Fibres. 



326 



[APRIL, 1909. 



This work should be undertaken by 

 the Assistant Director, Mr. Lock, who 

 is a specialist in the Mendelian principles 

 of plant breeding, which have given 

 good results in Egypt, as applied by 

 W. L. Balls, Esq., Botanist to the 

 Khedevial Agricultural Society, 



The writer having discussed the ques- 

 tion of the introduction of exotic cottons 

 with Mr. Kearney of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry at Washington, would 

 like to inform those engaged in cotton 

 experiments that a newly-introduced 

 exotic seldom attains its normal crop- 

 ping capacity until it is acclimatized, 

 and on an average five years are neces- 

 sary for acclimatization. 



The writer noticed that the cotton 

 plants at the Experiment Station are 

 not acclimatized and exhibit the usual 

 initial character of great height and 

 small fruiting capacity. 



Egyptian cotton usually becomes very 

 arboraceous in the first two or three 

 years of its introduction, but after accli- 

 matization it decreases its height and 

 increases its fruits. 



The Experiment. — The experiment at 

 Maha-iluppalama has been very irre- 

 gular, as no one connected with the 

 experiment had previous practical ex- 

 perience of the crop ; but, notwithstand- 

 ing the small amount of information at 

 the disposal of Mr. Mee, and the many 

 difficulties in his pioneer work, the 

 writer views the experiment on a whole 

 as most promising. 



The chief value of this experiment, so 

 far, lies in the fact that there is seed at 

 Maha-iluppalama, which has beeu three 

 years iu the country; and, secondly, 

 that it has been demonstrated by the 

 report of the British cotton growers in 

 1905 that Egyptian cotton of good 

 character and staple can be produced in 

 the North-Central Province— this sold 

 at 9d. per pound being well up to the 

 price of cotton grown in Egypt in 1905. 



The yield per acre was 130 lb. fibre, 

 and the writer feels confident, if the 

 following particulars are carried out, 

 that a minimum average of 300 lb. of 

 fibre should easily be obtained. 



Growing Season. — The present crop 

 occupying the ground was sown in the 

 middle of October, and at its age the 

 writer has seldom seen so healthy cotton, 

 although the yield will be small, as the 

 spacing is too wide, the seeding too thin, 

 and the crop out of season. 



Where irrigation is possible, it would 

 be advisable that the cotton be sown in 

 the beginning of February, instead of 

 October, as the heavy rains of November 

 and December induce the plants to grow 



too quickly, and heayy rain also kills 

 out many of the young plants when in 

 the first leaf (i.e., before they have 

 produced the rough or secondary leaves). 



In the North-Central Province there is 

 much land irrigable, and much which 

 cannot be irrigated, therefore the writer 

 would suggest two planting seasons. 

 The best results will be obtained on 

 irrigated land by planting in the first 

 week of February on ridges, this 

 undoubtedly will be the best cotton, and 

 should be ready to harvest in the dry 

 hot months of July and August. 



This cotton could be on the Liverpool 

 market at the same time as the Egyptian 

 crop, and this is an important consider- 

 ation. 



The cotton grown without irrigation 

 should be sown on the flat in the month 

 of September when there is usually 

 sufficient rain to germinate the seed, 

 and this cotton would be in the rough 

 leaf before the beginning of the heavier 

 rains in November ; great results need 

 not be expected with the crop grown at 

 this season. 



Soil,— The soil is an ideal soil for 

 cotton, and closely resembles the black 

 river bottoms of Texas, being a dark 

 alluvium, more inclined to clay than 

 sand, with a high retentive power for 

 water as shown by the many irriga- 

 tion tanks distributed throughout the 

 Province. 



Immediately after removing the jungle 

 the organic matter is considerable. 

 This is principally in the form of decay- 

 ing wood and roots which quickly 

 decompose in the moist warm climate, 

 and may ultimately leave the soil 

 deficient in nitrogen. 



From a cotton point of view, the soil 

 is inclined to produce too much stalk ; 

 and it is a known fact that the fruit- 

 ing capacity of tall cotton is less than 

 that of cotton of medium height. 



This soil will require careful irriga- 

 tion to prevent the accumulation of 

 stagnant water and the production of 

 soil acidity, which is fatal to cotton. 



Manures. — It has been proved that 

 nitrogen from an organic source forms 

 the best basis on which to construct a 

 cotton manure, and in Egypt the source 

 of organic nitrogen is largely Bersim 

 Clover (Trifolium alexandrinum). 



In newly-opened jungle land it is not 

 necessary to add organic nitrogen, as 

 an adequate supply exists in the decay- 

 ing timber and root. 



This to a large extent disappears after 

 four of five crops have been taken from 

 the soil, when it may be advisable to 



