Vol. XVI. No. 387. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



51 



still supply the neeessarj^ food requiremcQls, at the 

 same time both cheapening and diversifying the diet. 



As intimated above, there- are found to be 

 instances of people subsisting on smaller quantities of 

 protein than 100 grams, or a (juarter of a pound a day, 

 so that there is some doubt as to the minimum supply 

 of protein on which people may subsist. 



There are races living largely on rice: this 

 substance contains about 75 to 80 per cent, of carbo- 

 hydrates and 6 to 8 per cent, of protein. Two pounds 

 of rice will therefore, provide, approximately, the 

 amount of carbohy<lrate required in a man's daily diet, 

 but will only supply about O'l to 0-16 of protein. It 

 will be recognized from this how wise is the practice 

 which provides that a diet of nee :>hall usually be 

 supplemented by salt fish, or pea.s or beans. 



The position occupied by corn and corn meal may 

 have brief consideration. This substance varies consider- 

 ably, but we may consider the case of meal of fair 

 average composition containing N per cent, of protein 

 and 72 per cent, of carbohydrates and 8 per cent. of oil, or 

 fat. Two pounds of meal of this composition will supply 

 about the equivalent of 1"6 pounds of carbohydrate and 

 O'lb pound of protein, an amount which is low, but 

 which is far in excess of the quantity supplied by an 

 equivalent quantity of sweet potato or cassava meal. 

 Corn is therefore a nutritious food which only requires 

 to be moderately supplemented by meat or other 

 protein diet: these facts account for the great popularity 

 of corn and corn meal as articles of diet in these islands. 



It will be observed that sugar and starch are 

 articles of food containing the maximum amount of 

 Carbohydrate but containing no protein: these substances 

 are valuable as affording great supplies of energy, and 

 so ai-e consumed in large quantities by people doing 

 hard work; they do not contain any protein, and are 

 thus only partial foods which must be supplemented 

 by protein-containing foods in the manner indicated 

 when considering sweet potato and cassava meals. 



The following table contains representative figures of 

 analyses of foodstuffs commonly consumed in the West Indies. 

 Many of the products in practice exhibit considerable vari- 

 ation in composition according to variety and condition, 

 so that too much reliance must not be placed upon the 

 individual figures given in this table. 'The figures will serve, 

 however, to indicate in a general way the difference in 

 composition between the various classes of foodstuffs, as 

 referred to in the preceding article. It should also be 

 jiointed out that differences also exist as regards digestibility, 

 which have to be taken into account when determining the 

 effective food values of different products. 



Exports of Sugar from St. Kitts.— The follow- 

 ing figures show the annual exports of sugar from St. Kitts- 

 for the last seventeen years: — 



Year. 



1900 



1901 



1902 



1903 



1904 



190.T 



1906 



1907 



1908 



1909 



1910 



1911 



1912 



1913 



1914 



1915 



191C 



Tons sugar. 



7,495 

 12,146 

 16,624 

 13,511 

 12,225 

 12,042 

 15,191 

 14,178 

 11,044 

 12,027 

 12,510 

 11,139 

 10,554 

 11,312 



9,946 



8,341 

 16,109 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased 

 to appoint Dr. Francis Watts, CM.G , Imperial Com- 

 mi.ssioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, to be 

 Kniglit Commander of the Most Distinguished Order 

 of St. Michael and St. George. 



The Imperial (Commissioner left Barbados on 

 Februar}' 10 for Jamaica, with the object of paying an 

 official visit at the request of the Government of that 

 Cokmy, in connexion with the development of the 

 sugar industry and other agricultural matters. Sir 

 Francis Watts is expected to return to Barbados in 

 April. 



