June, 1909.] 



.'.25 



Fibre a. 



Picking and Sorting op Cotton. 



In the picking and sorting of cotton, 

 each year sees the work done more 

 thoroughly. The spinners appear to be 

 very satisfied with the manner in which 

 the work is carried out. On some estates 

 it has reached a high standard of effi- 

 ciency, and there are now very few 

 complaints of badly picked and prepared 

 cotton being sent the spinners from the 

 West India Islands. 



Quality of the Cotton. 



There are natural limits which serve 

 to determine more or less the quality of 

 the cotton produced. The rainfall and 

 the character ot the soil are perhaps the 

 most important factors. 



Cotton grown in the driest districts is 

 short and of a coarse nature. That 

 obtained from localities where the rain- 

 fall is greater is generally both longer 

 and finer. 



When the soil is of a heavy character 

 and retentive of moisture, the cotton 

 produced has a tendency to become very 

 weak and wasty, particularly if the 

 rainfall is high. If, however, the soil 

 is fairly light in character and very 

 porous, the quality of the cotton does 

 not appear to suffer. In St. Vincent, 

 where the soil is sandy and very porous, 

 the cotton is very strong, even though 

 the rainfall is very heavy for cotton 

 localities. In fact, no stronger cotton is 

 produced in the West Indies than that 

 of St. Vincent. 



Quality of Various Pickings. 



In most of the islands, owing to 

 the presence of the leaf-blister mite, 

 it is impossible to obtain more than 

 one picking, but in Barbados, where 

 this pest has not made its appearance, 

 two, and sometimes even three, pick- 

 ings have been obtained. The advi- 

 sability of keeping plants to produce 

 a third picking has occasionally led 

 to important discussions. This last 

 season there has been an opportunity 

 to examine a number of cotton samples 

 taken from individual plants from the 

 first, second and third pickings, and 

 it has been found that in each instance 

 the best cotton is obtained from the 

 first picking. The length of the cotton 

 is greatest at the first picking. It de- 

 creases at each subsequent picking. 

 At the second picking there is less 

 weak fibre present, but at the third, 

 the weak fibre may be present to a 

 very abnormal extent. The second 

 picking is rather coarse and brittle, 

 and the third is too soft, and as the 

 spinner says, is lacking in ' bone.' 



It is probable that the coarse and 

 brittle nature of the second picking is 

 due to the dry season in which it is 

 grown, and the soft nature of the third 

 pickine to the degenerate character of 

 the plant due to age. 



It should be borue in mind that the 

 spinner does not want weak and wasty 

 cotton, and when an island commences 

 to supply it, spinners who buy are 

 apt to look with suspicion on the cotton 

 produced in that island, Irrespective 

 of the trouble brought about by diseases, 

 the quality of cotton they are likely 

 to produce should influence the planter 

 when deciding whether he shall grow 

 third picking cotton or not. 



Seed Supply. 



The question of the supply of seed 

 for planting has been given careful 

 consideration throughout all the islands. 



In 1902, arrangements were made by the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture for 

 a supply of Sea Island cotton seed 

 through the United States Department 

 of Agriculture. This was distributed 

 for the planting of 1903. 



Towards the end of 1903, arrangements 

 were made by the Imperial Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture, when he and 

 Mr. Bovell were visiting the Sea Island 

 cotton-growing districts of America, for 

 a large supply of the best Rivers' and 

 Seabrook strains of seed. This was 

 used for the 1904 planting throughout 

 all the islands. 



For the 1905 crop, arrangements were 

 being entered upon for a further supply 

 from the Sea Islands, when information 

 was received that the planters there 

 were resolved not to sell their seed to 

 'communities outside South Carolina.' 

 It was at first thought by West Indian 

 planters that this was a hardship, but 

 it has subsequently been demonstrated 

 that it has really been advantageous 

 to these islands, for the question of seed 

 supply had to be very carefully consi- 

 dered and thorough selection practised. 

 It was realized that some estates 

 ptoduced better results than others 

 both as regards yields and the quality 

 of the lint. The seed produced on these 

 estates was therefore purchased. It was 

 carefully hand picked, and all but the 

 best developed seeds were discarded. 

 In this way, the seed for the 1906 crop 

 was furnished, and contrary to the 

 expectations, and perhaps, the wishes, 

 of the South Carolina planters, the 

 quality of the crop reaped was greatly 

 superior to that obtained from the seed 

 imported for the previous season from 

 the Sea Islands, 



