The times., 1897-08-29
WONDERFUL NEW COTTON.
Georgia Amazed by New Mid-Afri-
can Plant.

Adolptl Kyle, an English Jew, VINO is now,
If alive, somewhere III the Klondike region,
to reyousioniZe cotton growing IN the South,
to chani,. the method Of production OF the
creates none ycrop IN the world, thaGhr nes
$36,0oo,G ,G6e annually to the producers,
aside .rosa what acerues TO the transPorta'
tion Companies, the factors, dealers in
futures, manufacturers and merchants.
From 10 few seed brought from the heart
of equainr,.., Africa three years ago enough
cotton has been grown to prove beyond
doubt ihs he has b-ea the means OF solving
the problem Of profitable production, which
has long puzzled the political economists of
the country. In spite of all that has been said
and written, the fact is still patent TO the
thinking man that cotton is till king in the
South, aad the commercial monarch is more
firmly seated on his throne than ever before
in the history OF the world.
One day in the autumn of S94 traveller,
hronzed and bearded from the effects OF the
tropical sun and long sea voyage, about
fortyrtve yea old, robust and sinewy,
signed, "Ado.ph Kyle, England" on the
hotel register al the Rii;iiall House, and
ordered his somewhat cuEiarous luggage
carried to his rooin He was soon sur
rounded by II crowd or curious colonies, W no
wer. anxious % learn W hat particular brand
OF spirits he affected, and, incidentally,
something Of his antecedents, and whether
or no' he had any spare cash To invest IN
suburban los or mining schemes.
Partly through natural garrullty and
parily through desire 10 crafty the mani
fest curiosity Of the colonels, he began to
relate scraps OF his adventures among the
jungles of Central Africa, and of the re-
lnarka bic sights and scenes that came under
his observation. He RECALLED them with
bunting stories, tales Of the slave trade
which made their mouths water, and of the
wonderful vegetable productions OF that
region of eternal summer
'In December, 1882, ! joined rarty
OF prospectors," said he, land we .'et
cut on tour OF exploration to the country
or the Congt.. II was an arduous und y
taking, full OF perlls aud privations; but
we were all young Englishmen who had
started out To seek our fortunes, and We
had all tc Win and little to lose; ana for
many months We wandered among the
juneles of central Africa, meeting with
the savage tribes and passing through
strange scenes able, such as n;ty
be seen only in that wonderful land.
camp On the outskirtsof an African village,
sbout twenty miles south of the equator,
and LOCO miles from the coast. l or
se:ved growing near the camp a thiclet II
enormous cotton plants, twenty feet AMI
ever in height, and covered from bottom
TO top with snowy pods and blossi'ns
II attracted my attention because OF me
abundance of the plant which was lhmt-
less, and bore the pods at the base OF tie
bie, broad, fiG-like leaves, and only Il
few iuches from the stem OF the plant,
which shot straight up from the ground
and appeared ,.ke young tree.
Il tried to earn or the natives what use,
IL any, they made OF it, but they seemed
utterly ignorant of its utility. / had seen
| cotton growing in Egypt, and the sim
ilarity of the plants caused me TO think 70
myself that If this plant could be introduced
INTO civilized cotton growing country, and
could be made TO grow as 1uxuriantly and
| fruit as abundantly as 1t did there in the
| primeval wilds, it would make the fortune
of the man who introduced it.
Il cut off a section of the plant that had
more than 500 pods on it by actual count,
and was more than twenty feet in height.
| The section was about eighteen inches long
and had sixty five pods open on i, and
| carried it away among my luggage as u
| curiosity At first 1 carefully wrapped it in
| piece of antelope skin and packed il
among other souvenirs of my wande rim IS
VIC were then on the return Journey to Che
| coast, and on the way we were upset in a
turbulent stream by the overturning of
raft and all our belonging gs were thoroughly
saturated.
In drying my cotton stalk | smoked II
slightly bot preserved it andon arriving al
| the coast | wrapped it in piece of dressed
| shark skin To protect it frrm the salt water
| and air on the voyage to the Cape. Ar
| riving there l did not hike tie turn affairs
| had taken. SO / resolved to visit America
The only relative that ! have in the world
that ] know of is a sort of half cousin
who is in the service of the Baffin's Bay
| Company, and l am now on my way t.
that part of the country in search Of aim
l inherited little money, and having M
home ties ] Rave resolved to crafty my
| taste for travel.
Il noticed in travelling through this
| country that your principal crop is cotton
Now, l have carried that piece Of cotton
for many months, and it has travelled G, COO
|
the seed wiz gerninate; but / want t.
give it TO some good fellow, who will ex
pertinent withit and see .f # can lie natural
lied in a cotton growing country, where
civilized methods of cultivation are under
stood.''
There is man living in this country
who has devoted many years TO the stud,
Of the cotton plant, said one of the colonels
who ha5 heard the story, land he can tel
you in a few minutes whether it can b,
grown in this country
send for him and l viii make him ;
present of the cotton" said the traveller
A note was dispatched to old Thomas A
Jackson. who lives not far from the city
and on the next day he called on yle a
his rooms in the Kimball Farmer Jacks o.
is an East Tennes seean, was an aide-de
camp to a Confederate general in the war
and left his native land because of TIA
hostility of the Brownlow faction in,
| mediately after the war. Heis a man O
large experience in cotton growing an
hos q LIBERAL education and an inquirin
turn of mind. He had been studying tn
history of the cotton plant for years, an,
S soor as he laid eyes Oathe withered stall
that had been carried 60 many miles h
saw that il was of different genu
rom the shrub cotton OF South Americ
or the annual plant of Australia
BE had long talk with Kyle and, Will
the other rcolonels made light of tn
story, .IacAson listened very attentivel
and finally carried off the dilapidate
specimen TO his poor little farm among tn