16^ Journal of the Department of AGRicULTUiik. 



The Improvement of Cotton by Seed Selection. 



Tlie tiist atteiupl iit colloii growing in Soiilli Aiiicii was jusl 

 alter the Amerieaii Civil War liiul oiidod, wlioii product ion in ihe 

 United Siiiies liad e))l>od to a very low ti<>nr(' and ])ric('s as a eon- 

 sequenee were liigh. These prices toll, ho\\('Vt'r, helore llie indnstrv 

 had estahlislied itself, and Ihis, lofjcther \\\i]\ other disahilities, led 

 to the AA-ane and ulliniale cessation of cotton <irowin<>' in South Africa. 

 AVe are now witnessin<i' the country's second atteiupi a1 csiahlisliinu 

 the industry, and Avhile our progress has been such as to justify our 

 faitli in the wide field of successful enterprise for vSoutli Africa which 

 lies in this direction, a note of warning' has hecn raised by ^fr. Oost- 

 hui/en, the nianaeei' df the Tobacco and Cotton K.\])eriinent Stalion 

 at Huslenbiii'g. Whereas tonuerly nmst of the re])()rts on the qualify 

 of our cotlon I'eceived from Eui'o])ean nianufaeliirers liave been vei'v 

 saiisfatdoiy, the same nnniufacturei s have fecently severt'h criticized 

 our product, on the g-rounds chieli\ thai tiie sta])le is loo sliorl aiid 

 is mixed, and that the cotton is not proi)eily graded. This is a serious 

 comphiint, and uidess we succeed in reino\ing it the second atlempt 

 to make South x^ifrica a cotton-growing country is likely to follow 

 the fate of the first. But hapi)ily the problem Avliich now faces tile 

 industry is not insui)erable. It is within the jiowcr nt tlie grower lo 

 overcome it by sowing better seed and by the j^iroper grading of our 

 (iotton. Trouble in regard to the latter matter, it is anticipated, will 

 soon he remoA-ed, for the l)ei)artment has secured the services of an 

 ofhcer, Mr. Hesse, with a full knowledge of the coninaercial side of 

 the industry, who will cievote most of his time to the grading of cotton 

 at the various ginneries. AVith the i)resent disability of im{)ro])e]' 

 grading remoA'ed, tiie A-ital need for good seed has to be met: it is, 

 therefore, in this direction that Mr. Oosthuizen urges attention, and 

 in \ iew of the tremendous danger (d dcA'a stating ijisect ])ests lurking 

 in imported seed, he deals at length Avitli th(> better nudhod of seed 

 selection on the farm. This method entails considerable care and 

 attention, but the labour is anii)ly I'cwarded by a high standard 

 cotton, and the correspondingly high i)rice it will command. Mr. 

 < )osthuizen's advice is opportune, and calls for the eariu'st considera- 

 tion of all engaged in cotton groAving. And the urgency of the matter 

 is patent. No success can be achieA'ed Avith ])oor and mixed seed; 

 indeed, we are already hearing tiie first rumbling (d a storm of 

 complaint gathering around an industry of Avhich such high hopes 

 are entertained in the T^nion. Without a detenu in(Ml eftort on the 

 part of the g*rower to secure by careful and judicious selection an 

 adequate supply of good seed, and therei)y raise tli<^ standard (d' his 

 product to the requirements of the trade, the industry is likely to 

 lag and fall behind, and in time stand discredited. The position is 

 undoubtedly serious, but it can i)e remedied by foresight and energy 

 on tile part of the grower. It seems also, as is ])ractised in tin; United 

 States to-day, that at this juncture the oi)i)ort unity exists for enter- 

 ])rise in the estal)lishment of cotton-seed staticms or farms, for tlie 

 jiurpose of raising the seed requirements of the country. So far as 

 the Tobacco and Cotton Division is concerned, it may l)e stated that 

 there are no facilities for carrying out sucli an activity, for tlie only 

 station — that at Rustenhurg — suitaide for seed production is limited 

 in extent : even if a portion of tiie station were set aside for the 

 purpose, tiie seed produced would be very tar short of the (puintity 



