102 



of pests is being tried in America, where the white muscardine fungus, 

 Sporotrichum globuliferum, has been largely employed during the last 

 few years to cheek the injurious over-production of the chinch-bug. 

 Mr. Benjamin Duggar of the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station 

 ha>. however, been recently making a careful study of this organism in 

 relation to the insect in question, and has come to the conclusion that, 

 although it is undoubtled parasitic at times, it is not sufficiently efficient 

 to enable it to be artificially employed with economic success. It is 

 obvious that to obtain trustworthy data on this subject, many and very 

 carefully conducted investigations must be carried out. It is to be 

 hoped that Dr. Edington will be able to give the locust-problem the 

 time and attention which it requires to enable scientific conclusions to 

 be drawn as to the economic value of the fungus he recommends in 

 destroying locusts. — {Nature.) 



EXTRACTS FROM CONSULAR REPORTS. 



COTTON IN THE UNITED STATES. 



As inquiries are sometimes made about the prospects of a cotton 

 industry in Jamaica, the following extracts from a Foreign Office Report 

 may be of interest; the Report is by H. M. Consul for Charleston, Mr. 

 Cotlogon : — 



The production of another large cotton crop in the United States — 

 the largest on record — probuced a naturally unfavourable effect on prices 

 for this staple and also on the value of the business of this port; the total 

 quantity of cotton received being greater than that of the previous year, 

 while the comparative value of the same was much less. An important 

 factor now affecting the American crop is the annual production of about 

 3,000,000 bales of cotton which the State of Texas alone is adding to the 

 cotton product of the country. The total yield has also been further 

 augmented of recent years by different methods of cultivation adopted 

 by a smaller class of .planters, whose aggregate product has been large 

 enough to materially affect the crop and market prices. . . 



During the last cotton season of 1897-98 which ends August 31, 

 1898, Charleston received 462,408 bales of upland cotton, which in com- 

 parison with the previous season, showed an increase of 69,218 bales; the 

 highest price paid in this market during the year being 6$ c. per lb. for 

 medium, and the lowest 5 c. for the same grade of cotton. 



Carolina Sea Island cotton opened about the middle of October, 

 1897, at 18 c. per lb. for medium fine quality and gradually declined to 

 15 c. Extra fine qualities, however, which were sold early in the season, 

 brought moderately fair prices, but later sales showed a heavy decline. 



A considerable quantity of the crop was of inferior colour, and 

 sold as low as 10 c. per lb. 



Georgia Sea Island cotton opened at 12| c. for extra choice, de- 

 clined to 12 c, and later advanced to 12£ to 13 c. per lb. 



Florida Sea Islands of the better and poorer grades were in fair 



