Semi-detailed Soil Survey of the LIuidas Vale Area, St. Catherine-St ...

DESCRIPTION OF THE SURVEY AREA
such as weeding and cutting are done manually. Chemical fertilizers are
applied in split-applications at a rate per crop/ratoon of 560 kg/ha of 17-0-
26 and 1340 kg/ha filtermud (organic by-product of the sugar preparation
process to which sodium carbonate is added) as P-fertilizer and to increase
the pH of the soil.
Several sugar cane varieties are being tested at Worthy Park by a "trial and
error" method. Scientific research is done by the Sugar Industry Research
Institute in Mandeville.
The sugar mill is located at the Estate (map unit 4A, 10 ha); the average
annual production is 21,000 tons of sugar per year, which is about 10% of
Jamaica's total sugar production. The sugar is mainly produced for export.
For each ton of sugar, about 9-10 tons of cane are used; Worthy Park has the
lowest cane/sugar ratio compared to other sugar factories in Jamaica. The
cane is partly (35%) grown in large fields of the Estate (640 ha with a
relatively high cane production of 85 tons/ha). The remaining 65% is
produced by large farmers in the Bog-Walk area (25%) and in fields of small
farmers (40%) of Tydixon and other villages west and south of Lluidas Vale,
outside the survey area. Small farmers have a mean acreage of about 1 ha,
manually prepared, under cane. The sugar production per ha is smaller for
small farmers than at the Estate, partially due to the poor transportation
facilities from the fields to the factory. During the out-of-crop season and
when times are hard for sugar production, farmers grow other crops (Craton
and Walvin 1970).
Coffee (map unit 5, total: 40 ha) is grown on lands leased by Worthy Park
Estate to CIDCO. The fields are located in the hills, along the road from
Ewarton to Lluidas Vale. The production is considered low; the trees are in
poor condition. The management level of the fields is moderate, i.e. fertilizers
are used but not the proper type nor in the right quantities and ratios.
Picking is done manually by women. The coffee produced in this area is
lowland coffee for consumption within Jamaica. Although St. Catherine used
to be one of the leading parishes in coffee production, the acreage under
coffee is low nowadays.
Gtrus orchards (map unit 6, total: 389 ha), mainly with oranges, are found
within Worthy Park Estate as well as at Ewarton. Very few orchards are
located in the hills.
The Estate expanded the area under citrus since 1980, by planting and
grafting the former improved pastures with oranges, tangerines and uglies.
In the beginning of this century, these areas were used for cocoa and
bananas. The present citrus acreage is about 360 ha. No irrigation is applied,
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