Vol. XVII. Xo, 411. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



MONTSERIIAT: REPORT ON THE AGRICUL- 

 TURAL DEFARTMENT, lUlH-lT 



This report, which has just been issued, is longer than 

 usual, and is full of interesting matter. It shows that the 

 Curator, Mr. Robson, not only takes a keen interest in the 

 agricultural welfare of the island, but is doing good work in 

 promoting that welfare. It seems somewhat of a pity that 

 the space available at the Botanic Station in Montserrat 

 should be so limited, but it, is phiin that good use is made 

 of this limited area. In connexion with the gardens, the 

 remarks on hedges bear out what has been several times 

 noted in this .Journal, that 'I!read-and cheese' (Fitliecolohiuvi 

 unguis-cati) is probably one of the best u'ants for a hedge in 

 the tropics, although the sweet lime ( 'J'liphnsia aurantiola) 

 is rightly mentioned as forming a most ornamental hedge. 

 A number of peach trees have been growing at the station 

 for some years, but there has been no indication of their 

 successful fruiting, and accordingly most of them have been 

 cut down. From e.xperiments made in the germination of 

 bay tree seeds it has been demonstrated that they can easily 

 be raised in seed-beds under shelter, and after the young 

 plants are established the shide can be removed, and the 

 plants transplanted into nursery beds without further pro- 

 tection from the sun. Seeds of the bay trej have been sent 

 from Montserrat to E^ypt, Jamaica, and East Africa. The 

 seeds were packed in powdered charcoal luixed with water in 

 the proportion of 4 H'lid ounces to 1 lb. of charcoal, which 

 proved a satisfactory method of conveyance. 



Mr. llobson is conducting a series of experiments on 

 breeding cotton to fix a type which will be satisfactory to 

 the cotton growers of that island, and also to the spinners. 

 Ten varieties were tested for yield, and the following 

 details were examined: (l)the actual yield of lint, (2) the 

 broker's valuation of a sample of lint, (i) proportion of lint 

 to seed, (4) size of the bolls, (5; behaviour of lint under spin- 

 ning test, i6) lire purity of the strains as indicated by the lint 

 lengths and the percentage of lint en a given number of plants. 



As regard the spinning tests, five samples were for- 

 warded to the Vice-President of the Fine Cjtton Spinners' 

 and Doublers' Association of Manchester, who reported that 

 all five samples were of high grade, and approximated closely 

 to the belter St. Vincent types. Lint from two varieties, 

 namely Douglass, the strain which is highly valued in St. 

 Kitts, and H. 9Th., which has been thought most highly of 

 in Montserrat, was submitted to Mr. E. Lomas Oliver, who 

 reported that it the samp'es represented what the bulk of the 

 Montserrat crop is as regards (juality, that the difference 

 in price, which then existed between St. Kitts and Montserrat 

 cotton in favour of the former, will doubtless soon disappear 

 altogether; for the samples were most excellent cotton, and 

 all concerned were to be congratulated on so steadily main- 

 taining and improving the quality of co'.ton grown in 

 Montserrat. 



Turning to the lime industry, it appears that it is not 

 in a very satisfactory condition. The area under cultivation 

 is lessening, and there seems to be a feeling that the con- 

 ditions of this cultivation need considerable improvement. 

 Experiments are being conducted as to the benefit which may 

 result from spraying young lime trees for the extermination 

 of the purple scale, which is looked upon as a very serious 

 pest. 



The bay oil industry is receiving considerable attention, 

 as is shown by the fact thit no less than .50,000 bay plants 

 have been distributed from the Station in the last four years, 

 and the demonstrations at the Station of the proper care 

 and treatment of bay trees must be of great value to those 

 interested in the industry. 



It would not seem from the returns on experimental 

 shipments made to Canada, that the cultivation of pine-apple3 

 as a crop in Montserrat would be sufficiently remunerative. 

 Among the leguminous crops experimented with wa3 

 a species of Slizolobium or Mucuna, a sample of which was 

 forwarded to the Imperial Institute for examination. The 

 interesting report received will be published in the next 

 issue of this Journal. 



The results of the yield eif eighteen different varieties of 

 sweet potatoes are given in the report. The best of thein, 

 known as North No. 4, gave an estimated yield of 21,318 lb. 

 This same variety, however, only gave an estimated average 

 yield on fourteen experiments of 12,8(54 ft. This variety is 

 supposed to be of local origin. Of the introduced varieties, 

 Trinidad No. 1 took the first place, giving an average yield 

 on nine experiments of 14,9G7 lb. 



Cotton stainers damaged the crop in Montserrat to 

 a considerable extent, the proportion of stained cotton in 

 last season's crop being 7 7 per cent. Mr. Robson advises 

 that the same destruction of host plants of the stainer be 

 carried out in Montserrat as has proved beneficial in St. Vin- 

 cent. The quality of the cotton now being exported from 

 the island has evidently steidily improved in recent jears, 

 and the island is fortunate in having an industry so well 

 suited to local conditions; no efforts should be .spared to 

 further its interests. Mr. Robson thinks that sugar-cane 

 would be a satisfactory rotation crop for cotton, except for the 

 difficulty that the reiping season for cane overlaps the 

 planting season for cotton. He suggests that a bean or 

 pea crop will be found to answer every purpose as 

 a rotation crop. This opinion appears thoroughly sound, 

 especially in view of the need of increased local supply of 

 foodstuffs. 



Onion cultivation is receiving considerable attention, 

 and the industry is furthered by the successful working of 

 the Montserrat C_)nion Growers' Ass iciation in co-operation 

 with the similar association in Antigua. 



From a table of principal exports it appears that 

 394,049 a. of cotton lint, valued at £33,079, together with 

 448 tons of cotton seed, valued at £3,188, were shipped from 

 Montserrat in 1916, being a long way its principal industry. 

 The second place is taken by lime products. Of these 

 1 16,447 gallons of raw limejuice, valued at £17,185, and 

 3,188 gallons of concentrated limejuice, valued at £739, 

 together with 23.5 cwt. of citrate ot lime, valued at £3.52, 

 were exported. The export of pquin is peculiar to 

 Montserrat of all the smaller West Indian islands. In 1916 

 this reached the considerable total of 2,476 lb., with a value 

 of £1,560. The sugar indus'.ry, which for some years past 

 has been almost a negligible quantity, has, as in most of the 

 smaller islands, witnessed a considerable extension, 417 to.is 

 of sugar having been shipped in 1916. 



