Vol. XV. No. 37t<. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



345 



Dependency. The lobster-cannins^ industry shows a 

 slight, falling off in the value of produce exported, but, 

 on the other hand, 'sea shells' hitherto a waste product 

 of the conch industry, for ihe first time finds a place 

 among exports from the Dependenc}-. 



Considerable interest was shown by peasant 

 proprietors iti the Caicos Islands in connexion with the 

 cotton industry. Samples of the cleaned staple, grown 

 in these islands, were submitted to London brokers and 

 were favourably reported on. Difficulties in the way 

 of shipping, owing to the war, ab^.present prevent 

 immediate results in this respect, but it is anticipated 

 that with the cessation of hostilities, a development of 

 the cotton industry will undoubtedly follow. 



Hurricane in the Virgin Islands and St Thomas. 



During August, the hurricane that caused such 

 considerable damage in Dominica passed the Virgin 

 Islands on the 13th instant to the south or south-west 

 of Tortola, and no harm resulted. This good luck has 

 not been maintained, for according to a recent telegram 

 from St. Thomas, the hurricane of October 9 which 

 caused widespread destruction at the Danish Islands of 

 St. Thomas. St. Jan, and St. Croix, was equally disas- 

 trous in its effects at Tortola. There being no cable 

 communication with the Virgin Islands, details as to 

 the damage done have not 3'et had time to come to 

 hand, but judging by analogy, the situation in 

 Tortola must be very grave. The population is chiefly 

 composed of peasant cultivators and fishermen, and it is 

 to be expected that most of these have lost their 

 present means of subsistence. Help has no doubt by 

 now been rendered b}' St. Kitts, and Antigua. 



The first indications of this hurricane, which 

 appears to have been the most violent one experienced 

 for many years in the West Indies, were shown by 

 rough seas and a falling barometer on October 7. On 

 the 9th, in the Danish Islands, the barometer was falling 

 rapidly with heavy scjualls from the north-east, and by 

 the afternoon the glass was as low as 2802. The wind 

 increased in intensity until between 7 and 8 p.m. when 

 there was a lull. After about an hour the wind blew 

 with redoubled strength from the west and later from 

 the south, accompanied with a (ieluge of rain. The 

 damage to house property in St. Thomas is described 

 as enormous, and the shipping also suffered to a very 

 grave extent. The damage in the neighbouring island 

 of St. Croix, which is of greater agricultural importance, 

 is estimated at about gl.OOOlJOO. 



The present hurricane season in the \\'est Indies 

 has been one of unusual activity. The United States 

 weather Bureau at Washington which maintains 

 observation stations in some of these islands will no 

 doubt find it desirable to issue a special report on the 

 .subject. 



Agricultural Administration and Research in 

 the Leeward Islands. 



A report has recently been issued on the work of 

 the Government laboratory and the office of the 

 .Superintendent of Agriculture for the Leeward Islands, 



1914-1.5 and 191.5-16. This discribes in a clear manner 

 the functions and scope of the' laboratory- and the wide 

 range of duties attendant on the ofKce of Superin- 

 tendent of Agrculture. Besides the chemical examin-- 

 ation of a large number o/ samples of widely different 

 character, special investigations have been carried on 

 chiefly in connexion with soil problems. As well as 

 this the routine work of sugar analysis in regard to the 

 sugar-cane experiments has been continued, as usual. 

 All this work has been done under considerable pressure 

 on account of abolition of the post of Assistant Chemist. 

 At the same time the appointment of Chemical Assist- 

 ants in the sister Presidencies of Dominica and 

 St. Kitts has relieved the central laboratory of a 

 certain amount of routine work. 



Additional lines of activity having arisen in con- 

 nexion with the office of Superintendent of Agriculture, 

 amongst which may be mentioned the direction of the 

 work of the Oovermnent Central Granary and the 

 secretarial and financial work of the Antigua Onion 

 Growers' Association, the succe.ssful administration of 

 the Agricultural Department during the period under 

 review is desiring of credit. In connexion with the 

 work of this office, useful investigations have been made 

 in regard to insect pests. Special visits to and reports 

 were made on the islands of Redonda and Barbuda, 

 besides the customary visits to the neighbouring 

 Presidences of the Leeward Mands Colony. 



In conclusion the report indicates the accomplish- 

 ment by a single officer of a very large amount of 

 useful and diversified work. 



Blight-proof Coflfee for the Phihppines. 



Twenty-five years ago, the coffee disease then 

 sweeping over the entire East visited the Philippines 

 and destroyed, according to a note in the Journal of 

 the Royal Society of Arts, a flourishing industry as far 

 as production for export was concerned. 



Since that time, it is stated, the cultivation of 

 coffee in the islands has been confined to one or two 

 mountainous districts, where the altitude was sufficient 

 to exclude the blight. In these localities almost every 

 house has had its coffee patch, and on them, despite 

 careless methods of cuhivation, an excellent quality 

 has been grown. The quantity of this product has 

 been inconsiderable, however, from a commercial point 

 of view, and coffee has never again taken a place of 

 any importance in the list of Philippine exports. There 

 has never seemed, however, any conclusive reason whv 

 a blight-proof stock should not be successfully intro- 

 duced, as had been done in Java and Ceylon, 

 with the result of rehabilitating the coffee industry 

 of those countries to a great extent, though they 

 had originally been almost as hard hit as the 

 Philippines. According to the Man da Daily Bulleti-n, 

 experiments with this end in view have been somewhat 

 numerous,and not long ago it was announced that 

 measures would betaken to import a supply of the 

 robusta variety of coffee plants for distribution, from 

 Java. 



