324 



THE AC4mCULTURAL NEWS. 



OCT.IBER Id, 1914. 



AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS IN 



MONTSERRAT. 



(_»n Scpteiiibri ,1!), thr Ciiiiiinissionur of AgTiciil- 

 ture, at the invitation of the Commissioner of this 

 Presidency, Lt.-Co!onel Davidson-Houston, C.M.G., 

 adchessed a large and representative meeting helfl in 

 the Court House in Plymouth, Montserrat, on the 

 agricn'.tural prospects of ]\Iontsi'rrat. at which His 

 Honour the Coniuiissiouer prr-ided. 



In the opening portion of his addreHs Di'. Watts 

 reviewed the past history of tlie island, as indicated by con- 

 sideration of the value of the exports: he dealt with these 

 in a series of nine quinquennial periods back to lSfi9, and 

 showed that during the first three of these periods 1869-73, 

 1874-8, 1879-83, the total exports had an average value 

 of some £'32,900. In 1883 came the .sugar crisis from which 

 time the sugar industry of tlie island dwindled, as is shown 

 by the gradual falling off in the value nf exports in the 

 succeeding periods, these lieini; in 1 S.'^ I s -f2+, 000, 1889-93 

 £27,223, 1894-8 £20,020. 



The rise in the period 1889-9.'! was due to a vigorous 

 eftbrt to restore the sugar indnstvy by resuscitating the group 

 <jf properties known as the Irish estates. 



The period 1899-1903 was the most disastrous in the 

 island's recent history: the .sugar had dwindled to small 

 proportions and all agricultural wrn-k received a crushing 

 blow in the hurricane of 1899. In this period the value of 

 the exports fell to £13,853, being as low as £8,287 in the 

 single year 1900. 



Fortunately, at this period, attention was directed in 

 several parts of the West Indies to the possibilities of cotton 

 growing, and nowhere more energetically than in ^Montserrat; 

 so that the cultivation of Sea Islancl cotton, which first 

 figures in the exports of 1903 with a value of £1,487, soon 

 became an industry of importance and we find the island's 

 exports improving in value so that in the period 1904-8 

 they reached an average of £29,348 a vear, and in the period 

 1909-13 they exceeded £40,000. 



During this last period, cotton has assumed the position 

 of gi'eatest imi)ortance, the a\'erage annual value of the 

 exports of cotton and cotton seed being £22,372. The 

 average value of limes and lime products, the items next 

 in importance, being £8,0o(). 



Obviously, then, Montserrat is greatly dependent on 

 its cotton industry, and nmst view with some concern the 

 interference wi'th this and the consecjuent low prices that are 

 anticipated as the result of the existing Euro])ean war. The 

 situation is, therefore, one that must be fairly faced and 

 carefully discussed. 



In view of the temporarily diminished cousunqition of 

 Sea Island cotton it would seem desiralile that there should 

 be a temporary reduction in outptit so as to obviate the 

 accumulation of large stocks at low prices, as they would 

 tend to depress values, unduly during a prolonged period. 



There will undoubtedly lie some reduction in planting 

 next year in those islands that are largely producing sugar, 

 in view of the high prices likely to be obtained for that com- 

 modity. There will thus most jiroliably be some reduction 

 in Antigua and in liarbados. The dimini.shed price of cotton 

 will in itself tend to curtail cotton planting in many places; 

 attention will be turned to other crops. 



Facing now the position presented to Montserrat, the 

 sjieaker saw no reason for ajjprehension. The i.sland has 

 recently had a period of very c<insiderable prosperity, money 



is now more abundant and more widely diffused in the islauil 

 than it has been in living memory, while the lands of the 

 island are more generall}' cultivated, are more opened up and 

 weeded and cleared than they have probably ever been. The 

 opportunities thewfore, are extremely favourable foi' attempt- 

 ing new industries while still continuing the cotton industry 

 on a I'easonaiile scale on the lands known to be well suited to 

 the crop, and on which the cultivation can be carried on nrost 

 economically. 



The cpiestion arise.s — What crops can lie considered ■ it her 

 than cotton? 



The increased price of sugar will no donlit make it worth 

 while to consider the revival for a time of the muscovado sugar 

 industry. There is .still a fair area under sugar cultivation, 

 chiefly jiruducing sugar for local use: there are se\eral sugar 

 works and these may lie repaired and improved to enable the 

 crops to be taken oti'. It may be worth considering at this 

 juncture whether small muscovado nrills may not be operated 

 by means of oil engines. Dr. Watts understood that this is 

 being tried in at'ljeast one instance in Montserrat A new and 

 substantial set of works has just been erected at Iiileys that 

 will serve a fair area. Speaking generally, the district from 

 the windward side of the island from Farnr to the leeward 

 side to Gages may be regarded as capable of providing itself 

 with sugar machinery of a not very perfect kind it is true, 

 liut of a character that may enable sugar to be grown to 

 advantage during a period of high prices. 



Sugar alone will not suffice, and attention must be given 

 to other crops. Speaking broadly, for export purposes there 

 should be crops that will keep and can be stored: one's mind 

 naturally turns to grain crops that have this advantage. 



Foremost amongst grain crops stands corn (maize). The 

 people of the island are familiar with its cultivation; it serves 

 as a home-grown food and the excess can be exported. It is 

 anticipated that many food crops, including corn, will sell at 

 increased prices during the next few years: before the disurb- 

 ance of values caused by war, corn was steadily increasing in 

 price and new sources of supply were being sought. The 

 West Indies are now obtaining less and less corn from the 

 the United States and are getting large supplies from the 

 Argentine. 



Corn cultivatinii fits in well with cotton; when the cotton 

 crop is reaped it is easy to prepare the land for corn and to 

 plant consideralile areas. Corn is a short jjcriod crop so that 

 a return is cjuicklj' obtained and the land is available for some 

 other crop. A > moderate monetary return thus remunerates 

 the grower for the work of a short period. 



If corn is to be grown on any large scale and for export, 

 it will l)e necessary to consider the question of drying 

 machinery. Fortunately, a certain amount of information is 

 now availalile as the outcome of the experiments made in 

 Antigua in this direction. It seems possifile to obtain for 

 a moderate cost, machines capable of drying 15 to 20 bushels 

 of corn an hour; such machines should be within the capacity 

 of local corn growers or co-operative associations of growers. 

 Arising out of this may come the question of central 

 drying establishments and granaries. 



If corn growing is to be attempted on any considerable 

 scale, increased attention must be given to methods of culti- 

 vation, seed selection and manuring; it will be necessary to 

 modify the somew-hat haphazard methods now in vogue and 

 to deal with the matter in a more businesslike manner. The 

 Imperial Deijartinent of Agriculture intends to publi.sh 

 a pamphlet on corrr growing at an early date. 



The accou'nt of this address will be coucludod in 

 the next i.ssne of the Agricultural News. 



