Vol. X. No. 250. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



375 



BRITISH HONDURAS. A sample of long stapled Upland 

 cotton was regarded as of the same values ax 'full}' good fair' 

 Abassi (13^(/. per B).). A hybrid cotton, also of long staple, 

 was valued at \2hd to I3d. per ft), on the same date. 



FOREIGN COUNTRIES. Twentyone .simples of improved 

 American Upland cottons from Mozambique were examined. 

 Four of them were of short staple and were valued at about 

 lid. per B)., but the others were of good length and useful 

 spinning quality, and ranged in value from 7|'/. to 9rf. 

 per lb., with 'middling' American at 7'.")9rf. per ft). A sample 

 of 'Caravoiiica' cotton was of very poor quality and nomi- 

 nally worth 5^d. to Gd. per lb. 



THE GOVERNMENT COTTON PURCHASE 



SCHEME, ST. VINCENT. 



Attention has been drawn by Mr. W. N. Sands, 

 Agricultural Superintendent, St. Vincent, to the follow- 

 ing account of the working: of the St. Vincent Govern- 

 nietit Cotton Purchase Scheme, which, it is stated by 

 Mr. Sands, represents the facts as they actually exist. 

 The account appears in the St. Vincent Sentry for 

 October 20, 1911. 



We understand that a bonus of '25 per cent, of the 

 value of the seed-cotton .sold on a profit-sharing basis by 

 small growers to the Government Central Cotton Ginnery 

 last season has been declared and will Vie paid during the ne.xt 

 few days, commencing to-raorrovv. It must be a matter of 

 congratulation both to (lovernment and the small growers 

 who are, as it were, partners in the bu.--iness, to see such 

 a successful result. The total sum due to the people is 

 upwards of £838. Taking 7c. per Ui. for first grade seed- 

 cotton as the payment made in the first instance on account, 

 and adding to it the value of the bonus, lijc, it will be seen 

 that the total amount realized by the small growers for their 

 cotton was S-^c. per ftj. 



This information, which we have obtained from a reliable 

 source, is most encouraging. The result fully bears out our 

 ideas on the feasibility of the scheme, and the view.s ihe 

 Senfry has hitherto expressed as to the advisability nf the 

 owners of small lots of land going in for cotton cultivation 

 as well as vegetables. It proves also that reliance can be 

 placed upon the Government for obtaining the best possible 

 value for cotton and .seed sold to the Ginnery on the profit- 

 sharing basis. The results of each succeeding crop seem to 

 manifest more and more clearly the great benefit that the 

 Government Cotton Ginnery is to the small grower. Besides 

 encouraging him to grow a crop which p.iys better than 

 ground provisions, it makes him more independent and less 

 likely to be hampered liy recurring demands of the money 

 lender. We learn also that the system the Government 

 Ginnery recently adopted of grading the cotton has worked 

 well. All this should convince the small man that it is in 

 his interest the scheme is worked, and that in giving it all 

 the support in his power he is only contributing to 

 a co-operative business in whose success he most certainly 

 participates in a direct manner. 



Information has been received frfim St ^'incent to the 

 effect that fine weather was experienced in the island during 

 the first three weeks of last month, but that heavy falls of 

 rain were received during the last fi\v days. The rainfall 

 for October, at the Botanic Station, was 32 inches, and at 

 the Agricultural School, 926 inches 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTATION IN 



THE CONGO. 



Some advance Wiis m^de in 1910 in agriculture by the 

 creation of Government experimental stations in the districts 

 of the Kwango, Kasai, Equator-, Banga'a and the Katanga. 

 Twelve large rubber plantations were eiiher newly created or 

 developed in that year. A special study is being nude of the 

 agricultural lesonrces of the Katanga, where several experi- 

 mental stations have been started in the localities best suited 

 to emigration, and jiarticularly ia those contiguous to the 

 railways in construction or contemplation. In this district 

 attention is likewise being devoted to meteorological observa- 

 tions, analysis of the .soil, pastures and cattle-rearing, with 

 a view to the organization of food-producing stations, which 

 it is considered will have an important bearing upon the diffi- 

 cult question of food supplies in the mining districts, where 

 pirovisions are expensive and scarce. 



To assure greater etticiency in the employment of experts 

 for promoting agriculture, the countr-y has been divided into 

 agricultural circuits, which at present number six in all. 

 The first comprises the Lower Congo, .Middle Congo, Kwango 

 and Lake Leopold I[, the second, the districts of the Etiuator, 

 LTbangi and IJangala, in which the larger plantations of 

 lubber occur; the third, the Uelle distiict, and more particu- 

 larly the cattle-rearing zones of Gurba-Dungu, Bomnkandi 

 and LTereBili: the fourth, the districts of Stanleyville and 

 the Aruwimi, which will embi-ace the cattle-rearing zones of 

 the Grand Lacs; the fifth, the Kasai, and the sixth the 

 Katanga. 



Each circuit is under the direction of a district agrono- 

 mist aided by a staff of efficient assistants, and subject to the 

 general superintendence ot the Director of Agriculture at 

 Boma, and Assistant Director in the Katanga. 



Scientific missions are to be sent to Malaysia and British 

 India for studying tropical agriculture, irrigation and the pre- 

 vention of diseases in plants. Until it becomes possible to 

 acquire experts versed in rural economics in Belgium itself, 

 the staff' will be drawn from other countries. 



The meteorological section will be well provided with 

 instruments which will also be distributed among the various 

 religious missions, and the work in this important branch 

 will thus receive considerable impetus. 



Experimental gardens analogous to those at Eala, in the 

 Equator district, will be creaied in the Lower Congo, Kasai 

 and the Katanga. The gardens at Eala are credited with 

 having done some important work, but being situated on the 

 Equator, the results of the experiments made in the culture 

 and acclimatization of plants are inapplicable to localities far 

 removed from this district in which the rains are not so con- 

 stant or ttie climate so equable 



The Agricultural Eesearch Laboratoi-y, under the di ruc- 

 tion of two experienced chemists at Eala, is to be placed at 

 the disposal of settlers. {Diplninatic and Cansular Reports, 

 Annual Series, No. 4780, p. 7.) 



A preliminary forecast of the sugar-cane crop of Eastern 

 Bengal and .Assam, for the season 1911-12, gives the area 

 planted as 177,8(10 acres, or 3,400 acres less than in last 

 year. In Eastern liengal the cause of the steady decline in 

 cane cultivation that is taking place is said to be the fact 

 that other crops are found to give better returns for the 

 capital and labour employed. 



