54 BR AZ I LI AX COTTON 



is invariably of short fibre. In the Sea Island districts of the American 

 Belt short cotton or no cotton at all has l)een planted for the same 

 reason. The only other long staple district in the United States is 

 on the Californian coast, the Arizona district, where Egyptian cottons 

 are grown with considerable success under irrigation. This crop is 

 principally ear-marked for consumption by the American tyre 

 industry. 



The " pink boll-worm '" has commenced its invasion of the U.S.A., 

 in Texas and Western Louisiana. The ravages of this pest are more 

 devastating than those of the boll- weevil. This new threat to the 

 American Cotton crop is another reason why cotton growing in all 

 countries outside the U.S.A. should be fostered. 



Egypt, on which the ever-increasing fine spinning section of the 

 Lancashire mills depends mainly, sho\\s alarming declines in the 

 yield per acre and also to a lesser extent in the number of acres 

 cultivated, as will be seen from the following figures : — 



Egypt's output is likeh' to be further affected by the political 

 changes which are pending in that country. 



The other sources of long staple cotton are the West Indies* and 

 Peru, where in the short valleys of the rivers Egyptian cotton is 

 grown, and the Northern States of Brazil \^here tree cottons are 

 cultivated. The yields in Brazil are by far the highest of any cotton 

 producing country, but the drawbacks are that the cotton is not 

 sufficiently graded, that there is frequently a slight difference in the 

 length of fibres from bale to bale and that one cannot always get 

 repeats of the same quality. These are, however, remedial defects. 

 The difference in price existing between cotton of such staple as Brazil 

 offers and those of other origin is sufficiently great to warrant the 

 trouble of special classification and additional cleaning in the mill. 



Can we, in view of the threatening position of the long staple 

 supply of cotton, which is likely to be short for a number of years, 

 afford to neglect any possilile source of supply ? Does it not behove all, 

 Lancashire in particular, to look around in good time for new 

 fields that can step into the breach. From what I have seen 

 in the north-eastern part of Brazil I maintain that we have here a 

 stretch of country able to come to our help ; all that is required is 

 administration and the initiation of a few elementary reforms, of 

 which I shall speak later. The north-east of Brazil has no other crop 

 which would seriously compete with cotton : the country is, indeecl, 

 dependent on cotton and for this reason the Governments of Rio Grande 

 do Norte and Parahyba are anxious to do everything in their power 

 to help those who are A\illing to undertake the extension and improve- 



* About 4,OU0 b. p.a. 



