The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-10
East African Cotton Letter.

Daressalam, G. E. Africa. Special Correspondent of Farm and
 Ranch:
 Not few farmers who are interested in wheat will be surprised to hear something from German East Africa, through the "Macaroni wheat man." The writer had charge of the experi- mental work on MT H. O. Samuels farm, near Dallas and New Hope, dur ing the years 1903 and 1904.
 The work assigned the writer here Is the introduction of the fieecy staple that made the Southern States of the United States famous.
 The German Government will at tempt to produce all the raw cotton necessary for her mills. and thereby make herself Independent of American cotton.
 The writer is in charge of all the cotton experiments in German East Africa until the return of the general inspector. MT. E. G. H. Becker of Hockey, Texas; then he will have charge of all the experimental work below the Ruhji River.
 Land.
 Under certain conditions the land in German East Africa can be ob- up into five general classes.
 First-Alluvial river bottom lands.
 Second-Red hillsides and elevated valley lands.
 Third-The steep hills and mountain lands.
 Fourth-The coast belt, white sandy lands.
 Fifth-Prairie lands. consisting mainly of red to black sandy loam.
 The alluvial lands are good cotton lands under proper cultivation but fa ah lands are either too dry or too wet You must remember whenever 1t rains in the tropics 1t pours down; the next day the sun will come down straight and 1t dries things about as fast as the rain came down the previous day If blowing were possible these lands might be kept in half way good condi- tion. Hillsides and elevated valley lands seem the most suitable for cot ton. They never get too wet, but are rather too dry. Again the question of blowing confronts the planter. Gull tivation by human labor with a hoe is slow and costly work. and at the same time not half as good as blowing The steep hillsides and mountain lands will do for one or two years, and then they are good for nothing, for the immense rainy season will wash the top soil off.
 AIrICdn Au8eCN FeSNA.
 The coast belt Is good for cocoanuts and sisal fiber plants. and these require from ten to three years before any re- suits are obtained The cotton on these lands looks like as if it had the consumption. The bolls only open half way, and before the people have time to pick 1t the red chinch bugs suck the sap out of the seed Nearly one half the seed is destroyed by these red fellows The writer could not find any of these insects in the interior. Be- sides these insects there are a half dozen others that work on the cotton plant. One bug sucks and destroys the green bolls; another one eats down the whole stalk; still another feeds on the leaves. We also have to fight q white scale insect. The little fellow appears by the hundreds on a stalk. It seems to suck the juice out of the stalk Stalks attacked by 1t do not bear but wither away and die. To these injurious insects could be added several more. From the present out look cotton won't amount to much near the coast.
 There still remains the prairie land in the interior which might produce cotton proftably, If transportation facilities were cheaper.
 Planting Operations.
 All lands except the prairies are covered with most wonderful vegeta- tion; trees and bushes of every de- scription. To clear and clean aR aare