The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-11-03
PERUVIAN COTTON.
More Valuable Than Other Grades, the
supply Being Constantly Inadequate.

More valuable Than Other Grades, the
supply Being Constantly Inadequate.
Herodotus mentioned, with some APP
parent doubt in his own mind, that
among the productions of India was
kind of wool which grows on trees
This description of cotton seems to ap-
ply with peculiar force to a variety
which is becoming noted in commerce
as the special product of the depart
ment of Piura in Peru. 1t first came
into the market as result of the high
prices caused by the civil war in Amer
lea, when the shipments of Piura cot
ton rose from 1886, 900 pounds in 1862 to
4,0S4, 200 pounds in 1865. Since then,
owing to its sing ular qualities, the de-
mand has constantly outdistanced a
continual increase in it's production,
and the indications are that an enor-
nous development of this industry will
take place in Piura within the next few
years, aided by irrigation works and
systema tic colonization. This cotton is
of the long staple" variety, the fibers,
however, being of an extraordinary
length, and in structure and in their
crinkly character possessing so close a
resemblance to wool thata microscope
cal examination must be supplemented
by chemical tests to distinguish one
from the other. 1t is this quality which
has made the fame of Piura cotton,
since it is an inv aluab'e adulterant for
high grade wooden goods. When COM
bined with wool in the warp it gives
additional strength without affecting
the texture of the cloth in any way.
This being its sole use, the price of this
cotton flunctuates not with the cotton
market, but with the value of wool, and
on an average it may be said to COM
mand from four to five cents pound
more than the highest grades of other
cottons.
Piura is in the extreme northwestern
part of Peru and is drained by the rivers
Piazza and Chira. The country is semi
desert, similar to the entire western
coast of Peru, but the rivers rising in
the Andes carry down an immense vol
ume of water to the sea. Once in every
seven years, with phenomenal regular
ity, heavy rains visit. this region, caus-
ing an inundation of large tracts in the
river valleys, and in these years the
production of cotton is Increased to
double its usual amount. Like southern
California, the land is naturally of i'm
mense fertility, and only water is needed
to render it correspondingly productive
Feeble attempts at irrigation have been
made along the valley of the Chira
which have served, however, to show
what may be done when this matter is
taken up in large way. 1t has been
demonstrated that within two years
after planting 200 acres will yield net
annual profit of not less than $4,000
gold. The Peruvian government has
had surveys for irrigation works in these
valleys made at different times, and
Alfred L. Sears has obta med a con-
cession to carry out these plans so
far as they relate to one section COM
prising an area of 1000, 900 acres. This
work, based upon the estimates of an
American engineer will involve a max
imum outlay of $1,000, 900. There is an
opportunity, however, for several sep
arate irrigation undertakings in these
valleys, which cannot fail of becoming
immensely remunerative. 1t is good
thing which cannot be overdone, for
the demand is constantly growing for
this cotton, and it cannot be raised else
where than in Plura. Efforts have
been made to grow cotton from Piura
seed in the other valleys along the west
coast, but the quality of the cotton re-
verts to that of the ordinary varieties.
Evidently this great difference in it's
character is due to the peculiarities of
the soil in Piura
Prior to 1885 the principal market for
this cotton was in Liverpool, but since
then the shipments to New York have
been increasing until there is fair
prospect that this country will consume
the larger part of the entire crop, and
this has taken place in spite of a differ
ence in freight of 81 per ton in favor of
Liverpool, under normal conditions,
while more recently the rates have
been s12 to Liverpool, as against S2S to
New York.-N. Y. Post