356 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



XOVEMBEK 16, 1918. 



THE INDIAN CORN INDUSTRY OF 

 ST. VINCENT. 



The foUowiog inlormation relating to the Indian corn 

 industry of St Vincent, especially in regard to the recent 

 developments which have taken place in connexion with 

 efforts to increase the production of local foodciops, is 

 abstracted from notes forwarded to the Head OfiBce by 

 Mr. W. X. Sands, the Agricultural Superintendent. 



Indian corn (maize) had always been grown in the 

 colony as an intermediate or catch crop with cotton, arrow- 

 root, sugar-cane, and ground provisionSu It was no doubt 

 one of the earliest food-plants cultivated by the original 

 Carib inhabitants. Previous to recent developments the 

 bulk of the corn was consumed locally, but a small quantity 

 was annually exported to neighbouring colonies. The exports 

 for the period 1904-14 averaged 564 bushels per annum. 



Towards the end of 1914 the Government of St. Vin- 

 cent, viewing with alarm the depressed condition of the 

 markets for cotton and arrowroot, the chief products of 

 the colony, consulted with the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture as to the prospects of a corn industry, as it was 

 desirable, under the circumstances described, to diversify still 

 further the local crops. 



In February 1915 Sir Francis Watts outlined a scheme 

 {a) for the erection of corn shelling and drying machinery at 

 the Government Ginnery on similar linos to that in opera- 

 tion in Antigua; (b) the establishment of a system of corn- 

 purchase on a profit-sharing basis such as was in operation 

 with cotton; (c) offering to growers facilities for shelling 

 and drying corn. Acting on the advice of the Imperial 

 Commissioner, the Government decided to erect a Granary, 

 and to advocate the growing of corn wherever suitable land 

 for this purpose was available. This machinery was obtained 

 from the United States of America early in 191-5, and was 

 installed in a special shed adjoining the main building of 

 the fJovernment Ginnery. The total cost of the Granary, 

 ■with buildings, machinery, and bins, was £600. The cost 

 would have been much higher had it not been possible to 

 connect the machinery to the main driving shaft of the 

 ginnery, and thus use steam from the boiler. 



As the result of txperiments for the selection of a uni- 

 form yellow corn, 620 fb. of the native yellow corn was dis- 

 tributed from the Experiment Station during the year 1916 

 to the chief planters. The good results of planting this 

 selected .seed were demonstrated at the granary when the 

 191C-17 crop was dealt with. .\ special study of the insect 

 pests of corn was made by ths Assistant Agricultural Superin- 

 tendent, and effective methods of control of certain of the 

 ino.''t notorious of these were devised. The Agricultural 

 Superintendent, by means of lectures and leaflets, was 

 successful in arousing much interest in the industry. These 

 efforts, together with the incentives to production, led to a 

 considerable increase in planting. 



The bulk of the crop was grown as a catch crop with 

 cotton and arrowroot, but more particularly with the former. 

 With arrowroot, com is grown after the arrowroot has been 

 reaped. 'ITie newly dug fields, especially those which are 

 harvested in the last three months of the year, are sown with 

 com. Experiments in planting at different distances with 

 com as the sole crop showed that the most satisfactory 

 results were obtained when the corn was planted on 4foot 

 banks in rows with single plants 1 foot apart. Satisfactory 

 returns were also obtained by planting on 'Vfoot banks with 

 one row on the bank, and the plants singled out to one in 

 the hole, the boles being 1 foot apart. It was found that 



when corn was planted as a catch crop, and the distance, 

 between the holes was about 6 feet, four plants to a hole 

 could be safely left and would give good results if the distance 

 between each plant was 9 inches; in .other words, it is a 

 belter plan to sow the seed separately than to drop four 

 or five grains together in a hole. 



The total quantity of corn dealt with during the past 

 two seasons, in terras of undried or wet grain, was io 

 1916-17, 128,598 lb. or 2,296 bushels: in 1917-18, 

 295,908 ft>. or 5,284 bushels. Under the profit-sharing 

 scheme the payment on account was SI 50 per 100 lb. for 

 shelled corn, and -SI 12 per 100 DE). for cob corn. For the 

 1916 17 crop, the payment on account and the bonus netted 

 the venders 2'c. per lb. of wet corn. The transactions of 

 the 1917-18 season are not complete, but a much higher 

 final payment than this is likely to be made. The amount 

 advanced was the same as in the previous season. 



The exports of cnrn for 1915, 1916, and 1917 were 

 1,518, 1,652, and 2,855 bushels, respectively. The exports 

 are relatively small, but it is of interest to add that during 

 the 1917-18 season, 55 tons of corn were shipped to the 

 United Kingdom, and realized prices satisfactory to the ship- 

 pers. As, owing to the war, a larger proportion than usual of 

 the crops of the past three years has been consumed locally 

 it is not possible to ascertain the total ouput in each season. 



The Granary has proved a valuable asset to the people 

 of the colony, in that it made possible the maintenance of a 

 -supply of valuable cereal food in the form of corn meal 

 for use at times when imported breadstuffs were restricted 

 and expensive, and locally produced foodstuffs scarce and 

 dear. In the months of .June and July 1918, the output 

 averaged 8,000 lb. per week. 



The industry has been placed on a .sound footing, and 

 it is hoped that the substantial progress already made will 

 be maintained from year to year. 



BRITISH SUGAR MACHINERY MANUFAC- 

 TURERS' ASSOCIATION. 



A Sugar Machinery Manufacturers' Association has been 

 formed in Great Britain by the leading companies and firms 

 in the industry there, who have followed the recommenda- 

 tions of the British Ministry of Reconstruction, that all trades 

 form organizations to facilitate the distribution of materials 

 and to carry out other common purposes. 



A statement issued in behalf of the new association 

 points out that cessation of the import of beet sugar from 

 Germany and Austria has rendered the United Kingdom 

 entirely dependent upon the tropics for sugar, and that there 

 has been an urgent demand for cane-sugar machinery. The 

 Government has taken over the control of the whole engineer- 

 ing industry, in the interests of munitions production, and it 

 has, therefore, been necessary to get special permission to 

 employ metal materials or to export machinery containing 

 .such materials. It is considered that the questions thus 

 raised can be better discussed in ofHcial circles from the 

 point of view of an associated industry than from that of 

 individual firms. 



There is, moreover, a clear field of usefulness for this 

 association during the problematic period following the war. 

 On the one hand, it will continue to be necessary for British 

 makers r.f sugar machinery to do their utmost to as.siit the 

 development of th'j cane-sugar industry, while, on the other 

 hand, it is to be expected that for some time there will arise 

 questions of priority and precedence in regard both to 

 lupplies of metal and to shipping accommodations. 



