The age-herald., 1902-03-29
RAISING COTTON
 IN WEST AFRICA German Society Reports on Work of Tuskegee Negroes . RAINY SEASON INTERFERED Planting Covered a Period of Six Months With American, Egyptian
 and Native seed-Twenty-
 three Bales Harvested.

Atlanta, Ga, March 2S.-The German Colonial Economic Society of Berlin has Issued an elaborate report of the work of the experimental cotton plantation in Togo, West Africa, managed by J. N. Galloway and three young negroes from Booker T. Washington's school at Tuske- gee, Ala.
 Superintendent Calloway's statement to the society. which is included in the re- port:
 Our planting covered six months time, but can be divided into two periods from March to June. and from July to August. The rainy season began in March but was very light at first. On March 27 we planted our first Ameri- can cotton, about one and half acres. This sprouted quickly and grew nicely. After one month 1t was foot and half high April brought frequent light rains. It was a good month for planting Dur ing this month we planted twelve acres of American cotton. In May twenty acres were planted. The rain during May was very heavy but did not injure the growth of the plant. In the first days of July very damaging rains came. The boils of the early crop were entirely destroyed. The plants rusted and the bolls routed without opening. Only two bales of cotton were harvested from seed planted before July; much more per ished in the field.
 Twenty Acres Planted.
 Tn the months of July and August twenty acres were planted with Ameri- can and Egyptian cotton. September and October had less rain, but clouds and N1,4 aA Of natnh0F there was more sun and q higher tenn perature Seed planted n July and Au- gust produced in December what would in America be called ''half crop" A small area was planted in October, but with little success, as rain ceased to fall soon after Tn the experiments we used native, American (upland and sea islanO and Egyptian seed. Next year Peru seed will be tried. The largest part of the seed sown was American. l believe that by planting the seed in late summer and thus preventing rain deterioration, we shall find better results. I am of the opinion that by crossing native with American cotton, a variety adapted to the colony can be secured.
 "One hundred acres of land in all were cultivated. Up to the end of December twenty-three bales of cotton were in readiness to ship. Thirteen of these were from notive seed, nine from American seed and one from Egyptian seed. The natives grow cotton as a secondary pro- duct with yams. There is sufficient good cotton land.
 VIII Distribute Good Seed.
 ''The expedition intends to distribute good cotton seed to the natives. In na- tive cotton the proportion between lint and seed was 1900 pounds of seed cotton to a bale of 800 pounds. The crop from American seed showed the same propor- ton as in America-l500 pounds of seed cotton to a bale.
 '"The natives must be taught to culti- vate more cotton on the same ground with the same labor. If possible they must be furnished with draught animals. AL though 1t was known that no animal could resist the climate. twenty horses and twenty oxen were brought from the in- terior. The Tsetse fly soon began its fatal work, and by September all the animals were dead. Experiments should be con- tinued with native horses. After our animals died. it was necessary to depend on native labor for everything, and na- lives drew the bales of cotton to the coast in lumber wagons. Portable engines should be built from the coast inland"