APPENDIX.
There are many difficulties to contend with, even In civilised
countries. In America a system of what are known as cotton
communities ~* has been instituted with success In certain states.
Whether such a method would be possible where cotton growing is a
purely native industry is doubtful. Here one has to deal with small
scattered areas belonging to a very large number of people. One has
to deal often with a people whose knowledge of agriculture 1s strictly
limited and whose methods of marketing are primitive. It is a
difficulty in all countries where cotton is cultivated; and it would
assist matters greatly if this subject could be dealt with by a strong
committee at the Conference.
(11) THE CONTROL OF GINNERIES WITH SPECIAL
REFERENCE TO THE SPREAD OF DISEASE.
(Note by Mr. H. C. Sampson of the British Empire Cotton Growing
Corporation.—T.C.(C)Cot.7.)
It is an accepted fact that certain diseases of cotton of both
insect and fungoid origin are conveyed by seed, and the question
arises as to what action, if any, can be taken to lessen the risk of
such spread. It is obvious that the source of the seed, viz., the
ginning factory, is the place where any action desirable should, in the
first instance, be taken.
The custom in those parts of Africa, where cotton is a native
industry, is for the cotton to be purchased in grades. These are
usually three in number, graded according to the cleanliness of the
sample of seed cotton and amount of freedom from leaf. In Kenya
and Tanganyika there are rules under the Cotton Ordinance which
read that seed of each grade of cotton ginned shall be marked and
stored separately and that no dirty cotton shall be mixed with clean
cotton, either before or after ginning. In Tanganyika, also, all seed
has to be stored within the ginnery buildings and the owner of such
seed is not allowed to retain this after March 31st of any year without
written permission. It is presumed that the enforcement of this rule
can be checked by the ginning figures supplied to the Director of
Agriculture from each ginning factory, as these have also to report
what quantities of each grade of seed cotton have been purchased in
addition to the quantity of each grade ginned.
Beyond this there appear to be no regulations which will assist
in checking any spread of disease. It seems that something could
be done if the authorities had some control over the construction,
plan, and arrangement of the ginning factory. Tanganyika has some
rules for this purpose, but these seem to be designed from sanitary
and fire protection points of view rather than for the protection of the
quality of the ginned cotton and the prevention of seed mixing. The
Indian Cotton Committee were so impressed with this aspect of the
question that they made a specific recommendation that all ginning
factories erected in the future should conform to a standard plan and
in factories where roller gins are used laid down the dimension for the
seed cotton platform, the distance between gins, and for separate
entrances for seed cotton and exits for lint (para. 225). In this
paragraph also (section K) it deals with the disposal of seed with
special reference to seed infected by pink bollworm. This committee
even went so far as to publish standard plans which they considered

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