18 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



January 23, 1909. 



for the improvement of existing pastures, and for more 

 attention to be paid to the provision of drought- 

 resisting fodder crops in greater quantity and variety. 

 In this connexion, it is satisfactory to note that 

 a number of experiments in the growth of fodder crops 

 of various kinds have, during the past few years, been 

 carried out at Dominica, Antigua, St. Vincent, and 

 Grenada. Crops of special vahie in this direction are 

 Guinea grass, sorghum, imphee, teosinte, reana, Para 

 grass, cowpeas, etc. 



In many of thi' West Intiian islands, the small- 

 holdings class form a jirominent section of the agri- 

 cultural community, and the prosperity of these jjeople 

 would undoubtedly be much enhanced if each posses.sed 

 one or more cows, goats, sheep, or pigs, in proportion to 

 the extent of their holdings, and understood how to 

 manage the animals to the best advantage, and to feed 

 them properly. In some of the islands, Barbados for 

 instance, it cannot be asserted that the peasantry 

 wilfully neglect the keeping of small stock. Almost 

 every holder has his cow, sheep, goat, or pig: unfortunate- 

 ly, however, in too many cases, the inferior character of 

 these animals, and the fact that they are insufficiently 

 fed arc only too obvious. Farther, it may be pointed out, 

 that the method of management very commonly 

 adopted with cows is not one likely to induce the 

 maximum return of milk. Only too often these 

 animals eke out their existence, tethered by a short 

 rope, on a bare pasture, unprotected from sun or the 

 attacks of flies, and with an insufficient supply of water. 



Small holders, however, have not the knowledge 

 nor the means for stock improvement, and cannot be 

 expected to take any initiative in the matter. In 

 Encrland, the improvement of the various breeds has 

 been largely brought about by private enterprise, 

 such as that of big landowners, with the encourage- 

 ment of Agric\iltural Societies : and these efforts have 

 made English live stock famous for their excellence all 

 over the world. As regards the West Indies, the 

 responsibility of introducing improvements must be 

 with Departments of Agriculture and Agricultural 

 Societies. Under the conditions which exist in these 

 colonies, little can be expected from private enterprise, 

 although the result of efforts made by individual estate 

 owners, both towards breeding superior animals, and in 

 the culture of forage crops, are, in a way, a lesson to 

 all in the neighbourhood. 



It may fairly be claimed that much good work 

 has been done in this direction by the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture (luring the past ten years. 

 Male animals of superior type — stallion horses and 



donkeys, bulls, rams (sheep and goats), and boars, all of 

 improved breeds — have been purchased for the West 

 Indies, and these animals have been stationed in 

 various islands and moved about from place to place as 

 occasion reipiireu. Their services have in all cases been 

 available to small holilers at very low fees. Previous 

 to the establishment of the Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, a Government Stock Farm was already 

 in existence at Skerrett's, Antigua, and this served 

 a very useful purpose in that colony. At Trinidad, too 

 the Government Farm is a valuable institution, since is 

 not only sets a standard of quality for stock owners, 

 but is the means through which new blood is intro- 

 duced into the colony, and also provides facilities for 

 the purchase, by private estate owners, of animals of 

 various breeds, and superior type. The Barbados 

 Agricultural Society has lately taken a step iu the 

 same direction. As already mentioned in the .i4^7'i- 

 cidtural Xrws. the Society has recently imported 

 a Catalonian jack donkey of superior character, 

 for the pur[)ose of encouraging mule breeding in the 

 island. 



As practical demonstrations of the possibilities 

 of stock improvement are thus brought before the 

 general agricultural public, there should be an increased 

 tendency for more care to be exercised in breeding, and 

 the progress made will, in all probal)ility, be more rapid 

 and noticeable. 



It is ])robable that few agriculturists without 

 considerable practical experience in rearing animals 

 realize how profoundly the character of a given breed 

 mav be modified, even in the course of a few generations 

 if the work is carried out with care and skill. In order 

 to attain the best results, it is important that too much 

 is not attempted at once. In the case of cattle, since 

 some breeds are adapted for laying on flesh, and others 

 for milk production, or, it may be, of special value for 

 purposes of labour, it is useless to attempt to 

 develop two of these qualities to a high degree in 

 the same liiecd. Il the highest success in breeding is 

 to be reached, the stock raiser must <lecide which 

 characteristic he desires to encourage, select the breed 

 which seems best adapted for his jiurpose, and con- 

 centrate his skill on the development of their 

 primary quality alone. General purpose animals are 

 seldom very satisfactory. If milk is required, such 

 breeds as the Hereford should be avoided, and full 

 advantage taken of the natural qualities of the Jersey, 

 Guernsey, and Ayrshire, while if stock raising for the 

 butcher is the primary motive, an opposite policy in 

 the choice of breeds will naturally be followed. 



