August, 1909.] 



113 



Fibres. 



the scale of culture may create a situ- 

 ation parallel to that between 1890 and 

 1907, when the world's consumption 

 increased from under three million tons 

 to eight millions per annum. But if we 

 leave such spurts out of account, and 

 base estimates on the steady and normal 

 growth only of the past few years, we 

 shall open out a prospect quite suffi- 

 cientljr encouraging to the pioneers of 

 new sources of supply ; and in putting 

 the present deficiency afc 250,000 tons per 

 annum, and estimating a gradual growth 

 in the demand, in excess of what present 

 sources can supply, amounting ten years 

 hence to one and a half million tons, we 

 shall be on perfectly safe ground. 



COTTON. 

 By J. E, Jones, 



(From the Agricultural Journal of 

 British East Africa, Vol. I., Part 2, 



July, 1908.) 

 It is a commonplace remark that great 

 results often come about from insigni- 

 ficant causes, but it is nevertheless in 

 many instances perfectly true. In no 

 case is it more so than in the generally 

 accepted version of the introduction of 

 Cotton and the commencement of its 

 cultivation in Egypt. The story goes 

 that a Turkish Dervish on his way 

 home from India, presented an impor- 

 tant personage in Egypt of the name of 

 Maho-Bey el Orfali with some Cotton 

 seed which he had obtained in India. 

 These were planted and the bushes re- 

 tained as ornamental shrubs until a 

 wandering Swiss of the name of Immel 

 saw them and recognised their value. 

 He persuaded Maho-Bey to cultivate the 

 Cotton seriously, which he did with 

 complete success. This was the begin- 

 ning of the present era of Cotton growing 

 in Egypt. 



Prom researches made by many emi- 

 nent botanists, it has been conclusively 

 proved that there existed an indigenous 

 type of Cotton in Egypt previous to 

 the enterprise of Maho-Bey. " Cotton," 

 under the name "Gossypium" was 

 known to post classical Roman writers, 

 and the word is evidently derived from 

 Greek. That bears witness to the anti- 

 quity of the plant. It is quite possible 

 that the Romans, who were for a long 

 period in possession oi Egypt, obtained 

 their knowledge of it from that country. 

 However that may be, and however old 

 its origin, it had become an absolutely 

 degenerate product previous to 1800 or 

 so, for that is approximately the date 

 of the introduction of the above men- 

 tioned Indian seed to Egypt. Prom that 

 date to this the cultivation of Cotton 

 15 



has expanded so greatly, that it is now 

 probably the most important product of 

 the world, giving employment to count- 

 less thousands. 



To-day we have in Egypt several 

 varieties, the principal of which are, 



(1) Achmouni. 



(2) Gallini. 



(3) Bamieh. 



(4) Mitafifi. 



(5) Abassi. 



(6) Janovitch. 



How these varieties arose it is difficult 

 to trace satisfactorily, in all cases, but 

 some are the results of crossing and 

 hybridisation. It is possible also that 

 climate and soil play an important part 

 in determining the colour, length and 

 fineness of staple of a particular class. 

 Their chief characteristics are : — 



1. Achmouni,— Slightly brown, plant 

 short, yield only moderate, moreover it 

 does not yield well in the Ginnery ; most 

 probably a variety of Gossypium Bar- 

 badense, type segyptiacum. Taken 

 its name from Achmoun, a town in 

 Menoufieh. 



2. Gallini.— A sub-variety of Sea Is- 

 land. Yields fairly but requires water. 

 Ripens very slowly. The staple is long', 



3. Bamieh.— Taken its name from a 

 Garden plant (Hibicus esculentus) which 

 it resembles. Long, fine staple ; it suffers 

 from variations of climate and must be 

 regularly watered. Cultivation gener- 

 ally abandoned, 



4. Mitafifi.— The chief variety of 

 Gossipium barbadense, though it bears 

 traces of other varieties. It is also called 

 "Sukan" owing to the fact that its 

 brownish colour resembles that of burnt 

 sugar. It made its first appearance at 

 Mitafifi in Menoufieh about 1884, since 

 which date its cultivation -has been 

 enormously extended. It is currently 

 supposed that its brown colouration is 

 due to action of salt in the ground, a 

 statement which is borne out by the fact 

 that Afifi grown near the Coast at 

 Malindi is browner than that grown 

 inland. 



Its chief features are— long staple, 

 heavy yield both in the field and Gin- 

 nery, and the fact that climatic condi- 

 tions have less effect on its vegetation 

 thau on any other variety. 



5. Abassi.— This variety gives a bril- 

 liant Cctton White in colour and a 

 stronger and finer staple than Mitafifi. 

 It was evolved originally by a Greek 

 named Zafiri out of a prior variety 

 called Zafiri which was itself a variety 

 of Mitafifi. It is cultivated extensively 

 in Egypt, and realises a higher price 

 than Mitafifi but, as a crop, it is not so 

 productive as the latter, 



