228 



employ some one who had some agricultural knowledge to take 

 up a few acres here and there in the most suitable districts in the 

 parish they would be prepared to provide the funds for the culti- 

 vation. 



The Secretary said that he thought the plan adopted by Mr. 

 Arnett, Agricultural Instructor, if carried through on a larger scale 

 would be a more successful way of encouraging small settlers to 

 put in cotton than a central experiment ground. Mr. Arnett had 

 received a £2 grant from the Agricultural Society and with this 

 exceedingly small amount he had gone to the settlers in lower 

 Trelawny and the seaboard of St. Ann who had places considered 

 suitable, and asked them to cultivate a chain in Sea Island Cotton, 

 he paying the expenses, and they were allowed to cultivate red 

 beans and sometimes black-eye peas between the rows, getting 

 all the plot produced. The settlers did not get much confidence 

 from experiments carried out on what they thought fancy lines, 

 but when they actually carried out the experiments themselves, 

 they knew all the work and costs involved and they could 

 appreciate the results. If some experiment could be carried out 

 along the coastline of St. James under the advice and supervision 

 of an Instructor such as Mr. Arnett who had already made himself 

 familiar with such experiments, it would be the cheapest, most 

 expeditious, and surest way of establishing cotton-growing 

 amongst the settlers. Of course they could have larger experiments 

 on estates besides, if wanted. In this connection the Archbishop 

 asked what was being done to further the cotton growing industry ; 

 they seemed to have made such a success of it in the other West 

 India Islands and so little of it in Jamaica, that he was prompted 

 to ask if everything was being done that could be done to further 

 the industry. 



The Secretary was asked to prepare a statement as to what had 

 been done and what was being done as regards the Cotton Industry 

 and circulate it amongst the members before the next Meeting. 



Book on School Gardens — The Secretary read letter from Mr. 

 J. R. Williams enclosing manuscript of book on School Gardens 

 which, as he asked, had already been submitted to the Director of 

 Public Gardens and the Island Chemist for revision, and expressing 

 his appreciation to these gentlemen, to the Superintending 

 Inspector of Schools, and Messrs. Cradwick and Palache, Agri- 

 cultural Instructors, who had assisted him in preparing the 

 matter. 



The Secretary was directed to send Mr. Williams' letter to the 

 Governor with the manuscript and to suggest that the book be 

 published by the Government Printing Office, and be sold at the 

 original price fixed : and to ask sanction for probable excess in 

 printing owing to the enlargement of the book. The Secretary 

 was also directed to express the thanks of the Board to Mr. 

 Williams for the book which was likely to be of great value, and 

 for the patient care and labour taken in preparing it. 



