A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



LIBRARY 



OF THE NEW YORK 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. ''Z^;^^ 



Vol. V. No. 109. 



BARBADOS, JUNE 30, 1906. 



Price Id, 



CONTENTS. 



Rice Growing in Britisli Guiaua. 



EFEREXCES have previousl}' been made 

 in the Agricultural News to the very 

 appreciable extension that rice cultivation 



has undergone in British Guiana during the past 



few years, 



The Report of the Board of Agriculture for 1904-5 

 states : ' The fact that some of the new varieties of 

 canes give heavy yields on parts of the back lands of 

 sugar estates, where the Bourbon was not able to 

 produce remunerative returns, has set free from cane 

 cultivation lands in the front of estates, and this is 

 being carefully taken up by East Indians for rice 

 growing. The negroes of the colony are slowly following- 

 the example of the East Indians and are cultivating 

 rice on some of their village lands.' The total area 

 under rice in the year 1904-.5 was placed at 21,920 

 acres, the crop being 22,597 tons of paddy, equal to- 

 15,600 tons of clean rice. 



Although more recent returns have not yet been 

 received, it would appear that the extension of the 

 area devoted to this crop is being maintained. It is 

 mentioned in a recent issue of the Demerara Argosy 

 that in one district alone, viz., Leguan, 400 acres have 

 been taken up by rice fanners during the present 

 season. The growers in Berbice, particularly, having- 

 settled on abandoned sugar estates, which are excel- 

 lently adapted to rice growing, have largely extended 

 their cultivation. Rapid strides have also been made 

 on the East Coast. 



A table published in the last Annual Report OO' 

 the colony shows that the extension of the area under 

 rice cultivation during recent years has very consider- 

 ably aflected the amount of rice imported into the 

 colony. The table shows a drop from 431,679 cwt. in 

 1895-6 to 183,145 cwt. in the year under revie-iy 

 (1904-5), when the imports of this commodity were 

 valued at £94,892. 



