470 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan. 1, 1898, 
PLANTING NOTES ON THE WEST INDIES. 
(From Report of West Indies' Commission.) 
ST. VINCENT. 
“ At St. Vincent, coffee and spices are being 
grown. The value of the spices, chiefly nutmegs 
and mace, exported in 1895, was £1,812. 
“ In the development of these and other indus- 
tries (including that of sugar), valuable services have 
been rendered to the island by the botanic station 
established in the neighbourhood of Kingston. The 
plants distributed have included 34,335 Arabian 
coffee. 3,164 of Liberian coffee, 5,343 cacao, 1,183 
nutmeg, 2,390 new and improved sugarcanes, and 
1,108 limes. The total plants distributed have 
amounted to 53,224. Large stocks of plants are 
still available for distribution. The Curator visits 
various parts of the island whenever his duties 
allow, and gives assistance to all engaged in agri- 
cultural pursuits. Bulletins with agricultural in- 
formation are issued, and gardeners are trained in 
horticultural methods. The present curator, Mr. 
Henry Powell, is devoted to his duties, and his 
services are widely appreciated amongst all classes 
of the community. If the stringent measures of 
economy necessitated by the poverty of the colony 
are carried out, it is feared the usefulness of the 
station will be destroyed.’’ Report of West Indies' 
Commission. 
DOMINICA. 
“ The botanic station at Dominica was started 
in 1890, in a charming spot immediately behind the 
town of Roseau. Mr. C. A. Barber, late Superinten- 
dfent of Agriculture in the Leeward Islands, states in 
a recent report : — ‘ The founding of the botanic 
station in Dominica will probably, in future years, 
be referred to as one of the greatest strides in the 
progress of that island during the present period.’ 
'There are large nurseries of economic plants and ex- 
perimental plots for Cacao Coffee, Kola Rubber trees, 
spices, and fibre-plants. The station, which may be 
regarded as one of the most successful in the West 
Indies, has distributed 165,000 economic plants during 
the last six years, or an average of 29,000 per annum. 
The present curator, Mr. Joseph Jones, is described 
as having rendered ‘great serrices universally ac- 
knowledged by the planters of the island.’ The cost 
of the station in 1896 was £400, while the net re- 
ceipts from the sale of plants were £99. It is pro- 
posed in the ‘ Additional Note ’ at the end of this 
Mport, to extend the work of this station, employ 
ac'ricultural instructors, and establish an industrial 
school in connection with it.” Report of West Indies' 
Commission. 
MONTSERRAT. 
” A botanic station, with a gardener in charge, was 
started at Montserrat in 1890, on a small plot of 
land to the South-west of the town of Plymouth. 
The space available was utilised for the cultivation 
of a selected number of economic plants: large 
numbers of these were raised and distributed during 
the last six years. Amongst them were 8,000 plants 
of Blue mountain coffee from Jamaica, 1,800 cacao, 
2,000 nutmeg, pine apple suckers, grape vines, 800 
suckers of the Jamaica banana, Liberian coffee, kola, 
&c. The gardener also gave information in regard 
to the cultivation and treatment of new plants. The 
principal recipients were estate proprietors, and not 
small cultivators. The latter had evidently not been 
induced to start new cultivations, as, owing to 
the absence of shipping facilities, there was no pros- 
pect of being able to find a market for the produce. 
Owing to the straitened circumstances of the island, 
the botanic station has now been abolished, and 
the services of the gardener diverted to other duties. 
The work done at this station, with the limited 
means at its command, was of a distinctly pro- 
mising character. It was the only organisation 
existing in the island for improving and extending 
the cultivation of industrial plants, and its aboli- 
tion destroyed the hope of immediately benefiting 
the agricultural interests of the ia\&aA."— Gardeners' 
Chronicle, Nov. 20 . 
PLANTING NOTES. 
“Lady Birds.”-— We are pleased to see [that 
the Nilgiri Planters’ Association has not lost 
Its interest in the proposal to introduce the 
•scale-eating beetles from Queensland. At a recent 
meeting, the Association offered to bear half 
the cost of “ Mr. Newport’s” scheme for their 
introduction. Surely other Indian Associations 
will follow — not to speak of aid from Uva (?\ 
and Java. ' 
Tea, Coffee and Cinchona in India.— Sup- 
plementary to his Annual Report, Mr. O'Conor, 
Director-General of Statistics for India, has issued 
three separate papers dealing with the above 
products and giving the latest official information 
as to area, production, persons employed, exports 
and consumption, prices. A great deal is 
mere approximation ; for Mr. O Couor dealing 
with all India, cannot as yet approach for ac- 
curacy the statistical returns we have, for so 
many years, compiled for Ceylon incur “Hand- 
book and Diiectory.” Still Mr. O’Conor gives 
us the best possible, and ive shall deal with his 
infoi Illation in an early issue. 
Cacao Cultivation in Central America. 
— We call attention to a chatty account of 
personal experiences in Nicaragua, and especially 
on an extensive cacao -walk in tliat State, by 
Mr. R. W. Carter, reproduced on another page. 
Our cacao jdanters may not learn much that 
is new from it; but they will find it inter, 
esting to compare notes with Mr. Carter, and 
they.may discover some reasons for reflection in 
what is said about shade, pruning and 
harvesting. It is news to us that British 
Honduras should have rich indigenous cacao of a 
fine description growing along the river banks in 
some districts. Mexico has been long known for 
its production of cacao — indeed the Seeds were 
a substitute for currency in some districts 
in the time of Montesuma ; and now that 
English capitalists are going there in connection 
with coffee, they may see it to their advantage to 
develop cacao as well. Meantime Mr. Carter’s 
paper.contributed to Chambers’ Jotimal, wiU repay 
perusal. 
A New Cotton— M r. H. D. Carroll, a 
young American traveller, a few years ago discovered 
a cotton plant in Central Africa, the quality and 
abundant growth of which — says The Chamber of 
Commerce Journal for November — so impressed him 
that he brought a quantity of the seed with him 
to the United States. Extended trials have been made 
with this seed in the State of Georgia, and if the 
reports thereon are only approximately true, it would 
appear, according to a New York journal, that a 
revolution in the cultivation of cotton is approach- 
ing. The first trials were made in the State of 
Georgia in the year 1895. Of the seed then sown 
fifty- seven cotton plants were obtained. The seed 
procured from these plants has multiplied to such an 
extent that it is intended to make extensive plan- 
tations in 1898. The cotton plants hitherto cultivated in 
the United States grow from three to six feet high. 
Whilst these plants, particularly during the first stage 
of their growth, require extraordinary care, the 
African plants require only very little attention. 
The new plants attain a height of twelve to fourteen 
feet, with[numerou3 fruit capsules, which after bursting, 
show cotton wool of distinguished quality. This new 
E lant is uncommonly strong in substance and presents 
y far more resistance to rains than the American 
one. The picking of the cotton also costs considerably 
less than that of the American. Whilst in Georgia 
two to three acres of land are required to produce 
500 lb. of cotton; the African sort produces three times 
as much. 
