Nov. 1, 1902.] Supplement to the " Tropical AgricUltwisl." 
363 
COTTON CULTIVATION. 
[Just now when Cotton is being spoken of as one 
of tibe likely crops for the large tracts of waste 
land in the Noith-Central Pfovince that will 
be made accessible by the Northern Railway, 
the following account of Cotton Cultivation, based 
on experience iu Queensland, should prove 
of considerable interest to many. The author 
is Mr, Daniel Jones of the Queensland 
Department of Agriculture, and we take over the 
paper from the Agricultural Journal of that 
colony.— Ed. A.M.] 
One important factor proved by our local ex- 
perience and emphasised by scientific investigation 
in other countries where this crop is largely 
grown is, that this crop is about the least 
exhaustive to the soil of any we are acquainted 
with. Local experience has shown that the 
ricliest soils should not be chosen for this crop. 
JIany errors were in this way committed iu 
past years. The less fertile areas would have 
been far more suited to the cotton plant. 
Undoubtedly, at times, cotton will need fertilising. 
This, however, need not concern the planter at 
the outset of his operations, unless he farms 
very poor soil, which in Queensland is not very 
probable. 
It will be well for the planter to keep this 
fact in mind, and not concern himself at first 
so much about the fertility of the soil as thorough 
cultivation of that which he crops. 
In our past experience we always found that 
the rich laud forced the plant so much to wood 
that not only was the yield meagre, but the 
quantity of resulting foliage and wood much 
retarded picking. This especially was the case 
in wet seasons, but, on the other hand, in 
seasons of sparse rainfall, the trouble was not 
so acute. An illustration of this is seen iu this 
season's experiment at the Acclimatisation 
Society's plot at Bowen Park, where the dry 
conditions have so retarded the growth that 
little difference is noted between pfauts of very 
robust growth, such as Sea Island and Egyptian, 
as compared with the more modest growth of 
the Upland variety, which, despite the unparalleled 
dry season, has returned a very fair crop of cotton. 
Cotton has always been regarded in Queens- 
land as a dry-season crop. Its vitality under 
drought conditions is well recognised. The 
climatic influence most adversely affecting this 
crop is excessive wet, and to this cause the 
major part of our losses in the sixties and 
seventies, when cotton was largely grown, is 
tu be attributed. The cycle seems to have now 
alternated to the other extreme for some years 
past ; hence the risk from this cause need not, 
in the southern part of the colony, be so 
much feared. 
The Varieties to Plaxt 
Will much depend on climatic conditions, 
and as^ far as many parts of the State are con- 
cerned must be, for some time, experimental, 
lu the south, experience thus far has demonstrated 
that the Upland variety is tlje best suited tci 
V^^ regipq, 
In the North, probably the longer-stapled 
varieties, such as Sea Island and Egyptain, will 
be grown. These three specie^', differing as they 
do iri texture and lengtli of fibre and value, 
appear to have become so blended and inter- 
crossed as to almost conceal the original dis- 
tinctive features of eacli species. Broadly speak- 
ing, we distinguish Sea Island by the clean 
black seed and extra long fibre; the Egyptian 
by its shorter fibre and brown or sometimes 
pale-green seed with the lint adhering some- 
what. The Upland variety is the shortest staple 
with a grey seed, but is sometimes black in 
such varieties as the Okra, the fibre adhering 
closely to it. 
An American authority expresses the opinion 
that the Upland cotton is a hybrid produced 
by blending the properties of several species 
under the cultivation of a long series of years. 
All who know American practice are well aware 
of the importance cotton-growers attach to such 
experiments, and we in Queensland can note 
the advance in quality of cotton grown to-day 
by comparison of that produced here thirty 
years ago. The species mentioned as growing 
in the cotton belt of the United States are 
given as Gostypium herbaceum, L. ; G. roseum. 
Tod. ; G. nankin, Mey. ; G. mexicanum, Tod. ; 
G. inaritimum, Tod. ; G. hirsatum. Mil. ; G, 
barbadense, Lin. ; G. herbaceum, the short-stapled 
variety, is the plant most favoured for cultivation, 
by reason of its more prolific yield and adapta- 
tion to regions where the Sea Island and Egyptain 
varieties from climatic causes do not prove 
profitable. So hardy is this plant that its 
cultiva'-ion is of the simplest ; more especially 
is this observed in the Central and North 
Queensland coastal districts, where ,it grows 
uucared for once the seed is sown. The 
difference in growth of the shrub easily dis- 
tinguishes the Upland from the other two varietie?, 
the former being much more dwarfed than the 
others. Sea Island and Egyptain bushes often 
attain the height of 10 or 12 feet, and make 
spreading bushes. The Upland confines itself 
to a modest 4 or 5 feet bush, at the same time 
developing a denser foliage than the other sortsi 
This dwarf habit lends itself as more favour, 
able both in regard to tillage operations as wel- 
as to the removal of the crop. 
In the Central and Northern coastal districts, 
the Egyptian and Sea Island sorts, in con- 
junction with the Upland varieties, might well 
be tried. The specimens which I have seen 
growing in our Northern districts give no room 
to doubt but that the long-stapled sorts will 
do well as far as growth is concerned. The 
excessive rainfall in these areas wiU somewhat 
militate against achieving the best success ; and 
the question resolves itself into the experiment 
of ascertaining if, by planting the crop at 
favourable periods, the ripening stage may be 
carried beyond the rainy season. In the event 
of this being pr>icticable, there should be no 
apprehension as to successful cottoj cultiva tioa 
in our Northern regions. Thus far our practical 
knowledge of districts suitable for this crop is 
^ yet ljut Yery jaeogre, Save for a few isojatiji^ 
