has been
experimented with in Australia, Ceylon and elsewhere. It is probably a
hybrid between Sea Island and rough Peruvian cotton, but lacks most of
the essential features of Sea Island.

In _Fiji_ the cotton exported in the 'sixties and 'seventies was worth
L93,000 annually; but the cultivation has been practically abandoned. In
1899 about 60 bales, and in 1900 about 6 bales, were exported. During
1901-1903 there were no exports of cotton, and in 1904 only 70 bales
were sent out.

Into the _Society Islands_ Sea Island cotton was introduced about
1860-1870. Up to the year 1885 there was an average yearly export
equivalent to about 2140 bales of 500 lb., after which date the export
practically ceased. The industry has, however, been revived, and in 1906
over 100 bales, valued at L1052, were exported. (W. G. F.)

MARKETING AND SUPPLY

Moving the harvest to the ports.

In the days of slave-grown cotton, the American planters, being men of
wealth farming on a large scale, consigned the bulk of their produce as
a rule direct to the ports. Now, however, a large proportion of the crop
is sold to local store-keepers who transfer it to exporting firms in
neighbouring cities. The cultivators, whether owners of the plantations,
as is usual in some districts, or tenants, as is customary in others,
are financed as a rule by commission agents. The decline of "spot" sales
at the ports, partly but not entirely in consequence of the appearance
of the small cultivator, has proceeded steadily. Hammond[4] has
constructed a table from information supplied by the secretaries of the
cotton exchanges at New York, Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, New Orleans
and Galveston, showing the sales of "spot" cotton at those ports for the
twenty-two years between 1874-1875 and 1895-1896, and in all cases an
absolute decline is evident. The receipts of cotton in the season
1904-1905 at the leading interior towns and ports of the United States
are given below.

_Receipts of Cotton at 28 Interior Towns._
(In Thousand Statistical Bales of 500 lb. each.)

Brenham, Tex. 17 | Memphis, Tenn. 984
Dallas, Tex. 96 | Nashville, Tenn. 19
Shreveport, La. 256 | Selma, Ala. 126
Little Rock, Ark. 219 | Montgomery, Ala. 211
Helena, Ark. 91 | Eufaula, Ala. 29
Vicksburg, Miss. 100 | Columbus, Ga. 74
Columbus, Miss. 57 | Macon, Ga. 87