242 



by the reo;ular and systematic cultivation of home-grown food-stuffs. 

 A 6-monihs' crop of peas and swet-t potatoes on a single acre will yield 

 an adequate and balanced ration for five men for six months. If one 

 half of each holding were reserved for the growth of fodder crops, 

 and a cow or mare and a sow or two formed a portion of the live-stock 

 of the establishment, the manure from the animals would give a 

 security for the grnde of fruit and the yield of provisions. After ten 

 years of such farming the crops would, if anything, be better than at 

 first. 



The composition and feeding value of the various fodder products 

 available in Jamaica and the possibility of obtaining improved varieties 

 and the introduction of new fodder-plants is a mutter that the Board 

 of Agriculture will of necessity find it necessaiy to investigate. 



The following results have been obtaine 1 in ihe Government Labora- 

 tory and may be regarded as a preliminary survey of matter which 

 Avill need special treatment and investigation on its merits later. 



The Samples. 



I have to thank the following ladies and gentlemen for their personal 

 services in securing representative and carefully prepared samples of 

 fodders from different parts of the island : — 



Miss Steer, Trafalgar, St. Ann ; W. Craflwick, Esq., and Mrs. 

 Oradwick, Mackfield, Westmoreland ; John Edward ■^, Esq., Knockalva, 

 Hanover ; The Hon. R. P. Simmonds, Quebec, St. Mary ; A. P. Lock- 

 wood Wingate, Esq, Pepper, Manchester. 



The chemical analyses are all the work of Mr. H. S. Hammond of 

 this Department. 



Guinea Grass. {Panicum maximum, Jacq.) 



This is without question the most valuable general-purp< se fodder 

 grown in Jamaica, and like most of our products shows great variation 

 according to the soil and district upon which it is grown. Samples 

 f om five parishes have been analysed, of these that from St. Ann 

 holds the first place, followed by that from Hanover. The Manchester 

 grass shows an inferior quality, while that from St. Mary although 

 cimsidered a good grass for the district and genuine guin a grass, is 

 decidedly the mos^ inferior of the five. 



The grass from St. Mary is little better than, good oat-straw in 

 feeding value, while such grass as that obtained from St. Ann is quite 

 equal to good Timothy grass in general feeding value. 



The effect of irrigation, manures and the period of ripening have 

 still to be ascertained. There is evidently a reduction in the amides 

 owing to their elaboration into the more valuable albuminoids with the 

 ripening of the plant, although this is probably associated with an in- 

 crease in the " bone" or indigestible stem and fibre of the grass. 



Guinea grass is most susceptible to manuring, and where grass is 

 valuable it should pay to treat the grass pieces liberally in this respect 

 when they show signs of exhaustion. 



