Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-08-04
COTTON GROWING IN AFRICA.
Prospects Along West Coast Are Not
Favorable.

| W YIN ShO"lNS IN Ar hlSH.
Prospects Along West Coast Are No
| Favorable.
The problem Of British grown cottor
has been prominently before the public
for the past three years, and Wes
Africa Is credited with being the most
likely country for its successful cul.
tivation. The Royal British Cottor
Growing association, in its reports
places great faith In the possibilities
Of the different West African colonies
but so far the results have been very
poor and discouraging. The object o.
this article, writes a West African
correspondent Of the London Times
Is to give the public some idea of the
prospects and possibilities of British
West Africa, together with particulars
Of the progress Of cotton growing VI
to the present date. The climate, soil
population, means Of transport and
rainfall vary so much In the different
colonies that to give true account Of
the conditions and prospects each
colony should be treated separately
| Lagos at present Is the most impor-
tant colony from a cotton growing
point Of view, and possessing as Il
does railway and a large area Of
country outside the palm oil tree
belt 1t should be the first colony tc
give definite results. Cotton has al
ways been grown by the Lagos Yoruba
tribes, and In 1867 the exports consist
ed Of 1853 tons, while during the thirty
five years ended 1901 raw cotton tc
the value Of e5OO,000 was exported
| from the colony.
The population Of Lagos and the
Iorin districts Of Northern Nigeria
may be taken not to exceed 2,500,00
and Of this number fully two thirds
reside within the palm oil tree belt
OF country and are fully occupied with
remaining 100000 are dependent upor
| cattle raising, guinea corn and local
industries for their livelihood. Most
| OF the cotton exported from Lagos
has been grown outside the palm belt
In the Ibadan, Oyo, Iorin and Mekc
districts Of the colony, and 1t may be
taken as proved that cotton growing
cannot compete successfully with the
palm oil industry in the districts where
the palm trees are plentiful, and fol
a permanent supply cotton buyers
must depend upon the non-palm tree
country.
1t is estimated that under the most
or central buying stations, good trans
port facilities and high prices, the
| natives Of Lagos colony may be able
to produce 100000 bales Of cotton an
nually, in addition to their present for
est and farm exports Of palm oil, tim
Der and cocoa; but, owing to the lack
Of transport facilities, bad roads and
;he failure to date Of experiments to
improve the quality Of cotton grown
1t will be many years before an output
Of 10000 bales of cotton per annum
Is attained. Even apart from the
question Of cotton growing, Lagos COL
ony Is badly In need Of good roads
capable Of carrying wheeled traffic
and until the roads and bridges are
built the district most suitable for
cotton production will remain to a
great extent untapped.
Experimental farming has been
started by the Cotton Growing associa-
tion upon a large scale, and last year
120 acres were cleared and planted
with American seed, but the resulting
crop was q failure; and as the cotton
plants enemy, guinea grass, Is prev
alent in the colony, II Is doubtful
whether large plantations run by Eu-
tropeans upon American lines will ever
be successful. Other experiments with
American seed have also not been very
encouraging, and the question whether
American or native cotton be most en-
couraged appears to have been settled
In favor Of the first named before
sufficient information had been col
lected upon the subject, and before II
had proved itself adaptable to West
African conditions.
The best native cotton from Meko
district Is even now equal to American
cotton as grown In Lagos. Whether
1t would be better to improve the ma
tive variety with or without the help
Of American seed Is a question which
will eventually have to be faced II
cotton Is to be grown. The Cotton
Growing association has established
buying and ginning agencies at two
stations on the Lagos government rail-
way, and Is now erecting third gin
lery upon its plantation. II the esti-
mate of 10000 bales is to be realized
agencies will have to be opened up In
parts Of the country away from the
railway, where, owing to transport
difficulties, II Is doubtful IL cotton
growing will prove commercial sue
cess.
The colony Of Southern Nigeria,
adjoining Lagos, and now, for admin
istrative purposes, attached to the
latter, has so far given unsatisfactory
returns for the money spent by the
Cotton Growing association. A plan
tation upOsl the Sobo plains was map
ped out last year and seven hundred
acres cleared and planted with Ameri-
can seed. About $4,000 Is said to
have been spent upon the concern dur
ing the year, and the resulting pro-
duction Of cotton, valued at less than
G1O0 Is very discouraging. The
failure was undoubtedly due princi-
pally to climatic difficulties, poverty
Of soil and the inexperience Of those
responsible for the selection and work
ing Of the venture. The planation has
been abandoned. and experiments are
being carried out in other districts with
view of gaining more knowledge OF
the soil, seed and climate before
launching out on q large scale again.
1t may be taken for granted that
over the greater portion OF Southern
Nigeria the natives will only culti-
vate the cotton plant, should a suit
able seed be discovered, as subsl-
diary farm product Although In the
districts bordering Northern Nigeria,
where the country Is more suitable
to its growth, a production Of 10000
bales will not be chronicled for many
years, II ever Southern Nigeria is
he only colony possessing a river
service giving good and ready trans
port facilities, but, being rich In forest
products, timber, rubber and oil palms,
II cannot be looked upon as being an
agricultural country.
Cotton will undoubtedly grow well
in different parts Of the Gold Coast
Colony, but the transport difficulty,
coupled with the demand for labor at
the mines, Is against its commercial
development, and In the Volta district,
where agriculture has made great
strides during the past few years, the
cocoa tree has taken a firm grasp or
the natives attention. and, upon the
whole, the cotton question is not likely
to be favorably answered under the
conditions likely to rule the labor
market in the Gold Coast Colony Tor
many years to come. :,
The railway running from Sekondi
to Kumassi was built to serve the
gold mines, and as the country around
.l n