Vol. XVI. No. 39i. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



175 



As a result of the investigation now being made at Kew 

 in connexion with the species of Achras which yield Chicle 

 gum, seeds of an Achras from British Honduras were received 

 through the Commissioner of Agriculture, and about 200 

 plants were raised. The value of the importation was at 

 a later date somewhat discounted by the receipt of information 

 showing that the seeds had been taken from young trees 

 •which had not been bled. It is intended, however, to grow 

 a number of the seedlings for comparison with the common 

 Achras of the AVest Indian islands. Meanwhile, now that it is 

 known more than one species yield Chicle gum, further steps 

 are being taken to obtain seeds of the kind known to yield 

 'the best quality gum. 



A single plant of the Queensland Nut [Alacadamia 

 terni/olia) was raised from seeds received from the Botanic 

 Gardens, Trinidad, during 1914. This has been planted out 

 for trial. 



No success has attended the efforts to establish the 

 Brazil Nut (Bertholetia e.cceha), in spite of repeated trials 

 extending over a number of years. Recently a further 

 .supply of seeds has been received, and fresh attempts will 

 be made to grow this tree. A similar difficulty has been 

 expressed with the Sapucaia Nut (Lecythis Zahucujo). 



The two trees of the Litchi {Nephelium Litchi), a 

 species introduced sixteen years ago, grow well, but fruit 

 only at intervals of five or six years. Other species of this 

 genus which yield edible fruit are desired for the Garden 

 collection. 



AXTIGU.\. 



Some few plants of interest were received from various 

 Bourses during the latter end of the period under review. 

 Among these may be mentioned the African Mahogany 

 (Khapa senegaUnsis), the Indian Olive {Futninjira Rox- 

 fjurghii), and the Litchi (Nep/ielium Litchi). 



Seed of the Litchi has .several times been imported into 

 Antigua, but effoits to raise the plants have never been suc- 

 cessful. This is a celebrated Chinese fruit, and is said to 

 possess a delicious sub-acid flavour. 



Seeds of Dolichos Hoseii and Juniperus cedrus were 

 •received from the Commissioner of Agriculture, but no plants 

 were raised from them. 



Seeds of Kokia Rockii were received from the I'nited 

 States Department of Agriculture, and although they ger- 

 minated well, the young plants died when about 6 inches 

 high. 



Seeds of Iiidigofera aumalrana, I. longeraceitwsa, Muc- 

 una sp., C rota! aria Mussaii, CHloria cajanifolia, and 

 Tephrosia Vogelii were received from the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture. These plants are useful for green-dressing 

 purposes, and it is hoped that sufficient plants will be raised 

 from each to give them a trial in Antigua. 



The interesting plant Ficns religiosa, which was imported 

 during the year 1912- 13, is now making good growth and is 

 between 5 and 6 feet in height. 



Contributions of plants were received from the following: 

 The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, the Botanic 

 Stations at Tortola, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, St. Vincent, 

 Dominica, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Trinidad. 



Plants and seeds were sent to the Botanic Stations at 

 Grenada, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, St. Lucia; the Louisi- 

 ana State University, Louisiana; U.S.A. Agricultural Depart- 

 ment, St. Croix; the Botanic Department, Trinidad, etc. 



THE HIGH PRICE OF SUGAR. 



The foUovviuu embodies a review (in the 

 International Suyar Journal) of a recent pamphlet) 

 in which it is suggested that British cane-growing 

 countries could produce more sugar per acre and 

 thereby bring about a reduction in the price of sugar. 

 The review contains interesting references to sugar 

 production in Java: — 



In 191 •4, before the war, there was every appearance of 

 an abundant supply of sugar at a very moderate price. The 

 excitement of the British Government when war broke out 

 sent prices up to a very fancy figure, at which they succeeded. 

 in securing a million tons to go on with. Then prices went 

 down again, so they prohibited importation and the consumer 

 paid the piper. Violent fluctuations have taken place since 

 then, followed by a scarcity of ships, which justified the 

 Government in taking complete control of the supplies and 

 the prices. 



There does not appear to be any fear of high prices after 

 the war On the contrary, present high prices are stimula- 

 ting an increased production of cane .sugar throughout the 

 world, and of beetroot sugar in the United States. We need 

 not, therefore, search for means of increasing supplies in 

 far-fetched ways. The only search of that kind is for 

 sufficient production in the British Empire to mike u.s, 

 eventually, more or less independent in future of outside 

 supplies. 



There have been some curious imaginings as to whence 

 the Briti-sh supplies should come. The idea of getting 

 a large increase from British Guiana by tapping the 

 Hinterland of that large but almost unknown country is, at 

 present, pure imagination. No one knows anything as yet 

 of the capabilities of that remote land, but we do know 

 that sufficient labour is not there, nor roads, much less 

 railways. 



Then some are speculatin;;, like Mr. Harold Hamel 

 Smith in a book, just published, on our being able, in some 

 happy future to rival .lava and Hawaii in their phenomenal 

 crops, producing an average of more than -1 tons of sugar 

 to the acre. It is to be feared that we shall not at 

 present succeed in finding many spots in the world of 

 Imperial Britain where such crops will rapidly appear. 



.Java is blessed in more ways than one with exceptional 

 advantages. First, there is a good supply of labour, 

 then there are excellent facilities for a large system 

 of irrifiation, which brings not only water but also a most 

 fertilizing slime on to the land. Thirdly, the sugar is 

 a rotation not a solitary crop. The canes are, therefore, 

 all plant canes, never ratoons. The crops which intervene 

 help to the fertility of the soil. To these natural advantages 

 we must add great capability on the part of the Dutch 

 planters which has brought the Java industry to an 

 exceptionally high pitch of perfection. This has combined with 

 nature to bring the cost of production down to a very low 

 figure. 



Hawaii has similar advantages as regards irrigation, 

 which has been developed on a most generous scale, thanks to 

 the large preferential treatment of sugar from the Sandwich 

 Lslands in the markets of the United States. No such violent 

 stimulus has yet been applied to British sugar industries, but 

 perhaps it may come, and then we may gn ahead, not only, it 

 is to be hoped, with energy, but also perhaps with sulBcient 

 intelligence and capacity to enable us to compete to some 

 extent even with Java in the tropics and Germany in the 

 beetroot industry. 



But in any case let us avoid dreams and turn our minds 

 to getting things done. 



