Vol. XV. No. 364. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



115 



B.630S occuping the leading position, having given in 

 Antigua an average return of 3,-5.60 lb. of sucrose per acre, 

 and 2"2'0 tons of cane. The .second place was taken by 

 B.6450 with an average yield of .3,100 tb. of sucrose and 

 19'3 tons of cane per acre. This variety, which has won 

 for itself a great reputation in Barbado.s, seems to have 

 accommodated it.self equally well to Antigua. Canes which 

 appear to show very considerable degrees of promise are 

 B.3922 and B.63SS. After occupying a leading position for 

 many years, B.4596 in the year under review dropped to 

 a lower position. It is still, however, to be considered a very 

 reliable variety. None of the Antigua seedlings have taken 

 a high position in the table of averages. A. 2, which has 

 evinced considerable merit in St. Kitts, has filled the twentieth 

 position in the table of averages for Antigua. D.62.5 which 

 usually occupies a leading place in the plant cane averages, 

 has this year fallen to the 33rd place, and B.208, in spite of 

 its high .sucrose content, to 37th. 



A table is given on page 21, furnishing means for 

 each variety growing during the past fourteen years. 



The information concerning ratoon canes in Antigua 

 shows that the lead is taken by B.6308 which, by the 

 consistent way in which it has come to the front indicates 

 itself to be a variety showing considerable promise. Sealy 

 Seedling is second in the table, bearing out the reputation 

 which it already possesses as a cane on which a good deal of 

 reliance can be placed. 



In the St. Kitts experiments with varieties of cane, we 

 see under the heading of Plant Canes that the leading position 

 in the table is taken by D.llGwith an average return of 

 5,680R). of .sucrose per acre and 30'3 tons of cane per acre. 

 B.376 is second and D.l 111 is fourth. 



The cane-growing areas of St. Kitts may be roughly 

 divided into two main divisions: that of the leeward coast 

 and the Basseterre valley district, and that of the northern 

 area. The heavier rainfall and the generally more seasonable 

 conditions e.xperienced in the northern area have combined to 

 give somewhat higher yields than elsewhere. Of the above 

 canes D. 116 has done relatively better in the northern 

 district, as has also D.l 111. D.109 and A.2 have taken 

 equally good places in the returns in both areas; B.376, on 

 the:^, other hand, has done relatively much better in the 

 Basseterre area than in the northern district. 



The experiments with ratoon canes in St. Kitts show 

 that D. 116 again occupies the leading position, while B.1753 

 comes second, D.109 third, and Sealy Seedling si.xth. A.2 

 occupies the lowest position as a ratoon. 



As regards thee.xperiments in Nevis, the lead is taken by 

 Sealy Seedling: A.2 comes second and B.1528 third. 



Part ii— Manurial Extkriments. 



In 1913 a new series of manurial experiments was 

 started with plant canes to detei-mine the best way and to what 

 extent artificial manures can be used as a substitute for pen 

 manure, it having been shown that under the conditions of 

 the Leeward Islands, a field of plant canes which has been 

 provided with 20 tons of pen manure is in receipt of all that 

 it re(iuires from a manurial standpoint. Unfortunately in 

 the Leeward Islands, it is by no means always possible to 

 get 20 tons of- pen manure per acre. The results obtained 

 in these experiments so far cover only two crop seasons, and 

 therefore are not conclusively representative of what is to 

 be expected under average conditions. As a matter of fact 

 these experiments during both seasons were conducted more 

 or less under conditi(ms of drought. 



Taking the mean of two years' results, the best returns 

 were obtained in experiment numbers 5, 11 and 20. 



That is, No. 5 in which 40 fti. of nitrogen as sulphate of 

 ammonia (in two applications), 40 tb. of phosphoric acid as 

 vi-phosphate, and 60 lb. of potash as sulphate of potash were 

 added; No. 11 and No. 20 received the same quantities of 

 phosphoric acid and potash, but a larger quantity of nitrogen 

 (60 ft), per acre). 



The application of nitrogen without phosphoric acid 

 and potash showed pecuniary losses. Phosphoric acid without 

 nitrogen and potash gave a decreased yield. Potash applied 

 alone showed a profit, as also did potash and phosphoric acid 

 applied together. 



The complete manuring, as in experiment No. 5, gave 

 a return somewhat higher than that obtained from the 

 application of 20 tons of pen manure. With canes at 1 5.<. 10'/. 

 per ton, experiment No. 5 shows a gain of 34s. 9d. — the 

 highest return obtained. At the lower valuation of 10.<. lOd. 

 per ton of canes, the profit shown by this experiment is 

 negligible. 



In general it would seem that the profitable use of 

 artificial manures for plant canes in the absence of pen 

 manure depends upon (a) the rainfall, and (b) the price of 

 canes. 



In relation to the more recently introduced experiments 

 with nitrogenous manures, nitrolim and nitrate of lime, it 

 has been shown that nitrolim is ineffective as a manure when 

 applied to ratoon canes, but nitrate of lime possesses a value- 

 nearly ecjual to that of sulphate of ammonia. The applica- 

 tion of molasses to ratoon canes has proved to be unpro- 

 ductive of benefit: the effect of similar application to plant 

 canes is under investigation. 



The report under notice gives at the end the area under- 

 cultivation in different cane varieties in Antigua and St. Kitts. 

 In Antigua by far the largest area is under White Trans- 

 parent; in St. Kitts White Transparent also occupies a very 

 high position in regard to its area, as a matter of fact coming 

 second to B.147 which is first, being grown on 3,625 acres.. 

 It is interesting to observe that in spite of all the new vaiie- 

 ties brought to the notice of planters and recommended for 

 entensive trial, the old White Transparent still holds, to 

 a larger extent than any others, the confidence of the 

 planters. 



It would not be fitting to conclude this review without 

 calling the reader's attention to a valuable table of analyses of 

 pen manures and allied organic manures such as are obtainable 

 in moderate quantities for sugar-cane lands in Antigua and 

 St. Kitts. These tables refer to such material as sheep 

 pen manure, rotted megass and compost, pods of the 

 Sanian tree, clippings of Gliricidia, crushed cotton seed, cacao 

 husks, pigeon pea stems and leaves, coco-nut husks, 

 French weed, swet.-t potato vine. These are examples 

 to show the sort of substantives which the Superin- 

 tendent of Agriculture considers might be more generally 

 utilized to take the place of pen manure in the Leeward 

 Islands. 



The Department of Agriculture of New South Wales has 

 issued a useful farmer's Bulletin (No. 88) on fruit preserving, 

 including canning, bottling, jam making and candying peel. 

 The publication is well illustrated, and detailed instructions 

 are given in connexion with the operations described. It is 

 possible that the production of candied i)eel might be increased 

 in the West Indies, and the attention of citrus growers L-i 

 directed to this matter. 



