Vol. IV. No. 94 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



361 



Wet and Dry Cacao. 



An effort ha.s been made in Trinidad to ascertain 

 the amount of marketable or ' dry ' cacao obtainable 

 from a given weight of 'wet ' cacao, that is, the fresh 

 beans. The result of an experiment started at the 

 River estate for this jjurpose is given in the Bulletin 

 of Miscellaneous Iv format ion for October. 



A picking of 11 barrels of wet cacao weighed 

 2,600 lb. when brought in. The loss during 

 fermentation was 403 lb., or 1.5'15 per cent. The loss 

 of weight in dr^'ing after fermentation was 1,195 lb., or 

 54-44 per cent. The total loss during drying and 

 fermentation was therefore 1,.598 fl")., or GT-IG per cent. 



As it is evident that results will vary with 

 •different seasons, farther trials will be made so as 

 to obtain a fairly good average. 



It may be mentioned that in some islands ' wet ' 

 cacao is calculated to yield half its weight as ' dry ' or 

 cured cacao. 



From similar experiments at the Dominica 

 Botanic Station it was ascertained that in that island 

 the loss was 58 per cent., or, in other words, that 'the 

 return from 100 lb. of "wet" cacao cannot be placed 

 higher than at 4.2 lb.' (See Agricultural Neivs, Vol. 

 Ill, p. 24ti.) 



Soils of Montserrat. 



A valuable paper on the above subject, prepared 

 by the Hon. Francis Watts and Mr. H. A. Tempany, 

 published in the West Indian Bulletin, (Vol. VI, 

 no. 3), contains information that is likely to be of 

 considerable service to planters in Jlontserrat. 



The results are given of the mechanical and 

 ■chemical examination of soils from twelve typical 

 localities. The value of this paper is enhanced by 

 ■ diagrams showing at a glance the mechanical com- 

 position of the coarse sample actually analysed. 



Dr. Watts and Mr. Tempany conclude that ' the 

 rsoils of Montserrat are, on the whole, fertile and easily 

 worked ; they are characterized by containing very 

 small amounts of carbonate of lime, but, otherwise, 

 they are not usually deficient in the elements of plant 

 food.' It does not appear that artificial manures are 

 at present necessary, except where ratoon sugar-canes 

 are grown : in such cases some nitrogenous manure, 

 such as nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia, 

 will prove useful. 



The mechanical examination shows that there is 

 considerable variation in the texture of the soils: while 

 -some are sandy and easily worked, others are stiff and 

 require care in working. 



There is an abundance of land well adapted for 

 the cultivation of limes, and the industry is capable of 

 considerable extension. There are also large areas 

 capable of producing Sea Island cotton, and it would 

 appear that the industry is likely to become the 

 principal one of the island. 



In addition there arc suitable tracts for the culti- 

 vation of cacao and rubber, and, provided wind-breaks 

 are planted, the cultivation of such crops might be 

 largely increased. Further, the ordinary provision crops 

 and vegetables can be grown with advantage. 



Cassava Trials in Jamaica. 



In the Agricultural News (Vol. IV, p. 209) 

 a note was published giving the results of experiments 

 with cassava in Jamaica. In that case the plots were 

 reaped after twelve months' growth. A further report, 

 published in the Bulletin of the Department of Agri- 

 culture, contains a statement of the results after 

 fifteen months' growth. 



The increase in the yield of starch per acre, result- 

 ing from the three months' growth since the first 

 results were obtained, is very considerable. In the 

 case of the first nine on the list, this increase varies 

 from 3,000 lb. to 5,000 lb., and the increased yield of 

 tubers from 3i to Gi tons. 



Dr. Cousins considers that the results indicate 

 that the gross yield of starch obtainable in Jamaica is 

 far beyond his previous estimate (see Agricultural 

 ATeu's, Vol. Ill, p. 150). The 'Long-leaf Blue-bud' 

 heads the list with 15-J- tons of tubers and 12,857 lb. of 

 starch per acre. 'Blue Top' comes second with an 

 indicated starch yield of 9,733 ft. per acre. 



West Indian Bulletin. 



The papers in the latest issue of the West Indian 

 Bulletin (Vol. VI, no. 3) include the following 

 by the Hon. Francis Watts : Manurial Experiments 

 with Cotton in the Leeward Islands; Manurial Experi- 

 ments with Cacao at Dominica ; and the Soils of 

 Montserrat. A summary of the results of the manurial 

 experiments with cotton has already appeared in the 

 Agricultural Neivs (Vol. IV, p. 263). The experi- 

 ments with cacao at Dominica, which were carried out 

 at the Botanic Station in association with Mr. J. Jones, 

 the Curator, are of an important character. They 

 show very clearly that ' proper care and manuring can 

 be relied upon to give substantial increases in yield.' 

 In the paper on Montserrat soils, the results are given 

 of the mechanical and chemical analyses of twelve 

 typical soils, the former being shown in diagrammatic 

 form. 



The next article is one on grape fruit and shad- 

 docks. This is summai'ized elsewhere in this issue of 

 the Agriculturcd A^ews. It is followed by two jmpers 

 relating to the culture of cacao in Ceylon. One deals 

 with the experiments that are being carried out at 

 the Government Experiment Station, and the other 

 with the control of the ' canker' disease. 



Of special interest at the present moment is the 

 pjaper on the Bud-rot of the Cocoa-nut Palm. This 

 disease is causing considerable anxiety all over the 

 West Indies, and with the view of assisting in the 

 efforts that are being made to control the disease, all 

 the available information relating to it has been 

 collected and reprinted. The bud-rot of cocoa-nuts 

 appears to have been first noticed in British Guiana 

 thirty years ago. Later it was reported as occurring 

 in Jamaica and British Honduras. More recently, it 

 has been studieil in Cuba, Porto Rico, and Trinidad. 



The concluding paper contains further notes on 

 the Naudet Patent Process for extracting and purifying 

 Cane Juice. The process was in operation last season 

 in Trinidad and Porto Rico. 



