The sun., 1901-08-11
eERIAIYVOULDGROWCOTTON
AMSACAN NEGROES USED ZOE
AN AFRICAN ExPERIMENT.


AN AFRICAN EXPERIMENT.
YsuP Experts Secured From rukeOss
Institute By Germany 70 start Q Get
ton Plantation IN Togoland Tho
Entsspsise Said 70 BE Doing Wen.
Germany - making IN interesting ex-
pertinent b raising cotton In her African
Possessions. According 10 statistics Of
the State Department Germany imported
from the United States In 1899 l.i6s ISL
bales Of cotton. for which she paid ss7 ,>07,-
500. and In 1900 thie bad increased to ,S8S ass
uGiSs. coS,mg o0fnakdy y05.v51.Sio inl
was nearly . ssvsnth Of the total American
product.
Now II happens that Germany has an
African dominion amounting TO 92s.ooo
square miles. which Ia q third larger than
the total area Of the cotton-producing
States, 07o.&is square miles. This African
tsrrithry is sajd TO be fertile, well watered
and not too hot for cotton. Hence, 1t Is
apparent that Germany might become the
rival 81 the United States In growing cotton,
II she could overcome difficulties which
are usual In introducing new crops and
could also protect the health Of those who
arc TO serve "a pioneers. Then Africa
possesses labor supply that adds to It's
cheapnees, docility and great endurance.
As early as 1850 cotton was introduced
and raised successfully on the Slave Coast
| OF Africa. During tho Civil War the price
Of cotton became 81 high that English
merchants Of Manchester raised q fund
70 encourage the cultivation Of cotton in
States. Nothing came Of this project.
The former efforts 70 grow cotton In
Africa have been made with white men
who do not thrive IN the torrid zone EN-
peror William, acting upon the advice Of
some merchants and consul Ia this coun-
| try. decided To- make the experiment with
| descendants Of Africans In this country
1 who are expert cotton growers, and for
whom the climate would present less dan
| ger than It would for white men. There
fore, a year ago Booker T. Warrington was
asked TO name for this service three Of
his expert graduates from the Tuskegee
Institute and also capable negro to serve
| as superintendent.
| j.. N Galloway, born in Tennessee, q
| graduate from Fisk University, and for
ton years instructor in agriculture In T,ske-
gee Institute, was selected as superin-
| tendent. A salary that would make a
| all his expenses. Sheppard L. Harris,
John Robinson and Allen Burke. all gradu-
ates Of the Tuskegee Institute, and zach
| knowing well several trades, including
architecture, carpentry, agriculture, black
smithing and dalrying, were the assistants
| chosen. Their salaries were also good.
| They all know all about cotton raising
The greatest secrecy has been enjoined
| about this enterprise. The persons en-
| gagged In II have been forbidden to relate
any facts about their operations, but from
special sources Of information It has been
hat a
and that other skilled negro farmers will
be quietly taken TO start other plantations.
The region Of the present experiment is
| Togoland, north OF the Gulf Of Guinea, and
! the scene OF the American slave trade.
| Togoland $ the smallest Of the four German
territories. The others, Kamerun and
| German Southwest Africa, on the west
coast, and German East Africa. on the
east coast. besides being larger are more
| temperate In climate. Togoland is about
| four hundred miles north OF the equator
| and lies between the Gold Coast on the west,
which Is dependency Of Great Britain,
| and Dahomey on the east, which IL Under
| France. The area is 81, 900 square miles, a
| little larger than South Carolina, and the
| estimated population Is 2,50OOOO. On June
| 20, 1890. the European population was lis,
| Of whom li3 were Germans.
Togoland was declared a German pro-
| tectorate in 1884. and is governed by an
| Imperial Commissioner. assisted by .
| Secretary, an Inspector Of Customs and a
| committee Of local merchants. The town
OF Togo has population of 5000, and the
military and police service consists of seven
| Germans and 25O natives. Maize, yams,
| tapioca, ginger and bananas are cultivated
to some extent by the natives. most OF
whom are Of the Eve race. Cocoa, oil
| palms, caoutchouc and dyewoods grow In
the forests Two cable connections with
Europe have been established. Togoland
imported in 1900 ssi9,027 in goods, the
largest single item being cotton fabrics
A brief account Of the efforts of the Amsri-
| can pioneers can be given here. Supt.
Galloway bought in New York ploughs. hoes,
cotton planters, cotton gin, press and
American cottonseed ties, &c, and sailed
with them on Nov. 8. 1900, reaching Togo
land nearly two months later after brief
stay In Germany. The following letter
has reached Tuskegee Institute, and will he
read with interest, as II sums up the present
situation:
ZONE, TOGO. West Africa.
May 10. 1901.
MY DEAR PRINCIPAL; We left America,
az you know, on Nov. 8, 1900, for the above
named place. After many hardships on tho
ocean We az last got 20 the Ions -looked-for
| place, where We saw and are still seeing
| strange things.
As 10 my work here: / am getting along
| 20 get IN material TO work with. This country.
| like all other unsettled countries is yet
| without modern machinery. The sawmill,
| the cotton gin, and, in fact. all modern ma
| chnery IL yet 10 be introduced. Some OF
| this machinery we hope 10 have in operation
before our time IN out here
when wa reachd LONE we thought we
were at tho end Of our journey, but We had
vet 100 miles 10 go in tho bushes. IA they
call II out here. IL may sound hard, but
we had TO walk this distance, carrying with
us such things as we thought would supply
our needs until We could get settled. The
trip was made In four days. BY the l4th
Of January we had about settled where
our farm should be. We began work,
clearing away with the help OF tine natives,
and in a short while the site FOR our new
home was selected.
We have cleared away more than 100
acres OF land and a part of the same il
planted In cotton, corn, peanuts and other
things, and some Of the cotton has mora
fruit on il now than many Of the farmers
will make on their whole crop In America.
There Is no doubt about the growing of
cotton here, for II has been demonstrated
already Six months ago men passed this
place without paying any attention To II,
FOR IL was nothing but a field Of bushes
and elephant grass, but to-day one IL at
tracted 10y the number Of buildings, tho
growing OF cotton and other products,
also the pulling Of the ploughs by horses
and men guiding them.
while Mr. Burke and Mr. Robinson
are lusy with their farm j am AT work