Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-03

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ESzeaa1@ay from the British Virgin
group to British Guiana
on the mainland OF South America.
Backed by the influence of the British
government. all the resources of sci
ence and the wealth of the English
spinners and dealers, the planters in
the islands believe they can answer
the question In the affirmative
Sea island cotton was introduced
in tho West Indies as an experiment
in the first years of the present CEN
/ tury, hut did not begin to attract
wide attention until 1904. Then ship
ments totaling 55,625 pounds of high
grade cotton from st. kits and Nevis
caused the American raisers to take
notice. From that date the increase
in West India cotton has been the
talk of the English manufacturers. In
1905 the crop for a few islands was
263,77S pounds, a phenomenal advance
and in 1906 the crop was 326, 1856
pounds, more than a quarter million
pounds over what 1t was two years be-
fore.
These figures made such an impress
sion upon the minds of the American
planters that they are said to have
reached n decision not to let the West
Indies have any more of their seed.
There is the crux Of the situation and
the English planters are waiting hope
fully to learn whether they can con-
tinue on their present prosperous way.
or whether in the course of time their
transplanted seed will become vitiated
and they will be at the end of their
rope for the lack of fresh stock.
-
Scientific propagation of all obtain
able varieties for producing seed has
been under way in Barbados for sew
eral years, and the planters of st.
Kits and other places are now buying
their seed there. paying IA cents per
pound. But. while the Barbados seed
is giving excellent satisfaction there
is the lingering suspicion that some
day that also will weaken under the
strain of inbreeding or over-develop-
ment.
The imperial department of agricul-
ture is doing q splendid work. It's
speciality Is botanical gardens, where
an incessant effort Is being made to
acelimatize the native products of
one section of the empire in another.
1t is constantly growing new things
in strange places. and because of the
Worldwide extent of its feeders in
colonies in every corner of the globe.
it has exceptional opportunities for
experiments in transplanting. The bo-
tanical garden at Dominica. in rich
ness and completeness, is said to stand
second only to the famous one in Cey-
Ion.
Cotton was eagerly seized upon by
the department and is being treated
along practical lines. Not only do
the government experts watch with
minute care the crops they are grow
ing in the official garden. but they go
into the plantations. When they see
n particularly hardy plant with desir-
able individual characteristics they
mark It, From this time the plant is
watched closely and if at the time of
picking. it seems better and more
hardy than its fellows. it Is set apart
and its seed planted over and over
again to discover whether it was mere
ly n sport" or a useful, permanent
variation. BY such methods it is
hoped to develop special varieties for
every island exactly suited to the con-
ditlons under which they first ap-
peared.
The spread Of Sea island cotton was
largely due to the work of DIR. p.
Wade of London. who began in 1904
with n plantation in Montserrat that
was 100000 i'm debt. Today II is said
to be free of all membranes and
to be paying handsomely. Last year
one plantation of sixty acres in st.
Kits cleaned $4,000, largely because of
cotton. Estates that ten years ago
could have been bought for a song are
now rated like corner lots in a boom
town. The boom eventually will strike
it's normal level, but IL the cotton does
not deteriorate the land will still re-
main enormously valuable.
There are few plants so thoroughly
dependent upon the location of the
ground in relation to the ocean as Sea
island cotton. and the differences i'm
quality and quantity in areas sharp
ly bounded are astonishing. For in
stance, ST. Vincent, in the Windward
group. four degrees south of st. Kits.
is said to produce the finest cotton
in the West Indies, a grade that sells
from - to is cents more than the st.
kits product. In st. Kits there is
an area about three miles square which
produces as high as 800 pounds Of lint
per acre. This is an especially IA
vored spot on the south side of the
island, protected from the northeast
gales. A yield of 250 pounds is OBJ
tained in other spots on this island
where it will grow profitably at all.
lower the cost of living. He has the
ballot and can vote TO have the pack
l., 60,