to ensure the proper drying of the produce in adverse 

 weather is full of promise, and it is now left to planters to 

 make proper provision for the storage of the corn so that it 

 may not be attacked by grain insects. 



COUO-NUTS. 



A further e.Ktension of the planting of coco-nuts has to be 

 recorded. In the Carib Country alone there were under 

 cultivation 1,100 acres. Some of the groves were coming 

 into bearing, and it is hoped to make the first shipments of 

 nuts or copra during the coming year. The growth and the 

 health of the plants were good. In the Leeward District also, 

 considerable activity was .shown, and the area of the 

 Colony's coconui cultivations is now estimated at between 

 2,000 and 3,000 acres. 



GKOUND NUTS. 



Ground nut cultivation continued to extend. The exports 

 of dried un.shelled nuts in 1914 amounted to 5,781 bushels 

 valued at £1,446, whereas in 1915 the exports totalled 

 10,386 bushels valued at £2,636. The chief market for the 

 product was Trinidad. The best results with new varieties 

 have been obtained at Spring estate. Here the owner, who 

 is a large grower, found that the 'Virginia Bunch' variety 

 gave the best all round results. It was superior in the size 

 of nut and bearing to the local variety, but the weight of 

 a bushel was rather less. Prices were satisfactory throughout 

 the year. 



I'EAS. 



The chief peas grown for export were the pigeon pea 

 (Cojaiuts indkiis), and the black-eye pea ( Vif/na catjnng var.). 

 The area under luiltivation was larger than usual. The 

 exports of these peas together amounted in 1914 to 2,141 

 bushels valued at £707, and in 1915, 3,066 bushels valued at 

 £1,017. 



Small areas of the 'Kounceval pea' ( Vigna unguicuhita 

 var.), and the white Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) were 

 also grown. The former grew and bore particularly well 

 under local conditions, but it had not found favour with 

 shippers on account of its realizing a lower price per R. in 

 the intercolonial markets than the black-eye pea. The local 

 white Lima bean was grown chiefly in P.equia, and the small 

 plots there gave very fair and encouraging returns, but in 

 St. Vincent, results with both native and imported varieties 

 were poor. It is iiaped, however, to breed a variety of this 

 bean which will tinive under local conditions, and considerable 

 progre.ss was made in this direction at the Experiment Station. 



