98 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 25, 1916. 



with the absence of rigorous cliifeate, should appeal to 

 ■those whose physical health has been impaired. 



Several references have appeared in the London 

 papers to Jamaica, which is recommended on account of 

 its mountainous configuration, rendering it easy to 

 obtain a change of climate by travelling but a short 

 distance. Such an island would be ideal for invalids; 

 while for those who are able to work there are still 

 large areas of land awaiting cultivation in that colony. 



But the new settler, especially in the tropics, needs 

 definite attractions, and he iviust above all be granted 

 land at low rates, and be provided with proper roads. 

 In the West Indies, nowhere are these requirements 

 better met, or will be better met by the time the war 

 is over, than in St. Lucia. In the newly issued 

 Pamphlet, 'Hints to Settlers in St. Lucia'* there 

 appears the recent Ordinance that has been passed 

 through the initiative of the Administrator, the 

 Honourable Gideon Murray, which lays down the 

 •conditions under which the Government is prepared 

 to sell Crown lands, of not less than 100 acres in 

 ■extent, for the settlement of persons who have lately 

 served in His Majesty's forces, or who come from out- 

 side the colony. Crown lands in blocks of not less than 

 100 acres will be sold at the rate of 1.5s. per acre, and 

 10s. an acre for each acre or part of an acre above a 

 hundred. The purchase money has to be paid in five 

 annual instalments, and half the cost of surveying 

 has to be paid prior to occupation. The fee for the 

 :survey of 100 acres is about .£20. So that it will be 

 seen that in St. Lucia the necessary initial expenditure 

 of capital is not prohibitive. 



In connexion with this St. Lucia scheme the 

 construction of roads is being carried on. Proper 

 road communication, in the absence of water-ways, 

 is essential. Then again the Agricultural Department 

 is also co-operating in the matter of furnishing settlers 

 with planting material as well as with valuable, skilled 

 advice gratis. 



These are the only places in connexion with whiih 

 there appears to have been any definite work or 

 published information specifically to this end, but, 

 doubtless, land suitable for the purposes indicated 

 would be found in Dominica, I'rinidad, Tobago, and 

 other West Indian islands. 



In a small way, therefore, St. Lucia — and, no 

 loiibt, other islands are considering a similar scheme 



♦ •Hints to Settlers in St. Lucia', Imperial Departiiieiit 

 of Af,'ricult\irc for tlie West rmlies, Piiiii|>liIot Series, No. 80. 



after hearing Majorii Boose speak — is following an 

 imperial policy which, as we have shown, has a very 

 wide and important .significance. 



The part to be pl3.yed by Agricultural Departments 

 in this new phase of land settlement is that of 

 instructor, guide, and nurseryman, combined. Much 

 will depend upon clos^e contact, especially at the beginn- 

 ing. In the West Indies our land settlement schemes, 

 especially in Grenada and St. Vincent, have been 

 unqualified successes, and although in the settlement 

 of the soldier we shall have a more responsible 

 type of settler, the experience obtained during 

 the last fifteen years with the peasant cannot fail to be 

 of value, and if the idea is taken up, as we may expect 

 it will be, there is no reason why the settlement 

 of ex-soldiers should "not be as successful in the West 

 Indies as in any otlier part of the Empire. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF SUGAR 

 EXPERIMENT STATIONS, QUEENS- 

 LAND, 1915. 



This report includes an account of a large amount of 

 experimental work relating to sugar production, and many 

 of the results will be read with interest in the West Indies. 

 Dealing with the progress of the industry, a useful table is 

 furnished showing the yield of cane and sugar per acre, and 

 tons of cane required to make 1 ton of sugar, during sixteen 

 years. From 1899 to 1914 the number of tons of canes 

 required to make 1 ton of sugar showed an almost continuous 

 decline, thereby indicating a gradual increase in the etticiency 

 of mill work. Actually, the figures run from about 9'S in 

 the earlier years down to 8'.5 for 1911. This last mentioned 

 figure is indicative of rich cane and superior milling. In 

 fact the report states that the progress referred to is largely 

 due to the improved varieties of sugar- cane grown by the 

 farmers during recent years. As in the West Indies, many 

 of these varieties have been distributed amongst the growers 

 by the Department of Agriculture. 



(^Joining to the subject of seedling canes in detail, it 

 appears that from the average analytical results, Q. 81.^ 

 seems to be the best cane from the standpoint of sugar 

 content, followed by Q. 990 and q. 1.37. Q. 81. S also 

 stands out well as a cropper. Its yield per acre of cane was, 

 in 191.3, 438 tons, and the yield of sugar per acre 7*9 tons. 

 These figures show the very high standard attained with 

 seedling canes in (Queensland. The report goes on to state 

 that B. 39 2 2 and B. 3747 have proved satisfactory, and are 

 worthy of trial in otlier sugar districts. The best of these 

 new seedlings from a sugar producing and cropping point 

 of view, which have not developed disease, have been reserved 

 for distribution purposes, and it is notified that cane farmers 

 may obtain materia! during the period of distribution, upon 

 application, free of charge. A trial made with a Trinidad 

 seedling cane from Louisiana did not siiow it to be suffi- 

 ciently rich in sugar to be worth cultivating. The variety 

 in question was T.21 1'. 



