USVI Public Records

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STV CR B Y AV ]S CHRISTIANSTED THEATRE 8.30 THIS EVENING 8.30 Kiss Or Kill 5 Reel Feature How New York Travels 1 RERL. This film shows vou how the New York:r of today comes aronnd in his big City. Nearly an Artist. 1 RIKEL, COUOMIC. ADMISSION. : ADULTS Reserved Seats 40 cents, General Entrance 20 cents. CHlLDßEN—Reserved Seats 20 cents, General Entrance 10 ~ents. Notice & : to Consumers of Electri- city in Chr stianste .. Consumers of Electricity are heye’hy informed that the rate for electricity temporarily has been raised to 30cts. 8 8 W This raise, which will take effect for electricity consumed. from October Ist, has been necessitated by the prevailing high prices on Oil and other commodi- ties coasumed by the Power Plant. Respectfully, D W I Eleetrie Uo. EINAR SVENDSEN. Manager. The s. s. ‘‘Guiana’” on her way to New York via Bt ‘l‘hon’n;s, passed this port this morning bound for Frederiksted. WEATHER REPORT. San Juan, Rar. 29.90 Ther. 80, N.E. Vel 6, partly cloudy. St. Thomas, Bar. 29.88, Ther. 78, E. Vel. 6, partly cloudy. St. Kitts,' Bar. 29 86, Ther.7o, N., Vel. 4. rain. Dominica, Bar. 29.86, Ther. 72, N. E. Vel. 2, cloudy St. Lucia, Bar. 29.84, Ther. 74, S.E. Vel. 4, partly cloudy. Barbados, Bar. 29.83. Ther. 74, E. Vel. 4. cloudy. Yorr of Spain, Bar. 29.86. Ther. 74, calm, clear. Curacao, Bar. 29.82, Ther. 78. E., Vel. 2, clear. i, Lroix, Bar. 2096, Ther. 84 E., partly cloudy. Rainfall for past 24 hours, 0. TOST he Editor of the St. Croix Avis. ir, I am forwarding you, herewith enclosed, a copy of my reply to the Editor of the Herald in answer to his criticisms of the Experiment Station in the Herald of yesterday’s date. Will you kindly copy thi letter in vour paper ? Planters and others are hereby cordial- ly invited to come forward with their eri- ticisms of the Experiment Station. [ am, Yours faithfully LONGFIELD SMITH. Aqronomist in Charge To the Editor of the Herald. Sir, 1 have read your Editori# in the Herald of yesterday’s date and take pleasure in giving you the information requested. There would appear to be a consider- able amount of misunderstanding and misinformation concerning the Agricul- tural Experiment Station, in the com- munity, andI welecome the opportunity oi correcting it. So long as enquiries are made courteously and the Enguirer shows a 2enuine desire for information I sha:l be pleased to reply to ary ques- tions which may be put to me through the medium of the local papers. 1 The Annual Reports issued in past years were always read and discussed at meetings of the Agricultural Society of St. COJroix, a Society which should never have been discontinued. The dis- continuance of tne Society nccurred about three years ago when labour agi- tation seemed to ma2ke Planters oblivi- ous to all other interests. The meetings at wnich the reports were read were always duly advertised in the local papers and all interested were cordiaily invited to attend whether members of the Agriculiural Society or not. The Reports were printed in Co- penhagen and copies were distributed about a year after being read.. The copies were sent to all Members of the Legislative Council, to all Planters that we thought even remectely likely to read them and to all applying for them. Between 150 and 200 copies of each Re- -Iport were thus distributed in the Is- and. 2. The distribution ¢f Cane Cu.lings from the Experimemt Station in he past has been partly gratuitous but tor the mos¢ part the rutiings have been soid. Panient was absolutely necessary in order to augment the scanty Ilncome of the Station and enable the work to be continued. : 3. My statement made as to our Experitientrs with Maize is strictly in accordance with fact and I have nothing further to say on this point. 4, lLack of interest among the Plant- ers in the work of Agricultural Experi- ment Stations seems to occeur every- where in the earlier years of their establishment. After a varying length of time, say 15 or 20 years. this indiffer- ence usually changes, and 1 venture to predict that the same will be true of St. Croix. The indifference seems to be due to Farmers getting into a rut in their work and biindly tollowing the routine metheds of Agricultnre handed to them by their Fathers. They resent the idea that a mere Man of Science with littie praciical knowledge of farmicg, should presume to teach them anything concern- ing the business which hey have b=xcn practiging all their lives, o keep Pian:- ers out of this rut requires the stimula. - ing influence of Science which zives interes. and even exeiiement to the work of farming. I{he education of a r=rmer must be a scientiic one. The younger generaiion of Farmers who have had this Scientific education realise fully the bene- fits ol Kxperiment Statiogwork and in the Statzs, they apply to their Experi- ment Stations in all thei: difficulties. It has taken many years however to accon:- plish this result. To get the same resuic in . Croix, an Agricultural School where Science is taught ought to be established, so that the younger generation may grow up with minds broadened and wit sharpened. & With regard to 8. . 12/4 Cane. Planters do appear for the most part 10 see already the advantages of planting this cane, but they cannot ye: get the cuttings, as there is not sufficient in the Isiand to supply them. Many Planters and some Squatters, now have small areas of this cane on their Esta‘es and will deubtless continue o propagate it. I'he work of raising new varieties of cane 1s slow ani arduous, and for one success there are hundreds of faiiures, neverthe.ess the hundreds must all be propagated, reaped, weighed, analysed, and selestea for years, before the tinal judgement can be pronounced on them. 6. Your remark that it seems strange Planters do not .follow our advices when they ere ¢oo vaiuable that they can add a quarter o a million dollars or so to the value of the Island’s Sugar Crop is justi- fied. It is strange. [ venture 10 asser: again here, that our single advice 1o plant only'sound pieces of cane is capa- ble, iffol owed correctly, of adding at least this amount to the value of the