2C6 



they also tend to enrich the soil with nitrogen. Under the heading 

 " Shade " it is suggested that young plants require some protection 

 to prevent the roots becoming dry, but that, as far as the effect of 

 direct sunlight on the leaves is concerned, shade does not appear 

 to be advantageous. The planting of the Immortelle {Erythrina 

 timbrosa) as a shade tree is considered to be harmful rather than 

 beneficial to the Cacao trees. 



Pruning, picking, spraying and fertilizers form the subject of 

 short paragraphs, and some notes on the pests of other crops, such 

 as Sugar Cane, Bananas and Cocoanuts, are also given. 



The article concludes with the following summary : 



"Placing the value of the normal cacao crop of Trinidad at 

 $10,000,000-00 net per annum under existing erroneous agronomic 

 methods and the common malpractices of culture, it is estimated 

 that between $3,000,000-00 and $5,000,000-00 value of pods are 

 lost through fungus attack, of which at least 30, if not 50 per cent, 

 could be saved with proper attention only to the methods of pre- 

 venting fungus infection. 



" It is also estimated that the present normal yield of cacao could 

 be readily more than doubled by the application of fertilizers, 

 proper tillage of the soil, and the substitution of leguminous cover 

 crops for the shade trees now employed. 



" Probably 80 per cent, of the loss of pods and woody tissue is 

 caused by a species of fungus belonging to the genus Lasiodiplodia, 

 though there are several other fungi which cause various rots of 

 the fruit and cankers of the stem and branches. 



" The direct loss from insects is comparatively slight, though 

 there are numerous ecological problems along this line which 

 require investigation. 



* The weather— aside from the wind movement and prolonged 

 drought— has comparatively little direct effect upon the growth 

 or fruiting of the cacao itself, though it may largely influence the 

 action of parasitic fungi. The average cacao tree on the ordinary 

 plantation in Trinidad and Tobago is severely suffering from 



om 



times its present yield. 



from 



Mud-binding: Grasses. -In the Journal of the Board of Ag 

 re of British Guiana. Vol. L. Nn a iqax o^,™ an «m& 



Wild 



tent to coast erosion. The Courida, Avicennia nitida, Jacq., is 

 the commonest tree fringing the Coast in British Guiana and the 



.TJL U !? Iangroves (KMzophora Mangl 



£»«*# <«. / i^mu«#, wertn.; also occur in quantity. They grow in 

 the soft mud, and at every high tide their roots are covered by the 

 sea. the Mangrove, however, on account of its wide-spread roots, 



7w. R? ere n h fu 6r , than the Courida in Protecting the fore- 

 shore Recently the discovery of the value of the « Wild Rice " 



nlLtWnf tt? g mU ' 1 *"?.¥ to a ^velopment of the systematic 



S™ hL Wn £ r 8 ? 7^ Ch ha9 pr0Ved t0 be successful. The 

 grass has been planted in rows about six feet apart, each plant 



