COTTON 



would only commence after the wet period is finished. 

 With a soil capable of retaining- moisture to a high degree 

 this might be possible; unfortunately, the soil in this 

 district is of a very sandy nature, with little power to 

 retain moisture. The result of late planting would be 

 that the plants would only have produced a small growth 

 before the dry season commenced, the root system would 

 be near the surface, and the plants would very quickly 

 suffer from the effects of drought. 



In Ilorin Province September is the wettest month of 

 the year, the rainfall during the last nine years varying 

 from 8^ to 17 in. The rainfall afterwards diminishes very 

 quickly, so that before the dry season commences there 

 is practically no period with a moderate rainfall, and then 

 there is not much chance of rain during the dry season. 



It is quite possible that in districts where the rainfall 

 eases off more gradually, or where rains are more to be 

 depended upon during the dry season, the results would 

 be more promising. 



In the Ilorin Province the indications are that not much 

 of a crop can be expected from flowers which open during 

 the wet season, and that the principal crop will have to 

 be obtained from flowers which open during the dry 

 season. 



There is, however, the possibility that special plants 

 may be developed which are able to produce crops from 

 flowers which have opened during the wet period. 

 During the past season I was fortunate in finding a 

 native plant in a native's garden which had ripened all its 

 crop from such flowers. It may be possible to evolve a 

 new type of cotton from this plant, but that, of course, 

 can only be ascertained by experiment. All the seed from 

 this plant was collected, and this 'season it will be sown 

 to see if the plants raised retain their flowers during the 

 wet period. If such a type of plant can be evolved, the 

 prospects of cotton growing in this Province will be 

 greatly improved. 



