The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-16
COTTON CULTURE IN AFRICA.
a Firm to Make Experiments With
the Aid of American Experts.

the Aid Of American Experts.
The State Department has been informed
by James Boyle, the United States Consul
at Liverpool, that an enterprising firm OF
shipowners at that great port is arrang-
ing to send six American cotton-growing
experts to the west coast Of Africa to in
stitute experiments in the growing of cot
ton In the region. Writing upon the sub
Ject to the StaJg Department, Mr.. Boyle
says:
In the early eos cotton growing was
started on the west coast Of Africa, the
incentive being the opportunity afforded
by the disorganization of the cotton trade
consequent on the civil war. The expert
ments cannot be considered to have been
a success. Liverpool receiv I'd nearly all
the cotton exported from West Africa. In
1861. ITO bales were received here The
largest number of bales received since
hen was in 1883, when 1890 bales came
to Liverpool Since that date the figures
have fUCtuated, showing a tendency.
however, to a steady decrease In 1870, b.
90 bales Of West African cotton were i'm
ported into Liverpool: in 1880, the number
of bales was 574; in 1890 g. 33 bales arrived:
in 1898. 20I; the next year not one bale was
received; in 1891, just one solitary bale
came, and since then a few hundred bales
have annually been imported. The West
African cotton that has come here has
been Of the short-staple variety. and not
of a very good color. 1t is. however, a
fairly good cotton, with a better staple
than the East Indian. When 'middling
American was quoted last year at II
cents, West African was quoted at 81 to
10 cents.
The Germans are trying to establish
n inc in ~ oct rn1n-
MES. Cotton growing has also been in
troduced in the French West African col
onies; and only recently, enquiry was re
ceived by Elder, Dempster & Co. as to
freight charges for cargo of cotton
from Dahomey to Liverpool The district
in British West Africa in which it is
proposed to make the special cotton grow
ing experiment is Lagos. Quite recent
", a sample of cotton came to Liverpool
from Lagos and was pronounced very
good. 1t is proposed also to make expert
ments under British auspices in Sierra
Leone and Liberia
Liverpool cotton men do not attach
much Importance to this new enterprise,
although some interest is being taken in
it. The general opinion here is that our
Southern States will always have a mo-
nopoly of producing the cotton mostly in
ldkOI. HD1 Only III tle jAttth OlSiASs95 Jul
on the Continent and in England, for gen
eraI purposes Suggestions have been
made that Egyptian cotton might in time
be produced in such quantities as to be
formidable rival to American cotton; but
there does not seem to be much founda-
ton for this suggestion, the Egyptian cot
ton being best suited owing to its long
and fine staple, for special purposes; and
what Is more important, the production
viii always be comparatively very limited,
even when the great irrigation system,
now IN course Of construction, is in full
operation Experiments on the west coast
Of Africa may, however, develop into an
actual although comparatively smalD
competitive trade with the cotton-grow-
ing Industry of the Southern States. 1t
is only 4 bare possibility, however.
An attempt Zyii De made to acclimatize
American cotton seed on the west coast;
but the chances are that the cotton which
viii be produced. from this seed will not
be identical with, nor as good as, the
home product. That has been found from
other experiments made in different parts
of the world with American cotton seed
Experts here doubt very much whether
the west coast Of Africa can ever produce
as good cotton as the Southern States;
and yet it is difficult for anybody to give
a welI-founded judgment, as heretofore
cotton growing on the west coast has not
beer. on a scientific basis.
1t might occur to American cotton men
that the extra distance from the west
coast Of Africa 20 Liverpool Lagos is
1887 miles from Liverpool, as compared
with that from the American seaboard,
would permanently prevent west coast
cotton from competing with American
r oh IN in nd br~r
ever, that the American cotton. or rather
the English buyer, is handicap ped by the
fact that in most cases ships have to
make the return trip largely in ballast
so that one voyage across tn Atlantic
must practically pay for two T,..s IS be
cause the ships have little or 10 cargo to
take westward With the west coast.
however it would be different The trade
between Liverpool and the west coast of
Africa is profitable both ways the ships
bringing all sorts of raw material from
Africa TO Liverpool and taking back fun
carg0eS OF manufactured articles Its
West African trade is one Of the most
prosperous that Liverpool has and it is
growing all the time The development
Of cotton growing on the west coast
would undoubtedly greatly increase the
export trade Of Liverpool to that region.
u is easy 10 see therefore, that the
freight charges from Africa, while for a
much longer distance, need not neceSsar-
ily be greater than from the American
coast-that is, the shiTowuers can afford
TO charge less freight rates for the rea-
son that they mike money both ways If.
therefore, this experiment on the west
coast be successful. American cotton
growers may be faced with a competition
(even though limited which heretofore
has been thought absolutely out of the
question
Elder, Dempster & Co. are not over
sanguine as to the result; they look upon
their enterprise as purely experimental
1t is safe TO assume, however, that the
trials conducted under their auspices will
be thorough and conclusive. No shipping
company in the world is so familiar with
existing conditions on the West African
coast as this firm, and the managers are
experienced in the development of new
have won practically monopoly of the
trade with the Canary Islands; they have
the contract with the British and Jamai-
can Governments for the development of
the Jamaican fruit industry; and they do
more business not only as carriers, but
commercially, with the west coast of Afri-
ca than any other firm in the world. Ed
though the soil and climate of the west
coast be favorable to their cotton-grOw-
ing experiment, they are confronted with
a great obstacle IN the indispOsitiOn of
the native labor to hard physical toll the
actual necessities of a primitive form of
existence on the coast being easily obtain
able with little or no work
The King and marlborough House
From the London ChronicIe)
1t is understood that the King will va
cate Marlborough House with which he
has been so long associated and that
h v.Tg.gT H.