Sis 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



October 6, 1906, 



under various treiitment, to introduce and distribute new 

 plants and new varieties, and for the trial of various methods 

 of treatment of pests and diseases of plants. 



In addition to these two stations of the Agricultural 

 Department, experiments are carried out on various estates. 

 These include e.xperiments with Sea Island cotton, manurial 

 experiments with bananas, and trials of bacterial cultures 

 with the "Florida velvet bean. 



GRENADA : ANNUAL REPORTS ON THE 

 BOTANIC STATION AND AGRICULTURAL IN- 

 STRUCTION, 1905-6. 



Botanic Station. — Mr. Anstead took up his'duties as 

 Agricultural Superintendent on June 6, 1905. In his report 

 Le deals with the usual routine work of the Botanic Station 

 and also the general efforts that have been made during the 

 year for the furtherance of agricultural progress in the colony. 



The receipts from the sale of plants, seeds, and produce 

 amounted to £72 'js. 3d., showing an increase of £li 7s. 5d. 

 over last year's receipts from the same sources. 



The rainfall during, the year at the Richmond Hill 

 station, immediately above the Botanic Station, was 73-9S 

 inches, which figure is nearly 5 inches below the average 

 for the past fifteen years. A very severe drought was 

 experienced during the la.st months of the period under review. 



The number of economic plants sold from the nursery 

 during the year was ■4,.532 ; this is an increase of 50 per 

 cent, on last year's distribution. In addition, 7,000 plants 

 of sugar-cane seedling D. 95 and a large number of seeds 

 were distributed. 



The appearance of the garden has been improved by the 

 addition of a large number of interesting species. Some 

 progress has been made in ridding the garden of ' black 

 blight,' with which many of the trees are infested. Unfor- 

 tunately, trees to windward of the gardens act as a permanent 

 source of re-infection. 



An interesting feature of the agricultural efforts in 

 Grenada is the starting of a number of e.xperiments with 

 cacao on estates. These e.xperiments are on a larger scale 

 than the Department experiment plots ; the estate bears all 

 expenses, the Department supplying scientific advice. Five 

 such stations have been established, and a scheme of 

 manurial experiments arranged for each. 



Agricultuml Instruct ion. — ;\Ir. George F. Branch took 

 up his duties as Agricultural Instructor on July 22, 1905. 

 Since that time he has been engaged in visiting peasant 

 holdings and estates, in laying out the experiment plots, and 

 in promoting the prize-holding scheme. 



Tables are attached to the report which give full 

 particulars as to the conditions existing on the four cacao 

 experiment plots in the country districts, together with 

 a complete account of the manurial and cultural treatment 

 adopted on them. 



RUBBER IN PORTO RICO. 



The following note on observations as to the growth 

 of rubber trees in Porto Rico appears in tlie Keport on 

 Agricultural Investigations in that island during 

 1905 :— 



The condition ')f the rubber trees is very much as in the 

 last report. The Central American rubber trees {Caftilloa 

 e/astica), which have been planted three years, in very rich 

 soil, are now 16 feet high with a spread of 12 feet; while the 

 others planted in the usual heavy clay .soil are only 4 to 6 feet 

 high. Trees which were sent to Arecibo and Bayamon have 

 made growth similar to the best of these when on cultivated 

 and fertilized soil. Some of the trees in the station plantation 

 have been fertilized with stable manure, without perceptible 

 change in growth and the result, .so far, is negative. The 

 experiments have brought out- the following facts which 

 correspond with the experience of the horticulturist in Florida. 

 The Castilloa succeeds best when not transplanted or when 

 transplanted very young, so as not to disturb the roots. A tree 

 six to twelve months old is severely stunted by_ tran.splant- 

 ing. The methods of planting in sod and keeping a small 

 circle cleaned around the trees has not proved successful 

 except in soil which would have grown any other tropical 

 tree under the same conditions. Ilevea bmsiliensii has made 

 but slow growth. Manihot Glaziovii has made a fairly good 

 growth near San Juan, where a few trees are planted in 

 a yard. It is of course cultivated and properly fertilized. 



FIJI : REPORT ON AGRICULTURE FOR THE 

 YEAR mOo. By C. H. Knowles, B.Sc, Superintendent of 

 Agriculture. 



Mr. Knowles arrived in F^ijifrom St. Vincent in January 

 1905, and during the year was engaged in visiting the chief 

 agricultural centres. 



It has been decided to maintain two experiment stations, 

 the objects of which are as follows : to form a permanent 

 collection of economic and ornamental plants, to maintain 

 experimental plots for the trial of new erop.s, or other crops 



RUBBER IN THE MALAY STATES. 



In the Aitiimd Report on the Federated Malay 

 States for 1905 the following reference is made to the 

 extension of rubber cultivation : — 



The high price of rubber and the proved suitability of 

 land in those states for its cultivation have led to numerous 

 applications for land, but more particularly in Selangor, 

 where almost all the accessible land between the Klaiig and 

 the Selangor rivers has been taken up for rubber planting. 

 Large areas of land have been ajiplied for and granted for the 

 purposes of this industry, and most of the large estates have 

 been converted into, or sold to, limited liability companies. 

 Xe.xt to the coast districts of Selangor, the Sungei Ujong 

 district of the Xegri Sembilan appears to be the locality most 

 in fa', our with rubber prospectors. 



According to Mr. Carruthcrs, the Director of Agriculture, 

 the area alienated for the planting of Para rubber is some 

 100,000 acres, qf which about .38,000 acres have already 

 been planted. Most of the Para rubber trees of the age of 

 five years or more. have been planted 200 to the acre ; some 

 estates have as many as 300 to the acre. On the more recent 

 clearings the average is probably 175 to the acre. The 

 number of trees of all ages in the I'ederated Malay States 

 may perhaps be put at six to seven millions. 



The rubber production of 1905 is estimated to have been 

 300,000 ft. 



