REPORTS OF CONSULS AND CONSULAR AGENTS. [61] 



quiries in various directions ^vith the following result, viz : Cotton is not cultivated 

 to any extent in Martinique. There is not a cotton plantation upon the island ; there 

 are only a few trees here and there, and these grow wild upon the southern part of 

 the island. Its worst insect enemy is a green-looking worm with white points on 

 either side. I am told that this worm has been here since the first cultivation of cot- 

 ton upon the island. • The prevailing direction of the wind during the months of March, 

 April, June, and July, is east-northeast. 



I am sir, verv respectfully, your obedient servant, 



W. H. GARFIELD, 



United States Consul. 

 To the Honorable Assistant Secretary of State, 



Washington, D. C. 



Consulate of the United States of America, 



Trinidad, B. TV. I., December 20, 1879. 

 Sir : r have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your circular of October 6th, 

 on the 11th instant, and in reply would state that I have made inquiries of the Gov- 

 ment botanist, and am informed that cotton is not cultivated on this island, and that 

 the worm mentioned is unknown here. 



The prevailing wind during the months of March, April, June, July is from the 

 east. 



I am, sir, your obedient servant, 



FULTON PAUL, 

 United States Consul. 

 Hon. Carl Schurz, 



Secretary of the Intei'ior, Washington, D. C. 



No. 96.] United States Consulate at Manz.\J!^illo, Mexico, 



December 26, 1879. 

 Sir : In compliance with instructions contained in your communication dated No- 

 vember 26, including letter of inquiry from the United States Entomological Com- 

 mission, transmitted through circular of the Department of the Interior, under date 

 of October 6, I now have the honor to submit the following report upon the culture 

 of cotton in this state, and also upon the insect enemies affecting this plant : 



1. The tracts of land suitable to the culture of cotton in the vicinity of this port, 

 and pertaining to the dependencies of this consulate, embrace from 25,000 to 30,000 

 acres, of which from 6,000 to 7,000 acres are actually cultivated with cotton. 



The time for planting commences about the 1st of October, just after the severe 

 storms of the rainy season have passed. 



The plant begins to blossom about the middle of December, and high lands are 

 ready to be harvested about the 15th of April. The picking season lasts from one and 

 a half to two months. 



The culture is conducted in the most primitive way. Plows are not used. The land 

 is never manured, there being no need of it. 



A piece of land is cleared off; the timber and brush burned, and com planted. 

 About the 1st of October the rows between the corn are cleared and the planting of 

 cotton commences. 



The seed is soaked for two or three hours in water, and planted with the aid of an 

 instrument similar to our hoe, termed here "tarecua." As soon as grass comes up 

 between the rows it is chopped down with this same instrument, a work which has 

 to be performed three or four times on old lands and but once on new lands. 



The greater portion of land under cultivation is new, perfect virgin soil, the pro- 

 portion being one-fourth old and three-fourths new lands. After a field yields three 

 fair crops it is generally abandoned and new lands cleared off. 



In favorable seasons (warm, sunny weather) from 18,000 to 20,000 quintals clean 

 lint are raised. In bad seasons thef total crop here averages from 4,000 to 5,000 quin- 

 tals. The average yield of an acre is 1,000 pounds cotton in seed ; yet favorable spots 

 have yielded as much as 2,500 pounds in seed to the acre. 



2. A small white worm destroying the young fruit or cotton boll is considered here 

 the most injurious insect. It enters the boll when quite small, the mark left where it 

 made its entrance being hardly perceptible, not larger than the point of a pin. The 

 worm grows with the boll, eats the inside pulp, and causes the boll to drop off. Fre- 

 quently the worm cannot devour the whole contents of the boll, and in this case only 

 one or two sections are destroyed, and the boll matures. 



It seems that the development of this boll worm is greatly influenced by the weather. 

 I have observed that during cloudy and moist weather in January and February the 

 boll worm abounds on old lands, causing great damage, whilst abundant sunshine 



