October, 1909.] 



801 



Pibres. 



tions iu this region are said to resemble 

 those of Egypt. The soil is a sandy loam, 

 the atmosphere is clear and dry, and 

 the rainfall is sufficiently limited for the 

 crop. The most important point, how- 

 ever, is the existence of canals which 

 enables a system of irrigation to be 

 cariiedout, similar to that practised in 

 Egypt. 



The experiments were commenced in 

 1904, on a plot of laud on the Hiral Wah 

 canal, in the Thar and Parkar district. 

 Four varieties, Abassi, Mitafifi, Yanno- 

 vitch and Ashmouni, were planted. The 

 experiments were very successful, aud 

 the yields compared favourably with 

 those usually obtained in Egypt. The 

 staple showed some deterioration, which 

 was greatest in the Mitafifi and least in 

 the Yannovitch. 



In 1905 an experimental farm was 

 started at Mirpurkhas, and seed was 

 distributed to certain cultivators for 

 trial under the supervision of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture. The total area 

 planted amounted to 1,000 acres, the 

 whole of which was situated on the 

 Jamrao Canal, in a district measuring 

 2,000 square miles. The season was 

 somewhat unfavourable, but a yield of 

 approximately 450 bales was obtained, 

 The cotton realised very encouraging 

 prices, eleven bales being sold in Liver- 

 pool at 9d. per lb,, when "good fair" 

 Egyptian was quoted at lOd. per lb. 

 The greater part of the crop was 

 purchased by a firm of exporters, the 

 price obtained by the cultivators being 

 5%d. per lb. for Mitafifi, and l\d. per lb. 

 for Abassi. 



The area planted with Egyptian cot- 

 ton in 1906 amounted to 5,098 acres, 

 and consisted, as in former years, of 

 small plots scatted over a very large 

 area. The cotton was received at 

 Mipurkhas and sold by auction. This 

 system of collection and sale by the 

 Government will be continued until the 

 industry is firmly established. The 

 average yield was probably less than 

 160 lb. of seed-cotton per acre. This 

 low yield is accounted for by lack of 

 care on the part of some cultivators, and 

 the ravages of the boll-worm. The cot- 

 ton, when not stained by the boll-worm, 

 was equal to the average quality of 

 Egyptian Abassi ; it was of good length, 

 but was said to have deteriorated in 

 strength. 



During 1907 about 2,000 acres were 

 planted with Abassi seed obtained from 

 the 1906 crop ginned in Sind, and 4,335 

 acres with Mitafifi seed imported ftom 

 Egypt, The plants were not attacked 

 to any extent by the boll-worm, but in 

 most cases sufficient care was not 



exercised in the cultivation, and exces- 

 sive irrigation was practised. The total 

 crop was probably about 1,800 bales of 

 seed-cotton, each of 400 lb. About fifty- 

 five bales of Abassi and three hundred 

 bales of Mitafifi were sold by auction 

 at Mirpurkhas, and realised satisfactory 

 prices. The chief buyers were the 

 Ahmedabad and Bombay mills, and one 

 or two exporting firms. It was reported 

 that samples were being purchased for 

 export to Japan. 



The area planted during the present 

 year is of approximately the same extent 

 as that cultivated in 1907. Fifty-six 

 tons of Abassi aud eleven tons of Mitafifi 

 seed have been distributed. 



COTTON CULTIVATION IN THE 

 SEA ISLANDS. 



(From the Agricultural Netvs, Vol. VIII., 

 No. 187, June 26, 1909.) 

 The Director of Agriculture of the 

 Nyasaland Protectorate (Mr. J. Stewart 

 McCall) some time ago paid a visit to the 

 United States, in order to study the 

 methods of cotton cultivation practised 

 in that country, and the information 

 gathered as the result of his visit is pub- 

 lished iu a small bulletiu (No. 1 of 1909) re- 

 cently issued by the Nyasaland Agricul- 

 tural Department. The following notes 

 are an abstract of the section of the pam- 

 phlet which deals with the cultivation 

 of fine staple cotton in the Sea Islands :— 



The amount of Sea Island cotton grown 

 iu the United States forms less than 1 

 per cent, of the whole American cotton 

 crop, but it is of great importance owing 

 to its high quality. It is grown to the 

 highest perfection on James and Edistow 

 Islands, which lie to the wes-t and south- 

 west of Charleston, in the State of South 

 Carolina. 



Sea Island cotton is most sensitive in 

 regard to changes of soil and climate. It 

 does best on light sand and gravel allu- 

 via, not too rich in humus, with free 

 drainage, and a fairly humid atmosphere. 



On the best plantations in the Sea 

 Islands, about 75 per cent, of the whole 

 area is known as ' cotton land,' and the 

 other 25 per cent, is devoted to the 

 growth of truck crops. 



Cotton is not grown continuously ou 

 the same land, however, but only in 

 alternate years. Land which has borne 

 cotton in one year is either plauted with 

 some leguminous crop, such as cowpeas 

 or velvet beans, in the following season, 

 or simply left unploughed. When green 

 crops are grown they are fed to animals 

 on the land. 



