34 



danger of leaving the cotton too long before it was picked was that it 

 mij;ht attract the attention of some animal which might develop an 

 appetite for it. 



Cultivation in Jamaica in 1842. 



Examination taken before the Committee to whom was referred the Petition 



of Henry Gourgues. 



Wednesday, l-ith December. 1842. 



Examination of Henry Gourgues. 



Question. Ha'/C you at any time raised cotton in this island? If 

 so, state where, when and to what extent? 



Answer. I have raised cotton in Liguanea, in St. Andrew, in the 

 year 1841, to the extent of ten thousand pounds weight 



Q. At what cost have you raised cotton, per acre, and what amount 

 has an acre of land, cultivated in cotton, yielded ? 



A. The cost of culuviitioii will be shown by the following statement 

 of expenses incurred in establishing ten and three-quarter ac es of 

 land in cotton, and the returns therefrom in one year. 



Labourers, cleaning, digging stumps, &c. 



Digging holes and planting 



Weeding four times during the year, job-work, at 12s, 

 per acre each time 



Picking fff the trees thirty thousand weight of seed cot- 

 ton, at Is. for every 40lbs (task work) 



Four labourers ginning llOlbs. of clean cotton daily, at 

 Is. 6d. each per day, equal to 6s. for every such 

 llOlbs 



One doz. oznaburgh bags for picking cotton in the field 

 Two hundred and twenty-one yards of bagging, ;38 in- 

 ches wide, at 7^d. per yard, each bale of 3001bs. 

 taking six and a half yarJs, £6 18s. Id., twine 

 16s. ... 7 14 1 



£119 10 3 



Cr. 



By eight thousand weight of clean cotton 



at 6d. per lb. net £200 



Two thousand ditto, stained ditto at 4d. 33 6 8 



233 6 8 



Gain £113 16 5 



Equal to £11 per acre 



Next crop I must expect double the quantity of cotton, the trees being 

 older, and bearing more fruit : it is well known that the perennial cot- 

 ton tree sell om produces a full crop before the second year of its 



♦Reprinted from the " Votes of the House of Assembly." 



