152 



[August, 1912. 



for Egyptian and American Cotton. 

 Negotiations have been opened with the 

 foreign office with a view to taking 

 immediate steps to push matters on 

 rapidly. Lord Kitchener is taking the 

 greatest interest in the project. There 

 is a prospect of an ultimate production 

 from Gizira alone of one million bales or 

 more. 



Conclusion. 

 The result of the past year's work, 

 though disappointing in some colonies, 

 are more than encouraging in others. 

 Uganda is producing a large output ; 

 North Nigeria is making decided pro- 

 gress, and in the Anglo-Egyptian Soudan 

 there are boundless possibilities. These, 

 with the help of Nyasaland. should 

 be able to supply all the cotton that 

 Lancashire needs. The position to-day 

 is most encouraging, and large and 

 important results may be expected 

 before long. 



AMERICAN UPLAND COTTON. 



The cotton belt of the U. S. A. compri- 

 ses the following States :— N. & S. Caro- 

 lina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Ten- 

 nessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, 

 Oklahoma and Texas : also part of 

 Arizona, New Mexico, Virginia, Ken- 

 tucky, Missuri and California, being 

 grown under irrigation in the last. All 

 these grow the upland except Georgia, 

 Florida and S. Carolina where Sea Island 

 is produced. 



The average yield in America is about 

 11 million bales of 500 lbs. each, and the 

 price has varied from 4d. to 7d. Upland 

 cotton is the chief source of the world's 

 supply, Indian and Egyptian cotton 

 following a long way behind. 



Indian cotton produces half the yield 

 of American per acre, and the lint is less 

 valuable ; Egyptian gives double the 

 yield and the price varies from 7| to 

 10J d!. The different varieties of upland 

 cotton are classified as cluster, semi- 

 cluster, naked seeded, short linted, 

 big boll and long-stapled. In the last 



come Allen's, Griffin, and Black Rattler, 

 For marketing the lint is passed as fair, 

 middling fair, good middling, low mid- 

 dling, good ordinary and ordinary. 



Cultivation. 

 After thinning out, plants are left in 

 the rows at 12" to 16" in poor soils and 20" 

 to 24" in good soils, and 3' to 4' between 

 the rows. In Egypt rows are 15" to 20" 

 apart, and plants thinned to 6" or 8" apart 

 in the rows. 



In America it is generally considered 

 that with fertilizers and picking, and all 

 other expenses, it costs 25 to 30 dollars 

 to raise an acre. 



The dimensions of the ordinary bale 



are 4' x 2|' x 2|'. 



Pests and Diseases. 

 The most important insect pest is the 

 Mexican Cotton Boll weevil (Antho- 

 nomus graudis) which causes immense 

 damage and is spreading fast at the rate 

 of 70 miles per annum. The only way 

 to avoid it is by planting an early 

 maturing crop. The cotton worm or 

 army worm (Aletia argillacea) eats the 

 leaves. The remedy is to spray with 

 arsenate of lead. Anthracnose (Collecto- 

 trichumgossypii) fungus starts with a 

 black spot on the boll which it gradually 

 rots away. 



The Boll worm does not do much 

 damage. 



American Cotton fob India. 

 It is considered possible to cultivate 

 the upland cotton in India in a similar 

 way to what it is grown in America, 

 provided there is rain at planting time, 

 good cultivation, and the planting not 

 done too close : 3 to 4 ft. apart between 

 the rows is advised. Light sandy and 

 alkali lands are not suitable. 



If grown under irrigation the follow- 

 ing plan may be adopted : After a first 

 irrigation, rows 3' apart should run 

 across the field with a native plough. 

 Just after the plough should go the 

 sower dropping the seed at the rate of 

 30 lbs. per acre. This gives a moist seed 

 bed. After the plants are up, the land 



