Vol. XVI. No. 385. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



31 



cutdown: at Young Islands 672 '.John Bull' trees; at Colonarie 

 419 '.John Bull' trees: at Upper Diamond and Chapmans 138 

 Mohn Bull' trees: at Biabou 31 '.John Bull' trees; at .Mesopo- 

 tamia 28 '.John Bull' trees and 2 silk-cotton trees. This 

 made a total to end of October of 1,288 '-John Bull' trees 

 and 127 silk-cotton trees. 



A large number of seedlings of 'J«hn Bull' trees were 

 also taken out. 



In the leeward district, some very large silk-cotton trees 

 ■were met with. In the Layou Valley 54 were felled and at 

 other places 96, together with 100 seedlings. 



During November, in Fair Hall to Villa district, 34 silk- 

 cotton trees were cut down, as also 516 'John Bull" trees, 

 discovered along the seashore at Villa; at Reversion, 

 Walliabou, Belleisle, L'Ance Mahaul, and Cumberland, 18 

 •'.John Bull' trees and 172 silk cotton trees were cut down. 



A summary is appended of the work performed since 

 the commencement to the end of November in all districts. 

 The total number of 'John Bull' trees that have been cut 

 down is 11,361, whilst silk-cotton trees numbering 913 have 

 been destroyed also. In these totals no account is taken of 

 -some thousands of seedling trees destroyed. 



The actual expenditure on this work Up to November 30 

 -amounted to £166 10s. 9cf. 



In connexion with this subject of the destruction of the 

 native food-plants of the cotton stainer, the St. Vincent Sentry 

 for Decembers, 1916, refers to the silk-cotton which has been 

 collected and forwarded to the West India Committee for 

 making pillows and cushions, from Barbados. It is suggested 

 that if silk-cotton were collected in St; Vincent, it would be 

 unnecessary to cut down the trees. This does not appear 

 to be a practical alternative however, for the simple reason 

 that it would be impossible, on the score of expense, to carry 

 out the operations of picking. Moreover, work of this nature 

 would never be carried out effectively^ on account of the 

 difficulties attendant on such work. There appears therefore 

 to be no alternative but to destroy the trees outright. 



AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS FROM 

 TRINIDAD. 1915. 



The following statement appears in Colonial lieports — 

 Annual, No. 891:— 



The rainfall in most of the districts of the Colony was 

 appreciably above that for 1914, and the year, on the whole, 

 was very favourable to plant growth. 



Notwithstanding these favourable conditions the cacao 

 crop yield was considerably below that of 1914. 



The exports of cocao for 1915 amounted to 54,081,4521b. 

 of the value of £1,865,266 as compared with 63,447,876 %. 

 and £1,467,893 for 1914. 



The direction of trade in cacao was as follows: — 



United States of America .3.3,572,809 tt>. 



United Kingdom ■■■ 11,037,881,, 



France 8,108,522 „ 



Canada 1,149,270 „ 



Italy 131,756 „ 



British Colonies 39,204 „ 



Spain 22,010,. 



Argentina 20,000 „ 



The exports to France decreased b^ about 10,000,000 B)., 

 and those to the United Kingdom increased by nearly 

 4 000,000 tt). No shipments were mad>e to Holland, Germany, 

 Austria, Denmark or Belgium. Trade with the United 

 States of America increased by over 2,000,000 ttj., and from 



this it is clear that the quality of Trinidad cacao is increas- 

 ingly appreciated in this our principal market. 



Owing mainly to higher prices, and partly to a better 

 crop, sugar had a most prosperous year. The exports are 

 as follows; — 



Quantity. Value. 



Sugar 50,607 tons £1.070,423 



Rum 915,589 gals. 86,114 



Molassses 495,563 „ 8,629 



Bitters 27,742^,, 27.746 



Vacuum pan sugar forms the bulk of the crop, and 

 a proportion of this goes into direct consumption as yellow- 

 crystals. Grey crystals are sold to the refineries. Only 

 597 tons of muscovado sugar was exported. 



The direction of trade in vacuum pan sugar and 

 molasses was as follows: — 



VACUUM , PAN SUGAR. 



The coco-nut industry has not yet quite recovered from 

 the drought of previous years. The export of nuts was abonb 

 1,000 000 below that of 1914, but this was more than com- 

 pensated for by an increase in the exports of copra of over 

 1,500.000 a. 



The direction of trade _was as follows: — ■ 



Copra. 



2,735,206 ft. 

 981,775 

 800 



268,950 



Oil. 



3,300 gals. 

 136 



sii 



16 

 4 263 

 £658 



The agricultural development of Tobago is steadily 

 progressing. The total exports for the year were valued at 

 £80,453, as compared with £60,482 for 1914. The prn- 

 cipal increases are in cacao, which has risen from £30,844 ia 

 1914 to £42,755 in 1915: coconut products from £10,6.>9 

 in 1914 to £13,150 in 1915; and vegetables from £3,271 in 

 1914 to £8,379 in 1915. 



Nut,s. 

 United States * 



of America 12,488,724 

 United Kingdom 1,463,169 

 Canada 584,425 



British West Indies 1 000 

 I'Vance 



Other Colonies ... 



Totals 14,537,318 -3,986,731 



Values £60,576 £36,235 



Tropical Life Publishing Department of Loudoa 

 has just issued an interesting pamphlet entitled, The 

 High Price of Sugar and How to Reduce It, by 

 Mr. Hamel Smith, Editor of Tropical Life. The gist of 

 the pamphlet rests on the idea that unattached labour ia 

 becoming more and more scarce, whilst the area undci- 

 cultivation grows larger and larger; above all the demamj 

 for tropical produce is growing so enormously th.at it would 

 become necessary in the near future to produce the largest 

 possible crops per acre by intensive cultivation and discawl 

 extensive methods as needing too many hands. 



