COTTON IN BRITISH WEST AFRICA 81 



the ground for three years, whilst it is not uncommon 

 for the plants to be allowed to remain until the crop 

 becomes so small that it is hardly profitable to gather 

 it and the plantations are then abandoned. In some 

 localities, the cotton is grown in conjunction with yams. 



There are enormous areas in the Northern Pro- 

 vinces suitable for cotton growing, and there are several 

 indigenous cottons of good quality and well adapted 

 for the English market. The cottons most widely 

 grown are native varieties of Gossypium peruvianum 

 which furnish fibre a little less than an inch in length. 



The possibility of developing an export cotton 

 industry was considered by the Niger Company in 

 1888, and samples of indigenous cottons were sent to 

 England and were reported to be of rough but useful 

 staple. Trials were made with American and 

 Egyptian seed, and satisfactory results were obtained. 

 The matter was not carried any further at that time, 

 however, on account of difficulties of labour and 

 transport. 



The British Cotton Growing Association have 

 established buying stations, erected ginneries, and 

 carried out experimental work on the cultivation of 

 American varieties of cotton. The experimental 

 work is now being conducted by the Agricultural 

 Department. In 1914 seed of the American variety, 

 known as " Allen's Long Staple," which had been 

 produced in 1913 on the Government plantation near 

 Zaria, was distributed to the growers for cultivation 

 under supervision . The plants produced from this seed 

 gave a larger yield per acre than the native variety, 

 and the seed-cotton was purchased by the British Cotton 

 Growing Association at i \d. instead of id. per Ib. 



The completion of the Baro-Kano Railway has 

 opened up densely populated regions in the Zaria 

 and Kano Provinces, and it is anticipated that a 

 large and profitable industry will gradually be estab- 

 lished. It must be remembered, however, that the 

 amount of cotton available for export is limited by 

 the demand for local manufacture, for which purpose 

 higher prices are paid for the cotton than would be 

 justified by the value of the product in Liverpool. 



