July, 1908.] 



19 



FIBRES. 



SISAL CULTIVATION IN THE 

 CAICOS ISLANDS. 



Although the cultivation of sisal hemp 

 for economic and export purposes has 

 been carried on in the Caicos Islands for 

 no more than sixteen or seventeen years, 

 yet its rapid extension, and the now 

 very considerable annual exports of 

 fibre, have made it one of the chief 

 mainstays of the dependency, coming 

 second in importance only to the salt- 

 preparing industry. 



The sisal industry of the Caicos forms 

 the subject of a most readable report 

 recently prepared by the Commissioner 

 of the Islands, the Hon. F. H, Watkins. 

 This report contains a good deal of 

 interesting and valuable information in 

 regard to sisal cultivation and the pre- 

 paration and grading of the resulting 

 fibre. 



The first year in which any sisal fibre 

 was exported from the Caicos was in 

 1890, when a consignment of the value of 

 £50 was shipped. In 1894 the value of 

 the exports rose to £420, and three years 

 later to £2,589. The year in which the 

 greatest shipments have been made, 

 so far, was 1899, when the exports 

 reached the value of £7,494. This figure 

 has been, however, approached on two 

 occasions since. In 1900, the quantity of 

 fibre extracted was 219,365 lb. and the 

 value of the exports £5,605. 



The area under cultivation with sisal 

 in the Caicos Islands is estimated at 

 about 3,200 acres, while the industry 

 gives employment to about 300 people. 

 A further area of 1,000 acres in East 

 Caicos is to be planted in the near 

 future, while it is mentioned that several 

 thousand acres, suitable for sisal culti- 

 vation, exist in the different islands, but 

 are awaiting development. Two com- 

 panies were formed at an early stage of 

 the industry to carry on planting opera- 

 tions. In addition there exists a con- 

 siderable number of small growers, 

 many of whom are extending their area 

 as rapidly as their limited means will 

 allow. 



These figures indicate sufficiently the 

 rapid expansion of the industry, and its 

 value to the inhabitants of the Depen- 

 dency will be realized when it is remem- 

 bered that the soil of the Caicos Islands 

 is very shallow, that droughts are of 

 frequent occurrence, and that the bulk 

 of the population were previously en- 

 tirely dependent for a precarious liveli° 

 hood upon salt-raking or sponge col* 

 lectingi 



In regard to the cost of clearing land 

 and planting it with sisal, it is stated 

 that in some places £1 an acre with an 

 additional M. for each plant set out, 

 forms the average expense, but in other 

 cases £1 10s. is generally paid for an acre 

 fully planted 4| by 4i feet. The average 

 daily wages for a man in East Caicos arc 

 2s. 3d., for a youth Is. 6d., and for a 

 woman Is. 



The life of the sisal plant in the Caicos 

 Islands may be put at about eight years, 

 at the end of which jjeriod replanting 

 must take place. The first crop of leaves 

 may be gathered three or four years 

 after planting. An acre of land should 

 yield an annual average of from 675 to 

 i)00 lb. of fibre. At an average cost of 6c. 

 per lb., or £28 per ton (present price is 

 about £32 per ton) this would give a 

 return of £10 per acre per annum. 



At the close of his report, Mr. Watkins 

 mentions the following three conditions, 

 the existence of which is essential to 

 profitable results in sisal cultivation :— 



(1) Capital, on account of the some- 

 what expensive machinery for extract- 

 ing the fibre, and the length of time 

 which must elapse before a return is 

 made- 



(2) A large area of land, especially 

 where the soil is poor, to maintain the 

 cultivation in regular succession, 



(3) An abundant and cheap supply of 

 labour. — Agricultural News, Vol. VIL, 

 No. 153, March, 1908. 



THE BRITISH COTTON GROWING 

 ASSOCIATION : 

 THIRD ANNUAL REPORT. 

 Report op Work in the Colonies. 



I. India. 



The Council regret to report that the 

 experiments carried out through the 

 medium of Messrs. Shaw, Wallace, and 

 Co. with " Tree " and other cottons have 

 unfortunately failed. A small quantity 

 of cotton has been produced, and possibly 

 there may be some further return, but in 

 view of the doubtful possibility of this, 

 the whole of the money spent was 

 written off in last year's accounts. 



Similar experiments have been carried 

 on by Mr. Spence with tree cottons. 

 It is understood that these have been 

 rather more successful, but the Associa- 

 tion have been unable to take an active 

 part in the same. 



