Vol. IV. No. 82. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



171 



RAINFALL RETURNS. 



Jamaica. 



The 'annual summary for 1904' of the Montldy 

 Weather Review of the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture Weather Bureau gives the following rainfall 

 returns for Jamaica, from about 129 average stations, 

 supplied by Dr. H. H. Cousins : — 



St. Vincent. 



The following remarks are made upon the rainfall 

 for St. Vincent in the Annual Report for 1903-4: — 



The rainfall for the year 1903-4 was 100-45 inches, a.s 

 against 108-37 in 1902. 



Rain fell on 261 clays throughout the year. 



The maximum fall in one day was 5-25 inches, on 

 December 19. 



October was the wettest month with 19-84 inches, and 

 February the driest with only 2-97 inches. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture 

 returned from an official visit to Tobago in C.L.S. 

 ' Oruro ' on I\[ay 28 last. 



Mr. L. Lewton-Brain, B.A., F.L.S., returned from 

 .an official visit of inspection of the Agricultural Schools 

 at St. Lucia and Dominica in R.M.S. ' Eden' on 

 ■Saturday, May 20. 



Mr. Rudolph D. Anstead, B.A., the newly 

 appointed Agricultural Superintendent of Grenada, 

 embarks for that island on Monday, June 5. 



AGRICULTURE IN SURINAM. 



In his opening speech to the Legislative Assembly 

 of Dutch Guiana on May 9, the Governor spoke at 

 some length on the agricultural position of the colony. 

 After speaking of the serious decline in the output of 

 cacao on account of the ravages of the 'witch broom' 

 disease, he said : — 



We may reasonably look for better results in the current 

 year. This is encouraging, but we can hardly venture to 

 assume that the disease will be eradicated within a few years. 

 The Department of Agriculture is trying to combat the 

 disease. Under the most favourable conditions the results 

 of these experiments can only be known a few years hence. 



The greater number of the plantations are already in 

 want of money. Unless the combating of the disease takes 

 a favourable turn, those plantations can only be saved if 

 means be found to increase their income within a short time. 

 The remedy, it appears to me, might lie in the calling into 

 existence of a banana culture for export. The sugar industry, 

 owing to fair prices, had a good chance in 1904. Work was 

 carried on profitably on all the plantations, in spite of the 

 damage to the canes by the prolonged drought, especially in 

 the Nickerie district. 



As regards agriculture, we may mention as a cheering 

 sign the establishment of the enterprise for the growing of 

 fibre-yielding plants. At the end of 1 904, the fibre-cleaning 

 plant was put up, and some 60 hectares planted with the 

 sisal agave. On some plantations a beginning was made 

 with the growing of Hevea, and rice planting, especially on 

 small farm.s, underwent a noticeable extension. The rice 

 production, which in 1903 amounted to about 450,000 kilos, 

 increased in 1904 to about 850,000 kilos. When we 

 consider, however, that the annual importation amounts to 

 5,000,000 kilos, it appears that rice culture can still 

 undergo a vast extension before the consumption will be 

 covered by the production. 



IMPORTED STOCK AT ST. LUCIA. 



The following extract is taken from the monthly 

 report of the Agricultural Instructor at St. Lucia, 

 dated May 22, 1905 :— 



On May 14 I inspected the Arab stallion at 'Cap' estate, 

 imported by Mr. Charles Henderson from Lady Blount's 

 Arab Stock, and was also shown the pedigree. Its height 

 is 14-2, and it seems a perfect animal in every respect. 

 jSIr. Henderson is asking £5 as a stud fee from the general 

 public, but consented to take §10 on mares approved by the 

 Department's officers or the Agricultural Society. I also 

 inspected a Shorthorn bull and cow, and an Ayrshire cow 

 imported from England, and some water-boring machinery. 



Rabbits in the United Kingdom. One of the 



most interesting items in connexion with the meat imports is 

 that of dead rabbits. In this country rabbits are an article 

 of food to a much greater extent than in the United States. 

 Rabbits are cheap and are considered to be both nutritious 

 and digestible. They are a standard article of food among 

 the people. In 190.3, 53,273,240 ft. of rabbits, of a value 

 of S3,552,767, were imported into this country. Australia 

 alone sent last year rabbits to the value of .$1,348,000. In 

 a lecture recently delivered by one of the commercial agents 

 of Australia it was stated that the great Australian pest of 

 rabbits has been alleviated, to some extent, owing to the fact 

 that it was possible to ship them to England. (U.S. Munthly 

 Consular Rqjorts.) 



