Vol. V. No. 118. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



349 



•CACAO AND RUBBER IN ST. LUCIA. 



A report from the United States ponsular Agent 

 Davidson, at St. Lucia, on cacao and rubber in that 

 i.sland is as follows : — ■ 



Cacao is the next important product of St. Lucia 

 :after sugar. The output is steadily increasing and will soon 

 surpass the latter. The quantity exported for the last twelve 

 months was close on 800 tons, the largest cultivated variety 

 being the I'orastero, and the average local price is -f S per lOOfc. 

 Rubber is now being used as a shade for cacao, and it is 

 generally believed to be beneficial in situations where there 

 is much moisture. The Central American variety is that 

 grown most largely. No exports of rubber have as yet been 

 made, as the industry is in its infancy, but at the experiment 

 station of the Imperial Department of Agriculture trees, 

 which have already reached maturity, have been tapped, and 

 the product has been favourably reported upon by experts 

 ■in England. The rubber tree has not, in this island, been 

 subject to attacks by insects, but in isolated instances, where 

 the soil or position is not favourable, scale has appeared in 

 the dry season, but this is easily eradicated; in fact, it rights 

 itself again when the rain comes on. 



CACAO INDUSTRY IN ST. VINCENT. 



The Annual Report on the Botanic Station, 

 Agricultural School, and Land Settlement Scheme in 

 St. Vincent, which was reviewed in the last issue of the 

 Agricultural News (p. 333), contains the following 

 review of the position of the cacao industry in that 

 island. Very encouraging progi-ess has been made : — • 



In last year's report it was mentioned that the exports 

 of cacao from the island showed a steady increase, and it was 

 pointed out that in the year 1900 the exports of the cured 

 product amounted to 143 bags, and had increased in 1904-.5 

 to 742 bags. The steady increase has been maintained 

 during the past year, and the exports amounted to 787 bags, 

 of an estimated value of £2,423. 



A large number of plants (14,047) were again distributed 

 from the nurseries under the charge of the Department, 

 which indicates that, although the price of cured cacao was 

 low, the industry is a progressive one, notwithstanding the 

 counter attractions of the cotton industry, an industry which 

 gives much quicker returns. 



Thrips were seen in most cultivations and did a consider- 

 able amount of damage on some estates, especially in the dry 

 .season. The dry soil and atmospheric conditions due to the 

 lack of suitable permanent shade, or shade not well regulated, 

 were thought to be responsible for the severe attacks, as trees 

 suitably shaded suffered very little damage. 



A number of plants of the ' Madura ' shade trees 

 {Gliricidia niaculata) have been sent out from the Botanic 

 Station to several cacao estates to assist planters in 

 •overcoming the difficulty. The ' Madura ' grows exceedingly 

 well in the island and is well suited for the purpose. It has 

 not, so far, been attacked by scale insects, which constantly 

 attack certain species of Erythrina (Immortels), also used for 

 shading cacao in this island. On two estates plants of the 

 Central American rubber tree {Castilloa dastica) have been 

 planted out for shade and rubber purposes. 



To imjarove the soil conditions of young cacao plantations, 

 green dressings of woolly pyrol {Pkaseolus Mungo) have been 

 advocated, and several planters have taken up the advice. 

 Besides the value of this plant for enriching the soil in 

 nitrogen, it possesses the advantage of a thick bushy growth 

 which cjuickly covers the ground. 



CACAO IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



The U. 8. Monthly Gonsular Reports, for August, 

 contain the following report on cacao cultivation in 

 British Guiana : — 



The area under cacao cultivation in British Guiana is 

 estimated to be 1,500 acres, and the quantity exported 

 annually varies between 50,000 lb. and 125,000 ft. 



The dift'erence between the production and the export is 

 consumed locally. There are two factories manufacturing 

 chocolate for local consumption. The Criollo, Forastero, and 

 Calabaciilo are cultivated. The Criollo is the best, but is 

 not as hardy as the Forastero, which iS the one usually grown 

 here. The Calabaciilo is inferior, the beans being Hat and of 

 a bitter taste. With favourable weather the average yearly 

 production may be taken at 25,000 lb. per 100 acres, or, say, 

 1 B). per tree, but this is exceeded by a few properties which 

 have been intelligently planted and shaded and have been 

 carefully looked after, and the production of such does not 

 fall far short of 35,000 tti. per 100 acres. The price realized 

 for home consumption is from !? 11 to $12 per 100 Hj., but 

 increased production would soon cause a drop and the foreign 

 market rates counted on. There is no noticeable increase in 

 the production, and the area under cultivation is not much 

 greater than it was four or five years ago. Local men of 

 means are not inclined to embark in cultivating a product 

 that takes at least eight years for returns. The trees a.re not 

 much injured by insects. There are, however, the cacao pod 

 disease {Phytopthora omnivora) and brown rot (Diplodia. 

 cacaoicola) to be found on some of the estates which are not 

 so well drained and looked after. The lands along rivers 

 and coast most suitable for cacao have no natural drainage. 

 They are below sea-level, and conseqiuently ' kokers ' have to 

 be used to shut out the high tides, and in heavy weather 

 they are ojjened twice during twenty-four hours to drain 

 off the surplus water. 



COST OF L.\ND AND DEVELOPMENT. 



Crown land can be bought at less than 50c. an acre. It 

 is usually heavily wooded, and the cost of bringing 1 acre of 

 such land into cultivation with the necessary draining trenches 

 is somewhat heavy. Forty dollars would cover the first 

 twelve months' expenses, which would also include the cost 

 of young cacao plants, easily purchased from the Government 

 Botanic Gardens at $1-50 per 100 plants, six to nine months 

 old. The cost of keeping 1 acre in proper cultivation tor the 

 second and up to the eighth year would not exceed .inLS per 

 annum. Some returns might be secured from growing catch 

 crops, but this is an uncertain calculation. Buildings, curing 

 house, and labourers' houses are additional costs. East Indian 

 coolies and black labourers are employed. 



The planting of rubber as shade for cacao has not yet 

 been much tried, as no new properties are being established. 

 The local Department of Agriculture has advised the planting 

 of rubber as shade, and no doubt a few plantation owners will 

 try the experiment. Two or three parties have obtained 

 Crown lands, of v.hich there is considerable area suitable for 

 rubber growing. Probably the idea is to interest foreign 

 capital. The colony is fiee from hurricanes, and the occa- 

 sional abandonment of a sugar estate would appear to give 

 a surplus of labour. The land of an abandoned plantation, 

 after the buildings and machinery have been disposed of, 

 can usually be bought for about $5 per acre. It is usually 

 well drained and possibly suitable for cacao. It suggests 

 itself as a cheaper method of establishing a cacao plantation, 

 and has the advantages of a labour supply on the spot. 

 Transportation to the shipping port, Georgetown, is all by 

 water. Freight by sailing craft or river steamer does not 

 exceed 15c. per bag for distances of 30, 40, and 50 miles 



