CO882-10 — Page 412

The total expenditure on this department during 1921 is Rs. 17,071, or less than any department with the exception of Audit, Ecclesiastical and Printing. The distribution of the total amount is as follows:-.

Gardens

397

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882/10

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

The Department of Agriculture appears to have gradually degenerated into a rather badly kept Botanic Gardens, to which are annexed certain minor public gardens, and an area of land planted entirely in coc muts and therefore useless for general agricultural experiment Policing of the forests and Crom lands, and similar policing in connection with the plant Posta Ordinance, practically complete its activities, although lately it has been proposed to extend its scope by including fisheries; the exact relationship which fisheries bear to agriculture does not appear however to have been clearly explained,

There can be only two possible reasons for the existence of a department of agriculture. One of these is to carry out a definite policy in agriculture for the Government, and the other is to afford guidance to the agriculturist in his work. Judged by this standard, the local department is a quarter of a century behind those of colonies of similar sise to Seychelles in other parts of the British tropios.

The present state of agriculture in the Colony is the best proof of the need for a department of agriculture run on efficient lines. The yield of the chief crop, coconuts, has rapidly fallen through mismanagement and lack of instruction; vanilla has disappeared from the Colony largely through the ravages of a root-disease against which no steps have been taken and which appears never to have been even properly described or advertised, and excepting for the efforts of a few more enterprising planters nothing has been done to develop new agricultural industries. Only an extraordinary run of good luck or a strong policy on the part of both planters and Government can be effective now in lifting the Colony from its present state of depression.

Present organisation of the Bapartment.

The staff of the Department of Agriculture at present consists of a durator of Gardens, one clerk, two forest rangers, and two inspectors of plant diseases.

The two

inspectors, who have no connection with forestry duties and were not intended for forestry work, have for some unknown reason been entitled "assistant forest rangers".

Rs. 7526

Forests & Lands

5550

Plant pesta

1080

Cocmut plantation

1740

Travelling

850

Miscellaneous

325

The position therefore amounts to this, that owing to the annexing of forests and gardens to the Department, the agricultural work has been practically swamped, It does not appear likely that the addition of fisheries will be likely to improve matters. Fisheries, forests and gardens may be necessary activities for the Golony, but their upkeep cannot be fairly reckoned as agricultural expenditure, nor should the Head of the Agricultural Department be expected to give more than the minimum of his time to them; they have been attached to this department merely for convenience.

Sheep have

It will be noted that no provision is made for import- ation of good strains of stock; in the meanwhile, the price of a small pony locally is Rs 600, or four times that of a larger and better beast in the West Indies. practically ceased to exist in the Colony. No strain of good milch-goats, such as the Maltese or the Toggenburg which have been imported into other colonies, is found here. importation of standard breeds of cattle and of poultry has been left to the initiative of enterprising individuals who can ill afford to take the risks, although the importation benefits the whole community.

The

No funds have been set aside for agriculture instruction or education, nor for demonstrations of methods of cultivation and manuring or private estates, nor for starting crop competitions on small holdings. Such activities as agricultural credit societies school-gardens and experiments with minor crops, which are among the most productive of the duties of similar departments elsewhere, have been here neglected.

Other than the annual report to Government, the Department does not appear to have ever published any matter of direct interest to the agricultural men. The vote for purchase of

25.

26.