Fibres. 



424 



May 1909.] 



is of great importance owing to its high 

 quality. It is grown to the greatest 

 degree of perfection on James and Edisto 

 Islands, which lie to the west and south- 

 west of Charleston in the State of South 

 Carolina The largest part of this crop 

 is grown on the coast line of South Caro- 

 lina, the interior of Georgia and North 

 Central Florida. The coast counties of 

 Georgia and Florida produce but little 

 cotton owing to the inferior character 

 of the soil and the absence of necessary 

 labour, 



Crop Requirements. -Sea Island cot- 

 ton is more sensitive to soil and climate 

 than any other cotton. It is a maritime 

 plant, excelling in quality when grown 

 on light sand and gravel alluvia, not too 

 rich in humus, with free drainage, a 

 humid atmosphere, and in close proxi- 

 mity to the sea. 



On the plantations of Messrs. Rivers, 

 Seabrook and Hinsou, which are con- 

 sidered to be the three best plantations 

 on James Island, the cotton is grown 

 without a distinct rotatiou. Most of the 

 island plantations are divided into three 

 parts, seventy-five per cent, being de- 

 voted to cotton and twenty-five per cent, 

 to truck farming, i.e. the cultivation of 

 vegetables, fodders, etc. The cotton 

 area is divided into two equal parts, 

 which grow cotton in alternate years. 

 During the fallow year a few farmers 

 grow leguminous plants, such as cow- 

 peas or velvet beans, but cereals are 

 never grown on the cotton land. Most 

 of the farmers prefer to leave the land 

 without a crop unploughed, allowing 

 weeds to grow among the old cotton 

 stalks, and using the field as a mule 

 paddock. Several farmers when asked 

 why they did not plough the land and 

 prevent the growth of weeds, replied 

 that " the sun hurts the ground when 

 exposed, and therefore we prefer a 

 covering of vegetation in summer to 

 bare fallow." This is contrary to expe- 

 rience in Egypt, where the best crops are 

 obtained after a summer bare fallow. 



Much of the island-grown cotton never 

 enters the market, but is sold privately 

 to lace manufacturers (mostly French), 

 at very high figures, Is. 8d. to 2s. lid. 

 per pound frequently being paid for 

 choice crops. 



In planting Sea Island cotton, 5 feet 

 i^ generally left between the rows and 

 22 inches between the plants. Planting 

 commences in March; harvesting begins 

 in the latter part of August and con- 

 tinues till December. 



The island-grown cotton is much 

 superior to the mainland crop. The 

 inferiority of the latter is due to hybri- 



disation with Upland cotton, which is 

 grown in close proximity to it, and 

 also to the lack of humidity in the 

 atmosphere. 



The mainland cultivators of Sea Island 

 cotton say that their Sea Island crop 

 is superior to their Upland crop when 

 the season is warm and rainy, and vice 

 versa when there is drought. The 

 mainland-grown crop is shorter and less 

 lustrous than the island cotton; the 

 best results are always obtained by 

 growing it from island-grown seed. 



During the present year the island 

 cultivators have formed a union to pre- 

 vent the sale of their seed, as they say 

 the increasing production of mainland 

 Sea Island cotton is affecting their 

 prices. The Department of Agriculture 

 at Washington have been lefused seed, 

 which they much regret, as they have 

 no type of this cotton which does not 

 degenerate on the mainland. This is a 

 very narrow policy, and will probably 

 benefit Egyptian cotton growers more 

 than American growers, as the lower 

 giades of Sea Island, such as that grown 

 on the mainland, can be replaced by the 

 higher grades of Egyptian varieties. 



Possible Extension of Sea Island Culti- 

 vation.— It is considered by many that 

 there is very little possibility of extend- 

 ing the Sea Island cotton industry in 

 America, the principal reasons being 

 that the cost of labour is very high, and 

 that the ciop gives but small returns 

 when planted under other than the best 

 conditions. It is more profitable to 

 grow ordinary Upland in most districts, 

 as it is far more certain to yield a crop, 

 especially in seasons of drought. 



Selection and Manuring. — The island 

 cultivators are firm believers in select- 

 ing and manuring their cotton, although 

 they object to a mixed rotation. Each 

 of the island plantations visited had its 

 breeding and selecting plot, and there 

 is little doubt that the high quality of 

 Sea Island cotton is to a large extent 

 the result of prolonged selection in com- 

 bination with the admirable natural 

 climatic and soil conditions of the 

 islands. The planters are a superior 

 class of men, and exercise great care in 

 growing and harvesting their cotton. 

 They commence manuring the land, 

 when farmyard manure is available, as 

 early as November, by applying twenty 

 loads per acre on the surface between 

 the old ridges. As a general rule, plough- 

 ing commences at the beginning of 

 February, when 1,000 to 1,200 lb. of 

 cotton-seed are applied between the old 

 ridges, if no farmyard manure was 

 available for application in November. 

 This seed is covn d by splitting the 



