THE SUPPLEMENT TO THE 



Tropical Agriculturist and Magazine of the G. A. 8 



Compiled by A. M. & J. FERGUSON. 



No. 2,] FEBRUARY, 1909. [Vol. IV. 



FUTURE OF COTTON GROWING 

 IN CEYLON. 



MR. STEWART McCALL'S REPORT. 



Mr. J. Stewart McCall, arrived in Ceylon in 

 October last for three months' study of local 

 tropical agriculture before proceeding to take 

 up the post of Director of Agriculture of Nyassa- 

 land. His visit to the island may prove to have 

 marked the initiation of a practically new indus- 

 try here— the growing of Cotton. As we stated 

 already Mr. McCall proceeded to Maha' lllupal- 

 ama shortly before Christmas to visit the Gov- 

 ernment Station and report specially on Cotton- 

 growing as at present carried on there, and gene- 

 rally on the suitability and facilities for growth 

 of the product in the North-Ce.itral Province. 

 In reply to an official request the expert 

 consented to his report being published— so 

 that local readers and embryo cotton-growers 

 will benefit by its appearance, 



Briefly we may state that Mr, McCall 

 has been exceedingly pleased with all he has 

 seen of the Province as comprising the very 

 country in which to grow Cotton — much of it 

 resembling some of the Cotton-growing land 

 he has seen in Texas. But a great mistake, he 

 finds, has been made in planting it ail out of 

 season at Maha Ulupalama, and it has been too 

 widely planted — so that the average yield has 

 only been about 120 lb. cotton libra per acre, 

 whereas, having gone into all details, Mr. McCall 

 puts the minimum yield that should be obtained 

 on the same land — by altering the season for 

 planting, by planting closer together and selec- 

 ting plants better— at 300 lb. per acre. About 

 7 per jent. of weed cotton has been allowed 

 to grow tip among :the good plants ; and efforts 

 have been made with Sea Island cotton, which 

 has never done and never will do brilliantly 

 (our visitor thinks) outside Sea Island itself. 

 [There ia no harm, indeed, from that point of 

 24 



view that this species of seed is becoming 

 harder to get— the Sea Islanders having made 

 a monopoly of it and by restriction of sale pre- 

 venting overproduction. The fibre is used al- 

 most entirely for fine work, the making of lace, 

 &c, and has been known to fetch as high as lis 

 Gdperlb.] The species of cotton Mr. McCall 

 recommends for growth here is Egyptian, a kind 

 which increases in popularity with growers 

 and manufacturers every year. It should be 

 planted in February, because it is not essential 

 to have wet weather follow its planting, and 

 it ought to be grown under carefully regulated 

 irrigation. The provision of this in the North- 

 Central Province with its abundant tanks should 

 not be difficult ; but that the irrigation wants 

 some regulating may be argued from the opinion 

 of Mr McCall that whereas the paddy-grower 

 gets something like 75 inches of water a year 

 he ought— with due utilisation of the wet season 

 —to be able to grow his paddy on 20 inches, 

 supplied periodically at the proper times. The 

 North-Central Province soil, generally, while in 

 most respects suitable for cotton, is deficient in 

 lime ; and to remedy this Mr McCall recom- 

 mends manuring with basic slag. As to cost of 

 clearing, labour obtainable on contract for 

 planting and other operations— allowing for all 

 these, according to actual figures Mr Mee has 

 afforded— the expert finds that the cost of 

 production ought to be under sixpence per lb, 

 and this — with the cotton fetching 9d per lb, 

 (which the only consignment sent home has 

 obtained) or considerably above this, with the 

 improved cultivation suggested, there will be 

 quite a fair margin to the producer. The 

 planting in February will render possible the 

 harvesting during the dry months of August 

 and September — another essential, fcr wet 

 weather will half ruin any cotton crop at the 

 harvesting time. Mr McCall attributes the 

 fact that cotton-growing has nover caught on in 

 Ceylon before., to the abBenco of any enterprising 



