562 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



manures. In uo case has any profit accrued 

 from their application." (Official Gazette, July 

 13th, 1910.) Methods of planting, the securing 

 of good seed free from admixtures which would 

 lower the value of the crop, and other essentially 

 practical matters are also receiving careful at- 

 tention, and every effort is being made to keep 

 the industry on sound and economical lines. 

 The Governmont has also given financial assis- 

 tance in erecting mills to enable the crop to be 

 prepared to greater advantage than was possible 

 with the primitive methods formerly in vogue. 

 British Guiana is naturally well adapted for 

 rice cultivation ; large areas of the coastal lands 

 are low-lying and either directly suited to the 

 peculiar requirements of the plant or easily ren- 

 dered suitable. Moreover, the land which is used 

 is available without entailing the reduction of 

 any other important product, so that the de- 

 velopment of the rice industry is a clear gain to 

 the resources of the colony and not a question 

 of the displacement of one product by another. 



The large proportion of 



COOLIES IN THE POPULATION, 



of which they form about one-third, is an- 

 other important factor. It means a large local 

 demand and, what is still more important, it 

 provides the requisite labour. The development 

 of the rice industry in British Guiana has in the 

 end been chiefly due to coolie labourers, who on 

 the termination of their period of indentured 

 service have settled down on small plots and 

 become rice growers. This would, of course, not 

 have been practicable without the co-operation 

 . of the proprietors of sugar estates, who have 

 given them every facility. The negroes of the 

 colony are also now slowly following the example 

 of the East Indians. 



A trustworthy indication of the material pro- 

 gress of the industry may be gathered from the 

 trade returns. As recently as 1895-6 rice was 

 imported to the extent of 22,000 tons, valued at 

 £183,394. This has been largely dispensed with, 

 and in addition to meeting the large local de- 

 mands rice began to be exported in 1902-3, when 

 about 500 tons worth £60 left the colony; in 

 1908-9 the export was 3,115 tons, of the value of 

 £59,037, and this year, the complete figures for 

 which are naturally not yet available, the ex- 

 ports to date show a considerable increase on 

 those for the corresponding period of last year. 

 The rice exported goes chiefly to the British 

 West Indian Islands and some to French and 

 Dutch Guiana. 



THE GENERAL OUTLOOK 



for the industry is full of promise, although 

 there is always the possibility that heavy crops 

 from India may drive prices below the remun- 

 erative point. Last year the export was affected 

 by the presence in the West Indian markets of 

 cheap East Indian varieties. 



The utilisation of by-products has not been 

 neglected, and rice meal, and also the husks 

 saturated with molasses, forming an excellent 

 cattlefcod, are exported inconsiderable amounts. 



British Guiana is at present the greatest 

 rice-producing country in South America. Peru 

 produces nearly as much, and the Argentine 



also has an extensive industry. In British 

 Guiana, however, rice cultivation is making 

 great strides, and there is every prospect that 

 an important industry will bo permanently es- 

 tablished, and that within the next few years 

 the colony may attain much greater import- 

 ance as a sourco of rice both for itself and for 

 the neighbouring countries, especially if ex- 

 periments in hand in cultivating and har- 

 vesting the crops by mechanical means should 

 prove successful. The quality of British Guiana 

 rice, it should be noted, is very high. The 

 choicest, the"Be» bice Creole," appears to be 

 excelled only by • arolina Golden Grain, the 

 best of all rices, and if care is taken to main- 

 tain the standard and to meet the require- 

 ments of the market in the mode of prepara- 

 tion British Guiana rice may win a place for 

 itself in the markets of Europe. — London Times 

 South American Supplement, Oct, 25. 



THE ALLAHABAD EXHIBITION. 



One of the most interesting exhibits in the 

 Allahabad Exhibition is that of Burroughs 

 Wellcome & Co., in the Hygiene Court. Besides 

 many medicinal and chemical substances of 

 special interest to doctors and pharmacists, it 

 contains some extremely useful and pleasing 

 items for the general public. ' Tabloid ' Medi- 

 cine Chests containing all the requisite house- 

 hold medicines such as Quinine etc., and surgi- 

 cal appliances and dressings packed into very 

 small space, are exhibited. One of these cases 

 can be fitted up in accordance with the special 

 instructions of one's physician and is then a 

 most useful and indeed necessary feature in 

 any bungalow or country station situated at 

 some distance from the nearest town. 'Tabloid' 

 First Aid Equipments are also shown in a 

 variety of sizes and types varying from the 

 Aviator's ' Tabloid ; First Aid .No. 706 which is 

 no bigger than a cigarette case to the more 

 elaborate and complete equipments in leather 

 or Japanned metal suitable for placing in a 

 motor car or keeping at home for use in case 

 of accident or injury. For amateur photo- 

 graphers, whose number is increasing rapidly 

 in India, a very handy series of products is to 

 be seen on this stand. These are the ' Tabloid ' 

 Photographic Chemicals which comprise all the 

 best known developers, toners,, etc., required 

 for carrying out every photographic process, the 

 correct solution being prepared in a few mo- 

 ments by adding a ' Tabloid ' product to the 

 requisite quantity of water. So compact are 

 these 'Tabloid' Photographic Products that a 

 sufficient supply for all ordinary purposes is 

 packed in a handy enamelled metal case known 

 as the ' Tabloid ; Photographic Outfit, measur- 

 ing only 4 x 4 x 2 J inches. The ' Wellcome ' 

 Exposure Record and Diary is a useful book for 

 Photographers. It is published annually and 

 contains a mass of practical information on 

 exposure, development and kindred topics, and 

 in addition an ingenious exposure calculator in 

 the form of a revolving disc which indicates the 

 correct exposure by a singie turn of the scale. 



