Vol. XT. No. 382. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEW?. 



40-5 



The enticing aspects of sugar-cane cultivation have 

 been shown to be responsible for considerable exten- 

 sions of the area devoted to this crop. Some of 

 this land was previously under cotton, and this fact 

 brings up a point of special economic importance. It 

 seems that owing to an unfavourable season there is 

 likely to be a shortage of West Indian cotton next 

 year. At the same time the demand for fine staple 

 cotton in England is steadily growing stronger, owing 

 . to its employment for special purposes incident on the 

 vv'ar. Consequently, abnormall}- high prices are likely 

 to prevail. Under such conditions there may be more 

 in cotton than in sugar, while from an Imperial point 

 cif view. West Indian cotton is obviously a most impor- 

 tant product to produce since the mother country is 

 dependent on these islands for its chief supply. Again 

 cotton possesses an advantage over sugar in that it will 

 stand indefinite storage, while the crop itself occupies 

 the land for onl}' half the time required by sugar-cane, 

 which allows of the cultivation of provision crops, fitting 

 in well with the policy of more locally produced food. 



The general line of argument, then, which it is 

 sought to bring forward is the need for giving attention 

 to the present agricultural position as a whole, and the 

 danger that lies in allowing one's outlook to be obscured 

 b}' the boom in sugar. Manifestl}' the position of the 

 sugar-cane planter to-day is an extremely good one, 

 but he should remember that there are four prime 

 factors to his prosperity — market, season, labour, 

 •ind ships. It is the last two which are of fundamental 

 importance at the present time. 



MONTSERRAT: RETORT ON THE AGRICUL- 

 TURAL DEPARTMENT, 191-j-1(;. 



This report is longer than ixsual and contains a large 

 amount of information that will be found especially u.seful 

 locally, and interesting in other places. It indicates in 

 a general way that within the last year or two, a broader 

 outlook has been taken on the agricultural problems of the 

 Presidency: this is shown by various lines of activity, more 

 .^specially by the policy underlying some of the experimental 

 ■work. 



In regard to routine work, the distribution of plants- 

 from the nurseries was characterized by the larger number 

 of sugar-cane cuttings sent out as well as by the increased 

 quantity of onion seed. Both of these are significant: the 

 high price of sugar has caused a very considerable expansion 

 of sugar-cane cultivation in Montserrat, while the operations 

 of the Onion CTrowers' Association have stimulated the 

 planting of onions. The distribution of provision crop 

 material for planting purposes was less than in the previous 

 year, a matter to be noted owing to the importance of pro- 

 ducing ground provisions in view of the increased cost 

 of living. 



Work in connexion with cotton selection has been 

 continued; special attention has been given in connexion with 

 introduced strains from St. Kitts and St. Vincent. It is 

 recognized that the work of Mr. Robson, Curator of the 

 Botanic and Experiment Station, in connexion with cotton, is 

 of fundamental importance to the Presidency. Extracts from 

 that part of the report devoted to cotton will appear in 

 a future issue. 



Information relating to lime cultivation has regard 

 principally to the conditions unfavourable for the vigorous 

 growth of the.se trees. Description ia also given of the 

 new experiment plot, and reports by the entomologist and 

 mycologist of the Imperial Department of Agriculture on 

 a visit to Montserrat are appended. It would appear that 

 sheltered situations are necessary for the successful cultiv- 

 ation of limes in Montserrat. 



Under the heading of Experimental Work with Minor 

 Crops, information appears concerning bay oil, ground nuts,, 

 pine-apples, peas and beans, Indian corn, sweet potatoes, 

 cassava and yams. Although the.se are minor crops, the 

 results of the experimental work recorded are of great 

 interest and importance, and indicate that agriculture in 

 Montserrat is tending to become more diversified, thereby 

 increasing the economic stability of the Presidency. Special 

 reference may be made to the experiments with peas and 

 beans, and with Indian corn. Experimental shipments of 

 ground nuts and pine-apples have been made with interestino- 

 results: the distillation work with bay leaves has been 

 continued. 



The observations relating to insect and fungus pests and 

 their control have regard .principally to the cotton stainer 

 problem. Concerning the control of leaf rust on ground nuts 

 Mr. Robson has shown that Bordeaux mixture is effective in 

 controlling this disease. 



In regard to progress in the industries, the report shows 

 that the exports of cotton were somewhat below the average 

 for the past three years, but the prices obtained were better 

 than last year. As already indicated by the large increase in 

 the distribution of cane cuttings, there was a largo increa.se 

 in the acreage planted in sugar-cane during the year. Interest 

 appears to be well maintained in bay oil, papain, and in the 

 cultivation of onions. In regard to the last named crop, the 

 formation of an Onion (^rowers' Association was an event of 

 interest and importance during the year under review. This 

 Association, which is affiliated to the original Antigua one 

 appears to have made a promising start. 



The report closes with some miscellaneous information 

 concerning the extraction of alkaloids from the leaves of 

 Pilocarpus racemoms, and some figures are given concerning 

 the composition of the Rangpur lime. The meteorological 

 observations indicate, amongst other things, that the ye-jr's 

 rainfall was unusually high, the average for twenty-two 

 stations being 6")-76 inches, which is 18-39 inches above ther 

 average for the previous five years. 



