1 64 COTTON 



who have no choice but to use cotton clothing, have only 

 a very small fixed amount per annum to expend on cloth- 

 ing, and it makes a great difference to them, in the 

 quantity of clothing they can afford to buy, whether 

 cotton is 6d. or 8d. per Ib. 



WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES OF EXTENDING COTTON 

 CULTIVATION IN THE WORLD ? 



Africa. At one time the hope was entertained that 

 Africa would solve the problem of supplying the cotton- 

 spinning industry with its ever-increasing requirements, 

 but after ten years' work in that continent it has been 

 proved that, in consequence of the absence of the requisite 

 training of the people, the comparative scarcity of labour, 

 the absence of transport facilities, the necessarily slow 

 development of research work, and of the unwillingness 

 of the people to work longer than is absolutely necessary 

 to keep their few wants supplied, developments in those 

 parts must be slow. Perhaps the next generation will 

 reap the benefit of the present pioneer work. Most 

 valuable work is being carried on, not only by the British 

 Cotton Growing Association, but also by the German, 

 French, Italian, and Portuguese colonial cotton growing- 

 associations. The very existence of these associations is 

 a proof of the earnestness with which this question of 

 increasing the supply of cotton is being handled. 



Egypt. Egypt is limited in its cotton crop by the 

 comparatively small area that can be irrigated; Lord 

 Kitchener is doing his utmost to reclaim some consider- 

 able stretches of waste land, and bring it under irrigation. 

 Egypt now produces about one million bales, of 700 Ib., 

 per year, but there has been during the past ten years a 

 falling off in the yield per acre. 



Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The possibilities in the Anglo- 

 Egyptian Sudan are certainly very great, but it will 

 probably taken fifteen years for that country to produce 

 half a million bales. In view of the threatened shortage 

 of long-staple cotton from America, owing to the advance 

 of the boll-weevil into the Sea Island tract, the irrigation 

 scheme in hand in the Sudan should be accelerated, and 

 money should be liberally supplied for the work. 



