The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-04-01
ISTHM|AN COTTON DOES WELL
NATIVE OF NORTH CAROLYN \
GROWS LONG STAPLE IN
PANAMA.
Experiments Made at BalbOa--NccO-
tiatiOns i'm Progress for Concession
$4,000 Acres From the Republic.


Washington, March 2S.-John H.
Harrell, native Of Hertford County,
North Carolina, where in his early
youth he had much experience in
practical cotton growing, has demon
strated to the satisfaction of the gov
ernment of Panama and Of the 18TH
mian Canal commission that long fibre
cotton can be successfully grown on
the soil Of Panama.
Mr.. Harrell is in the employ of
the canal commission, in the me-
chanical division, at the Balboa ter
minal Of the canal. With the ac-
Quisence Of the canal commission he
has for more than a year been con-
ducting experiments on q small plot
Of ground near Balboa, on the Pacific
side of the isthmus, and he has pro-
duced fine, silky cotton with a fibre
from two and a half to four inches
long, which is longer than the average
in the United States. (Yes, this is not
only longer than the average, but
longer than any cotton ever produced
in this country, SO far as is on record
Ed. Sumter Item) He has ac-
complished this by crossing the Wild
native Panama cotton with cotton
grown in North and South Carolina
BY recent government test this hy-
bridized cotton recently showed so
per cent lint.
Negotiations are in progress for a
concession of $4,000 acres from the
Panama. Republic on which to pro-
duce cotton on n large scale Mr.
Harrell is confident that his process
Of hybridizatiOn will enable him to
develop an ever-bearing plant, from
which he can raise two crops a year,
one in December and another in July,
taking advantage Of the tropical cli-
mate. An effort was made to have
the United States department Of ag-
riculture establish an experimental
farm in the Canal Zone, and Col.
GOethals himself is understood to
have advocated this with q view 70
giving Mr.. Harrell charge of the
work, but it was found that there
were no funds which could be legal
w used for this purpose without n
special enactment by congress- As
MI. Harriet had conducted his pre-
vioUs experiments entirely at his own
expense and could not continue TO
make this outlay, and as the chances
for action by congress seemed more
or less remote, he took the matter up
with the Panama government itself.
The agricultural department Of that
government is on record as declaring
the Harrell cotton to be not only Of
very long fibre, but of a texture that
is silkier and finer than the average
OF any other cotton.
If further development Of the cot
ton possibilities of the Isthmus of
Panama on a large scale is to be un-
dertakcn it would seem to be the nat
ural thing for the expense to be borne
by the Panama government rather
than by the United States. Brazil is
now engaged in q systematic investi-
cation of her possibilities as a cotton
growing country, and the director of
this work is a leading expert of the
United States department of agricul-
ture who has been granted leave for
n year without pay in order that he
may furnish the BraZilians the scien-
tific assistance they desire. In the
meanwhile, OF course, he is being lib
orally compensated by Brazil. 1t is
too early yet to ascertain the result
OF this South American adventure.