The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-19

of Cuba on a large scale would be un-
 profitable and a waste of money because
 of the probability of the ruination of the crop by the weevil, is the opinion of MT. E. A. Schwartz of the National museum, l who Is just back rom a trip to Cuba. From time iTnmemorial there have been | two kinds of wild cotton In Cuba" says MT. Schwartz in discussing his trip. "One kind Is called kidney cotton,i because the boil resembles In shape the human kid ney. The seeds are SO thoroughly at tached to the cotton that 1t cannot be | ginned, and is, therefore, useless for com l mercial purposes. The other kind has 1 freer seeds but Is also not of much l value.
 'These cotton plants grow to be yerit- | able trees, eight or nine feet high. It 1 has been the custom of the natives to 1 transplant a couple of these trees to the l front of their huts and use the cotton as l they need it. They are extremely dex- l terious in spinning the cotton from the | kidney variety into thread, from which 1 they make a surprising number or arti- i cles
 "The boil weevil thrives wonderfully on l the kidney cotton, but is not so destruc- l tive to the other kind All through the 1 central part of the island the weevil is | to be found in abundance, living on all kinds of cotton, especially the kidney var | iety, and observers have been led to be- | lieve that if all the kidney cotton was exterminated it would be possible to stamp out the weevil.
 ",rhe value of such drastic policy is only speculative at present. Experiments
 are to be undertaken which should lead to some definite concessions. Senor Eduardo
 Ferrer of Cayamas, progressive and able Cuban planter, has studieu the ques- tion carefully and will conduct the ex- | periments.
 Various Kinds Will Be Planted. lotion from the various sections of l the United States and from other coun- l tries will be planted, including Sea island 1 cotton, and careful note will be made of l the ability of each of the different varie- l ties to withstand the ravages of the
 weeyil, and of the comparative amount of l damage done when the kidney cotton is
 present and when It Is rooted out. It Is l hoped that by this means cotton will I be found which will not be seriously l affected by the insect when the vicinity I is not contaminated by the weevil-breed- l ing kidney cotton.
 There Is much difference of opinion l over the proper season to plant cotton, | whether at the beginning or end of a | rainy season, and this question must be | answered by careful experiment before | cotton can become an important crop in l Cuba. The time of planting will bear a | relation not only to the productiveness, | but may be factor in enabling the cot | ton to resist the weevil.
 Cuba has an abundance of land ad-
 mirably suited to the growing of cotton, and in all parts of the island they are discussing the possibility Of it's introduc- | ton, but the natives have neither the
 money nor inclination to experiment and l their talk does not produce results. Spectators Should Investigate. American land spectators are finding many dupes who believe it will be an easy thing to start a cotton plantation in the favorable climate and soil of Cuba. Those who have been approached should inves- tigate carefully before spending their money
 'The largest tobacco grower in the south, if not in the entire country Is in ! Person county, North Carolina" said MT. 1 s. T. Talbott of Charleston, s. C., today. "The farms cover thousands of acres I and several million hills are planted an- | nually, which are carefully cultivated, | and cured in a scientific manner in barns l The owner has made a wide reputation l as a tobacco grower and received from 1 the Paris exposition in 1900 gold meda on his rich yellow leaf The North Caro-.
 lima soil is particularly adapted to tn. ! growing of good tobacco. and the plante,
 has been taking advantage of it for ,
 number of years