Vol 



XVIIl. So. 459. 



IHE AGKICULTORAL jSil'WS, 



:?srt 



viKGiN ISLANDS. According to notes forwarded to this 

 •Office by Mr. E. Mad.:ro, Acting Curator, concerDing opera- 

 tions at the Experiment Station, Tortola, dui-ing the months 

 of -July and August, the usiual routine work seems to have 

 been performed. Plant distribution during the period 

 •covered, included 149 B). cotton seed, 24 ornamental plants, 

 -and .300 potato cuttings. The staple crops are reported to 

 be in fair condition. Refreshing showers in July have bright- 

 ened up things .considerably, and the land is again in full 

 bloom. Scarcely any pests were seen to attack plants. The 

 only pests whwh seem to be plentiful is Batacera riibus. The 

 weather was more favourable in July than in August. The 

 •rainfall registered at the Station in July amounted to 72.'i 

 .inches; in August tlie precipitation was only i';i2 inches. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



The closing days of October were showery. Indeed, 

 over a large area in the the hilly districts the rainfall during 

 the last ten ''ays of the month reached a total of 3 

 inches. In practically the whole island November found the 

 soil fairly moist and vegetation making progress, and by 

 the 5th instant a total of 1 \ inches had been registered, 

 made up of light showers on the first three days 

 and followed by a rain of over 1 inch on the 4th instant. 

 Since this date, however, nearly one half of the island has 

 had a dry time, and vegetation, although green, is beginning 

 to show signs of thirst. 



While this is the situation in the sauth of the island 

 And in the extreme north, a very heavy rain fell before sun- 

 rise on the 10th instant over the whole of St. Joseph, 

 St. John, and St. Andrew, and extended as far as the hills of 

 St. Thomas, St James and St. Peter. 



At this date last year the whole island had recorded 

 for November a rainfall of 3 inches most .satisfactorily 

 distributed. The rainfall for the year to date is about 10 

 inches short of last year's total in the hilly districts, about 

 14 inches in the centre of the island, and about Ifi inches in 

 the southern part. 



Cane planting is being generally started in the black 

 soil, although there are some esUtes which will not begin 

 until the first week in next month. Some planters 

 think that the canes they have decided to cut for plants are 

 not yet sufficiently matured for the purpose. On many 

 estates in the red soil, that part of the island, which, as a 

 rule, plants later, a fair acreage of the B- 6450 has already 

 been planted. 



As stated in a recent report, the testimony of planters 

 varies considerably concerning the merits of our best-known 

 seedlings. We are, however, now in a position to state 

 that, while on some estates only a small area of the B.H.10(r2) 

 will be planted, this seedling will, on the whole, be the 

 favourite. It seems that on a large number of estates 

 one half the young crop will be planted in the B.H.10(12), 

 the remaining half being divided between the B. 6450, the 

 Ba. 6032, and any other seedling or seedlings now in 

 the experimental stage 



To tlie seedlings mentioned in our last report we would 

 add tjhe B. 11403. We would strongly advise that experiments 

 of an extended character be made with this seedling, and with 

 the B.S.F. 12(27), and the B. 11569. To do this, small plots 

 -•should be put in various districts of the island during this 

 planting season. We have recently heard ihe following 

 remark made in connexion with seedling experiments; 

 ' Stick to what you have got ' Suoh a spirit is unscientific : 

 it It a!?o unsafe. 



We should have nit three well known .seedlings butt 

 three and l-«'enty, if possible, with additions at interval. 



Callivation for the young cine crop is wall advanced 

 in the black soil. The only complaint is that there is great; 

 shortage of farmyard manure. On red soil estates, too, 

 there is considerable shortage of farmyard manure, and' 

 •lome fields will be fertilized with applications of early can* 

 manure and sheep manure only. Practically everywher« 

 there is a struggle to obtain manure of any kind sufficient u* 

 fertilize the fields to be planted this season 



The old plant canes everywhere have made rapid 

 strides, but, of course, some fields are still very low for t'lis 

 time of the year. They are, however, healthy and green, 

 and the bunches are full. The deep green of the fields some 

 times rivets the eye and causes feelings of pleasure and 

 admiration 



The same cannot be said of the ratoons Many field.s 

 which showed early signs of breaking down hive further 

 depreciated, and some will do little more than supply fodder 

 and litter. On the other hand, there are some excellent 

 fields of first ratoons of all the seedlings, and we are of opin- 

 ion that the breakdown in the fields of either first or second 

 ratoons has been the result of poverty and not of disease. 



Potatoes have been more plentiful during November, have 

 ing been retailed at 6 and 7 pounds for 10 cents. 

 This is doubtless due to the fact that fields are being cleared 

 for the planting of canes The fields of fall potatoes 

 recently planted, are making a satisfactory start, and there 

 should be a fair yield if showery weather prevails until 

 the middle of -lanuary. (The Barbados Aiirkulhiral Re- 

 poHer, November 15, 1919.) 



Cacao at Havre. — From a report issued by the Porf/^ 

 of-Spai/i Gazette for October 29, 1919, it would seem that 

 stocks of cacao in Havre have again increased considerably, 

 having reached the very large total of 372,480 bags during 

 September, divided as follows : — 



Bags. Baga^ 



1919. i91S. 



Accra 127,679 1,485 



The plant distribution from the i'.otanic Station ia 

 St. Lucia for October 1919 consisted of the following ; limes, 

 750; grafted mangoes 14; grape fruit. 30; oranges 

 (budded), 5 : cacio, 100 ; economic plant-i. 7 : Kliricidia 

 cuttings, 30 ; onion seed. 4 oz. ; vegetable s''eds, 10 packets. 

 Observations relating to staple crops showed that a good 

 cacHO crop was being harvested while the lime cr.)ii was sl^U 

 coming in. The rainfall at Castries for thn month was 7-7 L 

 inches" while that at Choiseul for the same .iv..ni.li w.is 17Z 

 inches 



