Vol. XIV. No. 333. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



I.-, 



STUDENTS' CORNER. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



The beginning of another yeai o iding for students 

 who have in view the obtaining o! ertificates of the 



Imperial Department, seems to be a good opportunity for 

 impressing again on them the aeces ty of careful and 

 continual observation. The trained ye sees verj much 

 more in an object of interest than the casual glance of one 

 imt interested. < >r in other word , sees in cadi object 



just what it has the capacity of seeing And observation, 

 that is careful attention to what one is looking at, enlarges 

 this capacity. This is true of ever} department of human 

 industry, but perhaps most so with regard to agriculture. 

 For the planter has not to deal with an exact science. 

 The very best agricultural systems, fcfte most scientific 

 methods of planting, may fail from causes over which 



system or science has nn absolute < trol, such as weather 



conditions. Heme the necessity of careful observation, 

 so as to apply system ami science intelligently to 

 meet the varying conditions which arise from non-pre- 

 ventible causes. Many things pertaining to agriculture 

 are hard to understand, but there are many others, 

 which ought to be no mystery to the observant man. 

 because they arc only the natural effects of causes which he 

 has taken note of. For instance, if a field, which has been 

 yielding a good return of the crop grown on it for several 

 seasons, begins to show a marked diminution in its yield, 

 the observant planter would know the particular reason, out 

 of the many that there might be want of drainage, lack of 

 proper manure, had tilth, etc. 



The observant planter must first and foremost note and 

 - dy the eonditions.it' his own particular locality. These 

 West Indian islands are in some ways very much alike, yet it 

 is well known that the conditions of soil and rainfall vary so 

 much, even in islands that are within a few miles of each other, 

 that rules and methods, uot to -peak of crops, have to be 

 modified to suit local conditions. Fortius reason the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture suggests varied subjects for special 

 study of each student, in order to stimulate observation of, 

 and attention to, a subject that can be investigated locally. 

 For instance, a student in Antigua could hardly have the 

 possibility of making personal observatii ns on the growth and 

 manufacture of cacao, or a student in Dominica of becoming 

 practically acquainted with the cultivation of cotton. Even 



if they obtained in either case a knowledge from books, the 



opportunities of cultivating their powers of observation would 

 Ii.in e been lacking. 



But not only is this true of different islands, but it is so 

 of different districts even in quite small islands. In fact the 

 necessity of local observation of their capacities and nee. Is 

 extends to diflerent estate, iii the same, district, and even 



further, to different fields on the ., state. Observation 



on these lines is within the power ol any agricultural student. 

 Hemay observe to take an example from sugar-cane plant- 

 ing how cadi variety grown on the estate he has to do 

 with, conducts itself in different fields^ Perhaps it does 



well on one, ami only fairly well notlier. Then his 



observation will probably find out tic reason for this, and 

 he may be able to make improvements in the future. 



In conclusion, the careful training of the faculty of 

 observation will also safeguard the agricultural student against 

 the danger of blindly following a be ick in bis occupation. 



Nor, on the other hand, will he In persuaded blindly to 

 undertake every new proposition, because his powers ,,f 

 observation will have trained him to weigh and estimate the 

 probabilities before entering on action. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



st. \ i\oi .vi i )n aci "nut of exi i ive rain tin ■ 



crop in this island is not turning is well as wa i 



The Agricultural Superintendent has bee rig with 



the owners of some estates a scheme for buying cane from 



small holders, and has I n holding in 



parts of the island in connexion with thi agricultural 

 situation as affected bj t lie war. 



dominica. An earl} Howeriug of tie limi trees seems 



pretty general. The fruit -I Id be ready for tin 



fresh lime market in New York. There ha, been consider- 

 able planting of lime tree, at I lie end of the year, 9,<j50 



pi. mi- having been distributed from the Botanic Stati m 

 in the month of I teceinber. 



montseebat. Tic- Agricultural Superintendent 

 that the general experience in the island thi year has en 



that the crop of yams is a comparative failure. The, 



of this is unknown. The experimental plot of l acn t 

 bay trees yielded .'i.i'.ifi lb. of green leaves from which -'!7 lb. 

 of oil has been extracted. The cultivation of maizi 

 been considerably extended, and the question of making 

 •farine' is receiving attention. Thi small shipmei 



gr id nuts sent to Canada -old lor ."»■. per fib., and was said 



to lie worth probably 7c. per lb. in bulk. There seems to be 

 a possibility of trade in this product. A meeting of pi 

 interested in cotton cultivation was addressed on December 30 

 by Mr. .1. L. Fonda, the cotton expert qow visiting the 

 West Irdics. 



ANTIGUA. The sugar cane crop of the island has much 

 improved during the last three months, and in some parts the 

 cotton crop looks promising. The area under cotton is iboul 

 742 acres. The total rainfall for 1914, as recorded al 

 Botanic Station, was 37*16 inches. 



st. kittn. In December the cane crop made good 

 gress and the prospects are more favourable. The Central 

 Factory was to begin operations on January 18 so as to fulfil 

 their contract for sugar sold in advance by March 31. The 

 next crop is being rapidly planted, and the germination is 

 good. There will be a slight increase in acreage of cane 

 planted. The one estate that planted cotton as a permanent 

 crop is now planting cane as well. Mr. Fonda visited 'he 

 island and addressed meetings of those interested in the 

 cotton industry. He was much pleased in general with tin' 

 condition of cotton both in St. K'ltl- and in Nevis. The 

 rainfall for the year at the Botanic Station wa- 50'87 inches. 



Nevis. The cotton crop throughout the island has 

 been reaped, and, on the whole, the returns are fairly 

 good. The small holders are putting some of their 

 lands into cane, and are making efforts towards better 

 cultivation and more adequate manuring. The provision 

 crops arc doing well, ami there i- an expectation of a very 



largi return of sweet potatoes. In thi- island also, Mr. Fonda 

 addressed a meeting of cotton growers on December Mi, 

 when many interesting points were noticed. The i. 

 lor the year was 53*55 indies. 



vim. in islands. The cotton field- have been much im- 

 proved in condition owing i" the reqent rains. Unfortunately 



however, the heavy downfall has caused the cotton plants in 



some places to suffer from arrested development of the bolls. 



There is considerable i xtension in the cultivation of food 



crop-, throughout the island-: sweet potatoes and ca 



have received the most attention, and maize is being largely 

 planted also. The interest in the lime and coco-n 

 •rie- is being maintained. 



