Vol. XV. Xo. 358 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



27 



CROWN LANDS FOR SOLDIERS 

 IN ST. LUCIA. 



L Crown Lands in block.s of not less than 100 acres 

 will be sold at the rate of \5$. per acre, or, part of an acre for 

 100 acres: and at the rate of 10s. per acre for every acre, or, 

 part of an acre in excess of 100 acres. The purchase money 

 .shall be paid in five (5) equal annual instalments, the first 

 instalment to be paid on the expiration of the 6th year as 

 from the date of active occupation of the land, and one of the 

 remaining instalments to be paid annually thereafter until the 

 whole of the purchase money has been paid. An applicant 

 for purchase of Crown Lands, provided Regulations -5 and 7 

 have been fulfilled, may by making a cash payment of the 

 purclii.se money on the expiration of the .Srd year from the 

 date of active occupation obtain a discount of one-fifth of the 

 purchase money. 



2. Half the cost of surveying the land shall be paid 

 prior to occupation, and the other half in the '2nd year of 

 occupation. The fee for the .survey of 100 acres will be 

 £20 14s. 



3. No Crown grant shall be issued until the purchase 

 money has been paid in full, and the conditions of Regulation 

 .5 have been fulfilled, but a Permit of Occupation will be 

 issued from the date of occupation of the land and shall be 

 held by the applicant until the Crown grant has been issued. 

 The grant fee of 6s. 3(7. as fixed by law shall be paid by the 

 purchaser when the grant is issued. ^.. 



4. The Agricultural Department will supply free of 

 charge, in so far as its resources may permit, economic plants 

 in such quantities as may be deemed necessary for the 

 planting up and development of -50 acres of any area of land 

 agreed to be purchased from the Crown under these 

 Regulations. 



•5. There shall during the first three years of 

 occupancy be cleared and regularly planted in economic crops 

 to the satisfaction of the Agricultural Superintendent not 

 less than 50 acres of land, and the Agricultural Superin- 

 tendent shall for the purpose of finding out whether this 

 condition is likely to be or has been performed, have 

 the right at all reasonable times to enter and inspect the 

 lands. The decision of the Agricultural Superintendent as 

 to the fulfilment of this condition .shall, subject to the 

 approval of the Governor in Council, be final. 



6. No Permit of Occupation, as referred to in Regulation 

 3, shall be issued to an intending purchaser until he has 

 satisfied the Governor in Council by banker's reference 

 or other substantial proof that his financial position will 

 permit him to cultivate satisfactorily and expeditiously 

 a reasonable proportion of the lands for the purchase of 

 which application has been made by him. 



7. No applicant for purchase of Crown Lands shall, 

 without the permission of the Governor in Council, incumber 

 or di.spo.se of his interest in the land before the Crown grant 

 has been issued. 



8. Should an applicant for purchase of Crown Lands 

 die before the Crown grant has been issued, the Crown shall 

 resume possession of the land held by the deceased and shall 

 remain in possession of the land until a Crown grant for the 

 same land has been issued to the person or persons whom 

 the Governor in Council may consider has or have the best 

 claim thereto. No Crown grant shall, however, be issued 

 until all monetary claims which the Government may have 

 against the estate of the deceased shall have been settled, nor 

 unless the conditions of the sale shall have been fulfilled. 

 All expenses which may have been incurred by the Govern- 

 ment subsequent to death of the applicant and until a Crown 

 grant shall have been issued for the cultivation of the stand- 



ing crops, and for the rea[nng, preparation and sale of the 

 produce, shall be deemed as a charge against the estate of the 

 deceased, and such expenses shall be settled before a Crown 

 grant is issued to the persort'or persons whom the Govern- 

 ment may consider has or have the best claim to the land. 



Provided that in case of the death of the applicant at 

 any time after occupation and before the fulfilment of the 

 conditions of sale, the Governor in Council may, although he 

 has resumed possession of the land held by the decc.ised, 

 make such compensation as he may think just and equitable 

 for the buildings erected on the land and for the improve- 

 ment of the land to the person or per.sons who has or have 

 the best claim thereto, and retain possession of the buildings 

 and the land for the Crown. Any decision of the Governor 

 in Council as to the amount of the compensation to be given 

 shall be final. 



9. Should an applicant for purchase of Crown Lands, 

 before the Crown grant has been issued, absent himself from 

 the Colony without making due provision to the satisfaction 

 of the Governor for carrying out his contract, the Governor 

 in C'ouncil may cancel the permit of occupation and resume 

 possession of the land held by the absentee, and may, if he 

 deems fit, make such compensation as he may think just and 

 equitable for the buildings erected on the land and for the 

 improvement of the land. Any decision of the Governor in 

 Council as to whether due provision has been made for 

 carrying out the contract or as to the amount of compensa- 

 tion to be given shall be final. 



10. Should any applicant for purchase of Crown Lajids 

 fail to fulfil either, or any, of the conditions of .sale, the 

 Crown may resume possession of the land, and thero.iqxja the 

 applicant shall vacate the land and any buildings thereon and 

 the Government shall not pay to the applicant any sum of 

 money by way of compensation for improvements to tlie land 

 or for any buildings erected thereon. The decision of the 

 Agricultural Superintendent as to whether the conditions 

 of sale have been fulfilled, subject to the approval of the 

 Governor in Council, shall be final 



11. Crown grants will be issued subject to reserves 

 along rivers and main ridges for roads and tracks, and of 

 mines, vein, beds, deposits or accumulations of mineral oil. 



The Transfusion of Sap. — As bearing on iha 



remarks on the transfusion of sap reported in the Agricul- 

 tural Neirs, Vol. XIV, p. 354, we reproduce the following 

 letter from the Board of Agriculture, London, published 

 in the Gardener's Chronicle for October 2, 1915: — 



'A plantation of Doyenne du Cornice in the hands of an 

 eminent grower at Chart Sutton, near Maidstone, has for 

 several years been very disappointing as to crop. The 

 plantation is arranged .somewhat as follows: Several acres of 

 Doyenne du Cornice are planted between large blocks of 

 Conference and Fertility; the trees are bush trees on the 

 Quince, 12 feet apart, with one on the free stock at each 24 

 feet: the latter would become the permanent stock. An 

 attempt was made last season to convey pollen from the 

 adjoining blocks of C'onference and Fertility, boys with rabbits' 

 tails carrying the pollen of the two varieties on to several 

 lines of the Doyenne trees. The result was however, very 

 disappointing, there being no set of fruit. The next device 

 was to crown-graft about one tree in six with Glou Morceau 

 (which has been proved in other districts to be a good 

 poUeniser for Doyenne du Coniice). This was carried out 

 this spring, and in addition grafts of Clapp's Favourite and 

 others were introduced. The result this season is that the 

 portion of the grafted trees below the grafts are bearing 

 heavily, while the ungrafted trees are almost fruitle.ss.' 



