277 
The PresipENr: Gentlemen—I am now going to ask Lord 
Kitchener to preside at this meeting. We welcome him not 
merely as a great soldier and as a great Imperialist, not only 
as His Majesty’s representative in a country where agriculture 
is of the first importance, but I think I may say we also 
welcome him as the owner of an estate in British East Africa, 
and therefore as a brother agriculturist in the tropics. 
Field-~-Marshal Earl Kircuener then took the chair, and the 
following papers were read :— 
PROBLEMS IN CONNECTION WITH COTTON CULTIVATION IN 
EGYPT. 
By Geratp C. Dupceon, F.E.S.,! 
Consulting Agriculturist to the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Egypt; Vice-President of the International Association 
for Tropical Agriculture. 
[ApsTrRact. ] 
The area under cotton in Egypt has increased annually until 
32°6 per cent. of the total cultivable lands are under that crop. 
Extension of the cotton area is limited, owing to the in- 
sufficient drainage of the lands in many parts rendering it 
compulsory to frequently introduce reclamation crops such as 
rice. The difficulties occasioned by the incompleteness of the 
original drainage scheme have made the position, with regard 
to the undrained lands, almost impossible of amelioration. 
The salt lands in the north are capable of reclamation, but the 
work is at present delayed owing to the low Nile, and in any 
case the lands are not expected to yield large crops of cotton. 
The increase of cotton areas has occasioned a correspond- 
ing decrease in food-grain areas, the importance of which is 
demonstrated by a table of production and value. About 95 
per cent. of the food grain used in the country is grown in 
the country itself, in spite of the large areas under cotton, 
thus showing the great fertility of Egyptian soil. 
Although small effect has been yet caused by the intro- 
duction of cotton into a rotation of two instead of three years 
as previously, it is not recommended to increase this fre- 
quency, which will result in a diminution of food crops, and a 
probable deterioration in the yield of cotton itself. 
1 Read in the absence of the author by Dr. L. H. Gough, of the 
Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. 
