Vol. XVIII. No. 439. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



m 



ANTIGUA. Mr. T. JacksoD, the Curator, report? that 

 sugar- cane variety plots on various estates have been planted, 

 ind the .sugarcane nurserj at Skerra is supplied. PJdnts dis- 

 tributed from the station were: iu January eucalyptus, 100; 

 ■jasuarina, 32; miscellaneous, 6; and cane plants, 36,059. 

 The cane crop is rapidly ripening, and reaping will begin about 

 the middle of February. Very little onion seed has been 

 planted in the island; most of that received has been stored 

 at the Botanic Station for use next season- It is expected 

 that ibere will be a considerable decreas-i in ihe estimated 

 vield of cotton owing to the presence of cottou stainers and 

 boll disease to a much greater extent than in former years. 

 Ootton purchased from peasants for the Antigua Cotton 

 ■Growers' Association amounted to 2,944 tt>. clean, and 546ft> 

 ■stain. I he rainfall during the month at the Botanic Station 

 measured 3'79 inches- In some parts of the island however, 

 a veay heavy rainfall was experienced on .January 3. In one 

 locality several acres of cane were washed away, and somt^ 

 damage done to cotton fields. No reliable record of the 

 rainfall in this locality is obtainable, but it is considered that 

 during the night aomethinij like 8 inches of rain fell- 



ST. KiTTs. At the Experiment Station, La Guerite, the 

 TiXperimental plot of cane varieties have been planted out- 

 All old cotton plants have been pulled up and buried. The 

 selection of cotton seed for sale is Leing continued. Plant 

 distribution during the month of January was as follows; 

 oane cuttings, 3,900; peanuts, 18 Ih.; Mazzagua guinea corn, 

 •24 D). Much watering was needed at the Botanic Station 

 j)wing 1 1 the dry weather during the latter part of the month, 

 "fteapina the cane crop is expected to begin in the first week 

 in February. The young cane crop is germinating well, bui 

 rain is mnch needed. Old cotton plants are all being rapidly 

 turned in, and, in accordance with the provision of the law, 

 there will be a close season of six weeks in each of the three 

 districts of the Presidency. The destruction of native food, 

 plants of the cotton stainer is being proceeded with, and 

 owner? and managers of estates are undertaking this work at 

 their own expense. The demand for the best seed for planting 

 ■is so great that it is beyond the supply available at the 

 Experiment Station. Good pedigree seed has. however been 

 secured from other sources. Mr, S. C. Harland, B.Sc, 

 Assistant for Cotton Research on the^taff of the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture, paid a visit to St. Kitts during 

 the month to inquire into matters concerning the raising of 

 ■pedigree seed of cotton, and other matters in connexion with 

 the cotton industry. The rainfall for ihe month registered at 

 the Experiment Station was 3'2(i inches. 



NEVIS. Mr. W. I. Howell, the Agricultural Instructor, 

 states that during the month of January the ground .nuts in 



■the experiment plot were reaped with good returns 

 Larne yields have also been obtained on the reaping of the 

 •weet potato plot. The old cotton on the demonstration plot 

 .has been destroyed in preparation for t^ next crop. Cotton 

 seed for distribution to small growers is being selected. 

 With regard to the cane crop, Mr. Howell states that there 

 will be a great increase in the acreage put under cane this 

 year, but that labour difficulties are becoming serious on 



. account of large emigration to San Domingo. Reaping of 

 the cane crop has begun. With regard to cotton, the old 



. i>6tton plants are being destroyed, and preparation for the 

 next crop started|on many estates. The acreage will, however, 

 be greatly reduced on account of the shortage of labour and 

 the prospects of good price for sugar. During the month 1 27 

 John Bull trees and eighty-seven silk-cotton trees were 

 destroyed.. The potato crop is being reaped with very 

 good returns throughout the island, an4.a fair crop of yams 

 has also benn reaped. M r. Harland visited the island, and 



gave an address to the Agricultural and Commercial Societjr 

 on the wurk done in St- Vincent towards eradicating th« 

 cotton stainer, and gave other advice as to cotton cultiva- 

 tion. The rainfall for the month was '',•22 inches. 



VIRGIN ISLAND.S Mr. W. C. Fishlock notes that the onioi-. 

 seed arrived very late, aod thit in order to om aa mn.ch of it. 

 planted as possible, over seventy beds have been prepared and, 

 planted at the Experiment Station. Tortola, during the month.. 

 There has been a vtry fair crop of cotton, and a considerabU 

 quantity of it has been sent to St. Kitts for sUe. A large= 

 amount of attention is still being devoted to the cultivation. 

 of ((round provisions. A very importaot food crop in thee 

 island of Anegada is Guinea corn, and it is reported that a. 

 good crop is now being reaped. The total rainfall recordedi 

 at the station in Tortola was 2 '85 inche.s. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



The drought which prevailed during the whole of January 

 and extends into the current month was broken up on the 13tk 

 instant. The total rainfall for the showery days since the i3th, 

 instant is practically 2 inches. The change in the weather has. 

 been greatly apprecitated and has relieved the tension whick 

 existed in respect to the establishing of the young crops,, 

 both canes and vegetables. 



The young cane crop will now have the chance of making: 

 good its start. Planters continued supplying during the dry 

 weather and many a plant thought to be dead sent up shoots, 

 with the first showers. Two days after the change in th» 

 weather it was surprising to see how many shoots had made 

 their appearance. Supplying, of course, has not yet been 

 coD?pIeted, but by the end of this mjnth little should remaift 

 to be done. 



It would be ideal if the majority of fields could receiva 

 a satisfactory application of farm-yard manure at a date 

 sufficiently early to enable the soil to absorb the chemical 

 constituents before the plant is put in. Even a spell of dry 

 weather during the planting season would fail to hamper the 

 early development of the plant where nourishment had been 

 already distributed in the soil. 



Our soil has done very fine things in the past, bat to 

 preserve its fertility after so long a period of cultivation w» 

 must pay considerable attention to manuring, tillage, and & 

 judicious rotation of crops. The roUtion of crops facilitates 

 thorough and timely tillage, and rests the soil. 



Reaping operations are in full swing in the black soil, 

 but in the red soil, except in the case of wind-mills, grinding 

 is not yet generally done. 



There has been, as was to be expected, an improveraenu 

 in the density of the juice, while the tonnage of cane per acra 

 varies from 24 to 42. In the sea-board parishes the drought 

 and the root beetle have considerably reduced the tonnage. 



It is to be regretted that thus far so little has been done 

 in the way of co operation. The machinery erected would 

 have been more modern and- effective, the burden of expen- 

 diture would have been comparatively speaking small in the 

 case of each individual, and there would have been a healthy 

 distribution of profits. Co-operation and not competition is 

 the life.of trade, and improved conditions will always result 

 from co-operation. 



The recent rains have enabled planters to extend the 

 area under fall potatoes and to supply fields that had been 

 already planted. Looking to the fact that there will be a 

 great scarcity of rice thi- yc«r, every available field should ba 

 planted in ground provi.sicjjj of some kind. (The Barbados 

 Agriadtural Reporter, February 22, 1919.) 



