37-J 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



November 20. 1915. 



LIME CULTIVATION. 



NEW PLOT EXPERIMENTS IN 

 DOMINICA. 



The first series of manurial experiments with lime 

 cultivation, writes Mr. Joseph Jones in his annual report, 

 was laid out in the valley beyond Morne Bruce in the early 



months of the year 1913. Tl xperiments, which may now 



be divided into two series, are probably the first of their 

 kind i" be carried out with limes, and may therefore be 

 regarded as beingof great general interest. As already slated, 

 there are now two series — 



SERIKS 1 with nkl lime trees which existed on the 



plots when the experiment was laid out; 



series - with young lime trees only planted in 

 July 1913. 



The condition of the lime trees constituting series 1 when 

 the experiment was commenced in January L913, may be 

 gathered from the following description taken from prev- 

 ious reports and reproduced here lor ease of reference: 



'The limes in question were planted during 1893 by the 

 boys of the Reformatory School, a Government institution 

 which existed at Morne Bruce from January 1893 to 

 December 1895. To the end of the latter year the plants 

 were cared for, but from that time to the present the land has 

 remained in bush amongst which the limes have struggled to 

 exist. On the bush being removed, the lime plants were 

 found, as expected, to be poor in condition and attenuated 

 in appearance. With attention these poor limes should 

 develop into healthy well shaped lives in the course of time. 



'It is to be expected, under the condition stated above, 

 that tic- plots an- not complete. Vacancies occur in each, 

 which will l.e tilled in as soon as possible. 



'The land occupied by the plots is sloping in character, 

 conditions typical of large areas of lime cultivation in the 

 island.' 



These trees continue to make satisfactory progress in 

 developing new woo, 1, and are gradually assuming a normal 

 appearance, though it will take some years before this is 

 completely achieved. 



The area of existing lime trees was sufficient to allow of 

 eight plots of approximately {acre to be started. 



Each plot received its firsl annual quotum of manure in 



July 1913. In May 1914, a second similar application was 

 given, audit is intended to make identical applications in 

 May-June of each year. The limes from each plot have 

 been collected and measured throughout the crop season, 

 necessitating thirty live pickings. 



Tile figures obtained indicate the progress the trees have 

 made in twelve months. All the plots without exception 



show a very considerable increase, ranging between 203 per 

 cent, to 166 per cent. The control plot (B) shows an increa 



in yield "f -•"' ,l per cent. This may lie regarded as the 

 increase due to natural causes the mere clearing of the 

 surrounding bush and the cutlassing which this plot, in 

 Common with all the Others, has received; audit is fair to 

 assume that most of the other plots would haw recovered to 

 the same extent, and in some cases even more. ,i i..i it from the 

 effect of any manurial treatment received. 



It is much too early ti me to any conclusion on the 



figures which are now available, as to the most suitable 

 manure or combination of manures for lime trees; but even 

 at this stage it is justifiable to point out the considerable 



increase which has t Jlowed the use of organic nitrogen in 

 the form of dried blood, whether il isused alone (plot D), or 

 in conjunction with phosphate and potash (plot A), or e 

 with phosphate alone (plot II >. In all three eases the 

 addition of the manure has resulted in a substantial increase 



of yield over the no -manure plot. 



Apart from yields, and judging only by the appearance 

 of the trees, the outstanding feature is the excellent growth 



made by the < plete manure plot, and also the steady, if 



slow, improvement in the condition of the mulched plot; and 

 it should be remembered that this latter plot was, with 

 perhaps one exception (plot 1'), the most backward of all 

 when the experiment was lirst laid out. 



SERIES '-' with young limes. 



The series consists of eight ^-acre plots on fairly level 

 land adjoining the older trees. They were planted in July 



1913 and have, on the whole, made satisfactory growth. It 



is the intention to duplicate with the young cultivation the 



experiments carried on with the older lives, thus continuing 

 Or otherwise the results obtained. 



ADDITIONAL EXPERIMENTS Willi LIME CULTIVATION. 



Two additional manurial plots of old lime trees were laid 

 out a year after the original series; to one of these, cotton 

 seed meal at the rate of 10 ewt. per acre was applied, and to 

 the other, a dressing of lime at the rate of 5 cwt. per & 

 and a mulch of grass at the rate of '2\ tons per acre. 

 Similar applications are to be made annually, and the yields 

 recorded. 



In one of these plots charges of dynamite were 

 exploded in fifty-six holes between the trees; but after a long 

 wait no improvement could be observed in the condition of 

 the trees. 



Trees in a similar condition on another portion of the 

 held were treated in the same way with dynamite, but after 

 twelve months' time no improvement is observable. Judging 

 from these and other experiments carried out by planters, no 

 good effects con be discerned from the explosion of dynamite 

 in lime cultivation. There may however be certain conditions 

 such as the close proximity of a hard-pan to the surface, 

 under which the use of explosives may be advantageous. 



Within the area enclosed bj a fence early in 1914 there 

 was sufficient unoccupied land to lay out six additional | acre 



plots. Three of these were planted in seedling limes, and 

 these have made a good start. The remaining three have 

 been disposed of as follows: A and I'. in ordinary limes budded 

 on sour orange stocks, and C in spineless limes budded on the 

 same stock-. These three plots are likely to prove of the 

 greatest interest ami value in demonstrating certain important 

 points in lime cultivation, which are likely to develop in the 

 near future. 



Advantage was taken while planting these additional 



plots of testing the efficiency "I Idles made by dynamiting as 

 Compared with holes made in the usual way with the spade; 

 each alternate row of holes in the budded lime plots was 

 dynamited in December, and the remaining rows were made 

 soon after with the spade. 



The holes were carefully tilled in a few days before 

 planting to allow time for sinking, and early in July the 

 planting was done. At the tunc of writing (April) t 

 does not appear to be much difference "lie way or the other, 

 but the plots an> -.till under observation in this respect. 



Another piece of lainl having lime trees growing rather 

 irregularly was cleared '$> in December 1914, and may at 



sonic later date be available for experiment purposes; it 



measures about ' acre. 



