, 1908-08-19
THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS
IN BARBADOS.

fishes, we observed the young vegetation
beginning to wilt under the excessive eva
p~oratiOn. On the afternoon of the thir-
Geenth, however, rain came from the south,
giving before next morning rs inch of rain
in Christ Church. The following day, Tues
day, turned out Iwet for the whole Island, an
inch being recorded in several places that
are miles apart from each other. After that,
:he showers became partial again, making up
two inches for the week in the hill districts,
but leaving the lowlands with very little
more than they had taken on Monday and
Tuesday. The 21st gave a night of thunder,
lightning, and rain, which went on into the
morning of the next day. The guages in
the SOL them parishes recorded Ii inch st.
Philip somewhat under an inch, and the CEN
trail aud northern parishes about half-an-inch.
There was in some places on the hills about
half-an-inch on Wednesday.
From the foregoing it will be seen that,
we have not yet been favoured with as much
rain as we ore able to welcome. Soaking
rains would benefit every district and every
variety of crop. While there are many acres
Of canes under fine growth, we'll established
and quite as forward as we care to see them
in July, the greater part of the crop for l 900
is low. 1t is, on the whole, healthy, yet
there are not q few irregular fields. The
0ACOASAFO supply ing buu uhS DCOu AcCOHStt1
during the past two months causes too many
stools to be AS yet with only a single sp re,
while the surrounding punches are covering
the banks.
Not all the black soil estates have given
up ~ratooning, and there are some st. George
valley felds in which The second-crop canes
make a fair promise this season,-much bet
ter than in the last two years. AS this dis
trict got the best rain of the fortnight, we
hope to see a rapid forward movement in
the ratoons when we next visit it. Except
In the valley, however, there is nothing that
we have seen which would lead us to change
the opinion we have before expressed, that
for the black soils, ~ratoons are q mistake.
Much time and labour have been devoted
this month to giving all the help possible to
the growing crop. The pruning knife has
not yet been laid aside spadefuls of earth
have been thrown into the ratOon punches
where the canes are yet low, weeders have
used their hoes and where they are taller,
the pickers have employed their sticks to
get out the weeds. The odour of recently
applied manure greets us from many fields.
There seems to be nothing now required TO
make the crop of next year a good one but
the abundant rains from the heavens.
Planters have lessened their ration fields,
and the area of cotton cultivation is also
reduced. There is consequently much more
land under provision crops than has been the
case for the past few years.
Indian corn has been planted ex' ensively.
and fields of this most useful crop are now
seen at oil stages, from the Seeding of q few
days up to the corn or full ear. AS a fact,
some new contour has been already sold by
hucksters at 21 pints for 10 cents; and some
have enjoyed their corn soup, others their
roast corn,
Many more fields are in yams than either
in last year or the year before, and they are
growing we'll. Blight has not vet attacked
them but this does not usually occur until
later in tie year.
Potatoes have also been planted in fair
quantity. yet not as many as the present
scarcity would have led US to expect. Plant
ers seem to have gone in more generally for
corn. Ripe potatoes are now being retailed
at 10 TBS. for 10 cts; at times the hucksters
try to pass them off at 8 lbs. Planters are
getting anything between 2 cents and 8
cents per hole, according to the yield.
Imphee and Guinea corn for fodder are
growing fast; and if the cattle are not already
enjoying the first ripe sorghum, they can
cherish the hope of having it in a week or
two. In some places the short sour grass is
ho;oo o~k Int mOot foo1i, m on obooA,