308 COTTON 



Nevis ... ... 60 Ib. of lint per acre. 



St. Vincent ... 98 



Anguilla ... 125 ,, ,, 



St. Kitts ... 150 



In most of the islands there are a few estates where 

 yields of 200 Ib. of lint per acre and over are annually 

 obtained, but the general average is much smaller than 

 this, and 150 Ib. per acre is considered a fair return in a 

 normal season. 



The seed-cotton as brought in from the field is roughly 

 sorted by the picker into two grades, white and stained. 

 It is then sun-dried, and in St. Vincent this operation is 

 nearly always necessary. In no other island in the West 

 Indies have so elaborate measures to be taken to get rid 

 of the excess of moisture usually present in the freshly 

 picked seed-cotton. On some estates a car system is 

 worked, on others drying arrangements closely following 

 the sliding roof and sliding tray principles of cacao 

 " boucans " are used, while the small man has to resort to 

 trays that can be lifted by hand or readily covered with 

 sail-cloth or tarpaulin. 



On large estates special buildings have had to be 

 erected in which to store and handle the seed-cotton. 

 After being dried the seed-cotton is bulked in bags or in 

 large heaps for some weeks before it is taken out to be 

 finally cleaned and graded for the ginnery. This practice 

 of bulking improves the character of the lint. After 

 bulking the seed-cotton is graded. Four grades are 

 usually made and are known as first white, second white, 

 first stained, and second stained. The first grade white 

 contains nearly all the cotton from the first pickings, and 

 the second grade white the bulk of the later pickings. 



The first grade stained contains some white cotton and 

 some discoloured, and the second grade stained all dis- 

 coloured. The approximate sale prices of the different 

 grades of " ordinary fine " St. Vincent, with the highest 

 at 22d. per Ib., would be second white i8d. to 2od., first 

 stained lod. to is., and second stained 8d. to gd. per Ib. 

 The " stains " represent, as a rule, from 10 to 20 per cent, 

 of the total weight of lint. The quantity of stained cotton 



