52 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Jan., 1902. 
. 
Tropical Industries. 
COTTON NOTES. 
More cotton is grown, and more is locally worked up into cotton goods in 
the United States than in any other country in the world. During 1900 that 
country consumed over half-a-million more bales than Great Britain owing to 
the great demand for American cotton goods, although the spinning capacity 
of Great Britain exceeds by far that of the United States. 
From the beginning to the close of the last cotton season, a most extra- 
ordinary range of prices was noted, as the following figures will show :— | 
Spot cotton opened in New Orleans on lst September, 1899, at 515 cents 
(nearly 3d.), and in New York at 63 cents (over 3d.), for Middling Upland ; and 
on the last day of the season, 31st August, 1900, the same class of cotton sold 
at New Orleans at 93 cents (43d.), and in New York at 9% cents per lb., a 
difference of 34%; cents and 8% cents (about 1#d.) ‘The total crop reached 
9,142,838 bales. 
At the same time a similar rise took place in Egyptian cotton, and Sea 
Island cotton, which is grown in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, sold 
locally at 2s. 1d. per lb. 
Cost or Pickina AMERICAN Corron. 
As in Queensland, when cotton was universally grown on the coast lands, 
the picking of cotton is the largest item in the cost of production in all cotton- 
growing countries. That cost may be set down at about 20 per cent. of the 
entire cost and to 16 per cent. of the entire value of the crop. In Egypt the 
cost of picking only reaches 6 per cent. 
In Queensland, with Clean cotton at 5d.-per lb., the cost of picking would 
be about equal to that of the United States. : 
It is a singular thing that, with all their vast production, the United States 
import thousands of bales of cotton, mainly from Egypt and Peru. In 1900, 
135,00Q bales were thus imported. i 
There is unquestionably a good opening in this State for small farmers to 
grow cotton profitably. There is no need to doubt whether cotton will thrive in 
Queensland; that question has been answered years ago by the record of 
thousands of bales exported from Southern Queensland. The West Moreton 
lands on which cotton was produced have been mostly devoted to. pasture ever 
since the decline of the industry, and if broken up and planted would be found 
to be sufficiently fertile to produce good cotton crops. 
BRAZILIAN COFFEE IN HAWAIL 
Following Porto Rico’s example, Hawaii is now pennCLne Congress for a 
protectionist duty on coffee to shut out the cheaper Brazilian article from the 
islands. Little by little Brazilian coffees are monopolising the markets even in 
coffee-producing countries, and making competition impossible. As it becomes 
unprofitable, coffee-planting will be given up and the circle gradually narrowed 
until with an immense consumption and practical monopoly of production we 
‘shall have it all to ourselves and dictate prices to the world.. It is this that 
Brazil should aim at to eliminate competition ; and that can be done only by 
