334 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



October 1G, 1909. 



at tliu Botanic Station is continued in the employiuent of it 

 as a means of trtjining tbe juniors, fo that they may be 

 capable of filling the post of Assistant for Agricultural 

 lixperiuients, in the event of their being required to do so. 

 In this way, they fhould become fitted to take up work on 

 estates. 



AXTiaUA : AXKUAL BEPORTS OX THE 

 BOTANIC STATIOX, EXI'EkIMENT PLOTS, AXl) 

 AGRICULTURAL EDUCATIOX, lUOS-U. 



At the Antigua Botanic Station, the total exiienditure 

 during the year 1908-9 ■ was £75:^> 17s. 4(/. ; of this 

 iE392 12s. \d. was from Imperial, and £307 5s. id. from 

 local, funds ; while £-51 0.«. \d. was spent on special services. 

 A sum of £103 3.i!. Grf. was received for produce sold, 

 including £56 los. %d. for plants and seeds. 



The total number of plants distributed was 78,256, of 

 which cane plants formed the largest proportion, namely, 

 71,000. Next in number to these were limes and cocoa-nuts, 

 ■with 3,650 and 1,975, respectively. A large distribution of 

 seeds and cuttings was also made ; this included 15,239 

 potato cuttings, 59-1 th. of yams, and 583i lb. of seeds of 

 leguminous [tlants which were mostly suitable for the pro- 

 vi.sion of green dressings. 



Among the industries that are subsidiary to that of sugar 

 in the island, there are speciallj' mentioned those of the pro- 

 duction of cotton, cocoa-nuts, and onions. The first of these 

 has received a severe check, chielly through the damage done 

 by tbe flower bud maggot. For the second, there is a limited 

 area of land that is suitable, and though the extension of the 

 growing of cocoa nuts is still in its infancy, there are indi- 

 cations that the new plantations will prove more successful 

 than che old ones. 'I'he arga planted in onions is about 50 

 acres, and does not vary much from year to year. 



The variety and manurial experiments in connexion with 

 sugar-cane have been continued on ten stations. They 

 included 1,100 plots with varieties, and 256 plots with 

 manures, and will form the subject of a separate report. 



The experiments at the stations at Scott's Hill and 

 ,Skerrett's have included trials with cas.sava, sweet potatos, 

 yams, cotton, broom corn, cddos and tannia^, ground nut.s, 

 sesamum, fruits, lemon grass, castor oil plant, forage plants, 

 and plants for green dres>ings. .\s regards ca.s.sava, the 

 variety that was most suited to the conditions at the station 

 \Yas ' Brown IStick ', received from St. Kitts. The best of the 

 Jamaica and Montserrat varieties came next, while those from 

 Columbia were a comparative failure. The number of varie- 

 ties of sweet potatos under test was sixteen. The advisability 

 of planting cuttings or roots was also tried, lileven varieties 

 of yams were under trial, and for these, as well as for sweet 

 })otato.-', the results for a jieriod of nine years are given. The 

 experiments with cotton included the continuation of the 

 improvement of seed by splcction, and observations on the 

 e'tl'ecis of close and wide planting, as well as a trial with the 

 Stirling variety froni liarbados. The number of dill'erent 

 plants that are being tried a^ green dressings is sixteen. Of 

 these, cowpeas, the Barbudj). bean, and the sword bean have 

 given the best results during the year, notwithstanding the 

 .susceptibility of the first to [insect attacks. 



The arrangement has been continued by which a limited 

 luunb-r of boys who have (taken up agricultural science at 

 the Grammar School can .spend some of their time during 

 the day at the Botanic Station, where they lill the position of 

 fcadet. This recognition of .the educational side of the work 



GRENADA: AXXf'AL R/iPORTS OX THE 

 liOTAXIC STATIOX. AGRICULTrRAL IXSTRUCT- 

 lOX, AND EXPERIMEXT PLOTS, luos-',). 



Among the economic plants that have been disposed of 

 during the year, tile chief demand has been for Sisal and 

 Castilloa. In addition, 2,100 plants of seedling cane D.95 

 and 4 lb. of Castilloa .seed were sent out from the Station. 

 The receipts for the sale of plants, seeds, fruit.s, etc., amounted 

 to £40 17.s'. \\d. 



The experinieut stations for cacao have been kept up, 

 and several new ones have been started. Where these have 

 been carried on for three years, useful information in connex- 

 ion with the maiiuring of cacao has been gained. Th& 

 experiment plots in country districts are planted in cotton 

 and cacao. In corinexion with these, it may be stated that,. 

 in accordance wrth a recommendation of the Peasant 

 Proprietary Commi.ssion, a new plot has been started at the 

 head of the Concord Valley, showing that they have a well- 

 recognized usefulness. The cotton experiments have been 

 successful, and indicate that this crop may attain to some 

 importance in certain parts of Grenada. 



The rainfall for 1908 at the Richmond Hill Station, at 

 the Government Observatory, was 68'41: inches, which is 

 7 '99 inches below the average for the last eighteen years. 

 The average precipitation at the eleven stations in the island, 

 from April 1908 to March 1909, was 96-92 inches. The 

 distribution of the rainfall throughout this period has been 

 abnormal, as was tlie case in the two previous years, and not 

 altogether favourable to cacao. The fairly normal conditions 

 of the earlier part (if the year were succeeded by a reduced 

 fall in August, September and Noveniber, the last of which 

 was excoiitionally di-y, causing the crop to be late. The end 

 of December, and .January and February were very wet, 

 however, and this will have probably restored the yield of 

 cacao to the average. 



The interest in the cultivati(ni of rubber-yielding plants 

 still continues to be shown, altiiongh, owing to untoward 

 circumstances in connexion with the supplying of seed, little 

 was added to the acreage covered by those plants. The 

 plants that liave been established have made good growth. 



Among the crops cultivated in the island, fruits and 

 ground provisimis make an insufficient showing owing to the 

 greater interest that is taken in cacao and nutmegs by the 

 peasantry. Etlorts are being made, both on the part of the 

 Agricultural Deiiartment and of the Agricultuial Society, to 

 encourage progress in this direction. 



The lectures in country districts have continued to be 

 given, and the interest in them has been such as to warrant 

 an attempt to hold 'them more frequently. Similar success 

 has been gained in the matter of the Pii/.e-lioldings Competi- 

 tions, and these have been extended so as to include a third 

 parish. By these two means and by the work in connexion 

 with the experiment! plots in country districts, the Officers of 

 the Department are brought into specially close touch with 

 the peasantry. The Scheme of Beading Courses for Over- 

 seers and Examinations in Practical Agriculture was intro- 

 duced by the Imperial Department during the year, and has 

 met with the ap[)roval of the Agricultural Society and the 

 Board of Education. 



