84 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 12, 190-1. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



VARIETIES OF BANANAS AT TRINIDAD. 



We take the iiillowing note on varieties of bananas 

 from the Tiinichid Bulletin of MisalldneouK Infor- 

 mation for January hist: — ■ 



The new varieties of bananas at St. Clair, which were 

 introduced from the East Indies liy the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture, have commenced to fruit. The first bunch is 

 mature and turns out to be something quite different to any 

 hitherto grown in the colony. It came to us under the name 

 of Mufa discolor. 



CARRIAGE OF FRUIT. 



One of the ditficiilties in the way of establishing 

 successful fruit industries in the West Indies is that of 

 getting the fruit to the port of shipment. In some 

 districts the absence of good roads increases this 

 difficult}', and renders it almost impossible to avoid 

 injury to the fruit. But even when roads are good 

 damage is often done b}' carelessness in carting. The 

 state of affairs, described in the follo\\ing extract from 

 the (Queensland A</ri>ultural Journal, is only too 

 common in these islands : — 



A .sliort time ago, while liding along a country road 

 through one of our best orange-growing districts, I met 

 a cartload of oranges on tlie way to the nearest railway 

 station. Every case that I could see w;is standing on end 

 in the cart, and liad come its journey in tiiat position. 



Now, fancy fruit being jolted along a bush road on end, 

 and then shi|ii)cd olf to some distant market ! What chance 

 has that fruit of jiresenting a .sound and attractive condition 

 and ap|iearance under the salesman's hanuner 1 Is it not 

 almost certain to be so seriously damaged as to lose a liig 

 percentage of its value! No other result is jiossible ; and 

 yet growers complain from time to time of their fruit going 

 wrong when tliey send it away, and that in .some way that 

 i/iey Clin never undeiftand. 



Tliey declare that it was perfectly .sound when gathered 

 and packed ; that nothing wliatcver was the matter with it. 

 Well, all I can say is that there is likely to be a good deal 

 the matter with it after going 8 or 10 miles over bush roads 

 with the cases on end. One of the great points in packing 

 and handling fruit for market is tlie avoidance of i)re.ssure, 

 and all jarring or bumping, as far as is j)os.<*ible. But here 

 you have the greatest possifde jircssure, and the finest chance 

 in the world for tlie maximum of jarring and friction. 



And .suiiposing that the fruit was packed in the most 

 careful manner to begin with, that careful jiacking is likely to 



be very seriously distnibed before the entl of such a journey. 

 I want to say to our growers that this sort of thing will 

 not do. It will neither bring credit or profit to those engaged 

 in the industry. Care at everi/ point nuist be the motto, or 

 some single act of carelessness will probably spoil a lot of 

 good work and a lot of good fruit at the same time. 



PEASANTRY AND CULTIVATION. 



The Denierara Anjoxi/ of January (i, in reviewing 

 the report of the Department of Lands and Mines for 

 I902-.3, makes the following reference to cultivation by 

 peasant proprietors : — 



The Conunissioner regrets that the cane-farming 

 industry is not in a more Hourishing condition, but when we 

 remember that the price of sugar has lieen ab?iormally low, 

 we need not consider the fact that 2,.")00 acres have been 

 devoted to the stajile by farmers altogether unsatisfactory. 

 It may safely be prcdictetl that when a better price rules for 

 sugar those peasant proprietors, who.se farms are in the 

 vicinity of sugar estates, will not be slow to take advantage 

 of the iuducement.s to [lut part of their land, at all events, in 

 canes. Cane cultivation they are acijuainted w ith and will 

 fake to, if they find a profitable market for their produce. At 

 present, the farmers grow, for the most part, perishable 

 jiroducts, it l)eing estiniate<l that 75 ]ier cent, of their total 

 cultivation consists of |ilantaiiis, tannias, cassava, etc., and 

 the Comnii.--sioner remarks that the supply of these already 

 exceeds the demand. Excejit in the Pomeroon and tlie 

 North-West l)istri<-t, the small holders do little more than 

 grow sufficient vegetables for the sup|port of their familie.s. 

 ' While all are ignorant of the method of cultivation of cro)is 

 of a more permanent nature,' ilr. Fowler states, 'the 

 majority lack stimulus to increased indu'strial activity, their 

 wants being of the fewest and simplest, and readily suiiplied 

 by the bounty of nature with a minimum of toil. It is thi.s 

 lack of stinmhis that is resjionsible more than anything else 

 for the backward state of our minor industries. In I)arba(io.s 

 every jilot of ground possible of cultivation is beneficially 

 occupied, because in the struggle for existence, rendered 

 neces.sary by a den.se iiopulation, the people realize the need 

 of making the most of their o|iiiortuiiities. Here as much 

 land as can be profitably occu|iied may be purdiased at 15c. 

 per acre, free of any conditions as to '-ultivation, .so that 

 our rural iieasantry hardly recjuire to exert themselves at all 

 to supply their few and simple wants. It would be a good 

 thing for llarbados, and a good thing for this colony, if a few 

 thousands of that island's agricultural labourers could be 

 induced to come over and settle on our Crown lands.' 



