Vol, IX. No. 223 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



363 



ANTIGUA: REPORTS ON THE BOTANIC STA- 

 TION, EXPERIMENT PLOTS A ND AGRICULTURAL 

 EDUCATION, I'MiU-li). 



The e.xpenditure in connexion with these stations, during 

 the period under review was £747 3s. Id., of which £72 2s. 'M. 

 was spent on Special Services. The difference between these 

 sum.s — £675 Is. 4(/. — was supplied from Imperial and local 

 funds, the respective contriliutions lieing £101 2s. hd. and 

 £273 18s. \\d. The receipts for the year amounted to £113 

 18s. M., of which £4.'i 3s. 2(1 came from the sale of plants 

 and .seeds for minor industries; a large proportion of the 

 balance was derived from sales of sugarcane cuttings. 



An interesting matter in the report is that the distri- 

 bution of plants was greater than that recorded at any former 

 period: it amounted to ls(),G96. in which number 157,r).57 

 sugar-cane cuttings are included. There was, besides this, 

 a large distribution of seeds of green dressings, food plants, 

 cotton, soy beans, and others, and of ordinary cuttings such as 

 tho.se of the sweet potato. The amount of onion seed dis- 

 tributed was 322i ft., of which 12.')^ tb. was used in Antigua, 

 and the remainder in other Presidencies in the T.eeward 

 Islands. 



An attempt was made to continue experiments which 

 have for their object the gaining of information as to the 

 capacity of the fiower-bud maggot of the wild coffee (Clero- 

 dendron aruleatum) to attack cotton, and to find out if the 

 flower-bud maggot of cotton {C<intavini<i f/ossi/pii) is identical 

 with the former. The.se failed, becaui^e infested buds of the 

 •wild coffee could not be found. Trials were also made for the 

 purpose of seeing if the leaf-blister mite of Acacia could infest 

 cotton. These indicated that this was not the case. Other 

 work in connexion with cotton, at the Botanic Station, has 

 included the commencement of experiments in the crossing 

 of different varieties. 



An account is given, in the report, of an agricultural 

 show which was held in St. .John's oil December 2, 1901). 



The rainfall at the Botanic Station, during 1909-10, was 

 50-59 inches, as compared with t9-54 inches in the preceding 

 period. 



Useful information is presented in relation to the cotton 

 industry. This shows that the area planted in Antigua was 

 252 acres, which produced a return of 37,400 8)., for the 

 season. Thus the yield was 1501b. of lint to the acre, which 

 is good, considering that part of the cotton was grown as an 

 intermediate crop. The amount of cotton exported from 

 Barbuda was 22,5(30 lb., from 125 acres; so that the whole 

 export, including the produce of Antigua and Barbuda, ^^as 

 59,9G0 lb. Prices were good during the season, as much as 23(7. 

 per H). being obtained in some cases. The general prospects of 

 the cotton industry in Antigua appeared to have decidedly 

 improved, and it seems that the growing of this plant, in 

 rotation with cane, is likely to be adopted in the island to 

 a u.seful extent in the near future. 



Another industry which is showing encouragii;g progress 

 is the production of limes. Evidence of this is given by the 

 largely increased distribution of lime plants from the station, 



which was nearly twice as great as it had been in any preced- 

 ing year, with the exception of 1907-8. Another industry 

 which shows signs of growth is the raising of cocoa-nuts; 

 while the onion industry in Antigua appears to have attained 

 a stable footing. Steady efforts are being made in order to 

 increase the interest in the growing of broom corn, which 

 should become a subsidiary crop of some little importance, in 

 -Vnligua. 



The most extensive of the experiments conducted at the 

 stations are those with sugarcane. These receive detailed 

 attention in separate reports, issued under the title of Sugar- 

 cane Experiments in the Leeward Islands. 



The trials made at the Skerretts experiment station 

 mainly included those with provision crops, oil crops, green 

 dressings and fodder crops. At Scott's Hill, the station was 

 used chiefly as a nursery, and for experiments in different 

 methods of tree-planting. At the former station, work in 

 cotton selection is lieing conducted, which should have the 

 greatest use in relation to the industry concerned with the 

 raising of this crop. 



The report concludes with the usual account of the work 

 that has been done in the classes held by the Agricultural 

 and Science Master. 



BRITISH HUNDURAS: REPORT ON THE 

 BOTANIC STATION, 1000. 



This report shows that, as in 1 907 and 1 908, the 

 weather was most unfavourable to agriculture during the 

 first half of the j'ear; in the period under review, however, 

 heavy rains fell toward the end of the time. The total 

 rainfall at the Botanic Station was 5799 inches. 



Among the various experiments that are being con- 

 ducted, those with rubber show that Para, Castilloa (which 

 is indigenous) and Funtumia rubbers are making good 

 progress, though the growth of the two last-mentioned kinds 

 is slow. Success is being experienced in the trials with rice; 

 ginger: arrowroot; seedling canes B. 20f< and D. 95, received 

 from the Imperial Department of Agriculture; pine-apples and 

 the sunflower. Trials with English potatos have not met with 

 success during the season. Other experiments are concerned 

 with sesame, onions, limes, cocoa-nuts and oranges; these do 

 not appear to have become sufficiently advanced, yet, to 

 give (lefinite results. 



Among useful fruit plants with which trials are being 

 made are the Jack fruit (Artorarjnis iniegri/olia), bread fruit 

 (Artocarpus i7icisa). Malacca apple (Eugenia malacrensis), 

 mj'rtle berry (Eugenia edulif), loquat (Enobotrya japonica), 

 Mabola (Diospyros Mahola), Carambola (At'errhoa Carani' 

 Ma), genip (Jlelicocca liijnga); cinnamon (Cinnamomuni 

 ;ey/rt/(ictt«i), mangos, oranges, gamboge (Garcinia sp.), custard 

 apple (Anona muricata), Colvillea racenusa, and ylang-ylang 

 (Canaiiga odorata). 



The distribution has included 8,896 plants, which con- 

 sisted of Para rubber, cocoa-nuts, coffee and ginger, as well as 

 ornamental plants. Para rubber seeds are being imported, in 

 added quantities, from Singapore, for raising plants for future 

 use. 



Among the new and valuable plants imported during 

 the year were varieties of grapes, oranges, mangos, pecans, 

 plums and peaches. 



Trials were made with leguminous cover crops; they 

 included Bengal lieans, sword beans, Cratalaria striata and 

 Triphasia sp. All these were succes-sfully raised, a cover 

 4 feet deep being obtained from the seeds of the first-named 

 that were planted. 



