The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-12
COTTON IN CENTRAL ASIA.
An Industry Which is Growing i'm
Yatue and Importance.

| London Times.]
The cotton-spinnilg industry ON a
large scale, apart from the extensive
household production, is spreading con-
siderably in European Russia, though
the attempts to establish the industry in
the Caucasus have not been so successful
as was expected. Recent statistics, how
ever, show that cotton growing is assum-
ing large dimensions in the Central Ash
attic provinces of Russia, reaching yearly
at present more than 50,000,000 kilo-
grammes, which is partly utilized in To-
cal industries and partly finds it way to
Russia, which again returns consider
able proportion in the shape of cotton
fabrics. As the northern boundary Of
the cotton zone in Turkestan, the valley
of the River Arys is usually taken; but
also in the region around Tashkend a
considerable quantity Of cotton is grown,
which ripens about October. The cotton
obtained there is far better in quality
than that of Chemkent. In these reg
ions the American cotton also hourishes;
yet, in spite of repeated attempts to in
troduce its culture, it has made but liz
tie headway. Still better than the cot
ton OF Tashkend and Kojend is the Box
harlan cotton, which, by careful atten-
tion to the plantations, is said to approach
the American kinds in quality. In Kho-
kand the production of cotton has largely
developed, the crops being abundant and
Of proportionately good quality. Ac-
cording to the data collected by the com
mission of the Turkestan section of the
St. Petersburg Exposition of manu-
facture, the largest crops of cotton are
obtained in Khiva the smallest il the
northern circles of the Turkestan region,
where, moreover, the culture extends
over the Arys Valley as far, for example,
as Perowsk, and even to Kasalinsk. The
cotton obtained in these latter districts
differs from that of Bokhara in its much
inferior quality, as well as its deficient
purity-a defect however, attaching to
the whole of the cotton of Central Asia.
1t is this defect in methods of purifca-
tion, attaching even to the cotton of Box.
hara, which is the chief cause of the
comparatively low value of Central
Asiatic cotton. Russia obtains from
Turkestand, Khokand, Bokhara, and
Khiva, and recently also from the dis
tricts, on the Chinese border, among
others Turfan, raw cotton, which is
wrought into fabrics, part of which is re-
exported to Central Asia. To such an
extent has the import of cotton from
Central Asia to Russia increased during
the last ten years that now the Bokharan
cotton has become absolutely indispensa-
BILE to several branches of Russian cotton
manufacture. The production of cotton
in Central Asia is divided among the
several khanates as follows: Bokhara
produces about 35,000,000 kilogrampes;
Khiva, 100000; Khokand, 5000, 900;
and the independent districts in the ANU
about 5000, 900; in all about $4,000, 900
or 60,000,000 kilogrammes. From the
active trade of these regions with Russia,
and from the circumstance that Russian
agents interested in cotton production
have settled in several districts of Central
Asia, and, further, that Russian industry
has learned to make use of Central Ash
attic cotton, we may look for considera-
bic extension of the productionin the near
future. Only the long and expensive
land carriages necessary to bring this
cotton to the places where it can be util-
lied prevents sudden expansion of this
branch of industry, which, however,
must occur as sooon as St. Petersburg is
placed in railway communication with
Central Asiatic Russia.