92 COTTON GROWING IN EAST AFRICA 



Growing Association to promote cotton cultivation 

 in the East Africa Protectorate. European planters 

 have grown cotton, chiefly of Egyptian varieties, in 

 a few districts, especially near the coast in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Malindi, and in the Tana River Valley. 

 Unfortunately this enterprise has not proved very 

 successful, and in most places the natives are not 

 inclined to take up the industry as they prefer the 

 cultivation of food-crops. It has been proved that 

 cotton growing near the coast is not profitable, except 

 on the banks of the Tana and Juba Rivers where 

 irrigation can be effected. In the Lake District of 

 the Nyanza Province, however, the conditions are 

 favourable, and the natives are now planting cotton 

 as an adjunct to the cultivation of sesame and other 

 food-crops ; it is anticipated that the production 

 in this district will gradually increase. 



The exports of cotton from the East Africa Pro- 

 tectorate during the years 1904-1914 are shown in 

 the following table. 



Year. 



1904 

 1905 

 1906 

 1907 

 1908 

 1909 

 1910 

 191 1 

 1912 



1913 

 1914 



Quantity. 

 Ib. 



28,880 



99,456 

 102,256 



81,100 

 251,328 

 141,792 

 163,184 

 166,033 

 295,232 

 134,875 



17,465 



Value. 



i 



285 



1,273 

 1,407 



1,843 

 5,907 

 4,440 



7,477 



6,313 



11,831 



5,476 

 614 



Reference may be made to the cultivation of cotton 

 in German East Africa, where much greater success 

 has been obtained than in the British Protectorate. 

 It has been found that American Upland varieties are 

 best adapted for native cultivation. The crop cannot 

 be grown very satisfactorily near the coast^ but 

 several districts in the interior possess favourable 



