The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-04-01
COTTON m THE ORIENT.
IRRIGATION THE SECRET OF ITS
SUCCESSFUL CULTURE.
How the Crop is Raised in the val
ley of the NiIe-The Story of the
Industry.

Surprises have been coming out Of
Egypt ever since outside barbarians
picked up intelligence enough to recog-
nize that which was odd when they saw
1t. Even down to this day the Nile
country has continued to send forth
strange things, and everyday things put
to unusual uses, and curious things to be
used for most prosaic purposes. 1t was
not very long ago that sbiploads of all
that was left of sacred cats and a job lot
of run-to-seed mummies arrived in New
York en- route to the fertilizer factory.
That was certainly putting what had once
been objects of veneration and affection
ate care to strictly utilitarian uses. And
now Egypt stands as the source of sup
ply of shipments to this country of what
has always been considered a peculiarly
American product, at least in its best
forms.
A few days ago the Times told of the
arrival in this port of a large cargo of
Egyptian cotton shipped from Alexan-
dria, to be worked into fabrics in
New England mills. 1t consisted of
2150 bales, was valued at about $780,
600, and was by far the largest impor-
tation of the kind ever made into this
country. Persons who are interested in
the trade say, however, that a good
deal of Egyptian cotton has been coming
here from Europe in the shape of goods
manufactured in English and Continen-
tai mills.
One American manufacturer began to
experiment with the Egyptian product
three years ago. He began buying a
lot of fifty bales; now he gets $500
bales in a lot. About twenty owners of
cotton mills in this country are said to
be using the imported article. To handle
it they have to use combing machines
and that fact probably keeps it out of
other mills.
In Egypt itself there is no manufac-
turing of the cotton. The product is
exported to be made into cloth and that
is the last the producer generally sees of
ii. Two kinds of cotton are produced
one white, the other brown. The white
is the less valuable of the two, as the
staple is shorter.
Cultivation on a large scale began In
1921, in the reign of Mahomet Ali. Ex-
periments were made with the seed from
plants growing wild, and cotton was
produced of a character good enough to
warrant a rapid spread of its cultivation
throughout Lower Egypt. Very high
prices were realized for this early pro-
duct.
A Frenchman named Jumel, a mer-
chant, brought about the next step in
the development. He imported the seed
Of Sea Island cotton from Florida and
devoted much care TO its culture. His
trouble was well rewarded, for hi:
experiments were highly successful, and
the new grade of cotton he secured wa.
a great improvement on that formerly
raised. One result of his enterprise wa
the giving of his name to Egyptian cotton
which is called either Jumel or Mako.
The latter name is that of a planter who,
previous to the Jumel experiments, had
raised cotton on an extensive scale.
In the beginning the cultivation was a
monopoly farmed out by the Govern
ment, but later on the fellahs secured the
right to become planters. There was a
boom in the industry when that privilege
was granted. Methods employed were
rudimentary then, and they are sill far
behind the time. Primitive tools are
used, such as an American planter would
regard as beneath contempt. There has
all along been one factor in the case,
however, which the peasant understood
thoroughly. He knew how necessary ir-
rigation was to cotton-growing in his
country.
They have two methods of ~cultivating
cotton in Egypt, m known as 'Mes-
gani," the other as "Bali." In the for
mel the fields are regularly irrigated with
water pumped from the Nile aud carried
over the country in canals. In the lat
ter the fields are thoroughly saturated
before the planting takes place. After
that the plants have to get along with
out water until the Nile rises. Then
pumps are set at work and the fields get
their needed supply of moisture. In Up
per Egypt the Mesgani system is gener-
ally followed.
Directly the Nile foundations are of
no benefit to cotton, although for a long
time anotion prevailed that the overflow
would serve to f~ertilize and irrigate the
fields. Experience showed, however,
that too great floods often meant that
cotton could not be raised. So weirs or
dams were provided 10 carry off the sur
plus water into canals. Planters have
more or less difficulty from the fogs
which prevail in September and October
to the detriment of the crop. When the
British took hold of Egypt they went to
work on vast improvements designed TO
extend irrigation. A great deal of money
has been expended on these works,
which are expected to prove of lasting
benefit to the planters.
There is ONE doubt whether the area
under cotton cultivation can be extended
very greatly. In the delta about l, 000,-
coo feddans, OF acres, are in use for the
crop, or about one-third of the total
area under cultivation of all sorts. One
estimate is hat the limit OF the r o is
about 100, 600 bales in excess of any
years yield so far recorded. Further up
the 4ile, to be sure, the system of irri-
cation may be perfected, and perhaps
that region may increase the total pro-
duction more than is at present ex-
pected.
Nearly half the Nile delta, which was
cultivated centuries ago, is reproductive
now, because the water supply for three
months of the year is none too large for
the fields in use. To get much bigger
crops it is estimated that storage reser-