Tol. V. No. 109. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



207 



SUGAR-CANE AS SHADE FOR YOUNG 

 CACAO PLANTS. 



Many cacao plantations have in the past beesi 

 ^established by the plantings; of the young plants 

 among sugar-cane. Whether this is a desirable 

 practice is doubtful ; for, whereas sugar-cane affords 

 good shade for the 3'oang cacao during its growing 

 season, it is practically useless in dry weather. It 

 is probable, therefore, that all j'oung cacao plants, when 

 sugar-cane is used for shade, will suffer more or less 

 from exposure during the reaping season, and that 

 other plants, such as the pigeon pea, banana, tannia, or 

 dasheen, might successfully offer better shade to the 

 young plants. 



The following extract from a note on this subject, 

 forwarded by Mr. Joseph Jones, Curator of the Botanic 

 Station, Dominica, may be of interest : — ■ 



The important point in establishing cacao is that the 

 planter must allow sufficient room for 1;he development of 

 the young plants. If he allows sugar-cane to cover the 

 plants, they receive a severe check when the former is cut. 

 Probably, a better shade for young cacao is aflforded by tannias 

 and bananas, but, in the case of tannias, little protection is 

 ■offered by them in the dry season, and, therefore, it is advisable 

 to give the young cacao plants a good mulch of leaves at the 

 commencement of the dry season to make up for the lack of 

 shade. 



A further note by Mr. Geo. S. Hudson, Agri- 

 cultural Instructor, St. Lucia, deals with the same 

 subject: — 



The sugar-cane is one of the most unsuitable shade 

 plants for young cacao, not only on account of sudden 

 exposure to wind and sun, when the canes are cut, but also 

 because it ties up the soil by a mass of fibrous roots. 



Some 300 to 400 acres of sugar-cane at Roseau have 

 cacao planted in it. Most of the trees are ten years old and 

 have not yet borne a single pod. 



In places where there is a demand for sugar-cane, but 

 it is desired to make cacao the permanent crop, a double row 

 of canes, 2 feet apart, might be planted up a central line 

 between every two rows of cacao, and plantains or bananas 

 between each cacao plant in the cacao row. This plan could 

 be safely continued for two years. 



As the cultivation of cacao is considerably increas- 

 ino- throughout the West Indies, it is desirable that the 

 most economic establishment of the plantations should 

 be adopted, and therefore careful attention should be 

 given to the choice of shade for the young cacao plants. 



SALT FROM TURKS ISLANDS. 



His Honour the Administrator of Dominica has 

 forwarded for publication in the Agricidtwnd News 

 the following report on salt from the Turks Islands, by 

 •Professor Wyndham R. Dunstan, M.A,, F.R.S., Director 

 of the Imperial Institute : — ■ 



This sample of salt was brought to England by the 

 Commissioner of the Turks Islands and was received at the 

 Imperial Institute in October 1904. The .salt prepared in 

 the islands is said to be in great demand in the United States 

 ,as a preservative, and the present sample was described as 

 'an exceptionally fine specimen.' 



The sample consisted of 1 Bi. of salt in colourless crystals, 



of the size of the ' fishing salt ' used for fish curing. Unlike 

 many salts of commerce, however, there was a complete 

 absence of delicpiescence or agglomeration. 



The salt has been analysed in the Scientific and 

 Technical Department of the Imperial Institute, and the 

 results obtained are given in the following table, which also 

 includes analyses of representative commercial white salts and 

 sea salts for comparison. An analysis by Goessman and 

 Porter of coarse salt from Turks Islands is also available, and 

 comparison with this shows that the salt produced at the 

 present time is much purer than was formerly the case. 

 None of the recorded analyses of English salts show such 

 a high state of purity as the present sample from the Turks 

 Islands. 



No borates or nitrates were present in this sample of 

 Turks Islands salt. Its preservative qualities therefore 

 depend entirely upon the sodium chloride present, and the 

 samijle is remarkable only in respect of its exceptional purity. 



HONEY FROM DOMINICA. 



Mr. A. J. Brooks has forwarded the following 

 report, received from Messrs. Brandon & Co., 32, Fen- 

 church St., London, E.G., on a case of honey, contain- 

 ing two tins, produced at the Dominica Agricultural 

 School. The report contains information which is 

 likely to be of interest to honey producers in the West 

 Indies : — 



The honey was of very dark colour, of strong flavour, 

 and the body of the honey in one tin was thinner than that 

 of the other. 



There is generally a free market for this description, 

 the value fluctuating between 14s. and 18s. per cwt., accord- 

 ing to the demand which exists at the time and the supply 

 which is ofl'ering. To-day, the value is about 18.s., this being 

 a very full price. 



We may add that this quality honey should not be pack- 

 ed in tins and cases, but in barrels containing about 3 cwt. 

 each. The barrels .should be well coopered to prevent leakage, 

 and should be quite clean before the honey is put in them. 

 The honey should be carefully strained before being packed ia 

 the barrels. 



We have sold the two tins for 18s. 



