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703. -NOTES ON EXPERIMENT PLOTS. 



EVERAL Experiment Plots have been established 

 throughout the colony during the past year. 



One of the most interesting of those is the Cacao 

 plot at La Vega estate, Brasso, the necessary land being 

 kindly handed over to the Government for experimental purposes 

 by the Hon. C. de Verteuil, the proprietor. 



It consists of about four acres of undulating land and is divided 

 into four approximately equal sections, each of which receives a cer- 

 tain distinct treatment. The following abridged copy of suggestions 

 issued for the control of such plots will show the lines on which the 

 experiments are being conducted : — 



1. That the area be divided into four equal parts. 



2. Section A. to be given ordinary cultivation as usually practised 



on estates in Trinidad. 



3. Section B to be pruned, trees cleaned of moss and wounds to be 



tarred. Ground to be cleaned and manured on surface with 

 pen manure. (Weight to be taken by weighing loads or 

 baskets) . 



4. Section C to be pruned, cleaned, wounds tarred, ground cleaned 



manured with 



Sulphate of Ammonia @ 400 lbs. per acre, and 

 Basic Slag @ 4 cwt. per acre. 

 Manure to be pricked -in with a fork. 



• 



5. Section D treated same as C, but manured with 



Basic Slag @ 4 cwt. per acre, and 

 Sulphate of Potash @ 1 cwt. per acre. 

 Manure to be pricked in with a fork. 



6. Holes in trees to be filled with cement. 



7. On all sections the total weight of crop in wet cacao to be taken 



for one year. 



8. Arrangements to be made for pruning and cleaning so as to 



allow an officer of this Department being present. 



9. No dead wood or broken pods must be allowed to lie on the 



ground in any section. 



We have recently had the returns for the past year, and we now 

 publish them here for general information. It will be interesting to 

 compare those results with subsequent years as the effect of the 



lo manurial treatment will become more apparent, especially in those 



5 sections where chemical manures were applied. 



I 



