Egyptian cotton has a long, strong, silky staple from one and one-eighth to one and five eighth inches in length, and in quality and value ranks next to our better grades of Sea Island which range from one and one-half to two and one-half inches in length. The best known varieties of Egyptian are classified as Mitafifi, Abassi, joannovich, Ashmouni, Nubari, Sakel laridis and Afif Assil. About 18 per cent of the cotton area is devoted to the Mitafifi variety, 19% per 'cent to Ashmouni, which is grown in Upper Egypt, 9 per cent to Nubari, about 46 per cent to. Sakellaridis, and 7V2 per cent to other varieties. The Sakellaridis, grown in Lower Egypt, is of recent origin and is con sidered almost as valuable as Sea Island. It is described as very clean and white, very lustrous, free from neps, the staple being fully one and five-eighths inches in length. Egyptian cotton is especially adapted for making sewing thread, fine underwear and hosiery, and for mercerising and other processes that give a high 'silky finish to cloths. Its capacity for taking dyes makes it valuable for mixing with silk and for filling sateens, India linens and similar highly finished goods. The brown color of the Mitafifi adapts it for use without dyeing in making balbriggan underwear and lace curtains in which the ecru shade is desired.
Preparations for planting the crop begin in February and March, and planting is carried on during March and April. Picking begins in September and is usually completed during the early part of December. To prevent the hibernation of boll-worms the law requires all cotton plants to be removed from the land be fore 1 January. Ginning is usually done at ginning establishments at interior towns, most of which are owned by cotton merchants and large exporting houses. The bales are packed by hydraulic pressure and average about 750 pounds each, but before being exported are rebaled and steam compressed at Alexandria.
As there are no cotton manufacturing es tablishments in Egypt practically the whole of the crop is exported. In the distribution of the crop for consumption in normal times Great Britain takes about 38.5 per cent, the United States 22 per cent, Germany 11 per cent, France &5 per cent, Russia 7.5 per cent, Austria 3.5 per cent, Switzerland 2.5 per cent and various other countries the remaining 6.5 per cent.
In the decade 1870-80 the crop averaged about 430,000 bales (500 lbs.) annually, in the decade 1880-90 the average increased to about 560,000. Since the latter period the crops have increased as more lands were brought under irrigation. By a government decree the cotton area in 1915 was considerably reduced on ac count of the European War. The following table will show the progress of the industry since the completion of the irrigation works.
Cotton production in the Trans Caspia and the Trans-Caucasia has attained great importance since the occupation of that territory by Russia, so that now instead of de pending upon the United States for its supply of cotton its own domains supply its mills with fully 60 per cent of the needed raw ma terial. The great bulk of the crop is grown in
Turkestan.
Cotton is grown in most of the river valleys, but its cultivation is limited to localities adapted to irrigation, as the climate is dry, very hot, with mild winters, and scarcely any rainfall during the crop-growing season. Some of the irrigation works were built centuries ago, but the Russian government has offered such en couragement to cotton culture that over 2,000, 000 acres have been brought under knife don, with the probability of this being consid erably increased. Experiments have been made with a number of imported seeds, but the Up land American have given the best results and a large proportion of the present growth is either of American varieties, or varieties de veloped from this seed. The staple is about an inch in length, of a smooth good color and clean. The indigenous varieties are about an inch staple, of good color, but rough. In 1890 the cotton crop of Asiatic Russia so far as known had never exceeded 150,000 bales (of 500 lbs.), but in 25 years, owing to the build ing of irrigation works and the extraordinary duty imposed upon foreign cotton (amounting to $2.06 per 36.1 pounds), the production in creased to 1,387,000 bales, or 825 per cent. Rus sian cotton manufacturers are said to believe that it is possible to meet the full requirements of the Russian industry with cotton of domes tic production, and that produced by countries under Russia's economic influence. Recent sur veys have shown that enormous areas of land well suited for cotton could be irrigated in the lower basin of the Amu-Daria River.
The average weight of bales in central Asia is about 300 pounds, and in the Caucasus 350 pounds. The ginning and baling is performed practically in 'the same manner as in America. The bales are covered with heavy jute wrapper, held in place by four wires, thus guaranteeing the proper protection of the bales.
The following table shows the area planted in cotton and the production (reduced to bales of 500 lbs.) for four seasons in each of the provinces of central Asia and Trans-Caucasia: China.— There are no records showing how largely cotton has been cultivated in Chiva, but it is known that about 1300 A.D. the native fibre began to be extensively used. Since that period its growth and manufacture have reached im mense proportions. The Chinese keep no sta tistics whatever, and it was not until very recently that any information could be obtained as to the amount of cotton produced. About 1895 the crop of China (including its de pendency, Korea) was estimated at 1,600,000 bales of 400 pounds each. Recently, the Min istry of Agriculture of the Republic has esti mated the annual production for the years 1909, 1910 and 1911 at 4,181,333 bales of 500 pounds each. The suppression of the opium trade, the rapid development of the cotton mill industry and high prices for the raw material have undoubtedly stimulated production in re cent years.