CULTIVATION OF THE COTTON PLANT IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
From what has already been said, it will be quite clear that the Cotton
plant will only successfully thrive in those regions on the earth's
surface where there are suitable temperature and soil, and a proper and
adequate supply of moisture both in the atmosphere and soil. When the
45th parallel of North Latitude is reached, the plant ceases to grow
except under glass or in exceptionally well favoured and temperate
districts. Below the Equator the southern limit is the 35th parallel.
With a model of the globe before him, the reader will see, if he mark
the two lines already named, what a small belt the "Cotton-growing zone"
is, compared with the rest of the globe, and yet in 1901 it is estimated
that no fewer than 10,486,000 bales of 500 lbs. net average each were
produced in the United States alone, 695,000 came from the cotton fields
of India, from Egypt 1,224,000, an increase of 600,000 bales in ten
years. This vast quantity does not include what was produced in other
countries, which we know in the aggregate was very considerable.
=American Cultivation of the Cotton Plant.=--Perhaps no country
illustrates the fact so well as does the United States, that the
variations in the quality of cotton are very largely--it may be said
almost entirely--due to distance from sea board, height above sea level
and difference of soil.
The surface geology of the Southern United States as a whole, is of a
most diversified character, and the following States in which cotton is
produced, in many cases show a similar variation.
North Carolina. Tennessee.
South Carolina. Alabama.
Georgia. Mississippi.
Florida. Louisiana.
Arkansas. Texas.
Perhaps Texas shows the greatest number of distinct soil areas, viz.,
eight. Height above the sea level has also a considerable influence upon
the plants cultivated, and only the hardier and more robust types are to
be found on the more elevated lands. At the beginning of the nineteenth
century South Carolina produced more cotton than any other State. Fifty
years later, Alabama was to the front. Ten years later, Mississippi led
the way, and in 1901 Texas occupied the premier position with 3,526,649
bales, followed in order by Georgia and Mississippi.
The following table from Bulletin 100 of the Bureau of the Census,
Department of Commerce and Labor, gives the acreage devoted to
cultivation of cotton in 1908 as follows:
Alabama 3,591,000 acres.
Arkansas 2,296,000 "
Florida 265,000 "
Georgia 4,848,000 "
Louisiana 1,550,000 "
Mississippi 3,395,000 "
Missouri 87,000 "
North Carolina 1,458,000 "
Oklahoma 2,311,000 "
South Carolina 2,545,000 "
Tennessee 754,000 "
Texas 9,316,000 "
Virginia 28,000 "
----------
32,444,000 "
The figure for Missouri includes other cotton-producing localities not
named.
Before dealing with the actual cultivation of cotton, as carried on in
the States, it will be well to briefly name the kind of soils which are
met with in this cotton area. Generally speaking, soils are divided into
the following classes:--
Clayey soils.
Clayey loam soils.
Loamy soils.
Sandy loam soils.
Sandy soils.
This classification is determined by the relative percentage of sand and
clay.
In the States we have all these types, and in some districts they lie
within easy reach of each other. It should be pointed out that
sufficient and uniform heat and humidity are essential to the
production of good cotton crops, and as the sandy soils are of an open
character, it is plain that moisture will readily pass from these, while
the heavy clays act just in the opposite direction, viz., prevent the
uniform evaporation of the moisture within them; hence, as a rule,
clayey lands are moist and damp, and it has been found from observation
that on lands of this class, a good deal of wood and leaf are produced,
and but little fruit relatively. A matter therefore which must not be
lost sight of, is that a suitable texture should be found, or, in other
words, the amount of sand and clay in the soils should be in the right
proportion. Of course, however suitable a soil may be, if the climatic
conditions are adverse, only failure can result. Given good land,
properly drained and a suitable temperature, together with an uniform
supply of moisture, heavy crops may be expected. Sudden changes in the
temperature, and variations in the amount of moisture, certainly act
deleteriously upon the plant, especially during the period in which the
young one is growing. There is a great difference between a wet soil and
a moist one, and there is perhaps nothing so much dreaded by the
planters as a sodden soil. Up to the end of July the soil should be
continuously and uniformly moist, and it would appear that, provided
this condition is satisfied, there is every likelihood of a heavy crop
resulting, if the temperature has been anything like suitable. Looked at
from every point of view, therefore, the best and safest soil in which
to grow cotton is a deep loam where there is every probability of the
necessary conditions being fulfilled.
As compared with sixty years ago the present methods of cultivation
show very great differences. Most of us are acquainted with the
conditions of labour which existed at that time. Mrs. H. Beecher Stowe,
in her pathetic and life-like story, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," has given us
such a glimpse into slave life that she has placed us all under lasting
obligations to her. Happily all that has gone and the slave, as such, is
now known no more in America. Three causes are said to have done more to
change the methods of American cotton cultivation than anything else,
viz.:--
The Civil War.
The abolition of slavery.
Introduction of artificial fertilisers.
There are those who affirm to-day that the last-named has been the most
potent factor of the three.
In many cases, previous to the war, crop after crop was grown upon the
same land without any thought of returning those elements, in the form
of manure, to the earth, which it so much required. But immediately
after the conclusion of the war, the conditions of labour were changed
and it became a matter of absolute necessity to find something which
would give life to the land, hence the introduction of fertilisers. It
is stated on the authority of Dr. White of Georgia, that it would be
"difficult to conceive how cotton culture could have been continued or
sustained but for the use of such manures."
In a work of this kind it is impossible to describe in detail the
various methods of cultivation adopted in the several cotton States, but
the following will give a fair idea of what actually takes place on a
large cotton plantation, assuming that the land is well drained. It
should be said here draining has not received that attention which it
ought to have done, and many of the failures put down to other causes
are now known to have been due entirely to bad drainage. As an
alternative to proper drainage, the practice of raising the Cotton plant
beds and cultivating them to greater depth, has been followed. Most of
the planters are too poor to drain properly, and so adopt the banking
method, though in the long run this is the more expensive of the two.
Let us assume that the cotton crop has all been gathered. We have an
immense quantity of old cotton stalks which need removing. This is
usually done before February. As a rule, the litter is gathered into
heaps and burned. Ploughing and harrowing next follow, and ridges are
formed which in the elevated districts are not quite so far apart as in
the low-lying areas. We can see that in the latter districts the plants
will be much more prolific and grow to a better state of perfection,
hence more room must be allowed for them. These ridges lie, in some
cases, 3 feet apart and in others 4 and 5.
Especially when manures or fertilisers have been used, bedding up is
generally adopted.
As is to be expected in a country like America, the very best and most
approved methods of cultivation are followed, hence the old system of
sowing seed by hand is discarded, and seed-planting machines are now
coming into general use. The distance apart which the seeds (about five
or six in one hole) should be set, is still a moot question, but it is
generally admitted to be unsafe to plant at greater distances than 12
inches. When sown, a light covering is put over, and in a few
days--about twelve generally--the tiny plants make their appearance. Two
or three days after, another leaf is seen, and it may be said that the
real and anxious work of the cultivator now begins. In the Carolina
districts this will happen about the end of April. The planting in the
more southern States will take place earlier. What has next to be done
is very particular work, viz., cutting down and thinning the plants,
which, if allowed to grow, would simply choke one another. Here and
there at suitable distances, groups of plants in the same row are
selected as "stands" or groups of plants from which will be selected the
best plant, which is allowed to go forward in its growth; all the rest
being chopped out or weeded out.
Banking up or bedding up is the next process, and this is done running
the plough in the spaces between the ridges or practically over the old
cotton bed of the preceding season. This will improve the ventilating
power of the bed considerably and prevent somewhat the logging of the
soil, which is extremely undesirable. The plough is immediately followed
by the field labourers, whose work is now to draw the loose soil round
the Cotton plants. This last process of "hauling" completes the
labourers' work for a time, and is done for the purpose of keeping the
plant erect and preventing it from falling down. This hauling process is
repeated until July, when only one plant is left out of the five or six
which were planted originally. After four haulings, which are completed
as a rule by the end of July, the productive processes may be said to be
completed. If the weather has been favourable and the soil kept fairly
moist, a good crop may be fully anticipated. What the planters like to
see during the growing period is a summer in which the sun shines every
day, accompanied by those frequent and gentle showers which clean the
plant and give the necessary humidity to the atmosphere and soil. Two
things are dreaded by the planter--excessive heats and abnormal showers.
The bloom appears about the middle of June and a couple of months after
this the plants are ready for picking. This operation usually is carried
on from the beginning of September or end of August right on into
November, sometimes through this month into December. Here are given a
few particulars which have been collected by Shepperson bearing on this
particular subject.
+-------------+---------+----------+---------+------------------+---------+
| | Usual | | Usual | | Usual |
| | date to |Usual date| date to | Usual date to | date to |
| | begin | to begin | finish | begin Picking. | finish |
| STATES |Preparing| Planting.|Planting.| | Picking.|
| | the | | | | |
| | Land. | | | | |
+-------------+---------+----------+---------+------------------+---------+
| N. Carolina | Feb. 25 | April 15 | May 10 | Sep. 1 | Dec. 10 |
| S. Carolina | Mar. 5 | April 15 | May 7 | Aug. 15 to Sep. 1| Dec. 1 |
| Georgia | Feb. 1 | April 10 | May 1 | Aug. 15 to 20 | Dec. 1 |
| Florida | Jan. 20 | April 1 | May 1 | Aug. 10 | Dec. 1 |
| Alabama | Feb. 1 | April 5 | May 10 | Aug. 10 to 20 | Dec. 15 |
| Mississippi | Feb. 1 | April 5 | May 10 | Aug. 10 to 20 | Dec. 15 |
| Louisiana | Feb. 1 | April 1 | May 10 | Aug. 1 to 15 | Dec. 15 |
| Texas | Jan. 15 | March 15 | May 10 | Aug. 1 | Dec. 20 |
| Arkansas | Feb. 15 | April 15 | May 15 | Aug. 15 to 20 | Jan. 15 |
| Tennessee | Mar. 1 | April 15 | May 15 | Sep. 1 to 10 | Jan. 15 |
+-------------+---------+----------+---------+------------------+---------+
=Other Cotton-producing Countries in America.=--In addition to the States,
which have already been named, there are other cotton-producing
countries in the Western Hemisphere, among which are the following:--
Brazil. Mexico.
West Indies. Peru and the South Sea Islands.
=Cultivation of Cotton in Brazil.=--From a very remote period, cotton has
been cultivated in Brazil. Early in the sixteenth century historians
refer to the uses to which cotton was put at that time. Seguro, in his
work describing the customs of the ancient people who lived in the
Amazon valleys, says that the arrows used in connection with their
blowguns were covered with cotton. It is probable that, before the dawn
of the eighteenth century, the cultivation of cotton was practised more
or less throughout the country. Up to thirty years ago, it looked as
though the cotton-growing industry in Brazil was likely to be an
increasing and profitable business. Owing, however, to many causes, the
trade has not grown as was to have been expected.
Among the chief of these causes are:--
1. Laxity of method in cultivating.
2. Poor means of transmission.
3. Severe competition by the United States.
4. Disturbed condition of the country.
All these have helped to keep down an industry which at one time bade
fair to be a source of great income to the country.
Tree Cotton and Herbaceous Cotton are both cultivated in Brazil. The
best kinds of Sea Islands have been tried, but have not succeeded.
Compared with the United States, the methods of cultivation pursued in
Brazil are exceedingly primitive and irregular. No such thing as
ploughing or preparing of the soil is adopted.
The only preparation seems to be to rid the land of cotton stumps, and
this is done in a somewhat careless and indifferent manner. It would
seem that as little labour as possible is expended upon the land in
preparing it for the reception of seed. Hilaire's aphorism--"Nothing in
this country is less expensive, or more productive, than cotton
culture"--would seem, when the facts of the whole case are known, to be
perfectly warranted so far as Brazil is concerned. Certainly, from a
climatic point of view, this country is exceptionally well favoured, an
equable and suitable temperature together with an adequate supply of
earth and air, moisture and rich alluvial soils, a long dry season for
picking extending over many weeks--all point to an ideal cotton-growing
area. In fact, there is no reason why a crop of at least 40,000,000
bales should not be obtained annually in Brazil, if needed. At present,
only about one three-hundredth part of this is grown. The cotton-growing
centres are Minas Geraes, Bahia, Fernando de Noronha, Rio Janeiro, Sao
Paulo.
=Cotton Cultivation in Mexico.=--The cultivation of cotton has for many
centuries been carried on in Mexico. Much the same drawbacks exist here
as in Brazil, viz., lack of labour, poor railway system, high rates for
transmission, and indifferent methods employed in cultivating.
Mexico enjoys a splendid geographical position and would prove, if the
business-like habits and methods obtained as in case of the States, one
of the most serious competitors of its adjacent Northern neighbour.
The best cotton is produced in the State of Guerrero on the Eastern
side, though the greater part--about one half--of the Mexican crop is
grown in Laguna district, which lies in the Coahuila country. There are
three distinct areas of production in Mexico, viz., along the Eastern
coast, along the Western coast, and on the Central tableland. In the
Western area irrigation is resorted to.
In the year 1898, 100,000,000 pounds of cotton were grown, though all or
nearly all of it was used at home. Within the last twenty years many
mills have been erected in this country, and this will account for the
large quantity of cotton consumed at home. The poorest Mexican cotton is
produced in Chiapas. Acapulco, near the mouth of the Grande del Norte
River, is the chief Mexican cotton port on the Eastern coast.
=Cotton-growing in Peru.=--It would be a difficult matter to fix a time
when cotton was first grown in Peru. Pizarro, who conquered this country
early in the sixteenth century, found that the natives were fully
engaged in the growing and spinning of cotton. Dr. Dabney, Assistant
Secretary of the U.S.A. Agricultural Department, states that he has seen
a cloth made of cotton recently taken from one of the Peruvian mummies
which must be many, many centuries old. There is not the slightest doubt
that the Cotton plant is indigenous to Peru.
Thirty-five years ago Liverpool received no less than 300,000 pounds
weight of cotton from Peru, and three years later over 4,000,000 pounds.
During the last decade of the century it exceeded 6,000,000 pounds to
England alone. Two kinds of Peruvian cotton are grown--smooth and rough.
This latter is a rough, strong fibre, and is exceptionally well adapted
for mixing with wool in the manufacture of hosiery, and a greater part
of this cotton coming in England is used in the hosiery trade. The
plant from which it is produced is a perennial, and for six or seven
years is said to give two crops a year. Owing to the peculiarly
favourable climate of Peru and the suitability of the soil, it is
exceedingly improbable that any strong competitor will come to divert
the Peruvian trade, so that for some time yet we may look to this
country supplying the hosiery trade with rough Peruvian cotton. The
importations of Peruvian cotton into the United States for 1894-95 were
24,000 bales; for 1895-96, 24,603 bales; for 1896-97, 16,604 bales.
=The Cultivation of Cotton in India.=--There are other Asiatic cotton
fields besides those of India, viz., China, Corea, Japan, the Levant,
and Russia in Asia. The term "India" will be used in a somewhat
restricted sense in this section, and will cover only that huge
triangular-shaped peninsula lying to the south of Thibet in Asia. It is
1800 miles in width and nearly 2000 miles in length. The total area, not
including Assam and Burmah, is about 1,300,000 square miles, the native
states alone covering 595,000 square miles.
Out of the 28 deg. of North Latitude through which India stretches, no less
than 15-1/2 deg. are in the tropics, the remainder being in the Temperate
Zone. The climate, owing to a number of circumstances, such as different
altitudes and uneven distribution of moisture, is exceedingly varied.
During the months April to September the sun, during the day or some
part of it, is overhead. Consequently the heat received will be greater
than over the ocean at the south, taking a similar area. A direct cause
of this is the starting of winds which receive the name of monsoons.
These blow from the S.W., and bring vast quantities of moisture with
them. This moisture-laden wind is partially robbed of its load as it
strikes the Western Ghats and consequently much moisture is deposited
here, giving rise to many valuable rivers which water the Deccan or
Central Tableland of India. The Mahanuddy, Godavari, Kristna, and
Kauvari are rivers fed by the S.W. monsoon. Then, again, the low-lying
lands near the mouth of the Indus, the great desert of Rajputana, the
peninsula of Gujerat and the district of Malwa--all allow, by reason of
their low-lying nature, the S.W. winds to pass over them laden as they
are with vast quantities of moisture. They travel on till they meet the
Himalayas, where again they help to swell the volume of the waters in
the rivers Ganges and Indus. When the N.E. monsoons blow they do not
carry anything like the amount of moisture which the S.W. monsoons do,
as their areas of collection are very much more limited. Consequently
this part of the year is usually a dry one (viz., from October to
March).
Thus it will be seen that the great plain of Southern India is much less
watered than the more Northerly portions and consequently is much less
fertile. This fact must be borne in mind as the cotton-growing areas are
described and indicated.
India, which grows more cotton than any other country in the world (the
States excepted), may be said to possess four distinct areas for the
production of commercial cotton. They are--
1. Central Tableland or Deccan.
2. Valley of the Ganges.
3. Western India.
4. Southern India.
and the above order shows them also according to their commercial
importance.
_Central District._--This is a vast plateau bounded on the north by the
Vindhya mountains, on the east and west by the Ghats of those names, and
on the south by the River Krishna. As is to be expected, the collecting
and exporting of the cottons grown in this district are done at Bombay.
The finest cottons grown in India are produced in this region.
Four centres stand out prominently in the production of cotton, viz.,
Dharwar, Hyderabad, Nagpore and Berar. The soils generally in the Deccan
are very rich and capable of retaining moisture during the growing term
of the plant's life. What are known as the black soils of India are to
be found plentifully in this district, and these are exceedingly rich in
mineral matter. Nagpore should specially be named, as it is in this
province that the finest cotton grown in all India is produced, viz.:--
"Hingunghat Cotton."
"Oomrawattee Cotton" is the name given to a special kind which is
produced in the province of Berar. It is sometimes called "Oomras." This
district lies in the "Nizam's Dominions" and is watered by several
tributaries of the Tapti and Godivari. It possesses a soil which for
richness and fertility has no equal in India.
With the exception of Bengal, this district is more plentifully supplied
with rivers than any other part of India.
Image: FIG. 5.--An Indian cotton field.
The Dharwar district is noted for its cottons, for two or three reasons.
It was in this region that in 1842 New Orleans cotton was planted with
a view to its ultimately being cultivated here. As the climate and soil
are very similar to some of the districts in the Mississippi valley, it
succeeded beyond anticipation. Dharwar lies S. W. of the province of
Hyderabad near the sea, and almost touches 15 deg. N. Latitude.
_The Valley of the Ganges District_ cannot be said to grow very good
cotton, though it was in this region, at Dacca, that in former days the
cotton which was afterward made into the celebrated Dacca muslin was
grown.
By far the greater part of the fibre produced in this district comes
from two centres: (1) Bundelkhand, which lies 79 deg. E. Long., and 25 deg. N.
Latitude (this is very near to Allahabad), and (2) Doab. As was pointed
out in describing the monsoons, these two centres suffer by reason of
droughts, owing mainly to their geographical position. They are subject
also to severe floods, which are certainly against successful
cultivation of cotton. The entire crop of the North West Provinces may
be said to come from the districts of Doab and Bundelkhand.
_Western India District._--The three centres for the production of
cotton in the west, may be said to be Peninsula of Guzerat, the Island
of Cutch and the Delta district of the Indus named Sind. The whole of
these provinces lies in what may be called a dry area, missing, as was
shown, much of the S. W. monsoon, which ultimately finds its way across
country to the Himalayas. Consequently there will be little rainfall in
this area, Sind and Cutch not more than 10 inches, some parts of Guzerat
having much more.
This has a very serious effect upon the quality of the cotton produced.
The Surat, Broach and Sind Cottons, all poor types, are all grown in
this part of India.
_Southern India District._--This lies in the southern part of the
Residency of Madras, and east of the province of Travancore. The
Nilgiris and Shevaroy Hills are found here, as are also the Cauvery and
Vaigai Rivers. The cotton districts best known are Coimbatore and
Tinnevelley, both of which are admirably situated and well watered. The
Calicut of fame which gave rise to the name Calico is also in this
district. Tinnevelley lies almost at the extreme south of India on the
Gulf of Manaar opposite to Island of Ceylon. Its cotton is well known,
but is of a poor type. As far back as 1847, experiments carried out
under the superintendence of Dr. Wright proved that this district was
very suitable for the cultivation of American cotton. A fact interesting
as well as instructive is given by him to the effect that in the
southern part of India the crops universally failed where grown from the
native seed, while those grown from American seed realised very fair
amounts--better even than were obtained when good crops were got after
using Indian seed.
The methods of preparing, planting, and cultivating the Indian Plants
are exceedingly antiquated. In but few districts are anything like
modern methods practised. Advantage however is taken of the period just
preceding the rain monsoon and this differs a little according to the
district. Thus in Bengal, Berar, and Broach, May and June are usually
taken for scantily preparing the land, and in Madras and Dharwar,
August and September. This consists of turning over the soil and burying
the old Cotton plants of the previous season which have been allowed to
rot. As no fertilisers are used, these roots and branches at best make a
very poor substitute. Ploughing, hoeing and other agricultural
operations are of the rudest types and oxen are used for almost
everything in the way of heavy labour. Farm implements, gearing carts,
etc., are all of a style and differ very little from those used
centuries ago. The seeds are sown broadcast, and almost everything is
done by hand.
The plantations as a rule are much smaller than those in America,
running from 5 to 30 acres. On the larger plantations the cotton is
cultivated mainly by paid labourers.
The following table, by Shepperson, shows the acreage devoted to cotton
of the different states in India:--
Bombay and Sind 5,021,000 acres.
Punjaub 1,177,000 "
N. W. Provinces 1,424,000 "
Bengal 153,000 "
Rajputana 549,000 "
Central India 503,000 "
Berar 2,307,000 "
Central Provinces 616,000 "
Hyderabad (Nizam's) 2,308,000 "
Madras 1,655,000 "
Mysore }
Assam } 230,000 "
Burmah (Lower)}
Burmah (Upper)}
Ajmere and Meywara 40,000 "
----------
15,983,000 "
Bombay, Kurrachee, Calcutta, Madras, Tuticorin and Cocanada are the
chief Indian cotton ports.
=Cotton-growing in Russia in Asia.=--Lying immediately north of Persia and
Afghanistan and south of Khirghiz Steppes lies an immense area much of
which is now being cultivated and most of it very fit for the production
of cotton. The Sea of Ural has running into it two very large rivers,
Amu Daria and the Syr Daria, and it is in the neighbourhood of these two
rivers where we find by far the greatest weight of cotton of Turkestan
produced.
There are four important areas, viz., Syr Daria, the centre of which is
Tashkend; Fergana, which lies between Samarcand and Bokhara; the
district of Samarcand itself; and Merv, which stands on the Overland
Railway. It appears that many attempts were made to introduce cottons of
various types into this locality, but most of the delicate species
failed. The Upland of America, however, survived, and has continued to
succeed, thanks to the valuable help which the Government gave in the
way of instruction and distribution of free seed.
The first Government cotton plantation was commenced at Tashkend, one of
the termini of the Transcaspian Railway. Eight years ago there were
upwards of a quarter of a million acres devoted to cotton cultivation.
During the American War (that period which quickened all the
cotton-growing centres of the Eastern Hemisphere) the production of
fibre may be said to have commenced in earnest in Turkestan, and so late
ago as 1890 no less than forty-five and a half million pounds of good
fibre were grown. Tashkend, it would appear, promises to hold its own,
as it is determined to practise the best and most scientific methods in
the growth of cotton; in fact, in very few centres outside this
district, old and out of date operations are followed. Even in the
districts of Fergana and Samarcand, the old wooden plough called a
"sokha" is still in use.
Seed, as in the case of India, is mostly sown broadcast, and very little
preparing of the land is done. Yet, in spite of these deficiencies, good
crops are raised in many districts, capital soil and a most equable
climate making up for the shortcomings of the planter. The formation of
the Transcaspian Railway cannot but have an important influence upon the
cotton-growing industry in Turkestan, running as it does through the
very heart of the best land in the country. It should be noted that
Bohkara annually produces over 50,000,000 pounds of cotton of the
herbaceous type, and Khiva, another district lying still further east of
those already mentioned, over 20,000,000 pounds.
Lying between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea, lies another district named
Transcaucasia, which yields large supplies of cotton. It has 100,000
acres devoted to cotton, giving over 20,000,000 pounds per annum. North
of Kokan, on the river Syr Daria, is a rising cotton district named
Khojend, where annually 3,000,000 pounds of cotton of the American type
are raised.
When we consider that the quantity of cotton carried by the Transcaspian
Railway since 1888 has more than quadrupled, and that in ten years the
quantity shipped has been increased from quarter of a million pounds to
over 72,000,000 pounds, we can quite appreciate the significance of the
statement that before long Russia will be able to grow all her own
cotton for the medium and lower numbers of yarns.
=Cotton-growing in China, Corea and Japan.=--Japan, the land of the
chrysanthemum, for many years now has been developing cotton-growing as
well as cotton manufacturing. From evidence which the cold type of the
Board of Trade gives, Japan bids fair to largely increase her trade with
India to the disadvantage of the present suppliers.
Cotton-growing has been practised for some centuries in Japan, but it
was not until the seventeenth century that anything like progress could
be reported. From that time to the present the growth has been gradually
on the increase.
Japan proper consists of the Islands of Niphon, Kiusiu, Shikoku, Yesso,
and an immense number of smaller islands. Cotton cultivation is carried
on mainly on the first three islands named, and in the following
districts:--San Indo, Wakayama, Osaka, Kuantoebene, Hitachi and Suo.
Taken as a whole, the cotton grown in the best areas is good, though
much of an inferior kind is produced. The most southerly area of
Wakayama in Niphon yields the best cotton of Japan.
The length of the fibre generally is much less than the herbaceous kind.
About 10 per cent. of the entire arable land is now under cultivation
for cotton. As a rule, methods and processes are of a primitive kind.
=Cotton-growing in Corea.=--Lying directly to the west of Japan, this vast
peninsula has of late years been developing its cotton-growing. Five
centuries ago cotton was imported from China, and one sees on every hand
the influence of the Celestials. The cultivated plant is of the
perennial type, though it is planted annually, the old plants being dug
up and burned, the ash being used as a fertiliser. Statistics at present
are not to be relied upon, though it is supposed that something like
three quarters of a million acres are now under cultivation, giving on
the average about 250 pounds of cotton lint. As in the case of Japan
very little of this is exported, all of it or nearly so being spun and
woven at home on the most primitive of machines.
The chief districts engaged in growing cotton, nearly all of which lie
in the southern portion of the peninsula, are Hwang-Hi, Kyeng-Sang,
Chel-La, Kyeng Kwi, and Chung Cheog.
=Cotton-growing in China.=--Owing to the great difficulty of obtaining any
reliable statistical information, it is impossible to give anything
approaching accuracy as to number of pounds of cotton produced annually,
or number of acres devoted to the cultivation of the Cotton plant. This
much, however, is known, that for many centuries cotton cultivating has
been followed and that there has been within recent years a great
increase in the weight of the cotton crop as well as in the acreage. The
type of plant most generally cultivated is the herbaceous, and the
cotton resulting is only poor in quality. Little or no preparation is
made before sowing seed, which is generally done broadcast. As a result
there is much overcrowding, and as is inevitable, there is produced a
stubby plant with small bolls and much unripe cotton. On the terraces
of the hillsides something approaching cultivation is pursued, with the
result of a better crop.
Usually twenty weeks intervene between planting and picking, this latter
operation being mostly the work of children and women. The old cotton
stalks are afterward collected and dried for fuel.
Very few large plantations exist in China, most of them being only a few
acres in extent.
But little of the cotton grown at home is exported, most of it being
spun and woven by women, though some of the fibre is sent to Japan.
=Cultivation of Cotton in Egypt.=--It is now over thirty years since Sir
Samuel Baker, the great African traveller, wrote these words: "The Nile
might be so controlled that the enormous volume of water that now rushes
uselessly into the Mediterranean might be led through the deserts, to
transform them into cotton fields that would render England independent
of America."
The crop for the season 1900-01 was no less than 1,224,000 bales of 500
pounds each. Ten years ago only 868,000 acres were devoted to cotton
cultivation as against 1,350,000 acres laid down to-day. Everything,
then, points to Sir Samuel Baker's statement becoming an actual fact
much sooner than the famous traveller himself anticipated.
Egypt enjoys many advantages over her competitors across the Atlantic.
In the first place, she can get almost twice as much cotton from the
acre, so productive is the soil. Labour is cheaper, and the plant itself
when young is not subject to the devastating frosts so often met with in
America.
Egypt is divided into three great areas:--Lower Egypt, which includes
the whole of the Delta of the Nile; Upper Egypt; and Nubia. It is in the
first-named district where the whole of Egyptian cotton is produced. At
the present time immense sums are being spent on irrigation and drainage
works, and as these are extended the areas devoted to cotton production
will greatly increase.
At the present time five distinct varieties of cotton are cultivated--
Mitafifi. Bamia.
Abbasi. Gallini.
Ashmouni-Hamouli.
The latter variety was originally known by a different name, Mako Jumel.
For a long time Ashmouni cotton was the principal fibre exported, but
Mitafifi is now in the front of all the other Egyptian cottons. A
noteworthy fact in connection with Ashmouni is, that its cultivation is
on the decline.
Sea Islands Gallini--as it was sometimes called--has practically ceased
to be cultivated. Of Mitafifi and Bamia fibres, Mr. Handy, U. S. A.,
says: "The Mitafifi was discovered by a Greek merchant in the village of
that name. The seed has a bluish tuft at the extremity, which attracted
the merchant's attention, and on planting it he found that it possessed
decided advantage over the old Ashmouni. It is more hardy, and yields a
greater proportion of lint to the seed. At first from 315 pounds of seed
cotton, 112 pounds of lint was secured, and sometimes even more. It is
now somewhat deteriorated, and rarely yields so much, averaging about
106 pounds of lint to 315 of seed cotton. The Mitafifi is a richer and
darker brown than the Ashmouni. The fibre is long, very strong, and fine
to the touch, and is in great demand. In fact, it controls the market.
"Next to Mitafifi, Bamia is perhaps the most extensively cultivated
variety in Lower Egypt. It was discovered by a Copt in 1873. The plant
is of large size and course growth. It is later and less hardy than
Mitafifi, and the fibre is poor as compared with that of Mitafifi and
Abbasi, light and brown in colour, and not very strong. In general, it
may be said that this variety is inferior to Mitafifi in yield,
hardiness and length and strength of fibre."
=Other places where Cotton is grown.=--In Africa, on the eastern and
western coasts, large quantities of cotton are produced. The following
countries are specially suitable to the growth of cotton: Soudan,
Senegambia, Congo River, Free States, and Liberia. Possibly, when these
districts are more opened up to outside trade, and European capital and
labour are expended, abundant supplies of cotton fibre will be given.
Cotton is also grown in the East Indies, at Java, Sumatra, and Malay
States.
In the West Indies formerly, large supplies were yielded, but owing to
the cultivation of other crops that of cotton has steadily declined.
Greece and Turkey both yield cotton which goes by the name of Levant
Cotton.