Vol. XV. No. 378. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



341 



■favourably with those of other crops. It may be noted 

 lieie that most of the growers in Tortola'are peasants, whereas 

 in Antigua most of the members are planters with extensive 

 properties. It will have been observed in rending this and 

 the foregoing article that the total paymenc in Tortola was 

 rather higher than th-it made by tlie Antigua Association 



MANURIAi EXPERIMENTS WITH LIME 

 TREES IN DOMINICA. 



The results obtained over a period of three years at 

 the Lime Experiment Station, Dominica, are published in 

 tabular form in the Annual Report on the Agricultural 

 Department of that Presidency for 191-5-16. 



A study of these figures indicates the progress made by 

 the trees in the various plots since the experiment was 

 laid out. The yield during the first year was very low on all 

 the plots; there was a substantial increase in the second year, 

 and a further increase during the year under review. 



The uneven nature of the plots, for the reasons given in 

 the opening paragraphs of this report, and the short time 

 during which these experiments have been running, make it 

 inadvisable to draw definite deductions as to the manurial 

 requirements of lime trees. It will be neces'ary to carry on 

 the experiments for a considerable number of years, and 

 probably to extend them in certain directions to obtain 

 reliable data. 



Three or four facts are, however, .so outstanding when 

 the results of these experiments are examined, both with 

 regard to their crop returns and the general appearance of 

 the trees that even at this stage it is justifiable to bring 

 them to the notice of those interested. 



1. Without the application of manures the yield of lime 

 trees is small, and the trees themselves present the appear- 

 ance of having scanty foliage, lacking in colour, and the 

 growth of new wood is sparse. 



2. In these experiments the application of a complete 

 manure containing nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash 

 increases the yield per acre to such ah extent that with limes 

 selling at 3,«. 6d. per barrel, and the manure costing £5 

 per acre, an increase of 110 birrefs was obtained over 

 the no-manure plot, which at the same valuation yielded 

 a profit of £12 per acre. Furthermore, the appearance of 

 the trees on the complete-manure plot is all that can bo 

 desired. 



3... The application of a manure containing nitrogen 

 and phosphoric acid, but having no [lotash, while increasing 

 the yield of fruits to a marked degree over the no-manure 

 plot, leaves something to be desired when compared with the 

 complete -manure plot. In normal times the additional cost 

 of supplying potash is amply repaid by the increased yield 

 obtained. 



1. The application of a mulch consisting of 5 tons of 

 gra.ss per acre per annum is producing^ a' steady improvement 

 in the yield of the trees and in their general appearance. 



It is realized by the officers resfionsible fOr these experi- 

 ments that in many ways they are not altogether satisfactory. 

 The acreage available is much too small to carry out a really 

 efficient series of experiments. All that is claimed for them 

 is that they are reliable indications as to th? benefit to be 

 derived by adopting a reasonable system of manuring. 



No attempt is made, for instancfe, to demonstrate that 

 one form of phosphatic manure is superior to another, or 

 that one form of potash is preferable to another. Such fine 

 points would re([uire a large number of duplicate plots to 

 yield reliable results. There are other important data which 

 could be made available if we had a sufficient acreage at our 



disposal. In these experiments the fornmla selected for the 

 manures is one containing .31 ft) nitrogen, 72 lb. phosphoric 

 acid, and 84 ft), potash per acre, and this amount is added 

 annually to the complete manure plot. This formula was 

 selected because it was considered thtt its cost, which is 

 about .£•") per acre, is as iimch as is likely to be expended on 

 manures in Dominica. It is highly probable that by increas- 

 ing the ijuantities of the manures higher yields may be 

 obtained. It may here be mentioned that in Porto Rico, on 

 orange groves, no le.ss than 62 S). nitrogen, 131 fti. phosphoric 

 acid, and 200 ft), potash per acre are frequently supplied with 

 profitable results. 



Again in this experiment the manure is applied once 

 a year, usually in the month of May or .June. Many planters 

 maintain that the correct season for applying manures is in 

 November or December. The only way to settle this question 

 is to lay out experiments. In the meantime it may be 

 suggested for the benefit of those who make liberal appli- 

 cations, that the best course to follow is probably to apply 

 one half in .lune and the other half in November. 



Additional experiments with lime trees are in progress in 

 Dominica, and these will receive attention in a future issue of 

 this .Journal 



RESTRICTIONS ON PLANT IMPOR- 

 TATIONS INTO ST. LUCIA. 



In view of the notice recently published (St. Lucia 

 Official Gtv.ette for September 23) imposing certain restric- 

 tions on the importation of Citrus plants from America and 

 some adjacent countries, it will be useful to state for general 

 guidance the conditions under which seeds and plants are 

 admitted to the Colony. 



All plants and seeds imported are submitted by the 

 Customs authorities to the Agricultural Superintendent who 

 inspects them, and disinfects them in such a manner as he 

 deems adequate. 



Should plants on arrival be considered to be infected 

 with any pest or disease that may be a source of grave 

 danger to the Colony, he may destroy the plants. Should 

 there be suspicious circumstances as regards pests or diseases, 

 he may require that the plant be planted in some safe 

 place where he may inspect it from time to time and take 

 such steps as he thinks fit to control any pest or disease that 

 may be present. , 



The Government has the power to prohibit the importa- 

 tion of any particular plant from any country where 

 a dangerous disease occurs in connexion with that plant: 

 such a course is taken in regard to (a) coco-nuts from 

 Trinidad, Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba or any part of Central or 

 South America (see Official. Gaze'te, Oct. 29, 1910); 

 (6) banana plants from Trinidad, Tobago or any part of 

 Central or South America (see Official Gaxetle, (October 

 29, 1910); (c) cacao plants from South America. (See 

 Offiiriid Oaiette, April 4, 1902.) 



Similar!}', no Citrus plant (orange, grape-fruit, etc.) may 

 be imported from the United States of America, Cuba, Porto 

 Rico, .Jamaica, Hayti or San Domingo. 



Lender the regulations just issued, no rooted plant or 

 plant in earth may be imported from any of the places just 

 mentioned unless they are accompanied by a certificate from 

 the proper authority in the country in question certifying 

 that citrus canker does not exist in the district from which 

 the plants are taken, and that the di.sease has not existed 

 there for a period of not less than two years previously. 

 Persons ordering plants from any of those places should 

 instruct the firm from whom they are being purchased t<> 

 obtain and forward the nece.ssary certificate with the plants. 



