l6o TlMEHRI. 



mately a very poor crop was reaped. From August to 

 06lober matters improved but in the end the returns 

 were very unsatisfa6lory. The rainfall of the year might 

 be put down at an average throughout the eolony of 136 

 inches, but on some estates on the Demerara River it 

 reached 154. The prices realised were fairly satisfaflory 

 although towards the end of the year there was a falling 

 off in the American market, and now this was entirely 

 closed to the sugars of this colony. At the various 

 meetings of the Committee they had carried on several 

 interesting discussions but he was sorry to say that they 

 had taken place before very few members. This paucity 

 of attendance he found by the records of the Society was 

 no new thing, as it had always been uphill work to bring 

 members to the Agricultural Committee Meetings. They 

 had two outdoor meetings at the Botanic Gardens during 

 the year, and under the guidance of Mr. Jenman and 

 Professor Harrison, visited the experimental ground and 

 inspe6led the seedling canes and manuring plots. The 

 experiments carried out in the latter showed that phos- 

 phates and superphosphates were of little use, the best 

 results being obtained from nitrate of soda and lime. 

 The report of Professor Harrison had not yet been pub- 

 lished but when it came out it would certainly, prove 

 interesting to those who studied manuring. Among the 

 matters discussed at their meetings were the granting of 

 premiums for improvements in agriculture, the cattle 

 disease on the East Coast, the loss of rum in transit, 

 want of labour, and improvements in the manufa6lure of 

 sugar. They had also been successful through repre- 

 sentations made to the government, in getting assistance 

 to Professor Harrison, They had recommended the 



