Vol. XVI. No. 402. 



THE AGRICULTURAL JTEWS. 



303 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



ST. LUCIA. The Agricultural Superintendent, reporting 

 for the month of August, states that the distribution of 

 plants from the Experiment Stations included the following: 

 lime 6,625, oranges 14, economic 4, grafted mangoes 19, 

 cacao 300, ornamental 130, sweet potato cuttings 5,000; 

 vegetable seeds 102 packets. Work in the Botanic Gardens 

 was of a general routine character. 



Regarding staple crops, Mr. Brooks states that the 

 cacao crop was promising, but the market poor. The lime 

 crop was still heavj', and the extension of the area under 

 limes continued; while the sugar crop was promising, under 

 the circumstances: the shortage of ammonia for use as a 

 fertilizer is felt very much. Under the head of pests, canker 

 was reported as fairly common. 



Considerable attention was given to agricultural instruc- 

 tion in the country districts; 103 estates and holdings 

 were visited during the month. The Government Lime 

 .Juice Factory was working at full pressure; 50 casks of 

 concentrated juice awaited shipment. 



Referring to the weather, it is nofed that the average 

 velocity of the wind at Reunion during the month was 7 '3 

 miles per hour. The rainfall at the Botanic Gardens, 

 Castries, was 10 '09 inches; and at the Agricultural and 

 Botanic Station, Choiseul, 7 96 inches. 



A further loan of £100, making a total advance 

 of £350 has been approved by His Honour the Adminis- 

 trator to enable large areas of ground provisions to be 

 planted at Reunion. This work will proceed by stages to 

 supplement the food supply during the months of January 

 to June, when ground provisions are gener^ll}' scarce. 



MONTSERRAT. During the month of August the follow- 

 ing plants were distributed: lime plants 500, bay plants 200, 

 Bengal beans 36 fi)., sweet potato cuttings 240, peas and 

 beans 13 packets; in addition, 8 bags of seed corn (cobs) 

 were sent to St. Croix, and 3 bags to Barbuda. In the 

 Botanic Gardens, in addition to work of a general routine 

 nature, operations included five distillations of bay leaves, 

 making a total of 4,000 lb. leaves reaped from the Chateau 

 plot to date. 



In regard to staple crops, Mr. W. Robson the Curator, 

 states that weather conditions, on the whole, have been 

 satisfactory for cotton. The rainfall in the leeward district 

 was, as usual, heavier than at the windward. There was 

 at leeward a considerable area showing, but not in 

 a very marked degree, the condition known locally as 

 'chibble', when the growth attenuated and the leaves 

 crimped.* It occurred on late planted fields and may, 

 Mr. Robson suggests, have been caused by excessive rams 

 in the early stages of growth. Picking was in full swing, 

 and growers seemed satisfied with the prospects for the crop. 

 Freijuent dusting had been necessary to keep the cotton 

 worm in check, but there had been no report of cotton stainers 

 becoming numerous anywhere. Nineteen pounds of dried 

 growth of Datura Metel was sent to the Imperial Institute 

 for examination. 



The rainfall recorded at Grove Station on twenty- four 

 days for the month was 7'12 inches; the total rainfall for the 

 year to date was 40'71 inches. There was an absence of 

 high winds, and plenty of sunshine during the month. 



DOMINICA. In his report for the month of August 

 the Curator, Mr. Joseph Jones, states plant distribution 



'This is the atfection described as curly leaf in the Wad 

 Indian Bnlhtiu, Vol. XIV, [). :il.5.-^Ei.. A.N. 



to have been as follows: limes 5,408, budded citrus 6, 

 grafted mangoes 3, nutmegs 2, shade trees 200, miscellaneous 

 148, making a total of .5,767. In addition, 132 packets of 

 vegetable seeds were sold. 



The lime crop is reported to have reached its maximum. 

 The present local price of ripe limes was 4.<. per barrel in 

 Roseau and 3s. per barrel in country districts. The price of 

 green or fresh limes was 6.5. per barrel. Eleven thousand 

 dasheen heads and 500 tania heads were forwarded to 

 Portsmouth for free distribution to certain peasants requiring 

 same for planting purposes; while 36 tt>. of Bengal beans 

 were imported for a planter. Mangoes have been badly 

 attacked this season by the mango worm, which has caused 

 great loss of fruit. 



The Permanent Exhibition Committee shipped 49 boxes 

 of limes to London for the use of wounded soldiers in 

 hospitals. At the request of the Director of the Lister 

 Institute of Preventive Medicine, London, small boxes of 

 fresh and ripe limes have been forwarded from time to time 

 in order to assist in experimental work in regard to lime 

 juice, the object being to institute a comparison between the 

 value of fresh limes and preserved lime juice. 



The weather during the month was normal; the rainfall 

 for the month equalled S'63 inches. 



ST. KiTTS. It appears from the report of the Agricul- 

 tur-il Superintendent, that work in the Experiment Station.^ 

 daring the month of .\ugust consisted chiefly in the 

 reaping of crops. Plant distribution included — peas 5 lb., 

 Mazzagua Guinea corn 3 lb., Indian corn 24 ears, sweet 

 potato cuttings 900, and a large number of onion slipa. In 

 addition, 5 tt). of Carum copticura seeds were sent to the 

 Laboratory, Antigua. In the Botanic Gardens general 

 routine work was carried ou. The very dry weather during 

 the month made constant watering necessary, and the plant.s 

 were feeling the effects of it. 



The dry weather of the past month had considerably 

 affected the cane crop, and little progress, if any, had been 

 made, especially in the ratoons. If the much needed rains 

 do not come soon, the prospects for next crop, Mr. Shepherd 

 fears, will be very poor. Where artificial manures have been 

 supplied to the ratoons, there has not been sufficient rain t'» 

 show any results. In many cases no manure has yet been 

 supplied. The cotton crop, on the other hand, presented 

 a fine appearance, and the prospects of a good return were 

 very hopeful. Picking had commenced on many estates, and 

 the weather was very suitable for this. There had been no 

 pests to speak of in the cotton crop; worms had been 

 singularly ab.sent, perhaps due to the early planting, and 

 leaf-blister mite, so far, had not been troublesome. Special 

 cotton work was being done, counting flowers in plots and 

 marked plants in manurial plots. 



A meeting of the Agricultural and Commercial Society 

 was held on August 24, at which a resolution was passed 

 to continue the support of the Society to the work of the 

 British Empire Producers' Association, and inviting 

 subscriptions. The rainfall for the month was 307 inches; 

 for the year to date, 22-85 inches. 



Appended to this report is a summary of work conducted 

 at the Government Laboratory, St. Kitts, during the month 

 of August. This included analysis of nineteen samples of 

 milk from the Inspector of Police; determining the manurial 

 value of a mixture of lees and ashes; examination of three 

 samples of rum; analysis of a saraole of psn manure; 

 determining the feeding value of corn cake meal; examinatioa 

 of a sample of kerosene oil; field work with cotton, and 

 physical analysis of one sample of soil. 



