36 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Febkuau'y 9, 19] S. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



i.BENADA. The notes ot the Superintendent of Agricul- 

 ture, Mr. J. C- Moore, for the months of October, November 

 and December, which have now come to hand, disclose a 

 continuation of work of a general routine character in the 

 Experiment Stations and Botanic Gardens during the period 

 covered. Plant di.sttibution was as follows: for October and 

 Xovember — 8,600 lime plants, 1-50 cacao, 17 budded orange, 

 11 grafted raango, 94 timber trees, S3 ornamental plants, 

 7 various, and l."3,000 potatocuttings: for December — 85 cacao 

 plant*!, 4 mango, 29 ornamental, and various seeds. 



The gathering of the cacao crop, commenced in October, 

 was in full swing in December, but is expected to be below 

 the average. The nutmeg crop is reported as normal, while 

 the lime crop is said to be smaller than that of last year. 

 The sugar crop was sitisfactory. Provisions were plentiful. 

 The corn crop was good on the whole, and one of the largest 

 on record. The second crop was fairly promising. The dry 

 weather in November atiected the young plants adversely in 

 some places. Thrips has shown considerable development 

 in some places, and has become locally severe. 



The weather during < )ctober was normal, the rainfall 

 recorded at llichmond Hill being 7-9-2 inches. November 

 was unusually dry, only 54 inches of rain being registered 

 at liichmond Hill. December was showery up to the last 

 week, when heavy rains fell, the precipitation at llichmimd 

 Hill being 7 0.'< inches. 



ST. LUCIA. Mr. A. .1. Brooks, Agricultural Super- 

 intendent, reports the following plant distribution during 

 the n)onth of Deccinbei; limes, 2,.o00: grape fruit, 18: budded 

 oranges, 10; grafted mangoes, 2: cacao plants, 70: coffee, .50; 

 ornamental plant?, 9. There were also distributed li'O 

 packets of vegetable seeds. The wooden bridge in the l'>otanic 

 Gardens is being replaced by a concrete bridge which is 

 raised .3 feet above the former level. A large mahogany 

 cabinet made from trees grown in the 'Jardens wa.s com- 

 pleted and placed in the central office, and now houses the 

 'Kennaway Collection of .St. Lucia I'.irds'. 



The cacao crop is reported as gonil: limes second crop, 

 heavy; sugar, fair. Experiments on a commercial scale were 

 carried out at R.-union during the month in connexion with 

 the manufacture of farine, starch, and potato chips and 



Hour. 



The rainfall registered at the Botanic Gardens, ('astrie?, 

 during the month was 'O'l inches, and at the Agricultural 

 and P.otanic Station, < 'hoiseul, 2 .39 inche.s. 



viK>;iN ISLAMIC. In his notes for the month of Decem- 

 ber Mr. W. < '. Fishlock, Curator, Tortola, mentions work 

 chiefly of a routine nature carried on in the Experimen'. 

 Stations. Plant di.-:tribution waa as follows: onion seedling---, 

 21000; potatocuttings, 1.000; coco-nut plants, 31; cabbage 

 plants, lij; decorative plants, 19; cotton seed, 301 lb. : vege- 

 Uble seeds, 13 packets. 



The cotton cultivation appeared to be in lair 

 ffeneral condition: the -.ime is .said of ground provisions. 

 ib regard to the cotton industry it is mentioned that 

 the tircvailing high prices and the pajnicnt of the bonus 

 on the 191617 crop have had a stinnrfating effect. < -'otton 

 worm has been trouble.sume in some di.siricts, notably West 

 End, and there hao been some cmjuiry for Paris green. 



Weather conditions during the month wore abnonnal: 

 strong northerly winds alternated with calms. The nights 



were often exceptionally caol. The month was dry. Rain fell 

 in measurable .juantity on sixteen days, the total precipita- 

 tion being 2 5-5 inches as compared with 5'51 inches, the 

 average for the month for the past sixteen years. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



We do not think that the same difliculty is being 

 experienced in establishing the young cane crop as was the 

 cise at this time last year. We have observed that the 

 supplies have grown with a good deal of regularity. This 

 is doubtless due to the effect of the heavy raiu on Christmas 

 Day. When plants are alreidy in the soil, a rain has a much 

 belter effect on them than if they are planted after a suikinc 

 rain, with two ('r three weeks of dry weather succeeding. 



The majority of fields are growing well, and, given 

 moderately showery weather during the next fortnight, the 

 crop for 1919 will have been established. The fact that but 

 comparatively few shoots are to be seen in some fields does 

 not mem th.it the plants are doad. The resent rains will 

 cause many a cutting to come up. 



A start is being made with the reaping of the cane crop 

 for 1918. Only a few factories are ready for grinding, and 

 not even all of these have started operations. .\ good many 

 windmills and a few steam mills are engaged in making 

 syrup, and some of these would not have been \ et at work 

 but for incendiarism. 



^Ve learn that the .juice is somewhat richer than was 

 anticipated. In a few districts the dt-nsity is Id', in most 

 districts 9'. The B.376 is at this stage sweeter than the 

 new seedlings, and the eirlier it can be reaped the better; 

 for already a few rotten canes and many canes which hive 

 recently lost their tops are being found in each load as it is 

 overturned in the mill yard. This is not, so far as we have 

 been able to observe, the case with the new seedlings. 

 iJeyond having been checked in development by the unfa- 

 v.jr.rable weather of the past four months, flicy show no 

 signs of depreciation of any kind. The tonnage of the first 

 few acres of plant canes on an estate in St. George's parish 

 h:<s averaged between 3U and 3.5. 



It will be observed that the factories have not made 

 as fc.5.!ly a start as last year. This is due not only to the 

 fact that the crop in most districts is not as mature as at 

 this date last year, but also to the delay in the completion 

 of improvement^ of variou> kinds at almost every factory. 



The rer-ent rains have enabled planters to sow potatoes. 

 We know that in many districts this was done without delay, 

 and we hope that this has been the civse everywhere. Every 

 <:l*ss of the community should realize the gi-avity of the 

 jiresent crisis, and do its part— the planter, the peasant 

 ])ropi ietor and the \ihonycr. —{Ayrii'iiltvra/ A'rj,.,rter, .Janu- 

 ary 2«;. 191S.) 



AGRICULTURE IN JAMAICA. 



The Governor of .lamaica in his report on the colony f.)r 

 19lti-17, issued a- C"/"'«"*' A''/"'rts— Antiual, N(e 943, states 

 that: 'The chief feature of the year in relation to the agri- 

 eiltur.al interests of the colonj was the hurricane in August 

 which practically swept the whole island from Ka>t to West 

 so as to destroy the whole banana crop, and to do a good deal 

 of liamage to i-Dconuts, canes, and cacao. For so serious 

 a disister to O' ''ur two years in succession has been a heavy 

 blow to the l)anana industry. Owing to war conditions, 

 ■ ither staples, such as sugar, rum, logAvood, cacao, annatto 

 ginger, orang'' n]]^ and hid'-s have sold for high prices, amj 



