Vol. IX. No. 201. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



insert some paragraphs from the despatch which I addressed 

 to the Earl of Elgin on December 30, 1907, in vhich 

 my recommendations were conveyed. [Here the abstract 

 follows.] I 



The views thus e.xpressed met with the approval of the 

 Earl of Elgin, and steps were at once t4ken to carry them 

 out. An Ordinance, entitled 'The Uganda Cotton Ordinance, 

 1908', was enacted in March, under which the Governor was 

 given power to make Rules for maintaiiting and improving 

 the cjuality of cotton in the Protectorate. ' 



Thanks to the energy shown by the various District 

 Ofiicers, by the Officer who has been temporarily in charge 

 of the Cotton Department, and by the Cotton Inspector, the 

 main objects of the Rules made under the Ordinance of 1908 

 have been effected to a degree which we hardly hoped for. 

 The chiefs have given such loyal assistance in the eradication 

 of all undesirable kinds of cotton that it is now comparatively 

 difficiilt to find a single plant that is not 'American Upland'. 



Insect pests are beginning to present a serious menace 

 to the cotton indu.stry, and Rule 4 has been specially framed 

 to meet the situation. It has been abundantly proved that 

 old cotton plants, if allowed to remain more than one year in 

 the ground, become the host of vast numbers of no.xious 

 insects. It has therefore been ordered that all cotton plants 

 more than 1 2 months old shall be destroyed by their owners. 



It was only to be expected that the interference which 

 the Administration considered it nece.^.sary to exerci.se in 

 regard to the conditions under which cotton was alone to be 

 grown would have some restrictive effect on the output, and 

 it was feared at one time that the 1908-9 crop would show 

 a distressing reduction, as conn)ared with that of the preceding 

 year. The ruthless uprooting of all cotton plants that were 

 not of the authorized variety would naturally entail the loss 

 of a lot of lint which would otherwise come to market, while 

 the stringent regulations governing the issue of seed might 

 be expected to restrict the area of new cultivations. I am 

 thankful to be able to state that the check was almost trifling. 

 The desire to grow cotton, on the part of the natives, is 

 already so firndy established in the country that the stringent 

 regulations appear to have had no discouraging eflect. The 

 exports of cotton during the year 1908-9 amounted to over 

 500 tons of ginned, and about 6.50 tons of unginned cotton, 

 and it is expected that tlie crop of the coming season will 

 show a considerable increase over those figures. 



ARBOR DAY IN ANTIGUA. 



Arbor Day was again celebrated in town and country in 

 1909, as has been the custom in former years. In St. John's 

 and the country districts, with the exception of St. Paul's, 

 the ceremony as usual took place on November 9; in 

 St. Paul's parish, for reasons which appear below, the 

 celebration was held on Saturday November 6. 



In St. .John's the celebration took place at 8.1.5 a.m. 

 when, immediately after the conclusion of the inspection of 

 the local forces, his Excellency W. Douglas Young, C.M.G., 

 planted a white-wood tree in the Victoria Park, on the .site 

 where the old bandstand formerly stood, the representatives 

 of the various bodies taking part and the general public 

 having previously as.sembled at this point. 



After planting the tree, his Excellency made a few 

 brief remarks relative to the day and its objects ; the 

 representatives of the various bodies concerned then dispersed 

 to their respective stations and [danted trees. 



In St. James, the celebration took place at 9 a.m. when, 

 amid a large gathering of people, a number of mahogany 



trees were planted on the east side of the path leading from 

 the south gate of the churchyard tp the Church. The organi- 

 zation of the celebration was caj-ried out by the Rev. 'f. 

 Streater. t- 



In St. Luke's district. 6 shade trees were distributed by 

 Mr. Ernest Dew, and were planted by peasants in different 

 parts of it. 



In addition to all the.se, a number of trees were planted 

 by private residents in St. John's on Arbor Day. 



In St. George's parish four mahogany and two eucalyp- 

 tus trees were planted by the school children at St. Mark's. 

 Twelve eucalyptus trees were tAso planted on the lands of 

 the Antigua Sugar Factory. 



Arbor Day was celebrated in All Saints' parish on 

 November 9, as usual. At 7.30 a.m., the church and school 

 bells were rung, and the scholars, teachers and other 

 parishioners assembled in the schoolroom at 8 a.m. 



The prayers for the King aqd the Royal Family were 

 read and the National Anthem sung, after which a short 

 address on the objects of Arbor Day was given; then followed 

 patriotic songs by the school children, and subsequently 

 trees were planted. 



In St. Philip's parish, royal palms were planted 

 opposite St. Philip's Church. At St. Stephen's, 3 royal 

 palms and 3 cocoa-nuts were planted. In both cases the 

 planting was done by the children of the elementary schools. 



As the observation of Arbor Day had been in abeyance in 

 St. Paul's parish for several years, it was thought desirable to 

 mark its revival by a special celebration. For this purpose, it 

 was decided to hold it on November 6, instead of on Novem- 

 ber 9, in order to permit of persons being present who might not 

 otherwise have been able to do so. The celebration commenced 

 at i o'clock in the afternoon, and, in addition to the acting 

 Chairman, the l!ev. R. H. Jones, and the representatives of 

 the local bodies who joined in the planting, Major Ledeatt 

 and a detachment of the Mounted Infantry of the Antigua 

 Defence Force, Mr. Tempany (acting Chairman of the Central 

 Committee), Mr. Martin, Inspector of Schools, and Mr. F. S. 

 Bishop were present. The proceedings commenced with 

 a short service in St. Paul's Church and, after a short address 

 had been given, in the grounds of St. Paul's Rectory, on the 

 objects of Arbor Day, trees were planted by the represen- 

 tatives of the districts and by .some of the visitors. The 

 arrangements for the celebration were carried out by the 

 Rev. R. H. Jones who, on account of the indisposition of 

 ^fr. W. E. L. Odium, acted as Chairman of the St. Paul's 

 Committee. 



DEPARTMENT NE"WS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture left 

 Barbados for Antigua by the S.S. ' Dahome', on the 

 5th instant, for the purpose of accompanying a small 

 party of planters and others from Barbados, who are 

 visiting Antigua in order to gain information concerning 

 the equipment and working of the sugar factories in 

 that island, and to enquire into the methods of imple- 

 mental tillage employed there, as well as generally to 

 promote the interchange of views between the agricul- 

 turists of the two colonies. Dr. Watts will also make 

 visits, in connexion with agricultural matters, to such 

 other islands as it may be possible, during the journey^ 

 and, in addition, will visit St. Kitts, probably returning 

 to Barbados by the S.S. ' Oruro' on the 23rd instant. 



