The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-12
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JAMAICAN COTTON.
British Association Conducting Exten-
 sive ExperImenta.

sive Experiments.
 Washington Dec. Ill J. In a communication from William H : Orrctt, Vice-Consul at Kingston. Ja- maica, on Commercial and Industrial Conditions of Jamaica" has the fol- lowing with reference to cotton cul- ture in the island:
 Considerable interest is now being taken in growing cotton in Jamaica and. in fact, throughout the entire British West Indies. The British Cot ton Growing Association and the Brit ish government have been experiment. ing on suitable lands for its growth throughout the British West Indies du- ring the past year. Cotton experts have been making trials and the in- dustry is receiving the best scientific advice possible. It would appear from the experiments that sea-island cotton is considered the best. The islands of the West Indies were the starting point for this sort of cotton; it was the quality that in former years was in great demand among the spinners in the cotton districts of England. The report by the imperial commissioner shows that there are over 2.000,000 acres available for the growth of the staple. In this island a very large acreage Is under cultivation. Small shipments have been made with favor able results. and it is anticipated that very large area will shortly be un- der cultivation. In addition to sea-is- land cotton. growers are also experi- menting with the Egyptian species. Cotton was abandoned in favor of su- gar and the land reverted to bush, but throughout the island of Jamaica very many cotton plants remain. proving that the West Indies may be regarded as natural habitat of cotton.
 There are in Jamaica 100000 acres of seaboard land available for planting. possessing in climate the requisite amount of warmth and moisture. and having the economic facilities of good roads. railway, and wharf accommoda- tions, etc. The price of sea-island cot ton averages 2S cents per pound in England. from which must be deducted the charges for ginning. freight, insu- rance, brokerage, etc, making the price to the producer. say, IS cents per pound. It will be seen that, estimat- ing an acre to give 300 pounds of seed cotton or 300 pounds of lint at IS cents per pound. $54.74 is realized From this should be deducted the cost of bringing one acre of land into cultiva- tion. which may be estimated at $24.33. and the cost of land. which may be
 
 leaves handsome margin of profit. Jamaica has one unique advantage over other cotton growing countries in possessing two distinct wet and two distinct dry seasons This allows two crops of cotton to be picked in a year.
 Railway Freights and Highways.
 Railway rates of freight are now un- der the consideration of the govern ment. which owns all the roads of the island. with a view to make some re- duction to meet the demands of fruit growers and shippers who are their chief supporters. There was a move to extend the railroad into the interior of the country. but in consequence of a serious deficit in the islands budget last year this has been delayed for fu- ture consideration. A very appreciable number of highways have been made. connecting the seaboard with the in- terior. thus opening up large agricultu- ral centers with great possibilities of development.
 Palm Leaf Hat Trust.
 There is, according to the United States Consul at Malaga, Spain, a trust in the palm leaf hat trade at that place. The consul, D. R. Birch, writes of 1t as follows:
 Palm-leaf hat exporters, who have for years past engaged in almost daily commercial strife while purchasing hats from the rural makers, have formed a combination, with the result that one price now prevails for the different grades instead of several as heretofore. The export of these hats. to New York. which Is their only mar ket, numbers between 3,o00,0 and A. 100000 a year. They are made from the narrow leaf of the palm grown in the adjacent country districts, where thousands of families from grandfath- CT to children not yet in their teens. are from January to December en- gagged in working the leaf into shane. These people compose, by the way. probably the most industrious and prosperous working class of Southern Spain. They bring the hats to Nal aga on the backs of mules and dispose of their wares to local merchants.
 Prior to the formation of the trust" hats were sold to the highest bidder. but under the present arragnment one house buys all of them at a fixed price and divides with other dealers The combination pertains, however, only to the purchase of the hats, each mer- chant offering them to New York buy- CTS at his own figure.