Vol. VII. Xo. IG-J. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



32» 



Gale at St. Kitt's-Nevis. > 



Mr. F. K. Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent 

 of St. Kitt's-ISevis, reporting on the gale which passed 

 over that Presidency on September 25 last, states that 

 little destruction was done at St. Kitl's, apart from 

 the defoliation of young cotton in certain parts, as the 

 result of tlie high wind. A few limbs were broken 

 from trees at the Botanic Station, The rainfall was 

 about Jin inch all over the island. 



At Nevis cotton suffered from the gale to a greater 

 extent than at St. Kitt's, more especially in the south 

 and east of the island. The Agricultural Instructor of 

 Nevis reports that the cotton plants were badly 

 defoliated, and appeared as if .-i fire had passed through 

 them. In some places the plants are not expected to 

 recover from the effects of the gale unless suitable 

 rains soon occur. Only SO parts of rain were regis- 

 tered at Nevis during the gate. 



Hand Cultivators. 



The hand cultivators referred to in the Ai/ri- 

 cultural Neiof! of September 5 last (page 2(S4), and 

 which it was thought might prove useful in connexion 

 with cotton cultivatioii in these islands, have been 

 tried, with satisfactory results, at the Agricultural 

 School, St. Vincent. THl- Acting Agricultural Superin- 

 tendent, in a letter dealing with the subject, mentions 

 that the tools are lighter in use, and more suitable for 

 employment by boys and women than the ordinary 

 grubbing-hoe so largely used in the West Indies. If 

 the soil has been properly cultivated.in the first, instance, 

 a man, working with one of the hand cultivators, 

 should have no difficulty in loosening the surface soil 

 over at! area of 2 acres every day. Apaifc froni their 

 use in this way, it is pointed out that these tools might 

 with advantage be utilized in dragging from the soil 

 the roots of such plants as ' Uovil's grass ' (Cjinoihni 

 AlactyLi)ii), after the land has been broken up with 

 forks. ^^ 



Forage Crops For Hogs. 



Fdrmcrv' Bullet i u ■>■!] of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture deals with tljje value of wirious 

 forage crops in feeding and fattening hogs. Among the 

 crops discussed from this point of view, and wjiich are 

 well known in the West Indies, are cowpeas, sorghum, 

 and ground nuts. Ground nuts, as might be expected, 

 have ])roved of special value for young and glowing pigs, 

 although they should be given only in conil)iiiation 

 with some more starchy food, as maize. 



In one feeding tri.d carried out at the Alabama 

 Agricultural lixperiment Station, three lots of pigs were 

 fed respectively upon ground nuts (including vines), 

 Borghum, and sweet ))Otatos (including vines). In 

 addition each lot was given a certain amount of maize, 

 which was equal in all three cases. While 1 lb. of 

 gain was made by tlie pigs fed upon ground nuts for 

 «ach 177 lb. of maize consumed, it took 31.'i lb. of maize 

 in the case of the animals feeding on sweet potatos, 

 and 37 lb. of maize when sorghum was given, to produce 

 a pound of gain. 



Agricultural Exports of British Honduras. 



Lumbering is at present by far the most valuable 

 industry of British Hondiiias, mahogany, logwood, and 

 cedar being the chief woods grown. The diminished 

 timbei' exports, however, indicate that activities were 

 considerably lessened in this industry during 1907. 

 Mahogany shipments fell from 7,78S,249 feet in 1900 

 to 6,871,920 feet in 1907 : logwood from 8,773 tons to 

 6,1()7 tons, and cedar from 448,(i.51 feet to 331,630 feet 

 during the same period. Owing to the long drought, 

 the waterways had so dried up that many wood-cutters 

 were unable to float their timber to the port of ship- 

 ment, and this in part accounts for the lessened output. 



To the want of rain is also attributed the decreased 

 banana exports, which fell from 72.5,000 bunches in 

 1900 to 652,930 bunches in 1907. Plantain shipments 

 show a similar decline. The cocoa-nuts exported in 

 1900 numbered 5.527,985, but in the following year 

 the shipments were only 4550,175. 



On the other hand, more or less small increases 

 Were made in the output of cacao, rubber, sugar and 

 rum, while the exports of chicle show a large advance. 

 The cacao shipments were 42.(S00 fb. in 1900, and 

 46,435 lb. in 1907. Rubber exports advanced from 

 20,244 lb. to 24,112 lb., and sugar from 88,441 If), to 

 93,360 lb. 



Rice Crop of the United States. 



An official report on the rice industry of the 

 United States for the year ending August 31 last has 

 lately been issued. 



The total rice crop producetl in the States (Texas, 

 Louisiana, Carolinas) is estimated at 4,250,000 bags, 

 exclusive of about 750,000 bags lost in the fields 

 through continuous rains. As a result of this loss, 

 there was a shortage on the market, and the amount of 

 rice in stock at the end of the 3ear 1907-8 was lower 

 than in any previous year on record. Prices were good 

 throughout the season, and the average price for the 

 twelve months was the highest on record for the past 

 six years. 



While the output of rice in the States was some- 

 v/hat lower than in the ]jrevious year, there has been 

 a notable advance in the ilf mand for the product, and 

 the consuiu!)tion of this food is evidently much on the 

 increase in America. It is believed that a crop of 

 5,000,000 bags of lici' would not be too great to supply 

 the present annual demand in the United States, so 

 that at this rate the consumption exceeds the home 

 production. This is the more satisfactory to the 

 American ri'e grower, because — apart from Porto 

 Kico — theie is little or no otitside market open to him 

 in which his product has any chance of competing with 

 East Indian rice. 



In 1907-8, Porto Rico imported 763,()75 bags of 

 rice (each of l(i8 lb.) from the United States, as 

 compared with 935,850 bags imported in 1900-7. 

 Great Britain is the custonter of second im]iortance, but 

 she took no laore than 3,124 bags in 1907-8. 



Rice-bran and polish were exported from the 

 country to the amount of 20,672,376 Hi. during 1907-8, 



