Fibres. 



24 



July, 1908: 



producing country. There are 25,000 

 square miles of suitable land adjacent to 

 the lake, and there are over 1,000,000 

 native farmers with considerable know- 

 ledge of agriculture. Already large 

 quantities of cotton are being produced — 

 the exports in 1906 reached 800 bales of 

 400 lbs., and it is estimated that in 1907 

 over 3,000 bales have been produced. 

 Generally speaking, the prospects are 

 most encouraging. 



The quality of the cotton is of a type 

 most useful to Lancashire, and the 

 better grades are worth two pence a 

 pound over Middling American. Unfor- 

 tunately there has been no expert to 

 superintend and advise on the work, 

 and a large proportion of the cotton is 

 most inferior. Several varieties of seed 

 have been given out indiscriminately, 

 with the result that the cotton is much 

 mixed. A great deal of the lint is also 

 badly stained, probably due to careless 

 cultivation. It is most unfortunate that, 

 owing to lack of funds, the Association 

 were unable to take any active part in 

 this country, but most urgent represen- 

 tations have now been made to the Gov- 

 ernment, who have fully realised the 

 danger of the situation. 



In this connection it should be noted 

 that it is extremely difficult to find agri- 

 cultural experts with the necessary 

 scientific training and sufficient know- 

 ledge of cotton to direct and eoutrol the 

 establishment of the industry in anew 

 country. The Council have urtred the 

 Govenment very strongly to inaugurate 

 Agricultural Scholai ships, to enable 

 young men who have had a practical 

 and scientific training at home to spend 

 two or three years in studying cotton 

 and other tropical products in the West 

 Indies, Ceylon, Egypt, America, or else- 

 where. 



7. Rhodesia. 

 The work of the Rhodesia Cotton 

 Company in 1907 has not been successful, 

 and for various reasons the cotton crop 

 on the Company's plantation is a short 

 one. It is hoped, however, that with 

 more favourable weather conditions 

 next year's crop may be more successful, 

 and in the meantime more attention is 

 being paid to the question of establish- 

 ing cotton growing as a native industry. 



8. South Africa. 

 Some excellent small lots of cotton 

 have been produced in various parts of 

 South Africa, from the Transvaal down 

 to Cape Colony, and if growing good 

 "samples" was the only criterion, one 

 would say that South Africa was an 

 ideal cotton growing country. The 

 Association has not sufficient capital to 



embark on any enterprise of its own in 

 that country, the Council having decided 

 to concetrate its efforts and its funds on 

 those countries which offered an imme- 

 diate prospect of producing large quan- 

 tities of cotton, viz., West and East 

 Africa and the West Indies. At the 

 same time the Council have been willing 

 always to help planters by advice or in 

 marketing their cotton, not only in 

 South Africa, but throughout the whole 

 world, but for some reason or other no 

 planter in South Africa has yet succeed- 

 ed in producing any quantity of cotton. 

 This is the more disappointing as, with 

 the one exception of the West Indies, 

 South Africa has sent home better 

 samples than any other part of the 

 Empire. Some small lots of cotton 

 recently received from Cape Colony were 

 valued at 12d. per pound. 



9. Egypt and The Soudan. 

 It is a matter of regret to all who are 

 interested in Egypt that Lord Cromer 

 was unable to continue any longer his 

 splendid work, which has been the ad- 

 miration of the whole world. He has, 

 however, laid solid foundations for the 

 future, and one can confidently trust 

 that his able successor (Sir Eldon Gorstj 

 will worthily follow in his predecessor's 

 footsteps. 



The Egyptian cotton crop continues 

 to show the same want of elasti- 

 city, and this is more serious in view 

 of the number of new mills which have 

 been recently erected in this country 

 for spinning fine counts. Some years 

 must elapse before new fields can be 

 sufficiently developed to produce a really 

 appreciable quantity of cotton to supple- 

 ment the Egyptian supply. This develop- 

 ment is much delayed by the inadequate 

 funds at the disposal of the Council, and 

 many promising schemes have to be 

 "pigeonholed" for want of capital. 



The production of cotton in the Soudan 

 continues to progress slowly but surely, 

 and the Association is in touch with 

 several planters, and recently supplied 

 a ginning plant and a hydraidic press 

 to one of the leading planters. 



10. General. 



Efforts are also being made to grow 

 cotton in Queensland with some success, 

 but beyond assisting in marketing the 

 cotton the Association has not been able 

 to take any active part in the same. 



During 1907 there has been a consider- 

 able increase in the quantities of cotton 

 and seed sent to the Association for sale, 

 and planters generally are now beginning 

 to recognise the value of the Asso- 

 ciation's assistance in this direction. A 



