The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-07-24

Methods Of increasing the fooi sun
uly Of India are nov engaging The a.
tsntion Of the British government -
q very large extent. and one e The
visitors 20 Washington uox ST. Fred
ertcA Nicholas. On his way back SO
England via, the United States. comes
here 20 see what this country has beeu
doing in the line O. agriculture. ush
culture and Irrigation. wttk : vtew -
making use ~ anything valuable teat
This country may have developed
On these lines
This ~as oue - the problems n
which the Gewar 81 Raroda was par
ticu!arly Interested during his recent
stay IN Washington. and he actually
took back with him one Of the experts
u the fish commission 70 help In tie
practical work ~ fish propagation Sir
Frederick visit i more in the line
oil investigation. and he will collect data
from the ash commission. the Depart
nent OF Agriculture ana geological
survey bearing on the problem. rar-
ticuIariy a. applied 10 Madras prtsl
dsncy. Of which he was still recently
n OF the board Of revenue
IN talking Of the matter 10 Il Ssa-
rcIoTter today b. said that one of the
chief difficulties that India had 10 con
tend with was the poverty Of the coun-
try. The land throughout India i hid
by the government and a tax let led
on he lands forms the chief source 81
revenue Tn. whole 81 re and TAX
OF the Madras presidency last YEAR sst~
less than the appropriation :ov the
support OF lhe United States Depart
mtIt OF Agriculture alone, though h
population Of the p~res:dencv Is now
about 10000 600. Thus the funds avail
able for experimental and agricultural
work ale limited and the government
has 10 do the best II ian with rathc-
meager funds.
WANT FRESH FISH.
The fishing industry Is important -
a source of o supply, but fish cul-
ture as II IS practiced III this Country
is unknown. 1t is possible thar he
Indian government may be able - -
, something in this line, but one IF the
most important problems is tha: IF
getting the fish from the sen fish. ~ies
10 the market without their sToiiing.
The boats and ear used at presea'
are o on a large enough scale 10 per-
nit keeping the fish alive and Z
method Of curing them as they are
taken from the water of course pre-
! cludes the possibility Of having them
fresh on the table. The question OF
ice of course has been raised. but Iud!a
being a tropical country the price Of
ice is all the higher since there is
the more need for it. This question Of
fish preservation Is one that the gov
eminent wants 10 solve. The sea fish
cries are very rich if they can ONLY he
made more thoroughly available. AS
! it is now. much of the fish product
has to 60 into fertilizer, and while this
is important 1t is not so important
as the food supply. The irriga-
irrigation works Of India are among
the models of the world, but Sir Fred
! erick says that he is much interested
! in the American methods OF handliL:
the irrigation problem and wants 10
compare them with the methods in
in India. The question Of water stor-
age IS the greatest one in the Indian
works, the rivers being in heavy food
once a year, and this water has to be
impounded and saved If d large a-ea IS
Ii be cultivated.
POPULATION INCREASING.
He says that India is rapidly reach
| ing the normal limit Of population, and
that if Il la--"~ population is TO be
supported on the sane area some me
thod must be found OF increasing the
the productivity per acre. Population
heretofore has increased enormously
through the habit of early marriage.
and while ii is not uossibie 10 prohibit
the custom OF infant marriages, me
government has done a good deal in
raising the age limit at which couples
may iive together. This has created a
great deal of dissatisfaction among he
natives. but is regarded ds essential Tor
the w~ell-being of he country.
While the price Of everything mas al
most doubled in India within recent
| years, wages are still exceedingly low.
n the unskilled labOrer is wei. pa'i
in Madras at 6 cents per day. Consider
ing the methods Of crop raising and
the ~cheapness Of hand labor. Sir FIedr
erick Nicholson does not think nat
there is much chance for the ~intcodgc-
ton Of American agricultural ma@h.n-
cry. The holdings are small. the aver
age IN Madras presidency being only
fourteen acres, while 50 per ceut Of
the farms ire as small a. three 81 our
acres. There is some call for pumping
machinery and for cheap gasoline en-
gines, but even that Is limited. and
with such small land holdings he in
PRODUCTION Of farm machinery anong
the very poor population Is almost cut
Of question.
TO TEACH AGRICULTURE.
The seasons are very sharply defined
and nearly all OF the harvesting has 10
be done at the same time. 80 there Is
not even a chance for traction engines
and moving harvesting machinery over
any large district
The supply OF hand labor Il not great
IL IN excess Of the demand. and While
the natives are as a rule tough end
wiry and industrious. they are not nf
the physique for heavy labor. and n
:ka. cnnnac.Lon he .axs .haf .AaE -as.tA