WILD AND CULTIVATED COTTONS 



Andaman 

 Islands. 



Fiji. 



Hawaii. 



Malay. 



Java. 



Sea Island in India. Some forty years or so ago vigorous efforts 

 were made to cultivate this plant in India, and as a rule complete 

 failure was the only result. Wight tells us that he succeeded to some 

 extent in South India, but only when grown under the sea breezes. 



The subject of the acclimatisation of Sea Island in India was soon 

 forgotten, though spasmodically revived here and there by new 

 adventurers. In the Andaman Islands it is possible, however, that 

 success may be attained so far as climate and soil are concerned, but 

 the labour question is serious and the limited area available almost 

 prohibitive. Still, the annual reports of the administration of these 

 islands since 1862 onwards contain repeated reference to the 

 endeavours that have been made to acclimatise this cotton. 



Sea Island in Hawaii, Fiji, Malay States and Queensland. Many 

 writers have discussed the prospects of these and other countries as 

 hopeful sources of Sea Island cotton. For some time Fiji seems to 

 have grown that plant successfully, but only so long as difficulties 

 in America kept the price at a high level. In consequence it is not 

 unusual to read of exports of Sea Island cotton from Fiji. The ex- 

 periments conducted in Hawaii appear to have given the greatest 

 possible encouragement, but in Queensland, while the plant could be 

 grown, the labour question appears to have proved disastrous. (See 

 'Hawaiian Forester and Agriculturist,' vol. i., 1904.) Speaking of the 

 Malay, Mr. A. S. Baxendale (' Bull. Straits and Fed. Mai. States,' 

 vol. n. 1903, pp. 345-9) discusses the cottons there grown, the chief 

 apparently being a plant called by the Javanese kala-kala, which is 

 supposed by Mr. Baxendale to be G. herbaceum, but is much more 

 likely to be G. Nanking. The kapas banda, on the other hand, is 

 thought to be Sea Island cotton, but Baxendale does not view it 

 with as much favour as the indigenous kala-kala. So also Dr. 

 K. W. Tromp de Haas wrote a ' Eeview of the Introduction of the 

 Cotton Industry into the Netherlands India.' This was translated 

 (' Bull.' l.c. in., pp. 195-232) by Mr. W. Seelhorst from ' Teysmannia,' 

 and in that paper mention is made of G. barbadense and G.peruvianum, 

 but from the latter being spoken of as having the seeds connected 

 with each other, G. brasiliense was doubtless meant. The former 

 is said to afford the Sea Island staple, the best of all cottons. 

 But a large portion of Teysmann's ' Manual of Cotton-Growing in 

 the Netherlands ' consists in reviewing the conditions and results in 

 America and Egypt. Very little can be viewed as narrating the 

 experience and knowledge attained in Java. Subsequent to Teys- 



