The Barbados Sugar Cane Experiments. 347 



appointed a committee of which I was a member, to 

 consider it. The opinion of the committee was that 

 there appeared to be but little likelihood of a cane 

 superior to the Bourbon being found, but considered that 

 the experiments might be useful. In consequence Sir 

 William asked Mr. Morris to select varieties of canes 

 which he considered to be likely to suit the soils and climate 

 of Barbados, and towards the end of 1884 a selection of 

 canes was received from Jamaica and their experimental 

 cultivation commenced at Dodds. About the same time I 

 consulted with Mr. BOVELL the Superintendent of the 

 Reformatory as to the feasibility of making manurial 

 experiments there also, and we applied to the Executive 

 for permission to carry out a series of such experiments. 

 Permission was granted, but with the proviso that no 

 expenditure beyond that necessary for the cultivation of 

 the land in the ordinary way was to be incurred, 

 and until 1889 any expenses incurred for necessary 

 apparatus, etc., were paid by Mr. BoVELL and 

 myself. 



In sele6ling the fields for the experiments with manures 

 we carefully kept in view the fa6l that for the a6lion of the 

 constituents of manures to be accentuated sufficiently 

 for their study, the soil must be one of low fertility, 

 deficient in the constituents of plant food the manurial 

 value of which is desired to be determined, but at the 

 same time having favourable mechanical properties and 

 good drainage. Two fields having this chara6ler in a 

 well-marked degree were selefted and used for the 

 experiments. The soil upon them is a fairly light clay 

 loam resting upon porous coral limestone, thus having 

 excellent natural drainage. The soil is thin, being from 



XX 



