Vol. XVII. Xo. 415. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



93 



NE PORT ON THE AGRICULTURAL DEI'ART- 

 MENT,NORTHERN PRO VINCES, NIGERIA, igi6. 



This report, which was issued in November 1917, contains 

 much matter of interest with regard to tropical agriculture. 



Besides the general summary of the Director of Agricul- 

 ture, Mr. P. H. Limb, the n port contains a special appendix 

 by the Chief Veterinary Surgeon, and two detailed accounts 

 by the Assistant Superintendents of Agriculture on the two 

 government plantations at ^Maigana in the Solioto district, and 

 Ilorin in the Yoruba country, together with a report on the 

 Horticultural Station at Kaduna by the Horticultural Over- 

 seer. 



Mr. Lamb, while noticing the reduction in number of 

 the Europeans on his start', owing to causes arising from the 

 war, highly commends the work done by his West Indian 

 overseers and native ofBcers. 



Owin^ to the .sharply defined dry and rainy seasons in 

 those provinces, the exact date of sowing each crop is of the 

 utmost importance if the best yields are to be secured. Thus 

 in the year reported on in some parts of the provinces 

 the dry season set in suddenly and prematurely, causing 

 considerable damage to the cotton crop through severe boll- 

 shedding, and interfering with the ripening of the ground 

 nut crop, with the result, that only the earliest sown plots 

 gave an average yield. 



Considering that the experimental work on the 

 plantations and in the horticulturiil station has only been 

 going on for four years, the result'' so far obtained are very 

 encouraging. The aim is to improve and develop the e.xisting 

 agricultural industrie.s, and to introduce new ones which may 

 be profitably undertaken as subsidiary to those already in 

 existence. Thus with regard to cotton, the cultivation of 

 long staple cotton, especially in the province of Zaria, has 

 been largely extended and placed on a more secure foun- 

 dation. This was evidently the result of the work on the 

 Maigana plantation. 



Approximately 4-1 tons of cotton seed were dis- 

 tributed as compared with .5 tons in the previous year. 

 Great credit is given to the three itinerant agricultural 

 instructors for the way in which they performed their duties 

 of supervising the sowing and subsequent care of the crop, 

 and the expurgation of objectionable types, which has 

 led to a high grade of cotton being reaped. The plan of 

 making cotton cultivation more attractive to the native 

 grower, by making it more profitable, has been greatly assisted 

 through the establishment by the British Cotton Grow- 

 ing Association of depots for buying the cotton direct 

 from tlie producers at; a fair price. The native growers realize 

 n6l only that the long staple cotton is worth 50 per cent, 

 more than the indigenous kind, but that the yield per acre 

 is generally larger, and that the crop matures at least a month 

 earlier — a point of importance under the usual climatic 

 conditons. 



A four course rotation of crops is followed at the ilaigana 

 plantation, namely, Guinea corn, millet and cowpeas; cotton; 

 ground nuts; cotton. This scheme embraces the principal 



crops of the district, at the same time providing a leguminous 

 crop in alternate seasons. The. procedure in growing the 

 mixed crop of the first year is interesting. The miUet, 

 known locally as 'gero,' is sown during the first rains, a few 

 weeks before the Guinea corn, which is then sown in alternate 

 rows with the millet. When the millet is harvested the soil 

 is ridged up around the Guinea corn plants, and cowpeas are 

 sown between the corn. 



The introduction in 1914 of five sugarcane varieties 

 from Barbados has been very successful. Apparently the 

 sugar cane is cultivated in Nigeria only for chewing. The 

 natives so approve of the imported varieties that a'l the canes 

 raised at Maigana were sold oa the spot at a penny each, 

 while the native canes were being sold at four for a penny. 



Other economic plants successfully introduced from the 

 West Indies and now being distributed from Maigana, are 

 eddoes and tannias, which are much approved of by the 

 native growers, the eddoes giving better results than the 

 tanniap, being apparently better suited to the local soil 

 conditions. 



In the more southerly plantation at Ilorin successful 

 results have been obtained in the cultivation of tobacco, which 

 has found a ready market locally Simples submitted to the 

 Imperial Institute for examination and valuation were favour- 

 ably reported on. It is possible that the cultivation may be 

 largely extended. 



It would seem that cotton, the cultivation of which is 

 usually practised in the southern districts in connexion with 

 that of yams, is not likely to assume a position of impor 

 tance there owing to climatic conditions. The cultivation of 

 sisal is however being advocated as suitable to the agri- 

 cultural conditions, and to the habits of the natives. 



Kola of two species. Cola acuminata and C. nitida, has 

 long been planted in this district, and its cultivation is 

 systematically encouraged by liie Agricultural Department, 

 while improved methods of culture are being aimed at by 

 instruction and practical demonstration. 



Experimental plots of coco-nuts and limes promise well 

 also at the Ilorin plantation. 



Great progress has been made in horticultural work at 

 the Kaduna station in several directions, notably in the best 

 methods of producing European vegetables under the climatic 

 conditions of extreme humiJlty alternating with extreme, 

 dryness at different periods of the year. Thus it has been 

 proved there that potatoes, if sown between July 15 aud 

 August 15, can yield, four months after planting, at the rate 

 of 4 '86 tons per acre; and that, also in four months, 

 Jerusalem artichokes gave the extraordinary yield of 14'4 ; 

 tons per acre. 



The horticultural station is also making a point of 

 grafting and budding for distribution the choicest varieties 

 of tropical fruit trees, especially the best kinds of cilrus and 

 mango. Experiments are aho being conducted with good 

 varieties of pine apples, which give every promise of being 

 a success. 



It is found that for the production of really good; bun- 

 ches of bananas irrigation during the dry season is necess*r>', 

 but if banana cultivation should prove remunerative, tbis.coulcl 

 doubtless be done over large areas. i '■- 



As regards insect and fungus pests Mr. Lamb reports 

 that there have been no outbreaks of such plagues worthy 

 of special mention during the year, and tlutthe usual damage 

 done by the cotton boll worm in the more humid districts 

 could be largely prevented, were the uprooting and burning 

 of all cotton plants at the end of February made compulsory — 

 a conclusion perfectly in accordance with West Indiaii 

 experience with regard to several pests of cotton. 



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