YoL. VII. No. 168. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



.317 



^^^^^^S^. 





MOXTSERRAT : AXXUAL REl'ORT OX THE 

 BOTAXIC STATIOX AXD EX PERI ME XT PLOTS, 

 I9(i7-S. 



The ie[iOi-t of the Curator states that the expenditure ou 

 the Botanic Station and on the Ex|jerinient I'lots at Harris' 

 and Olveston amounted to £602 9.«. 9'/., wliile tlie receipts from 

 the sale of plants, etc., for the year amounted to £,Vi Os. 1 \ld. 



Owing to the increased attention given to Sea Island 

 ■cotton cultivation there has been a gieat falling off in the 

 number of economic plants distributed in the island. Only 

 ■5,296 plants were sent out, in addition to a large number of 

 cuttings of ca.ssava and sweet potatos as compared with 

 11,97.5 in the previous year. Tlie decrease is especially 

 noticeable in the case of limes and cacao. 



A Eumber of interesting expeiiments in tlie cultivation 

 of Sea Island cotton, onions, Irish potatos, and other provision 

 crops, as well as with cacao, limes, etc., are in progress at the 

 Stations, and the results are set out in detail in the rej)ort. 

 The Sea Island cotton plot at Grove Station indicated, for 

 the third year in succession, that close planting in the rows 

 (.5 feet X 1 J; feet) is likely to give the highest returns. The 

 value of frequent cultivation between the rows, as influenc- 

 ing the vield of cotton obtained, is also evident. The opiiuon 

 is expresr.ed, as the result of exi>erimental cultivation, that the 

 growth of English vegetables in Montscrrat is worthy of more 

 .attention than it receives at present. 



Xotable progress has been made in the c-otton industry. 

 the area planted for the year being 2,100 acres as compared 

 with 1,050 acres in 1906-7. A con.^ideiable acreage was 

 planted by the peasantry. The experts of lint show an 

 .advance from 160,000 lb. in 190(5-7 to '.360,000 Ih. in 1907-8. 

 An aj)pendix to the report gives details of the results of 

 manurial experiments carried out in the island. 



Trie efforts to im[irove the local breeds of stock in 

 Montscrrat were continued during the year. Two pedigree 

 bulls, of the Devo.i and Hereford breeds respectively, were 

 maintained in tlie island for service, a privilege of which 

 advantage v\as taken by a considerable number of stoi-k- 

 owners. 



liRiTisn (;i:jaxa . axxual report ox 



THE HOTAXIC (tARDEXS, JUnrs. By A. W. Bartlett, 

 B..\., B.Sc, F.L.S., fJovernment Botani.st. 



l»uring the year under review 20,724 plants of various 

 kinds were raised in the nursery and planted out in the 

 Botanic Garden.s. The great variety of plants dealt with is indi- 

 cated by the fact that the difi'erent kinds of .seeds sown 

 .numbered 744. 



Para rublier [jlants {Htnuxi. bninilienxis) wei'e I'aiseil in 

 large ipiantity at the nurserv', from seed imported from 

 Singapore. The .seeds were packed in burnt rice dust, and 

 forwarded by parcel post in 1-fc. biscuit tins. . One lot of 

 seed germinated to the extent of SO per cent, and a secoml 

 lot 64-4 per cent, of the whole. About .50,000 Para rubber 

 plants were raised, all of which found ready sale. 



Two or three kinds of cotlee are experimentally grown 

 at the Botanic Gardens. Anning these are included the 

 llaragogipe variety — the seeds of vihich were obtained 

 from .Jamaica-^C'o/f«(. ru/inxta, C. j<tkn<ipki/ll<t, and (J. steno- 

 phylla hi/hrid. The berries from (J. rohiiMa,. which are small, 

 dark-red in colour, and with a thin ])ulp, are all being sown. 

 ■ Two varieties of English potatos were experimentally 

 •grown, but gave only a very poor return. 



Seeds of the black Bengal bean (Mwnna sp.) were sown 

 on one plot, and the plants made excellent growth, covering 

 the whole bed, an'! etlectivel)' keeping down weeds. 



A number of vegetables were grown in tlie ilodel 

 Kitchen Garden, The ' .Jersey Wakefield ' cabbage gave 

 excellent returns, while the ' Surehead ' and " Allhead ' were 

 also satisfactoiy. .Among tonuitos the ' American Matchle.ss ' 

 was the most successful variety tried, while in the experi- 

 ments with egg-plants, ' Black Beauty " produced the largest 

 and hand.soniest fruits. " May King ' and ' Tom Thumb ' 

 head the list of varieties of lettuce grown, and ' Carolina 

 Pole Lima ' was best among the beans cultivated. 



The total number of economic plants sent out from the 

 Botanic (iardens numbe'red 58, -564. The.se included 44,398 

 Para rubber plants, 2,475 ( 'astilloa rubber plants, 2,730 cacao, 

 and 2,301 coffee plants. (Ornamental plants to the number 

 of 1,559 were also distributed. The total receipts from the 

 sale of plants, etc., amounted to ■?2,38418, or more than 

 doulde those of last year. This is chiefly accounted for by 

 the large sales of Para rubber plants, and to a much less 

 extent, by the receipts friim the stall lately started in the 

 Stabroek market, for the .sale of economic plants. 



The total rainfall for the year 1907 was 10924 

 inches, which is 1680 inches higher than the average of the 

 previous twenty-eight years. 



CEYLOX . AXXl'A L REPORT OX THE RO YAL 

 BOTAXIC OARDEXS, J'.i(/,\ By J. C. Willi,s, M.A.,F.L.S., 

 1 )irector. 



Mr Willis .states in his report that the work of the year 

 has been largely devoted to improving the condition of the 

 Experiment Station at Peradeniya. With this object, the 

 cacao and other trees in the older ]jaits have been pruned and 

 thinned and new plots have been planted. Agriculture in 

 general was prosperous in Ceylon during 1907. The extension 

 of the rubber area continued in the earlier part of the year, 

 but a drop in the price of rubber, and a simultaneous rise 

 in the price of tea attract^!.. more attention to the latter ])ro- 

 duct. The .stem-bleeding d\scA>^e {T/iii-l(ii'io/>f!i!i tthncfticDs} 

 of the cocoa-nut palm has sjiread considerably during the 

 year, and since the cocoa-nut croii is the one that occupies the 

 largest area of any in Ceylon, this has caused considerable 

 anxiety. 



The reports of the Gnvcrnnicnt l-^iitomologist. Mycologist, 

 Chemist, and Curators of the Expeiiment Station-s, together 

 with that of the Supciintendent of School Garden.s, etc., 

 are issued as supplements to the report of the Director. 



School (Jarden work is evidently progressing in Ceylon 

 judging from the report of the Superintendent of that branch 

 of Agricultural instruction. In 1907, the number of gardens 

 worked was 134, as against 123 in the preceding year. Dur- 

 ing theyear under review forty-two .schools were given imple- 

 ments-iUKl twelve supplied with wire fencing. Prizes are 

 awarded by. the Government and the Agricultural Society for 

 the best cultivated gardens, .\bout 6,500 packets of .seeds 

 and nearly 1,000 iilants, bulbs, and cuttings were di.stri- 

 liuted to the gardens, this being practically double the 

 Ipiantity sent out last year," 



