Vot. III. No. 48. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



59 



EDUCATIONAL 



MULE-BREEDING 



TRINIDAD. 



The following notes on mule-breeding at Trinidad 

 have been forwarded by Mr. C. W. Meaden, Manager 

 of the Trinidad Government Farm, to supplement 

 those already published in the Agrlciiltwnd News 

 (Vol. II, p. 891):— 



Mule-breeding is quite a new departure in this island 

 and should by all means be adoiited, as the demand for such 

 animals for all classes of work is very great and their cost 

 to purchase consequently high. 



An Andalusian jack was im[iorted some two years ago ; 

 he stands 14'2 hands high and possesses an excellent head 

 and forehand ; his hind quarters are a little sliallow, but this 

 has not come out in his progeny yet. He has kept in good 

 health and costs very little to keeii, one feed of oats daily, 

 with plenty of ripe Guinea grass, cane tofis, etc. 



Three foals were born in October 1902: these have done 

 exceedingly well and shown satisfactory growth ; they are 

 hardy and full of life. Their measurements are — No. 1, 11-2 

 hands high ; Nos. 2 and .3, 13-2 hands high; girth taken close 

 up to the forearm covering the vital organs shows on the 

 first .58 inches ; on the two latter, 5.5 inches. Three others, 

 born in September last, show equally iiromising growth: there 

 are a dozen good mares due to foal about April next. 



The feeding given to the mule foals after weaning is 

 a mixture of fine pollard and cocoa-nut meal in equal parts — 

 3 tt). per head each morning, costing 4 cents. They run day 

 and night on the jiastures with the other animals and graze 

 as they like. The total cost of rearing and placing a 15-2- 

 hand mule on the market I estimate to be about J^^OOOO 



Should the growth of these three mules continue, they 

 may, at the age mentioned, equal the class of mule imported 

 here from the United States, whose present market value is 

 about .^ISO'OO each. This price would leave a fair margin 

 of profit, providing the business is conducted upon a suffi- 

 ciently large scale. 



Given good i)asture land, the young mules might be 

 brought up entirely upon grass until the time arrived for 

 breaking them and thus reduce the cost of rearing. At this 

 farm we are not able for the present to rely entirely upon 

 grass for growth as the herbage is not sufficiently nutritious 

 for the purpose. However, as time goes on the grasses 

 under cultivation will probably become good enough to 

 sustain the young animals during their early career. 



To breetl big mules to compete with Americans, big 

 ■dams nmst be used : the best for the purpose may probably 

 be the roadster, with a dash of blood in them. A 16-hand 

 mare put to a 14-2 to 15-hand jack would produce just what 

 is required to suit the general market. 



The jack is sent round to the various country districts 

 and Tobago, putting up at Police Stations. In this way he 

 served eighty-one mares which is about the limit which should 

 be permitted per annum. If the result of this is 60 per cent. 

 ■oi foals, the breeding of mules has taken a very good start. 

 Every effort has been made to induce East Indian and 

 peasant proprietors to accept the advantage of breeding their 

 own mules. Their particular employment as general carters, 

 •cane-farmers, etc., makes it necessary to jiossess mules. They 

 have, I am j)leased to say, been our best customers for 

 ihe service, very much to their future advantage. 



School Gardens in Trinidad. 



As illustrative of the progress which has been 

 made during the past few years in the teaching of 

 practical agriculture in rural schools at Trinidad, the 

 following extract from the Cvlonial Report on 

 Trinidad and Tohayo (pp. 8 and 9, par. 27) for the 

 year 1902-3 is of interest : — 



Practical agriculture now forms a part of the daily 

 teaching in most schools in the colony. The institution of 

 School Vegetable Shows has proved a decided success, the 

 local committees having entered heartily into the work. The 

 following extract from the Annual Report of the Acting 

 Inspector of Schools, hvid before the Legislative Council at 

 its last meeting, is of interest : — 



' Nearly every rural school has its tidy little garden, in 

 place of the wilderness of weeds and rank grass formerly so 

 much in evidence. In many instances the garden's sphere 

 of usefulness is not limited to the supply of edible vegetables. 

 but it serves also as a miniature experiment station. Here 

 may be seen plants in various stages of cultivation, and 

 perhaps even of uncultivation ; some flourishing in soil 

 rendered rich by manures, side by side with others struggling 

 for existence for want of such aid; some lank and attenuated 

 from overcrowding, others vigorous and healthy from being 

 allowed ample room for growth ; some sun-exposed and 

 pining for want of water, others delicate and weakly from 

 a too liberal supply of both water and shade. In such 

 a school garden (^and I have several in my mind), the 

 pupils are receiving one continuous object-lesson.' 



Nature Study. 



We take the following note on the establishment 

 of a ' School Nature-Study Union' from Nature of 

 December 10, 1903 :— 



A School Nature-Study Union has been established to 

 utilize and make better known facilities which already exist 

 for encouraging the study of nature by pujiils in primary and 

 secondary schools, and to supplement by work in several 

 new directions the efforts of existing associations. The 

 prospectus of the Union states that it is proposed to promote 

 addresses to children by supplying lantern slides and speci- 

 mens to teachers desirous of giving lessons on natural 

 objects, and by providing qualified lecturers where desired ; 

 to assist in the organization of school rambles and journeys, 

 in the establishment of school museums and in the arrange- 

 ment of conferences and natural history field days. The 

 inauguration of a junior de))artment, of reading circles, of 

 circulating libraries for teachers, is also contemplated, as 

 well as the publication of an official organ. Sir George 

 Kekewich, K.C.B., is the president, and the Rev. C. 

 Hinsclift', Bobbing, Sittinbourne, is the lion, secretary of 

 the Union. 



Metric System. We leam from Nature of .January 

 7, that a Bill has been introduced into the United States 

 House of Representatives to enact that on and after January 

 1 next, all departments of the Government shall employ and 

 use only the weights and measures of the metric system. In 

 view of this and the efforts that are proposed to be made to 

 introduce the metric system into these colonies, it would be 

 well if this system were to form a subject of instruction in 

 all West Indian schools. 



