162 



[AUGUBT, 1912. 



AGRICULTURE IN THE LEEWARD 

 ISLANDS, 1910-11. 



The year 1910-11 may, on the whole, be 

 said to have marked a period of consider- 

 able progress and activity in agricultural 

 matters. 



Sugar. 



Sugar cultivation is the largest and 

 most important of the agricultural in- 

 dustries of the Colony and constitutes 

 the principal source of revenue in Anti- 

 gua and St. Kitts. In both Presidencies 

 the year 1910-11 may be said to have been 

 fairly propitious for sugar cultivation. 



The sugar export of Antigua during 

 the year amounted to 13,488 tons of 

 which 6,397 tons weie 96° grey crystal 

 sugar and 7,091 tons muscovado. The 

 central sugar factory at Gunthorpes 

 manufactured 5,400 tons of crystals, 

 taking 8 95 tons of cane to make one ton 

 of sugar while the Bendals Factory was 

 responsible for 1,015 tons of crystals. 



The export from St. Kitts amounted 

 to 12,330 tons, consisting almost entirely 

 of muscovado sugar. 



At the present time, the sugar industry 

 of Antigua is somewhat severely handi- 

 capped by the wide-spread prevalence 

 of root disease of sugar-cane (Marasmius 

 8acchari). The disease is somewhat diffi- 

 cult of recognition, especially as its in- 

 tensity is greatly affected by external 

 conditions. The importance of the 

 disease as a controlling factor in sugar- 

 cane cultivation is gaining in appreci- 

 ation, but it is only where it is com- 

 pletely recognized that remedial mea- 

 sures can be applied with real prospects 

 of success. 



PEASANT CANES 



have continued to be purchased at the 

 Gunthorpes and Bendals factories in 

 Antigua. During the year the former 

 purchased 3,542 tons, and the latter 4,176 

 tons of peasants' canes. There is no 

 doubt that the provision of an ade- 

 quate market for peasant-grown cane 

 has had a considerable effect in improv- 

 ing the position of the peasantry in 

 Antigua. 



Cotton. 



The year may, on the whole, be said 

 to have been distinctly satisfactory as 

 regards the cotton industry. As the out- 

 come of the favourable results obtained 

 in the previous year, considerable in- 

 creases in the area planted under the 

 crop occurred in all the Presidencies. 



Moderately favourable weather was 

 on the whole experienced and satisfac- 

 tory yields were almost everywhere ob- 

 tained. A notable feature of the season 

 was the 



RELATIVELY SMALL PREVALENCE OP 

 INSECT PESTS. 



Prices declined somewhat from the high 

 value of those in the previous year, and 

 during the earlier months of 1911, owing 

 to trade depression in England, the 

 product was difficult of sale. At the 

 time of writing the bulk of the crop has 

 been disposed of at fairly satisfactory 

 prices. 



The Cultivation op Limes Continues 

 to occupy the position of principal agri- 

 cultural industry in Dominica, and fur- 

 ther expansion has once again to be re- 

 corded. The crop for the year was 369,000 

 barrels, an increase of 85,000 barrels over 

 the crop of 1909. This remarkable in- 

 crease is partly attributable to the 

 coming into bearing of young plantations 

 established within recent years. Con- 

 siderable effort? continue to be made 

 by the Permanent Exhibition Committee 

 of Dominica to popularize limes in Eng- 

 land and Canada by means of judicious 

 advertisement and representation at 

 exhibitions. The export of citrate of 

 lime amounted to 5,194 cwt. valued at 

 £16,880 ; this showed an increase of 1,747 

 cwt. over the export of 1909. 



In Montserrat, the total exports of lime 

 products were valued at £9,000. Trouble 

 continued to be experienced in connexion 

 with scale insect pests. 



In Antigua interest in the crop con- 

 tinues to grow, and considerable in- 

 creases are being made in the area 

 planted under the crop, especially in the 

 southern district of the island. In Nevis 

 also interest in the crop continues to 



