Vol. XVII. No. 420. 



THE AGRICULTOIIAL NEWS. 



165 



has little colour, and its percentage of butterfat, according to 

 the average test of some straius of the breed, is only 3 

 per cent., or even lower. 



J ERSEV. 



The island of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, 

 is 'he I. alive home of the Jersey breed of cattle. Except 

 for imnicrtia'e wlanghier, no cattle have been landed on the 

 i.sUnd siiice 1779, so ihat ever siLce that time the purity 

 of the breed has been prt-seived, Ii .seems probable that the 

 fouiida'inn slock is the same as the Guernsey, namely, from 

 Brittany and Normandy, in near by north-western France. 

 , Conditions on Jersey are similar to those on Guernsey. The 

 breeders on the isUnd have developed cattle that, in addition 

 to productive ability, have uniformity of type and natural 

 beauty, while in America the breeders have developed greater 

 size, with less refinement of features. 



Jerseys vary considerably in colour. The solid-coloured 

 animals are preferred by many breeders. Various shades of 

 fawn, squirrtl gray, mouse colour, and very dark brown are 

 common colours, and in the broken-coloured animals, white 

 is mixed with these colours. The muzzles and tongues are 

 usually black or lead-coloured, and it is very common for 

 animals to have a light or mealy ring around the muzzle. 

 A black switch is also a desirable feature. Next to the 

 Guernsey the Jersey has the yellowest skin secretion of all 

 the dairy breeds. The horns are small, waxy, and frequently 

 are tipped with black. Jerseys have a distinctly nervous 

 disposition, and are usually somewhat excitable. Their 

 highly organized nervous system cautis them to respond 

 quickly to good treatment and abundant feed. Some 

 have criticized the breed for small size, lack of develop- 

 ment of symmetrical udders, and small teats, and the 

 breeders have made much improvement in remedying these 

 feature.s. Jerseys are the smallest of the dairy breeds. 

 Compared with the Guernsey, the Jersey is smaller, and has 

 finer features and more refinement throughout. 



In natural yellow colour the milk of Jersey cows ranks 

 next to that of Guern.sey cow.s, and is usually slightly richer 

 in butterfat. The large fat globules cause the cream to rise 

 readily upon standing. Jerseys, like Guernseys, are there- 

 fore adapted to the production of butterfat. 



Details as to the scale of points for each of the breeds 

 discussed, and records of the highest milk and butterfat 

 producers for a given period for each of the breeds, may be 

 obtained on reference to the bulletin quoted above. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



ST. vixi ENT. Plant distribution during the month of 

 April included 1 1,770 cane cuttings of selected varieties, 

 and 308). of Para peas. Work in the Botanic Garden was 

 of a routine nature. In regard to staple crops, Mr. Sands 

 states there is little to record- Preparations for planting 

 cotton were made. A large portion of the arrowroot crop 

 was awaiting shipping opportunities. The Marie GaJante 

 cotton crop of the GJrenadines was purchased by the Govern- 

 ment Ginnery. Exports of refined cotton seed oil were made 

 by a local refining company. The corn and ground provision 

 crops continue to make good progress, and there was no likeli- 

 hood of a shortage of locally grown I'oodstuffs. The campai"n 

 against cotton stainers was continued energetically. 



A number of planters from , Grenada arrived at 

 St. Vincent on April i for the ^purpose of obtaining 

 information on cotton growing and ginning. The Agricul- 

 tural Superintendent visited the cotton ginnery and granary 



with them. The granary was then working at its full 

 capacity, and the methods of handling seed-cottno, cotton 

 seed, and corn were fully explained. A vi.sit was also paid 

 to the Experiment Station, where thr breeding experiments 

 with cotton, corn, peas, and other crops were inspected. 

 The rainfall recorded for the month was— Botanic Garden, 

 4-54 inches; Experiment Station. 3-21 inches. 



NEVIS. The Agricultural Instructor, Mr. W. I. flowell, 

 mentions the continuation of dry weather during the month 

 of April, which is seriously militating against the crops 

 in the experiment plots, and cultivations throughout the 

 island generally. Plant distribution was as follows: cottoa 

 seed, 2250).; black-eye peas, 14ilb., Para peas, 3B).; seed corn, 

 20).; sweet potato cuttings, 1,800. The cane crop continues- 

 very poor and the outlook, on the whole, is not very hopeful. 

 Preparation for cotton was almost complete, and a fair amount 

 of planting had been done, but on account of the dry weather 

 germination has been poor and no field is yet established. 

 The planting of provision crops has been carried on by many 

 of the planters, but the crops are making very little progress, 

 for the reason stated above. The live stock in some pans of 

 the island are in very bad condition, and many deaths have 

 occurred from starvation. The rainfall for the month regis- 

 tered 259 inches; for the year todate,lO-79 inches. 



VIRGIN iSL.\Ni)S. Mr. W. C. Fishlock, the Curator, states 

 that no plants were distributed during the month of April, 

 but 105R). of cotton .seed was sold. The gathering of the 

 present cotton crop is now nearly over. The quantity of 

 cotton dealt with by the Government Factory during 

 the season appears to be the smallest since 1907. The 

 sugar crop has been reaped, and ground provisions continue 

 to be fairly plentiful. The weather continued dry. Piiin 

 fell in measurable quantity on ten days of the month, the 

 total precipitation registered at the Station being 1"17 inches, 

 as compared v^ith 2 38 inches, the average for the previous^ 

 seventeen years. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



In the centre of the island the weather for the current 

 month has been ideal. In marked contrast with this, very 

 dry weather has prevailed along the sea-board in e'hrist 

 Church and St Philip. 



Generally speaking the earth is not dry antl parched as 

 at this date last year, nor are so many cracks apparent in the 

 fields and pastures. 



The young plant canes have, on the whole, stood the 

 strain of the dry weather very well indeed. 



Artificial manure is now needed in order that the 

 ratooiis may not be handicapped. Here and there a planter 

 has been aole to get a small quantity with which to make 

 a start, buc there has been as yet no arrival in bulk. 

 A shipment of nitrate of soda was expected about the 

 beginning of this month, but it seems that the engagement 

 cannot now be filled before the middle of June. The crisis 

 demands that there should be no grumbling, but thankfulness 

 that we are able to get supplies at all. 



This year will always be remembered as the high-water 

 mark for syrup. It has paid the owner of every windmill, 

 even with its imperfect crushing, to make syrap rather than 

 to sell canes on a dark crystal basis. 



Where the crops have been finished, tillage for provisions 

 is being done, but slowly. There will be a great scarcity 

 of potatoes during the coming months, and cereals should be 

 freely planted as these mature rapidly. The utmost possible 

 care should also be bestowed on the breadfruit and banana 

 trees. The former, we are glad to say, are beginnio" to 

 bear. (^h& Barkidus .Igncif/fiira/ Rcforhr, May'lS, 19iS.) 



