The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-12-06

bearing, and his cotton crop from this
source last year amounted to several hun
dred bales The cotton of this tree is
not unlike that produced by the cotton
plants of the South except that it is or
longer fibre and is of higher grade than
ordinary cotton. 1t is asserted that the
cloth which it manufactures has better
wearing qualities than ordinary cotton
goods
Senior Cuevas has conducted his expe-
riments under the direction of the Mex
lean government. AS an indication Of
the success of the new industry. it may
be stated that Senior Cuevas has just dis
tribUted among the cotton planters and
farmers of the State of Jalsco ten million
seeds of this wonderful tree. These seeds
were donated free for the purpose of en-
couraging the adoption of the tree for
producing cotton in place of the plant
which is now grown for the purpose. 1t
is stated that the yield of this tree is
enormous in comparison with that of the
cotton plant. About twenty trees are
grown to the acre and they each produce
200 to 800 pounds of cotton which is equal
to eight or twelve bales per acrs
]. r. Cartley, formerly an extensive
cotton planter of Lee county, Texas who
Is now in Guadalajara Mex, recently Wis
tied Senior Cuevas' plantation of cotton
producing trees. Mr.. Cartley is enthu-
siastic over the prospects of the tree sup
planting the cotton plant in Texas In
letter to a friend in this city he says
that he obtained a few of the seeds of
the tree from Senior Cuevas and viii plant
them in the vicinity of Brownsville Tex,
where frost rarely occurs and where the
climate is similar to that where the trees
are now grown in Mexico. Mr.. Cortley's
letter reads in part as follows:
From what l have seen of Senior Cue
vas plantation | am convinced that this
cotton tree can be successfully grown in
southwest Texas. 1t seems that it does
not require any great amount of moisture
and is easily grown. Whether it is killed
or affected by freeze or not, is not yet
known, but l am inclined to believe that
owing to the fact that it is a native of
semi TROPICAL climate, it would not stand
much cold weather However, / am go
ing to try planting some of the seeds on
my place in Lee county as well as in the
vicinity of Brownsville. If the tree will
do in Texas or even in limited part of
Mexico what it is doing on Senior Cuevas'
plantation. it is the most wonderful dis
covery of the age and will more than
produce all the cotton needed to supply
the demands of the whole world.
There is no hoax or joke about this;
Senior HIlario Cuevas, is one of the
wealthiest and best known planters in
this part of Mexico. Almost any business
man in Guadalaiara can confirm my
statements about this discovery. The de-
partment of fomento and communications
Of the Mexican government should be
able to give full information in regard to
tins wonderful tree to any one who viii
apply for it. 1t is stated that the cotton
boil weeyil, which had its origin in Mex
leo, has never been known to attack these
trees, and this fact alone should encor'
age experiments to be made of growing
the tree in Texas. These experiments
Should be conducted under the direction
of the United States department of agri-
culture. l am sure that Senior Cuevas
will give all the seeds necessary for the
purpose
Mr.. Cartley encloses in his letter clip
ping from a Spanish newspaper published
at Autlan, situated in the State of Jalisco,
(which gives an interesting account of this
cotton tree The article, after reciting
the fact that Senior Cuevas has donated
Jlolders of that State for planting pur-
poses, gives a brief description of the tree
hnd some of it's characteristics 1t says
that the tree has long been known to the
Indians who inhabit the western part of
Jalsco and that it is remarkable that
the commercial Importance OF its product
was not recognized long ago. This is
probably accounted for, however, by the
fact that the native home of tho tree, so
far as known. is confined to small val
ley, situated remote from travel and civ
ilization. 1t remained for Senior Cuevas.
the article says to find the tree in full
fruitage and to quickly grasp the SIM
larity of its product to that of the cotton
plant. The Indians who live in the re-
gion where the tree was discovered by
Senior Cuevas say that it attans an age
of more than fifty years and bears con-
stantly from the time it is three or four
years old. The tree attains a height of
thirty to forty feet.