PART TIL
10. Co-operaTIVE Corton. FERTILIZER EXPERIMENTS : —
In representative Cotton areas ... 2. Ee 20s 3
11. Seep MurrtipLicATION FARMS (BARRING EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS) :
In suitable areas ... ae, er 5 cor a 10)
Mr. KOCH, in reply to a question by Mr. Simpson, stated that
experiments were being conducted to determine the best rotations for
different areas. The rotations now being employed were three or four
course rotations containing a legume.
Mr. HOLM asked what view was held regarding cotton as a
profitable crop. He would like to have some expression by the
Conference regarding the effect upon the yield obtained through
European supervision and labour. In Uganda, cotton was produced
purely by Africans; in South Africa by Europeans with African labour;
in Queensland purely by European effort.
Mr. KOCH said Cotton would give a profitable return in South
Africa under conditions when other crops would not be profitable. At
9d. per lb. cotton cultivation would pay.
Mr. MILLIGAN said a yield of a bale of seed cotton, or about
150 to 160 lbs. of lint per acre is considered to be a fair yield. The
actual outlay on the crop does not on an average exceed £3 per acre.
Mr. CAMERON said that in Southern Rhodesia the cost of
production was considered to be £2 10s. per acre. It had been
estimated that the cost of harvesting cotton was very little more
expensive than that of maize.
In the course of a discussion upon the average yields of cotton,
it was stated that in Uganda 150 bs. could be accepted as an average.
In Tanganyika 120 lbs. had been reached, but the average was lower.
In the United States the average yield was less than 170 lbs. per acre.
Mr. SIMPSON said that in Uganda the policy adopted to increase
the yield of cotton was, firstly, the issue of selected seed; secondly,
instruction in better cultural methods.
Mr. WORTLEY remarked that in Nyasaland it appeared that the
native yields were quite as high as those of the European.
Mr. KIRBY said that in Tanganyika, methods similar to those
employed in Uganda were followed for the improvement of the yields
of native cotton, but attention was given first to obtaining better
husbandry, in order to give the best chances of success to the better
cottons. Planters did get better yields than the native growers, but
the cotton was not graded as well as the native grown.
Mr. HOLM drew attention to the importance of increasing the
yields and said that generally under European methods larger yields
were obtained than under native methods. He asked if the yields
obtained by native growers could not be improved by improved
methods of cultivation and in other wavs.
Mr. SIMPSON did not consider that methods of cultivation as
practised by Western nations were of the very high importance
usually attributed to them in tropical countries. The method of
cultivation suited to. a country depends upon the conditions of that
country; Western methods of cultivation were based upon the
conditions of Europe and could not be applied directly to countries
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