Vol. V. No. 113. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



261 



VINCENT COTTON 



Some disappointment was experienced at the 

 beginning of the planting season owing to the low 

 germination of the Sea Island cotton seed obtained 

 by the Imperial Department of Agriculture from 

 St. Vincent. Seed from cotton which had realized the 

 best prices of that grown in Barbados was at once 

 supplied instead, and good stands of cotton have been 

 obtained. The unsatisfactory character of the seed 

 obtained from St. Vincent has been carefully investi- 

 gated by Mr. T. Thornton and BIr. W. N. Sands. 



The following letter, dealing with the matter of the 

 preparation of cotton seed for planting during the next 

 season at St. Vincent, has recently been received from 

 his Honour the Administrator; — 



I have the honour to enclose for recoi'd at the head- 

 quartei-.s of the Department, and for the information of 

 Sir D. Morris on his return, a copy of correspondence with the 

 Agricultural Superintendent from which it will be seen that 

 due steps have been taken to impress upon the local planters 

 the necessity for exercising the utmost care in dealing with 

 this matter of cotton seed. 



I presided at the meeting of the Agricultural and 

 Commercial Society when Mr. Sands' paper was read, on 

 which an interesting discussion followed. It was agreed, 

 amongst other things, that timely arrangements should be made 

 by the officers of the Department with the growers to ensure, 

 as far as possible, a continual supply of seed-cotton at the 

 factory for ginning from the date of its reopening, and that 

 the Department should make preparations for commencing 

 ginning somewhere about the middle of November, the date 

 to be fixed beforehand by the Department in conference with 

 the association. 



By this means it is hoped to avoid any lengthy storage 

 of seed-cotton in the cottondoft prior to ginning, thus 

 reducing risk of injury to seed, as also minimizing the loss 

 that would follow any such untoward happening as a fire. 



The meeting was very unanimous as to the expediency 

 of an earlier commencement of ginning operations than has 

 previously been the case. 



The following is a summary of Mr. Sands' paper: — 



Mr. Sands mentioned in the first place that the unsatis- 

 factory seed, namely, the seed of low germination, had not 

 been produced on one estate alone, but on a number of 

 estates from which the highest-priced cotton, as well as that of 

 a poorer quality, had been obtained. Owing to the low 

 germination and varying character of the seed, the Agri- 

 cultural Department had been obliged to abandon its export, 

 and all orders, which amounted to no less than 26,000 t)., 

 had been cancelled. 



Mr. Sands said he proposed to deal with the question 

 under the following heads : — 



(a) Was the seed fully ripe when harvested ? 



(b) Were the conditions under which the seed-cotton 

 was prepared and stored after picking, and before ginning, 

 likely to cause the seed to deteriorate '? 



(c) Was the seed properly stored after ginning ? 



(d) Does the di-sinfection of the seed before planting 

 cause it to gernnnate badly ? 



Many of the pickers would pick cotton from the green 

 bolls because it was heavier and had fully-ripe and drj' cotton; 

 also the seed-cotton after it was picked had not been sunned 

 at all, or only insufficiently sunned, and had then been placed 

 in large heaps where it lay for some time without being 

 touched, and where, in a number of instances investigated, it 

 had developed much heat, and even in the factory where it 

 was stored before ginning, a considerable amount of heat was 

 also developed. 



After ginning, the seed had been stored in cool, dry 

 places, but unfortunatel}', in very large bulk. 



To show that disinfection does not injure the seed, 

 Mr. Sands described a number of experiments which had been 

 carried on in St. Vincent, and stated that if seed were sent to 

 the factory with a germination of 60 per cent., he would 

 guarantee the .same result after it had been disinfected and dried. 



Summing up, Mr. Sands contended that the bad seed was 

 due to one or more of the following causes : — 



The seed was not fully ripe when picked. 



The seed was not sufficiently sunned and dried before 

 ginning. The seed-cotton not having been sufficiently sunned 

 before ginning, changes had taken place in the stored seed, 

 in continuation of those already started in the seed-cotton. 



He suggested the following remedies : — 



Pick the seed-cotton only when fully ripe. 



Thoroughly sun and dry it before it is ginned. 



Do not store it in large bulk, and turn frequently if the 

 weather is unfavourable for drj'ing it. 



Sun the seed intended for planting for two or three days 

 after ginning. Do not store seed in large bulk. 



COTTON PROSPECTS IN ST. KITT'S. 



Mr.F.R. Shepherd, the Agricultural Superintendent 

 in St. Kitt's, has forwarded the following brief report on 

 the prospects of cotton planting in that island : — 



The area planted in cotton in St. Kitt's tor the coming 

 season may be appro.xiniately estimated at 1,300 acres, and 

 if the rains come in, the total area planted will probably be 

 1,.500 acres. 



Of the 1,300 acres already planted, 1,000 acres are 

 planted as a 'catch crop,'and the remaining 300 as a main crop. 



About one-half is planted in seed imported from 

 Barbados through the Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 and the remainder in best local seed selected and disinfected. 



The present condition of the young cotton is most 

 satisfactory, the freedom from disease and worm being very 

 marked. The prospects for the coming season are most 

 encouraging, especially on those estates which planted early 

 with the first rains. 



At the Lodge estate, the property of Mr. .J. D. Adam- 

 son, there is a small field of well-grown cotton planted in 

 April from seed from Conaree estate. This cotton is planted 

 one on each centre, and the trees have spread across the 

 banks and give promise of a large return. In connexion 

 with cotton as a catch crop, it is interesting to watch this 

 experiment in early planting, as, if successful, there will be 

 ample time for reaping before planting the cane. 



The planters are all keeping a keen lookout for any 

 attacks of worm, and are well prepared with Paris green 

 and lime, for its destruction. 



Interest and confidence in the industry have greatly 

 increased this season, and owing to the good returns generally 

 made last season, many estates are putting in larger areas, 

 and some are planting cotton this year for the first time. 



