310 
Sir — As  It  may  interest  you,  and  as  I have  not  heard  of  anyone 
makinor  a trial  of  planting  Cotton  about  the  Straits,  I send  you  a 
line  thereon.  In  April  last  (1892)  I picked  a few  seeds  of  what 
I was  told  was  Sea  Island  ("otton  from  a garden  : I sowed  the  seed 
in  drills,  when  the  plants  were  about  six  inches  high,  I pulled  them 
up  and  transplanted  them  at  six  feet  apart  on  tobacco-land  planted 
in  1891.  The  ground  was  chankolled  over  before  putting  in  the 
Cotton  plants;  the  Cotton  plants  took  root  at  once;  I had  only  to 
replant  about  .five  or  six  plants  and  have  l\ad  no  further  trouble 
except  cleaning  the  grass  twice.  The  amount  planted  is  about  an 
acre,  the  plants  have  now  grown  so  that  the  spaces  between  are 
quite  filled  up  and  are  from  five  to  seven  feet  high.  Flowering -has 
been  going  on  for  some  time  and  some  of  the  larger  bolls  are'  as 
large  as  my  thumb,  so  I will  have  a sample  of  Cotton  before  long. 
The  only  enemy  the  plants  seemed,  to  have  was  a small  grub  of 
rough  reddish  appearance  which  eat  into  the  stem  near  the  tip 
which  withered,  but  other  shoots  came  out  strong  and  . the  plant  did 
not  seem  to  suffer  from  it.  It  may  be  that  the  grub  will  attack  ithe 
bolls  and  destroy  the  cotton.  Of  .course  the  planting  was  not  in 
the  1 ight  season,  as  I suppose  the  wet  weather  just  coming  on  will 
spoil  a lot  of  the  cotton  ; and  the  plants  should  be  planted  much 
further  apait,  perhaps  ten  by  six  feet,  which  would  leav'e  rooni'to  get 
between  the  rows.  I do  not  think  .it  is  the  usual  way  to  transplant 
the  cotton  plants  but  it  seems  to  me  the  simplest  way  and  the 
easiest 
In  November  1892  Mr.  Taylor  sent  some  samples  of  Cotton 
grown  by  the  Battaks  in  Sumatra  to  the  Botanic  Gardens,  Singapore, 
and  they  were  forwarded  to  th.e  Incorporated  Chamber  of  Cojn- 
mt-rce  Liverpool  for  report,  and  Mr.  H.  Rarnes  the  Secretary 
replied,  February  l8th,  1893: 
Dear  Sir, — ‘M  received  your  letter  daled  29th  November,  advis- 
ing sample  of  Battak  Cotton  grown  in  Sumatra  which  came  duly 
to  hand.  I have  submitted  a portion  of  the  sample  to  the  Liverpool 
Cotton  .-\sa)ciation  who  have  furnished  me  with  the  annexed  report 
upon  the  same  which  1 trust  may  be  of  service  and  may  stimulate 
production  of  cotton,  * * * 
1 am,  etc., 
Report;  “ The  sample  of  cotton  sent  from  the  Botanic  Garden, 
SiiiCTaoore,  has  been  carefully  examined  by  our  Committee  and  they 
report  that  in  its  present  condition  the  cotton  would  be  worth  about 
i^d.  perlb.  but  if  ginned  owing  to  its  rough  staple  it  would  be 
worth  4I  to  5d.  per  lb.  valued  on  the  present  basis  of  prices”. 
The  Liverpool  Cotton  association  weekly  circular  shows  that  at 
that  date  the  demand  for  cotton  was  limited  and  the  market  ‘ 
irenerally  dull.  Ordinary  cottons  being  quoted  at  from  to  6|-|.  | 
On  .^pril  2nd,  1893,  Mr.  Taylor  writes  in  reply  to  the  letter  | 
containing  the  above  report: — It  is  a pity  (the  cotton)  was  not  a i 
sample  of  what  I grew  myself  which  was  much  better.  During  the  I 
