YoL. IV. No. 94. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



363 



SISAL HEMP m THE CAICOS ISLANDS. 



In reference to the note.s which have appeared 

 in the Aijrlcidtwral News in regard to the cultiva- 

 tion of sisal hemp in the Caicos Islands, it may be of 

 interest to publish the following letter, which appears 

 in the U. S. 2fonthly Covsular Reports for July, from 

 U. S. Consul Moffat, of Turks Island, in which he 

 •directs attention to the Turks and Caicos Islands as 

 profitable fields for this promising industry : — 



Considerable attention appears to be directed towards 

 tliese islands as a .suitable and profitable field for the 

 growing of si.«al gras.s, which may be partially due to the 

 recent large investments made in the sisal fibre industry in 

 Australia, East Africa, and elsewhere, stimulated, no doubt, 

 by the relatively high ijuotations maintained during the past 

 two years for the article. 



For several years a company, almost entirely American, 

 ha.s been operating and extending its plantation here, and 

 at the present time has l,fOO acres under full cultivation on 

 the Caicos Islands, which form a part of this dependency. 

 The entire output from this plantation is shi|)ped to the 

 United States. A newly formed company, which recently 

 purchased the property and improvements of a company 

 which had gone into receiver'.s hands and stopped extracting 

 fibre some two years ago, will, within a few week.^ commence 

 the shipment of fibre. Their product, although the company 

 is of English chartering and the entire stock hold abroad, 

 will be exported e.xclusively to the United States. 



The United States market appears to present a more 

 ■remunerative and satisfactory outlet for the fibre, for, while 

 •ocean freight.s are lower to English ports than to New York, 

 prices in England are at somewhat recessional quotations. 

 Furthermore, the United States market quotations represent 

 .sight cash, while the foreign market quotations are subject 

 to a ninety-day cash di.scount. These offsetting conditions 

 jiermit an advantageous net result through exporting to the 

 United States. 



The Government still holds several thou.sand acres 

 available and suitable for sisal grass cultivation, upon which. 

 I am informed, long leases may be had at an average 

 nominal annual rental of bd. (10c.) per acre. 



Recently a representative of English capital visited the 

 colony, while many in(|uirie.s, through correspondence, have 

 been received from both Europe and the United States, 

 which facts are indicative of a keen appreciation of the 

 possibilities of the field for further profitable investment. 

 This may be accounted for when one considers that the sisal 

 leave.s, when ready for cutting, can be cut, cleaned, etc., and 

 landed at New York at a known cost of less than 3c. per lb. 

 The margin of profit, therefore, at prevailing quotations is 

 most satisfactory, and should permit generous returns on the 

 investments made. 



The quality of the article produced in these islands is 

 •conceded to be equal, if not .superior, to the best grades of 

 Yucatan fibre, and has, in consequence, commanded immediate 

 market without question as to quantity. 



From evidences at hand, consequent on the large acreage 

 under cultivation ready for immediate cutting, and the 

 completeness of the installed equipment, it is reasonable to 

 assume that the coming year will witness a large increase 

 over the amount heretofore exported. 



An account of the progress of the sisal hemp 

 industry of the Caicos Islands, which was started in 

 1890, appeared in the West Indian Bulletin, Vol V 

 pp. 150-2. 



SELECTION OF COCOA-NUTS. 



Referring to the purchase from Ceylon of some 

 10,000 cocoa-nuts for distribution among planters, 

 the Curator of the Botanic Station in Seychelles makes 

 the following interesting observations, in his Annual 

 Report for 1904, on the selection of nuts: — 



The cocoa-nuts have all lieeu purchased, although endless 

 discussions have been raised \\ith reference to their hardiness 

 and to the thickness of their ' meat ' as compared with the 

 Seychelles nuts. If one follows the growth of the Ceylon 

 nuts in the nursery, one has little doubt with regard to lioth 

 Seychelles and Ceylon nuts having the same variation in 

 the coloration and general appearance of the young shoot. 

 Both nuts belong to the same variety of plants and the only 

 difference is that one is selected with a view of (1) increasing 

 the size of the nuts, and (2) reducing the percentage of the 

 envelopes ; and the other is left to ilself without selection. 

 Regarding the thickness of the meat, I have a doubt as to 

 whether this is not due to oiitical illusion. I have opened 

 a great many nuts (about four dozen) in the presence of 

 planters and in all cases except two the compared nuts were 

 found to have the same thickne.ss of meat. The diameter of 

 the Ceylon nut being about three times greater than the 

 diameter of the Seychelles nuts, the difference in the size of 

 the hollow gives the apj.earance of a difference in the 

 thickness of the meat. By careful measurement, the real 

 thickness of the meat is easily ascertained, and this shows 

 a certain variation in both kinds of nuts. Exceptionally big 

 nuts (especially when not quite ripe) possess a comparatively 

 thin meat, but these nuts are found both in Ceylon and 

 Seychelles. The copra produced by 1,000 Ceylon ordinary 

 nuts is about twice as much as that obtained from Seychelles 

 nuts. This result has been obtained in the same soil, under 

 the influence of the same climate, and is entirely due to 

 selection. 



It is to be hoped that the discussion raised on the 

 subject by the planters, after their having seen the nuts 

 introduced from Ceylon, may jirove the beginning of 

 a careful selection of nuts for planting in Seychelles. .Many 

 of them have already informed me that they have found on 

 their estates a few of their trees producing nuts similar to 

 those of Ceylon and that they intend keeping them for 

 propagation. It is proljable that the trees which produce 

 very small nuts have less requirements than those which 

 produce bigger nuts, and that varieties which produce 

 big nuts normally will bear smaller nuts if they are starved 

 out. But when one thinks of the very trifling amount of 

 plant food which is removed from the soil by cocoa-nut 

 cultivation, there seems to be no difticulty in supplying the 

 elements which are required to a greater extent by the 

 big-nut varieties. The planter must choose between having 

 small nuts without trouble and having double the crop by 

 using proper methods of cultivation and selection. 



k 



ARBOR DAY AT TOBAGO. 



The Curator of the Botanic Station at Tobago rejjorts 

 that Arbor Day was successfully celebrated in that island on 

 the King's Birthday, November 9. 



The plants distributed free from the Botanic Station to 

 managers of schools and others comprised fruit, shade, and 

 economic plants, and numbered 216. Some hundred plants 

 were also purchased for this purpose. General interest was 

 taken in the Arbor Day movement throughout Tobago, and 

 tree planting was adopted as the principal means of com- 

 memorating the King's birthday iir the island. 



