THE AGKlCULTUr.AL NEW8. 



JuxE 21, 1902. 



GRENADA. 



WEST INDIAN FISHERIES. 



Tarpon in Jamaica. 



We learn tVoiii ^Ir. W. C'radwick tliat the Hollauil 

 1)01kJs near Pnrt Morant, Janiaiea, contain almndanco nf very 

 large tar]Min. Tliis locality |i issesses several attraotion.s for 

 the travelling .sportsman. The United Fruit C'()Mi|iany have 

 now one of the nice.st lintels in Jamaica on the to)) of 

 Howden Hill, coinnumding niaguificent view.s of the sea and 

 the I'liie Monntiiin.s. [!o\v<h.'ii is easily reached by land or 

 .sea. The ' Aduiiral' .shijis of the Fruit Company run from 

 Port Antonio and Kingston light up to Bowilen Wharf. 



Tarjwn is also .said to occur in the mouths of most of 

 the rivers on the south side of .lamaica. 



DOMINICA. 



The followiiijr .uHiouiR-ciiieiits lia\(' i-occutlv 

 apjicaicd at Doiniiiica in I'csjioet of the assistance 

 offered to planters and otht^-s by the Agiii-nltural 

 Uejjartiiient : — 



Agricultural Department. 



r>RESH VEGETABLE SEED of the following kinds can now 

 *• he jiurchased at tlie Botanic Station : Beans, Buut, 

 Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Cucuiid)er, Egg-Plant, Khol-Rabi, 

 <>kra, Ijeek.s, Lettuce, Musk Melon, Water Melon, Piirsni]), 

 Parsley, Pepper, I'uiupkin, Kadisli, Scpiash, Tomato and 

 Tuiiii)). 



CII.TIVATION OF EARLY ONIOXS. 



'CUE .\gricultural Dei)artineiit is prepared to again iniporl a 

 ' (piaiitity of ll'liiti' mill Jliil Birininlii Oiiimi SiIk hinn 

 .\inerica foi- distribution at rout juii-i- to growers. Tlii-se 

 will arrive in time for planting in Ortohrr next. < IkUts 

 for sets should i-('acli the Botanic Station not Later than 

 June I"). 



Tile cost (if White and l{cd Berunjila Onion sets is aliout 

 fii-i iliilhns /)(•/■ }iii.iliil, and si.\ or seven bushels would be 

 iei|uired Ui plant u)) an acre of land. 



It must be distinctly understood thai pur.sons orderiu" 

 are liable for tlie whoU; i-ost of their orders, and that the 

 Botanical Department cannot be rcsjionsible in case the sets 

 arrive in bad condition. 



\\N1LL.\ (TTTINCS FOI! SALE. 



rrWO or three thousand i'ASILLA ClJT'nXU'S nvi- iio» 

 *- available at the Botanic Station at the price of ■!.■•. /nr lim. 

 I'ersoiis wishing to puiclia.si: same .should send in ajiplications 

 not later than the lilst instant. The cuttings .available 

 will be allotted, according to the demand, in fair proportions 

 among applicant.s. 



If landowners in this i.sland are pre]>aied to enter on the 

 cultivation of vanilla on a mercantile .scale, the <iovern- 

 nieiit will gladly consider the advi.sal)ility of pioinring the 

 services of an expert to give juactical instructions in the curing 

 of the bran. 



Report of the Agricultural Instructor for 

 April 1902. 



During Apiil Mr. McNeill, the Agricultural Instructor, 

 has lieen engaged in visiting the experiment cacao plots in 

 the out-districts of the island. A good deal of pruning and 

 other work of a useful character wa.s accomplished. The 

 plots are described as ' promising', and the (luestion of 

 manuring them during the coming season is fully discus.sed. 

 The plots are each divided into four .sections -A., B., C. and 

 D. for inauurial jini-jjoses (as described in the Agriiultund 

 AVrtr..-, jiage •")!). So far the experiments in this dircciion have 

 ehietiy taken the form of an application of pen manure to 

 section A., and basic slag at the rate of 4 cwt. per acre, to 

 sections B., C and D., followed, rcsiiectively, by small top 

 dressings of nitrate of .soda, sul}ihate of ammonia and suli>hate 

 of potash at the rate of 1 .1 cwt. per acre. It is jiroposed to 

 rejieat the exiieriments this year. 



The chief object of experiment plots b3ing to illustrate 

 the best methods <}f renovating old and neglected cacao trees, 

 it was decided to relin(iuisli the plot at Gouyave estate where 

 the trees have been brought to excellent condition and 

 re(piired no further attention fiom the l)e|iartmeiit. For 

 other reasons it was considered undesirable to continue the 

 maintenance of the Chantinielle jdot. It is iirojiosed to 

 .select other suitable )ilots as .soon as jiossibie. The Report 

 concludes with suggestions for establishing ex))erinient jdots 

 of jiine-a]iples and gr.ipes on the Leeward side of the island. 



ST. LUCIA. 



Agricultural Notes. 



Mr. (ieorge S. Hudson, the Agrieultuial Instnietor 

 has eontrihuted the toUnwing notes : — 



Weather The drought was broken on May 24, by 

 three days of heavy and continuous rainfall, measuring from 

 8 inches in the driest districts to 27 inches in the mountain.s. 

 Some damage has been done to bridges, roads, and cacao 

 ]ilantations on the river Hats, but few landslips occurred. 



Cacao We are now in a jiosition to form .some idea 

 of the prospects of the coming cacao crop. The conditions 

 are almost identical with tlio.se of last year. The trees are 

 flowering heavily, but they are also throwing out new foliage 

 to replace that lost during the drought, and we know that tlie 

 two processes of leaf and fruit production cannot luocecd 

 coinciilcntly with eijual succe.s.s. The formation of flowers and 

 their fertilization is not in itself a great <'all on the strength 

 of the tree, the draiu commences when .several hundred 

 pods lui one tree attain the length of about an inch ; at this 

 stage the greater number begin to turn yellow and die off. 

 With a view to obviate this we, last year, trie<l the following 

 experiment at the ( lovernment Cacao I'lot, Soufriere. 1 ton 

 of sheep manure together with U cwt. of suljihate of 

 ammonia l>er acre was supplied to the trees in . I line, wlieii 

 every branch was cinwded with young pods and flowers. The 

 stimulating cH'ect of this a]>iilication was visible within a. 

 week, but it all went to the production of foliage and 

 'gormandiser.s,' and the .young pods turned lilack on the trees 

 by hundred.s, while the foliage showed that dark vigorous 

 green shade, which our labourers here exjiressively call ' blue.' 

 The experiment was a failure in the sense intended. This 

 year we are trying again, at tlie .same period, with 2 cwt. 



