COTTON IN EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 59 



seed from outsiders for the cultivation of their fields. One ardeb 

 of seed at the price of 70 P.T. to 100 P.T. is sufficient for 4 feddans, 

 so that for one feddan about 50 litres (30^ kg.) are required. The 

 weight of an Egyptian seed grain fluctuates from 0'06 to 0'17 grms., 

 and may be said to be varying just as much as the height of the 

 plants. 



As very few plantations, except the States Domain, possess 

 their own gins, and as seed merchants by trade do not exist in 

 Egypt, the fellaheen are compelled to rely upon the general ginning 

 factories for the supply of the seed for sowing purposes ; these sell 

 the varieties asked for, without guarantee that the seed is really the 

 kind ordered. The manner in which the seed cotton is delivered to 

 the ginning factories from the many different fields renders it diffi- 

 cult to keep different lots of seed apart, especially as the seeds from 

 the different commercial varieties of Lower Egypt do not show any 

 distinctive marks on the outside of the seed. Some few distinctive 

 points are known : Afifi seed has a bluish-green downy spot on 

 its point ; that of Sakellaridis is particularly downy ; that of Ashmouni 

 is nearly smooth ; that of the Joanovitch is somewhat larger. But 

 in consequence of the numerous hybrids it is often impossible even 

 for an expert to differentiate between the various seeds. The new 

 kinds which are constantly brought out remain pure only as long as 

 they are under the control of the breeder. 



The peasant buys his seed sometimes direct in the ginnery, but 

 mostly through the medium of a Greek merchant. 



As long as he buys the seed from large and well-conducted 

 ginneries he would probably receive a good quality of seed, as in such 

 factories the lots are kept carefully apart. As the owners of these 

 ginneries are the merchants who usually buy in the subsequent year, 

 the cotton for which they have supplied the seed, they are, of course, 

 greatly interested in the problem. 



Circumstances are quite different as regards the numerous small 

 ginneries spread all over the country, as they look upon the sale of 

 seed merely as a business transaction, and do not pay any heed to 

 the quality of the seed they supply. It often happens in these 

 factories that seeds of brown and white kinds are mixed together and 

 are so sold and sown. Mixed seed is partially traceable to the 

 fact that farmers do not buy sufficient seed to cover the quantity 

 which they may require for re-sowing. When a fellah notices that 

 his seed has not come up evenly he goes to the ginnery for a new 

 supply, but he may find that no more seed is left from the variety 

 originally sown ; he then goes to a dealer or even into the bazaar 

 at Alexandria. The result, of course, is a fearful mixture. The 

 Egyptian peasant himself is often the culprit, as through his lack 

 of commonsense he rather buys poor seed at a lower price from an 

 unreliable dealer, although he loses through these " cheap " seed 

 a hundredfold, owing to the inferior yield in quality and quantity of 

 the crop. 



So far as seed selection is carried on it is partly made already 

 in the field, in this way, that about a third of the children go in 

 advance through the field in order to pick the finest mature bolls 

 separately, and to gather those over ripe lint that has fallen on the 

 ground, the seed of which, as experience has shown, will germinate 



