THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



rEBRUAKY -l-l, 19 38. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



MONTSERRAT PRESERVING INDUSTRY. 



The Imi)ei-ial Department of Agriculture has 

 awarded a Diploma of Merit to the Montserrat Preserv- 

 ing Industry Company for excellence in producing guava 

 jelly, preserved pine-apples, green tamarinds, preserved 

 mangos, preserved limes, mammco apple cheese, and 

 guava cheese. 



The Secretary of this Society will be happy to 

 correspond with persons desirous of information in 

 regard to quality and prices. 'Guavarina' api)ears to be 

 a special dainty supjilied from Montserrat. 



FRUIT INDUSTRY OF JAMAICA. 

 ]n oilier to su]iplemcnt the information vvliieh 

 appeared under the above heading in a recent number 

 of the A <jri natural Nevn (Vol. VII, p. 20), the 

 accouipanying facts and figures on iVuii production in 

 Jamaica, are reproduced from the Aiintud Ri'jiorl 

 (l!X)ii-7) on the colony • — 



Fniit foniied .53-7 of tin- total exports in 1906-7, as 

 compared with 5.5-0 per cent, in 190.5-G, and il'S in 1904-5. 

 The absolute value of the fruit .shipinents, liowcver, .sliow.s 

 an advance as conii)areil with la.st year, the Viauana exiiorts 

 alone having a value of ,£:i7,800 in exces.s of those of 

 the previous year. During 1906-7, also, the number of cocoa- 

 nuts exported from Jamaica was greater by -f,000,000 than 

 those sliip)iod in 1905 6. This veiiresented an increased 

 value of .£15,>"<00, It is remarked in the report that the 

 increased export of cocoa-nuts indicates the gradual recovery 

 of the plantations from the hurricane of 1903. 



(Iraiiefruit, limes, and lime juice were .sent abroad in 

 .slightly increased .prantity, Init, on the other hand, the 

 decline in the shipments of oranges IJiat was tir.st noticeable 

 in 1903 4. still continues, and the leturns for 1906-7 show 

 11 decreased vahu' in the orange I'xports of t'19,.500 as 

 compared with those of l'J05-(i. 



l!anana.s, of cour.se, take lir.st jrlacc among fruit products 

 and exports of .Jamaica. The following are the nnnd>er of 

 stems exporlcd in i arli nf ilie past fnur viMrs : — 



i 903-1 

 1901-5 

 1905 G 

 l!)06-7 

 he vast bulk of the crop 



,800,000 



.■<. 9 1)0,000 



1 l,9SO,(>00 



16,000,000 



ocs 111 the Initeii Slates, but 



llie i|nnnlity sent to the United Kingdum, which was under 

 695,000 in 1901.5, rose to I, •.'17.00(1 in I!l05{;, and 



1, -254,000 in 1906-7. In the same jieriod the ipiantity 

 exported to Canada has risen from 10,500 to nearly 118,000. 

 The number of oranges exported has fallen since 1903-4 

 from 8-2,600,000 to 55,100,000 last year, the shii)ments to 

 the United States having declined from 64,200,000 to 

 18,400,000. On the other hand, the quantity expoi ted to 

 the United Kingdom, which was 12,100,000 in 1903-4, has 

 risen to nearlv 26,000,000 last year, and to Canada from 

 4,500,000 to nearly 10,000,000, 



COCOA-NUTS IN THE FEDERATED 

 MALAY STATES. 

 The Government Inspector of cocoa-nut planta- 

 tions reported that at the end of the year 190(), there 

 were very approximately 105.000 acres under cocoa-nut 

 cultivation in the Federated .Malay States. This 

 represented an inci-ease of 5 per cent, as compared 

 with the area of 1905. Rather more than the half of 

 this acreage is in bearing, and the value of the whole 

 is roughly estimated at S!20,000.000. 



Owing to the great attention that is now lieing given 

 to rublier planting throughout the Malay States, the cultiva- 

 tion of cocoa-mus, in common with that of numy other 

 crops, is taking a secondary ijosition. The annual jjroduction 

 of copra, etc., liowcver, indicates the existence of an important 

 local industry. Taking an aveiage return of forty nuts per 

 tree which is stated to be a reliable return when the trees 

 have reached maturity — it is estimated that if the whole of 

 the yield were converted into coiira, it would be capable of 

 producing 47,500 tons. In addition to this, there is, of course, 

 the large and valuable stock of tibri^ that would be available 

 for the manufacture of coir matting, rope, etc. 



The condition of the cocoa-nut plantations is des- 

 cribed as being gener.ally he-.dthy, although attacks from 



beetle pests and caterpillars ai-e reported as having occurred 



in one or two States. 



Large nundiers of cocoa-nmt trees are being cut down to 



make room fen- I'ara rubber trees. As many of the trees arc 

 condng into liearing, and form valuable property, the Inspector 

 conunents on this policy as a mistaken one, and draw.s 



attention to the advantage of a nuxed cultivation of rublier 



and cocoa-nuts. 



At the end of 'lis repiirt, the Inspector, referring to the 



fact th.at cocoa-nut cidlivation, altliough in favour with the 



native counnunity, is not undergoing great extension, points 



out that, as asiife remunerative invesinient, cocoa-nut pnxluc 



tiou is an industry hard to beat, and one which shouhl 



receive every encouragement. 



