516 



[December, 1908. 



FIBRES. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON 

 CULTIVATION. 



Sea Island cotton planting has been in 

 active progress in many parts of the 

 West Indian Islands for several weeks, 

 but large areas are yet to be planted, 

 and the present is an opportune time 

 for again drawing the attention of 

 planters to points in connection with 

 the cultivation which they will do well 

 to observe. 



In regard to the season for planting 

 cotton in the West Indies, experience 

 has shown that the most satisfactory 

 results are obtained from areas that 

 have been planted during the period 

 from the beginning of June to the end 

 of September. Within the limits men- 

 tioned, the planter must depend on 

 local experience to guide him as to the 

 most suitable date for sowing his seed, 

 but the soil should be got into a good 

 state of cultivation, so that advautage 

 may be taken of early showers of rain 

 to start planting operations. 



In the case of planters who may have 

 had comparatively small experience in 

 growing Sea Island cotton, the labour 

 supply and the question of suitable soil 

 will first need attention. It should be 

 remembered that for the gathering of 

 cotton an abundance of labour, more 

 especially of women and children, is 

 essential. As regards soil, although 

 cotton has been grown on practically 

 every type of land, it is now generally 

 recognized that the best results are 

 obtained from fairly light loams, cap- 

 able of being easily worked. It is im- 

 portant that cotton land, more especially 

 if of a heavy nature, should be efficiently 

 drained, since it has been noticed that 

 where the soil is retentive of moisture 

 and the rainfall is high, the cotton pro- 

 duced has a tendency to become weak 

 and wasty. On the other hand, even 

 with a high rainfall, the cotton does not 

 show these characteristics if the soil is 

 of a porous nature. 



Thorough and careful preparation of 

 the land is most essential for success with 

 the cotton crop, and is one of the chief 

 factors in determining the ultimate 

 yield as well as the quality of the lint. 



The land should be ploughed or forked 

 and the surface soil well pulverized 

 sometime before sowing takes place. 

 The most successful cotton planters 

 have found that improved results are 

 obtained when the soil is allowed to 

 mellow, or 'cool out,' for a short time 

 before planting. 



The growth of cotton is attended with 

 the loss of a considerable amount of 

 organic matter to the soil, and it is 

 essential that this should be replaced if 

 good crops are to be produced. Where 

 cotton forms the main crop of the estate, 

 and is grown year after year on the 

 same land, pen manure dug into the 

 soil, and applied at the rate of about 

 half the quantity usually given to 

 sugar-cane, forms an excellent mode of 

 supplying the humus lost. Another 

 method is by growing cowpeas, or some 

 other leguminous crop, and turning it 

 into the soil. On sugar estates, however, 

 where cotton is but a subsidiary crop, 

 the pen manure supplied to the canes 

 is sufficient also to meet the demands 

 of the cotton. As regards artificial 

 manures, their use in connection with 

 Sea Island cotton has not been attended 

 with profitable returns at Montserat or 

 St. Kitt's (see Agricultural News, Vol. 

 VII, p. 246). In experiments with cotton 

 carried out at Barbados the best results 

 were obtained from the application of 

 300 lb. high grade superphosphate, 401b. 

 good sulphate of potash, and 100 lb. good 

 sulphate of ammonia per acre. 



In regard to the amount of cotton 

 seed required for sowing, it has frequent- 

 ly been pointed out in the publications 

 of the Imperial Department of Agri- 

 culture that 61b. of seed per acre is a 

 very suitable quantity under ordinary 

 circumstances of planting. On sugar- 

 cane land, the seed is usually sown at 

 distances of 5 feet in the rows, and 

 20 inches from plant to plant in the rows, 

 or the rows may be 6 feet apart with a 

 distance of 18 inches between the plants. 



It is a good plan to sow four seeds at 

 each hole, about an inch deep. Later, 

 three of the plants may be removed, the 

 strongest only being left. It is re- 

 commended that not more than one 

 plant be allowed to grow at each hole. 



The importance of selecting a good 

 strain of seed for planting has been 

 l epeatedly urged by the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, since the character 

 of the seed has great influence upon the 

 crop return obtained, and especially 

 upon the quality of the lint. In the 

 early stages of the cotton industry in 

 the West Indies, cotton seed was select- 

 ed, disinfected, and put on sale by 

 Officers of the Department. Many 

 planters now do their own selection 

 work, and selected and disinfected seed 

 can be obtained from the cotton factories 

 of Barbados, St. Vincent, and Antigua. 

 Planters should at least assure them- 

 selves that the 9eed planted by them is 



