!74 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 27, 1904. 



water sujiply, reducing cva])orati<jn to a considerable 

 extent. This aspect of the question has already 

 been dealt with in the A<jricidtiir<il A^env (Vol. 

 II, p. 838) in an article on the 'Conservation of 

 Soil Moisture,' where it was mentioned that ' as the 

 result of experiu)ents. King states in his IrfUjai'ion 

 II nd Drill nuije that "the drying ett'oct of the wind at 

 800 feet was 80 per cent, greater than at 20 feet, and 

 7 per cent, greater than at 150 feet from the hedge.'" 



For these reasons we would urge a careful consid- 

 eration of this matter when a plantation is being laid 

 out. If new land is being opened up for the purpose, 

 the object will be satisfactorily attained by leaving 

 a strip of the natural forest. In other cases, suitable 

 trees will have to be ])lnnted in rows and afterwards 

 pruned and trimmed in order to make them effective 

 wind-breaks. They must not be allowed to give too 

 much shade, but should be trimmed to form hedges. 

 Further, it is advisable to choose a tree that is ever- 

 green : a tree which sheds its leaves in the dry season, 

 that is, just at the time an effective wind-break is 

 particularly required, is scarcely suitable. 



Now, what are the most suitable trees for the 

 purpose I We might give a long list of trees that have 

 either been used or recommended for planting as 

 wind-breaks, but we will refer to two only — GA\h-A{L'iihi- 

 phylliim Cdliiha), which is particularly suitable for 

 planting in exposed situations ; and, for more moist 

 situations, Iiii/a lauri u<i, known in Dominica and the 

 French Islands as Pois doux, in Antigua and Mont- 

 .serrat as .Spanish oak, and in St. Kitts-Nevis as 

 Spanish ash. 



Galba is a quick-growing tree, capable of standing 

 the sea blast, and possesses the further important 

 advantage of being an evergreen. It would be well 

 if planters in those islands in which galba is found 

 were to collect as many seeds as possible and have 

 them sown. Similarly, the local officers of the Depart- 

 ment might raise seedlings for distribution. 



In the French West Indies hedges of Iiuja 

 laurlna are planted about every 200 feet, across the 

 direction of the prevailing winds, throughout the cacao 

 and coffee plantations. They are also ])lanted by the 

 peasant.s around their provision grounds. These practices 

 might well be copied in the British West Indies. It 

 will be necessary in the first place to urge upon the 

 peasantry the need for such wind-breaks, and this will 

 perhaps best be done by object-lessons at the Botanic 

 Stations. 



It will thus be seen that we strongly advise the 

 systematic planting of wind-breaks as a protection from 

 the wind. This is particularly necessary- where crops 

 like limes, coffee and cacao are being grown. One of 

 the largest undertakings of this nature in the West 

 Indies is in connexion with the Land Settlement 

 Scheme in St. Vincent. On the estates that have been 

 given out in allotments in that islan<l a complete 

 system of wind-break planting was determined : the 

 total length of these lines amounts to 20 miles. Galba 

 is the tree that has been cm])loyed in this case. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



The Sugar Industry in the West Indies. 



In his lecture to the members of the West India 

 Committee on the 'Agricultural Industries of the West 

 Indies,' Sir Daniel Morris made the following reference 

 to the experiments with the sugar-cane and the present 

 position of the sugar industry in these islands : — 



It is an important feature in all the sugar-cane experi- 

 ment.s carried on by the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 that the cane.s are cultivated in the same manner as the 

 ordinary crop of the estate, so as to institute a close 

 comparison on the most practical basis between these canes 

 and those ordinarily grown on the estate. It may be 

 mentioned that the e.\peusfs of cultivating sugar-canes at the 

 ex[)erinicnt stations on estates are borne by the planters 

 themselves. A very considerable number of new canes are 

 raised everj- year. Onl}- very few of these prove worthy of 

 being cultivated on a large scale. Some of the new seedling 

 canes have proved of great value, not only in the West Indies, 

 but also in Louisiana, Cuba, Natal, Mauritius, and (Queens- 

 land. The work of raising seedling canes is still, however, in 

 the exi.erimental stage, but it is full of ]>roniise in the future. 

 The area jilanted in new seedling canes in liritish Guiana has 

 steadily increased, and now comprises about 13,000 acres. 

 In Barbados and Antigua, owing to the occurrence of disease 

 in the ISourbon cane, seedling and other canes are almost 

 exclusively cultivated. On regular plantations in the West 

 Indies the total areas of seedling and other canes than 

 Rourbon may be placed at about 30,000 acres. The yield of 

 seedling canes has in many cases exceeded that of the 

 Bourbon cane. On one large plantation in British Guiana 

 the results in favour of see<lling canes during the last three 

 years have averaged 20 per cent. 



Sir Daniel then referred to the excellent results 

 that had attended the cultivation of West Indian 

 seedling canes in Demerara, Louisiana, Cuba, and 

 Queensland, information in regard to which will be 

 found in the Aijrirultarul News, Vol. Ill, pp. 179-80. 

 Continuing, he .said : — 



A factor of great imiiortance in regard to the future of 

 the sugar industry is the removal of the Continental sugar 

 bounties. Every one interested in the welfare of the West 

 Indies fully api)reciates the active part taken by our 

 Chairman, and those associated with him, in obtaining the 

 abolition of the sugar bounties. Already a nuicli more 

 liopeful feeling prevails in regard to sugar growing in the 

 West Indies and the prospects are possibly more encouraging 

 than they have been for many years. A prominent member 



