41 



Valuation Report on Sample of Sea Island 

 Cotton grown in Perak. 



For some time past Cottcn has attracted considerable attention 

 in different paits of the Empire and the following valuation report 

 on a sample of Sea Island Cotton grown in the Government Gardens 

 at Kwala Kangsar, Perak, may be of interest: — 



Chamber of Commerce, 

 Manchester, 



December $th, igoj. 



Dear Sir, 



" Ycurs of the 30//1 November 

 " I have obtained the report of a competent expert upon the 

 sample of cotton referred to in your letter. 



The staple or fibre is described a s too short for Sea Island. It 

 is classed, without refeience to its origin, as equivalent to " Fully 

 good Middling American " and as being worth in the market 

 yesterday 'jd. to l\d. per lb. 



The staple is further described as " rough, coarse and very 

 wasty." By " very wasty " the expert means that in the processes 

 preparatory to spinning this cotton would lose an inordinate amount 

 of fibre as waste, fit only for the spinning of low counts of yarn. 



ELIJAH HELM. 



To Sir W. Thiselton Dyer, k.c.m.g." 



This report was obtained through the assistance of Sir W. 

 THISELTON Dyer, Director of Kew, who remarks — ''I have had 

 occasion to point out previously that long staple cotton appears to 

 be most in demand in the English market." 



I would point out that the sample refe rred to was produced from 

 bushes raised from locally saved seeds already old in Perak parent- 

 age, and that better results might be expected from imported 

 seeds, or seeds from the first generation. 



At the present time, even a ''middling" grade cotton which 

 gives a sufficient return to furnish a good catch crop should be an 

 acquisition. For this purpose Sea Island Cotton is well suited, it 

 is a perennial bush and crops several times before becoming ex- 

 hausted, and would most probably last as long as required between 

 rubber or coconuts without replanting. Under cultivation on the best 

 soils the plant admits of ordinary treatment and little difficulty need 

 be anticipated until a crop is ready for harvesting, when, for clima- 

 tic reasons, prompt action would be necessary. It is assumed that, 

 as a catch crop, only alluvial or rich soils would be planted and that 

 the peonac, or better still, the manure from animals fed on poonac, 

 would be returned to the soil for the benefit of the permanent crop. 



