244 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 2, 1913. 



FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES. 



-CACAO PRIZE-HOLDINGS COMPETITION, 

 DOMINICA. 



The report on the above competition held in the Orand 

 Bay District during 1912-13 has just been received, through 

 the Curator of the Botanic Gardens, Dominica, from Mr. G A. 

 Jones. Assistant Curator. The chief points of interest are 

 summarized in the following article. 



The competition which the report describes was origin- 

 ally inaugurated by the Imperial Departmwit of Agriculture 

 ■with the object of improving the methods of cacao cultivation 

 amongst the peasant proprietors of the different districts. 

 As on previous occasions (see Ai/riciilfiiral Keit's, Vol. XI, 

 p. 132) there were two classes of holdings: Class 1, for 

 holdings not over 4 acres and not less than 1 acre of cacao 

 in bearing; Class II. for holdings under 1 acre having not 

 less than 100 trees of cacao in bearing calculated at a reason- 

 able distance apart. 



All the holdings were visited three times during the 

 year by the Local Instructor (Mr. J. (). Henderson) 

 and the Assistant Curator of the Botanic Gardens 

 (Mr. G. A. .Jones). Work that should be done was indicated, 

 trees and brances which were useless were marked out, and in 

 several cases, where drains were required, the Instructors 

 lined out the cour.oe. The peasants were shown the proper 

 methods for removing pods from trees and they were told of 

 the danger of allowing husks to lie about the plots. The 

 need for manuring and wind breaks, and for the removal of 

 the lower branches of shade trees was also carefully pointed 

 -out. The majority of the competitors seemed willing to 

 take advice with the exception of that concerning the 

 removal of trees. The institution, however, of an experi- 

 mental plot, by the Instructors, witli the object of proving 

 that a maximum crop does not follow when the trees are 

 •overcrowded, had a useful effect in causing several of the 

 •oompetitors to believe in, and carry out the operation of 

 thinning cacao plots. 



As regards the award of prizes, the first in Class I was 

 -divided betwsen two competitors, and in the second Class, 

 owing to lack of merit, the first prize was not awarded. On 

 the whole, the general standard was very satisfactory. 



A moat encouraging feature of the competition was the 



• circumstance that the former prize winners, although ineligible 

 for re competition, spare no effort in keeping their plots in 

 •€.xcellent order and up to the standard which they had 



• attained in the comfxttition of the former year. Indeed the 



stage has been reached in the (iiand Bay District and in 

 La Plaine is well, when it is not necessary again to oiler 

 money prizes. In the opinion of the Assistant Curator, if 

 annual visits are paid by an Agricultural C>flicer it will be 

 quite sutticient for keeping the people, whether former 

 competitors or not, on sound agricultural lines. 



Cheap and Satisfactory Way ot Shipping 



Bananas — Interesting particulars concerning the banana 

 exports to Europe from the t'anary Islands are presented in 

 Diplomatic and Cunxiilar Bejiorts, No. .5073 — Annual 

 Series. The total trade showed a slight increase on that 

 of the jjrevious year. Tlie amount of fruit sent to France 

 underwent a large increase, but to all other continental 

 countries very little difference was noted. During 1912, 

 however, Germany received 20,000 crates less, whilst the 

 L^nited Kingdom's imports showed an increase of IJO.OOO 

 crates. An increase of nearly .5'/. per crate in the freightage 

 on bananas shipped from the Canaries has inflicted a heavy 

 loss upon shippers, and the position became so diflicult 

 that some of the most important houses started a line 

 of steamers to carry their own fruit. One principal house 

 tried to get over the difliculty by employing a papier iixichti 

 covering for the fruit instead of wooden crates. This reduced 

 the space considerably. The experiment, it is said, has given 

 most satisfactory results, both as regards the condition of the 

 bunches on their arrival at their destination, and as regards 

 the cost of iiacking, on which a great saving has lieea 

 effected by the new method. 



Exhibits for the Bristol and Toronto Exhi- 

 bitions. — A letter has been received from the Secretary of 

 the Agricultural and Commercial Society of (irenada to the 

 effect that a large selection of interesting exhibits are being 

 forwarded through the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 to Toronto These include, amongst other articles, different 

 specimens of cacao, coconut, spices and fruit products. 

 A communication from the Agricultural Superintendent, 

 St. Kills Nevis, also contains satisfactory information in 

 regard to the representation of these islands at the Toronto 

 Exhibition. It is stated that the exhibits, ninety-six in number, 

 consist of sugars and by-products, cotton and by-products and 

 various kinds of preserves. According to the Dominira 

 Offu-i'd G'l-.ette. (July 4, 1913) full advantage has been taken 

 for advertising in England at the Bristol Show, Dominica 

 limes and citrus fruits in general. A list of the exhibits is 

 published in the Gazette referred to. 



