Vol. V. No. 108. 



THE AGEICULTUKAL NEWS. 



183 



of the older leaves. Sometimes it is noticed on both surfaces 

 and sometimes on the younger leaves. It is said to do very 

 little harm, but experiments will be conducted this year to 

 endeavour to keep it in check. 



KUST. 



This disease makes its appearance as reddish pustules on 

 the under surfaces of leaves. It has not done much damage 

 up to the present, and if at all prevalent, could probablj^ be 

 kept in check by dusting with a mixture of sulphur and lime. 

 Other fungoid diseases occur, but, at present, do not cause 

 much damage. Planters, as soon as they notice any signs of 

 disease in their fields, are advised promptly to forward 

 specimens to the Imperial Department of Agriculture, where 

 they will be investigated and reports made, together with 

 suggestions for remedial measui'es. 



Conclusion of the Conference. 



In moving a resolution of thanks to the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture for its assistance in con- 

 nexion with the establishment of the cotton industry, 

 Mr. C. J. Greenidge, M.C.P., made the following 

 remarks : — 



Before we separate I should like to move a vote of 

 thanks to Sir Daniel Morris, and in doing so I beg to submit 

 the following resolution : — 



' That this meeting of cotton growers desires to place on 

 record its thanks to Sir Daniel Morris and the members of 

 the staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture for their 

 energy and perseverance in introducing the cultivation of 

 Sea Island cotton into this island which has now become an 

 alternative industry.' 



Most of you remember that in 1893 or 1891r, when the 

 crop of canes was being destroyed by fungoid diseases, we 

 were told from across the waters: 'You ought to have an 

 alternative industry.' Everybody looked round and thought 

 it nonsense. I for one thought so. But, through the energy 

 and tact displayed by Sir Daniel Morris and his staff of 

 workers, we have to-day an alternative and paying industry, 

 and I beg to propo.se a vote of thanks to them. (Cheers.) 



Dr. C. E. Gooding, M.C.P., in seconding the vote, 

 said : — 



I am very pleased indeed to have been asked by 

 Mr. Greenidge to second this vote of thanks. As I have 

 said before now, had it not been for Sir Daniel Morris and his 

 staff, the cotton industry of Barbados, if anywhere at all, 

 would have been in its infancy ; whereas we certainly have 

 had a ten-years' start, and are in a position to-day with 

 regard to the industry which it would otherwise have taken 

 individual effort many years to attain. 



The resolution was passed unanimously. 



SLAVE-GROWN CACAO. 



Since the appearance of Mr. Nevinson's articles on the 

 Portuguese slave trade in Africa, which were published a few 

 months back in Ilarper^t, Magazine, one of the great American 

 cacao manufacturers has written to him to say that in 

 consequence of the article he has stopped the importation of 

 San Thome cacao. Will British manufacturers not follow 

 suit ? Tropiod Life gives the shipments into Great Britain 

 for the first three months of the present year as 99,3-16 from 

 San Thome, as against 153,417 bags from the British West 

 Indies. {West India Committee Circular.) 



CASSAVA TRIALS AT JAMAICA. 



In previous issues of the Afjriculfural News 

 (Vol. IV, pp. 269 and 361), some of the results of 

 varietal experiments with cassava in Jamaica have been 

 published. These dealt with the results after twelve 

 and fifteen months' growth, respectively. The Bidletin 

 of the Department of Agriculture, for April, contains 

 the final results of tonnage and starch yields per acre 

 after twenty-one months. The following is extracted 

 from the report:— 



' White Top ' proved the best variety for harvesting at 

 twelve months, with a yield of lO'-S tons tubers, containing 

 7,902 tt). starch per acre. Next came ' Long Leaf Blue Bud' 

 with 9'0 tons tubers, followed by ' Blue Top ' with 8-| tons 

 per acre. ' Smalling ' was fourth, closely followed by 

 ' Eodney ' and ' Luana Sweet.' 



' White Top ' fell off after twelve months' growth, and is 

 clearly a variety that does not improve by a longer period of 

 growth than a year. At fifteen months, ' Long Leaf Blue 

 Bud ' proved to be the most prolific variety, yielding 1.5'4 

 tons of tubers with 4,9.55 lb. starch per acre. 'Smalling,' 

 ' Mullings,' and 'Luana Bitter' followed in the order named. 



' Blue Top ' is the champion cassava for harvesting at 

 twentj'-one months, having given 21-9 tons of tubers and 

 over 7 tons of starch per acre (15,818 lb.). 



This result would have been considered fabulous previous 

 to this careful series of field trial.s, and it is claimed that we 

 have now proved that cassava can be grown without irrigation 

 in the plain of Liguanea, in Jamaica, to give a yield of starch 

 greater than has ever been recorded before of any starch- 

 producing plant. 



It is true that this crop has taken the plant practically 

 two years to pi'oduce, but when we remember the cheapness 

 of land and the low cost of cultivation involved in the 

 prolonged period of growth, it is abundantly clear that the 

 cost of increasing the starch yield from 3i to 7 tons per acre 

 is out of all proportion to the value of the increased product. 



It would appear, therefore, that the most economic 

 production of starch would be attained by the cultivation of 

 such a variety as 'Blue Top' upon a biennial basis. For 

 quick returns ' White Top ' would be the better variety, 

 and in starting a starch factory it would be advisable to grow 

 half the cassava area as an aimual, and half as a biennial 

 crop. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



1. Lender conditions obtaining at Hope and without 

 irrigation, a yield of 10^ tons tubers at twelve months, of 

 15i- tons at fifteen months, and of nearly 22 tons tubers 

 per acre at twenty-one months has been recorded. 



2. The indicated yield of starch per acre has risen from 

 3i tons at twelve months to 5i tons at fifteen months, and 7^ 

 tons starch at twenty-one months' growth. 



3. This yield has been obtained at a cost of about £5 

 per acre, and it is abundantly clear that we can produce 

 enormous crops of cassava in -Jamaica at a cost that should 

 enable us to replace potato starch in the British market. 



4. Cassava can be grown to give a large yield upon 

 a soil and with a rainfall that would not give good crops of 

 sugar-cane without irrigation. Large areas of land, at present 

 producing little or nothing, could be profitably used for the 

 growth of cassava for starch manufacture. This is an industry 

 that can be confidently recommended to capitalists and land 

 owners as one of the most promising means of increasing our 

 exportable produce without trenching upon land at present 

 productive of other paying crops. 



