Miscellaneous. 



160 



[AOGDST, 1911 , 



to secure the best results. Different 

 pickings should be kept separate. 



The British Cotton Growing Asso- 

 ciation (through their local agents 

 Messrs. Freudenberg & Co.) report as 

 follows on another sample :— Sea Island, 

 from Rajakadaluwa garden, stained, 

 very leafy, value 8|d. Egyptian, from 

 Matara, fair staple, value 9d. Larger 

 consignments of these would naturally 

 fetch better prices. 



Seeds and specimen pods have been 

 received frcm the Director of Agri- 

 culture, Bengal, of Garo Hill Cotton, 

 remarkable for the size of its bolls, 

 which could be seen at the Stock Garden. 



The Agricultural Instructor, Northern 

 Province, is getting 25 acres of land 

 ready in Puneryn for planting this 

 coming season. 



The Agricultural Instructor, Central 

 Province, in sending 4 cwt. of cotton 

 raised in Dumbara to be ginned by 

 Messrs. Freudenberg & Co., mentions 

 that he expects about 35 acres in 

 Gampaha district to be put under cotton, 

 and asks that seeds be reserved for this 

 area. 



In the Eastern Province 25 acres at 

 Sorikkalmunai and a similar area at 

 Tampiluvil are being got ready for 

 planting during the north-east monsoon. 



Large private projects, both in the 

 Eastern Province and the Hambantota 

 District, are at present under con- 

 templation. 



A further report from the Director; 

 Imperial Institute, dated March 8, 1911, 

 on three samples of cotton grown at 

 Tissamahaiama, furnishes the following 

 details :— (1) Mitafifi : Lint clean, rather 

 harsh, lustrous, and somewhat uneven 

 in colour, varying from white to very 

 pale brown, almost free from stains. 

 Yield of lint 31 '7 per cent. ; yield per 100 

 seeds 5 33 grams. Lint easily detachable 

 by hand. Strength generally good. 

 Length of fibre from T3 to 16 in., mostly 

 14 to 1"5 in. The ginned value appeared 

 to be equal to "fully good fair" brown 

 Egyptian, which was quoted at 10|ti. on 

 February 3. This cotton is of good 

 quality, and would be readily saleable 

 in Englaud. (2) Abassi : Lint clean, fairly 

 soft, lustrous, and white, but rather 

 stained. Yield 30-7 per cent. ; yield per 

 100 seeds 4*24 grams. Lint easily 

 detachable. Strength uneven ; some 

 parts veiv weak. Length irregular, 

 from r0 to 2-2 in. The nominal value is 

 put down i» t 9d. to lOd. ginned, with 

 good Abassi at 13|d. per lb. The seed 

 used was probably mixed with Sea 

 Island, hence the unsatisfactory nature 



of the produce. (3) Sea Island : Lint 

 clean, soft, of good lustre, white to 

 cream, with occasional brown stains. 

 Yield of lint 29 8 per cent. ; yield per 

 100 seeds 4 grams. Lint very easily 

 detachable. Strength uneven. Length 

 irregular, from 1*7 to 2-0 in. Nominal 

 value 10(2. to lid., with choice Georgia 

 at 15jd. The seed suggests a hybridized 

 character resulting in a poor staple. 



Reference was made in the last Pro- 

 gress Report to the variety of cotton 

 known as "Cambodia," which has be- 

 come popular in India. A sample of this 

 cotton raised at the Balalla experimental 

 garden was forwarded to the British 

 Cotton Growing Association, through 

 their local agents Messrs. Freudenberg 

 & Co., and elicited the following 

 report :— " I have to acknowledge the 

 reeepit of your letter of June 16, with 

 reference to the sample of 1 Cambodian ' 

 cotton grown at your experimental 

 station at Balalla, The sample has been 

 forwarded to us by Messrs. Freudenberg 

 & (Jo., and we have submitted the same 

 to one of our expert brokers, who reports 

 as follows: — Rather dull, staple l£ in., 

 strong, value 5"75d. The price of middl- 

 ing American is 7*74d. You will note 

 that the value of this cotton is about 

 equal to the price now being realized for 

 middling American, and as the price of 

 the latter is now fairly high, you would 

 be in the best position to know whether 

 it would pay Europeans to grow this 

 class of cotton should the price of 

 American cotton fall below 6d. per lb. 

 It is certainly in its favour that the 

 plant has stood the dry conditions 

 prevailing, and that all the cotton 

 ripened together. With cotton grown 

 on European plantations, it has generally 

 been our aim to grow cotton worth 

 from Id. to 2d. per lb. over middling 

 American, and to obtain a production of 

 about 200 lb. of lint to the acre ; but if* 

 with the cotton now sent the production 

 is higher than the better class cotton, 

 this of course would go some way to 

 make up the difference in the price. We 

 shall be sending to Messrs. Freudenberg 

 & Co., some excellent Upland seed, 

 which we have established in Nyasaland. 

 This is originally an American variety, 

 and has taken something like five years 

 to establish. The result, however, has 

 been eminently satisfactory, and the 

 cotton grown from this seed has 

 realized prices of from 2d. to 3d. per 

 lb. over midding American. We will 

 suggest to Messrs. Freudenberg & Co. 

 that they hand you a small quantity 

 of this seed to experiment with." 

 Agricultural Instructor Wickremaratne 

 reports that the Balalla plantation 



