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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



J0NE 15, 1918. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



iJKEXADA. Work in the Exiieriment Station and I'.otanic 

 Gardens during March and April was of a routine character, 

 and included the preparation of land for native provision 

 crop.-*. Regarding staple crops, the Superintendent of 

 Agriculture states that the pickings of cacao were decreasing, 

 and the crop prospects not as good as last year. The cane 

 cro|) was smaller than usual. Ground provisions continued 

 to be fairly plentiful, and increased activity in preparing 

 land for the planting season was evident. The food crops 

 campaign work was progressing favourably. The dry season 

 has been much less severe than last year, and potato and 

 cassava planting has been continued. Mr. Moore mentions 

 that interest in Sea Island cotton growing is taking shape 

 in the proposed cultivation of 200 to 300 acres this year; 

 while the local Agricultural Department advises caution in 

 view of failure of previous trials through boll disease. The 

 rainfall recorded at Kichmond Hill during the month of 

 March was 2-4d inches; during April the precipitation 

 amounted to 1 '60 inches. 



ANTIGUA. Plant distribution during the month of .May 

 included — Eucalyptus, 889; limes, 194; onion seedlings, 

 1,200; whitewood. 24; sweet potato cuttines, 25,000; cotton 

 seed, 1,479 0). Work in the E-xperiment Station and Botanic 

 Gardens consisted for the most part of planting operations; 

 rains fell during the month, in consequence of which, 

 Mr. .Jackson states, the young crop has considerably improved. 

 There are about .300 acres of cotton planted to date. A mod 

 erately large area has been put under provision crops in 

 various parts of the island. The total number of crates of 

 onions shipped was 974. The quantity of seed-cotton 

 purchased by the Antigua Cotton Growing Association to 

 date was 25,967 lb. clean cotton, and 2,505 lb. stains. In 

 consequence of the rains referred to above, which fell 

 throughout the island, the agricultural outlook at ihe present 

 moment is considerably improved. The precipitation regis- 

 tered for the month was ')-57 inches; for the year, 14'83 

 inches. 



XT. KiTTs. According to items forwarded by .\lr. I". K. 

 Shepherd, in addition to routine work during the monlh ol 

 May, planting operations were carried on in the llvperiment 

 Station and Jjotanic Gardens. Plant distribution included 

 20 Dj. Mazzagua Guinea corn, 600 Casiioriiia (•(/nisc/i/n/iu, 

 and 600 cuttings of ornamental plants. The reaping of the 

 sugarcane crop in the Valley district and on the estates con- 

 nected with the Factory has been completed. The total crop 

 for the factory has been 7,30i) tons of sugar. The return of 

 canes was very poor, ranging from 20 tons to 'J tons per 

 acre, the average being about 12 tons. The young cane crop 

 in the early part of the month was in a critical condition, 

 but a rainfall of about 5 inches at the middle of the 

 month saved the bituation. Since then there has been 

 no riin. which is now much needed. The rain enabled 

 growers in this district to jjlant cotton. The germination 

 has been excellent, but more rain is necessary to keep 

 the young plants alive. In the northern district, where 

 cotton was (ilanted as early as .lanuary and I'ebruary, there 

 are some remarkably fine fields of cotton; all the cotton 

 in fact in that district has made a good start. The 

 rainfall recorded for the month was 6'1'.I inches; for the year 

 to date, 1600 inches. From the 13tli to the 16th the 

 precipitation registered was 525 inches. Since then there 

 has been absolutely no rain. 



\li;c;iN ISLANDS. Plant distribution during the month 

 of May consisted of 37 cobs of corn and 400 cane plant 

 tops. In addition, 300 tt. of cotton seed were sold. 

 Mr. Fishlock states that considerably more interest is being 

 displayed in the cotton industry than was the case last year. 

 Attention is also being piid to the planting of provision 

 crops. There was little to report otherwise. The weather 

 was favourable, rain falling in measurable quantity on four- 

 teen days. The total rainfall recorded was 6-2S inches 

 as compared with 467, the average for the month for the 

 lirevious seventeen years. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



The month of May closed with a rainfall below the 

 average in the seaboard parishes, but the weather in the 

 other parts of the island has been favourable. In the centre 

 of the island there has been sufficient rain to plant cereals, 

 and vegetab'es of every kind. \ea.v after year there is a great 

 disparity between the rainfall in the sei-board parishes and 

 that in the inland districts. 



The Indian corn receatly pUnted is springing well, and 

 the I- jntinued showers will do much to give it a healthy and 

 regular start. In most of Christ Church and St. Lucy the 

 showers hive been too light to plant much besides corn, but 

 even in these districts a commendable effort has been made 

 by some planters to sow potatoes. In the more favournl 

 l)arts of the island some yams have been planted, and also 

 potatoes on a limited scale. The difficulty in these districts 

 has been to get the land tilled, and even with the rains that 

 have fallen the position will not be much chiiiged while the 

 crops are being reaped. 



The returns to the Commissioners under the Vegetable 

 Produce Act for the planting of ground provisions have been 

 completed, but the fultilment of the contracts of the planters 

 will depend upon the goodwill of the labourers. 



In the next fortnight the reaping of the cane crop on 

 the black soil will have been completed. On the red soil 

 also many estates will soon be finishing up. There will onlv be 

 a few windmills which will be grinding beyond the middle of 

 the month. 



In spite of the generdi shortag.' of yield as compared with 

 last year, there are a fVw estates on which the return has been 

 very satisfactory. .Seedling Ba 6032 still liohis the premier 

 record for heavy wei^»ht. We understand that this seedling 

 lias given a return this year of nearly 50 tons of cane on an 

 estate in St. Andrews |iarish. (The Barbados .h't-iai'trml 

 Repoita; June 1. 191.^.) 



According to a Dritish Consular K'eport, there is a 

 small experimental cultivation of sugar-cane in the French 

 zone in Morocco. Four varieties were cultivated in I91(; at 

 the .lardin d'Fssais without irriijation, on an area for each 

 variety of 400 metres. The yields obtained from the two of 

 them which were most productive were, respectively, 26 and 

 14'25 (|uintals per hectare, with a sugar content of 1 1-9 and 

 US per cent In 1917, however, there was an important 

 falling off both in the yield and in the sugar content, due 

 doubtless to the soil being deficient in plant food, as we'll as 

 to frost. The trials are being transferred to more suitable 

 localities, and an attempt is being tnade to imjMirt from Brazil 

 v.irieties better adapted to the conditions in .Morocco. (The 

 /ii/ir/it/inii'i/ Siii^or J'liini'i/, April 1918.) 



