A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. XVIII No. 452 



BARBADOS, AUGUST 23, 1919. 



Pbiob Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Paob. 



Aeroplane for .Suive\'ing, 

 The 



Agricultural Costini; 



Agricultural Otticers, Sta- 

 tus of 



Agriculture in Barbados 



Atmosplieric Disturl)an- 

 ces. Recent 



Cacai> Production in the 

 British Empire 



Coco-nuts and Vanilla in 

 Nevis 



Departmental Rejiorts ... 



Gleanings 



Hawaii, Trainhig in Sug- 

 ar Technologj- in 



265 

 271 



257 

 2G3 



264 



267 



2.=)9 



270 

 268 



261 



technical officials. Amongst these officials, the medical 

 officers, the education officers, and the civil engineers 

 come in for a reasonable amount of local recognition 

 and political status. But in many instances the same 

 cannot be said of another class of technical official, 

 who without doubt, in tropical colonies, is indispens- 

 able, namelv the agricultural officer. 



Paof. 



Insect Note- : — 



Beau and Pea Weevils 26f> 

 Items of Local Interest 202 

 .Jamaican Sugar Industry 260 



Roster's Curse 269 



Market Reports 272 



Notes and Comments ... 2114 



Papaw, A Freak 271 



Rice, Eat Less 264 



Rubber Trees, Tapping 



Cuts in 262 



Silos and Ensilage ... 258 



Soil Deficiencies 26o 



Si)ontaneous Combustion 260 

 Swine Fever and Hog 



Cholera 264 



West Indian Cotton .. 260 



The Status of A2;ricultural Oificers. 



^^ ip^^HE success of colonial administration in the 

 r^ ^^ British Empire is recognized generally 

 ^ ^Cju^ throughout the world. But it is also the 

 case thit this success is judged by the smoothness and 

 economy ot the administration, rather than by any 

 constructive achievements. In other words, most of 

 the credit falls to administrators, lawyers, and account- 

 ants, who are the officials responsible for order, 

 expedients, and economies. Yet the m i^erial advance- 

 ment of colonial countries is actually du.?, as far as 

 the Government is concerned, to the • work of the 



The colonial service, as we know, is very unuoi- 

 i form — is full of anomalies. There is no stricb 

 relationship between rank and ability ; there is 

 no strict relationship, even, between rank aod 

 emoluments.* There is certainly very little corre- 

 lation between sound knowledge and executive 

 power. These anomalies are due to various causes. 

 One is the absence of any system of entry by com- 

 petitive examination. Another is the existence of 

 very different conditions in the various colonies, which 

 makes uniformity in the public services difficult. 

 But the main reason for it all is the fact that the 

 general public still believes that the legal and commer- 

 cial mind is on a higher level than the scientific — at 

 any rate in matters of administration. 



This is not confined to the Crown Colonies. 

 It is the same in England, and it was the same there 

 five years ago. During the war, however, there 

 was a change: men of science were in great demand; 

 they were practically implored to save the coun- 

 try; and they responded with a good will. Xow 

 that the war is over th"y .are no longer required 



♦ In Barbados, for instance, the Director of the Local De- 

 . partnient cf Agriculture receives higher pay than the Colonial 

 Secretary, It is one of the fc" instances where an agricultural 

 officer might consider hi>iisi.-lf adequately renignerated. 



