7oL. XVm. No. 4 41. 



THE AQKICULTUKAL NEWS 



91 



nessof this acale insect, and that therefore one of tLeefifective 

 means of controlling this scale is to control the ant, as has 

 been demonstrated similarly in the c*se of the mealy-bug in 

 California referred to above. 



The Argentine ant {Iridomyrmex huinUis),is nob 

 found in the West Indies, but a similar symbiosis exists 

 between the acrobat ant {Gremastogaster sp.), common 

 in these islands, and certain scale insects. Mr. Ba'lou. i he 

 Entomologist on the staff of the Imperial Department, 

 of Agriculture has recently noticed the association of 

 this ant with the mealy-bug on cacao trees in Grenada. 



ONION GROWING IN DOMINICA. 



In the report on the Agricultural Department, Domi- 

 nica, for the year ended March 31, 1918, there is an interesting 

 section on onion growing, most of which is reproduced below. 

 Mr. J. Jones, the Curator, states in that report that, as far 

 back as 1900, experiments in growing onions were conducted 

 at the Agricultural School, both with TenerifFe seeds and also 

 with sets imported from Bermuda. These trials continued 

 until 1905, good results being shown both in the field and 

 in the results of the shipments of the produce to jVew York. 



The experiments failed to attract the attention of planters 

 or small grower?, and nothing further was attempted in this 

 direction, until about three years ago, when Mr. E. J. Seiiin- 

 oret, on acquiring the Spring Hill estate, undertook onion 

 cultivation. During three seasons this planter has been 

 uniformly successful in raising onions, and each year sees an 

 extension of the area under this cultivation, the success of 

 which is now attracting the attention of others. The crop of 

 onions raised at Spring Hill during the 1917-18 season 

 weighed 15,000 8). 



While it is desirable that the cultivation of onions should 

 be taken up on a considerable scale in Dominica, both for the 

 local demand and for export, it is advised that beginners 

 should experiment with small areas, say, \ or ^-acre lots, in 

 order to gain experience before undertaking the planting of 

 larger plots. Small cultivations, such as onions, are exacting 

 in their requirements, and unless the necessary attention is 

 given at the right time, failure will result. 



Judging by the early experiments, and also by the recent 

 cultivation carried on by Mr. beignoret, who has had the 

 advantage of an agricultural training, it is now known that 

 certain parts of the leeward coast of Dominica are well suited 

 for onion cultivation. During the past season when, owing 

 to war conditions, the seeds which are imported by the 

 Agricultural Department did not arrive from Teneritfe until 

 early in November, or two months late, the onions did 

 remarkably well, while in the Northern Islands, owing to 

 the late arrival of the seed, the crop partly failed. 



The work which has been carried on shows that good 

 onions can be produced in Dominica from Teneriffe seed, 

 Qftder certain conditions. The onions have been found, 

 oa the whole, to store well. Further, a proportion of these 

 onions, after being stored for several months, have, on being 

 planted, produced seed — a rare event in the West Indies. 

 This matter of the production of fertile onion seed is very 

 important, and one which needs further careful experiment. 



The production of sets from Autumn sowings of seeds is 

 Also receiving attention, with a view of their being stored ("or * 

 time, and then planted with thu rains during successive 

 months. If such a course is found practicable — it has 

 alr£idy given a measure of success — oaions could be produced 

 at several seasons of she year in ceitain localities iu Dominica, 

 if theiwork ia conducted by clear minds and skilful hands- 



Those sets are small onion bulbs raised from seed in one 

 season and planted out in the next. This method has been 

 succefsfuby tried on a s-mall scale in other West Indian islands, 

 as for instance, in Antigua, by importiDg sets during the 

 months of August and September, whicli mature a crop much 

 earlier than seeds planted at the same time. Ou the other 

 hand, there have been rep')rts from the Antigua Experiment 

 Station of the failure of impor ed sets ol Bermuda onions to 

 form bulbs. The success with locally grown Teneriffe sets in 

 Dominica is therefore eiicour^gitig. 



iiegarding man'irial experiments, the Spring Hill experi- 

 ments have shown that land receivinii pen manure produced 

 watery onions, the keeping qualities of which were indiffer- 

 ent. Land which received a dressing of wood-ashi-s produced 

 good solid onions pi.-'sessed of excellent keeping qualities. 



The experiments at Spring Hill have been on a consider- 

 able scale, the whole crop, both 'hit laihed from seed and that 

 from sets, amouriting to about 28,000 Bt>. Mr. Jones con- 

 siders that the island could easily supply its own wants in 

 this direction and possibly in course of time also develop nn 

 export trade, if a few yo ng men would acijuire the necessary- 

 knowledge to grow onions, and devote the necessary care 

 and attention to raising the crop on their own properties. 



With regard to this matter, it will be seen by refe'ence to 

 xh.^ Agricultural News o\ -lune l,and November 2, 1918, that 

 Mr- Seignoret did continue his planting wiih sets in suitable 

 months with excellent results, having obtained good crops in 

 March, July and August, especially in the last month. 



A further sample of onions, j'ist reaped by Mr Seiguoret 

 from sets raised from Teneriffe sted imported at the close of 

 1917, was received at this Office on March 1 1, 1919. It con- 

 sists of twenty-seven onions neatly put togetlier in a plait, and 

 in attractive appearance compares favourably with any onions 

 on the local markets. The whole string weighs 50) 5oz., thus 

 giving an average weight of a little more than 3 oz. for each 

 onion. In diameter the onions range from about 2^ to a little 

 more than 3 inches. They are sound bulbs, and wiil be likely 

 to keep well. The retail price of such onions in the Barbados 

 market at the present time would be from lOf/. to \s. per B). 



Further information just received by Mr. Jones, with 

 regard to the sample string of onions mentioned above as 

 forwarded to this deptrtraent, states that' Mr. Soiguoret did 

 well with successive planting of sets each moath from July to 

 December 1 9 1 8 , with the exception of the month of Septem ber, 

 the November-December plantings giving specially excellent 

 results. 



Mr. Jones considers that onion growers, id Dominica ac 

 least, should always use a portion of the seed which arrives 

 from Teneriffe about September or October each year for the 

 production of sets, and th- n by succeai-ive plantings of these 

 sets monthly from May onwards a supply of onions might 

 be secured all the year round. Until Mr. Seignoret's nxperL 

 menti were successfully made, it had been thought neces- 

 sary to raise onions directly from seeds. It involves 

 considerable labour to transplant all the seedlings 

 at one time, therefore the adoption of the plan of 

 raising sets and growing onions monthly from them 

 will considerably reduce the trouble and labour required. 

 Mr. Seignoret's experiments have shown that the 

 best method of onion growing in Dominica \s to raise 

 a part of the crop directly from -seed, to mature during 

 Februiry and March, and to use the rest of th£ seed for tlit 

 production of sets, which may be stored and ofiii7ed for 

 successive plantings as deoiDribed above. 



Mr. Seignorei ie to be congratolated ou bis produi-t:, md 

 we wiah him all success, not only with his crop, but in mf 

 farther eKperimeuts io the loeal pro<l!act(OQ of onioa aee.l. 



