Vol. XVIII. No. 439. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



59 



INDUSTRIES OF THE TURKS AND 



As 



CAICOS ISLANDS. 

 was noticed in a previous number of the 



Agri- 

 cultural Neu<s, the salt industry of the Turks and 

 Caicts Islands reached in 1917 such a flourishing posi- 

 tion as had been unknown for many years. It is 

 hoped in the near future that the salt trade of 

 Turks I.slands may be extended to the markets of the 

 Brazilian Republic. The magnitude of trade requirements 

 in this direction, however, place.= it beyond the capacity of the 

 present salt producers to handle. Arrangements have 

 been concluded with a New ^■ork capitalist to take 

 the matter up. This gentleman has leased from the Govern- 

 ment, for a term of twenty-one years, the extensive but 

 abandoned salt ponds at West Caicos, and intends to 

 commence work on them at an early date. The output of 

 these West Caicos salinas is estimated at not less than 

 1,000,000 bushels of salt per annum. 



Colonial Reports— KnxmaX, Nd. 969. refers to other 

 subsidiary industries of the Turks Islands. The sponge 

 industry, in consequence of the war, showed a distinct decline. 

 This industry has also suffered in the year under report 

 through the sudden death of Mr. George Silly, the enterpris- 

 ing lessee of the artificial sponge bed's at Chalk Sound in the 

 Caicos Islands. It is believed, however, that this valuable 

 indu.>try will be continued on right lines Another shallow- 

 water creek, Dell Sound, belonging to the Government, has 

 been leased for the purpose of artificial sponge growing. 

 Operations on this bed were to be' comraenced during the 

 summer of 1918. 



The sisal industry continues to slfow satisfactory progre.ss. 

 Export:? to the value of £5,9.50 were recorded for the year, 

 more than double those of the previous years. No less than 

 5,000 acres of land in the Caicos Island.s have been leased for 

 the purpose of fibre growing on the most approved lines. 



The cultivation of cotton is steadily increasing among 

 peasant landholders in the Caicos Islands. Although only 

 a small quantity at present, the cotton exported to Liverpool 

 was ?!<M. for l.t. %d. per 5)., which is said to have been .satis- 

 factory to the growers. 



The Turks Islands have a small industry with the 

 neighbouring Republic of Haiti, which is probably unique. 

 Over 3,000,000 conchs— not conch shells — were exp irted 

 during the year under review as a food commodity to that 

 Republic 



Owing to the difficalty of obtaining tin aiiJ other 

 material, the lobster canning industry, which had given 

 promise of development, had tn be suspended for the 

 duration of the war. 



Another small export industry was likewise brought to 

 a standstill owing to the 'tran.sp jit difficulties during the 

 war. This industry is the export of conch and other sea 

 shells, which are shipped to New Vork for export to Italy, 

 where they are used for cameo w<,irk and the manufacture 

 of buttons. Both of these lesser industries will probably 

 be revived in the near future. 



HUSK PROTECTION FOR CORN 



Most growers of Indian corn or maize have no idea that 

 by improving by selection the husk covering the corn-shucks 

 as they are called in the United States — they may reduce the 

 damage done to the grain by weevils Corn growers generally 

 consider only the shape and size ol ears and kernels when 

 selecting .seed. Bulletin No. fOS of the United States Depart 



ment of Agriculture gives the results of some investigation., 

 by W A. Taylor, Chief of the Bureau of PJant Industry, the 

 object of which IS to es'tablish definitely some of the more 

 important facts with regard to the husks as a means of 

 preventing damage to the ear. 



Weevils attack corn of all degrees of hardness, and the' 

 only difference is that they consume the harder corn slower 

 than the softer corn. Some observers have concluded that 

 since weevils are able tc eat the hardest corn, they would 

 also cut their way through the most resistant husks in order 

 to feed upon the grain, if sufficiently urged by hunger. 

 Others have observed that earworms may cut holes through a 

 large percentage of the protecting husks, and that weevils wiU 

 enter through these holes; from this they have concluded 

 that husk-covering cannot be developed into a practicable 

 means of protection. Very little experimental work has been 

 done in the past to determine the relation.ship that reaUy 

 exists between husks and the corn inclosed in them. 

 In the investigations fourteen native varieties of corn 

 were included. The ears were harvested without removing 

 the husks. They were then separated into three classes: 

 (1) poor shucks,' if the shucks failed to extend beyond 

 the tip of the ear, or if they did not close tightly; (2) 'good 

 shucks without worm holes,' if the husks extended beyond 

 the tip of the ear, and closed more or less tightly: (3) 'good 

 shucks with worm holes ' s j \ / s 



The results of the investigations in the field showed 43 

 per cent, more weevil infestation in corn with poor shucks 

 than in that having good shucks without worm holes 

 _ Storage investigation showed 93 per cent, more weevil 

 infestation in corn with poor shucks than in that without 

 worm holes 



, Laboratory investigation showed that weevils would 

 starve rather than force their way through good shuck 

 covering. 



These investigations showed 3 per cent, more rotten 16 

 per cent, more discoloured, and IS per cent, more worm- 

 mouldy ears in poor shucks than in good shucks. 



The so-called good shucks of these investigations were 

 not ideal, but only better than the so-called poor shueks 

 Later Investigation made it clear that the longer the husks 

 extend beyond the tips oT the ear the more effective is the 

 protection against causes of insect damage. This sugge-^f: the 

 possibility of breeding a race of Indian corn with husks long 

 enough to be entirely effective against such damage 



The author concludes his paper by remarking that the 

 investigations appear to justify the following recomniendationa 

 to corn growers : — 



(1) Breed corn with a very long husk extension which 

 fits tightly about the silks. 



(2) To protect ear corn in the fields from weevils, ear 

 worms, moulds, and discolouration, grow the best husk pro- 

 tected corn. 



(3) To make practicable the more general holding of 

 corn in weevil-infested areas, store hu.sk-protected ears in theij 

 husks, and get rid of the unprotected ears as soon js possible! 



The practical bearing of this question on the maize crop 

 is evident, when it is considered that of all the ears of corn 

 produced in the United State.s each year comparatively few 

 entirely escape damage. Most of them lose only a few kernels 

 from insect attack, or are more or less reduced in value by 

 moulds or discolouration: This damage is usually passed 

 without notice, but when it is considered that a ;..?s of only 

 cne kernel per ear amounts to an annual loss for the U-ited 

 States of at least 5,000.000 bushels, it becomes apparent .i.*s 

 these losses are worthy of attention. 



