Agriculture

To Advise on Fiji Agriculture Visit of Trinidad Experts

AT the invitation of the Government of Fiji, Professor D. F. Paterson and Dr. Dodds, two distinguished mem bers on the staff of the Imperial Col lege of Tropical Agriculture, Trinidad, arrived in the Colony in mid-June. They will suggest methods of putting into prac tice some of the recommendations made by Professor Shephard in his report last year on an agricultural policy for Fiji and the Western Pacific. Cost of this investigation is being paid by Great Britain.

Professor Paterson has had a wide experience of tropical agriculture as practised in many parts of the world, and he is a recognised world authority on modem methods in the design, layout and interpretation of agricultural experi ments.

Dr. Dodds is senior lecturer in botany at the Imperial College of Tropical Agri culture and is a specialist in plant breed ing. A West Indian project in which he is particularly interested is one of banana breeding designed to develop a banana resistant to leaf spot, which is known in Fiji as “Sigatoka disease.”

Dr. Dodds and his colleagues have already had considerable success in this project. Dr. Dodds has brought also selected crop seeds, certain forage grasses and some budwood. It is hoped that at least some of these may be found of value in Fiji during the post-war reconstruc tion period. • Professor Paterson and Dr. Dodds expect to be in Fiji until the end of Julv. when they will visit Western Pacific territories before returning to Trinidad.