Vol. XIII. No. 315. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



169 



New Canadian Tariff Changes. 



Tbe Canadian Trade Comniissioner (Mr. E. H. S. 

 Flood) has furnished this ottice with a memoran- 

 duiii issued by the Customs ] )epartment of Canada, 

 which contains information of importance to the West 

 Indies. The duties on cassava flour, when imported 

 b)" manufacturers of explosives for use exclusively in 

 the manufacture of such articles in their own factories, 

 has been removed. The general and intermediate 

 tariff on dried or evaporated bananas is h cent per ft., 

 whilst this produce may be entered free under the 

 British Preferential Tariff. The duty on cocoa-nuts, 

 desiccated, sweetened or not, per ft., is b cents under 

 the British Preferential Tariff and 4 cents under the 

 Intermediate and General. Peanut oil for manufactur- 

 ing soap or for canning fish, and soya bean oil for 

 making soap may enter free of duty. 



In view of the efforts that are being made to 

 extend the cultivation of cassava and coco-nuts in these 

 islands, the above changes are very welcome and pro- 

 vide a source of considerable encouragement. 



Britisli Guiana and Peasant Agriculture. 



A leading article, published as the outcome of 

 the last number of the West Indian BuUetin, appears 

 in the Bemerara Daily Chronicle (Mail Edition) for 

 May 8, 1914. In this it is stated that the papers 

 which the number of the Bulletin under consideration 

 contains put powerful arguments into the bands of 

 those in British Guiana who are advocating the adop- 

 tion of a more vigorous policy of land settlement and 

 co-operative credit. In reviewing the contents of the 

 publication, it is urged that the comprehensive schemes 

 of settlement which have been the salvation of 

 St. Mncent and other islands should be adopted in 

 order to prove the salvation of British Guiana. 



The number of the Bulletin under consideration 

 begins with an introductory article by Dr Francis 

 Watts, C.M.G., in which the various efforts made to 

 organize a peasent agriculture in the different islands 

 are briefly outlined: attention is given at some length 

 to the history and influence of the Land Settlement 

 Scheme in St. Vincent, which appropriately supple- 

 ments a paper which follows on the working of the 

 Settlements in that colony by Mr. W. N. Sands. The 

 position as regards Land Settlements in Grenada and 

 the (Jrenadines is fully dealt with by Mr. G. G. Auch- 

 inleck, Mr. Whitfleld Smith and Mr. W. Bertrand. 

 The subject of co-operative credit receives attention in 

 a paper by Mr. W. R. Dunlop, and in a report on 

 the working of the St. Vincent societies, by Mr. J. 

 Anderson. 



Is the Earth Drying Up? 



Professor J. W. Gregory's articles on this question 

 in the Geographical Journal have brought forth 

 several discussions on the subject in various parts of 

 the world, particularly in South Africa. Professor 

 Gregory has examined critically the extensive and 

 scattered literature from which evidence may be 



gleaned and has come to the conclusion that there 

 may have been many widespread climatic changes in 

 late geologic times, but in historic times there has 

 been no world-wide change of climate. It has been 

 asserted that the circumstance of the level of the 

 Dead Sea being lower than it was in earlier times is 

 evidence of desiccation, whilst biblical references to 

 the luxuriant vegetation of Palestine has led to the 

 belief that the rainfall has gradually become diminished 

 up to the present time. But Professor Gregory says 

 it may be concluded frrm the most precise test now 

 available, namely, from the range of the date palm 

 and the vine, that the climate of Palestine is the same 

 to-day as it was in the time of Moses. 



There have of course occurred within the various 

 cycles which rainfall follow, periods, sometimes extend- 

 ing into years, when the rainfall is below what is 

 believed to be the mean average. The past three 

 years in the West Indies afford an example of this, 

 and the significance of it is as follows: if, as is generally 

 recognized, it takes from thirty to forty years' rainfall 

 records to provide ua with a true mean average, the 

 remaining ten or fifteen years which will be required 

 in most of the West Indian colonies before this data 

 is complete, will include this period of low precipita- 

 tion, which will probably indicate that the mean 

 average rainfiiU is considerably less than what was 

 popularly supposed. There may of course occur 

 compensating periods of heavy rainfall which will 

 increase the mean average. But agriculturally it is 

 the maximum and minimum which are of the greatest 

 imporcance since the succcess or failure of a steady 

 rotation of crops is limited by these extremes rather 

 than by the mean. 



A New Map of the West Indies. 



The latest issue of the West India Committee 

 Circular, just to hand, notifies the fact that the 

 Committee has published a new map of the West 

 Indies. The size of this valuable publication, which 

 has besn specially drawn under the superintendence 

 of the Committee, by the London Geographical Insti- 

 tution, is 3 feet 9 inches by 2 feet 10 inches. While 

 no attempt has been made to give the physiographical 

 features of the different islands — this being imprac- 

 ticable in view of the relative size of most of the 

 islands — the principal railways, sea distances in 

 nautical miles, cables, wireless telegraph stations, 

 coaling stations and oil stations are all clearly marked. 

 The map has three insets, one showing the routes and 

 distances between Canada and the United States and 

 the West Indies, another a plan of the Panama Canal, 

 and the third showing by diagrams and figures the 

 area and population of the various British West Indian 

 colonies. The map is coloured and can be obtained 

 either varnished and mounted on rollers or in sheets. 

 The price to members of the West India Committee 

 mounted and varnished, 7s. Qd. post free or in sheet 

 .5s. post free. To others than members the price is 

 10s. (id. and 7s. 6rf., respectively. 



