The local variety of Yautia is called Via and the rootstock 
and small tubers are used for stock feeding. ISTo natives care 
to eat it. 
Among the newly introduced varieties, three have been 
found up to now to produce excellent good shaped tubers which 
are of the size of potatoes and completely underground. These 
three plants grow to an enormous size. The other varieties are 
less prolific but will be tested under other conditions of growth. 
Among the taros and dasheens ( colocasia antiquorum ' there 
were three varieties already existing, one called Songe blanc 
with green leaves, the second Arouille with black greenish lea¬ 
ves and a purple spot in the middle, and the third possessing 
small blackish leaves which are eaten as a vegetable by the 
coolies but producing no edible tubers. 
The Songe blanc ( a. taro ) possesses no tubers and the root- 
stock is very seldom consumed by the natives who eat the young- 
leaves. It is however used in Dominica as among the varieties 
newly introduced the same plant was included in the list. The 
Arouille is a dasheen producing numerous tubers, both tubers 
and rootstock being consumed by the peasant proprietors. In a 
few localities I have seen this variety grown and producing- 
enormous crops in marshes where abundant deposits of guano 
once existed. It seems to respond to fertilizers in a marked 
degree. It is the most kno-wn variety grown in the Colony. 
In order to remember the different names more easily, it 
should not be forgotten that the Tantias leaves are always arrow 
shaped or sagittate exposing- the attachmemt of the petiole. In 
the dasheens and the taros the blade is peltate or shield shaped, 
i. e, the petiole is attached to the under side of the blade. 
Among the varieties introduced from India the tubers were 
found to be root like, slender and much smaller than the tubers 
of the West Indian varieties which are nearly spherical or obo- 
void. It is proposed to introduce other W. Indian or American 
varieties. 
The W. African varieties flower freely in this Colony, the 
spathe being yellowish white. It possesses -also very good round 
tubers which can be easily snapped off from the central rootstocks. 
. V. 
Meteorological Observations. 
The following tabulated statement shows that 1912 was 
the wettest year on record for the last 8 years and that nearly 30 
inches more of rain fell during the year than in 1911. As ex¬ 
plained last year the rainfall from June to June is also given 
because the greatest monthly rainfall occuring either in 
December or in January, it often happens than one year is 
drier than the other owing to the heavy rains beginning in 
December instead of Januai-y. The growth and crop of vanilla, 
rubber and coconuts are also regulated by the rainfall which 
commences in JSTovember or October and ends in April although 
the flowering of Vanilla is also dependant on the state of the 
weather which should be dry in July, August and tSeptember to 
ensure a good flowering-. But as seen from the shortage of 
crop in the last five years it cannot be denied that even this 
precious orchid is benefited by a general heavy rainfall during 
the whole of the year with a spell of drought at the time of 
flowering. The rainfall during the last months of the year 
1912 has also exceeded the average for the last six years and it 
is to be hoped that after seven years of drought we have 
entered upon an equal period of abundant rainfall to the great 
benefit of the Colony. In years of shortage of rains the plants 
not only suffer owing to the shallowness of the soil which is 
overheated but they are also more severely attacked by scale 
insects on account of the disappearance by drought of the 
fungoid parasites which keep in check the insect pests. The 
favourable influence of rain was shown this year (1912) by the 
flowering and fruiting of such trees as oranges, limes and 
spondias {golden apple alias fruit de Cythere) which had not 
flowered or fruited for the last five years owing to drought and 
insect pests. 
