Vol. IV. No. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



67 



manured beforeliaiid. The best seed only should be 

 sown. During erop time all the cotton seed should be 

 retained, crushed by means of a disintegrator, and fed 

 to animals. Where this is not practicable, the whole 

 (or crushed) iseed may be used as manure. If the 

 cotton seed piwluced in these colonies be exported, it 

 Avill be impossible to retain the fertility of the soil and 

 the quality of the cotton will rapidly deteriorate. Later 

 it mav be found desirable to establish oil mills in the 

 West Lidies and thus utilize all the available products 

 of the cotton plant. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Seedling Canes in the Leeward Islands. 



Pamphlet No. 38, issued to-day, contains a SLiniinaiT 

 of the results of the cultivation of seedling and other 

 canes in the Leeward Islands during the sea.son 

 1903-4 The following extracts from this pamphlet 

 will indicate the nature of the results obtained : — 



The canes that gave the best results as plant canes at 

 Antigua last year were : Sealy Seedling, B. L56, B. 306, 

 and B. 208. The same four, but in a difterent order, head 

 the table of means for three years, and are, therefore, 

 together with B. 109 and D. 9.3, mentioned as pronusing 

 canes for Antigua. -Judged as ratoon canes, B. 109, Sealy 

 (Seedling, B. 306, and D. 9.5 gave good results. It will be 

 .seen that Sealy Seedling and B. 306 have distingui.shed 

 themselves in Antigua both as i>lant canes and as ratoous. 



At St. Kitt's the first place among plant canes last 

 season was obtained by B. 393, closely followed by B. 208. 

 The latter cane heads the table of means for four years. 

 Among ratoon canes the best were D. ILS, B. 306, and 

 B. 208, the same three occupying the head of the table of 

 means for three years, though in difl'erent order. 



.\NTI(;UA. — PLAXT C.VNES. 



If we take the first seven canes occurring at each station 

 as being above the average, or worthy of attention, and see 

 how far there is agreement between the lists, we obtain 

 useful information. "We find that at the eight stations 

 twelve in all have come within the limit of the first seven 

 canes ; of these, 



B. 306 ... has come within the first 7 on 8 stations. 

 B. 156 ... ,, ,, „ ,, ,, 7 ,, 8 ,, 



Sealy 1 ^ ^ 



.Seedling J'" " " '" " " ' " '-^ 



■ --^'" • • • J) J) )? JJ 



D. 9.5 ... „ „ „ „ 



U. i -t .. . ,j J, ,, J, 



D 102 



D. 116 ... „ „ „ „ 



U, I ID . . . ,, ,, ,, ,, 



Mont Blanc... ,, „ ,, ,, 



D. < 8 .•• ,, ,, „ ,, ,, 7 ,, 1 station. 



D. loO ... „ ,, ,, ,, 



This is a remarkablj- close agreement and indicates that 

 Sealy Seedling, B. 306, B. 156, B. 208, D. 9.5, and D. 71 

 are calculated to give good returns in all the districts 

 covered by these experiments. That these six canes come 

 out so compact a group affords a sense of security to those 

 who wish to plant them. 



ANTIOL A. — KATUONS. 



^\'e may classify the ratoon canes, as we have alreadj- 



classified the plant canes, by ascertaining which rank 



amongst the first seven at each of the six stations. We find 



that these (7 x 6) forty-two places are occupied by fifteen 



canes ; of these, 



Sealv ) , -ci ■ ., ,. I. - - I. i- 



r, ,"r ■■■ has come witlua the first / on o stations. 



Seedluig ( 



B. 306^' ... „ „ ,. „ „ 7 „ 5 „ 



B. 109 ... „ „ „ „ „ 7 „ 4 „ 



1>. 102 ... „ „ .. „ „ 7 „ 4 „ 



.>[ont Blanc , „ ,. „ 7 „ 4 ,, 



1!. 208 ... „ „ „ „ „ 7 „ 3 „ 



B. 156 ... „ „ „ „ „ 7 ,, 3 



I). 130 , „ „ 7 „ 3 



The rainfall for the season under review was so badly 



distributed as to handicap severely many of the pronusing 



varieties. The bad distribution, however, affords a means of 



a.scertaining which canes are calculated to stand adverse 



circumstances. In this respect Sealy Seedling and B. 306 



appear to have distinguished themselves this season in 



Antigua, when botli plant canes and ratoon canes are 



considered. 



ST. Krrx's. — PLANT CANKS. 



Taking the average results for this season, B. 393 

 occupies first [jlace, followed closely by B. 208. The order 

 for this season is very different from that of last : it is 

 possible that the unusual character of the rainfall accounts 

 tor this. The rainfall at the several stations has varied 

 greatly both in t|uantity and the manner in which it fell ; 

 this may have inttuenced the various canes in different ways. 



If we examine the first seven canes at each station, we 

 liud that they embrace a greater number than was the case 

 in Antigua, .seventeen canes occurring amongst the first 

 seven at eight stations ; of these, 



B. 393 ... has come within the first 7 on 8 stations. 



B. 208 ... „ „ „ „ „ 7 ., 6 



D. 74 ... „ „ ,. ., „ 7 „ 5 „ 



White I - r. 



Transparent/ ■•■ " " " " " " ' 



B. 109 ... „ „ „ „ ., 7 „ 4 



B. 306 ... „ „ „ „ „ 7 „ 4 



Mont Blanc ... „ „ ,, „ „ 7 „ 4 „ 



The foregoing seven canes thus appear to be generally- 

 suitable over a wide range of soil and climate. This is 

 particularly the case with B. 393, which has suddenly come 

 into prominence in these experiments in St. Kitt's, for it 

 occurs amongst the first seven at all the eight stations, 

 while B. 208 similarly appears at six. 



ST. kitt's. — E.^TOONS. 



B. 376 ... has come within the first 7 on 5 stations. 



B. 208 ... „ „ ,. „ „ 7 „ 4 



B. 306 ... „ ,, „ „ „ 7 „ 4 „ 

 White 1 7 4 



Transparent/ ■•• " " '- " " [_ ' " 



.Naga B. ... ,, ,, ,, ,, ,) * v ^ ») 



4*. /4 ... ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ' )) "* )» 



B. lOJ ... ,, ,, ,, J, jj ' J) "* ,, 



These canes therefore appear suitable for ratooning over 

 the range of soil and climate covered by these experiments. 

 D. 74, White Transparent, and Naga B. possess drought- 

 resisting qualities, while B. 109 and B. 306 require a good 

 rainfall. 



