128 



jestoring these to the land being approximately Is. per icre. If we 

 remember that an aver-ge soil in J maica to a depth of one foot con- 

 tains 6,0001bs. of Potash and 4,0001bs of Phosphoric Aci i per acre, it 

 is apparent that the losses < f soil fertility in our Exports are infini- 

 tesimal when referred to the island as a whole. There is chemical 

 security for a t nfold i crease in th^ quantity of our Exports without 

 seriously trenching on the soil-reserves of Potash an^l of Phosphoric 

 Aci'l. It is readily granted that these figures are generalisations and 

 i'o not face the problem of the individual cultivator of Bananas or of 

 Sugar Cane It would be no solace to the Banana growers of St. 

 Catherine or St. Mary to know that there was plenty of Potash or 

 Phosphoric Acid in the soils of another parish whea their cultivated 

 soils were languishing for lack o' these ingredients. Allowing for 

 300 full bunche- from an acre of Imd, Banams, as expoite'l, would 

 remove 67lbs. of Potas'i and 201bs of Phosphoric Acid per acre. The 

 majority of soils now growing Bananas do mt appear to be lacking in 

 a full supply of these ingredients I have estimited that the reserve 

 in the irrigated lands of St Catherine would suffice to produce full 

 crops fl)r 333 years an 1 in St. Mary for 600 years, in so far as the 

 Pot ;sh supply is concerned. 



Except in certain sp cial cases, the problems of the cul ivator ii 

 Jamaica are not those of restoring the mineral cl ments removed by 

 the crops taken from the soil but the maintenance of tilth, aeration 

 and the organic matter in the soil 



Our Exports clearly make a very small demand on the essential 

 mineral elements of soil fertility : our agriciilturnl problem is not a 

 chemical hut a cu'iural one 



I have ventured to lay th se figures and data before the agricul- 

 tural public of Jamaica as a text upon which to preach a short lay- 

 sermon. It is my belief that the whole future of our agricultural 

 prosperity rests upon the recognition of certain facts and their practi- 

 cal consideration by the j)cople of this island. 



Axioms or Cultivation. 



1. DRAINAGE. Until recently this has been the most neglected 

 feature of cultivation in Jamaica. 



(a) ii rigahle laiidn should not be watered until an efficient system 

 for draining off the surplu-; water has been provided. Eg\ pt has been 

 changed from h ruined to a prosperous agriculturjl country bj' estab- 

 lishing a drainage system as a counterpart of the irrigation works 

 This is much needed in St. Catherine A truni drainage canal to the 

 sea along the most favourable level sh uld be cut to carry off the 

 seepag.' from the irrigation area. 



(b) medium f . s'tjf' soils 



The B.mana plant is the most eloquent " local instructor" obtain-' 

 able if the grower but learns to r( ad its silent lessons. The cultiva- 

 tion of Bananas has taught Jamaica more agriculture in the last tea 

 years than a whole pa-t century o^ cane cultivation. In large areas 

 of the isl.md the grade of fruit obtainable from the Bananas is directly 

 determined b}' the drainage The cium led, confused and interlacing 

 strata of fine, retentive ^oil which form large areas of our Banana 

 lands absolutely demand drainage before any adequate returns are ob- 



