212 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



AGRICULTURE IN BARBADOS. 



There was a marked change in the weather on the 20th 

 instant. On that day there seems to have been an average 

 rainfall of 1-J inches, accompanied by several peals of thunder. 

 Since this date there have been showers almost every day, 

 with the result that the earth is now wet enough for tillage 

 and planting of any land. 



The rainfall for the first half of June was moderate and 

 hardly exceeded 1^ inches in any parish, but so favourable 

 has been the weather since the 20th that the record for the 

 month will exceed -5 inches in many districts and 6 inches in 

 some. 



MACHINERY. 



There are still four factories and about tweuty-four 

 estates grinding, some of which will be working for at least 

 a fortnight more. Some of the estates with canes still out- 

 standing are those which preferred making their whole crop 

 into syrup, having determined that this paid better than sell- 

 ing any part of iheir crop to the factories even if they were 

 delayed by unfavourable weather or other impediments. It 

 appears that about twothjrds of the crop of the island 

 is now being turned out by the factories. Apart from the 

 vacuum process, the triple effect is most advantageous and 

 we are sure that we are not prophesying falsely when we 

 state that there are many enterprising owners of large estates 

 who will face the cost of improved machinery, both in the 

 mill room and in the boiling-house, even if there is no chance 

 of their being able to purchase canes from neighbouring 

 estates. Co-operative factories, with the latest word in up-to- 

 date machinery, would of cour.se be the best system. 



The factory at Haymans was long delayed in its 

 completion, but grinding operations have been started 

 without a hitch, and we learn that every part of I he machinery 

 is giving complete satisfaction. Next year this factory will 

 tap an area which has to some extent been previously .served 

 by the Porter's Factory, and estates like Rock Hall, Mangrove 

 and Black Bess will not find carriage so difficult as they have 

 in the past. 



With favourable weather, planting of vegetables will be 

 continued until the acreage required by the Vegetable Produce 

 Act, 1917, has been completed. The Commissioners have 

 further communicated with landowners, stating that their 

 proposals have been reviewed, and asking them to make 

 a return by August 31 of the acreage of ground provisions 

 which has been actually planted. 



Indian corn has started to grow vigorously, even if 

 irregularly, in some fields, and we have noticed that moulding 

 is being done, either by specially drawing loose mould around 

 each hole or by opening cane holes in process of which mould 

 naturally falls around the clumps of young corn. A consider- 

 able acreage of this cereal has been planted in St. I.,ucy's 

 parish and larger demands will be made on it. Potatoes are 

 now 100 per cent, dearer than they were at this time last 

 year. Such a scarcity ■ f this vegetable has not been experi- 

 enced since the severe tlrought of the early seventies. 



During the past fortnight the price of crystals and 

 Muscovado has remained steady at •f4'25 and $4'.50 per lOOft). 

 respectively; Fancy Molasses has been sold at 32c. per 

 gallon, but offers were not always made for Choice (Barbados 

 Agricultural Reporter, June 30, 1917.) 



JULY 14. 1917. 



COLONIAL REPORT ON BARBADOS. 

 FOR 1915-lfl 



Although there was a deficit on December 31, on the 

 year's transaction of £14,52.5, the Colojial.' revenue increased 

 by £13,392 during a year in which tbp foundations of the 

 civilized world were quivering from thj effects of war. To 

 the extent of £9,815 the increase was dtje to new taxation on 

 sugar, molasses, rum, spirituous liquors knd tobacco. Apart 

 from the extra taxation therefore, the mnual revenue grew 

 to the figure of £3,577, the chief cause leing the exceptionally 

 high price of sugar which increased tie spending power of 

 the people. 



Owing to war causes, principaily lack of shipping 

 facilities, higher freight rates, and to ;ommodities reaching 

 untempting prices, imports fell from Jl, 300,073 in 1914 to 

 £1,270,154 in 1915. On the other hsnd, exports increased 

 from £91.5,099 in 1914 to £l,181,98p in 1915, the values 

 of the principal articles of export being. 



The seedling sugar-cane B. 6450 continues to give 

 excellent results as compared with the White Transparent and 

 other varieties. The local Department of Agriculture reports 

 that for the 1915 crop the average yield of this variety over 

 large areas exceeded that of the White Transparent, the 

 standard cane, on the average of botli plants and ratoons in 

 the black and red soil districts by 87 tons of cane per acre 

 and, in spite of the comparatively poor quality of the juice, 

 due to the excessive rainfall during the reaping season which 

 prevented the canes ripening properly by over a A-ton of 

 dark crystal sugar per acre. Othei new varieties, notably 

 Ba. 6032 and B. H. 10(12). have also given excellent results 

 and plants are now being distributed to the estates for culti- 

 vation in considerable areas. 



As regards cotton, the local Department of Agriculture 

 has endeavoured during many years, by selection and 

 hybridization, to obtain varieties having resistance to pests 

 and diseases and giving satisfactory yields of good quality 

 lint. There were manufactured in the island 185 952 gallons 

 of rum as compared with 235,049 in 1914, a decrease of 

 50,097 gallon?. 



Of 291 sugar works in Barbados, 102 were equipped 

 with steam machinery. There is a strong tendency towards 

 the erection of improved machinery, but improvement in this 

 direction has been retarded on account of increased difficulties, 

 owing to conditions resultant on the war, in obtaining 

 material. 



