Vol. V. No. 102. 



THE AGEICULTURAL NEWS. 



91 



AGRICULTURAL EFFORTS AT ST. LUCIA. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture attended 

 a conference of the members of the Agricultural Experi- 

 ments Committee at St. Lucia on Februar}' 9, last, his 

 Honour the Administrator in the chair. 



SUGAR. 



A summary of experiments with new seedling canes 

 was presented, together with a report on the condition of the 

 new experiment plots at Roseau, Vieux-fort, Cul-de-Sae, and 

 Dennery. The Hon. E. Du Boulay reported favourably of 

 his experience with seedling canes B. 147 and B. 208. His 

 Honour E. G. Bennett stated that B. 208 was the variety 

 that best suited his locality. Suggestions were offered for 

 extending systematic experiments with canes at St. Lucia, 

 and for the employment of trained men to analyse the juice, 

 and supervise experimental work in the fields. 



OAC.\0. 



In a review of the work carried on during the last 

 five years in connexion with experimental cacao plots in 

 various districts of the island, under the control of the 

 ■Agricultural Instructor, a summary was presented and 

 endorsed by those present. Briefly stated, the results are as 

 follows : — 



At Soufriere a 1 acre plot (which had no trees in bearing 

 in 1900) was taken in hand by the Imperial Department 

 in 1901. For an expenditure, in the five years ended 

 1905, on cultivation, manures, etc., of £34 8s. lid., 

 a total yield was obtained of 2,288 B). of cured cacao, which 

 (valued at 6d. per ft), of well-cured cacao) showed a gross 

 return of £57 4s. or a profit, in five years, of £22 15s. If/. 



A similar plot at Dennery (which had no trees in 

 bearing in 1900) had £20 5s. spent upon it in 1901-3, and 

 yielded, in the three years, 1820 tb. of cacao, valued at above 

 basis at £45 10s. showing a profit in three years of £25 5s. 



All abandoned field of cacao, 1 acre in extent, at Roseau, 

 for an expenditure of £27 2s. 2f/. in 1901-5, yielded 2,955 

 lb. of cured cacao valued, as above, at £73 17s. 6(/., showing 

 a profit in five years of £46 15s. id. 



The details of the cultivation and manures used are 

 given in the Annual Reports for the years 1901-5. 



The Imperial Commissioner suggested a new series of 

 experimental pilots of cacao to consist of 5 acres or 1,000 

 trees, each divided into five sections. These plots would be 

 supervised by the officers of the Department, on condition 

 that the proprietors defrayed the cost of labour and manures. 

 The suggestion was favourably received, and steps were to be 

 taken by the Agricultural Instructor for selecting plots in 

 suitable localities for the purpose. 



FRUIT INDUSTRY. 



A report was presented on the nursery plots which are 

 being established at Cul-de-Sac, Union and elsewhere, 

 for raising and distributing suckers of the Chinese or dwarf 

 bai;ana. While the industry was developing it was recom- 

 mended to utilize the fruit locally. Green dwarf bananas, 

 when suitably cooked, were as good as if not a better vegetable 

 than plantains. About 4,000 plants of this banana are now 

 available for propagating purposes. 



RUBBER. 



Reference was made to the favourable reports (published 

 in the Agricultural JVews, Vol. IV, p. 380) on the samples of 

 Castilloa rubber obtained from trees grown at the Botanic 

 Station. The biscuit rubber was valued at from 4s. 9(/. to 5s. 

 per ft). These prices were regarded as proving that rubber 

 cultiTation was capable of becoming a successful industry 

 at St. Lucia. About 100 rubber trees up to eight years 

 old were reported as doing well amongst cacao at Errard 

 estate. The Imperial Commissioner stated that a good 



supply of seed and plants of Castilloa would be placed 

 within the reach of planters during the coming season. The 

 officers of the Department would also prepare a leaflet giving 

 information as to selecting land, and starting the cultivation 

 amongst cacao or otherwise. The Administrator expressed 

 great interest in the prospects of rubber cultivation in the 

 colony. 



COTTON. 



The Imperial Commissioner expressed his disappoint- 

 ment that Sea Island cotton had not hitherto been 

 successfully produced in St. Lucia. He was .satisfied, 

 however, that in some of the drier districts with suitable soil, 

 the industry was capable of being established. It was his 

 intention to recommend further trials in this direction. 



FUMIGATION OF SEEDS AND PLANTS. 



The Imperial Commissioner impressed on the Committee 

 the necessity, in such an agricultural island as St. Lucia, for 

 fumigating all imported .seeds and plants in order to prevent 

 the introduction of noxious pests. It was agreed that this 

 was desirable, and a recommendation to that effect was 

 adopted by the meeting. 



During a stay of about a week at St. Lucia, the 

 Imperial Commissioner conferred with the Administrator and 

 the leading members of the planting community, and 

 discussed in detail the agricultural needs of the colony. He 

 also visited Dennery Sugar Factory on the Windward Coast, 

 and afterwards crossed the island by the Golds worthy Road 

 to the Cul-de-Sac valley where he spent two interesting days 

 with his Honour E. G. Bennett in visiting the sugar factory, 

 the sugar experiment plot.s, and the cacao areas. 



The general impression left on the mind of the Imperial 

 Commissioner was that the cacao plantations which he saw 

 in the vicinity of Dennery and elsewhere, could be made to 

 yield double the present crops, at a comparatively small outlay 

 and without extending the area uncler cultivation, while 

 in regard to the cultivation and treatment of both sugar 

 and cacao in the Cul-de-Sac valley, these were equal to 

 anything he had seen in any part of the West Indies. The 

 Imperial Commissioner proposes to pay another visit to 

 St. Lucia, when he hopes to proceed to Roseau, Soufriere and 

 the .southern districts of the island. 



COPRA. 



In the Haivaiian Furt'stcr and Agriculturist 

 for November 1905, the following information is given 

 with regard to copra : — 



The best copra is made by drying the meat of the 

 cocoa-nut in houses, or drying machines heated by steam ; 

 although, if the climate is a sufficiently dry one, sun drying 

 produces very good results, if the meat is kept clean. The 

 grading depends on the dryness, cleanness, and sweetness of 

 the meat. The market price varies considerably. It has 

 been as low as §50'00 or $52'00, and as high as S85'00 per 

 long ton. The present price in London is about $80-00 or 

 SSl-OOperton. 



It is stated that there is at present no market for 

 copra in the United States of America, because there is no 

 supply available in any quantity, all the cocoa-nuts grown 

 and shipped from Ceylon, the West Indies, and Central 

 America being used for desiccated cocoa-nut. The product 

 is rapidly growing in importance, and it is considered 

 hardly possible to overload the market. The development 

 of this industry should prove of great value in those 

 colonies where cocoa-nut trees grow and thrive, as the 

 LTnited States will probably take large c[uantities of copra 

 when available. 



