The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-05-03
BRITISH VISIONS
SEE INCREASED
COTTON GROWTH

NEW YORK. April 3O.-How the
marshes and desert areas of countries
under British control may be trans
formed into millions of acres of cotton
lands is detailed in a complete official
report of the Empire cotton growing
committee forwarded to the Bankers
Trust company by its correspondent in
London. The report states that 5000,
600 acres can be added to the empires
cotton producing areas in Egypt, the
SUDAN and Mesopotamia alone. 1t adds
that Rhodesia. Uganda, South Africa,
Nigeria, Nyasaland and India all offer
prospects of furnishing very considera-
BILE new supplies of the quality of cot
ton used in the British cotton manufac-
turing industry.
Egypt's cotton production, with
proper support from the government,
may, the committee predicts, be expect
ed to reach it's former bulk of 1885,
600 bales annually. An additional 300
600 bales per year can be produced, the
committee estimates, if drainage pro-
Jects are undertaken in the Nile delta
and irrigation applies elsewhere The
delta drainage scheme would restore
1000, 600 acres to cultivation and this
area, the committee says, would be es
pecially adapted to growing the fine
grades of Sea Island cotton.
The committee has considered a Blue
Nile irrigation barrage to be capable Of
bringing 100000 acres in the Gezira dis
trict of the Sudan under cultivation. A
further development up to 100000 acres
of cotton producing territory is est-
mated to be possible in the Sudan.
Another 10000 600 acres could be made
to produce cotton in Mesopotamia, but
the population of the country is not
sufficiently large to permit of more
than 100000 acres being cultivated at
present the committee holds. Easily
applied irrigation systems, fed from the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers alone,
would make 100000 acres available for
cotton growing, The full development
of Mesopotamia's cotton producing pos
sibilities is, in the committees opinion,
matter of many years of effort.
Areas in Uganda, which in 1914 pro
duced $4,000 bales, could be developed
to produce 100000 bales, and other eX
tensions in Uganda to yield d total
crop of 1000, 900 bales are believed to
be possible. The committee finds 1000
square miles. in Nyasaland suitable for
cotton growing, and with irrigation in
stalled and transport improved, a pro-
duction of 100000 bales per year could
be expected.
India, which grows large crops of
cotton, little of which can be used in
the British cotton industry, can be de-
veloped in 10 years to produce about
700 900 bales per year of suitable raw
cotton. Better cultivation and market
ing and the Introduction of improved
varieties of cotton are necessary there,
the report states. An irrigation bar
rage on the Sukllur, if feasible, would
open 100000 acres to the growing Of
better grades of cotton.
The committees survey is ultimately
expected to result in sufficient cotton
being grown within the British en-
pire to supply practically all the needs
Of the British cotton manufacturing in
dustry. At present the empire pro-
duces only about 100000 of the world )
annual production of 25,000,000 bales. 1t
grows only about 100000 of more than
100000 bales of the grade of cotton
spun in the Lancashire district, ac-
cording to the committees estimate.