302 COTTON 



The rainfall of the cotton growing districts of St. 

 Vincent is ample and often excessive, so that at all times 

 the crop is a " gamble in rain." 



The average total rainfall of the growing season June 

 to November of the past three years in districts where 

 cotton is extensively cultivated was as follows : 



Total inches 73-63 65-34 69-69 60-83 53'97 5574 4879 



If the totals be taken and an average struck, it is found 

 that the mean monthly rainfall June to November 

 inclusive ranges from 12*27 to 8' 13 in. The rainfall 

 of the other cotton-growing islands is much smaller 

 than this. 



Owing to the light soil and moist tropical climate the 

 St. Vincent planter can produce a lint which, as mentioned 

 above, commands the highest prices in the market, and 

 enables him to obtain a remunerative return for his labour 

 over an average of years. The area planted each season 

 in the Colony amounts to about 4,500 acres. 



Mention has already been made of the introduction of 

 the " Rivers " and other fine types of seed from South 

 Carolina, and it is from these that the successful local 

 industry has been built up. Great care was necessary at 

 the outset to ensure that only seed from the best grown 

 fields of plants true to type was planted, and in the earlier 

 years all this seed was selected, tested, and sterilized with 

 corrosive sublimate (i in 1,000) by the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment before being sent out. This seed work is still 

 carried on at the Government Central Cotton Ginnery 

 and by planters, and only seed thus selected and dealt 

 with is sown. The procedure adopted in preparing seed 

 is as follows : 



The seed from special crop lots is first of all tested, and 

 only that giving a germination of not less than 85 per 

 cent, is retained. It is then de-linted to facilitate the 



