February, 1909.] 



131 



FIBRES. 



COTTON CULTIVATION IN THE 

 KURUNEGALA DISTRICT. 



By Dr. H. M. Fernando, m.d. 



Dr. Willis has stated that an experi- 

 ence extending over three years is neces- 

 sary to make a definite pronouncement 

 as to the results of cotton cultivation. 

 In this Paper I venture to embody the 

 experience gained in cultivating this 

 product in the Kurunegala District for 

 five consecutive years. 



Start. 



A commencement was made in 1903 

 on a very small scale with Upland 

 cotton, and the indigenous variety 

 known as Kidney cotton, which grows 

 so freely as a perennial in village gar- 

 dens. In 1904, with selected seed sent 

 by the Cotton Growing Association, 

 a definite series of experiments on a 

 larger scale was started with the 

 following varieties of cotton :— 



(a) American Upland. 



(6) Sea Island. 



(c) Egyptian Mit-Afiffi. 



(d) Kidney, 



About ten acres were devoted to each 

 variety, and the resulting crops were 



f;inned and baled by hand-machinery 

 orwarded to me by the Cotton Grow- 

 ing Association, to whom the cotton 

 was consigned for sale and report. 



The results of the sale, although the 

 quantities were not sufficiently large 

 to attract proper competition amongst 

 buyers, were eminently satisfactroy. 

 The Upland and Sea Island varieties 

 fetched higher prices than the average 

 prices of the British cottons grown in 

 America, and the Egyptian cotton was 

 quite equal to the average samples pro- 

 duced in Egypt. 



The Object of the 1905 Experiment 

 was to find out which of the varieties of 

 cotton fetching a ready sale in the mar- 

 ket of the world was best suited to 

 the district in which the experiment 

 was conducted. 



It was also essential to determine the 

 proper season of the year to commence 

 the xilanting. 



The Upland variety reaches maturity 

 in the shortest time, requiring about 

 four and a half months only for the 

 crop. The Sea Island needs about five 

 months, whilst Egyptian cotton re- 

 quires about a month longer, In well- 



drained land all the varieties demand 

 plenty of rain for growth and matur- 

 ation, and an assured period of dry 

 weather to follow to enable the crop 

 to be picked without damage. 



Yields. 



The Egyptian variety gives the 

 heaviest yield, and the Sea Island the 

 smallest. As the latter fetches the 

 highest prices it was found that it was 

 the most remunergtive to grow. 



The distribution of rainfall and dry 

 weather obtaining in the district ren- 

 dered it absolutely necessary to plant 

 cotton with the North-east monsoon 

 rains in October and November, and 

 depend on the February-March drought 

 for the crop. These weather conditions 

 precluded the successful cultivation of 

 the Egyptian variety, Since 1905 only 

 Sea Island cotton was cultivated as an 

 annual crop. 



The land at my disposal consisted 

 of either virgin forest, or chena, gener- 

 ally undulating. Owing to the nature 

 of the land, the number of stumps on 

 the ground, and the fact that cotton 

 formed a catch crop amongst rubber or 

 coconuts, the only attention the cotton 

 received after planting was clean weed- 

 ing. Efficient cultivation of the soil 

 which is essential to the proper growth 

 of cotton was not carried out. Even 

 under such adverse conditions of growth 

 the yield of lint per acre, which varied 

 from 11C to 80 pounds in different years, 

 was satisfactory. This yield was ob- 

 tained over an area of about fifty acres 

 each year, and fetched prices varying 

 from 10c£. to Is. per pound. 



Pests : their Prevention. 



Every variety of cotton, grown in the 

 wet zone in Ceylon, is inclined to be- 

 come a perennial. This habit of the 

 plant must be systematically checked 

 if success in cotton cultivation is to be 

 secured. After the crop is gathered, the 

 plants should be rooted out, or allowed 

 to be eaten up by cattle or goats. The 

 necessity for this is due to the fact that 

 cotton is highly susceptible to insect 

 pests, and if it is grown as a perennial, 

 the indefinite multiplication of insects, 

 with a permanent food supply at their 

 disposal, will ultimately ruin the culti- 

 vation. Treating cotton as a six months 

 crop every year is the best means of 

 fighting its, insect enemies. In the 

 Kurunegala District at least two kinds 

 of insect pests were met wittu The 



