Vol. XVI. No. 388. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



73 



Interest in West Indian Agriculture. 



Personal interests vary so much in the West Indies, 

 and the agricultural conditions in the islands are so 

 essentially ditferent. that the task of editing a fort- 

 nightly journal of agricultural information so as to 

 appeal to all classes of readers is beset with many 

 difficulties. 



Nevertheless evidence indicating that the infor- 

 mation recorded in these pages is not lacking in general 

 interest nor devoid of an instructive character, is seen 

 in the extent to which other tropical journals refer to, or 

 reproduce information appearing in, the Agricultural 

 Ifews. Recently the Tropical Agriculturist of Ceylon 

 reproduced in the December issue, six different articles 

 emanating from this Office, including an editorial: in 

 fact the interest taken in West Indian affairs in other 

 parts of the tropics is general, and it would be a good 

 thing for the West Indies if each island also tried to 

 be a little less self-centred and followed events more 

 ■closely in neighbouring colonies, as well as in the 

 tropics generally. 



that a similar case was recently noticed in a garden fa 

 Barbados. The growth described is of course abnormal, 

 and it is difficult to assign any definite cause to the 



event. 



•Growth of the Agricultural Departments. 



An attempt has been made editorially in this issue 

 to give an outline of the development and present 

 activities of the smaller West Indian Departments of 

 Agriculture. The article will probably be read with 

 a considerable amount of interest, and also, we trust, 

 with some satisfaction. In dealing with so wide 

 a range of activities in the limited space of a single 

 article, it becomes impossible to refer to every line of 

 work in the various establishments: but it is hoped 

 that the selected references that have been made give 

 a fair impression of the work, both from a local and 

 general West Indian stand-point. Detailed accounts 

 of the work of the Departments can be seen by refer- 

 ence to the Annual Reports, where specific mention 

 is made of the valuable activities of the junior 

 officers of the several establishments. 



Remarkable Growth of a Banana Tree. 



A correspondent writes liom Antigua to say that 

 he has observed a banana tree exhibiting unusual 

 features of development. The tree to which reference 

 is made, after it had borne a large bunch of bananas, 

 was cut down, as usual, leaving about 12 to 14 inches 

 •of stump, around which were several suckers. Instead 

 of the stump withering, as is usual, it commenced 

 a fresh growth from the centre, as occurs in theca.se 

 of young trees that have not borne. This shoot rapidly 

 developed, sending out leaves, and finally grew to be 

 a second tree, while the suckers all withered and died. 

 The growth of the tree did not end there. After being 

 manured, and the soil having been forked, the plant 

 sent up two new suckers, and a second bunch of 

 fruit has been put out, not coming up as usual out 

 from the side, but it has shot up vigorously, as if 

 from the heart of the tree, almost perpendicularly at 

 first, though later its weight has inclined it so that it 

 rests supported on the apparently abnormal growth of 

 leaves. Our correspondent may be interested to know 



The Green Lime Trade of Dominica. 



One of the most remarkable West Indian trades 

 that has grown up of recent years is the Dominica 

 green lime trade, with Xew York. Almost every limes 

 consumed in Xew York comes from Dominica. The 

 demand arose, we believe, with the introduction of the 

 drink known as the 'gin rickie' some fifteen years ago. 

 For all other purposes for which sour citrus fruit are 

 reijuired, the lemon is almost entirely used. Thus the 

 demand for Dominica limes depends upon an accjuirerl 

 taste of a somewhat special and restricted kind. 



At present Dominica appears to be the only supply 

 centre ot green limes for Xew York, but it is hardly 

 to be expected that the Americans will not make every 

 effort to develop an industry of their own, in American 

 tropical or sub-tropical territory, if they can. It is- 

 understood, indeed, that large areas are under limes in 

 Porto Rico. Should a satisfactory export trade to X"e\v 

 York become established from that island, it is possible 

 that it might have injurious effects upon the Dominica 

 trade. The demand will no doubt continue to expand, 

 and there will be room for fruit from both 

 islands: but it seems possible, in fact very probable, 

 that limes from Porto Kico would be placed in the New 

 York market in a better condition. The big American 

 fruit companies would no doubt provide steamers 

 with adequate cold storage accommodation. This would 

 result in a very high percentage of the fruit reachinjj 

 the consumer in a perfectly green condition, and not 

 in a jellow and sometimes in a quite over-ripe state as 

 occurs at present with the I)omiiiica limes at certain 

 periods of the year. 



The American, like the West Indian, knows the 

 difference between a green and a yellow lime in 

 a beverage, and a green lime is preferred and wanted, 

 and will be paid for. The flavour of the green rind is 

 a very important factor in connexion with the value of 

 the fruit in a beverage. It is not merely the lime 

 juice itself 



It would be well if Dominica planters gave these 

 facts their careful consideration. At the present lime 

 freight questions of any kind are problematical, but in 

 the future it ma}' happen that the progress of the green 

 lime trade, and the development of other fruit trades 

 will become more and more dependent upon adequate 

 cold storage, or at least upon better storage than is 

 available now. Meanwhile every care should be taken 

 to ship only sound, well-graded and freshly picked green 

 limes in order to maintain as high and uniform a 

 standard as possible in the New York market. 



Whatever other sources of supply may arise in the 

 future, it is generally recognized from comparison with 

 limes grown more or less experimentally in other places,, 

 that the Dominica fruit, owing to some factor of .soil or 

 climate or constitution, is superior to all others. The 

 only problem is to market it in a satisfactory condition, 

 and to avoid the waste which is reported to occur undec 

 existing conditions of shipment. 



