84 



THE AGKICULTURAL XEWS. 



March 24, 1917 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST, 



i.UENADA. Mr. J. C. Moore the Superintendent of 

 Agriculture, in his report for December and January states 

 that ihese months had been particularly busy ones in the 

 Botanic Gardens, with the resowing of lime seeds to replace 

 wholesale losses through the 'damping-ofl'" of first batches, 

 and draining land and laying it out in specially prepared 

 beds for the transplanting of lime seedlings. Dry weather 

 in January necessitated much watering of the transplants, 

 which are promising good growth. Arrangements have been 

 made for raising 30,000 lime plants. The temporary 

 facilities for drying about 80 bushels of seed-corn proved 

 satisfactory, but involved considerable labour It is proposed 

 to store the whole amount of corn in one bin. A germination 

 test of seed from the bottom of the bin on January 1, 

 gave good re.sults: germination in four days, vitality = 96 

 per cent. A special gauge for taking samples of corn from 

 any part of the bin (which is 7 feet 4 inches high by 4 feet 

 by 4 feet,) has been devised. The bin is so constructed as 

 to admit of fumigation from below by hydrocyanic a^id gas, 

 or by carbon busulphide from the top. 



Regarding staple crops, the condition remained 

 normal: the reaping of the lime crop had been completed. 

 The weather during these two months was seasonable, the 

 rainfall being well distributed. 



ST. VINCENT. During the month of February the 

 picking of cotton in the Kxperiment Stations was completed 

 and the old stalks pulled up. Operations also included the 

 rephinting of arrowroot maimrial plots, sowing of different 

 varieties of beans, peas and tomatoes, and a plot of alfalfa. 

 Plant distribution was ;(>; follows: Gliricidia cuttings 800; 

 grafted Bovijainvillata spertahilis plants 2; miscellaneous 

 plants 19. In the Botanic Gardens the work consisted of 

 repairing walks around the Lily pond and central walk 

 leading up to Government House gates; the Lily pond 

 was cleaned out and Nymphaeas replanted. General work 

 in the cutlassing of ornamental borders and around plants 

 was also done. As regards staple crops Mr. W. N. Sands the 

 Agricultural Superintendent -:tate.s, there was little to report: 

 reaping operations were in progress generally: some growers 

 had alread}' started pulling up and burning old cotton stalks. 

 Special work included visits by the Agricultural Superin- 

 tendent to certain place> in the Leeward district where 

 the destruction of the food-plants of the cotton stainer was 

 being carried on. The Assistant Agricultural Superintendent, 

 Mr. S. C. Harland, was busily occupied in compiling the 

 results of experiments with Sea Island cotton during the 

 past season. 



Two meetings of the Cotton Growers Association and 

 Agricultural and Commercial Society were held during the 

 month to discuss matters in connexion with (a) a meeting 

 of the Associated Chamber oi ('ommerce for the West Indies, 

 since held at Trinidad, and (b) telegrams received from the 

 Fine Cotton Spinners. At the first meeting (held on February 

 7) the Agricultural Superintendent was unanimously elected 

 as a representative of the Society to attend the above mention- 

 ed meeting, and he left for Trinidad on February 23. 

 The weather was seasonable — rainfall at the Botanic Station 

 4'5.'') inches, and at the Experiment Station 3"85 inches. 



DOMINICA. The Curator Mr. Joseph Jones, describes 

 ■work in the Experiment Stations during the month 

 of February, of a general routine character. Plant dis- 

 tribution included 3,010 limes, 200 .shade trees, 12 cacao, 3 

 grafted mangoes, and 3 7 miscellaneous. In the Botanic Gardens, 



in addition to routine work, a fence 22.5 feet long of rein- 

 force 1 concrete pillars on a concrete base was built on the 

 southern boundaries of the gardens. Touching staple crops, 

 there was a good flowering of lime trees during the month. 

 The local price for lime products remiuned unchanged. 

 Applications for some |-million cane plants were received by 

 the Government from planters and peasants. A first consign- 

 ment of about ."iO,000 plants were received during the month 

 fi'om Guadeloupe and distributed on the Leeward coast. 

 Lender the head of special work, Mr. Jones states that samples 

 of a number of the chief garden crops were analysed in the 

 laboratory and their feeding values ascertained In addition 

 two cases submitted by the Customs authorities were dealt 

 with, a sample of sheep manure was analysed, and a number 

 of samples of lime juice sent in by planters were tested. 

 The rainfall for the month was 4'10 inches. 



MONTSEREAT. According to Mr. W. Robson the Cura- 

 tor, routine work in the Experiment Stations during the 

 month of February has included the manuring of cane plots, 

 cutting and distributing cane cuttings, trimming hedges, 

 etc. The 16,000 bay trees in beds recjuired constant water- 

 ing. Plant distribution comprised the following: cane plants 

 1,100, cassava cuttings 1 800, Succharum ciliare from pots 

 220, cowpeas 12 packets, and 4 packets papaw seeds. In 

 the Botanic Gardens spraying was followed up on the 

 lime experiment plot, and it was noticed that the 

 shelter provided by the pigeon peas had on that section 

 resulted in the trees showing some immunity to scale 

 insect attack. Four distillations of bay leaves were 

 made. The Chateau plot, says Mr. Robson, has never 

 previously been in such a vigorous condition. A plot of 

 Ajowan is now very promising. 



.As usual the destruction of old cotton plants has, on the 

 whole, been effectively carried out as specified by law and 

 planting of the new crop will commence as soon as favourable 

 weather prevails in .March. At the middle of the month 

 300 bales of last crop were .^hipped. The feverish haste of 

 the small growers to get cotton land ready for planting is an 

 indication of the popularity of the crop as a cultivation, and 

 is largely the result of the better prices paid for seed- cotton 

 in the past .season. The Curator is of opinion that to make 

 the industry quite stable, as far a.^ the small growers are 

 concerned, it would seem to be very desirable that some system 

 of co-operative buying of their cotton should be started. 

 Germination tests on cotton seeds have been carried out 

 for a few estates. < )rders have been received for 270 B). of 

 onion seeds compared with 390 tt). in 1916. Three boars 

 and one sow of the Berkshire-Poland China breed have been 

 imported for private owners. Remittances having been made 

 from Canada for the onions .shipped there in 1916, the 

 affairs of the Mont>errat Onion Growers' Association for that 

 year have been wound up, and the final bonus paid to 

 members. A report on the year's working was prepared for 

 publication and di'^tribution. Shiiiments of onions were 

 made during the month to Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Dominica, 

 and Barbados. Mr. Robson mention.^ that the approved 

 estimates for the financial year 1917-18 provide for the 

 appointment of an Assistant Curator for the island, chieflj 

 with a view to greater attention being paid to peasant 

 instruction. The rainfall for the month registered at Grove 

 Station was 2'93 inches, the largest measurement being 

 64 parts, on the 27th. 



ANTIGUA. Mr. T. Jackson in his report for the month 

 of February states that plant distribution included 4,314 

 si.sal, 123 coco-nuts, -5 decorative, 11,952 cane plants, 22 

 packets seeds, and 4 OR), of yams. Work in the Botanic Gardens 

 as also in the Ex]ieriment Station was of an ordinary routine 



