Vol. XV. No. 374. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



2S1 



Agricultural Instruction for Peasants. 



The importance of the work of affording small 

 holders practical instruction in legard to the cultiva- 

 tion of their crops, particularly permanent crops, is 

 referred to in our review in this number of the recently 

 issued Report on the Agricultural Department of 

 St. Lucia. It should be remembered at the same time 

 that this instruction can be usefully given with a view 

 to improving the skill of the labourer who works on 

 the estate as well as that ot the man who has his 

 own land. 



Ever since the land settlement schemes have been 

 in operation in the West Indies, with which agricul- 

 tural instruction is closely associated, there has been 

 an idea current that this tends to have an adverse 

 effect upon the labour supply. In this connexion 

 some remarks by Messrs. G. Auchinleck, G. Whitfield 

 Smith, and W. Bertrand, who have been in close touch 

 with the work referred to in fJrenada are of interest: — 



'The increase of labour supply consequent on the 

 establishment of the settlements must therefore be 

 attributed to some cause other than the removal of 

 labour at the expense of the more thickly peopled 



districts. 



'The fact is, that the improvement of the quality 

 of labour may be explained by the realization of a very 

 human trait: a peasant barely subsisting on low labour 

 wages will always be shiftless, unreliable and disinclined 

 to work, but the instant he becomes a land owner and 

 is able to provide himself with good food and com- 

 fortable living, he seeks labour in order to obtain 

 raonev for further luxuries. At the same time his 

 absolute dependence on the larger owners is, of course, 

 greatly lessened, but it has not been fovxnd in the past 

 that such absolute dependence leads to any ultimate 

 benefit, either to the larger owners or to the commu- 

 nity as a whole. The general effect of a peasant settle- 

 ment on labour supply may then be summed up by 

 saying that labour is improved in qualitj' and quantity 

 because the peasantry are more independent — a fact 

 which is by no means pectdiar to the West Indies." 

 (See West Indian Bulletin, Vol. XIV, p. 12.) 



According to a recent quarterly report by the 

 present Superintendent of Agriculture in Grenada 

 (Mr. J. C. Moore), agricultural instruction in that island 

 is being continued on increasingly active lines. Two 

 Instructors are at work, and during the quarter ended 

 June 30, 1916, they spent fifty-nine days in the coun- 

 try districts and visited 191 holdings and six schools. 

 These visits took in all the parishes of the island. The 

 neighbouring island Dependency of Carriacou was 

 visited twice. 



Prize-holding schemes, which constitute an integral 

 fiart of agricultural instruction are also being actively 

 carried on under the aegis of the Agricultural and 

 Commercial Societ)" of (^renada, and it would lie 

 a good thing if the same amount of interest in this 

 line of educational effort were shown in several islands 

 other than Grenada. 



The duties of the agricultural instructor have- 

 little personal connexion with the planter himself, but 

 the planter is in a position to deriv^e much benefit from 

 visits paid by the Superintendent of Agriculture, and 

 cases where oflicial routine work will not permit of 

 time being devoted to making these visits are to be 

 regretted. 



In closing these remarks it may be said that 

 visits to the countr\" districts by departmental oflicers 

 constitute a most valuable part of departmental work, 

 and as far as possible provision should always be made 

 for its accomplishment. 



Shallow-water Resources in Turks Islands. 



The Direct West India (Jable Company in their 

 communication to the West India Committee Circular 

 (July 27) appear despondent concerning trade con- 

 ditions in theTurks Islands at the present time,, 

 particularly as regards salt. It is satisfactory, however,, 

 that the shallow-water fisheries are going ahead 

 and relieving the situation. 



'Business, as far as the salt industry is concerned,, 

 is dormant. From news to hand from New York, it 

 is not likely any vessels will be chartered to load salt 

 for some time owing to the high rate of freight charged, 

 and it is evident that unless the situation speedily 

 changes, a seinous crisis must ensue. The Committee- 

 recently appointed to inspect and report on the ponds, 

 etc., in the Dependency have completed their inspec- 

 tion, and have been in session several days; but 

 what the outcome will be is hard to say. Their 

 report should in any case be a very interesting 

 one. 



The new conch shell industry is growing rajjidly,. , 

 and there are now several buying and shipping the 

 shells to New York, as many as thirty sailing craft 

 arriving from the Caicos Islands with shells in a day. 



'The sea front presents a lively appearance while 

 unloading during the early hours of the morning 

 Unfortunately, the odour from the partly decayed 

 portion of the conch left in the shell is very offensive, 

 and does not encourage one to spend much time in the 

 vicinity. The dried conchs are being shipped to 

 Havti by thousands, and at first were selling at 4s. 

 a hundred, but owing to the quantity .shipped 

 the price has dropped considerably. The shipment of 

 dried conchs during the month exceeded 200,000. 

 Eight hundred and seventy-two packages of conch 

 shells, 21 bales of .sponge, 6fi cases of canned lobster, 

 and 14 live turtles were shipped to the United States 

 during the past few weeks. The conch shell industry 

 has been a great help to the labouring classes during 

 the past few weeks: as many as thirty-five boats may 

 be counted passing the office daily just about sunrise 

 on their way to the coaching ground.' 



