59 



Of course every district has to work differently : here we cannot do 

 u planting" to any extent owing to the deficient rainfall, but the ma- 

 nuring is kept up all along. 



It seems that the cost of cultivation according to Mr. Mitchell's 

 figures is very reasonable, but his allowance for stock is far too low. 

 That is met by the increased cost of manures, which we make on the 

 spot — good farmyard manure. We have plenty of labour and require 

 no coolies, as cane is about the only dependence of the people here. 

 The cost per ton of cane is very near in both cases It may be said 

 that my estimate of salaries is too low, but it must be taken into ac- 

 count that the present salaries are paid for manufacturing and ship- 

 ping as well as for cultivation. A proportion of the salary item will 

 have to go to the Factory account. Otherwise the details in my state- 

 ment are actual figures as at present. 



This memo refers to one estate of 200 acres which makes nearly all 

 its own manure, (and of course to estates of similar size and position.) 

 The figures given to the Conference were rather higher, being 

 7/3 per ton of cane instead of 6/10 here, owing to thest atistics being 

 collected from 5 estates not altogether and of different sizes, averag- 

 ing 180 acres of canes each, some of which allowed for more artificial 

 manure. It is of course a fact that the larger the area of caneland 

 under one management, the cheaper the cost of production, so that 5 

 estates averaging 200 acres each would total 1,000 acres instead of 900 

 in the Conference figures, and make a difference in the results. 



AN INCH OF RAIN. 



An error has crept into the note on page 125 of the August 

 Bulletin. The number of cubic inches to the gallon is approximately 

 277.274. Therefore an inch of rain means 22,622% gallons to the 

 acre, which weighs 226,225 lbs., or about 101 tons ; every square yard 

 receives about 4f gallons. 



How is this to be stored up for the use of plants, so that they may 

 not be affected by drought ? How shall we prevent it first from running 

 off the surface into the streams ? By deep cultivation, — by ploughing 

 over a large area, by digging or forking over a small p itch before the 

 rain falls. On well-tilled land the rain sinks in, and the object then is to 

 keep as much as possible of it there for the growing plants. If no care 

 or trouble is taken, it will gradually all evaporate from the ground 

 just as water does out of a vessel standing in the sun. To prevent 

 evaporation as much as possible, and so t ) retain the water where the 

 roots can get it, it is necessary when the rain is over, to keep the sur- 

 face of the soil well tilled. On sloping hill sides where there is dan- 

 ger of the loose soil being washed away, a layer of grass answers the 

 same purpose, and in fact is in every case better, if it does not har- 

 bour insects, as then the topmost layer of soil is available for the roots. 



THE LATE MR. G. S. JENMAN, Government Bo- 

 tanist, of British Guiana. 



It is with much regret that we have to record the death of Mr. 

 George S. Jenman, Government Botanist, wnich occurred at his re- 

 sidence, Botanic Gardens, on 28th February. Mr. Jen man had been 



