Vol. XVIII. No. Hi. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS 



and tliat it hardly ever rains there during the season: and 

 moreover, that the fea-breezes Wovr then with greater force, 

 •and that the fog is wndensed around Table Mountain most at 

 that time. 



In the Canaries the trule win Is irom the north eist 

 produce a similar phenomenon durins; the dry months of 

 summer, when ic does not rain and the mist is condensed on 

 the high mountains ot those islands from about '^,000 to -1,0' >0 

 feet up. Th s altitude is exactly that where the valuable 

 trees of the Atlantic Hora of the Canary Islands liouri.sh amons; 

 tiiem being thf: 'TiV (Oi-oA'-.i [0/cOi/i'/>/i,/i'] foii<'//>) which is 

 one of the four laurels of those mountains, characterized by 

 its berrie.s which re.serable in form the acorns of the I'injlish 

 oak. The famous holy tree' of the island of Ferro, of which 

 historians have given remarkable account.?, was undoubtedly a 

 Til' which grew on a high peak where the fog of the trade 

 ■winds was condensed and the quantity of water collected 

 under the historic tree was enough to form pools of 

 drinking water to supply the need of the poor natives 

 in a (iistrict where there were no springs. Everyone who 

 has passed through the belt of mists in any jiarta of 

 the Canaries covered by the well known trees of the 

 islands can have no doubt that thi.s .ilfbrestation keeps the 

 earth moist. Compiring these areas with others in the 

 neighbourhood, which have been unfortunately cleared of trees 

 by he axe of the woodman, the astonishing resalts obtained 

 by I>r. Marloth with his two rain gauges oa Table .Mountain 

 are clearly explained. It can e.isiiy be understool thus that 

 there wis nothing miraculous in the st'iriesof tr.istworthy 

 historians about the 'holy tree' of Ferro This famous'l'll' 

 grew at an altitude where the trade winds conilensed the 

 moisture in the clouds of the mist, and the tree was 

 enabled to p ecip'tate the beneficent water at a time when 

 it did not rain. 



It i.-i just under the same conditions that at thcCipe of 

 ( lond Hope the water deposited by th"? mist reached in two 

 months the aluiost l.ibutous height of 78 inches in the rain 

 gauge designed to imitate a tree, and this enables us to 

 nndersrand perfectly and scientitic^dly what history tells us of 

 the lioly tree'. This fact ought never to He forgotten in a 

 campaign undertaken by the friends of trees. It is of 

 import.inie to plane with forests iill heights where it is known 

 that clouds collect, in order to gather from them the water 

 which tliey contain, and which othenvi.se would be uselessly 

 lost. 



GRENADA AQRICULTURAL DEPART- 

 MENT, 



A copy of the progress report, on the work of the Agri- 

 cultural Department, (irenada, for the tiuar.er ended ifarch 

 :;i, 191'J has been forwarded to this t)Hice by Mr. -f. C. 

 Moore the Superintendent of .Vgriculture. I'rom this the 

 foHowing matters of interest are abstracted. 



DetHils of work in the IiCtanic (Jardeos include results 

 of experiments with yims xvhich did not oome up to ex[)ec- 

 tation as regards yield, in conseipience of the unnsually long 

 'pell of dry weather experienced in mo,t locilities in August 

 and S •ptemher, which checked the growth of the yams at a 

 time when rain was needed, thus causing a comparatively 

 jioor yield. Results of experiment-i with live species of 

 Crotal.xria, with the object of testing their snitabiiity for 

 ijreen dressing or soil-aovering croii.s. ure.ilso rtcnitie 1. They 

 all seemed snitablo frir green- drc-.sin^ or soil-coveiing jinr- 

 jM.isfs, I ut preferencr is still uivcn to C''Hm.iv7//., (.■Jis/*;, )•,„/,■ for 

 gi.iiLr.ll purp'i.ses, while Croiitkiri; j".nc:-:i, when sown thickly 



on clean tilled soil -eviiis well .s-iited for qui'-kly producing 

 a dense mass of vegetable matter, at the race of abiut [0 ton.s 

 per acre, four months after sowing. Cruialari i us imai-oe/i'ie!'. 

 though grown clo.se to the others, was iht only spaciei infested 

 with red snider (7'eha;/i/('fiu.isp,), but did not ."how any 

 noticeable ill ett'ects in consequence, beyond the characteristic 

 spotting of the leaves. As usual, the dry season caused 

 lii'ich extra work in the direction of watering plants, etc. 



F^lant and seed distribution for the quarter included 

 coco nuts, '!, 081; palms, 1.000: yams for plants, 4,780 lb; 

 grafted mangoes, 8o; onions, 1-Jr lb With the exception of 

 seed coco nuts and onion seed, which were imported on behalf 

 of planters, the plants and seeds distributed were all grown ac 

 the Botanic TJardens 



Observations in connexion with work in the Experiment 

 Plots emphasi/.e the dithculty experienced in pr 'curing 

 labour when required making ic almost impossible to carry 

 out suitable and timely operations under proper supervision. 

 The oldest lime trees at Morne Uoujie are in a fairly satis- 

 factory condition, no further cases ot collar rot having occui •ed 

 during the period under revievv. At S'. Cyr Mountain the 

 trees continue in the thriving condition ihat has bi^eo char.4C- 

 teriscic of their progress since they We're planted in 191-5. 

 The re.sults from this plot t illy support the recommendations of 

 the Superintendent ot .\griculture from tim.' to time, in regard 

 to the soil and clima'.ic conditions suitable lor successful lime 

 arowicig. On the othe hand, the trees at Westerhall are 

 subject to .severe attacks of sea e insects, and do not appear 

 likely to thrive on this plot; while the Boranic Station lime 

 plot, continues to show mirked irr.igularicy in the progre.7S of 

 the trees. 



.\ decrease in the numbers of thrips on cacao is reported, 

 and it is believed that if the dry weath--'r continues until the 

 end of April, the dami'ie to cicao trees from thrips attack 

 will be comp.iritively mild during the 1919 season. Experi- 

 ments with se-eral washes for the contro of bUck ants and' 

 mealy-bug on cacao trees were carried out at the Botaaic 

 Gardens in .lanuary by the Kntomologist and the Superinten- 

 dent of Agriculture. All the cleaned ami sprayed cacao trees 

 were found to be reinfected by the black ant when examined 

 in March, two months later 



The ginning of Sea Isl md cotton his been begun, about 

 1 COO lb. of seed-cotton having been dealt with up to the end 

 of ^[arch. There are indications that the total crop to be 

 handled by the Ginnery will only approximate 1,.500 Bb. 

 of lint. 



This report indicites the usefulness of the work carried 

 on by the officers of the Agricultural Department in many 

 directions, which cannot fail to intlusnce beneficially the 

 future aaricullural and industrial development of the colony, _ 



At ;i iiifoliim of till- Uoaivl of .\Kfioiiltui-o. liritislii 

 Guiana.. Il.dd on .Vpiil II, I'.H'.t. Prof. i. P.. Hari-isou, 

 Diivf-toi- of iScifiicc .iiid ,\KriiiiltiU''. st:»ti«l tiint. 

 tho rtil)l)or ciilliv .tlioii in P>rilisli (ini.ui.i. lin wa'; .»<ori-v 

 to say. wa-; in .i \'Tv K.hI st.iti-. iiid he IVlt i-ort.tiii 

 that in flu- |>ifsont y.-ar tlici-c wouhl he a fnrthep 

 alianiloiuiiont of land nndi-i- riilihor iniltiv.'itioji. Th.at 

 :jliaiuloniiioiit w .IS iliio )i.irl ly t<i tlio .ittack oj' nilil)er 

 fiisi'aso, lint principallx lo the f.ici that it \va.s iin|Kis,i- 

 blo til ^.4 tlio l.ihonr to liU-.-d llio trees, aii'l ovcii if I lu' 

 noi'i'ssar\' l.ilioiu- was olitaiiiiMl. it was only liy tlio ji.ay- 

 mont of too liitih "Mj^o.s. Ho was afi-:iid th.it. 

 fulilior I'liltivatioti in tli.at ooluny \v:is to lie roirar h-l as 

 |.)vacticafl,\- tinisli.'d. 'Tli'- Dnihi Arfjm,)/. I )iiti.'i-:ifa., 

 Aj'i-il I -J, I'd 10..' 



