290 



TH;E INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1. 1914. 



think that al present it exceeds a total of 30,000 to 40,000 bales. 

 Due to strong competition of some Egyptian varieties, prices are 

 not as remunerative as they used to be. Compared with 13 cents 

 for middling Upland, long staples bring from 14 to 17 cents per 

 pound, whereas in previous years premiums of 8 to 10 cents 

 were not uncommon. 



KGYPTIA.N COTTO.N. 

 This cotton is grown in the Xile \'alley, over an area of about 



-,T,,'..,-, ,,,• r ,„,,.,-,-, :■,,: |^J■,.,,; Mcmfhis. Ten. 



Weighing the Day's Pickings. 



1,750,000 acres, of whicli 1.350.000 are north of Cairo and 400,000 

 south of the Egyptian capital. Egypt being practically a rainless 

 country, cotton cultivation is almost entirely dependent upon 

 irrigation fed by the annual rise of the Nile. In order to obtain a 



uniform water supply a huge dam 



has been built across the Nile at As- 

 suan, but while this removes the 

 danger of insufficient Nile floods, the 

 abundant supply so provided has led 

 to water-logging of the soil, and the 

 hopes of vastly increased crops of 

 Egyptian cotton have so far not been 

 fulfilled. Before the completion of 

 the Assuan dam the Egyptian cotton 

 crop had several times reached 6J4 

 million cantars (one cantar equals 

 99.05 pounds), but long after the 

 building of the dam and with 

 abundant water supply the crop fell 

 in 1909-10 as low as 5 million can- 

 tars. Since 1910 the Egyptian cotton 

 crops have averaged 754 million can- 

 tars. At one time the present crop 

 bid fair to exceed 8 million, but a 

 new insect pest, the pink boll worm, 

 has caused much damage, and not 

 more than 7J4 million cantars are 

 expected of this crop. The following 

 are the chief Egyptian varieties : 

 Ashmouni — strong, brown, silky, 

 mean length of staple 1J4 inches, 

 used for balbriggan underwear and 



yarns to about 80s; Afifi, Xubari and Assili — brown, lustrous, 

 strong, line, used for yarns up to 100s and brilliant surfaced 

 goods; Abassi — 1;4 inches, pearly white, used for sewing silk; 

 Janovitch — l.'/i inches, fine strong, silky; Gallini — IJ/a inches, 

 strong, bright golden; Sakellaridis — 1J4 to IM inches, a recent 

 variety, lustrous, white and strong, closely competing with the 

 medium grades of American Sea Island. 

 Of the 1,750,000 acres under cotton last year about 800,000 

 were devoted to Afifi, Nubari and 

 Assili; 45,000 to Abassi, 225,000 to 

 Janovitch, 350,000 to Ashmouni and 

 260,000 to Sakellaridis. It is worthy 

 of note that while in the United 

 Slates the average cotton production 

 per acre is only about 200 pounds of 

 lint cotton, in Egypt, under the in- 

 tense cultivation prevailing there, it 

 rises to about 450 pounds per acre. 

 Comparing with the present Liver- 

 pool price of 7d. for middling Up- 

 land, American cotton, the Egyptian 

 varieties in good, fair quality are 

 quoted as follows: Ashmouni, 9->4d. ; 

 Abassi and Nubari, lOd. ; Sakel- 

 laridis, 10}4d., and Janovitch, lid. 

 PERUVIAN COTTON. 

 There are three kinds of cotton 

 produced in Peru — Upland, Rough 

 and Sea Island. The staple of these 

 three varieties is V/g, to 1^ inches. 

 Rough Peruvian has a fibre of 1J4 

 inches and is kinky, closely resem- 

 bling wool, which makes it specially 

 suitable for mixing with that mate- 

 rial. The Upland variety is smooth 

 and white, about 1% inches long 

 and in good demand. Most of it is 

 produced along the coast north and south of Lima. Some cot- 

 ton is grown there from Afifi (Egyptian) seed also from Sea 

 Island seed, and good results are obtained. The great draw- 

 liack to the development of cotton cultivation in Peru is the 



Courtesy oj Commercial Aftcol, MemfhU. Tenn. 



Handling Cotton and Cotton Seeds on the Mississippi. 



