24 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
miserable sinners when we indulged in it at all on account of 
the dire straits to which our allies were being driven, according 
to Hoover and the other food conservation officials. 
So far as we could ascertain, there was no attempt at food re- 
striction in the Lesser Antilles, the fact seeming to be that 
when they had wheat or other commodities which are in the 
restricted list at home, they used it without any government 
control whatever. When for some reason they failed to receive 
the regular shipment, they did without until their ‘‘ship came 
in.’’ While we were there, there was absolutely no restriction 
on the use of wheat, meat, or sugar. In regard to the latter we 
were startled when we were charged eighteen cents per pound 
for granulated sugar, having supposed that sugar would be 
relatively cheap in islands where the sugar industry predom- 
inated. We ascertained, however, that sugar, although orig- 
inally produced at Barbados, was all sent to the United States 
to be refined; hence we had to pay heavy transportation 
charges both ways. We finally used the unrefined ‘‘yellow 
erystal’’ sugar, which did quite as well and cost seven and one- 
half cents per pound. 
Butter was about the only ordinary commodity that was 
notably dearer there than at home. We were charged ninety- 
five cents for this at Barbados, and it was so unpalatable at that 
that few of our party could eat it. We solved the problem by 
not using butter at all, which is not so bad if you are used to it. 
Bananas and oranges were very cheap at Barbados, but not 
at all plentiful at Antigua, where their places were supplied: by 
extraordinarily delicious pineapples, which were abundant and 
cheap. Guava jelly was much appreciated and devoured in 
amazing quantities by some of us. Potatoes and yams were 
supplied at both places at about the price of potatoes at home. 
Sweet potatoes were cheaper than the others but seemed of 
poorer quality than ours. There was seldom any shortage of 
meat in the markets at Barbados and St. Johns, Antigua, but 
it sometimes happened that the dealers failed to send it out 
on time at the latter place. Fish was abundant and good at 
Barbados. The famous flying-fish of that island was greatly 
liked by most of us, while the fishermen with their fishpots 
employed by us secured a welcome addition to our food supply. 
oe 
ee 
