ENCLOSURE TO PART IIL
Portuguese East Africa.
Cotton as a crop is still in its infancy in Portuguese East Africa;
our export has not yet reached 3,000 bales.
Mr. J. A. Evans of the United States Department of Agriculture
was invited to accept a temporary engagement with the Government
of Portuguese East Africa, to give advice as to the lines on which the
cotton industry should be conducted, and he is at the present time
writing his report.
Two years ago we carried out some experiments with four varieties
north of the Zambesi River, at a place located 100 miles from the
coast and at 500 feet above sea level.
The relative order of merit of these varieties as shown by these
trials is as follows:
Upland. Bancroft. Hybrid. Watt's
Nyasaland Improved Zululand long staple.
Earliness vs : us 4
Type of plant ... ori A 2
Average yield per plant a
Percentage of Lint ...
Resistance to Angular Les
Spot, and Anthracnose
Resistance to Jassid ...
3 The last-mentioned three varieties were so much inferior to
Nyasaland Upland that they were abandoned and apart from the
Coast Belt, Nyasaland Upland is now generally grown.
At present we have under observation some fields of Pima,
imported from the Union of South Africa, located in the Coastal Belt.
Other trial plots for variety tests were established at Umbelusi at the
Experimental Farm last season which was carried out by Mr. Evans
with seeds brought from the United States of America Department of
Agriculture, but, owing to unfavourable weather conditions they have
not yet reached maturity and the results cannot yet be stated.
(Sgd.) S. Grillo.
August, 1926.
Swaziland.
The Cotton specialist arrived in Swaziland in September, 1925,
and has seen one season through. An area of some 20 acres at
Bremersdorp was leased, and on this, besides the various series of
experimental plots, fairly large areas of the five commonly grown
varieties were planted, as well as a few small plots of introduced
American varieties, all of which served as material from which
selections were made. Some 130 plants were marked in the field.
The characteristic to which the greatest importance was attached
being resistance to the attack of Jassid. This pest appeared rather
late in the season, but was considered sufficiently severe to afford a
test of this quality. These are now in process of elimination and at
present some 40 are still retained.

163