Vol. Vlll. No. 179. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



67 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Seedling Canes at Antigua and St. Kitt's. 

 The pamphlet report (No. 56 in the Series issued 

 by the Imperial Department of Agriculture) on the 

 experiments with seedling and other canes carried out 

 at Antigua and St. Kitt's in the season 1907-.S has just 

 been issued liy this Department, and the information 

 supplied in legaid to the relative returns given by the 

 different vaiieties is of considerable interest. The 

 experiments were carried on at eight estates at Antigua 

 .-ind eight at St. Kitt's, so that the results placed on 

 record were obtained under a thoroughly represent- 

 ative range ot soil and climatic conditions. 



Ill the plant cane trial.s at Antigua made during 1907 N 

 .six seedlings gave returns .superior to that jneldetl by White 

 Transparent ; these include 8ealy Seedling, B. 208, B. 1.56, 

 and B. 306, which were al.«o among the .seedlings heading the 

 li.st in last year's results, and so are to be commended as 

 useful canes. The four seedlings mentioned gave returns in 

 1908 of 5,7.30, 5,6-10, -5,460, and 5,170 ft. of .sucrose per 

 acre respectively, as compai'ed with 5, lOO lb. of sucrose yielded 

 by White Transparent. 



It should lie pointed out that the general yield from plant 

 canes at Antigua in 1907-8 was decidedly below the average 

 of the previous six years. 



With the object of ascertaining which canes are above 

 the average in merit and may safely be planted over 

 a wide range of conditions, it is customary every year to 

 note those which come among the first .seven on the list at 

 each station. In the past year in the plant cane trials at 

 Antigua, Sealy Seedling, and B. 376 were among the first 

 seven at six out of the eight station.s, while B. 20s! and B. 1.56 

 came within the first seven at five stations. 



The mean results obtained over the past seven years in 

 these plant cane experiments are alsri tabulated, and on the 

 basis of these returns it is seen that eight seedlings have 

 •done better than the White Transparent. Chief among 

 these are : B. 208 (average yield 7,560 tt. of sucrose). 

 B. 156 (7,360 »).), Sealy Seedling (7.350 lb.), B. 306 

 (6,950 tt>.), and B. 109 (6,680 Itj.). White Transparent yielded 

 6,090 H). of sucrose per acre. 



Judging from their merits as plant canes, the following- 

 seedlings are recommended for planting at Antigua : Sealy 

 Seedling, B. 208, B. 156, B. 306, and pos.sibly P.. 376 and 

 B. 109. The good results given by I). 625 in 1906-7 have 

 not been maintained in 1907-8, and therefore the planting of 

 this seedling on any considerable .scale is not recommended. 



The plots from which the plant canes in the.se experi- 

 ments are reaped are afterwards cultivated as first ratoons, 

 since the vigour with which a cane ratoons is an important 

 factor in judging its usefulness. ' ' 



Batoon experiments were carried out at seven stations at 

 Antigua in 1907-8. On the basis of the mean returns from 

 all the stations the canes which gave the best yields as 

 ratoons were : D. 109 (4,370 lb. of sucrose), Sealy Seedling 

 (4,360 lb.), B. 306 (4,210 Iti.), and B. 147 (4,140 1b.); 

 B. 208 gave 3,920 lb. of sucrose per acre and Wliite 

 Transparent 3,850 lb. The cane Sealy Seedling came within 

 the first seven at six stations, while B. 306, B. 109, and 

 T>. 109 weie within the first seven canes at five stations. It 

 will be noticed that several of the canes which are promising 

 as plant canes also po.ssess merit as ratoons, notably D. 109, 

 •f5caly Seedling, B. 306, and B. 376. lielatively better results 

 were given by B. 147 as ratoons than as plant canes. 



Combining the information available with regard both 

 to plants and ratoon.s, the canes which appear to be best 

 worth planting at Antigua are : Sealy SeedUng for heavy 

 soils in luditterent tilth : B. 208 for the best soils in first- 

 class order; also B. 156, B. 306, and pos.sibly 1). 109. In 

 some districts, principally those with a light well-drained soil, 

 B. 147 finds favour with planters. 



In the season under review, a number of new varieties 

 of seedling canes which have not yet been introduced into 

 the _ general experiments were cultivated at two of the 

 Antigua stations. Although it is undesirable at present to 

 say much regarding the probable usefulness of these canes, 

 the collection undoubtedly contains some very promisin<^ 

 varieties. The plots will shortly be reaped for the 1909 crop^ 

 and planters are advised to give careful attention to the 

 results. 



^When the experiments carried out at St Kitt's in 

 1907-8 are considered, it is observed that the yield given by 

 the [ilaiit canes was well up to the average of previous years. 

 This is interesting in contrast with the case at Antigua. 



Taking the mean returns of 1908 alone into considera- 

 tion, the varieties which did be.st in the plant cane experi- 

 ments are : B. 254 (8,570 fix of .sucrose per acre) B 208 

 (8,430 ft).), 1). 109 (7,840 lb.), and D. 116 (7,240 ft.). 

 B. 254 has come within the first seven canes at .seven stations, 

 B. 2U8 at six .station.s, while B. 306, I). 109, B. 1,753 and 

 D. 116 were among the first .seven at five stations. It will 

 be seen that B. 254 has once more sjirung into remarkable 

 prominence among the plant canes as it did in 1905-6. In 

 1906-7, however, it fell back very considerably, and this 

 erratic behaviour should cause it to be treated with caution. 



It may be mentioned that a new cane — B. 1,753 occupies 



a good position (fifth) on the list, with a yield of 7,180 S). 

 of sucrose. The return given by White ' Transparent was 

 6,360 lb. of sucrose per acre. 



The mean returns obtained in these exi'eriments during 

 the past eight years testify to the merits of B. 208, D. 116^ 

 D. 74, B. 306, and B. 376 as plant canes. Mont Blanc 

 also shows a good average (7,370 lb. of sucrose) over the 

 period. 



The weather conditions which pre%ailed at St. Kitt's in 

 1907-8 did not appear to be favourable to the growth of 

 ratoons. Only the hardiest canes ratooned well, and promis- 

 ing varieties, such as B. 208 and D. 109, occupy quite a low 

 position on the list On the average returns for the past 

 seven year.s, B. 208 (5,840 lli. of sucro.se), 1). 74 (5 800 lb ) 

 B. 306 (.5,680 lb.). D. 95 (.5,660 lb.), and I). 116 (5,560 ft.) 

 have proved most profitable as ratoon canes at St. Kitt's. 



The pamphlet report contains an appendix which .shows, 

 in tabular form, the area occupied by the ditt'erent varieties of 

 cane at Antigua and St. Kitt's. The White Transparent is 

 still by far the chief cane planted at Antigua, and, for the 

 plantings to be reaped in 1909, occupies 7,067-| acres out of 



a total of 9,o55| acres. B. 147 comes -second on the li.st 



but far below -with an area of 699 acres ; then come Sealy 

 Seedling (575f acres), B. 208 (334iacres), D. 95 (293 acres), 

 Bourbon (107i acres), B. 306 (76 acres), and D. 109 (59' 

 acres). The areas under B. 147, Sealy Seedling, D. 109, 

 B. 109, and D. 625 have all been increased since last year. 



At St. Kitt's the position is (juite ditt'erent, seedling (-anes 

 occupying nearly two-thirds of the area devoted to the sugar 

 crop. B. 147 is the seedling chiefly favoured, and this is 

 ])lanted over 3,276 acres as compared with 2,708 in 1908 ; 

 B. 208 covers 2,074 acres, or 27 acres less than in 1 908,' 

 while White Tran.spareut occupies 1,577 acres, as against 

 2,171 in 1908. B. 109 covers 131 acres, and 123 acres- 

 have been planted with the seedling D. 116. 



