56 COTTON IN EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 



ture, but a much larger percentage is found in the third picking. 

 For this reason Hindi is more prevalent in fields that have been 

 planted with inferior seed bought from native dealers who sell all 

 kinds of seed, even seed from third pickings. Whilst " Hindi " 

 cotton is not known in India by this name, it is cultivated to this 

 day in Mesopotamia. 



Among the white cultivated varieties the Belledi deserves to be 

 mentioned. This kind, as we have stated in the historical part of 

 this book, was the prominent variety in the first quarter of the last 

 century, but had to make room for the more valuable Jumel cotton. 

 Belledi means in Arabic " indigenous or native." 



Of the later introduced varieties, of a white shade, we have 

 the following, of which Foaden says that they have originally come 

 from India. 



Abiad, which means white, cultivated particularly in 1864 to 

 1890, with a staple length 27 to 35 mm., superseded to-day by the 

 better Abbassi, just as 



Zaftam, called after the place Zifta in the Delta. This had 

 a ginning outturn of 33 to 38 per cent., but its white lint is harsh 

 and coarse, not very strong, and only of medium length in staple, 

 about 32 mm. The only white Egyptian kind that is really of use is 



Abbassi, which has been cultivated since 1891/92; it was dis- 

 covered by the Greek, Parachimonas, and called after Khedive 

 "Abbas." Abassi is a cross of the abandoned " Zafiri " with 

 " Mitafifi "; it is of a pure white colour, fine, silky, and has a long 

 staple 39 to 41 mm., although it is not as strong as Mitafifi, and 

 does not bear as^well. The ginning percentage is 33 to 34 per cent. 

 Particularly both the first pickings fetched formerly the best prices 

 in the Egyptian market. It is not cultivated very largely, although 

 it suffers less than other varieties from the weather, and withstands 

 even the dry period better. 



A kind of Abbassi, but not of such high yield, is Voltos, called 

 after a Greek of the same name at Kafr-el-Zayat, who discovered 

 it in 1900 ; it is cultivated in small quantities in the province of 

 Garbieh and Menufieh. It is more hardy, stronger in staple, more 

 glossy, and more creamy coloured than Abbassi, and may dislodge 

 it more and more. 



Sultani is a new white variety which is very similar to the Sea 

 Island cotton ; in its pure state it has a particularly long staple, but 

 it is cultivated very little. 



Joanovitch used to give in places, quite spontaneously, white 

 cotton, so that besides the yellow kind we had also a white Joano- 

 vitch ; the latter is now a rare occurrence. 



As originating from the genuine Sea Island, which was re-intro- 

 duced about 40 years ago from South Carolina, but again abandoned 

 on account of its small yield and slow ripening, the following kinds 

 are considered. None of these had the clear brownish tint of the 

 varieties originated from the "Jumel" cotton, and as they were 

 short of other special properties which the Jumel varieties possessed, 

 their cultivation was likewise given up. 



Only one of these Sea Island types was extensively grown, viz., 



Gallini, called after the place Galline, in the province of Gar- 

 oieh, where a Copt had discovered it in 1873. It 



