Vol. 1. No. 



THE AGIIICULTUEAL NEWS. 



109 





ST. V IXC EXT: AXXILIL REPORTS OX THE 

 BOTAXIC STATJOX, AC RICULTVRAL SCHOOL 

 AXD LAXl) SETTLEMEXT SCHEME, I'JUl. 



Botanic Station : The rej)ort deals, in detail, witli the 

 routine work of the Station. The inole-cricl<et seems to liave 

 done considerable damage to the lawns and sonie of the 

 provision crops such as onions and Englisli potatos. Tlie 

 most successful remedy for this j>est was the application of 

 common soaj) suds. Budded oranges were introduced from 

 Jamaica. Economic and other plants, j)rincipally cacao, 

 limes and coliee, to the number of L'.o,000 were ilistril)uted 

 during the year ; including 9,000 supplied gratis to settlers 

 on Crown Lands and to I'ublic Institutions in tlie island. 

 The e.xperinient plot at Ge )rgetown proved satisfactory but 

 those on the Soufriere and Mount 8t. Andrew were 

 abandoned. 



Bee-keei)ing occupied considerable attention. Tlie 

 Christmas wreatli (Iiiomca xidaefoiia), a useful bee plant, 

 was established and seeds were disti'ibuted to bee-keepers. 

 The rainfall during the year was 1 2.5 inches being twelve 

 inches above the average for the last twelve years. Two 

 Poland China boars, two Southdown rams and tliree lop ear- 

 ed ram goats were introduced during the year by the 

 Imperial Dejiartnient of Agriculture for the imrpofie of 

 improving the local lireeds of stock. The expenditure for 

 the year was £67.5. The amount received from the .sale of 

 plants and produce was ,£52. 



Ayiivtiltnral Sih-iol : The rejiort deals with the work of 

 the new agvicultnial sclmol founded in 1901 and maintained 

 by the Imperial Department of Agriculture. Twenty-four 

 boys were in residence during the latter part of 1901, They 

 received practical instruction in Agriculture and Horticulture 

 every morning e.xcept Sundays for three and a half hours, 

 ilost of the provisions used at the school were raised by the 

 boys themselves. Four hours a day were devoted to indoor 

 work the instruction comprising reading, composition, 

 arithmetic, geograjihy and the elements of agricultural 

 .science. About a quarter of an acre of the grounds is 

 devoted to boys' ganlens in the cultivation of which, during 

 their s|iare tinu', the students take great intei'est. The 

 expenditure during the year was £622. 



Lanil Sett/einfitf Sclit'ini'. The i)rogress during the year 

 was .satisfactory. Upwards of 7,000 economic i)lants, chieHy 

 cacao and coffee, were jdanted. Numerous drains and ten 

 and a half miles of windbreiiks were established, the trees 

 employed being Galba (Calojihi/lluiii Calaha) and Angelin 

 (Aiulira inertnis). In connexion with this scheme an 

 experienced local planter luis lately been ajipointed -Vgricul- 

 tural Instructor. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The third and concluding course of lectures to 

 Teachers, of Elementary schcjols at Grenada is j)rojK)sc'd 

 to be given at St. George's from Wedhesddy, Aug\ist 



6, to Thursday, August 14, next. The th<'<iretical 

 lectures will take j)lace in the morning and the practi- 

 cal demonstrations at the Botanic Gardens in the 

 afternoon of each day. The examination will be held 

 on Thursday August 14. 



The half-yearly e.\aniination.s of the resident 

 puj)ils at the Agricultural Schools at St. Vincent, St. 

 Lucia and Doiniiiica wore held at the close of last 

 luo'ith. The results will shortly be published. 



AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 



St. Lucia. 



Mr. 



G. S. Hudson contributes the following 



notes : — 



W^eather. The weather continue.s extremely wet. Up 

 to June 18, there was not a single day that coulil by any 

 courtesy be called 'fine.' The rainfall to tlie .s;ime date was 

 about 1 1 inches. 



Cacao Crop. This continuou.sly wet weather cannot 

 fail to have a prejiuiicial effect on the coming crop, 

 occurring as it docs during the i)rincipal flowering season. 

 With the atmosphere almost continually at .saturation jioint, 

 it is extremely difficult for fertilization to take i)lace. After 

 bad weather the ground is found .strewn with unfertilized 

 cacao flowers which jilanters often attribute t« wind, but if 

 one would try to lilow otl' a neicly oi^eiied cacao flower with 

 a i>air of bellow.s, he would prol)ably fail. If a flower leniains 

 unfertilized after the time for fertilization h;is p<i.s.sed, changes 

 take jilace in the stalk and then the flower will fall with the 

 slightest touch. 



Arrowroot. The St. Vincent disaster luis .sent up the 

 price of arrowroot to 4'/. and 6(/. per lb., and as the major 

 part of the 1902 croji must have been dug, cured and sliipj.ed 

 before the erujitions, there is a po.s.sibility of these liigli prices 

 being maintained for a coujile of years. But West Indian 

 jilanters do not move easily into a new groove. There is still 

 time to plant ami every prospect of a good profit, the cost 

 of production being usually not more than 2 cents per pound. 



Ginger. Prices for the last three years have been 

 jiractically jirotitless, but now show some signs of mending. 

 A certain class of .Jamaica peasants have been accustomed to 

 lilant ginger, and their fathers before them, and they will 

 jilant ginger no matter what the market conditions may be. 



Sweet Potato. The same thing occurs in regard to 

 this product. It is the rule to plant potatos a-s soon as the 

 rains come, and every one does so ; consequently potatos are 

 jiractically given away in October, November, and December. 

 Dry lands could carry their crop.s as late ivs March, and 

 humid forest estates almost all the year through. 



An Experiment with Swedes in Ceylon. At 



the Hakgala Botanic (iardens (about 6,000 feet elevation) 

 in Ceylon, an interesting experiment on the growth of Swe<les 

 has just been made. An ounce of seed was .sown on July 

 25 on a piece of land IS yards sipiare. The crop Wius tiiken 

 up on Decenilier 9, — 4 J, months from the time of sowing — 

 the yield being 2S0 11). or at the rate of 12A tons to the acre. 

 The largest weighed H lb. and mciusured 24" inches in circum- 

 ference. These roots pos.sess good feeding <jualities for 

 cattle and sheep. 



