August, 1909.] 



115 



Fibres , 



for a little time, it is advisable to sow 

 on ridges. If, however, the soil is porous, 

 sowing on the flat is best. 



(2.) To keep the Cotton clean.— That is 

 essential, for the plant must have light 

 and air in order to make good growth. 

 If grass is allowed to encumber it, it will 

 grow up into a weedy plant, the leaves 

 of which will speedily turn yellow. The 

 yield consequently will be poor. The 

 number of weedings necessary in a sea- 

 son will depend entirely on the quantity 

 and quality of tbe grass and on the rain. 



(3.) To pick the Cotton clean.— This is 

 of vital importance to the Planter if 

 he wishes to secure good prices. He 

 will himself realise the importance of 

 exercising constant supervision while 

 the picking is going on, 



(4.) To grade the Cotton— -This is 

 almost as important as the last point, 

 for in case of good and bad cotton being 

 mixed, the Planter will only obtain the 

 price current for his lower quality. No 

 consideration is paid to the fact that 

 there may be good cotton mixed up 

 with it. 



Cost of Production.— It is difficult to 

 make even a general estimate of this. 

 So much depends on the quality of the 

 soil, the presence or absence of thick 

 bush, and the quality of the labour. 

 When land is moderately covered with 

 bush, it will cost approximately £2 per 

 acre to clear, burn and stump, lu addi- 

 tion to that, the re is the cost of hoeing, 

 sowing, cleaning and picking ; the total 

 amount of which may be estimated at 

 another £2, making £i in all. This is a 

 moderate estimate for the first year's 

 work. 



The yield should be about 750 lbs. 

 of seed cotton (Abassi) and about 

 1,000 lbs. Afifi. After adding the cost of 

 ginning, handling and freight, broker- 

 age, etc., it should leave a profit to the 

 Planters. 



But as long as labour is purely manual, 

 no fortunes will be made, The use of 

 oxen and ploughs will not only cheapen, 

 but also improve cultivation, and it is 

 to be sincerely hoped that in a short 

 time it will be found possible to utilise 

 them on every plantation, 



PICKING COTTON. 



(From the Queensland Agricultural 

 Journal, Vol. XXII., Part 2, 

 February, 1909.) 



There is no difficulty in picking well- 

 ripened cotton, but much judgement is 

 required to pick properly and to the 

 best advantage. Where pickers are 

 engaged to pick at so much per cwt., it 



is manifestly to their advantage to pick 

 rapidly, and in so doing not to be very 

 particular as to selecting the best, ripest, 

 and cleanest bolls. Unless the clean 

 cotton is kept apart from that which is 

 stained, additional expense and loss of 

 time are incurred by the grower and 

 the ginner, in sorting it on arrival at 

 the giunery. We write from experience 

 on this matter, as it was no uncommon 

 thing to pick out from 10 to 20 lb. weight 

 of stained cotton when delivered at the 

 gin house by the farmer, and this in 

 addition to such added trifles as stones, 

 gravel, horse shoes, and even old boots. 

 It is a very simple matter to so arrange 

 the picking-bag that it shall be provided 

 with a separate pocket, into which the 

 stained bolls may be placed, the clean 

 cotton going into a larger receptacle, 

 The usual custom, in the old days of 

 cotton-growing in Queensland, was to 

 bag the cotton after only a few hours' 

 exposure to the sun, and to cart it in at 

 once to the ginnery, causing great loss 

 to the buyer. Cotton should, after being 

 dried, be kept in store for three or four 

 weeks before being ginned, and turned 

 over several times until the seed is so 

 dry that it will crack between the teeth. 

 The "Cyprus Journal" has the follow- 

 ing notes on picking : — 



When the cotton-picking season begins, 

 cotton-growers would do well to bear in 

 mind the following hints : — 



Do not leave the ripe cotton too long 

 on the plants, but pick as soon as it 

 is ripe. 



Send all pickers, as far as possible, to 

 gether to one field. In this way more 

 careful supervision can be kept on the 

 pickers and the cotton picked. 



Stained and dirty cotton, when picked, 

 should be put apart at once from the 

 clean cotton. For this purpose a pocket 

 on the picking-bag is very useful. It is 

 easier to separate the stained cotton at 

 the time of picking than afterwards. 



Cotton, when cleaned and dried, should 

 be kept in store from three to six weeks 

 before being sent to the ginnery 



Cottons of different qualities should 

 not be mixed. 



COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS. 



(From the Agricidtural News, Vol. VIII., 

 No. 177, February 0, 1909.) 



( The market prices for cotton from the 

 Sea Islands still remain very low as 

 compared with those which prevailed a 

 year ago. The demand, however, is 

 stated to be good, and it is possible that 



prices may improve somewhat. In their 



