The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-27
CorroN GROWING EXPERIMENTS.

man IN JnlS Town mas Deel dhiuoihe
himself plotting on a map Of the world the
areas where the European nations have
within two years been experimenting with
the cultivation OF cotton. These expert
ments have to do not only with the neigh
borhood where the seed Is planted, but also
with the greater or less surrounding area
where the conditions are similar, success IN
any ono field meaning practically success IN
allfelds OF that region where the soil, climatic
and other influences are the same. We
may properly say, for example, that tho
experimentation includes all Of the vast
territory OF Northern Nigeria, though the
actual work is confined to about dozen
stations embracing the different elevations,
soils, rainfalls, DC, which exist In that ter
ritory.
The investigator has colored his map
with this view OF the extent OF the expert
mental areas. The data have been abund-
antly provided In the publications OF the
English, Germans and French, TO whom the
experiments are chiefly confined; they we're
ably summarized in the recent report OF
Prof. Dunstan, published as blue book
In England, and illustrated by sketch map
Of the cotton growing belt Of the world.
The New York investigator has evolved
some interesting conclusions as the result
Of his map work. He finds that the areas
around the Gulf Of Guinea, where the Brit
ish. Germans and French are very busy
with their experiments, and extending
inland so as to cover Northern Nigeria, is
as large as the entire area now given to
cotton growing in the United States; that
the experimental areas In East Africa, in
Guiding the British in Upper Egypt, in the
Anglo Egyptian Sudan, in British East
Africa, British Central Africa and Rhodesia,
the Germans along the coast OF German
East Africa and the east shore OF Tangan-
yika, and the Portuguese on their seaboard
and the east side OF Lake Nyassa, also en-
brace a territory as large as our cotton belt
and that the total experimental areas the
world over fully equal In size the fields that
are now producing cotton on commercial
basis.
About four-ffths OF the experimental
area ia in Africa. The remainder Is dis
tributed in comparatively small areas OF
Yucatan and British Honduras, Jamaica
and the Windward Islands, British Guiana,
Madagascar. some groups Of islands in the
Indian Ocean, northern Csylon, the Malay
Peninsula, northeastern Borneo, New South
Wales, Queensland and the Northern Terri
tory Of the State OF South Australia.
Another interesting fact Is that fully
three-fourths OF the experimental area Is
in the hands Of British promoters OF cot
ton growing. The French and German
experiments in the French Sudan and Ger
man East Africa for example, are not so
widely distributed that they can be said
to embrace more than a portion Of those
vast territories. The centres Of British
EXPERIMENTATION in all the larger regions
under study are more numerous and well
scattered than those OF the French and
Germans In any Of their large fields OF
research.
Such facts as these are striking, and they
are valuable as showing in a succinct and
graphic way the distribution Of this great
movement and the impelling forces behind
1t; but they do not indicate that for years
to come the new regions where 1t is hoped
to make cotton raising practicable will add
very important amounts to the worlds
supply. On the whole, the results thus far
are encouraging, though there is disappoint-
ment in some regions. In other large districts
where the development OF cotton growing
seems perfectly feasible there are difficulties
In the way, such as the indisposition OF the
natives to labor, great distance from mar
kets and large cost OF transportation, even
after railroads are introduced. These diff
ficulties may In time be obviated or dimin-
ished, and no one doubts that the search
for new cotton fields will have important
economic results. II Is very interesting IN
its present phase as the greatest movement
the world has seen for widening the domain
OF an agricultural product.