Vol. XTI. No. 407. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS, 



37^: 



BARBADOS: REPORT ON SUGAR-CANE EX- 

 PERI ME NTS FOR THE SEASON 1915-17. 



The report on experimental work with sugar-cane in 

 Barbados for the season 1915-17 has recently been published. 

 As in former years, the report is divided into three sections: 

 Part I relating to rainfall, Part II dealing with manurial 

 experiments, and Part III with the work of raising new 

 varieties. 



With regard to Part II, it is stated that the results 

 obtained were so seriously interfered with during the seaaoa 

 under review as in previous )ears, by the root borer and the 

 brown hard back, as to mask the true results of the manuring, 

 and to render it impossible to draw any definite conclusions 

 from them. 



Turning to Part III, further progress is recorded in 

 regard to the establishment of seedling canes giving increased 

 returns per acre. The weather, on the whole, was favourable, 

 and a large number of new seedlings were raised, but much 

 trouble was occasioned and considerable damage inflicted by 

 the pests already referred to. The following are the principal 

 results obtained with the different seedlings cultivated by the 

 department during the season under review:- — 



In the black soil districts, the average yield of the White 

 Transparent from nineteen plots was equivalent to 5,408 R). 

 of muscovado sugar per acre. Of the varieties, B.H. 10 (12) 

 which came first, gave a yield of 8,713 lb. of muscovado sugar 

 per acre — an increase of 3,305 lb. over the White Transparent. 

 W. No. 2 came next, with 8,352 D). of muscovado sugar. 

 B.6,835 came third, with a yield of 8,171 lb. of muscovado 

 sugar. B. 12,619 came next, with a yield of 7,727 lb. per 

 acre. 



On the red soils, as is seen from Table VIII, the average 

 yield of the White Transparent as plant canes was 4,090 ft>. of 

 muscovado sugar per acre, while some of the better seedlings 

 gave much higher yields. For instance, the B.H. 10 (12) 

 gave a yield of 9,276 Bb of muscovado sugar per acre, 

 Ba. 12,079 came next with 8,956 &. With Ba 6032 the 

 yield was 7,937 a. B. 6450 gave a yield of 7.327 tt). 

 Five other varieties also gave increased yields over the 

 White Transparent. 



On the red soils as plants, first, and second ratoons, 

 grown during the season under review, the White Transparent 

 gave the equivalent to 12,480 1). of muscovado sugar for 

 the three crops. Ba. 6032 gave 18 338 lb. of muscovado 

 sugir. B. 6450 came next with a yield of 17,078 lb. of 

 muscovado sugar. B. 3922 gave 17,009 So.; these also being 

 calculated on the basis of the three crops. 



Referring to Table X, which gives the average results of 

 some of the better varieties for the past five years, it will be 

 observed that on the black soils the White Transparent, 

 which came out thirty-first amongst all the varieties cultiva- 

 ted in the black soils, gave an average yield of 4 999 Bb. of 

 muscovado sutar per acre for the five years 191317. B.H. 

 13(12), which heads the list, gave an average yield of 9,2768). 

 of muscovado sugar per acre. Ba. 6032 came next with 

 7,819 ft., Ba. 8846 gave a yield of 7,582 ft., while W. No. 2, 

 Ba. 8421, Ba. 12619, and Ba. 7924 gave yields of 9,027 ft., 

 9,005 ft,, 8,927 ft., and 8,901 ft., respectively, of muscovado 

 sugar per acre. 



In the red soils, the White Transparent as plant canes 

 for the five years gave an average of 5,106 ft. of muscovado 

 sugar per acre. Ba. 6032 which heads the list gave a yield 

 of 7,544 ft. of muscovado sugar per acre. B. 6450 came next 

 with a yield of 7,4'28 ft Three other varieties, Ba 2471, 

 B. 3922, and B. 376 tave yields, respectively, of 6,698 ft, 

 6.1 75 ft., and 5,517 ft. of muscovado sugar per acre. 



During the last season three varieties, namely B.H. 10(12), 

 Ba. 6032, and Ba. 7924 were considered worthy of being 

 tried under ordinary plantation conditions. There are also 

 four new varieties, seedlings of the B. 6450, which have beea 

 cultivated for the past two years in comparison with the 

 White Transparent and B. 6450, and which appear to be 

 worthy of extended cultivation. Cuttings of these four varieties 

 were planted in the selected seedling sugar-cane experiment 

 plots. These varieties are— B.S.F.12 (451, B.S.F.12 (34), 

 BS.F.12 (27), and B.S.F.12 (24). The results of these 

 seven varieties are given in Tables XII-XV. As will be 

 seen from these, B.H.IO (12) has given in the same 

 fields, on the average for four years, from twenty-one 

 plots, 2,478 ft. of saccharose per acre more than the 

 B.6450, and 4,239 lb. more than the White Transparent. 

 Ba. 6032 has given in the same fields, on the average for 

 four seasons, for forty-nine plots, 1,303 ft. of saccharose 

 per acre more than the B. 6450, and 3,222 ft. more thaa 

 the White Transparent. Ba. 7924 has given, on the average 

 for four years, from sixteen plots, 1,057 ft. of saccharose more 

 than the B. 6450, and 2,788 ft. more than the White Trans- 

 parent. Of the four new varieties, B.S.F.12(45), on the 

 average from two plots during the last two seasons, has 

 given 1,892 ft. of .saccharose per acre more than the B.6450, 

 and 2,875 lb. more than the White Transparent; B.S F.12(34), 

 B.S.F.12(27), andB.S.F.12(24) gave, respectively, 2,416 ft., 

 3,506 ft., and 4,500 ft. of saccharose more than the 

 B.6450, and .3,399 ft., 4,489 ft., and .5,483 ft. of saccharose 

 per acre more than the White Transparent. 



PROGRESS IN TROPICAL AGRIOULTORE. 



At a General Meeting of the Anglo-Dutch Plantations 

 of Java Co., Ltd., held in London, September 12, 1917, the 

 Chairman, the Hon. Charles Hedley Strutt, in the course of 

 his speech made some remarks which ought to be kept in 

 mind by everyone interested in the development of tropical 

 agriculture. He said: ' I have made it a custom every year 

 to deal fairly fully with our different products, but I shall 

 say little this year, as there are not many new developments. 

 It is, however, worth while to call your attention to one 

 feature of our tropical agriculture — that is, the rapid improve- 

 ment that is taking place in the methods and organization in 

 all those cultures that have comparatively recently come 

 under European control. Whereas in English agriculture, 

 with which I am well acquainted, a good farmer thirty years 

 ago would be a fairly good farmer still without any change of 

 methods, it is by no means certain in tropical agriculture 

 that an up-to-date manager of five years ago would not, unless 

 he altered his methods, be most hopelessly behindhand at the 

 present time. Old industries change slowly, new industries 

 very fast. This is of vital importance to bear in mind. It; 

 behoves every manager never to rest satisfied with the 

 methods that were thought satisfactory a few years ago, and 

 it behoves still more that visiting agents should every few 

 years be allowed to visit other countries and districts from 

 time to time to see what improvements in methods and 

 systems have been carried out elsewhere.' 



These remarks from the Chairman of a large company, 

 who is himself an agriculturist of wide experience and repu- 

 tation, bear out the position which has been cons-stently 

 taken up by the Imperial Department of Aiiriculture, namely , 

 that it is of the utmost importance if the various products 

 of the West Indies are to continue to be grown profitably, 

 that all those engaged in the cultivaion of them shoiild be 

 wide awake to take advantage of every possible method of 

 improvement. 



