The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-07-14
COTTON GROWING IN SOUTH AZ
RIGA.

The British government, her colonial
| governments in South Africa and asso-
cations formed By individuals interest
ed in destroying the south's monopoly
in the cotton producing industry are
still energeticalIy experimenting in cot
ton raising in the British possessions In
Africa. Of what is being done along this
line the regular correspondent OF
Dun's Review writes from Johannes
burg under date % May LIST:
That energy and thought II South
Africa are not wholly occupied with
| its mineral wealth is very evident at
the present time. Attention almost
| everywhere has been turned to the
possibilities of cotton growing. and
the vernme of CaD Colony.
| TransyaaI and the Orange River Colo
ny are doing their best to start this
industry. So far the exDerimsntal
stage Ia hardly been passed. but suf-
fcient work has been done to give rise
to most sanguine expectations
CAPE farmers are taking a Darticu-
larry keen interest in the matter and
numerous applications for information
and seed nave been sent to h Brit
ish Cotton Growers Association. which
has its representatives here and has
undertaken to give what assistance is
possible. In the Grange River Colony
the government has bestirred itself on
behalf Of the farmers. encouraging
them to try the cotton experiment.
and not only has it done this. but it
a also planted seed on crown land.
This colony. the smallest Of them all.
% indeed showing enterprise in this
and ff other directions.
The first cotton press has wen been
imported into the Transvaal by the
Central South African Land Il Ex-
p%loration COMPANY. because Of wild
cotton which was found on the low
weld. collected. sent home and valued
at Liverpool at Cd. to ID, y pound.
Samples from other districts have also
been DISPATCHED to the Imperial Insti-
tute for analysis and one was found
to be worth Ihd. per pound at a time
when middling American was real
izing 5-3Gd. per pound on the Liver
pool market. Other specimens were
tested and valued at sd. and Of these
Professor Wyndham DunStan. of the
imperial Institute. writes this year:
There "a be no doubt but hat the
quality of all these cottons could be
imDorved by careful methods Of cul-
tlVatlon. The IRREGULARITIES occurring
in the staple could doubtless be RENE
died by a process of SEED selection,
ard in this way The value of the cot
would be enhanced to q considerable
extent
Last yea the TransvaaI government
distributed 452 pounds Of SEED to SO
farmers. the cotton from which has
been y is lust now being picked.
Near Pretoria q varieties were
planted. including IT from America,
and most eXcelIeE: results are antici-
pated. Quite recently an American
planter visited the plantation and af-
ter inspection declared that the crop
was superior as regards the number
of bolls to the average of plants grown
i'll the plantations Of Georgia and the
CarOlinas. United States of America.
In Rhodesia. too. the British South
African COMPANY has imported a
large Quantity Of seed for distribu-
ten.
We DO not think, though, hat tn.
southern cotton growers need be IN
easy on this account. South Africa, i
she ever succeeds in producing cottor
to any great extent, will hardly become
a dangerous competitor of the south
By the time she begins exporting cot
ton in large quantities the south viii
have advanced so greatly in the manu-
| facture of cotton that she will be con,
Stunning the greater part of her OWL
product and there will not be much O
the raw material left to supply the de
mands of foreign mills. With all thei
experiments and trials, it has not bee,
demonstrated, yet, that Africa can eve
compete with the south, even il tn
latter continues 10 look to foreign mill,
to take the same amount of her raw
cotton that they 40 now.