cohesive” attraction of A for A exceeds the “adhesive” attraction

The “adhesive” attraction existing between A and B may be greater than those between A and A or B and B.

This means that there is a stronger attraction between A and B compared to the attraction between A and itself (A and A) or between B and itself (B and B). The term "cohesive" refers to the attraction between molecules of the same substance (in this case, A with itself), while "adhesive" refers to the attraction between molecules of different substances (in this case, A with B).