Vol. VII. No. 162. 



THE AGRIUULTUKAL NEWS. 



■215 



PEASANT HOLDINGS IN JAMAICA. 



Ill their report on the Prize Holdings Competition 

 for the present year among peasant cultivators in 

 St. Mary's parish, Jamaica, the adjudicators state that 

 the}' were much pleased with the eft'prts put forward 

 to win the prizes by the majority of cultivatoi's, and 

 tiiat really wonderful improvements bud been effected 

 on some holdings since the competition was started. 



The report also mention.s that the effects of the past 

 drought are still very evident throughout 'iSt. Mary's parish, 

 and crops are recovering but slowly. Cacao promises a good 

 crop for the coining season, more especially from the younger 

 trees. 



'J"he following p;ir:igr.iphs come at thr end id' the 

 ri'piut : — 



We observed great improvfment since the last conipeti" 

 tion in the homes of peasantry, in forking, trencliing and pruii- 

 hig cacao, and especially in timing the fruit for the sj)riiig 

 market. There is, however, plenty of leev.-ay to make up in 

 cacao cultivation, and more especially in curing the produce. 



A point that is noticeable throughout the parish is the 

 great waste of vegetable matter which might be utilized in 

 feeding live stock. People with 10 acres of land buy milk 

 because ' they have nowhere to feed a co^*'.' A similar state 

 of things exists in regard to pigs. We ha-Ve no hesitation in 

 saying that where there is one cow kept i=B >St. ilary to-day, 

 there might be lift}-, and where there is (ine jiig kept there 

 miylit he a hundred. 



PEASANT PROPRIETORS IN GRENADA. 



A Commi.ssion was appointed in March 1907, by his 

 Excellency the Governor of the Windward Islands, to in- 

 vestigate certain matters i-elating to the peasant pro- 

 prietors of Gieiiacla. more especially the arrangements 

 and conditions made by them with the dealers for the 

 sale of their cacao. 



From the rejiort of the Coiiiniission, lately published in 

 the (irenada Official Gazette, it would scarcely appear that the 

 peasantry of the island are in a tiourishing condition, although 

 this, to a great extent, seems to be due to bad management of 

 the holdings 'on the part of the pro[)rietors. It is rejiorted 

 that there has been a yearly diminution in the output of 

 produce from the holdings, and the ('oinniissioners give it as 

 their ojiinion that if the soil had been moderately well tilled 

 and nourished, there would not have beeii such a falling-otf 

 in the produce returns. 



It was clearly established, too, that tlie peasant proi)rie- 

 tors of the island do not cultivate the amount of ground 

 provisions that was produced by their forefathers, and for 

 this want of exertion on their part in th^ir own interest, the 

 ("ommission felt that the small lioldws were somewhat 

 blameworthy. I 



This indicates that these peasiiiit holders scarcely realize 

 their responsibilities as landed i>ro]irietor.-^, and that, without 

 supervision, the condition of the land deteriorates under their 

 management. The report mention.s, too, that there is a strons 

 tendency among the jieasants, so .soon as they acquire land, of 

 however small an area, to depend solely for' the support of 

 themselves and their fanuly, on the produce thereof. 



The following are among tlie recominendations made by 

 the Commission, with the object of bringing about some im- 

 jjrovement in the condition of the peasant proprietary class : — 



That more experimental plots be established, particularly 

 in the districts of Concord, Grand lioy, and Alon I'laisir, 



and that the ' Prize Holdings ' competitions be maintained, 

 especially in these districts, for some years. 



That depots be established in suitable districts, where 

 all cacao could be sold by public auction. 



That some jaiblic notification of the local market rate 

 of cacao be regularly exhibited in conspicuous places in the 

 various districts. 



That a (iovernment Land Hank be established for the 

 assistance of, the [leasants in the cultivation and improvement 

 of their holdings. 



BAY OIL. 



The production of .bay oil is on the decline in 

 Doininica, and Messrs. Schimmel & Co., in their semi- 

 annual report, (hiied April 1908, attribute this to the 

 more remunerative nature of liine oil production. The 

 following is taken from Messrs. Schimmel's report: — 



The [)urchase of bay oil, which is carried out on our 

 behalf by our New York branch, in Dominica, West Indies, 

 is becoming more and more difficult, and for the last consign- 

 ments of bay leaves, an advance of about 20 per cent, in the 

 prices had to be agreed upon. The cause of this is probably 

 owing, in chief, to the fact that recently more attention has 

 been paid in Dominica to the production of lime, oil, which 

 is said to give much better re.sults. 



The steps taken by us to discover other districts in 

 which bay oil is produced have been only partially successful,' 

 so that for the present the scarcity of the material is likely 

 to continue. This scarcity has, during the past few months, 

 resulti'd in an advance c'f the price. 



INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL NEEDED FOR 

 BRITISH HONDURAS. 



I'he Belize Colunial (juardlaii draws attention 

 to the largo number of juvenile offenders committed to 

 prison in British Honduras during 1907, chiefly for theft, 

 and comments on the need of an Industrial School in 

 the colon}-, where such youths could be kept nnder 

 supervision for two or throe years, and at the same 

 time receive training in the cultivation of various agri- 

 cutiiral crops. 



In a colony whose future prospects depend almost entire- 

 ly upon the production of agricultural produce, an Industrial 

 School should necessarily be a school where agriculture is the 

 chief subject taught, and such an institution should prove 

 of the greatest value as a centre for the spread of improved cul- 

 tural methods, and a starting ground for the cultivation of 

 the new crops. 



At present the great need of Briti.sli Honduras appear^ 

 to be the introduction of new and permanent cultivations such 

 as cacao, nutmegs, rubber, etc., and the e.xtension of the area 

 under cocoa-nut.s, sugar, vanilla, and other crops. Such devel- 

 opment necessarily means the investment of capital and is 

 unlikely to be brought about by pea.sant cultivators working 

 alone. 



An Experhnent Farm worked in connexion with the. sug- 

 gested Industrial School, might go far to demonstrate that 

 such crops as the above could lie profitably raised in Piritish 

 Honduras; and if so, it would serve a useful purpose in attract- 

 ing immigrants to the colony. ( The establi.shment of aji 

 Industrial School, and its maintenance during the early period' 

 of its existence, would necessarily- be expensive, but at thef 

 end of a few years, it should become, to a large extent, .self- 

 siipport-ng. 



