COTTON CULTIVATION.

It may interest those who are thinking of cultivating cotton to know what cultivation was found necessary at Hope Gardens, and the time taken by labourers. The following extracts from the diary will be of some assistance.

The experim ntal plot is one square chain, and was first well ploughed, and prepared for seed.

The sowing of the seeds and subsequent cultivation of a square chain therefore occupied 34 days, or at the rate of 324 days per acre.

In many parts of the Island where weeds are not so troublesome, the cost of cultivation would be very much less. For instance in the Pedro plain, an experimental plot has cost 14s. per acre to clean, 3s. to sow, and 6s. to cultivate, which consisted of hoeing twice.

THE PROSPECTS OF CASSAVA STARCH.

By H. H. COUSINS, M.A., (Oxon) F.C.S., Island Chem st. Through the enterpise of Mr. J W. Middleton in testing the commercial production of starch at Longville and his public spirit in plac

ing his results at the disposal of the Board of Agriculture, it is now possible to form some definite opinion as to the possibilities of cassava starch as an industry for Jamaica

The experiment at Longville has been of a tentative character and the actual possibilities of the industry when established on a reasonable commercial scale and with the best machinery and management are far in excess of those directly indicated by Mr. Middleton's preliminary results.

AGRICULTURAL Y'ELD.

The returns of tubers per acre at Longville as recorded by Mr W. J. Thompson, varied considerably. Where the cassava had been planted between bananas or under shade the yield was not satisfactory. Eight tons of tubers per acre were obtained on one piece of land, and there is every reason to believe that by thorough tillage and the propagation of the best varieties of c ssava a return of 10 tons per acre can be reasonably expected. Mr. Joseph Shore finds that this is a fair return from lands in cassava on the northside.

The cost of production at Longville was 10/6d p r ton with an 8 ton crop allowing £1 per acre for rent. I estimate that the cost of production can be reduced to 8/- per ton by reasonable economies and improvements in the cultivation.

The Florida factories pay 18/- per ton for the tubers in the field, the cost of digging and delivery to the factory being about 6/- a ton in addition.

COST OF MANUFACTURE.

At Longville 6 tons of cassava tubers pulped in a small St. Vincent rotary grater yielded one ton of air-dried starch by the West Indian process. The cassava contained ab ut 29 per cent. of starch. The actual cost of production of the starch including the growing of the cassava, amounted to £8 per ton.

BY-PRODUCTS.

The bitty or residual pulp, when dried to a content of 15 per cent. of moisture amounted to a return of 13 tons of dry material to each ton of starch The composition of this product closely corresponded to that of the meal from the whole tubers sun-dried. Cassava bitty is therefore a valuable food-stuff for cattle or pigs. If we de uct 30/per ton for the cost of expressing the excess of moisture, drying and agging the bitty, its net value cannot be less than 30/- per ton to the factory, on a low selling price of £3 per ton. A deduction of £2 per ton on the cost of the cassava starch is therefore apparent

The cost of production of a ton of cassava starch with a process that only recovers 60 per cent of the total starch in the tubers, is therefore only 6 per ton.

OMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.

The starch prepared by Mr. Middleton at Lon ville was of variable quality at the outset until a satisfactory method of working had been arrived at.

By careful neutralisation of te crude starch with soda, using litmus papers as an indicator, it was found possible entirely to neutralise the organic acids of fermentation that are inseparable from any process of

working on cassava tubers. A high-grade starch free from fibre and dirt was produced and this should fetch anything from £15 to £20 a ton wholesale.

A modern plant which obviated the necessity of peeling the tubers by hand would save £1 per ton in the cost of labour for making the starch. A return of at least 20 per cent of starch equal to two tons per acre should be obtainable.

It would appear that in cassava starch we have a product that will give us double the financial return per acre of sugar under ordinary Jamaica conditions and at a cost of production so considerably less, that there is that margin for profit without which no industry can be generally successful in this Island.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

The chief requirements for ensuring the success of the industry are the following:

(1) Capital for installing the best plant for dealing with tubers so as to eliminate all unnecessary hand-labour and ensuring the best product possible.

(2) Lands of light texture in a district of moderate rainfall, capable of being cultivated by implements and within easy reach of the factory.

(3) A good water-supply with a system of sand filtration and a covered tank for storing pure water.

These conditions obtain on large areas of alluvial soil on the south side of the island where bananas languish in an average season for lack of water. A system of cassava farming' by the local peasantry should

be started in connection with each factory.

Experiments to test the most profitable varieties and methods of tillage, cultivation and management should be organised by the Department of Agriculture.

Analysis of Cassava Products from Longville.

Within recent years a great deal of attention has been directed to grape-culture in Jamaica, principally, I believe, with a view to putting good fruit on the American market at a time when not ordinarily ob

*Lecture delivered at the Agricultural Course for Elementary School Teachers, January, 1904.

tainable, or to be had only at very high prices, but up to the present time not much progress has been made in this direction. The natural season with us for grapes appears to be between the beginning of the month of May and the end of August.

During these months excellent grapes, both white and black, are sufficiently plentiful in and about Kingston to meet a good local demand. Outside these months they are occasionally offered for sale in Kingston; but as a rule they are poor, having evidently received no cultural care. This is specially the case with black varieties, which are seldom properly ripened. This, no doubt, is in part the reason why black grapes are so little appreciated by us, and it is a pity, as some of the very best of grapes are black.

The Department of Public Gardens has introduced, and distributed widely just about every table grape of recognized merit. and it is a matter of regret that a better use has not been made of the opportunity thus afforded to secure vines of established excellence Most of these under right treatment do exceedingly well and are in every way desirable. A few however, and amongst them some of very high quality do not do well at all. Muscat Hambro, one of the most delicious grapes, is an utter failure; it makes good canes, shows plenty of bloom, but the clusters are skeletons.

Gros Guillaume, commonly, but erroneously known as Barbarosa, is most handsome both in bunch and berry but will not f: uit here at all, and Lady Downe's Seedling, a black, vinous grape, is subject to black spot which app ars on the berries as they begin to take colour, and utterly ruins them. It is regarded in England as the very best late keeping black grape.

Sir

The native grape of North America does not succeed with us. Daniel Morris, when Director of the Department of Public Gardens, Jamaica, imported quite a number for King's House Gardens, but none of them did well. I have also tried to grow some twenty different varieties, but doubt if I got twenty grapes from the entire lot. I understand that an attempt to introduce them is again being made. I shall be pleased to hear that the venture has been successful We have one native species, which is widely distributed over the Island. It blooms profusely but I have seldom seen it in fruit. The fruit is black and both bunch and berry are small.

The grape vine succeeds well in low lying situations not much above sea level, and best near the sea. A common opinion for which there must be some ground is that the vines never does well on high ground in the interior. I have, however, seen good grapes grown at Ewarton in St. Catherine.

I know of a vine that bore heavily near Drax Hall in the parish of St. Ann, but I could get no fruit, not even bloom from some vines at Stony Hill. Everything went to make canes which never matured.

I do not, however, regard these facts as any reason why further attempts should not be made in the direction of enlarging the area of successful vine culture in this island.

Anybody can succeed where everybody is successful, but it is an honourable ambition to achieve success where all else have failed.

Vines are usually classified as earl, mid-season, and late, accord

ing to the time when their fruit generally matures, and also to the length of time between starting into growth after pruning and the fruit becoming fully ripe.

Included in each of these classes we find representatives of all sizes, colours and qualities

In the first section are included all the "Frontignans"-white, black, red and grizzly. When well grown there are few grapes that surpass the Frontignans in flavour. They are, however, difficult to grow well, the fruit is tender; and warm, wet weather will ruin the entire crop when ripening; both bunch and berry are small and in the desire for large, showy fruit these excellent grapes have fallen into neglect

6.

Foster's white seedling" is another early grape, perhaps the very earliest. It is a prolific bearer and when well grown there are few handsomer grapes. It also sets its fruit well and in thinning not less than two thirds of the berries should be cut out which will enable the remaining berries to attain a good size, and no weight of crop will be sacrificed. The fruit is very delicate and tender, and when gathered must be carefully handled or the cluster will be spoiled.

So soon as the fruit begins to colour all watering should cease. The "Black Hamburgh," as its name indicates, is of German origin. This is an early grape of the highest quality. As a general purpose grape it may be said to hold the premier place among black grapes, although for some reason it has fallen somewhat out of favour in recent years. If pruned at the same time as Foster's seedling, its fruit will mature three weeks or more later than that variety It does best under close pruning; the bunches are more compact and the berries larger. It is impatient of heavy cropping; the lighter the crop the higher, as a rule, the quality and the healthier the vine.

"Madresfield Cour" is a grand grape in every way. When well grown, which is unfortunately seldom the case, it is almost without an equal. The cluster is not large but the berries, which are a clear purplish red, are very large and oval. Like "Foster's seedlings" it is impatient of moisture, and when ripening likes a dry, warm atmosphere.

In the mid-season section we have " Alnwick Seedling", "Gros Maroc," "Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat" and "Royal Ascot," all black grapes. In the order of merit I give "Mrs. 'ince's Black Muscat" and "Royal Ascot" an equal first place, Alnwick Seedling the second and Gros Maroc the last The first three are all free bearers, Royal Ascot bears immense quantities of small bunches of big grapes, the bunches seldom weighing over eight ounces. When the fruit is setting not less than 70 per cent of the berries should be thinned out Alnwick Seedling is the easiest to grow and gives less trouble than any grape in cultivation.

Gros Maroc is not a free bearer and is late in coming into bearing. There are, however, few better looking grapes, and scarcely any so poor in quality. It is largely grown principally, no doubt, for its good looks.

Out of the section of Late Grapes' we have five that may be said to head the list; three are black, viz., Alicante, Gros Colman, and Lady Downe's Seedling, and two that are white :—Mrs. Pearson and Muscat of Alexandria. Canon Hall Mu-cat and Bowood Muscat are regarded as cultural varieties of Muscat of Alexandria.