and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



397 



MANURIAL EXPERIMENTS ON COCOA. 



Interesting papers in relation to the West 

 Indian cocoa industry were read at the late 

 Agricultural Conference. The Hon. Francis 

 Watts, C.M.G., summarized, on behalf of Mr 

 Joseph Jones and himself, the results of manu- 

 rial experiments with cocoa in Dominica, while 

 Mr R D Anstead and Mr J C Moore reviewed 

 the progress of the experimental work carried 

 on at Grenada and St. Lucia respectively. Mr 

 Joseph Jones also read a paper on trials in 

 grafting co:oa which have been made at the 

 Dominica Botanic Station. A summary of Dr. 

 W atts' remarks dealing with the Dominica ex- 

 periments is giveu below, followed by a reprint 

 of the paper presented by Mr Anstead : — 



Cocoa Experiments in Dominica. 

 Manurial experiments are carried out in 

 Dominica both at the Botanic Station and in 

 the country districts. Those at the Botanic 

 Station have been in progress since 1900, and 

 now present results of considerable interest, 

 clearly indicating the value of judicious manur- 

 ing on the part of the cocoa planter. There are 

 five cocoa experiment plots at the Station. Of 

 these, one has been regularly manured each year 

 with ah application of 4 cwt. of basic phosphate 

 and \\ cwt. of sulphate of potash per acre, a 

 second plot has been annually treated with 4 cwt. 

 of dried blood per acre, and a third has received 

 a complete manure (containing nitrogen potash, 

 and phosphates), composed of 4 cwt. of basic 

 phosphate, \\ cwt. of sulphate of potash, and 

 4 cwt. of dried blood per acre. The fourth plot 

 has been annually mulched with grass and 

 leaves, while the fifth has received no manuro 

 whatever. 



Considering the crop returns obtained during 

 the past rive years, the results show that the 

 use of phosphates and potash on the first plot 

 has increased the yield of dry cured cocoa by 

 an average of 219 lb. per acre per annum over 

 the yield given by the unmanured plot. The 

 use of the dried blood alone, primarily a nitro- 



fenous manure, increased the return of cocoa 

 y 187 lb. while the combination of the two sets 

 of manures, i.e., phosphates, potash and dried 

 blood resulted in an average yield of 374 lb. per 

 acre per annum over and above that obtained 

 from the unmanured plot. The mulching gave 

 the greatest gain of all, viz., 402 lb. in excess of 

 the return from the unmanured plot. Dr. 

 Watts mentioned also that the cocoa trees on 

 the mulched plot are much finer and better de- 

 veloped than those on the other plots, and also 

 that the soil of the mulched area is in excep- 

 tionally good physical condition. Although 

 such good results have been obtained with 

 mulching alone, Dr. Watts pointed out that in 

 many cases it will be well to supplement mul- 

 ching with moderate applications of nitrogen 

 and phosphate. It is believed that potash is 

 not urgently needed as a fertilizing constituent 

 in Dominica, as the soils of the island are fairly 

 well supplied. 



The results obtained with the experiment 

 plots in the country districts show that manures 

 are beneficial and remunerative in the establish- 

 ment of young cocoa, and that pen manuro, 

 when obtainable is likely to give the best results. 



Observation shows that good general results 

 are likely to follow the intelligent use of the 

 weeds growing in a cocoa orchard. When the 

 country experiment plots were first laid out in 

 Dominica, attempts were made to keep weeds 

 down thoroughly by a system of clean weeding. 

 The soil showed signs of deterioration, 

 but on altering the method of treatment, allow- 

 ing the weeds to grow to a moderate height, and 

 then either cutlassing them down, or bedding 

 them in with the fork, Mirprisirigly good re- 

 sults followed. 



Mr. R D Anstead then read the following 

 paper, reviewing experimental work with cocoa 

 that is in progress at Grenada, of which island 

 Mr. Anstead is Agricultural Superintendent. 



In Grenada, experiment plots of cocoa are 

 of two kinds, distinguished, for the sake of 

 reference, by the terms 'experiment plots' 

 and 'experiment stations.' 



The experimont plots, as was explained at 

 the last Agricultural Conference ( West Indian 

 Bulletin, Vol. VI, p. 06), are each about 1 

 acre in extent, and are chosen from land near 

 the public roads, belonging to peasant pro- 

 prietors. 



The experiments carried out upon these plots 

 are conducted by the Imperial Department, 

 and are designed to run for three years, the 

 cost of them being defrayed from Imperial funds. 



The results obtained by means of these plots 

 are highly satisfactory. The Agricultural In- 

 structor use's them as a rendezvous when he 

 is in the district, and as demonstration plots. 

 Here he is able to meet the peasants, and to 

 show them how agricultural operations, such 

 as forking, drainage and pruning, should be 

 carried out, andhow manures should be applied. 



Considerable interest has been taken in the 

 plots by the neighbouring peasants, and the 

 operations carried out upon them are imitated 

 to an encouraging extent. The plots were 

 originally chosen in poor areas, and where trees 

 have been considerably neglected, in order 

 that the benefits of scientific treatment may 

 be the more marked. A good crop serves as 

 an excellent object-lesson to all cultivators of 

 cocoa, and indicates how the most satis- 

 factory results are to be obtained. This 

 year, for instance, from a plot 1 acre in 

 extent, the owner has picked two-thirds of the 

 total yield of cocoa usually derived from 5 acres 

 of land. 



With regard to the actual results of the ex- 

 periments, figures are kept as accurately as 

 possible, and published from year to year in the 

 Annual Report of the Botanic Station; but from 

 a purely experiment point of view, and as a 

 means of obtaining accurate numerical results, 

 the second class of experiments — the 'experi- 

 ment stations' — should afford better opportuni- 

 ties than the experimont plots, since they are 

 on a bigger scale and are run more on estate 

 lines. 



These experiment stations are established on 

 large estates and consist of not less than 5 acres 

 or 1,000 trees. The cost of the experiments is 

 borne by the owners, the Imperial Department 

 supplying scientific advice as to the experiments 



