132 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ai'EiL 22, 1916. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



GKENADA. Work in the Experiment Stations has included 

 the harvesting and distributing of horse beans and the pruning 

 of lime trees at ifornf Rouge. At the lime experiment 

 station drainage operations liave been completed. The trans- 

 jilanting of limes lor the 1916 distribution has taken place. 

 As regards the staple crops in this island, 'Mr. J. C Moore, 

 the Superintendent of Agriculture, states that the cacao crop 

 is satisfactory on the whole, while the sugar crop is better 

 than last year'.s. Lime trees are flowering well, but on .some 

 plantations better drainage is needed. The plants dis- 

 -tributed during February were as follows: Coconuts 

 2,162 ; grafted mangoes 6 : ornamentals 2. The weather 

 during February was not excessively wet. 



The monthly report of the Agricultural li structor for 

 February a copy of which has been forwarded to this OfHce by 

 the Governor, .shows that a u.seful visit was paid to the islaid 

 of Carriacou, where three meetings of peasant cotton growers 

 were held, and instructions were given regarding cotton seed 

 selection and cotton cultivation.' In regard to the (juestion 

 of .selection, the Commissioner of Agriculture is correspond- 

 ing with the Grenada Department. Concerning work on the 

 experimental plot.s, the reaping of cowpeas was completed 

 and lime trees were pruned at .Morne Rouge. Progress is 

 being made in tlie matter of road construction at the St. Cyr 

 Mountain Settlement. 



ST. VINCENT. Mr W. N. Sands writes to say in con- 

 nexion with work in the Experiment Station that the onion 

 plot has yielded at the rate of 4,.5741b. per acre. Land has 

 been prepared for the progeny rows of selected L dian corn, 

 and Lima beans have been staked with prunings of Gliri- 

 cidia hedge. The plant distribution during the month 

 consisted of 2-30 Gliricidia cuttings, 6 lb. of pigeon peas, 21b. 

 of cotton seed, and 2 DS). selected Indian corn. As regards 

 staple crops, a further extension of cane cultivation is to bo 

 noticed. 



The S.S. 'Salybia' which left St. Vincent on March :i, 

 and which was .sunk off the English coast, carried local 

 produce to the amount of 2,811 barrels of arrowroot and 341 

 bales of Sea Island cotton. This cotton represented over 

 three-fifths of the past crop, and included nearly all the super- 

 fine marks. 



The Assistant Agricultural Superintendent represented 

 the Agricultural Depaitment at the Cotton Conference 

 held in St Kitts, the proceedings of which are now being 

 reported in this .Journal, it is stated in Mr. Sands' notes 

 that the Agricultural l)e[Hrtnioiit is to re-assume control of 

 the Government cotton ginnery on April 1. The rainfall 

 during Marcli in St. Vincent was showery. 



DOMINICA. Mr. Josefih .Tones (('urator) writes to say that 

 work in the nurseries included the grafting of mangoes, .spray- 

 ing, sawing tramboo pots, and potting cacao. In the lime experi- 

 ment station all the plots were weeded, and the general 

 sanitation of the [ilots attended to. Work in tlu; cacao 

 experiment station consisted in the jncking and recording of 

 the crop. Several improvements in the Rotanic Gardens are 

 in progress. , 



The lime trees throughout the island are reported to 

 have flowered heavily. 1 )uriiig March, green limes unpacked 

 were bought in Ro.seau for 2.o.s. per barrel 



The (lovernnient lias publi.shed 'in the Gonernment 

 Gazette for March 27, certain correspondence regarding green 



limes. The principal shippers of green limes from Dominica 

 to New York sent ;>, petition '■o the Quebec Steamship 

 Company pointing out that the green limes were landed in 

 New York las: season in the worst condition ever known. The 

 petitioners pointed out that Dominica is one of the Quebec 

 Steamship Conijiany's best freight ports, adding that the 

 .shipment of green limes has risen from a few hundred 

 barrels .some twenty y.ears ago to a seasonal .shipment at the 

 present time of over 30,000 barrels. The petitioners called the 

 attention of the Company to the increased rates they were 

 called upon to pay, but which they were quite willing to do 

 provided the shipment; of the produce proved satisfactory. It 

 was added that the shippers in Dominica were giving consid- 

 eration to the matter of approaching the Government in 

 order that the Quebec Company may be subsidized on the 

 bounty system, that is, on all fruit delivered in sound condi- 

 tion, provided the Company guarantee to limit the quantity of 

 general freight by each boat, and especially to give green limes 

 separate accommodation, and avoid the possibility of sugar 

 and limes being transported in the same hold, and providing 

 the .ships avoid staying two or tiiree days in the Danish 

 Islands after the loading of limes from Dominica. 



The Quebec Steamship Company rej'lied in a very 

 courteous and satisfactory manner, stating their ajjpreciation 

 of the importance of,.the green lime trade between Dominica 

 and New York. In this letter it was stated that special 

 instructions had been given to the cajitains of the steamers 

 in re,gard to the more careful transport of green limes. It 

 had been arranged that molasses instead of sugar should be 

 stored in the lower hold of the steamer. The captains had 

 been instructed to keep the hatch open over the hold 

 containing the limes whenever vveather permitted, and to see 

 that the fans which had been installed were kept running 

 continuously. To create additional interest on the part of the 

 captains, the Company had offered them a bonus to give 

 their personal attention to the storage and carriage of the 

 limes, with a view to landing them in good order The Com- 

 pany has made futher concession in that if a steamer had to 

 be delayed for several days at St. Croix, it would be arranged 

 to send her back to Dominica for the limes. While admitting 

 that most shipments of limes from Dominica were carefully 

 picked and packed, the Company had to point out that others 

 were not, especially when the market was high in New York. 

 The Company had to insist that in these cases no amount of 

 care and attention on their part could ensure the arrival of 

 the fruit in good condition. Ueferring to the rate of freight 

 on limes, the Compalny pointed out the fact that they had 

 not advanced their rate of freight in any comparison with the 

 advance in freight from New York to Europe or to other 

 parts of the world, and if the Company had not desired to 

 [irotect the West Indian business, it would have used its 

 steamers during (lie past year in other services which would 

 have paid the Comi)any enormous profits, and the Company 

 is of opinion that shippers .should appreciate these facts. 



As regards spt^clal work done by the Agricultural 

 Olliccrs in Dominica during March, reference may be made to 

 a visit paid to tlie ueasantry in the Grand Bay district, in 

 addition to visits paid to no less than nineteen estates. The 

 Permanent Exhibition Committee lias decided not to exhibit 

 at the forthcoming Canadian Exhibition. The plants distri- 

 buted during the month consisted of the following: limes 

 1,.500, shade trees 300, miscellaneous 43. The total 

 jilant distribution for the financial year 1915-16 was 

 6.5,700. The rainfall at the Rotanic Station during March 

 was 4".'32 inches 



