Notes on the Society's Work in 1897-1918. 



lxi\ 



occupied with plantains, maize and ground-provisions as against 23,880 

 acres in rice ; now there are 18,250 acres under provision-crops generally 

 and upwards of 58,000 acres under rice. 



From early times in the history of the colony the Pomeroon District, 

 and from the inception of cultivation in it the North West District, 

 has been largely devoted to provision-growing. The following table 

 is of interest as showing the increasing importance during very 

 recent years of these districts in the production for the use of the colony 

 of the various vegetable foodstuffs, so important in our dietaries for 

 supplying vitamines or " accessory substances :" — 



Acres Under Provision Crops. 



It is hoped that the erection of the Government flour mill will be 

 followed by largely increased planting of maize, Guinea corn, and the 

 various pulses ; — products which can be readily and economically changed 

 into permanent forms such as flours which should be of export value to 

 other parts of the West Indian Province. 



Tobacco. 

 The subject of tobacco-growing was an oft-discussed one by this 

 Society in and about 1897. Since then the tobacco-industry has had the 

 encouragement of a Government Commission, of two or more Government 

 Committees, and of two or more sets of Regulations with the result that 

 there is less tobacco grown in the colony now than there was in the late 

 nineties. We are all aware that coarse-textured and strong-flavoured 

 tobacco grows luxuriantly on the coastlauds ; that finer-textured, better 

 flavoured tobacco will grow excellently on the lighter soils ; and that 

 excellent tobacco used to thrive and possibly is still grown on the hinter- 

 land savannah lands, the texture and composition of the soil of parts 

 of these being as I have shown elsewhere admirably adapted to the culti- 

 vation of fine tobacco. The main or rather the sole difficulty in the 

 manufacture of heavy flavoured tobacco on the coastlands is the high 

 moisture content of the atmosphere which is inimical to satisfactory 

 curing. The meteorological conditions on the hinterland savannahs are 

 such that curing should be relatively easy. Tobacco-growing on a large 

 scale is too dependent on a supply of readily available, highly skilled, 

 horticultural labour at certain times to loom under present conditions as 



