358 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 4, 1916. 



WORK OF THE AGRICULTURAL DEPART- 

 MENT IN GRENADA. 

 The periodical progress report on the work of tlie 

 Agricultural Department, Grenada, for the quarter ended 

 September 30, 1916, has been received, and the chief points 

 of interest are embodied in the following notes. 



In regard to agricultural instruction and inspection in 

 the country districts an estate at Carriacou was inspected 

 in connexion with a proposed land settlement scheme. A 

 lecture was given at St. David's having special reference to 

 drainage, while four .schools in St. David's were vi.sited in 

 connexion with nature teaching work. Instruction in lime 

 planting and the spraying of lime and coco-nuts was the 

 reason for several visits to various estates. 



The work of the Agricultural Instructors has taken 

 them to all the parishes of the island and to Carriacou. 

 The peasants on a large nuniber'of holdings entered in the 

 Prize Holdings Competition have been instructed, and the 

 subsequent judging has been ably carried out by the 

 instructors. During the quarter 587 peasants' holdings, nine 

 estates, and eight schools were visited by the instructors. 



■Work in the Botanic Gardens has included, as well as 

 routine matters, operations and events of particular interest. 

 A small plot of Carum copticum (Ajowan) has been estab- 

 lished, while the following economic plants have been planted 

 out in permanent places for trial: Vitus rim/ero, var. 

 Foster's seedling, five Coffea robusta, one Morus iMa, and 

 four each of the common, Indian white, Indian red, and 

 pear-shaped guavas. 



In the nurseries a number of budded citrus and mangoes 

 will soon be ready for distribution. Lime seeds have been 

 obtained from the St. Lucia Government Lime Juice 

 Factory for raisng the next year's crop of plants for distri- 

 bution, and sowing is in progress. 



In the experiment station.s, it is stated that at the lime 

 station in St. George's the progress of the Mme trees, is on the 

 whole, satisfactory The trees planted through a section of the 

 field that was under Guinea grass have not kept pace with 

 those in other parts of the field, apd it will be necessary to 

 root out this grass. At St. Cyr the limes in the section are 

 doing well, and though only thirteen months old, some of them 

 are already 8 feet high. The experimental cultivation of bush 

 Lima beans and red beans has been continued. At ''[Vest«r- 

 hall, the ^-acre lime plot has been extended to 1 acre. Horse 

 beans are being grown as a cover, and for seed distribution 

 purposes. Other crops which are being grown on trial, and 

 to .supply material for distribution, are pigeon peas, yam.s, 

 eddoes, and various kinds of beans. Monthly sowings of bush 

 Lima beans are being made to ascertain which period is most 

 suitable for their development. The coco-nut trees at this 

 station are stated to be in good condition, but considerable 

 trouble with this crop has been experienced at Morne Rouge 

 in connexion with scale insect attacks. 



I<'or the last year or two it has been the policy of the 

 Department to push lime planting in Grenada amongst the 

 peasantry. A large number of plants distributed from the 

 nurseries indicate that considerable progress has been made. 

 At the same time the peasants are not encouraged to plant 

 limes to the exclusion of provision crops, of ivliich there is 

 already a dearth. At the present time when the price 

 of foodstuffs and the general cost of living is so high and is 

 likely to increase, the cultivation of provision crops is to be 

 strongly advocated, not only in Grenada but in all the West 

 Indian islands. 



Details are given in the report uiidrr review in regard to 

 plant distribution, which was a.'s follow.s: 18,543 limes, 1,8-11 



coco-nuts, 280 cacao, 230 shade trees, 200 pine-apple suckers, 

 6 budded oranges, 4 grafted mangoes, and 144 various, 

 besides some 300 Jb. of seed. This distribution is not 

 regarded as being quite up to the standard for similar perieds 

 of previous years. 



THE EFFECT OF MULCHING ON LIME 

 TREES. 



Some interesting observations appear in the Report of 

 the Agricultural Department, Grenada, 191.5-16, regarding the 

 mulching of lime trees at one of the Experiment Stations. 



The lime plot is |-acre in area, and the trees, which were 

 planted in 1911, are 15 feet apart. The plot is equally 

 divided into two sections: mulched and unmulched. 



There is no record of the quantity of mulching material 

 that has been applied to the mulched section, but in November 

 1914, a thick covering of about 10 inches in depth of partly 

 decayed mulch was observed. At intervals since then, bush 

 and grass sufBcient to keep the land well protected horn the 

 sun have been applied. 



The contrast in the development and vigour of the trees 

 in the two sections is very marked, and unmistakably 

 demonstrates the value of mulching as a means of accelerating 

 the vigorous growth of lime trees in a district where the rain- 

 fall is estimarted to approximate 45 inches per annuM. 



While the trees must have derived considerable bensfit in 

 the dry seasons, as the result of the water conserving proper- 

 ties of the mulch, it;is from the plant food provided by the 

 organic matter thus supplied that they probably have derived 

 the greatest benefit. 



]^Ieasurements of the trees were taken in October witk 

 the following result*: -r- 



No. Trees in mulched plot. No. Trees in unmulched plot. 



Height in Diameter in Height in Diamoter in 



feet. feet. feet. feet. 



18 10 1 9 9 



2 9 12 2 7 8 



3 10 3 8 8 



4 8 '■'9 4 10 9 



5 9 10 5 7 8 



6 11 10 7 7 



7 10-5 14 7 9 10 



8 11 15 8 9 9 



9 10 15 9 8 7 

 M 11 15 10 8 9 



11 9-5 15 11 7 6 



12 6-5 9 12 8 7 



13 10-5 15 13 9 8 



14 10 10 14 8 7 



15 9 12 15 5 6 



16 8-5 14 



17 9 15 



18 8 11 



Average 92 123 7-9 79 



In round figures, the average dimensions of the trees in 

 the respective sections may be taken at 9 feet x 12 feet, and 

 8 f«et X 8 feet. If for purposes of coiup.^iljji. it is assumed 

 that the outer surface of the tress approximates a dome 

 shape, the average dimensions of the trees in the respactive 

 j)lots indicate that the superficial area of fruiting surface per 

 treee on the mulched section is 178 .-jq. feet as against 

 100 sq. feet per wee on the unmulched section, representing 

 a gaiia of 78 per cent, per tree to the credit of the mulched 

 section. 



