404 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



DECEMiiE 29, 1917. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 



DOMINICA. The Curator (Mr. Josepli Jones) reports the 

 following plant distribution during the month of November: 

 limes, 1,275; cacao, 100; budded citrus, 32; grafted mango, 1; 

 shade trees, 650; miscellaneous, 45; making a total of 2 103. 

 In addition, 269 packets of vegetable seeds were sold. Work 

 in the Botanic Garden and Experiment Stations was of a 

 general routine character. Concerning staple crops it is 

 stated that a good second crop of limes is now coming in. 

 The price of ripe limes is 7,s-. per barrel. The weather is 

 favourable for ripening and drying the cacao crop, \yith 

 regard to onions, 24 tt>. of Teneriffe onion seed were received 

 and distributed. Black blight on lime trees is still reported 

 as being prevalent in several districts. The weather was 

 dry, and, like that experienced during October, was unusual 

 for the time of the jear. The rainfall for the month was 

 1'92 inches. 



MONTSERHAT. The sweel potato and corn plots in 

 the Experiment Stations, the Curator writes to say, were 

 reaped with very moderate results. The experiment in 

 growing beans over pigeon peas does not promise to be very 

 successful. A fairly promising second crop has developed on 

 the cotton breeding plot. Plant distribution included 2,050 

 bay plants, 2,360 cane cuttings, 32 Bb. black eye peas, 36 

 mahogany plants, and ISgolden apple pUnis [Spondiasdulcis). 

 Five distillations of bay leaves were made in the Botanic 

 Gardens, giving a total of 6,000 R). leaves reap?d from the 

 experiment plot for 1917. The lime experiment plot in 

 Belle field has recently suffered severely from attacks of 

 purple scale, and has received a considerable set-back A 

 fairly large plot of the ajowan plant has been sown. Seeds 

 of berseem and Hyoscyamus failed to germinate. In his 

 observations relating to staple crops, Mr. Robson states that, 

 except in the northern districts, the reaping of the cotton crop 

 has been practically completed. Moderate crops have been 

 obtained on most of the estates, and it is questionable 

 whether the estimate of 400,000 ft. of lint for the total 

 crop will be reached. A good second crop will be picked 

 only from a very limited area. The benefit of early 

 planting has been very marked in the present season. 

 The preparation of land for next season's crop has 

 commenced, but all planters complain of difficulties with 

 labour. With regard to pests, leaf-blister mite is said to 

 be much more prevalent than usual on the second growth 

 of cotton, and cottton stainers are plentiful in districts 

 ■where, as a rule, they are not troublesome, and vice versa. 

 The bulk of the work in connexion with cotton selection 

 has been completed, and there is seen to be great improve- 

 ment in the inheritance of the characters examined as ihe 

 result of one years breeding, particularly in the percentage 

 of lint. Visits were made to all the cotton-growing districts 

 in connexion with the fixing of a dale for the destruction of 

 old cotton plants. The distillery was also visited in relation 

 to the difficulties with the bay oil distilling apparatus. The 

 onion seeds received at the close of last month were 

 distributed to 1 60 person.". There is much less enthusiasm 

 over this cultivation, as ihe .seeds arrived so late. Mr. Robson 

 points out that it would be very useful to have the re.sults 

 obtained in St. Vincent from the destruction of the host 

 plants of the cotton stainer, as local action in this respect 

 is held over pending the result of the work in that island. 

 [Present information from St. Vincent is to the etFect tint 

 the campaign for the destruction of the host plants of the 



Itor, reportin^tor 



" of an ordinary 



and also in the 



as follows: hene- 



cotton stainer, referred to by Mr. Robson, hai been productive 

 of highly successful results, a report on which has been 

 forwarded to the Government of the leeward Islands.] 

 The rainfall recorded at Grove Stalon during the 

 month was 4"5 inches; the rainfall for pe year is 6550 

 inches. 



ANTIGLA. Mr. T. .Jackson, the Cun 

 the month of November, describes woj 

 routine nature in the Experiment Statii 

 Botanic Gardens. Plant distribution wi 

 quen, 2,700; bay plants, 1,476; coconutblants, 463; miscel 

 laneous, 11. In addition, 115 B). of caton seed, and 12 

 packets of miscellaneous seeds were sent lut. 



On the whole, the cane crop of ne island improved 

 during the month. The onion seeds rieived have germi- 

 nated well throughout the island. The ptton crop, although 

 late, looks very promising. The granirl was opened during 

 the month, and a small quantity of con was dried. Four 

 plots were taken up by peasants at Sawcolts: up to date 

 twelve plots have been allotted. For the Antigui Cotton 

 Growers' Association 866 lb. of seed-c tton was purchased, 

 making a total of 2,111 ft. purchased to date. Attacks of 

 cotton caterpillars were experienced d -ing the month. The 

 rainfall for the month w^s 5'28 inchi; for the year, 37"06 

 inches. 



Attached to the above is a brief eport on the work of 

 agricultural instruction during the lonth of November. 

 This shows that all the peasants' hoh ngs in which cotton 

 is being grown were severely attacked y cotton caterpillars. 

 In some cases the trees were so badlj defoliated thi>t only 

 a miss of reddened stems were to be sei i standing. Strenuous 

 efforts were made to control these pest by repeated dustings 

 with Paris green and lime, and, in some instances, with 

 London purple and lime; but, osng to the constant 

 showers of rain which fell at the saa time, these were of 

 little or no avail. Picking has been i progress during the 

 month. Cotton stainers made thei appearance in the 

 fields during the first week of the n )nth. Preparation of 

 land, and the planting of ground provi3)ns have been started. 

 B.VEBUDA. Observations relating ;o crops and stock on 

 the Government estate, Barbuda, fo varded by the Agri- 

 cultural Instructor, Mr. (^'. A. Gomi:, for the month of 

 October, show that the growth made 1 ' the younger cotton 

 fields was arrested by the very limited rainfall experienced 

 during the month. The dry weather, owever, proved ideal 

 for the picking of the more ad viced cotton fields at 

 Guava. The picking of the crop ii both districts was 

 commenced at the end of the month,When approximately 

 4,000 ft. of seed- cotton was gathertj. Cotton bolls are 

 showing signs of maturing, and wBiin the next two 

 weeks the picking of the crop wil be in full swing. 

 The crop now being reaped is the eartst on record, and 

 is miintaining its hopeful prospects Ictivities in cotton 

 fields consisted in weeding young cottol, and the picking 

 of the more advanced sections of the tiid. Cotton worms 

 and other pests hive been singuUrly absatup to the present. 

 With regard to stock, it is stated thit,ln spite of a dry 

 October, an adequate sui)ply of foder was produced 

 in the pasture for the requirements ol the stock. The 

 cattle are in excellent condition, the roung steers and 

 heifers developing rapidly. Hoc, dryldays with calm 

 north winds prevailed throughout the raokh. Rain fell on 

 four days only, and a total precipitation q 24 1 inches was 

 recorded. 



From the Experiment Station, the following plants 

 were distributed: 500 onions, 5,000 sviet potato cut- 

 tings, 59 packets of miscellaneous seeds, acli as peas and 



