110 



THE AQKICULTURAL NEWS, 



Ai-KiL 5, 1910. 



DOMINICA: KEPOKT ON THE AC.RICUJ.- 

 TURAL DEPAliTMEN'l\ iqt(->-J7- 



It is satisfactory to note (hat the Curator reports that 

 th-^; beautiful botanic Gardeut- in Roseau are. on the whole, 

 lUitking a good recovery from the effects of the huirieanes of 

 the two preceding years, and that they are being more and 

 Tti'^re enriched by the importations of desirable trees and 

 piun's from other tropical countries. Among these may be 

 iioticed Fciioa S^//,>!u/a,ta,the pine-apple guava, ■.MdCtis/m/roir 

 eJu/is, a Mexican Iruit tree, although the conditions in the 

 Gardens do not seem to suit these two very well- The 

 Tonka bean tree (Di/<leri.\ odninl'i), on the other hand, seems 

 :o thrive well. Mexican varieties of avocado pear, and several 

 -.Mrieties of choice Indian mangoes have also been successfully 

 raised. 



In recent years over thirty species of green dressings 

 Lave been grown at the Botanic and Experiment Stations to 

 find out which are best suited for growth in young lime 

 orchards. The moat useful under Dominica conditions 

 appears to be Tcphrnsia aindida, although, for a ground 

 cover, the horse bean {Cawxvalin eiisiformis) has given good 

 resnlu- Liuji; plants, however, require more than a ground 

 cover. They need shelter, and this is afforded by Tephrosia, 

 which grows tn a height of 5 to feet. It is contended that the 

 idea thattho growing of green dressings amongst young limes 

 on estates is toe expensive is a fallacious one. It is true 

 that the preparation of the ground for planting the seed.s costs 

 more than ordiuary weeding, but if a good growth of 

 Tephrosia results, no weeding is needed for about eighteen 

 months, and the soil is protected and enriched, while the 

 tree.-i are kept iu a healthy condition. Lime trees at the 

 Experiment Station, with Tephrosia as a nurse plant, are at 

 four years from planting from 12 to 14 feet in height, and 

 are bearing heavily. Other plants of the same age, grown 

 without green dretaing, are not more than half the size, and 

 not likely to bear for some time. It is clear, therefore, that 

 the U8B of leguminous plants aa a green dressiug in young 

 lime cultivations is very advantageous. 



The report contains some interesting notes on various 

 plants, cultivat<'d or wild, Avhich may be used as spinach. 

 The section on onion growing, wbich is of particular interest, 

 was sfxjcially referred to in the previous issue of this 

 Jonrtial (p. 91). 



With regard to the staple industry of Dominica, the lime 

 orop, calculated in barrels of a capacity of 4'.'J5 cubic feet, 

 amounted t« 390,092 barrels for 1917. This is a record out- 

 put, being -ii.OOO barrels larger than the previous best crop, 

 that of 1913. In spite of this record, Mr. Jones, the Curator, 

 b not without some apjjrehension in regard to th'' future of 

 the lime industry of Dominica, for the reason that the planting 

 of new areas on ectat^s ha.s lessened during the past two 

 jrears, and also becauf-e there is not much activity iu tlii.H 

 direction amongst peasant proprietors. The remedy, hf thinks, 

 a to be obtained by greater efforts on the part of the growern 



towards greater returns. The area under limes in Dominica,, 

 which is estimated at 6,000 acres, ought to be able to produce 

 an annual crop of 600 000 barrels, even at the low rate 

 of 100 barrels per acre, although it is quite possible ti> 

 obtain a yield of something like 200 barrels per acre. The 

 important section of the report on lime cultivation, 

 and the information obtained at the Experiment .Station 

 are given at length on another page of this number. With 

 regard (o the exports of lime products, the values of the 

 different forms were as follows: concentrated juice, 149,775 

 gallons, value £f)8,3f5G: raw lime juice, 778,1^3 gallons, value 

 .£65, .546; raw juice cordial, 409 gallons, value £103: green 

 limes, 41, L'4;5 barrel.*, value £47,7.'!4; pickled limes. ."iSO bar- 

 rels, value £350: citrate of lime, 1,960 cwt., value £0,669; 

 essential oil of limes, .5,159 gallons, value £17,900: otto of 

 lime, 1,143 gallons, value £8,231. making the total value of 

 the crop of 1917, £204,899 ormoiethan £32,547 over the 

 crop of the preceding year. It may be noticed that the 

 production of lime oils forms a very important item in the 

 value of the crop. If the value of orange oil and bay oil 

 exported be added, tlie total of the trade in e.ssential oils for 

 1917 amounted to £28,400. 



The report is interesting, and possibly even remarkable, 

 for the general ilissertation by Mr. J. Jones concerning the 

 principles underlying the cultivation of limes. The.ic rem irks 

 are in a nature of a treatise, embodying an experience 

 extending over a considerable number of years, strengthened 

 by knowledge gained in recent times through the establish- 

 ment and working of the Lime Experiment Station, by means 

 of which information of much value has already been obtained 

 This station leads one to reflect that much of the valuable 

 information resulting from its work might have been obtained 

 by lime growers on their own account; and that such results 

 have not been recorded, even if they have been obtained, by 

 individual lime growers, points to the necessity for systematic 

 acientitic planting and recording of work. Many attempts 

 have been made to obtain results of this nature ^by 'co-operative 

 working with lime growers, and the carrying oat of experi- 

 ments on estates: .and while some results have been obtained 

 in this connexion, they are small in comparison with 

 what has been achieved through the medium of a depart- 

 mental station. Some persuasion was necessary in order to 

 obtain the mean.s of establishing this station; they were 

 not obtained without difficulty, and stress had to belaid on 

 the point that prfibably it would be possible to derive actual 

 revenue from the Wdi k which was projected. Stress had to be 

 laid on po.ssible immediate commercial gains, in order to 

 obtain provision to enable the scientific ofliccrs to carry out 

 work which they believed would result iu the production of 

 information, which in the neiv future uiiaht^be of great value 

 to the lime industry, and which in the more distant future 

 may be the means of securing tlie lime industry to the colony. 

 The decline in the export of cicao is very striking, only 

 3,109 cwt. hiiving been exported during the year, according 

 to the return.s of the (Histoms l.>epartnient. Comparatively 

 little attention appears now to be given to the cultivation of 

 cacao in the island, and no new plantings are being made to 

 any extent. It would seem as if cacao growing in Dominica 

 is likely to become quite a minor industry. 



The report of ihe Mycologist on the staff' of the Imperial 

 Department, dealinj: with the bracket fungi on lime trees, 

 wbich is included in this report, has already been published 

 in the A^jricuhmuii News, Vol. XVI, pp. 33-1 and 350. 



A section of the report is devoted by the Curator to a 

 statement of what he fools are the needs of the Department, 

 if it is to continue and increase its present useful activities. 

 As the Curator points nut, the Department is very under- 



