The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-07

Dutch experiments fin cotton culture In | the island of Java are treated in a l communication to the Department of l Commerce and Labor as follows by | United States Consul Rairden, at Ba- l tavia, Java:
 During 1903 a small quantity of | prime Egyptian cotton seed was im- ported by the Mercantile Society of l Amsterdam and planted on an estate | situated on the high lands near Malang, | East Java. On the advice of an au- | thority on cotton cultivation the seeds were planted three grains per hole at a distance of six inches apart. This l distance. however, seemed to oe too | great. The soil was kept clean and | free of weeds and in a short time the seeds sprouted. When the plants be-
 gan to bear leaves they were trans- planted.
 The plants developed well and the
 average yield per plant may be con- l sidered very satisfactory. but when the crop was gathered in October (some eight or nine months after planting)
 it was found that 2,000 plants to the ''bahoe" U.75 acres) was not sufhcient. The average yield was one picul Q36 poundO of clean cotton and about two
 piculs (272 pounds) of seed to the "ba-
 hoe" U.75 acres). On another estate near Malang the yield has been some-
 what better-2o4 pounds of clean cot
 ton and 4oS pounds of seed to the ''ba- hoe"
 The cotton has been cleaned by a | patent hand machine with a capacity | of from 4.2 to 5.5 pounds of clean cot | ton an hour. The quality of the cotton | Is as good as could be desired. the sta | pie being fine and long, and shipments
 have already been made to the Meth | erlands.
 The native cotton, "kapas djawa," is | shipped almost exclusively to eastern | parts as sowing cotton-raw cotton not cleaned from seeds. It has very | short staple and Is therefore unfit for | weaving yarn. and its value Is there | fore slight. It is chiefly used for up- | holstering purposes. Under the most | favorable circumstances 1t would never | pay a European to cultivate this native 1 cotton. the yield being valued at about | $15 to the acre per year; therefore. the | European planters decided to experi- l ment with other varieties. hoping that | their efforts might in the end prove l successful
 l In 1904 a further experiment was
 made in cotton planting, and although | 1t has not yet been fully reported on. | 1t Is expected to be far more successful ! than the experiments in 1903. The soil | has been we'll worked and more in- l tensive mode of cultivation has been
 
 February is considered in Java the | best time for sowing the seed (March at the latest) and October and Mo-
 vember are generally the months for | gathering the crop. The young plants | have the benefit of the rain, and the | crop is gathered before the next rains | begin, which is absolutely necessary. | as the buds are destroyed by heavy | rains.
 In addition to the common cotton hand gin used in 1903. n patent self | feeding double action cotton gin has | been ordered for working the 1904 crop | This gin can turn out forty pounds | per nour and has driving power of one and a half horsepower.
 Some little trouble Is experienced | from caterpillars, especially in a wet | season, but during the usual dry sea | son, expected from the last of March | to the latter part of October. there is | not much difficulty Ill guarding against | the pest, although this means constant | watching. It has been ascertained that
 the cotton plants do not thrive well | in moist col and do not grow so | we'll in virgin soil which has been ! planted for season or more. It appears that the Netherlands In- l dian government has for number of l years endeavored to encourage the na- | tives in different districts of Java in the cultivation of long-stapled cotton. but without success Dr. Tromp de Haas, formerly connected with the bo tanical gardens of Buitenzorg. has writ ten articles on the cultivation of colt )n
 in Java. In which he states that un- favorable weathe. and plagues are re- sponsible for its nc nsuccess. Others,
 however. believe 1t is only a question of time when cotton will be successfully grown In Java.
 A firm of well-known spinners in Gronau has taken or trIal q lot of the
 Java cotton and is quoted as reporting on 1t as follows: "=~.
 The Java cotton taken in hand is
 of splendid quality. and in color espe-
 cially Is not to be distinguished from
 the Delta product The staple is pret-
 ty equal and the yarn may be used for
 4Os. 45s, and at the utmost for sos, and
 for exceptionally fine qualities. BIant-
 ing this sort of cotton might prove re-
 munerative. The samples sert have
 not been combed, though they look as
 if they had oeen."
 In addition to a few small trials
 made with imported Sea Island seed
 during the past year. experiments were
 to be made tar Malang. and the fol-
 lowing varieties were imported for
 planting: Nit, Affi, Abassi and Yam
 ovitch, from Egypt, and Sea Island,
 Shine Upland and King Upland, from
 the United States. The first four are
 of long staple and the last two of av-
 craze staple. These were planted in a
 tract of about seventy acres, and the seeds soon sprouted and produced
 healthy plants. When the first buds ap-
 peared the plants were in fine condition and the most hopeful anticipations of good results were entertained If the
 rains would only cease. The rains,
 however, did not cease. and consequent
 ly what had been fine flourishinG plants were stripped of their buds and nothing
 but the bare stalks were left Some plants attempted to bud again. but were attacked by small beetles, and in
 tine they all died
 Repairing the White House.
 If the average citizen, however sue cessful in business, should have his rod ana Irnfo