The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-02
West Indies Cotton.

| United States Commercial Agent
 Jos. E. Haven. at St. Christophe-
 British West Indies. sends to the De- partment of COmmerce and Labor the
 following contribution touching the production of cotton in British West Indies:
 The cotton industry of St. Christo- pher and Nevis can now be said to i have passed the experimental stage and to have reached the point where
 1t produces a steary and regular in | come. It has taken several years to ] convince the estate owners that, with proper care and attention. the culti- vation of sea-island cotton can be | made a financial success. aud much | credit is due to the department of | agriculture of the West Indies for it's | accomplishment. During the past five years the department has conducted | experiments on most of the West India | islands.
 | In 1902 sugar sold at pounds
 S24.33) per ton. giving little or no profit 10 the producer, and owing to
 the continued depression of the market
 and its indef1niteness for the future 1t | became necessary to seek some other product suited to the climate and soil.
 The establishment of the cotton indus try appealed favorably to the planters; {; hence the first gin operated by steam power in the West Indies was started | at St. Christopher in that year. The | drst shipment of cotton from this fac-
 tory comprised 12,000 pounds of lpt,
 which brought 27 cents per pound in
 the Liverpool market.
 | In 1903 the cotton industry on this l island was not a success financially,
 the worms having attacked the plants | before the cotton ripened However, some excellent cotton was grown,
 which was valued in London from 22
 to 2S cents per pound. In 1904 there
 was a marked increase in the produc-
 tion, as the growers had gained more knowledge of the care and cultivation of the plants and of how to destroy the
 various forms of insect pests infesting
 them. For the year ended December | 3l. 1904, the export reached 55,G25 I pounds, all of which sold at an aver age of 32 cents per pound, although | in Nevis cotton of extraordinary fine-
 ness and length of fiber was produc cd
 which sold as high as 36 cents per
 pound.
 | The remarkable growth of the in- dustry can best be shown in the export
 for the quarter ended March 31. 1905,
 viz. 111.s41 pounds. or more than
 double the export for the preceding | year.
 The total area devoted to the cui- | tivation of cotton in the West Indies | In 1904 was 11.6S1 acres, 7.243 of which were devoted to sea-island cotton. The Imperial commissioner of agriculture for the West Indies in addressing the
 fifth West Indian agricultural confer ence. held in January. 1905, said: It Is now recognized that West India sea island cotton Is an article in good demand. and the industry shows every promise of being established on re- munerative lines. It is probable that the crop of sea-island cotton to be reaped from now to May next will reach about 5000 bales of 360 pounds each. worth 100000 pounds t$4S6,650J
 The British Cotton Growers Asso- citation has rendered valuable assist ance in making grants of both money and machinery, in receiving the ship ments of cotton. and in finding the bost market for 1t. In the latter part of 1904 the association arranged for a visit to the West Indies ny commit tee of cotton experts who rendered great service by explaining in detail the requirements of the spinners in