The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-15
NEVER SAW SUCH COTTtN
GEORGIA AMAZED BY A MEW MID AZ
RlCEN PLANT.

A Story from All 'nts that Reads Like a
Fake, and Which We Publish for What
lt,sws r.h-k Gre at Thirg irTrue.
The Atlanta correspondent of the
New York Sun says: 1t has been left
to Adolph Kyle, sn English Jew, who
is now, if alive, in the klonoyke re-
eion, to revolItionize cotton growing
in the South, to change the method Of
production OF The greatest money crop
in the world, ihat brings $36, 1000, 600
annually to the producers aside from
what accIues 10 the transportation
companies, the factors, dealers IN fu-
lures, manufacturers, aud merchants
From few seed brought from the
heart Of Equatcrial Africa three years
ago enough ccttcn has been grown to
rrove beyond adcubt that he has been
lbe means Of sclging The problem OF
profitable production, which has long
puzzled the political economists Of the
country. In spite of sll that has been
said and written the fact is still patent
10 the thinking man that cotton is
still king in the South, aud the com
mercial NOR al ch is more firmly seat: d
on his throne than ever before in the
history of the world.
One day In the autumn OF 1894 a
traveller, bro1 zed AID bearded from
the effects of the tropical sun and a
long sea voyage, about As years old,
robust ard sinewy, signed E'Adolph
Kyle, England" on the hotel register
at the Kimball House and ordered his
somewhat cumbrous luggage carried
10 his room. He was soon surrounded
by a crowd Of curious colonies. who
were anxious TO learn what particular
brand of spiiits he affected, and, Incl
deBtally, something of his antecedents
and whether or lot no bad any spare
cash to inves. in subj. ban lots or min
ing schemes.
Partly through natural garrulity
ord partly through desire 10 crafty
the manifest curiosity of the colonels.
he began to relate SCRAPS of his adven.
lures among the jungles of Central
Africa and Of the remarkable sights
and scenes that came under bis obser
vation. He RECALLED them with hunting
stories, tales of the slave trade, which
made their mouths run water, ard Of
the wonderful vegetable productions
of that region of eternal summer.
I'm December, 1892, I Joined par
ty of prospectcrs," said he, ''and we
set out on tour of exploration to the
country of the Congo. 1t was an ard
uous undertaking, full of perils and
privations, but we were all young En-
lishmen who had started out to seek
cur fortuI es, and we bad all to win
and little to lose, and for many months
We wandered about the jungles OF
Central Africa, meeting with the saw.
sge tribes and passing through strange
scenes innumerable, such es may be
seen only in that wonderful land.
"One day along in 1898 we pitched
our camp on the outskirts OF an Aft!-
can village, about twenty miles south
of the equator and 1000 miles from
the coast. I observed growing near
the camp a thicket of enormous cot
ton plants, twenty feet and over in
height, and covered from bottom to
top with snowy pods and blossoms.
1t attracted my attention because OF
the abundance of the plant, which was
limbless and bore its pods at the base
of the big, broad, fig like leaves and
only a few inches from the stem OF
the plant, which shot straig ight up from
the ground and appeared like young
tree.
II tried 20 learn OF the natives what
use, if any, they made of it, but they
seemed utterly ignorant of its utility.
I bad seen cotton growing in Egypt,
and the similarity Of the plants caus-
ed me to think to myself that if this
plant could be introduced into a civil
iz:d Gotten growing country, and could
be made to grow as luxuriantly and
fruit as abundantly SIS it did there in
the primeval wilds, it would make the
fortune of the man who introduced it.
II cut off a section of the plant that
had more than six hundred 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 it, and I
carried it awaysamong my luggage as
a curiosity. At frst I carefully wrap
ped it in a piece of antelope skin and
packed it among other souvenirs OF
our Wanderings. We were then on
the return journey to the coast, and
on the way up We were upset in a tur
bulent stream by the ov.rturning OF
a raft, and all our belongings were
thoroughly saturated.
In drying my cotton stalk I smok
ed it slightly, but l preserved it in
piece of dressed shark skin to protect
it from the salt water and air on the
voyage to the Cape. Arriving there !
did not like the turn affairs had tax.
en-, so resolved to visit America
The only relative in the world that l
know of is in the service of the Baff
ms Bay Company, and I am now on
my way to that part the country in
search of him. l inherited little
money, and having no home ties ]
have resolved to CRAFTY my taste for
travel.
Il noticed in travelling through
this country that your princi pal crop
is cotton. Now / have carried tbst
piece of cotton for many months, and
it has travelled 6,GC0 miles of land
and sea, SO that l doubt if the sced
will germinate; but I want 10 give it
10 some good fellow, who will expert
ment with it and see if it can be patu
rallied in a cotton growing country,
where civilized methods of cultivation
are understood.
There is man living in this coun
try who has devoted many years tr,