Fibres. 



20 



[JULT, 1908. 



The cultivation of Egyptian cotton has 

 been continued in Scind with fairly 

 satisfactory results. The acreage plant- 

 ed and the approximate yield aie as 

 follows : — 



Acres. Yield. 



1905 ... 1.000 450 bales of 400 lbs. 



1906 ... 5,000 700 



1907 ... 6,000 1,800 „ 



An improvement has been made in the 

 system of marketing, and the native 

 growers have received better prices than 

 in the past, but there will be great diffi- 

 culty in establishing the cultivation of 

 exotic cotton, which requires more care 

 and attention than native varieties. Tb e 

 Association is unable to do much in this 

 direction, but the Government of India 

 is giving the matter the most careful 

 attention, and it is hoped that even if it 

 be impossible to largely extend the culti- 

 vation of Egyptian cotton in Scind, the 

 Government, by supplying improved 

 and selected strains of indigenous seed, 

 will be able to effect an improvement in 

 the quality of Indian cotton, not only 

 in Scind. but throughout the whole of 

 our Indian possessions. It should not 

 be forgotten that, hoAvever great may be 

 the possibilities in other parts of the 

 Empire, the largest tracts of land under 

 cotton at the present moment are in 

 India, and if it were only possible to 

 improve the quality of Indian cotton, 

 Lancashire's dependence on the vagaries 

 of the weather in the United States 

 would become a question of the past. 

 The Associations are, however, powerless 

 to do much good in this direction, and 

 the difficulty can only be overcome by 

 the Government of India. 



It is most unfortunate that the climatic 

 conditions in India during the past 

 season have been unfavourable to cotton, 

 and it is therefore probable that the 

 increase in cultivation which has been 

 so marked in recent years will conse- 

 quently receive a severe "set-back." 

 The 1907-8 crop is estimated at 3,056,000 

 bales of 400 lbs., as compared with 

 4,945,700 bales in 1906-7— a decrease of 

 1,889,700 bales, or 38*2 per cent. This is 

 the more regrettable as it comes at a 

 time when the cotton crops in the United 

 States and other parts of the world are 

 less than usual. 



The cultivation of long-stapled cotton 

 in Ceylon still continues to make great 

 progress* and the Council are now 

 arranging for the erection of a small 

 ginning plant in that colony. 



2. West Indies. 

 The most noticeable event during the 

 ttttst year was the cotton expedition 



of the West Indies on the " Port Kings- 

 ton," under the auspices of the President 

 (Sir Alfred Joues), who, with his usual 

 generosity, defrayed most of the ex- 

 penses of the same. On reaching Bar- 

 bados a most interesting and useful 

 conference took place between represen- 

 tatives of the Association and planters 

 and others. The gold and silver medals 

 which the President had offered for 

 competition for the best cotton produced 

 during the previous season were then 

 presented. From Barbados the " Port 

 Kingston " proceeded to Jamaica, and 

 a number of offcials and planters ac- 

 companied the expedition, to take part 

 in the Agricultural Conference which 

 had been arranged by Sir Daniel 

 Morris. Owing to the terrible calamity 

 which happened at Kingston on January 

 14th, 1907, the proceedings were suddenly 

 interrupted, and it was impossible to 

 carry out the programme originally 

 arranged. Mr. Hutton and Mr. Oliver, 

 who had left the steamer at Barbados, 

 were, however, able to spend a consider- 

 able time at that island and at St. 

 Vincent. They visited most of the cotton 

 plantations, and had several meetings 

 with the officials and planters, and much 

 useful work was done, and arrangements 

 were made for placing the work of the 

 Association, as far as the West Indies 

 are concerned, on a sound business 

 footing. 



The progress recorded in the last report 

 has been surpassed in 1907. Larger 

 quantities of cotton have been grown 

 and have been sold at high prices, and 

 the industry is now established on a 

 permanent basis, so that we can con- 

 fidently look to the West Indies for 

 sufficient supply of the best long-stapled 

 cotton to render us almost absolutely 

 independent of the United States. 



Negotiations are now in progress for a 

 visit of West Indian cotton growers to 

 Lancashire. It is proposed to hold 

 meetings in Manchester and Liverpool, 

 and arrangements will be made for 

 visiting various cotton mills. 



3. West Africa. 

 The Council are glad to be able to con- 

 gratulate the shareholders on the con- 

 tinuance of the progress made in 19C6, 

 They have had to face some disappoint- 

 ments and failures, particularly in Sierra 

 Leone, but these have been more than 

 outweighed by the success which has 

 been obtained in other colonies, and 

 they are now convinced that Lancashire 

 can confidently look to West Africa as 

 the great cotton-producing field of the 

 future, It is satisfactory to note the 

 record shipment of 1,050 bales on one 

 steamer in May, 1807, from Lagos alone, 



