Vol. VII. Xo. 1 7.3. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



397 



.s7'. /.ri'/A: A.y.xrAL rei'orts ox the 



I'.OTAXIC STAT/OX, AfnUCULTURAL SCHOOL, 

 AX I) EXl'ERIMEXT PLOTS, lU(i7-S. 



The total expenditure in connexion Avith tlie St. Lnoia 

 Botanic Station dui-ing 1907-8 Avas i;63.'> IS.v. 4*/., thi.s being 

 less by £17.5 l-5.s-. 'xL than the sum expended last yeai'. An 

 amount of £.5-") Ibx. \\as realized from tlie .sale of plant.s, 

 Seeds, and i>roduee. 



The returns relating to the distribution of economic 

 plants are very satisfactory. Altogether, 74,644 plants were 

 sent out from the two nurseries at the Botanic Station and 

 ■the Agricultural School respectively. The demand for lime 

 plants is especially noticeable, no less than 56,425 having 

 been distributed. The numlier nf cacao plants sent out was 

 7,017. 



Rubber seeds (Hevea) were imported from Ceylon 

 ■during the year, although the percentage of germination 

 shown by these seeds was hardly satisfactory. A consider- 

 .able number of grafted mangos and budded oranges of good 

 varieties were raised at the Station, and distributed to 

 school gardens in the island, being paid for by the Agri- 

 cultural Society. 



The rainfall'experienccd at the St. Lucia Botanic Station 

 for the year 1907 was 7r3.'5 inches, this being lO'Sl inches 

 below that of 1906, and 4 '55 inches below the average fall of 

 the i^ast four years. 



In regard to the Agricultural School, the total expendi- 

 ture on this institution, and the ex|ieriments carried on in 

 •connexion with it, amounted to £865 4.s. 'Id., excluding the 

 salary of the ()fticer-in-cluirge. In addition, a sum of 

 £34 12.S-. 81-/. was spent on 'special services' connected with 

 the cicao and cotton experiment plots. The plants, vegetables, 

 and live .stock produced at the school, part of whicii was 

 ■consu:ned, and jiart sold, represented a total monetarj' rt^turn 

 of £113 10.S-. M. 



The average number of boys maintained at the .school 

 during the year was 20'6. Several new pupils have been 

 admitted. The health of the boj-s has been good tln-oughout 

 the j'ear, and the results of the half-yearly cKaminations were 

 fairly satisfactory. 



The lioys continue to receive regular instruction in 

 j)ractical agricultural operations, including the niethoils of 

 grafting, pruning, etc. During the past year, in a<ldition to 

 the usual work, they have had experience with cotton through- 

 out the ditt'erent stages of treatment in the field and ginnery, as 

 well as in opening up new land, and starting cacao plantations. 

 Under a scheme recently estalilished, provision has been made 

 whereby a few pupils, who have completed their course of 

 training with credit, may be appointed to posts as ' improvers ' 

 at the Department's stations. These appointments are 

 tenable for eighteen months and afford tho holder valuable 

 opportunities for increasing his agricultural knowledge. 



The area devoted to experimental work at the school 

 was considerably extended during the year 1907-8, and it has 

 been decided that the cacao area may with advantage be 

 increased to 20 acres, with the object ultimately of jnoviding 



revenue towards the upkeei) of the institution. A start was 

 made in this direction during the past year. 



Experiments witli limes, oranges, and lemons have been 

 continued. Considerable interest is Ijeing- shown in lime 

 jilanting at St. Lucia,, and in addition' to those distributed by 

 tiie Agricultural Department, large luimbei-s of lime plants 

 have been raised in private uur.series in the i-^laml. Kxperi- 

 hients with provisiim and other cropsare also in i)i()gress. 



.V nnndiei- of li\e storl; of varioiis kinds continue to lie 

 kept at I'nion. These iiii'lude the Ayrshire bull ' (Jipsy Stai- 

 of Bellevue ', and a tine I'ani, ' Egba ', of the African woolh'ss 

 breed. 



JiJiniSn GUIAXA : AXXrAL REPORT OF THE 

 POARD OE AQRKJULA'URE, iun;.s. By Brofe.ssor .). B. 

 Harri.son, C.M.G., Chairman. 



This report contains an account (jf the subjects dealt with 

 by the Board at the three general meetings that were held 

 during the year. The work done at the meetings of the 

 various Committees is also summarized. 



The sale of- live .stock held by the Board in Decendier 

 1907 was well attended, and good prices were obtained. 

 Aiiiong the animals sold were two half-bred Guernsey Imlls. 

 The total amount realized from the sale was S^QeS'lO. The 

 live stock imported during the year comprised a Shojthoiu 

 Ijull (which, n.nfortunately, has since died of Texas fever), 

 two Shrojishire rains, and a Berkshire boar. All these 

 animals were imrehased from Canada. Two young bulls, of 

 the Hereford and Bed-polled breeds respectively, were 

 obtained from Triniilad in .March 1908, at a cost of .■?158-9(), 

 and the Live Stock Committee has decided to import, during 

 the financial year 1908-9, a pure-bred bull immune from 

 Texas fever, and two rams. 



During the yeai-, §54'60 were judd into the Treasury as 

 fees for the services of Imlls lielonging to the Board. The 

 fees for the services of rams were ■?4'08, while a sum of 

 i?15'12 was realized by the sale of chickens and eggs ficmi 

 imported fowls kept at the Botanic (fardens. 



The two horse stallions liolonging to the Board (!ost 

 $&37'76 for maintenance during the financial year, while fees 

 /or their services in ditt'erent parts of the colonv amounted to 

 .?580. 



Two Agricultural Exhibitions were held in British 

 Guiana in 1907-8, one by the Buxton Farming Association, 

 while the second was a County Agricultural and Live Stock 

 Exhibition, held at Sudd ie. The exhibits at the former were 

 few in number, and, generally speaking, poor in ipiality. 

 At the Suddie Show, the display of produce was poor, but 

 the live stock on view were more satisfactory. 



The returns olitained and jiublished by the Sugarcane 

 l-^xperiments C()mmittee of the Board show that tlie area 

 in the colony under cultivation with varieties of cane other ' 

 than the Bourbon has increased from 28,800 acres in 1906-7 

 to 32,698 acres in 1907-S. The most notable increases are 

 those of canes 1). 625 and IS. 2ns. The area under ciUtiva- 

 tion with the former cane has risen from 6,600 acres in 

 1906-7 to 9,662 acres in 1907-8, while in the .sau'.e period 

 the B. 208 area has advanced from 3, IS9 to 5,25H acres. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 

 Mr. H. A. Ballon, iLSc, Enton)oioc;ist on the staff 

 of the Imperial ] )cpartn;ent of Agriculture, ;u:cotnpanie(l 

 by Jfr. C. W. Jeniniett, retni-ned to Barbados from 

 the Northern Islands, on December 5 last, by the 

 CLS. ' Dahome.' 



