El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-02-03
EGYPT'S COTTON PREMIER STAPLE

on their side TO prove lndt the per-
acre production Of the fertile delta
fields can be made the greatest among
all cotton-grOwing countries.
Cotton and CrOmer degenerate
Egypt"
"'Cotton and Cromer made the re-
SneratiOn Of Egypt possible, is the
way Englishmen emphasized the i'm
portance Of Egyptian cotton, by link
ing il with the name Of their foremost
colonial statesman. This African crop
is Of still greater importance today to
the people who have fOstered its cul-
ture. In short, il is the prize that
goes with Egypt's possession. Irri-
cation works developed by English en-
gineers made large-scale cotton plant
ings possible; cotton crops set Egyp-
tian labor free; put wages into the
hands Of the pOverty-stricken peasants;
and transformed serfs on great
estates into small prOprietOrs. 1t at
tracted attention and capital to the
land OF the PharaOhs and Mamelukes,
and encouraged a temper in the peo-
pie willing for administrative reforms.
Egypt is essentially an agricultural
country, with its great river. the Nile,
n magnificent. costless fertilization
plant. and the clear, sun-fl0oded sky.
a f~orcing-bell- Where water reaches
Egypt's soil crops smile forth in pro-
fusion, n cotton, ne|ighbOring the
mills Of Austria, Italy. reat Britain,
France and ermany, took rank over all
INV pANhuNAo VI tic AhNAANs
Crop Doubles In Decade.
From 1904 to 1904. the cotton crop
Of Egypt doubled in quantity and value.
The financial crisis of 1907 struck the
country n still harder blow than it
did the countries of Europe. and the
1910, the export Of cotton grew to
a total value of about SIPS. 900. 600.
This advance was made in spite of the
cotton worm and the boil worm. which
WnnIa nnnnfanrnh 1a ~A-- go
cessfully due to carelessness Of the ma
tive planters.
Remarkable for SOFT Lint.
The best seeds have been distributed
to the cotton planters in Egypt. in
Guiding the celebrated Sea-Island
variety native to this country. Egyp-
tian cotton is said to be remarkable
for the soft quality of its lint, which,
compared with American upland cotton,
makes the latter seem rough and
harsh in quality. There is, however. n
certain element of patriotism in the
Egyptians appraisement of his lead
ing crop. Besides ching more silky, and
somewhat longer than American cot
tOn-the best hitherto grown in the
world, Egyptian cotton mercerises
easier; so hat It finds a special market
among manufacturers turning semi
silk and silk -lOss cotton goods. Cheap-
and lustrous waist materials were
largely made before the war out of the
Egyptian product
Lint Shorter Than Sea Island.
Gowns, whose unsubstantial fabric
seems to dissolve in their d~iaphanous
waves and folds, were y largely of
weayes of the fiber grown on the Nile.
The fiber Of most Of the cotton culti-
waited in Egypt, however, is not as long
or as strong as American Sea-Island
cotton, nor does it yield so large a
crop as American upland cotton, where
the latter is properly cultivated.
American cotton is white. where
Egyptians are cream-colored or brown
ish. This, in years when modes were
favorable, brings a much higher price
for the Egyptian cOttOns. The promise
Of the Nile country as a region for cot
tOn-grOwing has hardly begun its
course Of realization. Irrigation may
increase its production, already i'm
portant in the world-market, many
fold, while hundreds of thousands of
acres in the Soudan may some not
distant day be sown with this crop.
The American and the Egyptian crops
represent the two main types Of cot
tons of world commerce"