Vol. XVIIl. Xo. 440. 



THE AGRlCULTDlliL Mi'.V; 



:%■ 



M lURlTIUS: REPORT 0.\ THE DEPART- 

 MENT OF AGRICULTURE, iqk;. 



The sugar industry of Mauritiui is very much the chief 

 iudustry of the colony. In .the report under review it is 

 stated that the weather experienced .iuring the year was not 

 aU that could be desired, the result being that though the 

 <«ne (;rop was satisfactory in some districts, ..it vras distioctly 



'■"below the average in others. The totii production of sugar 

 tor the Colonv.for the crop of 1917 was estimated at approxi- 

 mately ■2-2o,0(JO tons. The quality of the canes handled 



"during the crop was, on the whole, satisfactory. According 

 to returns taken from the Control Mutuel Sheets, the average 

 •composition of the cane handled in thirty-one factories was: 

 -.ucrose, 13-40 percent.; fibre. i2-31 percent. 



Considerable interest has been shown in the varieties of 

 oiane owing to a. somt^what widespread. anxiety that 

 many of the standard varieties at present cultivated are 

 Winning to show signs of deterioration. This, however, may 

 be attributable to the spread of root disease, as the result of 

 too intensive and, in some cases, defective mfethoc's of 

 =;altivation. Investigation showed that the disease was 

 present in every district of the island, and it appears to have 

 gained ground considerably in recent ye^s. 



There are two insect pests which cause a considerable 

 llosa of cane .to planters in Mauritius. One of thege is the grub 



■<of the well-known West Indian pest, the brown hardback 

 {Phxtalui iinithi). Besides the collection and destruction of 

 these insects, which accounted for 73,.503,.579 beetles in the 

 year, ^-reat hopes are entertained that the parasitic enemy of 

 Phytatus {Tiphia pamlkla), which has been successfully 

 introduced from Barbados, may be productive of highly 



•important results. Another beetle grub which causes consid- 

 .erable damage in the cane area is {Oryci^s. tarandus). This 

 is also parasitized by a wasp {Scolui arjCiopkaga), the intro. 

 Auction of which from :Madagascir it is hoped will be 

 successful, and prove a palliative 'or the depredations of 



Otyctes. , ■ r 



■Owing to the increased cost o: production ot sugar, 

 together with the difficulty in obtaining sufficient labour, the 

 advice is given to planters that it will be wise for them to 

 dir6cf their attention to the possibility C* economizing labour 

 •by the introduction of mechanical labour-saving implements. 

 Chemical control in factories is the rule in the majority 

 of cases in Mauritius; and naturally yields good results. As 

 an other canogrbwing countries the complaint m MauntinS is 

 the difficulty experience.d in obtaining supplies of artificial 

 aianure for canes, and the greatly enhanced prices paid for 

 t,hom. The Director of Agriculture, Dr.Tempany, points 'out 

 that though planters seem to hold that supplies of artihcial 

 manure, especially sulphate of ammonia, are essential to the 



levelopment of the crop, it is to be borne in mind .that with 

 .^.n increase in price for the material in questjj)npf between 

 two and thVee times its normal value .v pomt may occur when 

 -he cost ot the manurial aoplic.^iqn esc«4§ the vahie' of., the 



•t'fultant increase in yield. 



A c'lnsiderable-^ijteiisi* of the-itfigMiqs.scheiae in tha 

 Black River District of 'f^ih • colony tftolt place''m 11)17. Atl 

 the end of the year there wore some 1.400, acres of laivl not 

 previously wurked, under cane cultivltion The mean yield 

 per acre in the irrigated .irca was e;:tim«feed at 22 toa&of cane, 

 giving a total yield of cane in round figures of .50,000, tons. 

 It is hoped that in about two years more the irrigation plant 

 will provide water sufficient for an area of ,'(■.000 to .^,000 acres. 

 Turning to lesser industries, it seeras thai, althougij 

 high prices were obtained for M^iaritius fibre during the year, 

 the output wa.H greatly restricted owing to the dfliculties 

 of shipment. The cultivation of tea, although pn & 

 small scale, is in a fairly satisfactory coadition, .. the tea 

 produce finding a ready market for local consumptiou. 

 Voung coco nut plantatious have continued to make pro- 

 gre.ss, and it is believed *Jiat in suitable situations 

 the cultivation of coconuts ha.s a reasonable prospect 

 of success. Among new industries it would seem that suoces.s- 

 ful experiments have been conducted by the AgricuItnTal 

 Department in the cultivation of tobacco, which indicate ttat 

 it is quite possible to produce looally. the type of tobacco 

 largely imported at present from Keanion The Governor 

 of Mauritius, Sir H. Hesketh Hell, IvC.M.G.. has directed 

 the attention of the Board of Agriculture to po-ssibilities of 

 development in lime cultivation, seeing that in suitable .situa- 

 tions lime trees alreaily flourish in ilaurjtius. 



As in other jiarts of the world, the necessity for increased 

 production of food crops locally has attracted considerable 

 attention in Mauritius. It app.ears from the statistical 

 division of the report that the actual total production of 

 foodstuffs in -Mauritius only produces sufficient food to last 

 the;colony for thirty-six days, that is tQ SHy, that approximately 

 nine-tenths of the food conpn rued is imported from abroad. 

 As a result of the etforts juj/le .by the Government, the 

 Department of Agriculture, and the Forest Department, 

 a very appreciable increase, irepresenting 66 '7 per cent, oa 

 the area previously cultivated in food crops is recorded at ttw 

 end of the year. In connexion with this matter, the erectiori 

 of a Government nrodze-dryin^g j)lant has been of cmsiderabla 

 benefit to the people of the colony. 



it is noted ttevt the construction of dipping tank.s foe 

 cattle on estates, and tin- regular use of them is bein.i; 

 widely extended, and the report considers that it might be 

 advisable to enforce compulsory dipping of stock throughout 

 the colony by legislation, as it is stated is to be the case in 

 .South Africa. , . 



Enquriief' have been inducted • during the year into tho 

 question of the production of motor fuel from alcohol. A 

 report on the point; .by the Ohemiet give.s as the result, that 

 the patent petrol Sub.stitute knowri ,as 'natalite' «oulcl be 

 satisfactorily manufactured luid denatured for saltf locally by 

 the addition of certain quantities of pyridine and petrol. 



This interesting report shows - that much excellent work 

 in many directions is being carried out by the officers of the 

 Department of Agriculture in IVfauritius. It may be noted 

 that two of them, Dr. Teuipany. ^the Director, and Mr. 

 AujhitrteJk the .A.ssistaat Director, were fir some years in 

 the We.st Indies as agriciilttiral and scientific officers, the 

 Antigua, and the second chiefly in Grenada. 



Several new devices for washing canes before 

 eiiterinc the mill have been ii).stalled in Louisiana with 

 uniform good results. The washed caije works better in tha 

 mill than the unwashed, an4 Jha^ j^rga quantity of u'ld 

 which is washed .off relievek^he filter presses considerably. 

 ■ The /.'Wv/rt'.-r/ /y^///.Yr,1>ecember 28, 1918.) 



