210 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July U, 1906. 



According to the Handhonk of Jdmnicn, there 

 are 231 acres of salt ponds at Grand Turk, 114 acres 

 at Salt Cay, and 248 at Cockburn Harbour. It is esti- 

 mated roughly that each acre should yield about 4,000 

 bushels of salt per annum, but this yield is dependent 

 upon fine weather. The salt is produced from sea 

 ■water by solar evaporation, the water being run into 

 shallow reservoirs and pans on low-lying stretches of 

 the soil, known as' Salinas.' Consequently, the indus- 

 try depends for its being upon the absence of rain. 

 A very wet year, as for example 1904, is disastrous to 

 the industry. In that year the output was scarcely 

 more than half the average. 



The bulk of the salt is shipped as 'coarse ' salt to 

 the United States. The price paid for this has for 

 some time been maintained at Gc. per bushel, at which 

 price there is a small profit. Some ten 3'ears ago 

 an American aermotor plant was established for crush- 

 ing the salt. In this way a product is obtained known 

 as 'ground fishery salt,' which brings a higher price 

 ■(viz., 8c. a bushel) than the ' coarse.' This is mostly 

 shipped to Canada and Newfoundland to be utilized in 

 preserving fish. In lieu of the rent formerly charged for 

 the Salinas, the Government now receives a royalty, 

 paid on shipment, at the rate of 10 per cent, on the 

 market value. 



It may be of interest to make some reference to 

 the once flourishing salt industry carried on in the 

 Bahamas Islands. This was centred in the island of 

 Inagua. It is considered that, with the aid of outside 

 capital, the industry might be profifeably revived. 



In a very interesting report attached to the 

 Annual Report on the Bahamas for 1901-2, the Resi- 

 dent Justice of Inagua (Mr. P. W. D. Armbrister) 

 states that no doubts whatever could be entertained as 

 to the success of this industry, if it could only be 

 carried on upon a sufficiently extensive scale. 'Inagua's 

 fame as a salt-producing island has not yet died out. 

 The quality of its once staple production is still 

 remembered by salt merchants in the United States 

 and other places. To ensure success to this industr}-, 

 however, outside capital is most necessary.' 



The salt pond at Inagua is about a mile from the 

 shipping place, and the primitive methods of haulage 

 bring the cost on board ship up to 6c. per bushel, leaving 

 a pi'ofit of only Ic. per bushel to the pond proprietor. 

 By a proper system of tramway haulage, such as, for 

 example, the endless-cable system used for bringing 

 Trinidad pitch from the Pitch Lake, the salt could be 

 placed on board at a cost of less than ^c. per bushel. 



Mr. Armbrister concludes that, by reason of constant 

 communication with the United States, the demand 

 that exists there for Inagua salt, and also the fact that 

 the Inagua ponds are capable of producing millions of 

 bushels annually, the salt business of the island offers 

 many inducements to a person willing to invest £3,000 

 or £4,000. 



As already stated, this industry was once in 

 a flourishing condition. The salt ponds are of great 

 extent, having been splendidly laid out some thirty to 

 thirty-five years ago, at enormous expense. But in 

 1900 the output had dwindled to less than 38,000 

 bushels, valued at only £473. It would appear that 

 the industry never recovered from a catastrophe which 

 overtook it some thirty years ago, when heav}' floods 

 washed away the salt and spoiled the pans. There is, 

 however, no danger of the repetition of such a disaster, 

 as a dam has since been constructed by the Government. 



It may be of interest to add that salt is 

 also exported, though only in small quantities, from 

 St. Kitt's, Anguilla, and the Virgin Island.?. The 

 Blue Booh returns show that 1,247 barrels (valued at 

 £92) were exported from the presidency of St. Kitt's- 

 Nevis in 1904-5, 342 barrels (of the value of £17) 

 being shipped from the Virgin Islands during the same 

 year. 



There is no doubt that there is still a considerable 

 demand for West Indian salt in the United States. 

 Further, it is possible that the trade in this commodity 

 with Canada is capable of extension. In 1902, Canada 

 imported 194,960 cwt. of salt from the British West 

 Indies ; in the same year, half this amount was obtained 

 from the United States in addition to large quantities 

 from the United Kingdom and the Mediterranean. 



BRITISH GUIANA RICE. 



The Barbados Agricultural Reporter, of June 29, 

 has the following note on a sample of rice from British 

 Guiana : — 



We have received from Messrs. Wieting and Richter, of 

 Demerara, a sample of Creole rice produced in the colony 

 of British Guiana and milled under their personal manage- 

 ment. Messrs. Wieting and Richter claim that this rice is 

 ' superior in every way to any used in the West Indies ; 

 but, being of a later crop than that usually imported from 

 the East Indies, it should not be boiled too long, to prevent 

 it getting sticking and heavy.' This Creole rice has a large, 

 bold grain, which presents a slightly brownish appiearance, 

 but Messrs. Wieting and Richter .say for it that it ' boils 

 perfectly white and grainy, has very little broken grain, is 

 free of meal and dust, and has a sweeter taste than the 

 East Indian Ballam rice.' The sample referred to above is at 

 this office, and, if any dealers would like to call and see it, 

 we should be glad to show it. 



