Small plots of native and American cottons have been planted at Kumassi, and experimental plants at Aburi, but the conditions have not been so favourable at these places as at Labolabo. At Obuassi, in Ashanti, an attempt was also made, but the soil seemed too stiff and the plants were not healthy. Land suitable for native cotton farms seems to be that on the west bank of the Volta river, north of the Labolabo plantation.
Valuations of Samples examined at the Imperial Institute.—The following selection of specimens of Gold Coast cottons examined and reported on at different times by the Imperial Institute will give some indication of the relative values:—
| Place | Variety | Staple | Value | Standard at time of valuation “Middl.Amer.” |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labolabo | Volta clean-seed | 0·8-1·4 | 5-5½d. | 5·05d. |
| „ | Green-seed | 1-1·4 | 5d. | 5·05d. |
| „ | Black Volta, small woolly seeded from N. Terr. | 1-1·4 | 5½-6d. | 6·43d. |
| „ | Black Rattler | 1·2-1·8 | 7d. | 6·7d. |
| „ | Native × Allens | 1·2-1·6 | 6d. | „ |
| „ | Native × Russels | 1·2-1·5 | 4½d. | „ |
| „ | Native × Peruvian | 1·2-1·6 | 7d. | „ |
| „ | Native × Culpepper | 1·1-1·5 | 6½-7d. | „ |
| „ | Volta × Black Rattler | 1·1-1·5 | 5d. | „ |
| „ | Volta × Richmond | 1·1-1·6 | 6-6½d. | „ |
| „ | Greenseed × Black Rattler | 1-1·4 | 5d. | „ |
| „ | Greenseed × Richmond | 1-1·4 | 7d. | „ |
| Tamale, N. Terr., Native | 0·7-1·0 | 5½d. | „ | |
The cottons from native varieties crossed with American represent the first generation only, as in no case were the following generations found constant.
The large profits which have been made from cocoa in the forest country have caused cotton-growing to be neglected, and it seems improbable that large quantities of cotton will be exported from this region during the next few years. In the same part of the country palm oil and rubber are easily collected, and, besides being more remunerative products, require comparatively small exertion in preparation. An attempt to establish cotton cultivation upon a commercial scale, among the industrious people of the Northern Territories, was made by the British Cotton Growing Association, but the immense distances of the inhabited tracts from a shipping port and the consequent expense of transport, combined with the uncertainty of the rainfall in these ultra-forest regions, compelled the abandonment of the venture in 1916.
FIBRES.—Piassava fibre, which has sometimes been called “vegetable whalebone,” is prepared from the sheath of the lower parts of the leaf-stem of a tree belonging to the Natural Order Palmæ, and classified as Raphia vinifera, P. Beauv. This tree is found growing in the vicinity of streams, and occurs commonly in the forest regions near the coast.
The natives prepare the fibre, which is sold in the European markets under the name of “Piassava,” by cutting the stem-sheaths and steeping them in water for a considerable time until the fibrous strands are easily separated by beating. After being extracted in this manner they are dried in the sun. Only a small quantity is exported from the country, but it is a more important article of export from Sierra Leone and Liberia. As the specific name denotes, wine is extracted from the tree, by tapping the standing or felled tree, in the last case with the aid of fire.
On the estate of the African Plantations, Ltd., near Axim, a fibre of excellent quality, commercially allied to jute, has been prepared from the stems of a herbaceous plant, which was supposed to be Triumfetta semitriloba, Linn., but which has since been determined at Kew to be T. cordifolia var. Hollandii, Sprague. The plant belongs to the same Natural Order as Indian jute—namely, Tiliaceæ. A description of this fibre is given in the Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, vol. vi. (1908), p. 241.
This species has been observed commonly in a wild state in the forests near Sekondi and Axim, but does not seem to be present in the interior of Ashanti or in the country towards the Volta river.
Experiments made at the estate of the African Plantations, Ltd., are said to show that the best fibre is obtained from stalks which have been retted or steeped in water for five days, but it will probably be found that the period required for the operation is dependent to a great extent upon the age of the stalks used.