394 
COTTON  PROSPECTS  IN  HAWAII . 
A large  and  representative  gathering  assembled  at  the  invitation 
of  the  Honolulu  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  the  Stangenwald  build- 
ing on  Wednesday,  October  20th,  to  hear  an  address  by  Director 
Wilcox  of  the  Hawaii  Experiment  Station  on  the  present  status  of 
the  cotton  industry  as  regard  its  future  in  this  Territory,  and  the 
market  value  of  local  grown  cotton. 
Mr.  Wilcox  recently  returned  from  a visit  to  the  cotton  belt  of 
the  Southern  States,  during  which  he  visited  the  principal  growing 
areas.  As  is  well  known  to  Hawaiian  readers  the  last  year  has 
witnessed  the  development  of  a very  general  interest  in  the  possi- 
bilities of  cotton  as  an  island  crop  and  many  agriculturists  have 
already  begun  to  experiment  in  its  cultivation.  From  the  first  the 
Hawaii  Experiment  Station  has  taken  an  active  part  in  this  prom- 
ising movement  and  has  not  only  made  series  of  test  plantings,  but 
has  distributed  much  seed  among  those  who  have  cared  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  Station’s  offer  to  supply  samples.  The  recent 
visit  of  Mr.  Wilcox  to  investigate  the  industry  on  the  mainland 
bas  been  in  line  with  the  efforts  of  the  Station  to  bring  before 
intending  local  planters  all  information  possible  upon  the  subject 
at  the  present  time. 
After  introduction  by  Mr.  J.  P.  Cooke,  Director  Wilcox  pref- 
aced his  address  by  giving  a brief  outline  of  his  recent  itinerary 
and  then  alluded  to  the  outlook  for  cotton  in  general.  Never 
before  have  the  prospects  of  the  industry  been  so  encouraging  as 
at  present  and  countries  which  have  not  to  face  too  unfavorable 
labor  conditions  and  are  not  greatly  affected  by  harmful  pests  have 
every  reason  to  be  optimistic  of  the  future.  Although  the  United 
States  supplied  thirteen  of  the  seventeen  million  bales  grown  last 
year,  the  home  production  has  for  some  time  been  decreasing  at 
the  rate  of  about  half  a million  bales  yearly  and  there  seems  little 
prospect  of  this  falling  off  being  stopped.  The  yield  of  other  cot- 
ton producing  countries,  such  as  Cuba  and  South  Africa,  is  also 
not  increasing  as  was  anticipated. 
The  decrease  of  supply  in  the  United  States  is  chiefly  due  to  the 
attacks  of  the  boll  weevil,  which  are  now  making  larger  and 
larger  inroads  upon  the  production.  Fortunately  the  high  tem- 
peratures which  have  prevailed  during  the  past  year  have  acted 
as  a very  appreciable  temporary  check  upon  the  devastation  of 
the  weevil,  and  in  large  parts  of  Texas  it  has  practically  disap- 
peared. Such  high  temperature  is,  however,  unusual  and  there  is 
great  fear  that  in  a few  years  the  boll  weevil  will  be  found  in  the 
heart  of  the  sea  island  cotton  district  of  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia 
and  will  thus  reduce  the  supply  of  that  section.  Another  per- 
nicious pest  which  is  causing  great  destruction  is  the  “cotton  wilt,” 
which  has  killed  out  large  areas — one  which  the  speaker  had  seen 
on  his  late  visit  covering  four  thousand  acres. 
Mr.  Wilcox  drew  attention  to  the  quality  of  sea-island  cotton, 
