January 26, 191 1] 



NATURE 



419 



as would appear best calculated to restore and maintain 

 the prosperity of those colonies and their inhabitants." A 

 further subject of inquiry was : " Whether, in the event 

 of the production of sugar being discontinued or consider- 

 ably diminished, what other industries could replace it, 

 and be carried on profitably and supply employment for 

 the labouring population." 



The commissioners recorded as their opinion that the 

 depression in the sugar industry was due " to the com- 

 petition of other sugar-producing countries, and in special 

 degree to the competition of beet-sugar produced under a 

 system of bounties." They submitted that "the best 

 immediate remedy . . . would be the abandonment of the 

 bounty system." In the meanwhile they recommended 

 certain special remedies, such as an improved steam com- 

 munication with outside markets and between the different 

 islands, and the organisation of* a scientific department to 

 assist the sugar industry and encourage, where conditions 

 were favourable, minor agricultural industries, together 

 with a general improvement in the system of cultivation 

 of the principal crops. 



Most of the recommendations were sooner or later 

 adopted by the Imperial Government, including the creation 

 of an Imperial Department of Agriculture. For the latter, 

 on the motion of Mr. Chamberlain, funds were voted by 

 Parliament on .August 2, 1898. The average amount that 

 has been expended up to 1908 has been at the rate of 

 17,400/. per annum. Of this amount, some 5000Z. repre- 

 sented the cost of the head ofiice ; the remainder was 

 applied in grants-in-aid of botanical and experiment 

 stations, agricultural schools, and other educational 

 services in the individual colonies. 



The duties entrusted to the department were of a varied 

 and far-reaching character. .Among them, the general 

 improvement of the sugar industry and the encourage- 

 ment of a system of subsidiary industries in localities 

 where sugar could not be grown, or where the conditions 

 were more favourable for the production of cacao, coffee, 

 bananas, oranges, limes, cotton, rubber, cocoanuts, sisal- 

 hemp, rice, nutmegs, pineapples, and other crops. In 

 addition, it was proposed that it should devote attention 

 to the improvement of the breed and condition of cattle, 

 horses, and small stock, and to the extension of bee- 

 keeping. Efforts were also made to bring the mass of 

 the people into sympathy with agriculture and trained 

 to regard the successful treatment of crops as the basis 

 upon which to build, not only their own welfare, but the 

 general prosperity of the colonies. With this view, a 

 prominent position was given to teaching the principles of 

 elementary science and agriculture, both in the primary 

 and secondary schools. .Associated with this policy was 

 the increased attention devoted to object-lessons, the 

 •ncouragement of growing specimen plants in pots and 

 boxes, and the establishment of school gardens. .Arbor 

 days for the public planting of ornamental and other trees 

 were also organised and assisted by the department. 



The sugar investigations were mainly directed to 

 raising improved varieties of canes capable of withstand- 

 ing diseases that had rendered the continued cultivation of 

 the Bourbon cane impossible and obtain a larger vield of 

 sugar per acre. Valuable experiments have als'o been 

 carried on over considerable areas in testing the relative 

 value of pen and artificial manures, and in ascertaining, 

 by a continuous series of trials under skilled supervision, 

 in what quantities and at what stages of growth of the 

 canes such manures could be applied to the best advantage. 

 In addition, investigations have been carried on in the 

 chemical selection of the sugar-cane, in the treatment of 

 cane tops with germicides, and as to the effect of planting 

 at different distances and of improved tillage operations. 



.A further improvement in the sugar industry has been 

 the establishment of central factories at .Antigua. Jamaica, 

 and also at St. Kitts. In the case of the factory at 

 .Antigua, it was recently stated " that out of 6000 "tons 

 of crystals shipped from the factory, 2500 tons represented 

 the gain due to improved methods of crushing the canes 

 and manufacturing the sugar," that is, the production of 

 sugar from a certain quantity of canes was increased bv 

 (he factory, as compared with the system hitherto in use, 

 by 40 per cent. 



The annual production of sugar in the West Indies is 

 about 240,000 tons, of the value of 3,000,000/. In recent 

 NO. 2152, VOL. 85] 



years an increasing amount of sugar and molasses has 

 been shipped at preferential rates to the Dominion of 

 Canada. In 1897 Canada took only 11,000 tons of sugar; 

 in 1909 it took 133,000 tons, or about 60 per cent, of the 

 total production of the West Indies. 



the result of the policy pursued during the last twelve 

 years is shown in the fact that, while the total exports of 

 produce and manufactures of the West Indian colonies 

 have increased from 5,625,000/. to 7,195,360/., the exports 

 of the products of the sugar-cane (sugar, rum, and 

 molasses) have declined from 3,243,000/. to 3,037,660/. 

 On the other hand, the exports of other commodities, such 

 as cacao, fruit, cotton, Ic^wood extract, tobacco and 

 cigars, rice, coconuts, and rubber, have increased from 

 1,382,000/. to 4,157,700/. The recent Royal Commission 

 entirely concurs with the commission of 1897 as to the 

 danger of dependence on a single industry, and they 

 strongly support a continuance of the efforts that have 

 been made with such signal success to develop other 

 industries suitable to the soil and climate. 



Several striking instances of the value of scientific 

 investigation for practical purposes have been placed on 

 record both as regards sugar, cacao, cotton, and other 

 industries. The cultivation of Sea Island cotton was 

 introduced in 1903. Since that time, 15,000,000 lb. of 

 cotton lint have been exported, of the value of 800,000/. 

 It is admitted that if fine Sea Island cotton had not been 

 obtained from the West Indies, several cotton mills in 

 Lancashire would have beeti compelled to work short 

 time. The total number of valuable economic plants dis- 

 tributed from the botanic and experiment stations have 

 reached 1,375,151, sufficient to establish about 10,000 acres 

 in permanent crops. 



Agricultural education has been extended during the last 

 ten years, with the result that the W^est Indies are 

 now fully provided with the means for extending agri- 

 cultural knowledge amongst all classes of the com- 

 munity. Agricultural training schools and farm schools 

 have been provided for boys of the agricultural 

 classes, and the teaching of scientific agriculture has been 

 making steady progress in the secondary schools and 

 colleges. The department has also served a useful pur- 

 pose as a leading school of tropical agriculture. It is 

 acknowledged that there is no other organisation in any 

 part of the tropics where such diversified work is carried 

 on over so large an area and under such varying con- 

 ditions of soil and climate. Hence it is possible .to afford 

 a sound scientific and practical training to students in 

 the cultivation of crops suited to nearly all tropical con- 

 ditions. A gratifying proof of the value of the work of 

 the Imperial Department of .Agriculture has been the 

 formation of similar departments with well-equipped 

 laboratories and experiment stations in other parts of the 

 tropics ; also in supplying trained officers to take charge 

 of these departments. 



The valuable services rendered to our tropical colonies 

 by the Royal Gardens at Kew for more than half a 

 century are deserving of special mention. The successful 

 introduction of cinchona into India and Ceylon, and more 

 recently of the rubber trees, which have made it possible 

 to establish the important rubber industries now exist- 

 ing in India, Ceylon, and the Federated Malay States, are 

 not the least of the achievements of Kew. 



In a memorandum by Lord Islington, attached to the 

 report of the Canada and West Indian Royal Commission, 

 the following reference is made to the work of the Imperial 

 Department of .Agriculture : — 



" I was deeply impressed by the value of the work done 

 by the Imperial Department of .Agriculture and by the 

 greatness of the possibilities which still lay before it ; the 

 revival of the cotton industry, and consequent restoration 

 of comparative prosperity to some of the small islands : 

 experiments with the sugar-cane ; the discovery and 

 destruction of insect pests — these were in themselves great 

 achievements. In my opinion, however, an even more 

 valuable work has been done in diminishing the prejudices 

 of agriculturists and inducing them to try new methods 

 and in inculcating the value of science and cooperation. 

 . . . The most successful fruit of the Report of the Com- 

 mission of 1807 has been the work of the Imperial Depart- 

 ment of .Agriculture, which has beyond doubt saved the 

 Home Government from appeals which could not wholly 



