162 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BULLETIN. [XIX. 3. 



Competition of 1919-1920. The judges recommended that another 

 competition be held in the same district, and Mr. Best expressed the 

 liope that this would be done and that Sir John Chancellor or himself 

 would be here to give away the prizes. 



To-day's gathering is a proof that last year's hopes have been 

 fulfilled. 



The recommendations of the judges were adopted ; prizes of the total 

 A'alue of §460.00 were again offered ; these you have worked well 

 for and won, and His Excellency the Acting Governor has kindly come 

 again to Rio Claro to present them to you personally. 



These competitions, which are held not only for cacao cultivators, 

 but also for cane farmers, ground provision and rice growers, were 

 started ten years ago as a means of helping the peasantry of the 

 Colony to get better i-esults from their holdings. There is no charge 

 for entering the competition, and the Agricultural Adviser comes to 

 you on 3'our own properties, and gives you advice and practical help, 

 also free of any expense. 



Agriculture is the industry on which the prosperity of the Colony 

 mainly depends. For the colony to reach its full measure of prosperity 

 it is necessary that each agriculturist, large or small, shall be making 

 good use of his land. In Ti-inidad it is possible for a large number 

 of cultivators to get much better results than they do, .eg., in cacao, 

 healthier trees, larger crops, more profit. 



This is of particular importance at present. We are passing through 

 a period when owing to causes over which we have no control, the 

 price of cacao is very low. So low that it leaves but little profit for the 

 cultivator who is free from debt and can produce his crop fairly cheaply, 

 and leaves none, or even resiilts in a loss, on properties encumbered with 

 debt or expensive to work. The present period of depression follows one of 

 abnormally high prices, but in too many cases no advantage was taken of 

 them to prepare for bad times ; and manj' owners now have to stop really 

 necessary work in order to keep their expenditure within their means. 



It is very necessary that the peasant proprietor should do everything 

 within his power to increase his next year's crop, and to improve his 

 trees and the conditions under which they grow so that they may give 

 him larger crops in years to come. It is the work of the Agricultural 

 Advisers to help the peasantry to do this. 



Three important things, commonly neglected in Trinidad by the 

 smaller proprietors in particular, are tillage of the soil, manuring, and 

 care of the health of their trees. Those of you who have visited the 

 Department cacao estate at River have seen how much attention is 

 given to tillage — forking the soil. Last year your judges reported 

 that in this district you had a prejudice against forking i.e. not only 

 did you not think it a good thing, but you even apparently thought it 

 was a bad thing to do. This year they do not refer to any prejudice, 

 but they still say that forking requires more attention. You doubtless 

 have often heard of the wonderful results obtained on some properties 

 in Grenada. These results are largely due to the careful attentioa 

 given to forking, and manuring. 



