Fibrest 



406 



[November, 1908. 



The following statistics should prove 

 interesting :— 



The samples referred to are at present 

 in the hands of the Uganda Government 

 for purpose of exhibition at the Kampala 

 Agricultural Show, but they are at the 

 service of the East Africa Government 

 if so desired. 



" At the present time the varieties 

 that are chiefly grown in Egypt are :— 

 " Ashmouni in Upper Egypt. 

 " Abassi in Lower Egypt. 

 " Mit Afifi. in Lower Egypt. 

 " Jannovitch in Lower Egypt. 



"The Mit Afifi, in acreage, and the 

 total value of its product, far exceeds 

 all the other varieties, 



"At least 70 per cent, of the total 

 Egyptian acreage in Cotton is of this 

 variety. 



" In 1006, 75*5 per cent, of the total crop 

 was Mit Afifi, 15 per cent. Ashmouni, 

 5"5 per cent. Jannovitch, and 2*7 per cent. 

 Abassi. 



" As a rule 3o per cent, of the total crop 

 is harvested at the first picking, 45 

 per cent, at the second, and 20 per cent, 

 at the third, but these proportions 

 vary considerably from year to year. 



"The first picking is generally the 

 best, and that from the third picking 

 being the poorest samples, 



"No. 1. Nubari. — Named after Bojhos 

 Pacha Nubar, is a fine long staple 

 cotton, but of brownish colour. It is in 

 many cases difficult to distinguish from 

 Afifi except by the feel and length of 

 staple, the colour and appearance being 

 very similar, 



" The growth is being largely ex- 

 tended." 



" No, 2. Abassi.— Much resembles the 

 American Sea Island varieties. Observe 

 staple." 



" No. 3. Afifi.— Is the quality gener- 

 ally grown throughout the Delta upon 

 which all transactions are based. 



" It is brown colour, and as regards the 

 length of staple and fineness of quality 

 this varies much according to the dis- 

 tricts in which it is grown. 



"The value also varies according to 

 the fineness of the quality, and there 

 is a large difference in price between 

 the fine grades and the lower qualities 

 grown on poor lands." 



"No. 4. Tokar (Soudan) Afifi.— 

 This cotton was formerly merely locally 

 consumed by the growers, but recent 

 shipments have turned out so satis- 

 factory, that this established growth is 

 now recognised and the bulk of the 

 crop is shipped to England and the 

 Continent. 



" This quality is grown from ordinary 

 Afifi seed, and although not so perfect 

 as the Delta growth, it possesses a fairly 

 long and moderate staple." 



"No. 5. Jannovitch.— This quality 

 named after the originator, Mr. Janno- 

 vitch, who found this special growth, 

 is of a creamy colour, silky touch, with a 

 long fine and very strong staple, it is the 

 most expensive Cotton grown in Egypt. 



"Before concluding this report it is 

 desired to record sincere acknowledg- 

 ments for information and help very 

 liberally given orally and otherwise, in 

 some cases at no small sacrifice of time 

 and trouble to Government officials, 

 the Agricultural Department, and more 



Earticularly to Assistant Liwali, Ali 

 in Salim. 



"It is to their help and co-operation 

 that much of the success of Cotton 

 growing by the British East Africa Cor- 

 poration in East Africa is due." 



IMPROVING MADRAS COTTON. 



(Prom the Indian Agriculturist, Vol. 

 XXXIV., No. 7, July 1, 1909.) 



The last number of the Memoirs of 

 the Agricultural Department of India is 

 of more than common interest to workers 

 in South India. It raises the whole 

 question as to the possibility of improv- 

 ing the cotton crop of this" Presidency 

 by the application of Mendelian princi- 

 ples in cross-breeding. Mr. P. P. Pyson, 

 Professor of Botany, Presidency College, 

 Madras, the writer of the paper, is opti- 

 mistic, and, having convinced himself 

 of fruitful results from work in this 

 direction, he very rightly throws down 

 the gauge and boldly states his views. 

 It remains to be seen whether the local 

 Department of Agriculture will accept 

 his challenge. He has grown cotton 

 plants in various places in and around 

 Madras during the past four or five years, 

 has crossed the flowers and observed 

 the characters of the offspirng. His 

 attention has been mainly concentrated 

 on three characters, the shape of the 

 leaf, the colour of the flower and the 

 fuzz on the seed, selecting parents differ- 

 ing markedly in these respects. The 

 first two of these he has demonstrated 

 to be characters which behave according 

 to Mendel's laws, but the third seems 

 to be complicated by other factors, 

 and does not yield to so simple a 

 solution. Professor Fyson is to be 

 congratulated on breaking ground on 

 a crop so important to Indian agri- 

 culture, and the main feature of his 

 work is that he has been able to study 



