The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-07

form the Nubian desert Into cotton fields
that would render England independent OF
America. A q mstter OF fact, the Delta of
the Nile IL already . great cotton field, the
cultivation of the plant having doubled
since the British occupation of Egypt be-
gan. New irrigation works are being con-
structed continually, and as these increase
the cultivable area the soil reclaimed 10
planted with cotton. What gives Egyptian
cotton It's peculiar value is the length Of
its fibre, an inch and q half. Owing to
this element Of superiority, last years crop,
which amounted to 100000 bales Of 800
ponnds each, was sold ut q price 2 cents per
pound In excess Of quotations for American
upland cotton. The Egyptian fibre has be-
come q necessity not only In Europe, but
also in the United States, for this country
buys 100, 900 bales Of Nile cotton annually,
and In New England the consumption Of
the staple is increasing.
Not only is the Egyptian cotton superior
to that grown by our Southern planters since
the practical abandonment Of the Sea Island
staple, but there are other advantages on
the side of the ~fcllaheen product. The
fertility of the Nile soil permits the harvest
ing Of a crop averaging nearly five hundred
weight per acre there is no dread of frost /;
and the requisite labor may be secured for
IS to 10 cents a day per man. As it 10,
Egypt now derives from cotton, for both
staple and seed, nearly $55, 100000 .
year, and this Is likely to be increased by
some 40 per cent. II Mr.. PENF1ELD is justi-
fed In the computation that the Nile Delta,
five years hence, will produce q million and
q half bales. The revenue at present OBJ
tained from cotton sufices to pay the In
terest on an enormous debt and to carry on
the Government; indeed, there would be a
surplus in the Treasury but for the cost of
the military expedition up the Nile.
1t is not only in respect Of cotton that
Egypt's prospective development may well
attract attention. Mr.. PENFIELD points out
that when the provinces of Dongola and Ber-
Der are restored to productiveness, huge
tracts will be opened to the growing of
breadstuffs, and the Nile Basin will become
once moro, as 1t was from the days of the
Pharaohs down to Saracenic times, one Of
the granaries of the world. The dedica-
tion Of those provinces to such purposes
will permit, or the one hand, the whole
Of Lower Egypt, including the Fay
oum, to be devoted to cotton culture,
and. on tho other hand, the whole of
Middle and Upper Egypt, from BENZ
Souef to Assouan, to be given up to
sugar growing. 1t appears that in the last
two years, and especially since the de-
struction Of the Cuban sugar estates, tho
cultivation of the sugar cane has been rap
idly developed In that part of the Nile Val
ley. The Egyptian sugar is said to be of
excellent quality, and there was enough of
It in 1895 and 1897 to bring to Egypt as
much as 8 5000, 900 a year. of which the
United States contributed one-half. Ac-
cording to Mr.. P%ENFIELD. the area allotted
to the sugar cane will be doubled. IL not
trebled, in the course Of q short time, so
that hereafter statisticians will have to
take the Egyptian crop into account.