Vol. VIII. No. 187. 



THE AGRICULTOKAL NEWS. 



■201 



West Indian Bulletin. 



Piiit 1 of Volume X of the Wrst Indian BidMi.n 

 has lately been i.ssuccl. The fifsit. paper by JFr. 

 H. A. Ballon, 31, Sc, deals with the Hower-biid 

 magtjot of cotton that has been the cause of so nnieh 

 trouble to cotton growers at Antigua in the past two 

 seasons. An account is given of the investigation 

 work that has been carried out with this insect. 



The ' Composition of Antigua and St. Kitt's 

 Molasses ' is discussed by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.tJ., 

 and Mr. H. A. Tenipany, B.So. Antigua molasses is in 

 greater demand than that produced at St. Kitt's. 

 This is attributed to the difference in the composition 

 of the two products. The molasses from St. Kitt's 

 contains less sucrose than that produced at Antigua. 



In the paper ' The Passing of the Bourbon Cane at 

 Antigua,' Mr. Tempany, gives an account of this cane, 

 and shows the causes that have led to its aban- 

 •donnient.. Mr. J. R. Bovell, I.S.O., contributes an 

 article in which a comparison is made of ihe Bourbon 

 sugar-cane with the White Transparent and other 

 varieties ;it Barbados. 



Two other useful papers by ]'r. Watts and Mr. 

 Tempany are also contained in ihis number. The 

 first IS ou the soils ot Xevis, while tlie second contains 

 a detailed account of the work in cotton selection that 

 was done in the Leeward Islands during 1907-8. 



The final article is by Mr. Walter Biften, B.Sc, 

 on the subject of soil inoculation in connexion with 

 the gi'owth of leguminous crops. In this the chief 

 work that has been done in the past is described, and 

 the conclusions arrived at are indicated. 



Prize-lioldings Competitions at Jamaica. 



The reports on the prize-holdings competitions 

 held last year in the parishes of St. Elizabeth and 

 ■Clarendon, Jamaica, are published in the Journal of 

 the Jamaica Agricultural Society for April, and indi- 

 cate that the competitions aroused very considerable 

 interest among the peasant cultivators. Forty-three 

 entries were received in St. Elizabeth and fifty-seven 

 in Clarendon — a fairly good number, although not equal 

 to what v.'as expected. In both parishes, it is stated 

 that the intiuence of the competition was apparent on 

 all hands in the improvements that were being carried 

 out on the holdinffs. On manv holdings that were 

 entered, much useful work had been done, contributing 

 to the permanent good of the property. It was 

 satisfactory to note the efforts made in many cases to 

 provide storage for water. In Clarendon numbers of 

 small holders had erected fences around their holdings. 

 For this purpose the judges recommended in general 

 the use of walls, boards, barbed wire, etc., in preference 

 to live hedges, which often provide too much shade. 

 In Clarendon the cultivations were clean and neat, but 

 all the competitors need to give more attention to 

 drainage, trenching, and deep cultivation. 



Disc Ploughs and Mould-board Ploughs. 



The relative advantages of disc and mould-board 

 ploughs is attracting the attention of many farnieis 

 and planters. ^J'he mould-board plough may be con- 

 sidered most suitable on moist or irrigated land, while 

 the disc plough is to be preferi-ed when the soil is dry 

 and hard. Indeed, a special advantage connected with 

 the disc implement, is, that it may frequently be used 

 for ploughing land that has become too dry and hard 

 for the mould-board. This is often of much value, 

 as it is not so necessary to wait for rain, and the 

 seed can be planted at the proper time. On the 

 other hand, where the land is in a fit condition for 

 ploughing, and is not too dry, the mould-board plough 

 pulverizes and turns the soil more satisfactorily. 

 The disc plough is lighter in draught, does not require 

 sharpening so often, cuts through trash better, and does 

 not clog so easily. A 2-1-inch disc is best for general 

 purposes. 



Rice Production and Consumption in British 

 Guiana. 



In a repoit lately issued, Messrs. Wieting <& 

 Bichter mention that the area that has been planted 

 for reaping from October to December next is believed • 

 to be somewhat larger than thar of last season, but 

 that it is too early as yet to calculate on any material 

 increase in the yield. ' 



It is interesting to note that with the extensivis " 

 increase in the cultivation of rice that has taken .' 

 place of late years, there has been a large advance " 

 in the quantity consumed locally. The local con--- 

 sumption now reaches 360,000 bags per annum. In 

 the West Indian islands the high quality of British , 

 Guiana rice, as compared with that imported from 

 Calcutta, is now generally recognized, and the exports 

 to those islands since the beginning of the year now 

 amounted to 15,000 bags. In 1907, 29,715 acres 

 yielded 27,150 tons of rice ; in 190S the area increased 

 to 37,<S51 acres, with a yield of 30,770 tons. ' 



Cacao Production in San Domingo. 



Cacao production forms the premier agricultural' 

 industry of San Domingo, and in 1907 the quantity' 

 shipped was 9,9'S3 tons. During 1908 there was' 

 a considerable increase in the output, no less than 

 7,409 tons having been exported from Puerto Plata, 

 alone. San Domingo possesses extensive areas adniir- 

 abl)^ adapted in every way for cacao cultivation, and, 

 according to the latest British Consular report, 

 continuous eftbrts are being made by both native and' 

 foreign planters to develop the industry, and it is 

 anticipated that these efforts will soon pla^je the 

 republic in the second or third rank of the cacao- 

 producing countries of the world. 



The average yield of cacao per tree in San 

 Domingo is placed at somewhat over 3 lb., and on 

 some plantations the average reaches 4 lt>. These 

 returns compare favourably with those obtained in 

 many other countries where more advanced methods of 

 culture are practised. 



