342 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 3, 1906. 



WEST INDIAN COTTON. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 report as follows, under date of October 8, in regard 

 to sales of West Indian cott>n: — - 



Our last report was dated the 11th. ultimo, since which 

 about 50 bales West Indian Sea Island have been sold, 

 chiefly odd bales. 



The American Sea Island cotton promises to be under 

 100,000 bales, as against 12.5,000 bales last season; we 

 therefore hope to obtain fully as good prices during the 

 ensuing year as in the previous one, provided always that the 

 quality keeps up. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON IN THE UNITED 

 STATES. 



The Cotton Trade Journal has the following 

 review of the last Sea Island cotton crop in the United 

 States, with a note on the prospects of the coming crop: — 



This has been the record year in Sea Islands. When 

 the season opened, the trade was estimating the crop as not 

 exceeding 90,000 to 95,000 bags. After a few months it 

 became evident that estimates would have to be increased, 

 and in December the figures were raised to about 105,000 bags. 



Prices at first had been satisfactory to sellers, but the 

 larger estimates caused an easier tone and a dull market, 

 which continued for some time. A result of this was that 

 a good many growers in C4eorgia and Florida concluded to 

 change their planting to the Upland variety. 



As the season progressed, it was found necessary still 

 further to increase the crop estimate, but, in the meantime, 

 relief to the market came in the shape of an increased demand. 

 This was due to the combined deficiency of the Egyptian 

 crop and of the long-staple crop in the Mississippi district; 

 consumers, who had formerly supplied themselves from those 

 sources, were compelled to fall back upon the Sea Island. 



Consequently, there was a sensible improvement in the 

 market, in spite of the fact that the crop continued to prove 

 larger and larger. So that, although the crop has ultimately 

 turned out to be very nearly 1 25,000 bags, it has all been wanted. 



With regard to the new crop, the acreage, as stated 

 above, has been materially reduced in Georgia and Florida. 

 In addition to this, the Sea Island cotton territory is located 

 in that part of the eastern section which has sufl'ered worst 

 from excessive rain throughout the season. Complaints of 

 damage have been numerous and continuous, and the outlook 

 for the crop is poor. 



Estimates formed thus early are, of course, subject t« 

 future revision, as was so clearly proved last year. At 

 present, however, it may be said that the general estimate of 

 the Sea Island crop of 1906-7 is for not over, say, 8.5,000 to 

 90,000 bags. The crop is from two to three weeks late, recent 



rains having further retarded maturity and opening. Only 

 a few bales of the new crop have as yet been received at 

 Savannah. These have been of fine quality, but furnish no- 

 criterion as to the quality of the general crop, as the new 

 bales come from new and highly fertilized lands. 



DISTANCE FOR PLANTING COTTON. 



The Annual Report on the Botanic Station and 

 Eccmomic Experiments in St. Kitt's for 1905-6 contains 

 the following account of an experiment conducted t& 

 ascertain the most suitable distance for plantingcotton: — 

 This was a further ' check ' experiment upon distance 

 planting, of which two instances were given last year, and it 

 hears out their results. There is a slight anomaly in the 

 2 feet by 4 feet planting, but the general result of the 

 experiments goes to .show that the advice given in the 

 Imperial Department's little manual, The A. B.C. of Cotton 

 Planting, to plant 20 inches apart in the rows, is the best. 

 It is noticeable, in every instance, that the outside plots have 

 given a relatively larger yield than the inside. This may be 

 due to the former receiving a larger amount of air and light, 

 but the writer is inclined to think it may be due to the inside 

 plots suffering more from pickers accidentally breaking off 

 young bolls, when picking the mature ones ; it shows 

 again that the Department's advice, to make the distances 

 between the banks 5 feet (in this experiment they were only 

 4 feet) is also sound. 



The yields are given in tlie following table, but the 

 plants were destroyed early in .January, as they were attacked 

 by the leaf-blister mite, and as sulphur and lime failed to 

 stop the ravages, it was thought best to burn the cotton. 



The Centreville cotton seems to be of a very variable 

 quality. In most bolls from 5 to S i)er cent, of the fibres will 

 usually be found nearly double the length of the rest, and whilst 

 some bolls will contain beautifully silky cotton of good 

 strength, in others it will be coarse and .short without silky 

 sheen : — 

 riot (a) ... 4 feet x 3 feet. 



„ (b) ... 4 feet x 2i feet. 



„ (c) ... 4 feet X 2" feet. 



„ (d) ... 4 feet x li feet. 



28J 

 29i 

 27i 

 35i 



ft), of seed-cotton, 

 ft. „ „ 

 lb- „ „ 



Total ... 121 lb. or 1,210 lb. per acre. 

 This is quite a remarkable yield, considering that the 

 average, over nearly 1,000 acres of neighbouring land, has 

 certainly been less than 200 ft), of seed-cotton per acre. It 

 may be interesting and instructive to record that this cotton 

 had no less than nine dustings with sulphur and lime for the 

 leaf-blister mite, and three separate pickings of all infected 

 leaves from the plants, but it was deemed best in the end to 

 destroy the plants before any second blossoming had appeared. 



