20 



years old. All cotton varieties in these Islands naturally 

 grow as perennials. 



For three or four years the Hawaii Experiment Sta- 

 tion has been investigating the possibilities of cotton 

 culture. The varieties planted include several strains of 

 Sea Island, three strains of Caravonica, Chinese Upland 

 and Egyptian cotton. The Caravonica cotton, imported 

 from Queensland, has proved to be a heavy yielding 

 variety with a high percentage of lint of great strength. 

 The only defects of this variety thus far observed, are 

 the brittleness of stem and variability in type, due to the 

 fact that it is a hybrid between Sea Island and Kidney 

 cottons. The prices quoted by cotton experts, from sam- 

 ples of our Caravonica cotton, range from sixteen to 

 twenty-four cents per pound. Selections have been made 

 from two strains of Sea Island seed, with the result that 

 lint of the very highest quality has been obtained. Not 

 only is the yield considerably larger than in the Sea 

 Island region of the mainland, but the length of staple 

 is two inches, and the quality, as judged by cotton ex- 

 perts, superior to any that has been produced before. 

 The cotton dealers have assured us that our Sea Island 

 is in a class by itself. The Bremen Cotton Exchange pro- 

 nounced the lint the best they had ever seen and worth 

 thirty-six cents a pound. 



These results are highly encouraging. About thirty 

 companies and individuals are planting cotton this year 

 in small areas, ranging from two to 25 acres. Larger 

 plantations could not be made at present on account of 

 the impossibility of securing good Sea Island or Caravo- 

 nica seed in commercial quantities. From seed selections^ 

 which will be made from the present plantings, a suffi- 

 cient supply will be had for much larger plantings, which 

 are contemplated by commercial companies for next year. 

 With the formation of a suitable cotton association here, 

 it will be possible for small growers to find an immediate 

 outlet for their seed cotton, at a profitable price, and 

 with the present great increase in the demand for high 

 grade cotton, there is no prospect of overstocking the- 

 market. In this respect, Hawaii will not be considered 

 a competitor of the Sea Island district of the mainland. 

 Our fiber is superior to the commercial product grown 

 there and will be readily taken in Bremen, Liverpool^ 

 Paris and New York. 



