60 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



February 22, 1908. 



The Ciihti Errieii' rei)Oi-ts that a large crop of oranges 

 and graiiefruit is expected in Cuba this year, although the 

 treeshave sutiered much fr(jni drought. The pine-apple crop 

 suffered from the same cause during 1907. the exports for the 

 vear being 650, 77(i crates as compared with 920,542 crates 

 in 190r.." 



GLEANINGS. 



liice production in the Naparinia Ward Union of 

 Trinidad showed a consideralile increase during tlie 190(i-7 

 .season. \Vhile the crop of 1905-(; was apin'oxinn.,tely 

 5,400 barrels, that of 190G-7 was 9,120 barrels. 



'i'he Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has received 

 iipplicatiim for a large number of bulbils or bulblets of Ayave 

 rl'jliht,\M\ <ii«i/aiia (sisal hemp). Only plants of the true vari- 

 ety, with a terminal thorn, and without any side thorns are 

 needed. Letters from persons ha\'ing a suj)ply for disi)osal 

 should be addressed — Lnperial Department of Agriculture, 

 I'arbados. 



'J'he rainfall in Ihitish (Iniana for the year 1906-7 

 reached 95-51 inches. The highest rainfall on any one day 

 was 3 24 inches, and the total for the year was above the 

 average for the last twenty-five years. (Aiinnal licpurt.) 



The average yields of raw sugar olitained per acre in the 

 chief beet-producing countries of J'jirope during the season 

 1906-7 are given as follows in the latest issue of Sii</ar 

 yierf : —Germany, 4,400 lt).:15elguim, 4, 1 is It,.; Austria, :\432 ; 

 France, 3,220 lb.; Ru.ssia,2,200" IT,. 



The iiriti.sh Guiana Government has made a conces.sion 

 on favouralile terms, of land in Esse(juebo, suitable for sisal 

 lienip cultivation, to a gentleman who intends to take up the 

 cultivation on a considerable scale in the colony. (Denwi-ani 

 C/ii'onic/e.) 



The total area of Crown Inids in -lamaica is estimated in 

 the latest Annua/ liepott on the colony as 202,750 acres. 

 During the year 1906-7, 247 acres were taken u|), in forty- 

 eight grants. None of these comprised 100 acres in area. Tiie 

 a\'erage price realized was £,\ \x. iier acre. 



Tlic ' IVirket (luideto the West Indii's,' jirepared by 

 Mr. Algernon 1'". Aspinall, Secretary' to the West Indiii Coni- 

 niittee, has evidently met with the ready sale tiiat such a use 

 ful and interesting jmblication deser\X's, sin<'e we learn that 

 a second edition is idready in preparation. 



In 1906 7 the Inited States imported 2,201,000 Ions of 

 .sugar, valued at §108,000,000. Of this quantity, 1,600,000 

 tons, or more than two-thirds came from Cuba. The I )ntch 

 East Indies .sent 224,000 t(nis, Porto Rico 204,000 tons, 

 while Gernumy shi|)ped 163,000 tons of sugar to the I'nitcd 

 .States. (Sitijnr licit.) 



The I'ort-iif-Sjiain (raK'tiv learns that the demand in 

 the American market for fine estate cacao is not as great as 

 formerly obtained : and that planters would do well to pay 

 more attention to the preparation of ordinary (jnality cacao, 

 which must, however, be unclayed in order to meet the 

 existing market. 



( iround (irovisions, bananas, sugar-cane, and coffee occupy 

 the largi'st acreages of cultivated land in Jamaica. The 

 ground ]n-ovision area is 113,995 acres ; bananas are planted 

 over 62,685 acres, while 29,182 and 27,783 acres are under 

 sugar-cane and coffee resjiectively. The cocoa-nut area is 

 9,782 acres, and there are 8,586 acres of cacao in .Jamaica. 



Tiie post of an .\gricullund Instnictur at .St. Lui-ia is 

 now vacant. The salary and allowances of the post are of 

 the annual value of .£200 to £2.50, depending on age and 

 experience. A .sound knowledge of tlie cultivation mid 

 treatment of cacao, limes, and rubber is desiraUk'. 



The ap|)ointnn'nt of Si'ience and Agricultural Master at 

 tlie Granunar School, St. Kitt's, is now vacant, 'i'he .salary is 

 at the rate of .£150 [jcr annum with ipiarter.s free. Applica- 

 tions for the post may, in the first instance, be addressed to 

 the Head-master, from whom further particulars can bo 

 obtained. 



The Aiiiiii'il lujuiii (1906-7) on Rritish Hont'uras draws 

 attention to the large sums s|,ent annually in the importation 

 of certain articles which might be produced in the colony. 

 Chief among these are rice (annual value of impiu'ts, 

 •S4 0,673), live stock (annual value of iiuports, ■~?40,494), raw 

 tobacco (annual value of imports, S>1 2,756), and coffee (annual 

 value of imports, 811,231). 



Some idea of the dependence of Great Britain upon 

 foreign countries for her supplies of raw cotton may he 

 gathered from the fact that while the British possessions buy 

 from the mother country every year ,£40,000,000 worth of 

 manufactured cotton good.s, yet they send lo (treat hritain 

 only £2,000,000 worth of raw cotton annually. 



The total area of land under sugar cane cultixation in 

 i'iji iimiiiuds to 10,519 acres, from which in 1906, were pro- 

 duceil 403,182 tonsof sugarcane The nrea planted with 

 cocoa-nuts is estimated at 27,477 acres, while pine-apples and 

 bauiinas cover 3,973 acres. Only aliout one-sixtli of the 

 area of the colony is under cultivation. {Aniimi/ Jiipnrt, 

 1906 7.) 



The annual consuinptio)i of sugar in Ecuador reaches 

 about 8.200 tons, of which about 7,000 tons are produced 

 within the reimblic. A [irotective tax formerl}- levied on all 

 imported stigar was removed at the end of 1906, and the 

 resulting f dl in piices has so diminished jirofits to the home 

 grower that it i> extremely doubtful whether cane cultivation 

 in l'!cnador can In- continued or not. (British Conxnlar Report.) 



\'\'«\\\ i\\i.' Iliinid ofTniile Jutiiri'.i, it appears that the 

 number of bales of cotton inijiorted into tlie rnited Kingdom 

 during the week ended Xovember 7, 1907, was 115,174 

 (including 67 bales British West Indian, and 1,059 bales 

 P.riti.sh West African), and the number imported during the 

 period from .lanuary 1 to Xovember 7, 1907, was 3,764,922 

 (including 5,816 bales British West Indian, and 9,917 bales 

 British West African).' 



