Vol. XVI. No. 399. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



245 



The plant canes in the black soil, except perhaps in 

 St. Lucy, are all that could be desired. They are under an 

 excellent growth and quite advanced enough for this season 

 of the year. They are also healthy and the bunches are full. 

 In St. Philip, Christ Church, St. Michael, and the greater part 

 of St, George, a vi-sitor would find it hard to believe that 

 there had been any difficulty in establishing the cane crop or 

 ihat there had been a subsequen- drought. The preseut 

 condition of the island is just the reverse of p^st years. The 

 hilly parishes have always suffered less than the low lying 

 dij-tticis, which have invariably borne the brunt of a prolonged 

 drought. 



Both the B. 6450 and Ba. 60-32 are developing splendidly, 

 while the B H. 10 (12) is attracting the attention of many 

 planters. At the nest planting season, we are informed that 

 a fairly large area of the last mentioned seedling will be 

 planted. In the red soil, however, the Ba. 6032 does not 

 always inspire confidence. 



In a recent report referring to insect pests, we noted 

 that the mongoose had upset the balance of nature by prey- 

 ing upon the ei emies of these pests. It is true that the 

 rotation of crops helps in some degree in controlling the 

 pests of economic plant?, but it is to Nature that we must 

 look for real assistance. If her balance is destroyed, the 

 efTorts of man are but temporary expedients. So far, perhaps, 

 we have not suffered so much as some other places from the 

 ravages of insect pests but we should not wait until this 

 takes place to tike in hand what seems to us a very plain 

 duty. The destruction of the mongoose is a necessity, and 

 a general crusade should be started agains*- this animal 

 Sixpence per head would not be too much to pay to catchers. 



The Trinidad Board of Agriculture have taken up the 

 question warmly, as they recognize the gravity of the situ- 

 ation. It behoves us to do the same, for no expenditure 

 would be too great to accomplish an object of such importance 

 to an agricultural community. Insect pests can only be 

 Ivipt in sul jcciiwi, I) iliLii iLUuTil i.niiilc,-, auJ II these are 

 destroyed no substitute can be provided. 



The yam crop is much less advanced than at this time 

 last year, owing to the later planting caused by the drought. 

 The fields planted are, however, growing quite regularly and 

 healthy, and on several estates manure is being liberally 



(upplied. 



No disadvantage is likely to result from the late planting 

 beyond the fact that harvesting will not be done until 

 some time after the next cane crop has been planted. There 

 are also very few spots of early yams to be seen, at compared 

 with last year, and eddoes have not yet been planted to any 

 extent. The weather has been rather heavy for the potatoes 

 planted in heavy fields, but otherwise the slips are running 

 well, and ^ive promiseof ^goodretxiTn. (Agricultural Reporter.) 



Rotation for Cassava.— Although several crops of 

 cassava can be raised in succession on rich, newly cleared 

 land, a proper system of rotation must be practisfd sooner or 

 later to prevent deterioration of the soil. In West Africa 

 a system of rotation sometimes practised is to grow ground 

 nuts or some other leguminous crop the first year, two 

 crops of a cereal, such as maize, the second year, and 

 then to raise one or two crops of cassava, which may 

 occupy the ground for two or three years. In countries 

 where the sugar-cane is cultivated, cassava may enter into 

 the system of rotation with advantage The cultivation of 

 the cassava with its .surface-rooting habit mellows the soil, 

 and at the same time the crop benefits from the manure 

 which has been applied to the sugar-cane as well as from 

 the humus derived from the leaves and wast6 of the cane. 

 (Bulletin of the Imperial Institute.) 



PELLAGRA IN BARBADOS. 



In the quarterly report of the Acting Public Health 

 Inspector for the period ended December 31, 1916, which 

 appears in the Barbados Official Gazette, Vol. LII, No. 61, 

 p. 1,307, are contained some interesting tables showing deaths 

 from pellagra in the almshouses and Lunatic Asylum in the 

 eight years 1909 to 1916. From these tables it is evident 

 that pellagra is less prevalent in the country parishes than in 

 ■St, Michael and Bridgetown, for in the period under review 

 the disease accounted for 12'5 of all the deaths in the country 

 almshouses, while in the St. Michael's Almshouse it claimed 

 27 per cent. High as is the death-rate from pellagra in the 

 St. Michael's Almshouse, it is still higher in the Lunatic 

 Asylum where it accounts for 46'3 per cent., and in 1916 

 reached the enormous rate of 763 per cent. 



By far the highest incidence of pellagra occurred in 1912 

 and 1914, in both of which years were periods of prolonged 

 drought accompanied by lack of proper food and widespread 

 destitution and suffering. Among the theories advanced as 

 to the cause of the disea.se, that having probably most founda- 

 tions, is that pellagra like beri-beri, scurvy, etc , is a deficiency 

 disease due to the want of some vital element in the food of the 

 persons attacked. What this special element is that is lacking 

 in the food of pellagrins has not been accurately determined, 

 but it is suggested that it is probably a deficiency in the 

 nitrogenous or proteid part. This view, the writer of the 

 report maintains, is supported by the following facts: (a^ 

 Pellagra occurs chiefly among the poorest classes of the 

 community who eat very little proteid food either in the 

 shape of meat or peas, beans, etc.; (b) it is less prevalent in the 

 country districts, where these articles of food, especially 

 vegetable proteids, are more easily obtainable by the poor; 

 (c) in years of drought, when less proteid food is produced and 

 is more costly, the disease spreads and affects a much greater 

 number, many of whom have been forced across the borderland 

 to pauperism; and (d) no mention can be found of a case of 

 pellagra having occurred at the Lazaretto where a more libera! 

 diet is provided than at most public institutions. 



Although the coincidence of pellagra with scarcity of 

 proteid and nitrogenous food deserves thorough investigation, 

 the vitamin theory should not be overlooked. 



STORAGE ROOM AND THE PRICE OP 

 CACAa 



The following is an extract from a letter from 

 Messrs. Gillespie Bros. & Co.. of New York, dated July 

 7, 1917, to the Imperial Commissioner of Aajriciiltiire 

 for the West Indies, regarding liie ettecc of the short- 

 age of storage space upon the price of cacao:— 



We have forwarded you under separate cover our private 

 market report covering the different markets and wish to call 

 your special attention to the heavy market covering cacao. 



We think it should be pointed out to all shippers of cacao 

 that they exercise great caution just at present until con- 

 siderable parts of the shipments have been assimilated, 

 for storage space is now becoming very scarce, and storage 

 rates have been advanced 2c. per bag from the 1 st of July. 



You can naturally understand that if receivers of cacao 

 are unable to find storage room, that this will bring about 

 forced sales at marked declines. The situation to say the 

 least is very depressed, and we believe the exact position 

 .should be pointed out to all shippers, as they are too fond 

 of c'lmparing quotations that rule in London (which point 

 they cannot ship to) with actual prices realized in the New 

 York market. 



