Vol. XVllI. No. 436. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



45 



ST. VINCENT: REPORT ON THE AGRICUL- 

 TURAL DEPARTMENT igi~-i8. 



This report, which has just been issued, shows that 

 the officers of the Agricultural Department in St. Vincent 

 are continuing to carry out good work in many lines. It also 

 shows that the agricultural community are operating with 

 them in striving after steady progress. 



The care taken of the beautiful historic Botanic Garden 

 is worth commendation, and, as usual, several new and inter- 

 esting plants have been introduced into it. 



A detailed report on manurial experiments with cotton 

 and arrowroot shows some striking results. With regard to 

 cotton, the observation made in 1916, namely that under the 

 conditions of cotton cultivation in St. Vincent, an application 

 of potash alone is more beneficial than a combination of pot- 

 ash and phosphate has been borne out by results in 1917. 

 It is also pointed out that an application of cotton seed meal 

 at the rate of 600 B). per acre, is insufficient to meet the 

 nutritive requirement of the plants when grown on 

 the same land for a number of years. Cotton planters are 

 warned that signs of potash deficiency are very apparent on 

 many lands of the island, and that adequate provision for the 

 keeping up of soil fertility is vital, if cotton growing is to 

 remain remunerative. As with cotton, the results of manu 

 rial experiments with arrowroot tend to show that the chief 

 -element which needs to be supplied in St. Vincent is potas- 

 sium. 



There have been interesting plant breeding experiments 

 carried out by the Department during the year under report, 

 especially on cowpeas and bonavist beans, by which improved 

 varieties seem to be in the way of being permanently fixed. 

 It is evident that the measures adopted in the latter part 

 of 1916 and the early part 1917 for the destruction of silk- 

 cotton {Enodend7-oii anfraciuositm) and 'John Bull' ( Thespesia 

 populned) trees, and perennial wild cotton stalks, have led to 

 complete control of the cotton stainer, which threatened to 

 destroy the cotton industry of St. Vmcent. The Agricultural 

 Superintendent states that it would be difficult, and perhaps 

 impossible, to arrive at even an approximate estimate of the 

 increased yield and value of the 1917-18 Sea Island cotton 

 crop of St. Vincent, attributable to these measures, but it is 

 estimated that, in value, cotton growers have benefited 

 thereby to the extent of several thousand pounds sterling. 

 (In another page of this issue the regulations in force for this 

 purpose in St. Vincent are reproduced. The Government gin- 

 nery continues to work with satisfactory results. The oil 

 expressing department is to be noted. St. Vincent Sea 

 Island cotton continues to hold its high place in the English 

 market. 



The output of both arrowroot and cassava starches was 

 well maintained, and high prices were obtained for both 

 these products. The manufacture of farine from cassava roots 

 waf much increased, and large - ipplies of this nutritious 



farinaceous food were cinsumed locally as a substitute for 

 wheat flour, owing to the short supplies obtained of the latter 

 article. The output of arrowroot starch for the year 1917 was 

 4,737, .548 B)., valued at £40,296, and of cassava starch, 

 •218,390 ft., valued at £1,420. 



Sugar-cane cultivation has made still further progress, 

 but, with the increased attention again being devoted to 

 cotton, it is doubtful whether this cultivation will attain much 

 greater development. The total exports of sugar and sugar 

 products for 1917 were valued at £14,686, whereas in 1913 

 they were only valued at £173. 



A very satisfactory feature in the agricultural progress 

 of St. Vincent is the much greater extent to which Indian 

 corn is planted and utilized. This is largely due to the 

 successful operation of the Government granary, which dealt 

 during the 1917-18 crop with 295,908 ft. of 'wet' grains 

 more than double the amount dealt with in the previous 

 season. Excellent results were obtained by kiln-drying corn 

 and storing it. A large portion of this was converted into 

 corn meal for local consumption at a period when local 

 food products were comparatively scarce, and imports of 

 foodstuffs restricted. Besides being able thus to supply 

 all local demands, no less than 2,855 bushels of kiln-dried 

 corn were exported, 55 tons of this having been shipped 

 to England, where it. was sold at satisfactory prices. 

 The Government granary in St. Vincent is worked in such a 

 satisfactory manner that enquiries concerning its working 

 and arrangement have been received from several other West 

 Indian colonies. 



Among minor industries, the cultivation of ground 

 nuts continues to receive attention, and a considerable 

 export is maintained to other West Indian islands, the 

 total for the year 1917 being 14,421 bushels. There has 

 been, however, a large diminution in the cultivation of pigeon 

 and black- eye peas. The cause of this was the fear of 

 infecting cotton with bush bugs. When it was found that the 

 green bug (^Nczani vindiila), which attacks peas as well as 

 cotton, transmits internal boll disease, planters, in order to 

 avoid the possibility of damage to their valuable cotton crop, 

 refrained from planting peas to a large extent ; hence the 

 exports show a consider ible decline as compared with those of 

 the previous year. 



It is noticed th»t large areas of coco-nut trees are now 

 coming into bearing. So far the practice has been to ship 

 to Trinidad the surplus nuts and any copra made. The ques- 

 tion, however, is now becoming pressing as to whether it 

 would not be better to erect oil mills locally for dealing with 

 coconut products, ch efiy' because of the desirability of retain- 

 ing the residual meal in the island, as food for stock, or as 

 manure. 



Agricultural co-opera'ion continnes to flourish in St. 

 Vincent, the number of agricultural cooperative credit societies 

 at present in operation being twenty-one, with a membership 

 of 925. Besides thi~, the cooperative purchase of cotton and 

 corn at the Government ginnery and granary probably does 

 the lareiest business in this way of any institution of its kind 

 in the West Indies. 



Throughout the year under report the meteorological 

 conditions in St. Vincent were norma], and advantageous to 

 the various crops. The rainfall recorded at the Botanic 

 Garden was 10235 inches , for the year 1917, as compared 

 with 137"63 inches for the previous year. 



It is satisfa ;tory to note from the Government Veterin- 

 ary Surgeon's report that St. Vincent continues to remain 

 free from anthrax. 



