PICKING AND MARKETING COTTON. 39 



(nie Alili seed ai'c yet Alili, but seem 1<> 1><' in a state of deteriora- 

 tion. Tlie (luestioii of llic establisluuent of seed areas is now under 

 consideration. 



PICKING COTTON. 



The i)i('ldii,u()f cotlon t'oMiniences in Upper Egj-pt, where Aslunouni 

 is «j;rown, duriuii: tlie latter part of August, but in tlie Delta, generall}' 

 speaking, toward the middle of September. Cotton is usually picked 

 by small children, who are paid a sum of 18 or 20 cents per hundred 

 pounds of seed cotton (IM. VI, fig. -2). The previous watering of the 

 crop is so arranged that the land is dr}' when picking commences to 

 avoid poacliingof theland. Theoiu'i-ation of picking is more difficult 

 than that of ordinary I'pland cotton, though not as much so as that of 

 Sea Island. The average (Quantity picked per day is about 30 or 40 

 pounds. After the first gathering the land is watered, and during tlie 

 month of October a second picking takes place. These two pickings 

 give the best quality of fiber. They nvo never mix(Ml with each other 

 nor with the third, or last, picking. The latter is taken in November, 

 and as it is small in amount compared with the others a superior 

 sum is generally paid for picking it, generally 25 or :}() cents per hun- 

 dred pounds. 



After picking, the cotton is generally placed in large stoi'es and 

 subsequently put into sacks which hold about 420 pounds, or it ma}^ 

 be put directly into sacks. 



MARKETING COTTON. 



Cotton is almost invariably sold at the farm. There are distributed 

 throughout the country a number of large ginning establishments (as 

 well as a number of minor ones) owned b}^ large exporting houses. 

 Agents are sent into the country to buy cotton, and the grower can 

 obtain many offers f i-om competing houses. The cotton is sold as 

 seed cotton, weighed at the store in the presence of the buj^er's agent 

 and the seller, and is then taken charge of by the former for removal 

 to the nearest railway station or is delivered by the seller, according 

 to agreement; In the case of large lots of cotton the grower, pro- 

 vided with samples, sometimes visits the factories,'^' and after a con- 

 sidei-able amount of competition and bargaining disposes of his crop. 



Cotton is quoted on the bourse at Alexandria per cantar of 100 

 pounds of lint for "fully good fair" cotton. To this amount the value 

 of the seed is added and a certain sum per cantar (of 315 pounds of 

 seed cotton) is offered to cultivators, depending on the quality of the 

 cotton in question. Ginning is carried on, as alread}' mentioned, at 

 various centers, and the resulting fiber and seed are forwarded to 

 Alexandria for shipment. The factories are generally situated so that 



" Known as ginneries or gins in the United States. 



