23 



The laboratory and offices of the Board are temporarily in a 

 portion of the offices of the Department of Agriculture at St. 

 Clair Experiment Station. 



In addition to the work accomplished by its own expert 

 staff, the Board provides funds for a series of manurial experi- 

 ments on cacao, sugar cane, coconuts and cotton ; these are 

 carried out by Mr. J. de Verteuil on selected estates. 



An important scheme, likely to have far-reaching effects, is 

 the Cacao Prize Competition instituted in 1910. Prizes were 

 offered tor competition amongst peasant proprietors and contrac- 

 tors in two selected districts. The Agricultural Inspectors, under 

 the Director of Agriculture and each given charge of a district 

 working thtre continually for the yen. visiting holdings and 

 ad VIM n^ ami practically demon>trati' ; methods. Three 



hundred and frt\ titors entered and the holdings were 



judiftd at the end of th year by planters and tin- Inspectors and 



I to the value of t'll'J 10 Q (1 and distributed by 



His Excellency the Governor at the B>ard meeting of December 

 !.". 1!M1. In 1D12 a similar competition \ill be instituted in 

 other districts. 



8 \voik of the offi.-ers of the Board is published in Circu- 

 lar* ot which ten have bei-n I>MI -d up r> January, 1912. 



The meetings of the Board are held monthly in the Council 

 Chamber. 



AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago was 

 established in 1894, during the Governorship of Sir Napier 

 Broorne, s uperseding the Central Agricultural Board which had 

 been founded by Sir Willain R >binson six years previously. It 

 is an unofficial body consisting of some 200 members, but 

 receives a Government grant of 600 per annum. Meetings are 

 held monthly in the Council Chamber, His Excellency the 

 Governor usually presiding. Matters of agricultural interest are 

 dealt with by papers and discussions and the Government refers 

 to the Society subjects on which the advice of its members is 

 desired. 



The staffs of the Department and the Board of Agriculture 

 are ex-officio members and regularly attend the meetings. 



An important branch of the wurk of the Society is the 

 holding of Agricultural Shows in Purt-of-Spain and in country 

 districts. The Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition of 1912 

 was held from January 29 to February 3 in the Prince's Building 

 and adjacent grounds. 



