The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-08

islands where cotton is doing So s.eaI.
out the planters are DIN = vast
amount OF spraying to head off suci,
pests. They have a horrible xam,i
IN Antigua, where. during thn aas
two years, the cotton bud maggnt in
Jured II crop SO badly bat the en-
tefprlse vas nearly abandoned. How
ever, the landlords took heart once
more and now have 500 acres in cot
ton. This is reported to be doing we'll
the weather was hot and DRY
IN the last budding season, a con-
dlt1on the maggOt cannot abide. TO
TURNER the war on pests, the impe-
rial department of agriculture under
takes to buy and disinfect any new
seed brought into an island. and to
watch 1t afterWard to see whether
the dlSinfectiOn was effective.
and Sugar Failed.
Tobacco and sugar We're fOrIner}%
the great staples of the Caribbean.
but tobacco growing died Il natural
death, and sugar was scarcely paving
when cotton loomed on the horizon.
With it came a prOvidential discov-
cry. This was that cotton is planted
IN May and June and picked in No
Sember-the month for planting su-
gar cane. Hence, no time need be
lost between seasons This discovery
again made cane u valuable asset
where cotton was raised. 1t was a
case of killing two birds with one
stone, most of the preliminary work
for the cane being incidental to the
cotton cultivation. This double till
ing is continued two years, then the
ground is planted in pigeon peas,
which are later piowed under as nour-
ishment for the soil. II other fer
tilizerS are of the chemical kind. and
are imported from the United State
Ginning facilities have been pro
: vided in St. Kits and other big pro
ducing islands, and ST per ton is paid
for seed. The cottonseed oil is ship
: ped to Barbados for refining. The st
J Kits bale weighs 622 pounds, and the
? freight on it to Liverpool is about
: s4.37 per bale.
4 sOcialistic departure made by the
imperial department Of agriculture
. should be a matter of interest to stu
dents OF economics and advocates OF
g government ownership. Cotton was in
: troduced in the Virgin Islands by the
: government experiment station. It did
s we'll. At that time the sole industries
in the islands were fishing and rails
G ing a few cattle and sheep. The
scientists furnished seed to peasants
living near, and persuaded them to try
it. These pioneers soon found that
cotton paid them. II the industry
- became general. However, the inhab-
q itants Of the Virgin Islands were ex-
: ~ceedingly poor, and all together could
not raise funds for q gin. The de
Y partment entered the commercial tiel6
4 by building a gin and offering to buy
0 cotton in sInall lots at the usual rates
n An outlet for their produce haVlns
been found. the islanders, of course
Y raised more cotton. The glnnery Is
y run on strictly honest commercial
h lines, and the profits go to the gov
5. eminent. The experiment in the Nir.
e gin Islands has worked SO We'll tina
c the income from the ginnery equal:
all the other revenue Of the goTArn.
t ment put together.
d Money Advanced to Planters.
6 The government has f0Stered tn
enterprise in other islands by adyanc
ing money to the planters. The man
s ner of collecting these loans was tt
e levy an export tax OF / cent pc
pound. But the government IS now
anxious to get out. feeling that tn
S industry is Well enough established Il
support itself. One objection to tn
export duty was that it was a fla
t rate. being the same for inferior cot
4 ton, selling at 10 cents per pound
d as on that selling at 80 cents.
T To lake the place of the govern.
t. ment as a sort of wet nurse TO cot
e ton growing, the British Cotton Grow
o ing Association has been incorporated
e by royal charter. 1t IS lenI'n& mon
a ey where assistance is needed. mo
Y other things it undertakes to act as
g com mission and clearing mouse Tor IN
d crop, provides cheap insurance. turn
ishas cheap transportation from til
islands to Liverpool or Southampton
has agents who the ten
y ants. and publishes timely and Val
g liable bulletins. in addition to thos
ii issued by the government. Anon
II the associations members IN couAcl
y are fifty Of England's biggest men il
/ the cotton business. including pin
q ners, dyers, printers, Weavers. repre-
L. sentatives Of labor examinations. an'
members of the nobility. The asso.
citation also has a West African
Il branch.