226 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 27. 1918. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



cREXAiiA. According to notes forwarded by the Super- 

 intendent of Agriculture, plant distribution during the 

 months of May and .June from various sources included the 

 following: lime plants, 1,300; yams, 10,960 lb.; eddoes and 

 tannias, 9,84.3 Bb.; sweet potato cuttings, 8,960 D).; cassava 

 cuttings, 3,298 B).; horse beans, 1,3.50 tt).; pigeon peas, 344B).; 

 Indian corn, 5,407 lb.; cotton seed (Marie Galante), 1,4.55 B)., 

 (Sea Island) 457 lb.; coconuts, 900: budded oranges, 35; 

 grafted mangoes, 31. In addition, the nuantity of plants and 

 seeds raised and used on the Department's Stations for plant- 

 ing purposes, was as follows: yams, 2,:-'3<) Bb.; eddoes, 7001b.; 

 various peas and beans, 60 lb. Mr. Muore states that in the 

 Botanic Gardens a large amount of work was involved in the 

 special plant distribution in conne.xion with the food crops 

 campaign; this has now been completed. 



Regarding staple crops, cacao is said to be in bloom, 

 and an early crop is anticipated. Spice prospects may be 

 described as fair. Cloves are selling locally at 16e., 18c, and 

 20c. per Uj. Limes are fruiting well. The crop of nutmegs 

 is good; the price locally is 19c. per R). ; recent London price.s 

 ranged from £12 to £15 per ban el. During the June 

 quarter, cotton to the value of £21,885 was shipped to the 

 United Kingdom. Eats and blackbirds are reported a.s having 

 destroyed sowings of corn. It is understood that the male 

 progeny of the recently imported Berkshites will .sell at 

 £5 apief-e. 



Piegarding weather conditions, the rainy season is said 

 to have begun in May. June was calm and rainy. The 

 rainfall recorded at Richmond Hill in May totalled 7 93 

 inches; for the m^nth of June the precipitation was 10'26 

 inches- 



ST. VINCENT. In his items of interest for ihu month 

 of June the Agricultural Superintendent, Mr. W. N. Sands, 

 states that good progress has been made with cotton planting. 

 Since the commencement of the season 5 tons of selected 

 cotton seed have been distributed to growers from the 

 Government Ginnery. Indications point to the planting 

 in .Sea Island cotton on an area e.\ceeding 4,000 acres. The 

 condition of the young cotton i)lants was excellent. J )uriiig 

 the month 584 bales of Sea Island cotton, and 06 bales of 

 Marie Galante were exported. The total crop of Sea Island 

 cotton for the season 1917- 1. S exceeded 900 bales of 360 lb. 

 each, as against 444 bales fur the 1916-17 crop. A scheme 

 for supplying corn meal to small growers wlio sold cotton 

 or corn to the ginnery or granary has been put in operation. 



Special work undertaken by officers of the Department 

 during the month was in connexion with the control of bush 

 bugs and the cotton stainer. The destruction at Govcrcment 

 House grounds of Tobago bread nut trees (/'(/(///>•(; it</ii(tti,a), 

 and the trapping of cotton stainers which had rollected 

 on the fruit.s of those trees were continued. Visits of inspec- 

 tion were made to several estate.s in connexion with bush 

 bug infestation. 



Excellent weather i.s said to have prevailed during the 

 month. The rainfall recorded at the I'.olanic Station was 

 11 "7 inches; the register at the l-lxperiment Station showed 

 9 '4 inches. 



.ST. lAciA. During the month of June the following 

 plants were distributed: lime plants, 2,350; budded oranges, 

 6; decorative and ornamental plant.", 247; vegetable .'^eeds, 

 58 packets. JJcgarding staple crops, .Mr. I'.rofjks states that 

 cacao was (lowering, limes coming in, and the .sugarcane ni.ik. 

 ing good growth. The exteni'ion of lime cultivation ( ontinues. 



The seheme of garden improvement at Government House, 

 commenced in April last, has been carried a stage further. 

 AVork in connexion with the cacao an<l lime prize holdings 

 scheme was continued throughout the month The rainfall 

 recorded at the Botanic f Jarden, Castries, during the month 

 totalled 8 78 inches; at the Botanic Station, Choiseul, the 

 record was 4 92 inches. 



iio.MiNKA. Plant distribution during the month of June 

 included: limes, 4,325; cofifee, 500; shade trees, 150; bamboos, 

 100; budded citrus, 70; grafted mangoes, 8; miscellaneous, 

 29, making a total of 5,182. In addition, 120 packets of 

 vegetable seeds were sold. The Curator, Mr. Joseph .lones, 

 mentions the fact that ripe limes were selling at hs. per 

 barrel. The total rainfall for the month was 604 inches. 



MONTSEKUAT. The Curator, Mr. W. Ilobson, writes to 

 say that comparative drought prevailed duiing the month of 

 June, and as a result, the first crop of cotton from the breeding 

 plot in the Experiment Station will be small. Plant distri- 

 bution compri.'^ed: Bay plants, 855; sweet potato cuttings, 

 420; black-eye peas, 3 lb.; Madagascar beans, 4 packets: 

 Lima beans, 7 packets; papaw seed, 2 oz. In the Botanic 

 Gardens seven distillations of bay leaves were made, bringing 

 the total quantity of leaves reaped for the year up to date, 

 to 4,000 ft)., with a yield of 40 B). of oil for the half year. The 

 return of oil from the last eleven distillations averaged 22 oz. 

 per 100 lb. of leaves. Returns show that the quantity of 

 cotton obtained from the 2,608 acres grown in 1917-18, and 

 delivered to the Govenuuent, was 409,511 ft), of lint, being 

 at the rate of 157 I^. of lint cotton per acre, which is 1 1 lb. 

 above the average for the last fourteen years. The outlook 

 for the present croj) has not improved, and in most districts 

 the rainfall has been less satisfactory than at Grove Station. 

 The season, so far, has been the most disappointing, 

 Mr. Robson says, in his experience. In fields of cotton 

 planted in March the bolls have commenced to open, with 

 the prospect of producing half a crop only. Cotton stainers 

 are already reported from a larger number of districts than 

 Usual, ami leaf blister mite has appeared in a few cases. 

 Lime ciltivation has also suffered on account of the dry 

 weather. In one important lime district, the rainfall for the 

 last ten months totalled 20 inches only. For a similar 

 reason ground provisions are scarce. 



Observations made at Blakes and Trants estates appear 

 definitely to connect the existence of certain malvaceous 

 plants, particularly Sic/d aciimiiiaUi_ with the tiding over 

 of the cotton stainer from one season to another. At HIakos 

 it was noticed that the St. Vincent Jack Spaniard, introdDced 

 by the Department in 1910, was plentiful. The rainfall 

 recorded at Grove Station during the month was 381 inches, 

 making a total of 22 01 inches for the year to date. 



ANTiiU'A. Mr, T. Jackson mentions that onion seed kept 

 over quicklime .-^ince November last in the Experiment Sta- 

 tion gave at the beginning of June a germination of 71 

 per cent., and when planted out in the nursery produced 

 strong .seedlings. He expresses the opinion that this method 

 of keeping onion seed for early planting is likely to be 

 a success. Plant distribution for the month of June ineluded 

 ]i)0 lime plants, 2,009 %. of black-eye peas, 915 Jb. 

 of yams, 70s^ lb. of cotton .seed, 4 lb. of onion seed, 

 and 6 packets of miscellaneous seeds. On the whole, 

 the young cane crop Njoked promising, but required rain 

 at time of writing. The young cottfin crop also looked 

 promising. The returns lor last year's cotton crop amounted 

 to 50,151 ft), of clean lint cotton, and 2,221 lb. of stains. 

 .Slight attacks of cotton caterpillars were experienced 

 iluring the month. A silo has been erected at Cas.sada 

 <iar<len estate. Approximately 30,000 ft), of cob corn 



