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| report on the aie cotton industry, prepared by Mr. J. H. 
e, the Travelling Commissioner on the north bank of the River 
rabies 
CULTIVATION OF COTTON. NORTH BANK, GAMBIA. 
Seed is planted as soon as the rains begin. It is planted in rows from 
3 to 6 feet apart; the plants are from 2 to 5 feet from one another. 
reat care is taken in me the seed, as it is liable to be attacked 
by small worms. Corn is planted between the rows, which is reaped 
- in August. By aac he cotton plant is 3 feet high, and picking 
commences .and Cag nests until the end of April. There are two sorts 
of cotton grown in the district, one giving a perfectly white thread, the 
other pereaiae moins like faded ink. The quality of both seems to 
be the same, but the white cotton yields more. The flower aad leaf 
of both appear exactly the same. The cotton that is grown is not of 
the best, and would hardly stand the test required by an English 
ye but the genre has the advantage of being able to stand 
d 
comes across a row of cotton-spin sheds, each containing a 
machine. There are gelierally Rare doien of these at work in each 
town, and the creaking of the machine is heard from morning till night, 
sometimes even late at night. The cotton is hae by bate women 
clear of seeds, and is beautifully white and clea The women then 
take a bundle, mix a little lime or chalk and ao on a fingers of 
the left hand through which the cotton passes, and spin the cotton out 
on to threads on a spindle which they work with the finger and thum 
of the right hand. They do this very quickly, and it looks very easy, 
but it is not, for when I tried to do it, the threads broke. When they 
have spun a sufficient quantity of thread, the men choose a flat spot, and 
place forked sticks about 3 feet high, 40 feet apart, forming three sides 
of a square, each side being about 150 feet long; the threads are then 
run from one end to the other, and returned, until there are sufficient 
rows of thread to be woven into a strip of cotton 6 inches broad. 
These rolls of thread, 450 feet in pehea are now handed over to the 
owner of the little machine, who so arranges them on two little frames, 
each about 6 inches wide, that every alternate ae az fastened to a 
wire of one or the other of the frames. These fra e then set in 
motion by the workman’s foot, and either raise or ela aire aieri 
thread at every stroke. The workman then tosses his shuttle of thread 
from one hand to the ans between the rows of thread. By these 
means the cross threads are interwoven Aoig the long ones, and to 
press them tightly tageihar. a third little frame, with wires separating 
the long threads, is pressed against the cross threads. It is difficult to 
daib this native machine, which should be seen to be aprene 
These strips of cotton are then sewn into long broad pieces which a 
called “ pagns. 
J. H. OZANNE. 
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