TIMEHRE: 
THE JOURNAL OF 
THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL SOCIETY 
OF BRITISH GUIANA. 
Vou II. 4 JULY, 1912. 
No. i 
FOREWORD. 
THE COLONY VOLUME. 
The intention to make the present a Colony Number in the special sense 
of dealing in a comprehensive way with every feature of the Colony’s activities 
has been only partly realised, but the promises made for the second number 
justify the hopes of the Committee that the volume of the current year will be 
expressly distinguished as the Colony Volume. As we go to press the drought 
has broken. It had reigned for some months, wholly suspending balata 
operations, interferig materially with logging work by drying up the lesser 
creeks, menacing the short crop of the Sugar year and endangering the 
entire harvest of the smaller agriculturists. What the net economic loss 
will be cannot yet be foretold with accuracy, but while discounting the 
utterances of the alarmists it must be admitted that the total is likely to be 
heavy, and much sympathy will be felt towards His Excellency Sir Walter 
Egerton, who arrives on July 4th, in having to inaugurate a new and eagerly- 
anticipated regime, and to formulate a constructive policy at a period of 
some depression. Much sympathy has also been felt for the acting Govemor, 
the Hon. C T. Cox, C.M.G., in having to deal with the grave problems of such 
a crisis during an interregnum. It is not the first time that the colony 
has had occasion to realise the value of its actual administrator’s quiet, 
effective, and somewhat thankless work under circumstances of difficulty. 
Much more serious mishaps than a temporary water famine. however, have 
been encountered with cheerfulness by this and other British colonies. To 
scientific agriculturists the drought, owing to its effect in causing trituration 
of the soil and destroying pests, may even seem a blessing in disguise, and 
our people have already cut their loss and are ready as of old to turn 
“A keen untroubled face 
Home to the instant need of things.” 
In this number the place of honour is awarded to Professor Crampton’s 
paper The Latest Journey to Roraima. It isa valuable narrative of an expedi- 
tion undertaken on behalf of the American Museum of Natural History, of 
