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A PORTNIGH ELY REVIEW.

OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

LIBRARY
NEW YORK

VOLUME VII. BOTANICAL

GARDEN.

JANUARY TO DECEMBER 1908.

ISSUED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THH

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Barbados: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, BripGerown.

Messrs. Dotau & Co., 37, Soho Square, W. The West Inpra Commerres, 15, Seething Jane,

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REGULAR
WEEKLY to: FORTNIGHTLY to:

BRAZIL & THE WEST INDIES,

RIVER PLATE, Guiana, Central

vid Spain, Portugal, America, Pacific

and Madeira.

HEAD OFFICE :
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PARIS.
ee

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Paris Green! Paris Green!

Warranted and Guaranteed Strictly Pure, and to be of
the Standard of Purity required by, and made in
conformity with, the requirements of
THE AGRICULTURAL DHPARTMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

The only sure and effective insecticide and destroyer of the cotton worm, caterpillars, and other pests. |
Guaranteed to be absolutely pure by the manufacturers. Used extensively throughout the British West Indies, and sold |
| by all high-class merchants and dealers. Consumers are cautioned against worthless substitutes, and should always see
that the packages bear the name of the manufacturers :—

MORRIS HERRMANN & CO,,
NEW YORK, U.S.A.

Or obtain a guarantee from the merchant selling the PARIS GREEN that it is MORRIS HERRMANN & CO?’s.
brand. Samples furnished free on application to the manufacturers :-—

MORRIS HERRMANN & CO,,

68, William St., New York City, U.S.A.

WORKS : BRANCHES :
Newark, N.J., U.S.A. Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
[ilp2.] San Francisco, Cal., U.S.A.
IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE |

LECTURES TO
Sugar Planters

FOR THE WEST INDIES. i | COTTON FACTORY. LIMITED.

Ginning and Shipping of Cotton, sent from the |
Other West India Islands, will be undertaken,

Apply for further information to :

THE SECRETARY.

| dealing with the Natural History, Chemis- ae . |
try, Insect and Fungoid Pests of the PARIS GREEN. |

Sugar-cane in the West Indies. Guaranteed Strictly PURE PARIS GREEN in Bond.

ALSO

ACME” POWDER GUNS
LONDON: DULAU & C0,, 37, SOHO SQUARE, W, | for applying the same to Cotton, and best quality selected

Sea Island cotton seed for planting.

PRICE ONE SHILLING. Apply :—

THE SECRETARY,
To be obtained through any of the Agents Barbados Co-operative Cotton
for the sale of the Department's publications. Factory, Ltd., Barbados.

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OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Vor; Wile No: 149:

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Jippi-jappa hat Industry
Of AmMalciteee (esate. 15
Lime Crops and Products 14
Market Reports... ... ... 16

PAGE.
Agricultural and Recipro-
city Conferences... ... 1
Antigua’s Trade withCanada 11
Arbor Day in Antigua... 3 53)

Canadian Reeiprocity | Notes and Comments... ... 8
Conference, 1908... .... 3} Oranges in Cold Storage... 4
Colonial Fruit Show ... ... 4| Paris Green, Quality of ... 9
Cotton Notes :— Pimento Growing in
Cotton Reports from the SAIMALGHEE Mr) | sacie teeey 210)
Sea Islands... ... .... 6} Rubber in Angola . Bee tite)
Grade in Cotton, Defects Rubber, Dominica ... ... 9
which Influenceit ... 6) Sorrel, The Red,
Seasonable Notes ... ... 6 Roselle Secuimich'sy seach SO
West Indian Cotton ... 6} Souari or Butter-nut ee oth
Fisheries of the West Indies yee ne P 10
Fruit-tly in Bermuda... ... 8 ela 7 POF ce glob

2 Cane-Reaping, Selective,
wo)

Fruit in Queensland ... At IMCL sO
Gleanings ... «.: ... ... 12} Resultsat Diamond Estate,
Grenada, Agricultural LOOM cass von LO
Industries of =... ... 7) Sugar Industry in
Insect Notes: Leeward Islands eo ail
Flea Remedies, Two... 13) Sugar Products, Exports
Mosquitos and Malarial from United States... 11
HeVel = eless) -ce ee elo (imibersiofsamaicay 6. <s. 19)
Scale Insects on Mahog- Manillai@usimen fos) sceueee.) 19:
any Trees in Antigua 13)West Indian Agricultural
Txora Macrothyrsa 19! Conference, 1908 ... 2

Agricultural and Reciprocity
Conferences.

attend the and Canadian
Conferences in this island from January 14
to January 21 next is estimated at sixty-seven. The
number of members to attend the Agricultural Confer-
ence will probably be forty-five, while those in attend-

Agricultural

BARBADOS, JANUARY 11, 1908.

Pricr Id

ance at the Canadian Conference will number twenty-

two. These figures indicate that the proposals put
forward for these Conferences have been very heartily
Governments and the

supported by the several

prospects are distinctly encouraging.

Having regard to the important character of the
Conferences and the unusual interest attached to them
this year, and in view of the distinguished persons who
will be gathered together as accredited representa-
tives of the various Colonies, arrangements are in hand
for extending a cordial greeting to the

los, and it is evident that

visicors on their
effort

will be made during their stay to place such facilities

arrival at Barba every
at their disposal as will enable them fully to discharge
the important duties entrusted to them.

By the courtesy of the Directors, the Agricultural
Conferences will meet in the Assembly Room of the
Barbados Mutual Life Assurance Society. This room has
already been found convenient for such a gathering, as

it was used for a similar purpose in 1902.

It is proposed that the Agricultural Conference
will be opened at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 14,
His Excellency Sir Gilbert Carter, K.C. M.G., has
kindly promised to be present and offer a welcome to
Colonies.
The Conference will resume in order with its
regular business on Wednesday, January 15, at 11a. m.,
and continue from day to day as found desirable.

the distinguished visitors from the other
to deal

It is proposed that the Conference on Trade Rela-
tions with Canada will be opened on Wednesday
It should be the
universal and fervent hope that at this Conference the

deliberations in regard to reciprocal relations between the

morning, January 15, at 10.15 a.m,

2 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

January 11, 1908.

Dominion of Canada and these Colonies will bear fruit,
good and abundant. It is a good omen that the Dominion
Government has shown its sympathy with the objects in
view by arranging fur the presence of distinguished
Canadians to attend the Conference and assist in its
deliberations. The Conference is necessarily a pre-
liminary one, but if the circumstances justify it, it
is probable that negotiations of a more formal character
may be entered upon at a later date.

It is anticipated that arrangements will be made
by the Barbados Reception Committee for excursions to
the country districts in order to visit some of the most
prominent sugar and cotton estates, and a visit also
is proposed to the Central Cotton Factory in Bridge-
town. Lady Carter has kindly arranged to receive the
members of the Conference at Government House on
Wednesday, January 15, at 4.30 p.m. A reception will
also be given at Chelston by Lady Morris on Friday
January 17, at 4.50 p.m.

The Conference Dinner will probably take place
at the Marine Hotel on Saturday evening, Jannary 18,
at 7.30.

It is anticipated that the business of both Confer-
ences will terminate on Monday, January 20, and the
representatives will leave for their several destinations
by the Royal Mail Steamers on the following day,
January 21.

WEST INDIAN AGRICULTURAL
CONFERENCE, 1908.

The following is the list of the Representatives
appointed to attend the Agricultural Conference at
Barbados, January 14 to January 21, 1908 :—

President.

The Hon. Sir Daniel Morris; K.C.M.G., M.A., D.C.L.,
D.Se., F.L.S., Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the
West Indies.

Representatives.
JAMAICA,

The Representative of the Board of Agriculture :—

The Director of Public Gardens and Plantations (The
Hon. W. Fawcett, B.Sec., F.L.S.).

The Representative of the
Society :—J. R. Williams, Esq., M.A.

BRITISH GUIANA,

The Government Analyst and Director of Science and
Agriculture (Professor J. B. Harrison, .M.G., M.A., F.1.C., F.G.S.).
The Representative of the Board of Agriculture :—-

The Hon. B. Howell Jones.
The Principal, Queen’s College (T. A. Poy e, Esq., B.A.).
TRINIDAD

Jamaicy Agricultural

AND TOBAGO,

The Government Analyst and Professor of Chemistry
(Professor P. Carmody, F.I.C., F.C.S.).

The Superintendent of the Royal
(J. H. Hart, Esq., F.L.S.).

The Inspector of Schools (J. H, Collens, Esq., Y.D.),

Potanie Cardens

WINDWARD ISLANDS,

The Representatives of the Grenada Agricultural &
Commercial Society: W. Grahame Lang, Esq., and F. Ramsey
Harford, Esq.

The Agricultural
Anstead, Esq., B.A.).

The Representative of the St. Vincent Agricultural
& Commercial Society (The Hon. J. G. W. Hazell).

The Agricultural Superintendent, St. Vincent (W. N.
Sands, Esq.).

The Representative of the St.
Society: The Hon. E. G. Bennett.

The Inspector of Schools (C. F. Condell, Esq.).

The Agricultural Superimtendent, St.
Moore, Esq.).

Superintendent, Grenada (R. D.

Lucia Agricultural

Lucia (J. C.
LEEWARD ISLANDS.

The Government Analytical and Agricultural Chemist
& Superintendent of Agriculture (The Hon. Francis Watts,
C.M.G., D.Se., F.LC., B-C:8.).

The Representative of the Antigua Agricultural & Com-
mercial Society : A, P. Cowley Esq.

Agricultural and Science Master, Antigua (A. H. Kirby,
MSq2,4 Bae)

The Curator, Botanic Station, Dominica (Joseph Jones
Esq.). -

The Representatives of the Dominica Agricultural Society
(A. R. C. Lockhart, Esq.).

The Representatives of the Dominica Planters’ Associa-
:-—Ed. A. Agar, Esq., L. Lambert Bell, Esq.

The Agricultural Representative of the Presidency of
Montserrat : The Rev. C. W. Johnson. '

The Curator, Botanie Station, Montserrat
Robson, Esq.).

The Agricultural Superintendent, St. Kitt’s (F. R. Shep-
usq.).
The Representative of the St. Kitt’s Agricultural &
Commercial Society : The Hon. A. D. C, Adamson.
BARBADOS,

The President of the Education Board ; His Lordship
the Bishop of Barbados (The Right Revd. W. P. Swaby, D.D.).

The Head-master of Harrison College (The Revd. H. A.
Dalton, D.D.).

The Island Professor of Chemistry in Chemical Charge
of Sugar-cane Experiments (Professor J. P. @Albuquerque,
M.A., F 1.C., F3C:8.).

The Agricultural Superintendent of Sugar-cane Experi-
ments (J. R. Bovell, Esq., F.L.S., F-C.8.).

The Inspector of Schools (The Revd. Canon Reece).

The Representatives of the Barbados Agricultural So-
ciety : The Hon. F. J. Clarke, C.M.G., M.A., (President), the
Hon. Forster M. Alleyne, M.A., M.L.C., and the Hon. G.
Laurie Pile, M.L.C., (Vice-Presidents), G. Elliott Sealy, Esq.,
M:C.P., LT. W. B: OiNeal,sq., BoA; MICIe:

OFFICERS OF

tion

(William

herd,

THE IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOR THE WEST INDIES,

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the West
Indies (The Hon. Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., M.A.,
D.C.L., D'Se., F.L.8.).

Scientific Assistant (Walter Bitfen, Esq., B.Se.).

Entomologist (Henry A. Ballou, Esq., M-Se.).

Mycologist and Agricultural Lecturer (IF. A. Stockdale,
Esq., B.A., F.L.S.).

Travelling Inspector in connexion with cotton investiga-
tions (Thomas Thorton, Esq., A.R.C.S.).

Honorary Secretaries to the Conference: FF. A. Stock-
dale, Esq., BuA., P.LS., and Alleyne Graham Howell, Esq.

Vor. VII. No. 149. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. BS

Programme of Proceedings.
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Te 3rief Summary of Results of Experiments with
Seedling and other Canes, together with Manurial Experi-
ments with Sugar-cane in the West Indies. (a) 3ritish
Guiana, (Prof. J. B. Harrison, C.M.G., M.A., F.LC., P.GS )
(4) Barbados, (Prot. J.P. VAlbuquerque, M.A., DG nC!s:
and Mr. J. R. Bovell, F.L.S., F.C.S8.). (c) Leeward Islands,
(The Hon. Francis Watts, C.\I.G, DSc, FIC, F.C.S.). (d)
Jamaica, (The Hon. H. H. Cousins, M.A., F.C.S, and the
Hon. W. Fawcett, B.Se., F.L.S.).

Il. Root disease of Sugar-cane,
dale, B.A., F.L.S.).

III. Some points in connexion with Mechanical Tillage.
(The Hon. Franeis Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc., F.1.C., I°.C.8.).

IV. Selective Cane Reaping at Jamaica. See
Indian Bulletin, Vol. VII, p. 109. (Discussion. )

V. Summary of papers on the Polarimetric Determina-
tion of Sucrose. (The Hon. Fiancis Watts, C.M.G., D.Se.,
F.LG., F.CS., and Mr. H. A. Tempany, B.Sc., F.I.C., F.C.8.).

VI. Results obtained in connexion with the Antigua
Sugar Factory, (The Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc.,
BCS EEC:S):

(Mr. F. A. Stock-

West

CACAO INDUSTRY.

VIL. Brief Review of the Results of Experiments with
Cacao Trees at Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada. (The Hon.
Francis Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc., F.1.C.,) F-C.S., Mr. Joseph
Jones, Mr. J. C. Moore, and Mr. Rudolph D. Anstead, B.A.

VIII. The Characters of Criollo Cacao. (Mr. J. H. Hart
F.L.S.).

IX. Grafting Cacao at Domivica. (Mr. Joseph Jones).

X. The necessity for improving the methods of plant-
ing Cacao in the West Indies. (Mr. J. H. Hart. F.L.S.).

XT. Brief Review of the Fungus Diseases of Cacao in
the West Indies and the Sanitation of Cacao Orchards.
(Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A.,-F.L5.).

XII. Thrips on Cacao Trees in the
(Mr. Henry A. Ballou, M.Sc.).

LIME JUICE

Manufacture of

West Indies.
INDUSTRY.

XL. Citrate of
(Discussion).

Commercial

COTTON INDUSTRY,

XIV. Recent results in the Cultivation of Sea Island
cotton: (a.) Barbados, (Mx. J. R. Bovell, F.L.S.). (4)
Leeward Islands, (The Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G, D.Sc.,
E.LC., F.C:S.). (¢.) St. Vincent, (Mr.iW. N. Sands).

XV. Brief summary of the progress of the Sea Island
Cotton industry in the West Indies (Mr. Thos. Thornton,
A.R.C.S.).

XVI. The treatinent of
(Mr. Henry A. Ballou, M.Se.),

XVII. Brief Statement respecting the Barbados Co-
operative Cotton Factory (The Hon. F. J. Clarke, C.M.G.,
M.A ).

Insect Pests of Cotton

RICE INDUSTRY.
AVIIT. The Rice Industry of British Guiana (Prof.
J. B. Harrison, C.M.G., M.A., F.1-C., F.G.S.).
RUBBER INDUSTRY.
XTX. Additional information in regard to the Rubber
Industry of Trinidad and Tobago (Mr. J. H. Hart, F.LS.).

Lime

AGRICULTURAL .CREDIT AND LOAN BANKS.
XX: The Agricultural Bank of Barbados (The Hon.
F. J.; Clarke, C.M.G., M.A.).
MISCELLANEOUS.

XXI. Timber resources of the West Indies (Discussion).
XXII. Notes on Essential Oils (The Hon. Francis.

Watts, C.M.G., D.Se, F.LC., F.C.S., and Mr. H. A. Tempany,
BSc, ELC. ECs):

XXII. Observation of Arbor Days in the West Indies,
(Discussion).

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

XXIV. Agricultural Education in Secondary Schools and
Colleges in the West Indies (Discussion).

XXV. Agricultural Education in Elementary Schools
in the West Indies (Discussion).

XXVI. Examination for Certificates on the Theory and
Practice of Agriculture (Discussion).

CANADIAN RECIPROCITY CONFERENCE.

The following is the list of Representatives to
attend the Conference on Trade Relations with Canada
at Barbados, from January 14 to January 21, 1908 :—

JAMAICA,

The Collector of Customs & Inspector of Invoices (E. A.
Savage, Esq.).

The Representative of the Jamaica Agricultural
J. R. Willams, Esq. M.A.
BRITISH GUIANA,

Society :

The Comptroller of Customs (D, G. Garraway, Esq.).
The Representative of the Chamber of Commerce :
C. G. A. Wyatt, Esq,
TRINIDAD.
The Collector of Customs (The Hon. R. H. McCarthy,
C.M.G.)
GRENADA,
The Colomial Secretary (The
C.M.G.).
The President of the Grenada Agricultural & Commercial
Society (The Hon. C. Macaulay Browne, C.M.G.).
ST. VINCENT.
The Supervisor of Customs (Frank W. Griffith, Esq.).
The Representative of the St. Vincent Agricultural
& Commercial Society : Charles J. Simmons, Esq.
ST. LUCIA,
The Colonial Treasurer (The Hon. H.
LEEWARD ISLANDS.
The Colonial Secretary (The Hon. E. St. John Branch.)
The Administrator of St. Kitt’s Nevis (His Honour
T. L. Roxburgh).
The Commercial Representative for the Presidency of
of St. Kitt’s-Nevis (The Hon. 8. L. Horsford). :
The Administrator of Dominica (His Honour W. Douglas
Young, C.M.G.).

Hon. Edward Drayton,

A. Smallwood).

BARBADOS,

The Auditor General (The Hon. E. T. Grannum, M..¢ 4)

The Representatives of the Barbados Chamber of
Commerce : V. Hinschell, Esq. (Chairman), E. I.
Baeza, Esq., (Vice-Chairman), Darnley C. DaCosta, Esq.,
J. Allan Jones, Esq.

The Representatives of the Barbados General Agri-
cultural Society : The Hon. G. A. Goodman, K.C., M.C.P.,
The Hon, J. Challenor Lynch, M.L.C., 8. 8. Robinson, Esq.,
M.C.P., Alistair Cameron, Esq., E. W. Mahon, Esq.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. January 11, 1908.

WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

ORANGES IN COLD STORAGE.

The accompanying note on the above subject
appeared in the Transvaal Agricultural Journal for
October last :—

It may be of interest to note that the Transvaal Cold
Storage Company has set aside a room for cold storage of
fruit at their Pretoria branch. A request was made by one
of our leading fruit growers that this division should try to
make some such arrangement. It is a pleasure to state
that the storage people met the proposal in the most satis-
factory manner, and now sone thousands of oranges are being
kept at a temperature of 40°F., with possibly an oecasional
variation of one point above or below. The fruit is examined
every ten days. The first thirty boxes were put in on July 9,
and up to the date of writing (September 1) only five specl-
mens have shown signs of decay. On examination, these five
showed cuts in three cases and thorn punctures in two others,
pointing out again the necessity for absolutely the greatest
possible care in both picking and handling. The fruit is
placed in standard boxes (the box holding 2 eubie feet), and
the rental per month is ls. per box, or about 8d. per 100,
The writer does not look upon this business as an experiment
but the growers and storage owners evidently do, The result
will probably be that next season the whole of the space
will be engaged, instead of only small portion as at present,
with the advantage that at a slight outlay for storage, the sale
price of the fruit has been increased 100 per cent. in three
months.

COLONIAL FRUIT SHOW.

The third show of colonial-grown fruit and vegeta-
bles held in London during 1907, under the auspices of
the Royal Horticultural Society, was fixed for November,
since at that time the products of Canadaand the West
Indies are found in England in the greatest profusion.

By means of these exhibitions, which have been held each
year since 1904, the Royal Horticultural Society is doing an
excellent work both in showing the inhabitants of the mother
country what splendid and varied supplies of fruit the British
Colonies are able to produce and export, and also by atlording
a means for enabling colonial producers to ascertain which of
their fruits are best suited for the home markets.

Reports in the London newspapers refer to the collections
of fruit and vegetables at the show of November 28 and 29
last as forming a magnificent display of produce. This
description, however, it is to be feared, was elicited more by
the contributions from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and

Ontario than by the exhibits sent from the West Indies, which
were comparatively small in quantity, although excellent in
quality.

The need of educating home consumers to an apprecia-
tion of the varied fruit and vegetable products of the West
Indies is evident from the manner in which these products
were described in the newspaper reports referred to. In many
cases they appeared to be regarded as curiosities, but the
favourable terms in which the flayour, etc. were described,
indicate the possibilities that exist in the way of a British
market to growers of tropical produce.

\ prominent feature of the West Indian section at the
late show wasa valuable and varied collection of produce,
including nearly all the products of the West Indies, shown
by the West Indian Produce Association. This was awarded
a gold medal. Another particularly interesting exhibit was
a collection of botanical specimens, shown by the Royal Mail
Packet Company, and which was awarded the highest prize
in its class,

The Norbrook Preserving Company were represented by
a varied display of preserves, ete., and much interest was
taken by visitors both in this exhibit and in that of Mrs. W. H.
Sharpe, of Grenada, who sent a complete collection of preser-
ved fruits and jellics. A feature of Mrs Sharpe’s exhibit
which attracted special attention was the cacao cheese, made
from the pulp of the cacao beans. Although neither of these
two exhibitors gained a prize, a gold medal was awarded to
the West India Committee for the manner in which they had
arranged the exhibits from the colonies represented by them.

Referring to the manner in which the produce was put
up for shipment, the West Zadia Committee Circular makes
special mention of the boxes in which the fruit from Trinidad
was packed. They were 13 x 16 inches im size, perforated on
two sides, the holes being covered with perforated zine.
Each box contained four trays, in which the fruit was care-
fully laid, crushing being avoided in this manner. The boxes
were much admired by the judges, who, however, feared that
such an elaborate packing arrangement would be too expensive
for commercial purposes.

At the instigation of the West India Committee a consider
able endeavour was made to arouse public interest in the exhibi-
It is stated that still greater efforts will be made to
popularize the shows of next year (of which full particulars
were given in the last issue of the Agricultural News), and it is
hoped that the Permanent Exhibition Committees will make
a joint effort, and indicate by the quantity and quality of the
exhibits sent to London, that they appreciate these efforts and
are determined to do their best to meet them, and at the same
time to improve the trade of the colonies to which they belong.

tion.

Vou. VII. No. 149.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 5

FRUIT IN QUEENSLAND.

The fruit industry of Queensland would appear to
be in a prosperous condition. The area of banana
cultivation is undergoing rapid extension, although steps
have to be taken to protect the ripening fruit against
the ravages of the fruit fly. Growers of citrus fruits
have every reason to be contented, and the growing and
canning of pine-apples also constitute a developing
branch of the industry. The particulars given herewith,
have been taken from the Annual Report, 1906-7, of
the Instructor in Fruit Culture in Queensland :—

Bananas, which suffered so severely in the northern
part of the colony from a cyclone, during the beginning of
1906, have now recovered to such an extent that a crop of
1,250,000 bunches will be taken off during the next few
months.

In the south, the culture of this fruit remains about the
same, though, owing to the fact that the fruit fly does not
attack the fruit here, the bunches are allowed to develop
properly, instead of being cut half-ripe, with the result that
the southern-grown fruit is very superior to that of the north,
and sells readily in the local markets.

Steps have already been taken to protect the banana
industry, by bringing in a regulation making it compulsory to
cover every bunch of bananas with a cheap netting, which
has been proved to be an effectual protection against the
ravages of the fly.

Pine-apple culture is extending steadily in the southern
part of the State, and also in the Cairns district, and a market
is found for the increased yield without difficulty, as our
Jocal canneries are able to absorb any surplus.

During the year we have conducted experiments for the
purpose of determining whether we can turn the waste
material from our pine-apple canneries, as well as the small
and crippled pines to a profitable use, and as far as can
be judged, we have succeeded in doing so. A quantity
of small pines were erushed and made, into cider, which
shows promise of becoming an excellent drink for this climate.
An attempt has also been made to preserve the juice of
the fruit ina fresh state, without fermentation, and in. this
we have succeeded. The juice is pressed from the skins
and the waste pines, filtered, pasteurized, bottled, and
hermetically sealed, and has kept perfectly sound for some
six months.

The citrus crop of 1906 was a record for this State,
and the bulk of the fruit was marketed in good order, and
realized satisfactory prices. The crop of 1907 is also a good
one, the quality being excellent, especially in the case of
Washington Navel oranges and Lisbon lemons.

PIMENTO GROWING IN JAMAICA.

An interesting account of the methods followed in
the growing and preparation of pimento (Pimenta
officinalis), is contributed by the American Consul at
Kingston, to the United States Consular and Trade
Reports for the mouth of November.

‘The particulars given below have been abstracted
from the article in question, with a view of supplement-
ing the information on pimento growing which has
already appeared in the Agricultural News (Vol. IV
p. 295).

Jamaica appears to be the only country in the world
from which pimento is exported; although an inferior

quality of the spice is grown in Mexico, and other parts of
Central and South America,

The pimento berries are dark in colour, and about as
large as a pea. They possess an odour and flavour resem-
bling a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmegs, from which
the name ‘allspice’ has heen given to them. The pimento
tree, which belongs to the myrtle family, attains a height of
30 feet.

The tree flourishes in a wild state, and planta-
tions are readily established by allowing land near
pimento trees to become overgrown with bush from which
young seedlings spring up, as a result of a large number of
seeds deposited by the birds that have been eating the
pimento berries. The bush is then cleared, and the pimento
trees are allowed to grow up. Most of the plantations in
Jamaica were formed in this way. It is stated that the best
results are obtained, when a distance of 20 feet is allowed from
tree to tree. The trees grow well on a poor soil, when it is
fairly light and well drained.

The first crop is yielded when the trees are about seven
years old, and after that the crops increase each year until
the trees reach maturity, which takes place at about eighteen
or twenty years old. The berries, which form the ‘allspice’
of commerce, grow in clusters on the tree. They are gathered
while green, before arriving at the stage of ripeness. The full,
but unripe berry is spicy and indeed somewhat peppery. In
gathering the berries the process followed is for one person to
climb the tree and break off the young branches, which are
thrown to the gtound, the berries being picked from the
stalks by women and children. Ripe berries are kept separate
from the green ones. Contrary to what might be expected,
this breaking of the branches does not seem to damage the
trees, but is stated to afford the necessary annual pruning
without which the trees would not bear regularly.

The berries are afterwards put through a drying process,
in the same manner as coffee, the process lasting from three
to twelve days. This takes place either in the sun or some-
times, in wet weather, by means of an American fruit
evaporator. The fruits are known to be sufticiently dry
when the seeds rattle on shaking, and are of a dark, spicy
colour. In favourable seasons, as much as one hundred weight
ot dry spice is obtained from a single tree.

When ripe, the pimento berries are of a glossy black
colour, sweet and spicy in flavour. If not picked before reach-
ing this stage, such berries are often used to make pimento
dram, a native drink. From the leaves of the pimento an
essential oil is distilled, which, added to rum, makes bay-rum.
The annual average export of pimento from Jamaica is about
75,000 bags, weighing, on an average, 145 Ib. each.

In 1905-6, the Jamaica pimento crop fell short of the
average, on account of the heavy and destructive rains which
occurred at the time when the berries were forming on the
trees, and the 1906-7 crop was again short as a result cf the
prolonged drought. On account of the continuance of the
drought, this year’s crop is again expected to be small, and
will probably not exceed 40,000 ewt.

As a result, the price of this product is higher than
usual, the figure quoted in Jamaica, at the time the Consular
report was written, being 21s. per 100 tb., as compared with
an average price for many years past of 15s. per 100 tb. It
is stated that if more care were taken in the preparation and
curing of the spice on the part of the small settlers, their
product would command a higher price on the market.

Pimento growing is chiefly carried on in the parish of
St. Ann, but considerable quantities are also produced in the
parishes of St. Elizabeth, St. Mary, Trelawney, and
Manchester. :

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

January 11, 1908-

iy

3

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,

write as follows, under date of December 23, with refer-

ence to the sales of West IJndian Sea Island cotton :—

Since our last report about 100 bales of West Indian

Sea Islands have been sold, chietly from Barbados and St. Kitts.

The quality continues good and prices are rather firmer.

New crop from both islands realized from 20d. to 22d., but

the sales include some inferior stained cotton, probably the
remains of last season’s crop.

COTTON REPORTS FROM THE SEA
ISLANDS.

In their report of December 14 last, Messrs. Henry
W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, give the following
particulars with reference to the conditions of the Sea
Island Cotton market :-—

The sales included all of the crops to be had on the
market at below 45c., amounting to 1,300 bales, and all of
the odd lots to be had, amounting to about 600 bales, at our
quotations of last week (Agricultural News, Vol. VI, p. 406).
Factors are refusing to sell odd lots, and are waiting until
they have accumulated stock. Considerable disappointment
has been experienced in regard to the extent of the crop,
which it is now thought will probably not reach 12,000 bales.

On December 21, Messrs. Frost write :—

The receipts this week were composed largely of crop lots
to be delivered on the sales of the previous week. Odd bags
received are beginning to show a considerable falling off in
quantity as well as in quality, indicating that the crop has
been largely marketed. Owing to their scarcity factors were
able to obtain the prices they asked for. The prices of the
week Extra fine, 233d.; fully fine, 224d.; fine, 214d.;
fine to fnlly fine, but not well prepared, 183d.

were :

SEASONABLE NOTES.

Cotton growers will find it worth their while to
bear the following practical hints in mind, now that
the picking season 1s in progress :—

Do not allow ripe cotton to remain too long on the
plants.

As far as possible, arrange for all the pickers to go
together to one field ; this enables a more strict watch to be
kept on the cotton picked, and on the pickers themselves.

A picking gang must be well organized, in order to do
the best work.

Stained and dirty cotton, when picked, should be put
apart at the clean cotton; it is always easier
to separate it in the field than after it is brought into the
house,
Purpose °

once from

A pocket on the picking bag is very useful for this
/ Z 4 b k :

The driver should always be structed to insist on the-
pickers extracting all the cotton from the bolls. There
is always a great tendency for them to leave a little cotton
in the bottom of the bolls.

Too much time can be spent assorting cotton in the
house. It is not necessary to pull it all out so as to make
it have a fluffy appearance. It is not necessary to whip all
the cotton. Whipping should be reserved for dirty cotton
only. Dirty and stained cotton and pieces of dry leaves
should be carefully removed.

When the cotton has been cleaned and thoroughly dried,
it should be bulked from three to six weeks before it is sent
on to the ginnery.

Do not mix cottons which are obviously of different qualities.

GRADE IN COTTON: DEFECTS WHICH
INFLUENCE IT.

In the very useful little pamphlet, ‘Sea Island
Cotton: Its Culture, Improvement, and Discases’
(Farmers Bulletin 302 of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture), the following account is given of the
defects which reduce the grade, and consequently the
market value of cotton. Fortunately, it will be seen
that the careful planter can prevent the occurrence of
most of these defects :—

The term ‘ grade’ in cotton indicates the appearance of
the lint, and colour—qualities
influenced mainly by the manner in which the cotton has been
handled. The price is considerably influenced by the grade.

The following ave the chief defects that have
influence on the grade :

Loss of Bloom or Lustre. The best Sea Island staple
has a gloss or lustre which adds greatly to its beauty
and is indispensable for certain kinds of fabries. This bloom
is destroyed by exposure to sun and storm when cotton
is left long unpicked, azd the staple has then a gray lifeless
appearance, termed ‘mildewed’ or ‘ weather
beaten.’ A similar effect is produced by picking cotton
when it is wet with rain or dew, and storing it in piles with-
out first drying it in the sun.

To preserve the staple at its best, pick often
a week, if possible—and expose the seed-cotton to the sun
to dry. This is done by spreading it in a shallow layer on
a low roof or arbor, where it is turned frequently until
so dry that the seed will crack between the teeth.

Loss of Strength. The loss of lustre is accompanied
by a lessened strength, so that a staple ordinarily good
fails to make strong thread before—an added
reason for better care. Very dry cotton is also not so strong
that which, proper treatment, has retained its
natural moisture,

as regards cleanliness,

an

sometime

once

as a

as
under

as

Nep. Spinners designate as ‘nep’ small white specks

Vou. VII. No. 149.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 7

in the baled cotton, which they find very difficult to
remove in spinning, and which often go into thread and appear
in the completed fabric as white dots. These neps are in
reality tangles in the fibres, which, when viewed under
a microscope, are seen to be weak and undeveloped. They are
due in part to picking cotton before maturity. A boll that is
forced open to extract the lint is a source of nep, as the
cotton in it does not get the necessary exposure to the sun
to dry, straighten, and strengthen the fibre. Other nep
originates with weak cotton from diseased bolls or from any
other cause that prevents the fibres _ from attaining full
development. Such undeveloped staple comes from the gin
full of nep. Poor ginning, however, by weakening and break-
ing fibres, increases loss from this cause. Pickers should be
cautioned against picking unripe bolls. Thorough sinning
will in part remedy the trouble, and good culture, by produc-
ing healthy plants, will do more.

Broken Leaf, etc. The presence of fragments of leaf,
weed and other foreign matter in the cotton
reduces its grade. These are often difficult to avoid, particu-
larly after storms, when bits of the dried square or involucre,
are often mingled with the cotton ; but pickers should be
watched and cautioned against picking dirty cotton. Fortu-
nately, the spinners find it easier to: remove this class of
impurities than the nep previously mentioned.

Short Fibres. A large part of the waste 1s due to
short fibres which have to be combed out. They originate
in part in variations in length of the staple on the seed —
a serious fault, to be remedied by seed selection, Short
fibres are in other cases due to imperfect ginning, which
breaks or crimps the staple and may be avoided by better
management.

Weak The greater part of the waste is due
to the presence in the baled cotton of staple from undevelop-
ed or diseased bolls. The bolls in such cases do not open
and the fibres do not expand but remain matted together in
a ‘hard lock. All locks that do not open out after drying
may be assumed to be worthless on account of weak and
undeveloped staple. Pickers should be instructed not to
gather hard locks, and in the assorting after picking all
remaining ones should be thrown out. S2ed-cotton still
containing hard locks when it reaches the gin can be
improved by setting the stripper bars well back from the
roller to allow the locks to fall through. Close ginning is
a mistake, for it costs the farmer more through deterioration
of his cotton than he gains by the slight increase in weight.

The number of hard locks can be greatly reduced by
bringing the cotton to perfect maturity through attention to
fertilization and culture, and to the control of diseases.

Lack of Uniformity in the Bale. Separate late trom
early pickings. Buyers desire to have each bale uniform
within itself. If, therefore, a late picking is inferior to an
earlier one it should not be ginned and packed with the
earlier cotton, as the price of a bale is determined by the
poorest cotton found in it after thorough sampling.

Yellow Cottor. Buyers invariably complain wher
a sample of cotton contains yellow staple, and the grade and
price are consequently reduced. Yellow tufts in the gin-
ned cotton come from discoloured locks that should have been
left unpicked or been sorted out before ginning. They
orginate, as a rule, in bolls attacked by the anthracnose or
bacterial boll-rot. Their presence in a bale isan indication
of too close ginning.

Sand. A bale of cotton always contains considerable
sand which has been blown into the open boils. This is quite
unavoidable, but when cotton has been left unpicked and has
plown out on the ground the quantity of dirt is increased.

seeds,

Pibres.

AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES OF
GRENADA.

A good deal of information relating to the agri-
cultural industries of Grenada is given in the Annual
Report, 1906-7, on the colony.

The figures relating to cacao production show a consider-
able falling off in the yield during the last two years. The
cacao crop of 1904 reached 67,225 ba In 1905, it fell to
64,319 bags, while in 1906, there was a still greater drop,
and the produce for the year reached only 54,381 bags. The
increased prices, however, which have recently been obtained
should, to a large extent, compensate growers for the diamante
ed yield.

Estimates as to the world’s consumption of cacao, too,
show that since 1902, the quantity consumed has increased
by about 40 per cent. This fact also improves the outlook
for a cacao-producing colony.

The growing of nutmegs and other spices is the
second agricultural industry of Grenada, The figures showing
the exports in this line during the last three years, however,
indicate that the industry is in a very flourishing condition.
In 1904, the spice exports reached 6,915 ewt., and had
a value of £33,767. In 1905, although the quantity of
spice exported increased to 8,862 ewt., the value had
diminished to £27,992. The spice exports of 1906 were
rather less in quantity than in the previous year—
8,166 ewt.; and the value was still further reduced —to
£24,941.

Cotton and cotton seed are exported from Grenada
being produced in Carriacou, where it is stated cotton has
never ceased to be cultivated. It is satisfactory to note that
the cotton crop for 1906 was a_ very good one. In
1905, when unsatisfactory weather largely. spoilt the crop, no
more than 1,899 ewt. of cotton and 4,849 ewt. of seed, the
whole being worth £3,365, were exported ; in 1906, the
exports had increased to 2,799 ewt. of cotton, and 7,526 cat
of seed, of the total value of £8,003. he cotton cultivated
in Carriacou has, in the past, consisted of the Marie Galante
variety ; but it is pointed out, that durimg 1906, a marked
increase was apparent in the area devoted ‘to the cultivation
of Sea Island cotton, and it is believed that the cultivation
of this variety will continue to extend, as the peasants realize
its value. The Carriacou land settlement scheme is reported
as having shown satisfactory progress during 1906, and the
following remarks of the Commissioner of Carriacou, in
reference to the condition of the land already settled is
quoted in the report :— “

‘Itis again my pleasing duty to record the marked
improvement displayed by many of the allottees in the care
and cultivation of their holdings. At no period was this more
observable than during the terrible drought which prevailed
at Carriacou from December 1905, to June 1906.

‘It is also gratifying to mention that the cultivation of
Sea Island cotton may now be regarded as assured among
peasant cultivators. Hitherto, although desirous of embark-
ing onan industry which, from the satisfactory results obtained
by the few pioneers of 1905, and for pecuniary reasons,
seemed specially attractive, the Carriacou peasant clung
hard (and with good veason) to his catch crop of peas and
corn, and was Somewhat sceptical as to whether cultivation of
Sea Island cotton might not interfere with these, or entail
a greater expenditure of care and labour than he was prepared
to outlay. The experience of 1906 has, however, convinced
the doubting ones that good results ave obtained with Sea
Island cotton even under local conditions of culture, and
further, that in the peculiarly adapted soil of Carriacou, Sea
Island cotton is quite as hardy as its Marie Galante confrere.

DP

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JANUARY 1], 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,

Bar bados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Avents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Coe sie one Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

o's Hews

PAURYS alii,

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Vou. VII.

oe JAN 1908. No. 149.

Contents of Present Issue.

The editorial deals with the coming Agricultural
and Canadian Reciprocity Conferences that will be heid
at Barbados from January 14 to 21. A list of
representatives attending the Conferences, and full
programme of the proceedings are given on the following
piges.

Interesting exhibits from the West Indies were
displayed at the Colonial Fruit Show held in London
on November 28 and 29 last (p.4). Pimento growing
in Jamaica, and the method of curing the crop, ete. are
described on page 5.

Cotton Notes include reports as to market prices
of Sea Island cotton, Seasonable Notes, and an article
containing useful information as to the chief defects in
cotton.

The sugar crop results of 1907 obtained on
Diamond Pi: untation, Demerara, show that seedling
canes have yielded 26 per cent. more sugar than the
Bourbon cane (p.10). On the same page an article

appears giving particulars of a method of selective
cane reaping which is descrieea as having given
good results in Jamaica. Particulars relating to the
sugar industry of the Leewart Islands are given on
the following page.

Two new remedies for fleas are described on page
13, where also brief articles appear dealing with the
occurrence of scale insects on mahogany trees in
Antigua, and the connexion between mosquitos and
malarial fever.

jam,

Fruit Fly in Bermuda.

The Agricultural Society of Bermuda is at present
conducting an interesting campaign against the fruit tly
(Coratitis. capitata, W ied.), which has increased so
greatly and is proving such a pest in the islands, that
the most radical means for its destruction appear to
be warranted. During the past year, therefore, all fruit of
the island, known to be in the slightest way affected,
has been rigorously destroyed, in the hope of not
leaving a single opportunity for the insect to breed
this year. The result of this extreme step will be
watched with interest.

EE

The Red Sorrel or Roselle.

Farmers Bulletin 307 of the United States
Department of Agriculture is devoted to an accourt of
the cultivation and uses of the roselle (Hibiscus
subdarifia) or ‘red sorrel, as it isknown in the West
Indies. This plant belongs to the same order as the cotton
plant, and is grown in India for its fibre, which is used
in the mincnfebune of cordage and coarser textile
products. In other parts of the tropical world, how-
ever, notably in Queensland and in the West Indies,
the plant is dcultivated for the sake of the fleshy, red
calyces, which are made into jam, and from w hich the
well-known ‘sorrel drink’ is manufactured. Quite
a considerable industry, in fact, has been developed in
Queensland in the m: annicbare and export of roselle
The peculiar acid flavour of the fruits is due
to the presence of malic acid. Results of analysis
show that the roselle is very similar to the cranberry
in composition. The writer of the bulletin urges the
cultivation of the roselle plant in California, Florida,
and the tropical islands of the United States, on
account of the value of the fruits in making drinks
and jelly.

D> ee

Fisheries of the West Indies.

Dr. Thomas Mortensen, K.D.,contributes an interes-
ting and illustrated article to Atlanten for July and
August 1907, in which he discusses many points
connected with the fisheries of the West India Islands

Some time ago Dr. Mortensen carried out some
investigations at St. Croix, in the hope that evidence
would “be forthcoming to indicate the pos ssibility of
establishing a sponge fishery or oyster-raising industry
in the island. These hopes were not confirmed on
further inquiry, but, on the other hand, Dr. Mortensen
was satisfied as to the great fishery resources that are
available around St. Grae and St.Thomas. He men-
tions that nearly 300 species of fish are known around
those islands, a very large proportion of which are of
economic im ports unce as being fit for human food.
Details are given in reference to several of the chief

varieties, and many other points are also discussed,
such as the question of fish poison, turtle, lobster, and
sea-egg fisheries, and also the various modes of ishing.

Tt is hoped to publish a résumé of Dr. Mortensen’s
article in a coming number of the West Indian

Bulletin.

Vor, - VII. No. 149.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Quality of Paris Green.

At the Government Laboratory for the Leeward
Islands (Antigua), arrangements have been made where-
by users of Paris green may have samples of the
material examined, and an opinion given as to general
suitability for use as an insecticide. By having
a preliminary examination made in this way (for which
a tee of five shillings is charged), the use of unsuitable
qualities of Paris green shovld be prevented.

—<$<————— a ——_—

Timbers of Jamaica.

In the West Indian Bulletin, (Vol VIII, No. 3),
a brief abstract of a paper on the timbers of Jamaica pre-
pared for the last West Indian Agricultural Conference
by Mr. W. Harris, F.LS., Superintendent of Hope
Gardens, Jamaica, gives a considerable amount of
information in respect to the value, for various purposes,
of the different woods to be found in the forests and
woodlands of that colony.

The name Ormosia monosperma, Urb. the Nickel
or bead tree occurs frequently in the list of woods
given in the above-mentioned paper. It has since
been ascertained that this tree is really a new species
and it has been named Ormuosia jamaicensis, Urb. The
tree Ormosia monosperma, has been found in the woods
ot St. Vincent and Dominica. The wood of Ormosia
jamaicensis, the Nickel, or Bead tree of Jamaica, is
stated to be suitable for general purposes in exposed
situations, and for housework and iurniture.

-—o—————_ —™

Dominica Rubber.

A note has already appeared in the Agricultural
News (Vol V, p104) on the valuation of samples of
Castilloa rubber prepared by the Curator of the
Dominica Botanic Station from trees growing in that
island.

Samples of Para and Funtumia, as well as Castilloa
rubber were recently -forwarded to the Imperial
Commissioner by Mr. Jones, for valuation and report.
The Pura rubber was the first produced in Dominica,
but it was stated that the Hevea trees from which it
was obtained gave a satisfactory yield.

In reporting upon the samples, Messrs. Hecht,
Lewis and Kahn, rubber brokers of London, to whom
they were sent, put the value of the Para rubber (which
appears to be by far the best) at about 3s. 8d. per th.
The rubber was seni in the biscuit form, but the brokers
point out that slightly excessive thickness of the
biscuits prevented the latex drying properly, and conse-
quently lowered the value.

The Castilloa rnbber was valued at from 3s. to
3s. 3d. per tb., and the Funtumia at 2s. 9d. to 3s. Slight
improvements in preparation would result in somewhat
better prices being obtained. A similar report was
received from Messrs. S. Figgis & Co, of London, to
whom samples were also sent.

While the results so far obtained, indicate that
good rubber can certainly be produced in Dominica, the
need of further experience in preparation, so as to place
the product on the market under the most favourable
conditions, is also evident.

Souari or Butter-nut. .

Mr. Joseph Jones, the Curator of the Dominica
Botanic Station, reports that a fine specimen of the
Souari or Butter-nut tree (Caryocur nuciferum)
fruited recently at the Layou Park estate, Dominica.
It is believed that this is the first occasion on which
a tree of the species has fruited in the island, although
a butter-nut may be seen at the Botanic Gardens,
which flowers every year, without having produced any
fruit, so far. Other young butter-nut trees, supplied
by the Botanic Gardens, are growing in different parts
of the island and appear to be doing well.

The native home of Caryocar nuciferum is in
British Guiana, where it isa well-known tree. It has
been introduced into several of the West Indian Islands,
and three other species of Caryocar are reported from
Martinique.

The Souari nut is described as having very
valuable qualities, and as-likely to be most remunera-
tive in culture. The taste is similar to the almond
but sweeter. Small quantities of butter-nuts sent to
Europe have, it is reported, found ready sale at good
prices.

The butter-nut tree attains a height of 100 feet
or more, and the timber “is of very excellent quality.

In 1891. bucter-nuts were distributed from Kew
to the East Indies, Singapere, South and West Africa,
etc. with the view of extending the cultivation of this
valuable tree.

a

Vanilla Curing.

A brief article on Vanilla growing in the West
Indies, and an approved method of curing the pods,
appeared in the Agricultural Neus a few months ago
(Vol. VI, p. 299). Fuller details as to satisfactory
methods of curing are given in the Buletin of the
Jamaica Department of Agriculture (September 1907).

The pods should be gathered only when they are
perfectly ripe, and care should be taken in picking to
guard against splitting, since this lowers the value.

The pods having been sorted into (1) long,
(2) medium, and (3) short lots, each lot is dipped
separately in hot water. The water should be at 190°,
and the basket of pods should be dipped three times,
the first time for ten seconds, then—after an interval
of half a minute—for twelve seconds, and, after a second
interval, for fifteen seconds.

Sweating is the next process, this being effected
by packing the pods in good-sized boxes or barrels.
The more pods there are, the better the heat is retained.
The different lots should be kept separate by a fold of
the blanket being placed between them.

The beans are next dried in the sun at a tempera-
ture not higher than 110° F. This process takes a few
days, and the slower it is the better, and more uniform
is the result. The beans should be turned frequently.
Drying may be finished in a shed at ordinary
temperature.

‘Smoothing’ follows, and then sorting according
to length and quality, and finally tying up and pack-
ing, all of which operations must be carried out with
care and skill if the best prices are to be realized.

10 THE AGRICULTURAL

Cane B. 147.
The Attorney ofa very large estate at Demerara
writes as follows in reference to the ratooning properties

of B, 147 :—

We have just finished crop. The area in 5th ratoons
of B. 147 corresponding to that of which I wrote you some-
time back, yielded at the rate of 2 tons per acre, although
cut at eleven months. I had to cut them so early as I wished
to replant with the same variety, but I very much regret
ever contemplating the destruction of such a magnificent
spring of young canes as has come on. One of the same
fields has been kept as ratoons, and from present prospects,
should easily give over 2 tons per acre, as 6th ratoons.
This is surely sufficient proof of the merit of B. 147.

Results at Diamond Estate for 1907.
The following interesting letter, dated December

8, 1907, from Mr. John M. Fleming, the manager of
Diamond Estate, Demerara, containing the results of

the crop of 1907 with seedling and other canes, 1s
published in continuation of previous letters which
have appeared in the Agricultural News (Vol, Tp.
180, and Vol. LV. pp. 3 and 242).

Mr. Fleming writes :—

The results for the Diamond 1907 crop are :—

Seedlings. Acres, Tons sugar Yield per acre.
Diamond 185 106-009 375 a0
D4, 191 £048 12 2°92
D. 145 894:057 2,573 2°88
Bs 208 9403-174 6,846 2°85
D. 4,415 57-089 150 2-62
Dp. 109 854:294 2,097 9°45
Des t625 T4157 171 2°30
D. 1,087 9:282 16 161
4404210 12,240 Qi
Mixed varieties 278°242 748 2-68
Lahania 242-085 647 2:67
Bourbon 1,570°060 3,204 2°04
Total 6,495:297 16,839 2-59

On this occasion, the different seedlings taken together
average 26 per cent. better than Bourbon.

Bourbon and D. 109 are both being as rapidly as possible
displaced by better varieties, and) by the end of 1908 there
should be left but little of either variety.

Diamond 185, as you will observe, stands ont ahead of
other canes, but the area cut is limited, and it
justly compared with B. 208, for instance, of which 2,403
acres were reaped. Next year’s figures may modify the
relation im which they stand to each other.

The year 1907, so far as weather is concerned, has been
peculiarly unfortunate. From January 1 to June 30,
99-74 inches of rain fell at Diamond. Lowered tempera-
sure and lack of sunshine prevailed during six months. The
toil became sodden, and a surface root growth was induced,

cannot be

NEWS. January 11, 1908,

which, followed shortly afterwards by a sharp drought
of two months’ duration, resulted in the development
of the cane being checked, and an unusually low tonnage at
time of reaping. As some compensation for this state of
things, cane juice for the last three months was of remarkably
good quality for Demerara.

Selective Cane Reaping At Jamaica.

The following paper, contributed to the West
Indian Bulletin, Vol. VIII, No. 1, by Mr. A. Charley
of Jamaica, discusses a subject likely to be of interest
to sugar planters in these islands :—

The method of reaping or cutting canes that is usually
adopted throughout the West India Islands involves the
cutting of the whole field clean to about the level of the
ground. Unripe canes are cut with those that are fully ripe,
and all young suckers, many of which are of no value to the
factory for sugar manufacture, are cut down to the ground.
Canes that are, therefore, ratooned, have to make an entirely
new growth, whereas it is possible to save much plant growth
ina field of canes when it is cut, by allowing the young
suckers to remain untouched by the cutlass. These would
continue to grow, or at least, would hold their own through-
out the dry season, and furnish a good start for the ratoon
crop. An entirely fresh growth of suckers would not have
to be depended upon,

The method of selective cane reaping, as started by
Mr. T. Campbell and myself in the year 1875, has resulted
in the establishment of a system that is generally known as
‘picking’ canes. This system is largely practised in the
parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica, and has given very
results.

g good
It is here briefly described in the hope that it may
be of value to other growers of sugar-cane, especially in those
districts where ratooning is generally practised.

In the system referred to, all full-grown, ripe canes are
carefully selected and cut very low down at the roots ;
especial care being taken not to injure the unripe suckers,
as it is by these that the life of the field is sustained during
the long dry months of the crop. The full-grown ripe canes
that have been cut out are then divided into pieces about
4 feet in length and these portions tied up into bundles.
Ten lengths of cane make one bundle, and fourteen bundles
are thrown together into a heap. The heaps are made by
the cutters in intervals through the field, where carts ean
gather them up and take them to the mill. The labourer
is paid at various rates for cutting the canes and making
these heaps. In Westmoreland, ls. is paid for every twelve
heaps, while in Hanover the labourers receive a wage at the
rate of 1s. for every fourteen heaps.

The labourers also carry all cane tops to the intervals
in which the heaps of cane are made, so that they may
be conveniently carted away for use in planting or for
fodder for the cattle. No carts are allowed to run on the
fields, other than in the intervals, and no cattle permitted
to graze or trample over the suckers that are left standing.

It has been found that by adopting this ‘picking’ of
only fullgrown, ripe canes, the roots appear to become
stronger and to grow deeper in the soil, with the result that
the suckers which have been left develop better and give
heavier crops of canes than can be obtained from ratoons on
fields that have clean cut. By adopting careful
‘picking, * ratoons may profitably be grown for a period of
from three to five years, and the expense of planting large
areas every year in plant canes is thereby avoided.

By the adoption of such a system, together with
a judicious use of artificial manures, it is possible that

been

Vou. VII. No. 149.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. ll

Westmoreland planters might obtain very profitable returns
from ratoons.

Fields that undergo inundation from river water, and in
which this picking is practised, have ratooned well for thirty
years. Nasebury piece on Masemure estate, which is subjected
to inundation from Canaan River, was planted in 1865, It
now yields 1 ton of sugar per acre, and this return is estimated
to be more profitable than would be expected from yearly
renewal with plant canes, which would result in a yield of
about 2 tons of sugar per acre.

On my estate Kew, in Hanover, which is subject to
inundations from the Georgia River, there is an area of 150
acres of canes, the date of planting of which cannot be ascer-
tained, since it is not within the remembrance of the oldest
inhabitants of the neighbourhood, but it has been found that
ratooning after picking has given good results.

As an experiment at the request of one of my overseers,
several fields of canes were cut clean, and all canes removed
from them by carts, and cattle were allowed to graze over
them in a similar manner to that now practised in the Vere
district of Jamaica.

The results showed that the fields which were cut clean
gave but light crops as ratoons, and it took them fully three
years to come up to the standard of the remainder of the
estate, where ‘ picking ’ or ‘selective cane reaping’ had been
practised, thus showing that the system briefly described
above is worthy of careful consideration at the hands of sugar
growers

Sugar Industry in the Leeward Islands.

Interesting particulars as to the condition and
progress of the agricultural industries in the Leward
Islands are given in the Avnual Report on the colony
for the year 1906-7. Vhe following form the chief notes
in relation to the sugar industry :—

Sugar continues to be the chief industry in Antigua and
St. Kitt’s; in Nevis and Montserrat it is in a decadent
condition. This condition has just lately been accentuated
in Nevis by the fact that one of the principal estates has
ceased to make sugar, and another—the largest in the island
—has discontinued planting this crop, and will cease to make
it as soon as the crops now planted yield no more canes. — It
has been suggested that a central sugar factory would restore
the industry, but it is difticult to obtain the necessary ciupital
of some £50,000 to £60,000.

St. Kitt’s produced an average crop during the past
season. Much benefit has resulted to this island from the
introduction of new varieties of sugar-cane, such as B. 147
and B. 208, whereby larger crops and freedom from disease
have vesulted.

The crop of Antigua was again small on account of the
continuance of drought. The central sugar factory at
Gunthorpe’s continued its operations successfully, making
2,348 tons of sugar. Some additions to plant anda small
extension of railway were made and paid for out of the year’s
working expeuses, thus in some measure reducing apparent
profits. Towards the end of the year a considerable extension
of railway was made and additional plant added to the
factory, including a Krajewski crusher to be used in the erop
of 1907. This is now in operation and doing excellent
work. The operations of the factory were extended by three
additional estates entering into contracts to supply canes
from 1907 onwards.

Bendal’s factory was improved by the addition of
Babeock and Wilcox water tube boilers. The operations are
greatly facilitated by the existence of its tramway, which

3 miles. The factory
output for the season

over about
operated, the

now extends
successfully
1,178 tons.

Both these factories are under contract with the Govern-
ment to purchase such peasants’ canes as may be offered
during a term of years, Gunthorpe’s to the extent of 4,500
tons, and Bendal’s 1,500 tons a year. There were actually
purchased 1,811 tons at Gunthorpe’s and 4,728 tons at
Bendal’s. This has given great impetus to the cultivation
of canes by peasants, and very much largee quantities are
forthcoming in the crop of 1907.

Improvements have been made in three muscovado
sugar works whereby the whole of the boiling is conducted
by steam instead of open fires, thus affording better control
of the process of sugar making. At the same time improve-
ments have been made in the furnaces, enabling them to
burn the megass direct from the mill without subjecting it to
a preliminary drying. This makes the work independent of
weather conditions, besides effecting many other economies.

was very
being

Exports of Sugar Products From the
United States.

The ee given below as to the exports of sugar,
molasses, etc., from the United States to Great Britain
and other countries, are worthy of note by producers in
the West Indies. hey are taken from the American
Sugar Industry of November 5 :—

The fact that the United States has a considerable
export trade in refined sugar, syrup, molasses, etc., is not
often mentioned in consular reports, or emphasized in commer-
cial statistics.

The bulk of the exports of molasses go to Canada and
the United Kingdom. Although the Dominion has taken
smaller quantities each year for several years, Great Britain
has increased its purchases in much greater ratio, so that the
total exports of molasses from the United States has increased
from 3,819,139 gallons in 1904, to 10,205,885 gallons
in 1906

Refined sugar is exported to Bermuda and to all the
British colonies, as well as to Hayti, Japan, Russia, Mexico,
and many other countries. The greatest increase in exports
in the past three years has been to Mexico, which has
increased its purchases of American sugar from 663,842 tb.
in 1904, to 5) 178,159 thi am 1906. Newfoundland and
Labrador stand second on the list, exports to those colonies
having increased from 1,174,760 Ib. in 1904 to 4,455,881 Ib.
in 1906. The total exports of refined sugars have mounted
from 15,304,560 tb. in 1904, to 21,899,290 Ib. in 1906.

The value of all the United States exports of sugar
products has increased from $2,970,894 in 1904, to
$3,783,971 in 1906.

ANTIGUA’S TRADE WITH CANADA.

The Maritime Merchant of November 14 last,
reported aninterview which arepresentative of that paper
had with an Antiguan merchant, then on a visit to
Canada. Referring to trade between Antigua and the
Dominion, this gentleman stated :—

A large part of our entire business in Antigua is done
with Canada, for the Dominion buys most of our sugar and
molasses, and sells us our fish, lumber, oats, split peas, and
some of our flour. ‘The trade in the last article is increasing
since we began importing the flour of the Ogilvie Flour
Mills at Montreal. This flour seems to keep quite as well as that
produced in the United States, and makes good, strong bread,

12 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

January -11, 1908.

~—— r

GLEANINGS.

The owners of pigs and other animals found straying on
the public roads in Dominica are liable to a penalty of £5
(Official Gazette).

The cacao crop is being rapidly gathered in some parts
of Trinidad. The Port-of-Spain Gazette reports that no less
than 3,030 bags were brought to town on one day from the
Arima district.

Much has of late been heard of the searcity of labour in
‘Cuba, but a recent issue of the Havana Post reported that no
less than 2,535 immigrants, chiefly from Spain, were shortly
expected in the island.

The presence of the American fleet in Trinidad waters
has been an excellent thing for the fruit trade of the island.
One firm received an order for 80,000 oranges. (7'rinidad
Mirror. )

Balata to the extent of 823,940 Ib. was exported from
British Guiana from January 1 to October 31 of the past year,
as compared with 543,651 tb. exported during the correspond-
ing period of 1906.

The world’s egg-laying record for twelve months is held
by Mr. W. Williams of Clarendon, Australia, whose six birds
have laid a total of 1,494 eggs during that period. The net
profit per bird represented by the above production is about
32°25.

Mr. Joseph Connell of Barbados has devised a process
for the utilization of cotton stalks, and other West Indian
vegetable fibres suitable for the manufacture of paper pulp,
ete. He has applied for a patent in the island. (Officcal Gazette.)

The Annual Report on the Leeward Islands states that
725 aeres of Dominica crown lands were, during 1906-7, sold
to small peasants and 983 acres to new settlers. The price of
crown lands in Dominica is at 10s, an acre.

The pine-apple industry of Antigua is referred to in the
latest Annual Report on the Leeward Islands as being practi
cally extinct, as the result of ravages of disease, absence of
shipping facilities, and the greater attractions of cotton culti
vation.

Official returns relating to the trade of Trinidad show
that the imports of flour from Canada, during the quarter
ending September 29 last, exceeded by 500 barrels, the
imports made during the corresponding period of 1906.

The U. 8. Consul at Rio de Janeiro states in his report
that the final official figures of the Brazilian coffee crop of
the year ending June 30 last, place the yield at 20,409,180
bags, an increase of 84:6 per cent. over the crop of the
previous year,

__ The report for 1906 of the Department of Agriculture in
French Indo-China mentions the satisfactory growth of
planted Ficus clastica trees, which at six years old measure
from 26 to 291 feet in height.

from experimental tapping, 223
about 14 Tb, per tree, :

Twenty such trees yielded,
Ib. of rubber, an average of

Molasses, when fed in small quantities to ducks and
poultry, is stated by a well-known poultry farmer in New
South W ales, favourably to influence the egg-producing
capacity of the birds. From a pint to a quart daily was the
quantity given to 300 birds.

An interesting exhibit at the London Dairy Show of
October last, was a quick-working butter churn shown by
Messrs. Robert Boby, Ltd., of Bury St. Edmunds. Butter of
good quality was produced at the end of two minutes after
churning had commenced, and a silver medal (the highest
award offered in the class) was adjudged to the exhibitor.
This churn, known as ‘ Garbutt’s two-minute’ churn, appears
to be made in several sizes, at prices ranging to £10.

The U.S. Consul at Cartagena estimates the exports of
tobacco from Colombia for the present season as 120,000
138 tb. The Consul remarks that there is
a good deal of land suitable for tobacco production in certain
districts of Colombia, and that if tobacco were carefully
grown and treated, it is believed that it would rival that
grown in Cuba and Porto Rica.

bales of each.

About 759,000 acres of land in Formosa are planted
with rice, this constituting about +0 per cent. of the total
cultivated area. The average annual yield of this area is
20,000,000 bushels of rice, or barely 27 bushels per acre.
About half the 750,000 acres is supplied with irrigation
water. (U.S. Consular Reports.)

In reply to a letter from the Imperial Commissioner,
Mr John Barclay, Secretary of the Jamaica Agricultural
Society, writes to say that no sweet potato flour or starch is
prepared in Jamaica, but that all the sweet potatos grown
are consumed in the island or exported to Colon. The
preparation of flour or starch from sweet potatos does not
appear to be undertaken in any of the West Indian Islands.

The extraction and manufacture of wax from the berries
of Myrica cordifolia is reported as having become quite
an industry in Cape Colony. The shrub in question has
been largely planted in the colony for the purpose of binding
drift sands. The wax from the berries is similar in character
to the myrtle wax derived from JJyrica cerifera, and will
probably be found useful in soap making and also in the
manufacture of candles. A nearly allied plant to Myrica
cordifolia, is M. coriacea, which is found in the West Indies,

and which also yields a wax. (U.S. Consular Report,
November 1907.)

Vou. VII. No. 149.

INSECT NOTES.

Scale Insects on Mahogany trees in Antigua.

Mr. J. Jackson, Curator of the Botanic Station,
Antigua, sends the following note with reference to an
attack of scale insects on mahogany trees in Antigua:

A number of young mahogany trees (Swietenta
Mahogoni), planted in and around St. John’s, are at the

4 'd sinm ‘caale. imecacta « nl
present time attacked by the following scale insects : The
Brown Shield Seale (Leeantum hemisphaericum), the

Hibiscus Shield Scale (Lecancum nigvun), and the Orange
Snow Scale (Chionaspis citr?):

Of these, Lecantwm hemisphaericum is perhaps the
most difficult to deal with, as several sprayings of rosin wash
are required before all the insects are killed. ;

L. nigrum can also be controlled by the use of rosin
wash. } }

Applications of whale-oil soap will control the attacks
of Chionaspis citri.

The above three insects are fairly common in Antigua.
They are figured, with others, in Pamphlets Nos. 7 and 22 of
the Imperial Department ot Agriculture—‘Scale Insects of the
Lesser Antilles’, although the mahogany tree is not mentioned
in those pamphlets as a host plant for the pests.

Two Flea Remedies.

Fleas are the cause of so much personal annoyance,
and their part in the conveyance of bubonic plague is
now so well known, that every new means of getting rid
of this insect pest will be welcomed. Dr. L. O. Howard,
Chief of the Bureau of Entomology of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, writes to Science of November 29
last, to describe the following two remedies, which he
states are vouched for by careful persons, although he
himself has had no good opportunity of testing either.

Dr. Howard writes :—

Mr. E. M. Ehrhorn, the well-known Entomologist who is
Deputy Commissioner of horticulture in California, gives me
the following: ‘Fill a soup plate with soap suds; in the
centre place a glass of water with a scum of kerosene on top ;
place the soup plate on the floor in an infested room, and set
fire to the kerosene at night. Fleas in the room will be
attracted and will jump into the soap suds.’

Another remedy is sent me by the well-known writer on
ants, Miss Adele M. Fielde, with the request that I will make
it widely known. Miss Fielde states that during long residence
in Southern China, where fleas swarm even in clean houses,
she made her own house immune through many years, by
dissolving alum in the white wash or kalsomine that covered
the interior walls, putting sheets of thick paper that had been
dipped in the solution of alum, underneath the floor matting,
and scattering pulverized alum in all crevices where insects
might lodge or breed. Powdered alum, she states, may be
sprinkled upon carpets already laid, and then brushed or
swept into their meshes with no injury to the carpets and

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 13

with certainty of banishment to many insect pests, including
both moths and fleas.

Dr. Howard quotés the following extract from
Miss Fielde’s letter :—

Sheets that have been soaked in alum water and then
dried may profitably enclose those that are spread nearest to
the sleeper. ... From 10 to 20c. worth of alum judiciously
used in each room of the house will effect much good in the
prevention of dangerous insects.

Mosquitos and Malarial Fever.

Only a comparatively short titue has elapsed since
the so-called mosquito theory of disease was first brought
forward, and even now many persons affect to believe
that there is no connexion between mosquitos and the
diseases which they are said to carry.

That this relation exists has been abundantly
proved, and it is of interest to note that centuries ago
the medical men of India recognized such a relation
between mosquitos and at least one disease, 1. e., mala-
rial fever.

The following notes dealing with this point
appeared in the Tropical Agricittwrist for May 15,
1905 (p. 712), and were taken from a paper read by his
Excellency the Governor, Sir. Henry Blake, before
a meeting of the Ceylon branch of the British Medical
Association:—

In the course of inquiries into the cause of an epidemic
of malarial fever in Colombo last year, I received a report
from the Sinhalese Medieal Association, in which it was
mentioned incidentally, that according to the ancient Hindoo
authorities on medicine, the chief causes of the disease are
impure air, and water, and the existence of mosquitos.
I requested more precise information showing that mosquitos
were associated with the causation of malarial fever, and in
reply, I received extracts from ancient Indian works. One of
these works, compiled from one of the lost Vedas or Hindoo
Scriptures, must be at least 1,400 years old, since it is mentioned
in writings of the sixth century, The extracts in question
referred to twelve kinds of mosquitos as causing life-destroy-
ing diseases: ‘their bite’, it is said, ‘is most painful, and
causes disease, accompanied by fever, pain of limbs, vomiting,
diarrhoea, thirst, giddiness, shivering, burning sensation, ete.’

Other mosquitos are also referred to, whose bite
causes inconvenience such as swelling, itching, ete.
Sir Henry Blake states that in order to satisfy himself
on the point he invited five Sanscrit scholars of
acknowleged authority, to meet at Queen’s House to
discuss the subject. -These gentlemen testified to the
correct translation and authenticity of the extracts. These
passages, therefore, says the Tropical Agriculturist,
written possibly 3,000 years ago, and certainly not less
than 1,400 years ago, are of singular interest, foreshad-
owing as they do the great discoveries of Manson and
Ross.

The twenty-sixth annual sale of live stock from the
Government farm, Trinidad, will take place at Valsayn, St.
Joseph, on Wednesday, February 12 next. A large number
of high-class animals are to be disposed of, including eighty-
four head of pure and cross-bred cattle, a few mules, pigs of
the Berkshire, Poland-China, Duroc-Jersey, and other breeds,
and also poultry, ducks, and pigeons.

i4 THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. January 11, 1908.

LIME Cnurs AND PRODUCTS.

The information given herewith, is published in
continuation of the article on Lime Cultivation that
appeared in the last issue of the Agricultural News,
and forms a summary of the second part of the
pamphlet on Lime Growing and Preparation that will
shortly be issued by the Department. Further details with
regard to the preparation of lime juice and citrate of
lime will appear in a subsequent article :—

The main flowering period of the lime is from February
to June, and the crop season from June to December.
Accurate observation on the length of time from the date of
flowering to maturity of the lime fruit, does not appear to
have been made, but it is usually placed at five months, and
depends chiefly on the local weather conditions and on the
region of the trees. The yield of limes per acre varies
greatly, but good estate cultivation should produce from 150
to 200 barrels annually, while much land does not give more
than 80 to 100 barrels of fruit. A barrel of limes gives from
74 to 8 gallons of juice, but the acidity varies according to the
rainfail, An estate with a low rainfall may average 14 oz. of
citric acid per gallon of juice, while another in a very wet
district in the hills may give no more than 10 oz. per gallon.

Kight-ninths of the lime products produced in Dominica
is concentrated ‘or sale to the citric acid makers, while the
remaining one-ninth is exported as raw lime jnice for making
cordial. The establishment of a citrate factory in Dominica
will prohably tend to reduce somewhat the manufacture of
concentrated juice, for this factory takes the juice after the
essential oil has been expressed, and before concentration is in
the usual course Legun. The standard on which concentrated
lime juice is usually sold is a pipe of 108 gallons testing 64 oz,
to the gallon ; but in the West Indies, a 52-gallon hogshead
testing 133 oz to the gallon forms the standard.

MACHINERY REQUIRED, ETC.

Many of the old three-ro!ler sugar mills are still i use
for crushing limes. These are usually driven by water power
and in some instances by cattle. On small estates, mills
worked by band-power are in use. The sugar mill with iron
rollers adjusted to crush limes has answered admirably where
the lime juice is concentrated. The machinery required for
dealing with lime juice consists of a three-roller mill driven
by steam, water, or cattle, (iron rollers may be used where
the juice is to be concentrated, but they should be of granite
where raw juice is prepared for shipment for making cordial);
a press for extracting any juice left in the skins after passing
through the mill, strong vats, a copper still, three copper
tayches in which to boil the juice, and coolers.

The Dominica Planters’ Association has furnished the
following detailed estimate as to the cost of mill, inill house,
two tayches, battery and boiling house, suitable for a beginner
in lime cultivation :

1 Copper tayche (50 gallons) £25
| - - (80 gallons) £35
Hand mill £30
Vats £10
Still (80 gallons) £80
Buildings £125

Total £305

Later, as the crop increases, the werks would need

enlargement, and a copper still, and three tayches of a larger
size, would also be required,

The works should be arranged So that the well house is no
higher ground than the boiling house, in order that the juice
may run by gravitation from the well to the storage vats,

from the vats to the-still, from the still to the copper tayches
where it is concentrated, thence to the wooden or copper
coolers, and finally into hogsheads for shipment.

GREEN LIMES.

A considerable business in green limes with New York
and London has been developed in Dominica, the export of
fruit during 1906 being 15,799 barrels, valued at £5,530,
as against the early shipment of {9 barrels in 1891.

The American market demands a small fruit packed in
well ventilated barrels, and the London market a large fruit
packed in small crates of a capacity of 1 cubie foot. A barrel
holds from 1,400 to 1,600 fruits, and a crate from 200 to 240,

Green limes are picked from the trees and are allowed
to ‘quail’ for some days before being carefully packed. Each
fruit is wrapped in paper, and is carefully packed in barrels
or crates. Very great care is required in gathering, handling,
wrapping, and packing.

PICKLED LIMES.

In Dominica a small business is done in shipping limes
pickled in sea water, but during late years the export has
fallen off somewhat. The average export of pickled limes
from Dominica for the five-year period ending 1896, was
1,505 casks, and for the five years ending 1906, 1,000 casks.
A cask holds about 2,000 limes, and they are chiefly exported
to Boston.

For pickling, the finest specimens of sound yellow limes
ave selected and placed in vats into which sea water is pumped,
In two or three days, the water is run off, and fresh sea water
is pumped in. This process is repeated several times until the
limes are cured and the fruits are placed in casks filled with
sea water to which a small amount of sait is added. The
casks are then closed and are ready for export.

HAND-PRESSED LIME OIL,

This is obtained by hand-pressing the limes over an
ecuelle pan, The ecuelle is a shallow, concave, circular copper
pan studded with blunt spikes with a receptacle at the base
to catch the oil. The work of obtaining hand-pressed oil is
done by women, who select the best limes and pass them
quickly with a circnlay movement, over the blunt spikes, exert-
ing sutticient pressure to break the oil cells in the skins of the
limes. ‘Lhe oil runs into a receptacle and is collected from
time to time in bottles, It is then settled and afterwards
passed through filter paper and run into copper vessels for
export,

A barrel of limes should give from 3 to 44 oz. of oil by
this process, and the usual price paid for extracting it is ld.
per dozen fruits,

The yield of oil varies according to the conditions of
moisture. In localities where the annual rainfall is from
60 to 100 inches, the citrie acid content of the juice of the
frnit is high, and the yield of oil from the rind of the fruit
low, but where the rainfall is high—say from 130 to 200
inches—the citric acid content is low and the yield of oil high,

DISTILLED LIME OIL.

Before lime juice is run into tayches for concentration,
it is distilled for the oi], and in the case of estates that ship
raw juice, the scum that collects on the juice in the settling
vats is alone distilled.

The yield of oil by distillation is from 3 to 5 oz. per
barrel of limes, or, taking 30 barrels of fruit to make
1 hogshead of concentrated juice, from 15 to 25 tb. per
hogshead.

The oil is exported in either copper or tin vessels packed
in boxes, and commands a lower price than hand-»ressed oil.
It is used in perfumery and for soap making.

Von. VIT.

No. 149.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 1

wt

ARBOR DAY IN ANTIGUA.

The Hon. Francis Watts, D:Se., C.M.G., has
forwarded a report from which it appears that Arbor
Day was observed in Antigua in the usual manner
on November 9 last.

In St. John’s parish various institutions took part in the
ceremony, more especially the elementary schools. Dr. Watt's
delivered a brief address on the history and objects of the
Arbor Day movement in Antigua, to a gathering in the
Victoria Park, at the conclusion of which his Excellency the
fovernor planted a walnut tree near the band-stand. The
Governor also made a short speech

The elementary schools of the parish planted twenty
mahogany trees in the Klementary School Avenue, leading to
the Camp and Hospital, while the Hospital Staff also planted
sixteen mahogany trees on the road to the Hospital from
North Sound Road. Ten Jamaica shade trees (Pithecolohium
Saman) were also planted in the Hospital grounds.

It may be mentioned, too, that sixteen date palms were
planted by the Revd. C. E. Romig at Potters Village.

Similar activity was evident in other parishes, notably
in All Saints,’ where, previous to the planting of fourteen
trees, the National Anthem was sung and an address delivered
by the Vicar.

Several estate owners observed Arbor Day by planting
trees on their own estates, eg., Mr. Edghill of Vernons’
estate in St. Peters, Mr. Dyett of Fitches Creek in St.
George’s, and Miss Johnstone at Cades Bay in St. Mary’s.

Altogether 241 trees were planted in Antigua on this
oceasion, the chief kinds being mahogany, cabbage palms,
eucalyptus, mango, Jamaica shade trees, and date palms.

Dr. Francis Watts was Chairman of the Central
Committee appointed to organize the celebrations.

JIPPI-JAPPA HAT INDUSTRY IN
JAMAICA.

Several references have already been made in the
Agricultural News (Vol. IV, p. 313, Vol. V, p. 233) to
the manufacture of jippi-jappa hats in Jamaica, an
industry which, if properly developed, would afford
employmeut to large numbers of women and children,
since a considerable and increasing demand exists for
the hats, which form a good and cheap substitute for
the more expensive ‘ Panama.’

An article on this subject occurs in the October number
of the Journal of the Jariacia Agricultural Society, where it
is stated that practical steps have lately been taken to
promote the industry, and to spread a knowledge of the best
methods of manufacture. With this idea several of the
Branch Agricultural Societies have held classes, where girls
have been trained in hat plaiting by an instructress. Messrs.
Kerr & Co. started a hat factory at Montego Bay, which,
unfortunately, does not appear to have succeeded very well.
Better results, however, have followed the institution of
a factory at Kingston.

It is stated that there is always a demand for these hats
by merchants for export abroad, and at such a price as will
pay people to make them, provided good material is used,
and the hats are well made.

The jippi-jappa plant (Carludoviea jamarcensis), known
sometimes as the ‘Broom Thatch’, is closely related to the
Panama hat plant (C. palmata). It does not belong to the
palm family, although it is very palmike in appearance.

The plant is stated to be one that would grow freely in

the warm, humid districts of Jamaica, but up to the present
it appears to have been restricted to a limited district of the
island, along the watersheds of the Pedro River and Wag
Water. It grows well among rocks, and where there is
plenty of rain, and does especially well along the banks of
little streams, where it might with advantage be planted out
so as to cnsure a good supply of the raw material,

IXORA MACROTHYRSA.

Mr. J. Jackson, Curator of the Botanic Station,
Antigua, writing to mention the fact that a specimen of
Leora macrothyrsa, introduced d uring the year 1904-5,
recently flowered for the first time at the Botanic
Station, gives the following particulars with reference
to the plant:—

Trova belongs to the natural order
Rubiaceae, an order in which many economic, and some
valuable decorative plants are included.

The Ixoras are natives of the East. They are found in
India, China, Malaya, ete., the habitat of J.
being Sumatra.

In Antigua, I have seen Zrora coccinea, which is found
in many gardens, and J. maerothyrsa, of which there is but
one small plant in the Botanic Station.

The flowers of J. mcrothyrsa are borne in handsome
terminal corymbs, the colour being a deep red, becoming
tinged with crimson as the flower gets older. The leaves of
this plant are of a deep green, and attain a length of from
8 to 10 inches. It is a flowering shrub which is worthy of
cultivation

Ixoras can be propagated by inserting short jointed
cuttings in sandy soil. They quickly root if kept shaded for
a time,

macrothyrsa

macrothyrsa

RUBBER IN ANGOLA.

Some interesting particulars with regard to rubber
production in the Portuguese colony of Angola
(S. W. Africa) are given ina recent British Consular
Report.

At present the great bulk of the rubber produced in the
colony is root rubber, and is obtained from the rhizomes of
two plants, Carpodinus chylorhiza and Carpodinus gracilis,
the former of these being much the more important. Both
of these grow wild in sandy soil, and the former is reported
as being distributed over vast inland areas, extending both
northward and eastward. The collection and preparation of
this root rubber is carried on almost solely by the natives.
The quality of the produce, after removal of extraneous matter,
is stated to be very good.

Europeans are now, ho-vever, taking up the rubber
industry, the Ceara variety (Manihot Glaziovi/) being the one
chiefly cultivated and giving the best results, The average
yield of rubber per tree per annum is 2 bb., and this, it
stated, commands a price of 5s. 6d. per Ib.
to yield rubber when about five years old.

Landolphia rubber vines also occur largely in Angola,
but these are reported to take twenty years to mature.
Experimental cultivation is about to be made with Para
rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and Lagos rubber (Puntuniiu
elastic), but fo. this purpose plants will have to be imported.
Endeavours are being made to introduce systematic eultiva-
tion and to create a valuable industry, and the services of an
expert botanist from Kew Gardens have been secured, who has
been making extensive researches as to the rubber resources
of the colony, and will shortly issue a report.

IS

The trees begin

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

January 11, 1908.

“New York,—December 13, 1907.

MARKET REPORTS.

London,— December 23, 1907, ‘THe West Inp1a Com-

mitrer CircuLar ’ Messrs. Krarron, Prrer & Co.;
December 13, Messrs. E. A. pr Pass & Co.; ‘THE
LrverrooL, Corron Association WEEKLY CIRCU-
Lar,’ December 20, 1907.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, 24d. per th.

Barara—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/4 ; block, 1/7 per th.

Bregs’-wax—£7 los. per cwt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 114/- per ewt.; Grenada, 92/- to 99/-
per cwt.

Correr—Santos, 29/45 per ewt.

Copra—West Indian, £21 per ton.

Corron— 18d. to 20d. per th.

FrRvuit—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 5/- per bunch.
Limes—No quotation per box.
Pinr-arptes—St Michael, 1/- to 2/3 each.
Grape Fruir—4/- to 6/- per box.
Orances—Jamaiea, 3/6 to 5/6 per box.

Fustric—£4 5s. to £4 15s. per ton.

Honry—22s. to 22s. Gd. per cwt.

Istyctass—West India lump, 1/4 to 2/4 per Tb.; cake, no
quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/5 per gallon; concentrated.
£18 5s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled Oil, 1/9 to 1/10
per tb. : hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per Ib.

Locwoop—£#4 5s. to £4 15s. per ten; Roots, Loi 15s.. bo,
£4 5s. per ton.

Macr—Fair, 1s. to 1s. 8d.; pale, 1s. 4d.; broken, 10d. to
1s. ; ordinary, Is. to 1s. Id. per tb.

Nurmres—75’s, 8d.; 77's. Gd.; 92’s to 103’s, 5d, to 63d.5

4s. ord. to 4s. Bhd per iy
Rum—Jamaica, common, 2s. 9d. to 2s. 11d.; good, no
quotations : fine, no quotations ; Demerara, 1s. 14d. to
Is. 8d. ; Trinidad fair, 1s. 1d. per preof gallon.
Sucarn—Crystals, 16/6 tc 19/6 per ewt. ; Muscovado, 9 4h :
Molssses, 11/9 to 14/9.

Messrs. GILLESPIE

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 21c. to 28c.3 Grenada, 2I]e. to 22c. ;
Trinidad, 22c. to 224c.; Jamaica, 18c. to 20$c. per tb.

Cocoa-Nurs—Jamaica, select, $25:00 to $28-00 ; culls,
$12-00: Trinidad, $18-00 to $19°00 ; culls, $12-00.

Corrre—Jamaiea, fair ordinary, 6c. to 8c.; good washed,
Oke. to 10$c. ; per th. 7

Gixcér—Small to seraggy reot, 18c. to 13}c. per Th ; small
to bright bold, 13}c. to l44e. per tb.

Goat Sxins—Jamaica, 45e. ; Barbados, Antigua, and other
West India, 48c. to 52c.

Grape. Froir—Jamaicas, no quotations per barrel, $1°00
per hox

Limes—No quotations.

Macr— 27e. to Sle. per Th. according to colour and quality.

Nurmecs—110's, 9$c. to %fc. per th. ;

Orances—Jamaica, no quotations per barrel, no quotations
per box.

Pimenro—e. per Tb.

Svucar—Centrifugals, 96°, to $385; Muscovados, 89°,
3°88e. ; Molasses, 89°, $3°10 per ib., duty paid.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lynen & Co., January 7

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

,
1907 ; Messrs. T. S. Garraway & Co., January 6
1907 ; Messrs. Leacock & Co., January 7, 1907.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $4°15 to $4-50 per 100 th.

Cacao—Dominica, $16°00 to $1700 per 100 ib.

Cocoa-Nurs—$11°35 per M. for husked nuts.

Corree—Jamaica, $8°25 to $1050 per 100 th.

Hay—$1°85 to $1°90 per 100 th.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $62°60 to $65:00 ; Ohlendorff’s
dissolved guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42-00 ; Cacao
manure, $42°00 to $4800; Sulphate of ammonia
$72°00 to $75-00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton,

Oxrons—Madeira, $1°50 to $2°50 per 100 tb. .

Poratos, EncrisnH-—$1°50 to $2°10 per 160 th.

Peas—Split, $6°C0 to $6°50 ; Canada, $3°50 to $3°85 per bag.

Rick—Demerara, $4°25 to $5°45 (177 to 180 Ib.) ; Patna,
$3 80 ; Rangoon, $3-00 to $3:10 per 10) tb. ;

Sucar—No quotations.

British Guiana.— December 28, 1907.—Messrs. Wietine

& Fucurer ; Messrs. SANDBACcH, Parker & Co.

So etree Vincent, $10°50 per barrel.

3anara—- Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet

Sacaso—Native, 20c. to 2le. per bb. sas

Cassava—No stock.

Cassava SrarcH—§$9°60 per barrel.

Cocoa-Nuts—$12-00 to $16-00 per M.

Corrre— Creole, 13e.; Jamaica, 12c. per tb.

DuHAL— $475 to $4°S0 per bag of 168 th.

Eppos—$§2°16 to $2°40 per barrel.

Mouasses—Yellow, 18$c. : Dark, no quotations per gallon

Oxtoxs—Madeira, 3c. ; Lisbon, 2$c. per ib. -. :

PLANTAINS—.20e. to 6GOc. per buneh.

Poraros,—Madeina, $3°00 to §

Poratos, SWEE Barbados, $1:20 per bag.

Rice— Ballain, "25 to $6°40 ; Creole, $4°50 to $4°85 per
bag ; Seeta, $6°00 per b: g, ;

RussEn—3,4 to 3/10 per Tb.

Sriir Pras—$4-00 to $7°75 per bag (210 Ib.).

Tanni1as—$5°36 per bag.

Yams—White, ‘50; Buck, $3°84 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°20 to $2-25 ; Yellow, $2:90 to
$3:00 ; White, $3:50 to $3°60; Molasses, $1-70 to
$195 per 100 ib. (retail).

Timber—Greenheurt, 52c. to 55c. per cubie foot.

Wa bana SHINGLES—$3'50 to $5°50 per M.

Frrewoon—$2-40 to $2°64 per ton (3-feet lengths),

25 per barrel.

a.

Trinidad,—December 28, 1907.—Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT

& Co.

Cacao—$18°50 to $19°50 per fanega; Venezuelan, $20-00
per Tanega.

Cocoa-nuts—No quotation.

Cocoa-Nut Om—70e. per Imperial gallon.

Correr—Venezuelan, Te. to 7c. per Ib.

Corra—$2°75 to $300 per 100 th.

Dwat—-$4°25 to $4°40 per 2-bushel bag.

Ontons—$2°25 to $2°50 per 100 th. (retail).

Poratos, Excrisn—$1°60 to $1°75 per 100 th.

Rreu—Yellow, $5°50 to $5°60 : White, $5°50 to 86°00 per bag

Speirv Peas—$6°00 to $6°10 per bag. ¥

ScGar—€5-00 to $5°10 per 100 Wd.

THE AGRICULTURAL. NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES. .

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Volume I. No. 1 out of print. Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price ls. each. Post free, 1s. 2d-
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in the United States and the West Indies. Price 6d. each number.
Volumes V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists.

Conference, 1905. Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.
Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Papers on general subjects :
Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; ete., ete.
VIII. No. 1. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907. List of Representatives ; Presidential
Address; Abstract of Proceedings; Papers dealing with the Sugar Industry, including summaries of
results of Experiments with Seedling Canes and Manures at Jamaica, Leeward Islands, and Barbados.
No. 2. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907. (contd.) Papers relating to Cacao, Fruit, Lime
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PAMPHLET SERIES.
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Price 2d.
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(32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904, Price 4d.
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The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains extracts from official correspondence and from
dther reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in
Agricultural matters throughout the West Indies. : :

The ‘ Agricultural News’ is printed in time to be distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the
local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post free, 2d. The subscription price, including postage, is
Qs, 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d. per annum. Vols. I—V, complete, with title page and index as issued.—Price 4s.
Post free, 5s. Only a few copies available. All applications for copies are to be addressed to the Agents, not to the Department:

(47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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progress and

gents.

The following have been appointed Agents for ae of the publications of the Department :—

London: Messrs. Dunau & Co., 37, Soho Square, W. City Agents: Toe Wxst Inp1A Commirves, 15, Seething
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Company, 16, King St., Kingston.—British Guiana: ‘Daily Chronicle’ Office, Georgetown.—Trinidad : Messrs. Murr,
Marsuatt & Co., Port-of-Spain.—Zobago: Mr. C. L. Puacemann, Scarborough.—Grenada: Messrs. F. Marrast & Cc.,
‘The Stores,’ St. George.=-St. Vincent: Mr. Srantey Topp, Agricultural School.—St. Lucia: Mr. KE. Buckire, Botanic Station,
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on Wil. No. 149: THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JANUARY 11, 1908.

a ACE ee = ae

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano

For Sugar-cane and general use

Pa

Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure
Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure
Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,
Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR DIRECT TO :—
THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS,

London Agency: 15, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C
[137.] Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

| WEST INDIA COMMITTEE CIRCULAR

THE GOVERNMENT STUD FARM,
ANTIGUA.

The half-bred horse stallion Michael is offered
for sale for £40.

This animal is rising ten years, is 15} hands high,
and black in colour. He is the progeny of the thorough-
bred English stallion George Michaelovitch, out of
a Canadian mare.

(Published fortnightly).

THE OFF CWA O}RIGFAIN
OF

THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE

(Estab: circa 1760. Incorporated by Royal Charter
Aug. 4, 1904.)

Edited by ALGERNON E. ASPINALL,
Containing a Review of the- Work of the West India Corn-

mittee, Notes on West Indian Affairs, Statistics as to
Cacao, Sugar, Molasses and Rum, Coffee, Cotton,

Applications should be addressed to:—
The Superintendent of Agriculture,
Antigua.

0 R A N q E B 0) X E . Nutmegs, Mace, Pimento, Ginger, Arrowroot, Lime
Pri. Juice, etc., etc., Home Arrivals and Departures by
The Dominica Saw-Mills have now been
equipped for cutting Orange and Fruit boxes.

the Mail Steamers, ete.

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complaint d of n the Florida boxe S$ can be avoid d.

Published at—

Samples and quotations can be had on
application to the Manager, W. A. D. Allport,
Roseau, Dominica.

THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE ROOMS,

15, Seething Lane,
London, E.C.

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A EORENICHTLY. REVIEW

OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Notre WwliEe Nor 150:
CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAGE.

Agricultural Progress in | Locusts, Destruction of, in

West Indies... 21) Trinidad = 24
Arbor Day, and Tree Market Reports... ... ... 32

Planting ete 30) Orange Growers, Hints to LO
Banana, The Popular 24! Panama Agricultural

Breathing of Plants .. ... 29] Wiealthvof ... .. 24

British Guiana, Labour Pine-apples, Cultivation of 21
adhe pe Oss Pree See Rees @ Rubber Areas of Ditterent
Cabbage Growing for Stock a ea a
SHAN ie = or ountries ab
ma (CM Hsol soo. goa. Neca 2
Condensed Milk, Analyses of 27 | Samoa, Exports from Joc 10)
Cotton Notes :— Straits Settlements, Agri-
Sea Island Cotton Crops 22 culture in ... 19
Sea Island Cotton, Sugar Industry :
Manures for ... .-- 22) British Guiana, Sugar-

West Indian Cotton ... 22 Cane Experiments in 19
Citrus Fruits, Interesting, Cuba, Sugar Prospects in 19
from Tobago Bars Trinidad, Cane Farming
(Gilleameningg! Sag. 4ce ses | adoe ete} Thinks ono Oa PAA Gs)

Insect Notes: Timber, Strength of, as
House Fly, The =... ... 26 Influenced by Moisture 25
Insect Pest, and Its Trinidad, Geology and

RAYASIGCH EoccmEces | cec9t2O: Mineral Resourees of 30
Sleeping Sickness Virgin Islands, Agriculture
Conferences oe ene 26 ABER noc AaB eee wcoce-4 6
Throat Bot Flyin Cuba... 26) West Indian Agricultural
Jamaica, Fruit Industries of 20 Conference, 1908 17

West Indian Bulletin ... 25
West Indian Products on
the London Market... 31

Jamaica, Stock Rearing in 31
Leeward Islands, Agri-
culture in

92
23

West Indian Agricultural Con-
ference, 1908.

ference was opened at the Mutual Life

: Assurance Buildings, Barbados, on Tues-
day, January 14. His Excellency Sir Gilbert Carter,
K.C.M.G., was present, and extended a hearty welcome
— .

~ to the delegates on behalf of the colony.

mr ‘ 2

BARBADOS, JANUARY 25, 1908.

Price ld.

Sir Daniel Morris then delivered his presidential
address, in which he reviewed, at considerable length,
the position and prospects of the several agricultural
industries of the West Indies and British Guiana.

Dis-
cussing the question of exports, Sir Daniel pointed out

The sugar industry received first attention.

that the chief concern at the present moment was in

finding a reliable market for West Indian cane
products. He referred to the favourable market for
sugar and molasses offered by Canada, which

imported direct from the West Indian colonies 79 per
cent. of the total sugar consumed in the Dominion
during the year ended June 30 last.

The increasingly valuable results that have
followed upon experiments in raising seedling canes were
dwelt upon. These canes not only yield a larger

percentage of sugar, but are also more disease resisting,

It is satisfactory to note that planters are recognizing

the value of the best of these canes, and that year
by year a larger area is planted with them. This
is especially noticeable in British Guiana, where

over 30,000 acres are now planted with seedling canes.
estate in
Demerara with 4,404 acres under seedling canes, and
1,570 acres under Bourbon canes, the seedling canes
taken together averaged 26 per cent. better than the
Bourbon for the crop of 1907. Amongst the seedling
varieties, 2,403 acres were under B. 208, and this
variety during the crop of 1907 yielded 40 per cent. more

Reference was made to the fact that on one

sugar than the Bourbon cane.

In a paper read by Mr. Bovell at the Jamaica
Conference (West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VII, p- 78),
it was stated that more profit was derived from the

enltivation of the Barbados seedling canes on the

18 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ee

above estate during the years 1903-6 than would cover
the cost of the sugar--ane experiments at Barbados
since they were inaugurate ! in 1884.

Referring to the situation in regard to seedling
canes in the Leeward Islands, Dr. Watts
following noteworthy statement: ‘If we take ihe exports
of sugar from Antigua and St. Kitt’s at approximately
25,000 tons, worth £200,000, and assume that the
industry has benefited to the extent of only 10 per
cent. by the introduction of disease-resisting seedlings,
this would give the very rough approximation of
£20,000 a year as a value of the introduction of new

makes the

varieties of canes,a sum in excess of that spent in
maintaining the Imperial Department of Agriculture
in its entirety.’

Following this, the Imperial Commissioner passed
on to a review of the West Indian cacao industry,
which comes second in importance to that of sugar,
the cacao exports from these colomies for the year
1905-6 being valued at about £1,500,000.

Cacao is of primary importance in Grenada, where
it forms practically the sole crop, as well asin Trinidad,
where it is worth double the value of sugar. During
the past five years the average value of the cacao exports
1

from Grenada reached £236,351: from Trinidada, the

average annual value of the cacao shipments dung
the same period was £907,083. The exports of cac
from Jamaica of late years have shown a steady increas
as the result of efforts made by the Botanical Depa
ment and agricultural instructors in pushing the cultiy
tion. In 1905-6, the shipments were 52,587 ew
having «a value of £105,907; in the following y:
(1906-7) this had advanced to 50,057 ewt., havi
a value of £190,216. Cacao cultivation is also beige
extended at St. Lucia and Dominica.

Sir Daniel referred briefly to the manurial experi-
ments with cacao conducted by the Department at
Grenada, St. Lucia, and Dominica, the experiment plots
in some cases being adopted as centres at which lectures
and demonstrations are given to small cultivators in
remote districts. This is especially the case in Grenada,
in which island also experiments on a larger scale
are being conducted on several estates with the help
of the Agricultural Department.

The Imperial Commissioner next gave some particu-
lars with regard to the West Indian fruit industry and
pointed out that the demand for fresh tropical fruits
in the European markets would justify greater
attention being paid to the production of bananas, citrus
fruits, etc. The value of the fruit exports from Jamaica

January 25, 1908.

in 1906-7 amounted to £964,781, The only other colony
trom which fruit is shipped in an appreciable quantity is
Trinidad. The value of the exports in 1906-7 was
£4,682. If suitable shipping facilities were available,
Barbados possesses excellent prospects of a valuable
banana industry.

The remarkable extension of Sea IJstand cotton
cultivation in the West Indies during the past few
years, and the present prospects of that industry came
next for review. For the year 1908, there are 24.000
acres of cotton under cultivation in these colonies, as
compared with 4,000 acres in 1903, 11,238 acres in
1905, and 18,166 acres in 1906, Assuming the average
yield of lint at 150 tb. per acre, with an average value
of 1s. 4. per Ib., Sir Daniel Morris pointed out that
the value of the lint and seed from the 20,000 acres now
under Sea Islard cotton cultivation will not improb-
ably reach a value of £250,000. Also that in another
five years it would be safe to assume that the
value of the cotton industry in the
West Indies will be a half a million sterling. Although
in islands like St. Vincent. Montserrat, Nevis, and
Tortola, where sugar cultivation has practically disap-
peared, cotton is becoming a staple crop, Sir Daniel
emphasized the fact that in such islands as Barbados,

total annual

Antigua, St. Kitt’s, and Jamaica, where sugar and cotton
can with advantage be cultivated on the same land, as
otation crops, the position of the cotton must be
that of a subsidiary cultivation.

The lime juice industry and the manufacture of

citrate of lime were then dealt with. In Dominica,
which exported lime products to the value of £55,174
in 1906, the industry is of primary importance. It
and and

recently received attention in British Guiana.

is also valuable in Montserrat Jamaica, has

The
in illustration of the remarkable development of the
rice industry of British Guiana, and particulars in

Imperial Commissioner also gave figures

regard to the growing and export of cocoa-nuts in
the West Indies. Rubber cultivation in the West Indies
and in British Guiana was referred to, and it was men-
tioned that some thirty-three estates in Trinidad and
Tobago are engaged in the industry.

Reference was made to tobacco growing in the
West Indies, and in conclusion the Imperial Commis-
sioner discussed such topics of agricultural interest as
the distribution of economic plants from the Botanic
stations, Animal industries, Agriculture Loan Banks,
Agricultural Shows, prize-holding schemes, and agri-
cultural education.

mah. AG

Vor. VII. No. 150.

NICULTURAL.. NEWS, 13

“SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Sugar-cane Experiments in British Guiana.

At the West Indian Agricultural Conference
lately held in Barbados, Professor Harrison, C.M.G.,
Director of Science and Agriculture, British Guiana,

read an interesting paper on the results of sugar-cane
experiments which are carried on in that colony,
under the auspices of the Board of Agriculture.
The paper referred especially to the period from
April 1906, 10 September 1907.

Dealing with the manurial experiments with sngar-
cane, Professov Harrison stated it had been suggested
by some nowresident planters, on the basis of experiments
earriel out at the Royal Agricultural Society’s Farm in
England, that the falling off in yield on some cane fields
might be due to the souring action on the soil of long-
continued applications of sulphate of ammonia. It appears
that at the farm in question in England, the land has become
absolutely barren as far as the growth of economic plants is
concerned, in of the annual application of
sulphate of ammonia during the last thirty During
his recent visit to England, Professor Harrison visited this
farm, but experiments carried out in British Guiana on his
return failed to indicate that the continued use of sulphate of
ammonia for the sugar-cane crop during the past fourteen
years in one of the experiment fields had been attended
with similar results to those experienced in England.

Indeed, the substitution of nitrate of soda for sulphate
of ammonia, as recommended from England, reduced the
yield of sugar per acre, both on limed and unlimed land
as compared with the return obtained when sulphate was
The matter requires further investigation, but as
preliminary experiments,

that these tests clearly indicate that
on very heavy clay such as that of the experiment
field, and under tropical meteorological conditions, the
deflocculation, or puddling, which would be caused by long-
continued dressings of nitrate of soda, is likely to prove more
injurious to the soil than the souring action of sulphate of

con sequence
years,

applied.
the result of the
Harrison is of opinion

Professor

soils,

ammonia.
Cane Farming at Trinidad.

Mr. Edgar Tripp, Secretary of the Trinidad Agri-
cultural Society, has recently sent to the Louisiana
Planter, a corrected report of the cane farmers’ crops
of 1907.

On the sugar plantations 373,577 long tons of cane
were produced “by the planters on their own account, and
that purchased from the cane farmers amounted to 169,709
tons. For this purchased cane there was paid $340,527,
or about $2 per ton.

The farmers engaged in producing this section of the
crop, which was about 30 per cent. of the whole, were
composed of 6,557 East Indians, and 5,777 West Indians.
From these data it will be seen that the average amount
paid for canes to this numerous lot of tenants was very
small, 12,334 tenants receiving $340,000, giving less than
$30 to each tenant. Still, in its aggregate, this forms a very
important feature of the Trinidad sugar industry.

The largest sugar producer among the cighteen sugar
houses reported on was the well-known Usine St. Madeleine,
the output of which was 13,591 tons, and the Tennant’s Hstate
came next, with a sugar production of 7,037 tons. The
total sugar prodection for the year was 50,564 tons.

Sugar Crop Prospects in Cuba.

Later reports on the present season's sugar crop:
of Cuba are much brighter than those issued a few
months ago.

The Havana correspondent of the Lousiana Planter
describes the great shortage in the crop, which was predicted
not long ago, as a purely imaginary one, and states that
reliable estimates place the crop yield at not less than
1,250,000 tons. This is slightly less than last year’s yield,
which, however, was the largest known in the history of the
island. Later on, it is stated, it is not unlikely that prospects
may still further improve, and last season’s crop be even
excelled. This possibility is due to the fact that the sugar-cane
area of the present year is greater by several hundred acres
than that of last season.

Another favourable symptom is the fact that many mills
are preparing to grind long before they expected to start,
and much earlier than they did last year.

Other estates, having plenty of cane ready for grinding,
will be delayed only because they cannot get their new
machinery installed in time, but the time lost will, in most

cases, be made up by the enlarged capacity of the new equip-
ment.
AGRICULTURE IN THE STRAITS

SETTLEMENTS.

The following are the most interesting of the notes
relating to the agricultural industries of the Straits
Settlements, which appear in the Annwal Report on the
colony for 1906 :—

Considerable interest has been shown in the cultivation
of the oil-grasses—lemon grass and citronella, in several parts
of the island, and the development of this industry has been
active. The cultivation of indigo and vegetables has increased.
Ground nuts are coming into favour again, and some acres
are now under this plant. he fruit crops continue to be
poor, but the planting of fruit trees appears to be on the
increase. Cocoa-nut cultivation increases rapidly.

As to Penang, and Province Wellesley, the rubber trees
at the gardens in Penang were tapped, and a fair quantity of
seed was sold to planters. Agricultural prices were, on the
whole, better than in 1905, while tapioca reached the highest
point recorded for many years. The paddy harvest was a fairly
good one, but the fruit crop was, as in Singapore, poor. Para
rubber and cocoa-nuts are gradually superseding sugar on
nearly all the estates in Province Wellesley, except those of
the Penang sugar estates.

Tapioca cultivation has largely increased in Malacca, and
planters of tapioca are now compelled by the conditions of
their titles to plant fruit trees, cocoa-nuts, or rubber through
the crop, in order to ensure permanency of cultivation
Land planted with tapioca alone soon gets exhausted, and
when abandoned becomes a waste covered with lalang grass,
Immense tracts of such land have been abandoned in the past,
but are now being taken up rapidly for rubber. Small cultiva-
tors are enabled to plant rubber by utilizing tapioca or gambier
asa catch crop to tide over the years which must elapse before
rubber makes any return, and the consequence is that small
rubber plantations are springing up all over the Settlement,

20 THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 1908.

JanuARY 25,

WEST INDIAN’ FRUI.

FRUIT INDUSTRIES OF JAMAICA.

In his latest report, the special agent of the
U. S. Department of Commerce and Labour gives
extensive details with regard to the various agricultural
industries of Jamaica. he chief particulars relating
to the production and export of bananas, citrus
fruits, and are reproduced — as
being of more special interest :—

cocoa-nuts, here

Bananas are extensively cultivated, forming at present
the chief industry, and the leading product of export. For
the successful culture of the banana, heat, moisture, and rich
soil are necessary, all of which requirments are liberally afford
edthe planter in Jamaica. It is estimated that the cost of
planting an acre of bananas on hitherto uncultivated land
is about $57, and 339 stocks are planted to the acre. The
present area under cultivation in this fruit is officially given
at 59,958 acres

Oranges yield abundantly with little or no cultivation.
Improved methods of sorting and packing are being adopted
and exports are gradually increasing. During the fiseal year
1906, a considerable increase occurred in shipments to the
United Kingdom and Canada, while in the shipments to the
United States there was a decrease. Of the output for the
fiscal year 1907, 18,000,000 went to the United States,
50,000,000 to England, and 10,000,000 to Canada. The
cultivation of grape-fruit, previously gathered only from
wild trees, received an impetus some years ago owing to the
demand of the United States market, although this is now
supplied by Floridian and Californian groves. The fruit has
become popular and exports for 1906 show a valuation
of $44,324.

Lime trees grow wild on the pasture lands and yield
fruit of good quality even on poor soil. As is the case of
pine-apples, the exports, however, show a constant decrease
both of fruit and of lime juice: 188,947 gallons of lime juice
were exported in 1902, and in 1906 only 79,822 gallons
valued at $15,574.

Cocoa-nuts are grown in nearly every portion of the
island, the yield per tree being estimated at 100 nuts. The
hurricane of 1903 devastated the plantations
greatly, the present yield being somewhat less than one-third
that of four Careful replanting has, however,
been done, and earnest efforts are being put forth to restore
and extend cocoanut cultivation. About 300,000 more
cocoa-nuts were gathered last year than in the year preced

cocoa-nut

years ago.

ing. The shipments are given at 7,092,298, the valuation
$138,044. Statistics for the fiscal year 1907 give the value

of total exports of cocoa-nuts at $215,000, divided as follows =
United States $150,000, United Kingdom $15,000, and

Canada $50,000.

HINTS TO ORANGE GROWERS.

The Porto Rico Review of December 7 last con-
tained an article which gave valuable advice to orange
growers of that island, as to the best methods to be
followed in order to secure high prices for their produce.
Some of the hints are worthy of consideration by
growers outside of Porto Rico, and are reproduced
herewith :—

Growers must work together and exert an active, united
influence in promoting better methods of culture, transporta-
tion, packing, ete.

They must establish certain grades for their fruit, and
as far as possible, see that these are observed by everyone.
One man sending in poor fruit labelled r
loss to all.

The shippers must exercise more care in the packing and
handling of the fruit while in their hands,

The growers must individually ¢ rercist More Care in the
gathering of their fruit. At present the fruit is gathered far
too green, is pulled from the trees, and even gathered by
more violent methods. Fruit gathered at the proper time
for high quality shonld be clipped off with shears and laid
carefully into the receptacles. Careful gathering and hand-
ling mean extra expense, but this extra expense becomes
less and less as better preparation is made for the work
and the men become more © skilful. Further, the
increase in market value of $1:00 to $3-00 per box will
more than pay for this extra cost. Then, too, the market of
the future must be prepared for. It has become axiomatic
that the certain as wellas the best profits come to him who puts
a really fancy grade of fruit on the market. No matter
what are the ruling prices, such a grower has always
a special market and obtains special prices. .

‘Fancy’ will cause

Growers must ve ever on the alert to find new markets and
create increased deimuands. Growing and marketing are fast
being recognized as distinct branches of the fruit industry
each demanding its special qualifications. The plan that
has sometimes been adopted of banding together and employ-
ing a special agent to attend to the marketing is well worthy
of consideration. The right kind of man in such a place can
keep in touch with all the markets, learn what the trade
demands, and in many ways greatly promote the profit as
well as the development of the industry.

Vor. Walle -Nosx-1'50! THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 21

CULTIVATION OF PINE-APPLES.

The Quarterly Journal of the Bengal Department
of Agriculture (October 1907) discusses the chief points
counected with pine-apple growing, and gives some use-
ful hints concerning methods of preparation of land,
Imannring, propagation of plants, planting, and after-
cultivation,

It is laid down that the most important point to be borne
in mind in pine-apple cultivation is the proper selection of
the soil. Satisfactory growth of the crop depends more upon
congenial physical conditions of the soil than upon its chemical
composition. The land must be of a loose and open . nature,
and above all, must possess free natural drainage. The pres-
ence of stagnant water around the roots is especially detrimen-
tal to the health and prosperity of the plants. This indicates
t>e advisability of planting only on Jand with a porous subsoil.

The number of years during which a pine-apple planta-
tion will stand and give good results depends upon the
thoroughness of the original cultivation. Before planting
operations are started, it is recommended that the grower
should have the ground thoroughly trenched to a depth of
about 14 inches, and well cleared of all roots, etc. The
surface should be reduced to as perfect a tilth as possible.
These operations will sweeten the land, improve its drainage,
and make it more retentive of moisture during drought.
If thoroughly done, too, the plantation will flourish a longer
time before replanting is needed—an important point to
remember, since frequent replanting adds considerably to the
cost of upkeep.

Potash appears to be the most important element
required by the pine-apple crop. This may conveniently be
added to the soil by ineans of occasional applications of wood
ashes. Phosphates are required in much smaller quantity
than potash, and when needed, may be given in the form of
a light dressing of bone meal. Superphosphate is described
as an unprofitable fertilizer for this crop.

A good supply of nitrogen, important for the proper
development of the plants, is best provided by growing and
ploughing in some Jeguminous crop, such as cow peas,
woolly pyrol, or ground nuts. The physical texture of the
soil is also improved by the green manure.

The various means of propagating pine-apple plants by
‘suckers,’ ‘slips,’ ‘crowns’ and ‘stumps’ are referred to, the
use of ‘suckers,’ i.e., shoots springing from near the base of
the parent plant, being preferred by most planters, on
account of the earlier return of fruit obtained by this means.
‘Slips’ grow from the base of the fruit, and often give rise
to excellent plants. ‘Stumps,’ or old plants which have
already fruited, are frequently replanted for the sake of the
vigorous suckers which spring from them. Whatever means
of propagation is employed, it is important that only pines
of first-rate quality be used as parent plants, since it is only
by adherence to this rule that a high standard of produce
can be maintained.

Before planting, the lower leaves should be removed
from the slips or suckers, and it is advised that they should
not be set too deep, and that care should be taken to prevent
any earth getting into the hearts of the young plants, since
this will almost certainly destroy them.

Considerable diversity of opinion exists as to the distances
at which the young pines should be planted, but a plan
generally adopted is to set out the scions in rows about 9 feet
apart with a spacing of about 2 feet from plant to plant in
the rows. The advocates of close planting assert that their
method leads to early miturity and less necessity for weeding

between the plants, while, on the other hand, it is claimed
that stronger and healthier pines can be secured by allowing
wider spacing.

Constant and thorough surface cultivation is necessary
for the best results to be obtained in pine-apple growing. In
large plantations the horse hoe should be used as much as
possible between the rows until the plants have spread and
occupied the whole space, and hand-hoeing between and
around the plants should be followed up in all eases.

AGRICULTURAL PROGRESS IN THE
WEST INDIES.

The following is the concluding portion of the Presiden-
tial address delivered by Sir.Daniel Morris at the open-
ing of the recent Agricultura! Conference :—

I have given a brief review of the position and prospects
of agricultural effort in the West Indies during the last few
years. My object has been to uplift the West Indian
Colonies into the view of one another and into the view of
the Mother Country and Canada, and of capitalists and
markets everywhere. Many of the facts brought forward
will be supplemented in fuller detail by information to be
laid before this Conference by those who have taken so active
a part in the work. In estimating the results of previous
Conferences, I believe we are justified in regarding gatherings
of this character as of the greatest possible value in organiz-
ing our efforts and maintaining them on uniform lines so as
to produce the best results. ‘There is now harmony of action
and sympathetic interest taken in agricultural matters in all
pertions of these Colonies. The West Indies have shown
that they are capable of steadily responding to a scientific
utilization of their resources. They have also fulfilled the
reasonable hopes that have been entertained in regard to the
possibility of improving old, and the successful development
of new industries. Twenty-four years ago ina paper read
before the Royal Colonial Institute, I endeavoured to place
before the English people reasons for believing that there
was even then a prospect of the West Indian Colonies enter-
ing upon a more prosperous career. ‘I'wenty years ago in an
address delivered before the London Chamber of Commerce,
I expressed confidence—a confidence in which I have never
wavered-—that there was a hopeful future before these
Colonies, and that it was within the power of the people
themselves to realize that future, and to bring back some-
thing of the former afHuence of the West Indies.

Since then we have gone far and ‘done things.’ We
have interested one of the largest manufacturing industries
in Great Britain in our welfare. We have been told ‘that
if it had not been for the fine Sea Island cotton produoed in
the West Indies during the past few years, it is probable
that a good many of the mills in Lancashire using the fmer
geades of cotton would have been obliged to work short time
owing to the scarcity of the raw material.’

Still more recently, we have attracted the attention and
warm sympathy of our vigorous and thriving kinsfolk in
the Dominion of Canada, and there are possibilities in that
direction also that may be pregnant of good to the West
Indies.

A strong pull and a long pull should enable us to over-=
come many of the difficulties that now confront us. We
would thus place the West Indies in the way of taking full
advantage of the numerous and valuable resources which, as
I have shown, are lying easily within their reach.

bo
bo

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

January 25, 1908

=

a
pa
i EAN NG

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland write as follows,
under date of January 6, with reference to the sales of
West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Since our last report no transactions have taken place
in West Indian Sea Islands.

American Sea Islands are being firmly held for fancy
prices, but buyers are holding off.

SEA ISLAND COTTON CROPS.

Practically the whole of the American Sea Island
cotton crop has now been gathered and ginned, and in
its December number, the Cotton Trade Journal
devotes an article to the discussion of the size of the
past season’s crop. The accompanying notes
quoted from this article :—

are

Among the men who have made a study of the erop
from an official standpoint in the Sea Island Cotton Growers’
Association, is Mr. J. R. Williams of Alachua, Florida, who
has received reports from members of
both Georgia and South Carolina.
crop out to be 70,000 bales.

that association in
Mr. Williams makes this
He is of opinion that Florida
has made less cotton than last year, while he estimates that
Georgia and Carolina have each made more than they did
last season.

‘7 do not think the Florida crop will exceed that of 1906,’
he writes, ‘while our reports that and
Carolina will make more. It looks as if this year’s Sea
Island crop will be about 70,000 bales.’

The Sea Island crop in sight to date is $0,524 bales,
against 23,511 last year; 47,582 two years ago; 51,101

i=}
three years ago ; 36,685 four years ago, and 30,324 five years

show Georgia

ago,

~ ‘The character of the crop has surprised some of the
trade in view of the fears early in the season that its quality
would be uncertain, possibly very low as an average, owing to
the large amount of replanting done with seed of unknown
worth. It usually requires the greatest of care in seed
selection to make a good Sea Island crop, and as this was
impossible owing to the large and unexpected demand for
planting seed, anything that could be obtained was in some
cases put in the ground. Hence, the trade did not know
exactly what to expect.

Over on the Carolina Islands they have done fairly well
this season with their Sea Island crop. Mr. T. M. La Roche,
writing from Edisto Island early in November, reported :
“cotton has stopped opening here, and this is serious, as quite
a percentage of the crop is yet to mature. The percentage
of lint is quite below normal for some unknown reason, and to
such an extent that the final yield of the crop must be affected.’

Reference has been made in late numbers of the
Agricultural News to a valuable little publication
issued by the United States Department of Agriculture
under the title of ‘Sea Island Cotton’ (forming Furm-
ers Bulletin 3V2 of the publications of the Department).
The general rules and principles give below, as to the
use of manures for Sea Island cotton, are taken from
the pamphlet in question, and should be of considerable
interest to cotton growers in these islands :—

In connexion with the application of fertilizers to the
Sea Island cotton crop the following general rules should be
remembered :—

(1) The best results from the use of fertilizers can be
had only when the soil has been put in first-class physical
condition by deep ploughing and the addition of vegetable
matter. '

(2) Stable manure and compost made on the farm are
cheaper and far more effective and lasting than commercial
fertilizers.

(3) The market value of commercial fertilizers is based
on the nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous they contain,
The farmer should buy only the quantity of each element
that will give the most profit on his soil.

(4) The amount of each element required varies with
the soil so much that two parts of the same field often require
different fertilizing.

(5) The proper fertilizer formula cannot be told from
a chemical analysis of the soil or of the plant, but an opinion
can be forined from the appearance of the crop and_ verified
by field. trials.

(6) More plant food can be purchased for a given sum
in high-grade fertilizers than in low-grade brands. Buy the
best and use less per acre. ; ,

Sea Island cotton requires less nitrogen than most crops,
especially on low and moist soils. All excess of this element
stimulates vegetative development, resulting in tall, coarse,
and relatively unproductive plants, with large, dark-green
leaves. A lack of nitragen is shown when plants are small,
with a light yellowish-green cast of foliage.

The usual sources of nitrogen, or ammonia, are cotton-
seed meal, dried blood, tankage, fish scrap, nitrate of soda,
and sulphate of ammonia.

Nitrogen is the most expensive
ingredient of

fertilizers, costing 1l6c. to 18e. per tb. as
compared with de. to 5e. for potash and phosphoric acid,
and for that reason should be supplied mainly by rotation
with legumes. The effect of cow pea or velvet bean stubble
ploughed in at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
was to increase the next year’s cotton crop 63 per cent., this

figure being the average of four tests. In such eases it is

Vou. VIl.° No. 150.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 23

often unnecessary to purchase nitrogen, except that it may

be profitable to apply about 50 Ib. of nitrate of soda
before planting, to stimulate the young seedlings to rapid
growth. When commercial fertilizers are relied on, the

nitrogen is best derived from the cotton-seed meal or other
organic materials, such as tankage or dried blood, which
become available more slowly and are more lasting in their
effects than the quickly soluble nitrate’of soda or sulphate of
ammonia. ;

A liberal supply of potash is very important for Sea
Island cotton, and farmers outside of the Sea Islands use too
little of it. Potassium influences the formation of starches
and sugars in the plant and appears to be indispensable for
protein formation. The lack of it in the case of Sea Island
cotton may lead to the appearance of ‘rust,’ a disease result-
ing from disordered nutrition. Vields or parts ot | fields
known to be subject to rust should receive an additional
application of potash, in amounts varying in accordance with
the severity of the disease. Kainit is the most common
source of potash, but as it contains only 12 percent. of potash
it should be applied liberally. Muriate of potash contains 48
per cent. of potash, and is more convenient on account of its
concentration and is usually considered to be proportionately
effective. Fifty pounds of muriate of potash per acre would
thus be equivalent to 200 Ib. of kainit.

This element, in the form of phosphoric acid compounds,
is indispensable to the Sea Island cotton plant for its general
development, and especially for the seed and lint. Most souls
are deficient in phosphorous, which is therefore an important
ingredient of fertilizers. Acid phosphate is the usual source,
and on account of its low price forms an unduly large propro-
tion of the average fertilizer. With the exception of
occasional applications of marl, on the Sea Islands, lime is
not used by cotton growers, and there is little evidence that it
would be profitable.

AGRICULTURE IN THE LEEWARD

ISLANDS.

Interesting details relating to cotton, lime, and
cacao cultivation in the Leeward Islands are contained
in the Annual Report (1906-7) on the colony, which
bears evidence to the very considerable progress that

has been made of late in connexion with these
industries. Extracts from the Report are given here-
with:—

The cotton industry continues to make very considerable
progress, and is now regarded as one of the most important
staples of the Leeward Islands. The season, on the whole,
has been an unfavourable one for cotton throughout the
West Indies, but the industry appears to have been little
checked thereby. The quality of the cotton, particularly
in Antigua, has been considerably improved during the last
year or two.

At Antigua, several estates that have not been under
cultivation for very many years, have been cleared and
planted in cotton. A number of young men have purchased
land and settled in the island with the intention of planting
cotton. Some of them are now reaping remunerative crops.
Two additional ginneries have been erceted, and the ginnery
hitherto profitably worked by the Department of Agriculture
has been transferred to a company. There is thus much
activity in connexion with this industry.

In St. Kitt’s, the industry is very successfully earried
on in conjunction with sugar; owing to the easily worked

character of the soil of the island, a crop of cotton can be
grown on the sugar fields immediately before the sugar crop
is planted, thus dividing the cost of cultivation between the
two crops. Cotton has thus, in this island, become a valuable
ally to sugar,

In Nevis, a large area, some 1,700 acres, was planted in
cotton, but, owing to unpropitious seasons, the crop is but
a small one. There does not appear, however, any disposition
to abandon the industry, which will be vigorously carried on
for the next year’s crop.

In Montserrat, the industry has been quite successfully
carried on and has now become a principal industry, ranking
in importance with lime juice.

Very considerable progress in cotton growing has been
made in Anguilla, resulting in most marked changes in the
welfare and condition of this small island, which has thus
been restored to a degree of prosperity beyond what it has
enjoyed for a great number of years.

Owing to conditions peculiar to the island, the crops of
cotton are not heavy ; they are however, quickly, and cheaply
grown, and are of excellent quality. Over 1,100 acres are
now under cotton, and there are three ginneries at work.

The cultural work has largely been under the direction
of the officers connected with the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, to whose efforts the successful field work, the
combating of pests, and the improved quality owe much.
The Department watches the industry very closely in all
its stages, and is engaged in experimental work connected
with the improvement of the quality of cotton, the selection
of seeds, and the study of the various pests to which the crop
is subject. The manner in which the cotton growers and the
Department of Agriculture have worked together forms one
of the most striking illustrations of the functions and useful-
ness of such a Department.

The lime industry both in Dominica and Montserrat is
in a satisfactory condition and continues to make steady
advance. From both Presidencies citrate of lime is now being
shipped on a large scale. The production of this article is
held to be an improvement on the manufacture of concentrated
lime juice. Concentrated juice is, however, still shipped in
large quantities. Considerable quantities of raw juice are
also shipped from both islands, for use in preparing beverages.
Lime fruits are also exported in increasingly large quantities
to Europe and America, Pickled limes also form an article of
export. The essential oils prepared from the lime, either by
hand or by distillation, constitute exports of some importance.

Cacao continues to be one of the most important indus-
tries in Dominica, where the cultivation is being steadily
extended. The Imperial Department of Agriculture has
under its control a large number of experimental plots for the
cultivation of cacao in various districts of the island, designed
with the object of ascertaining the effect of various manures
and different methods of cultivation on the crop. Some of
these experiments have given highly interesting results, demon-
strating that the productiveness of the cacao tree can be very
greatly increased. The results obtained in certain of these
experiments have attracted wide attention and are likely to
have considerable influence on the methods of cultivation.
The details are given in the Annual Reports of the Dominica
Botanic Station and in the West Indian Bulletin.

The Imperial Department of Agriculture has continued
investigations on the pests and diseases affecting cacao, and
advises as to their control.

In Nevis, small pioneer cacao plantations are making
good progress ; small crops will soon be reaped. It is_ not,
however, probable that any considerable area of Nevis will be
found suitable for cacao,

24 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JANUARY 25,

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming. should -be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados,

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Avents, and not to
the Departinent.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,

2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.
a ee lf “a 4] ieee
a9 ical TUNA SUE WS
Von. VII. SATURD Y. F ANUARY 25. L908! Nos 150:

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

Contents of Present Issue.

The editorial of the present issue gives a summary
of the Presidental address delivered by Sir Daniel
Morris at the recent West Indian Agricultural
Conference.

The notes on the sugar industry (page 19) relate to
manurial experiments with sugar-cane in british
Guiana, the extent of the cane-farming industry in
Trinidad, and crop prospects in Cuba.

Figures indicating the extent of the fruit indus-
tries of Jamaica appear on page 20, and an article on
the following page gives useful hints in regard to pine-
apple cultivation.

The manurial requirements of the Sea Island
cotton crop are discussed in an article on page 22.

The Annual Report (1906-7) on the Leeward
Islands contains interesting information relating to agri-
cultural progress in the colony (page 23).

The question of the best method of preparing

rubber for the market receives attention in an article
on page 29.

Agricultural Wealth of Panama.

The district around the Port of Bocas del Toro in
Panama is reported by the U.S. Consul to possess very
considerable agricultural wealth. The cultivation of
bananas is the chief industry, thousands of acres having
lately been planted. Other products, such as cacao,
rubber, cocoa-nuts, sarsaparilla and vanilla are described
as doing well in the district, although their cultivation
has not been developed to any great extent.

Cacao is at present grown only by the natives, who
dry the beans in the sun, using no special apparatus.

Rubber grows wild in the interior districts.
A certain amount of this commodity is prepared and
brought to Bocas del ‘oro by the Indians, where it is
readily bought up by merchants. Sarsaparilla also
grows wild in the interior and is gathered by the
natives. Vanilla grows well, but the damp climate
causes difficulty in curing.

The Popular Banana.

Banana cultivation, the banana industry of
Jamaica and other countries, and the imports of this
fruit into Great Britain and the United States form
the subject of an interesting article in a late number of
the Liverpool Journal of Commerce.

The remarkable development of the banana trade
of Jamaica during late years is described, the figures
given, which are qnoted from the Inland Revenue Report
of the island showing that during the nine years trom
1896 to 1905, the banana area of Jamaica had increased
from 19,227 to 44,325 acres.

British imports from Jamaica in 1905 reached
1,200,000 bunches of bananas—a vast increase compared
with the 500,000 bunches :mported in 1901.

Costa Rica has of late years become the premier
banana-producing country of the world, and in respect
to quantity shipped, heads the list of countries
exporting the fruit to England, sending no less than
2,061,705 bunches in 1905.

>
Destruction of Locusts in Trinidad.

The Loenst Destruction Ordinance that has been
in force up to the present in Trinidad provides for the
destruction of locusts at the expense of the Government
only. The effect of this has been that when destrue-
tion of locusts becomes necessary, owners of infested
areas have left everything to be done by the Govern-
ment agents,

An amendment to the Ordinance, however, has
received the approval of a Select Committee of the
Legislative Council,and will probably soon become law.
This proposes that a notice shall be served on the owner
er occupicr of lands troubled with locusts, ordering
him to take measures for the destruction of the pests
within a given time, at his own expense. If this order
is not carried out within the time allotted, the agent of
the Government may enter the lands, and destroy the
locusts, the expense of this operation being charged to
the owner or occupier, unless the Governor shall ‘direct
otherwise.

Vor. VII. No. 150.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 2

Po) |

Strength of Timber as influenced by Moisture.

A large amount of interesting information dealing
with the influence of moisture upon the strength of
different kinds of timber, is contained in a pamphlet
recently issued by the Forest Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture.

From a consideration of the particulars given it
is at once evident how very different degrees of
strength may be given to two boards of the same piece
of timber by different methods of seasoning.

One of the first results of the seasoning of wood
is the evaporation of the moisture contained in the
interior of the individual cells. This naturally lessens
the weight of timber, but it is not until the moisture
in the substance of the vell-walls themselves begins to
evaporate, that the strength of the timber is affected.
When the cell content of water has evaporated, but
the moisture in the substance of the cell walls is still
present, the wood is at what is known as ‘fibre
saturation point, and from this stage to absolute
dryness there is a remarkable gain of strength in
the wood.

Exposure to atmospheric conditions may bring
about a reabsorption of moisture, but still if proper
seasoning has taken place, most woods remain from
50 to 150 per cent. as strong as when in-the green
condition. The importance of care in seasoning timber
is therefore at once evident.

Labour Conditions in British Guiana.

A note in the Agricultuval News (Vol. VI, p. 392),
commented on the labour difticulty.in British Guiana,
and the effect of the developing rice industry in attract-
ing the East Indian immigrants from work on sugar
plantations. as ;

In its review of the agricultural conditions in the
colony during 1907, the Demerara Argosy reverts to
this subject, and states that, in spite of the offer of
increased wages, cane growers were unable to carry
out the tillage operations at the proper time, and
during the reaping season it was found impossible to
keep the mills regularly supplied with canes.

The number of East Indians at present resident
on sugar estates in British Guiana is given at 71,000,
and of these a large number devote a considerable
portion of their time to rice growing. ‘There are some
63,000 coolies not resident on sugar estates, but
employed in connexion with other industries,

The Argosy refers to che fact that other agri-
cultural industries, as rubber, fibre, and limes are
beginning to show signs of development, but remarks
that, under present labour conditions, it is impossibie
for any one industry to make an important advance
except at the expense of others. —

It is unfortunate that this difficulty exists in
a colony which possesses so many possibilities of
development, since capitalists will necessarily be shy of
investing capital in a country where the labour supply
is insufficient for the industries already established.

Interesting Citrus Fruits from Tobago.

Mr. D. Macgillivray of Tobago recently forwarded
two interesting specimens of citrus fruits to the Imper-
ial Commissioner of Agriculture. One was a Labuan
pomelow, which Mr. Maegillivray has succeeded in
propagating in Tobago. These pomelows, he states, are
usually thornless and seedless. Cuttings supplied by
Mr. Macgillivray have been raised at the Trinidad
Botanic Gardens

Mr. Millen of Tobago also obtained cuttings of
the pomelow, and has been successful in propagating
the plants by budding on sour orange stocks.

The second fruit sent has the shape of a shaddock
but is very rough-skinned. It is from a seedling of the
pomelow tree, and is thought to be the result of a cross
between the pomelow and a sweet orange. Both fruits
are possessed of an excellent flavour.

West Indian Bulletin.

A new number of the West Indian Bulletin
(Vol. VIII, No. 3) has just been issued from the press.
It contains papers relating to Animal Industry, Agri-
cultural credit and loan banks, Agricultural Education,
and one or two papers on miscellaneous subjects, which
were to have been read at the Jamaica Agricultural
Conference of 1907.

The Hon. B. 8. Gosset’s article ‘ Indian Cattle -in
Jamaica, givesa considerable amount of useful informa-
tion concerning the ditferent breeds, and their value
from the point of view of the dairy and as_ beef
producers as well as animals of draught.

Interesting particulars in reference to horse and
mule breeding in the island are contained in Mr. S.C.
Burke’s paper * Horses and Horse Breeding in Jamaica,
while any agriculturist who may be thinking of taking
up dairy work in tlhe colony, will find Mr. T. P.
Leyden’s article ‘Dairying in Jamaica,’ full of useful
information and valuable suggestions.

The subject of agricultural education, in different
aspects, is discussed in no less than ten papers in this
number, The Revd. Canon Simms, M.A., writes on
‘ Agricultural and Scientific Teaching in the Secondary
Schools of Jamaica’; the Hon. H. H. Cousins,
M.A., F.LC., discusses the difficulties in the way of
establishing a thorough scheme of agricultural educa-
tion in Jamaica, while the Hon. 'Il’. Capper, B.A., B.Sc.,
describes the work done through the medium of
Nature Study, School Gardens, ete., to extend agri-
cultural knowledge in the elementary schools of
Jamaica.

The conditions of agricultural education in Barba-
dos are reviewed in two papers, by his Lordship the
Bishop of Barbados, and by the Revd. H. A. Dalton,
D.D., respectively, the former discussing the subject
generally, while Dr. Dalton’s paper is confined to the
work done in Secondary Schools.

It is worthy of mention that a Conference number
of the Bulletin (65 pages) containing a summary
of the proceedings of the Conference of 1908 was
issued on Tuesday, January 15, the day after the
Conference closed.

26 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JANUARY 25, 1908

INSECT NOTES.

Throat Bot Fly in Cuba.

The accompanying vote on the occurrence of the
throat bot fly in Cuba is published in the report of the
proceedings at the recent Conference of the U.S. Associa-
tion of Economic Entomologists :—

Although the horse bot (Gastrophilus equa, Fab.) is
commonly known in Cuba, it does not appear that G. nasalis
has yet been reported. Specimens of the latter had been
obtained from Texas, Kansas, and Wyoming. Now it has
been taken flying about the plough mules here on the grounds
of the Agricultural Station.

This occurrence is specially interesting, because with it
may be noted an apparent divergence in habit. Ordinarily
it has said to annoy animals by striking for the vicinity of
che neck for the deposition of its eggs. Here, as we have
cbserved, it flies almost entirely beneath the body. Whether
this shows any definite indication of a difference in the egg-
laying habit remains to be determined.

The House Fy.

In a pamphlet recently published by the Health
Committee of the City ot Liverpool, Mr. Robert
Newstead has given the results of investigations carried
out by him into the life-history and breeding habits of
the common honse fly (AZusca domestic).

This insect is so well known that it may seem strange
that there is anything new to learn in reference to it.
Mr. Newstead, however, has been able to produce some new
and interesting facts. He finds that the fly breeds in ferment-
ing vegetable matter in preference to any other. Stable
manure provides the best material, but ash pits containing
refuse of various sorts also contained the maggots though in
a far less degree. The fly does not breed, like the blue-
bottle and many other carrion feeders, in decaying animal
matter. The maggot stage varies mtich in its duration,
being shortest (about a week) in warm, fermenting media,
and this points to the desirability of emptying ashpits, etc.,
at frequent intervals. Poultry search very greedily for the
grubs, and thus help to keep the number of flies down in
places where stable manure or other litter accumulates.

The information thus gathered by Myr. Newstead is of
considerable economic value, as indicating the best means of
preventing the rapid multiplication of so troublesome a_ pest.

Now that the breeding habits of this pest have become
known, it is more possible to devise suitable means for its
destruction, and at a time in its life-history when it is most
vulnerable.

Preventive measures become the more imperative when
it is remembered that besides the annoyance which it causes,
the house fly is one of the common agents responsible for the
spread of certain diseases. owing to the’ filthy habits of
feeding which characterize the adult inseet.

An Insect Pest andits Parasite.

The following interesting note, published in
the Report of the U.S. Association of Economic
Kntomologists, was contributed by Mr. C. F. Baker of
Cuba :-—

A common fruit which cecurs in gardens in Cuba is the
tree gooseberry, (! Phyllanthus Emblica). This tree is com-
pletely and rapidly defoliated by a most pernicious pest
the larva of Melanchroia geometroides, Walk. As far as I had
observed until recently none of the parasitic enemies of this
insect appeared to exercise any check upon it. One day how-
ever in visiting a tree swarming with the larvae and almost
defoliated, I discovered that numbers of them were dead and
dying, their blackened skins hanging from the tree or lying on
the ground beneath. Drawing nearer I found that the larvae
were being attacked by a very small sucking fly, from one to
half-a-dozen being perched on each Jarva on which they
remained until it was sucked dry. Mr. Coquillet has kindly
determined this fly as Ceratopoyon eriphorous, Will., previously
reported only from the island of St. Vincent. This mosquito
like method of attack and its remarkable efficacy is very
novel and interesting. :

Sleeping Sickuess Conferences.

A second International Conference on Sleeping

. , . . . e

Sickness was to have met at the British Foreign

Office on November 1 last, but this gathering has been
postponed for a time.

The London 7%mes states that this is in deference to the
wishes of the German Government, which has pointed out
the advantage that would be gained if their delegates were in
a position to submit to the Conference the fruits of the recent
labours of Professor Koch. Professor Koch has lately been
engaged in an exhaustive inquiry into the question of Sleep-
ing Sickness, and has spent a considerable time in the infected
districts of Africa. \‘'He has now returned to Berlin, where he
is at present engaged in the preparation of his report.

As this work must necessarily occupy a considerable
time, the Conference is unlikely to assemble before the
middle of February.

The Zimes also states that an independent Sleeping
Sicknesss Committee, with Sir Alfred Jones as Chairman, has
also been formed at Liverpool. This Committee has for its
object the collection of information dealing with Sleeping
Sickness, the stimulation of research into the cause, method
of transference, and cure of the disease, and the publication,
from time to time, of communications with reference to it.
The Committee includes the names of several eminent scien-
tific and medical men.

RUBBER AREAS OF DIFFERENT
COUNTRIBS.

At a meeting held not long ago in Mexico City, of
Mexican rubber planters, Dr. Pehr Olsson-Seffer made
the following statement in reference to the areas of
planted rubber in Mexico and in other countries of the
world :—

From data at hand I would consider the world’s area of
rubber plantations to be 355,000 aeres, distributed as follows -
Mexico, 95,000 acres; Malay Peninsula, 92,000 - Ceylon,
85,000 ; Africa, 30,000: Central America, 14,000: Java.
10,000; India, 8.200; Brazil, 6,000:. Venezuela. 6 100 :
Ecuador, 3,000 ; Borneo, 2,000 ; Colombia, 1,800 ; and "West
‘Indies, 1,600, "

Vou. VII. No. 150. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 2

~I

ANALYSES OF CONDENSED MILK.

It may be of some interest to consumers and
others to reproduce the results of analysis of several
samples of the various classes of condensed milks on
the market. It is believed that these figures, which
were published in the Chemical News on November
8 last, by Mr. F. J. Lloyd, F.LC, a well-known public
analyst in England, are representative of the composi-
tion of the different classes of milk.

Analyses of five samples of machine-skimmed condensed
milk show that fat may vary from 0°30 to 1°26 per cent.;
casein, 9°05 to 11°10 per cent.; sugar, 62°77 to 65°94 per cent.;
ash, 2°26 to 2°48 per cent ;and water, 20°26 to 24°66 per cent.
3oric acid was found ineach sample, being present to the
extent of from 0°25 to 0°43 per cent. No other preservative,
such as formalin or salicylic acid, was found present.

In three samples of full cream (sweetened) condensed
milk examined, the fat ranged from 8°20 to 11°13 per cent.;
casein, $36 to 10°95 per cent.; sugar, 58°21 to 65°46 per
cent.; ash, 2°0 to 2°84 per cent.; water, 13-04 to 18°70 per
cent. Boric acid was present in small quantity in two of the
samples.

A full-cream unsweetened condensed milk was found to
contain fat, 10°13 per cent.; casein, 10°86 per cent.; sugar,
9°55 per cent.; ash, 1-74 per cent.; water, 67°72 per cent.

Here it may be mentioned that the average
composition of cows’ milk may be takenas: Fat, 3°75
per cent.; casein, 3:10 per cent.; albumen, 0°54 per
cent.; milk sugar, 4°80 per cent.; ash, 0'7 per cent.: or,
total solids, 12 89 per cent.; water, 87°71 per cent.

CABBAGE GROWING FOR STOCK IN
CUBA.

A late number of the Boletin de la Secretaria de
Agricultura contains an article dealing with the grow-
ing of cabbages as a food for live stock in the island of
Cuba, where this cultivation has been introduced from
the United States.

The cabbage which has been acclimatized in Cuba is
a well-known variety of English origin, known as the Dwarf
Essex cabbage. It yields a large quantity of nutritious and
succulent food, which is much appreciated by all kinds of live
stock.

This cabbage is stated to Hourish on all kinds of soil in
Cuba, except on very moist clay soil. The seed is sown
during the later months of the year, or in January, February
or March of the following year, in furrows from 36 to 40
inches apart, this distance Jeaving ample space for the passage
of tillage and weeding instruments between the rows of
cabbages.

When the cabbage seed is drilled in rows, about 23 Ib.
are used per acre; when sown broadcast twice this quantity
is required.

Growers in Cuba who raise this crop as a stock food
ent, each morning, just the quantity required for the day’s
food of the live stock. If cut and not consumed till the
following day, the cabbages become dry and unpalatable.

The practice followed is to cut the cabbages about 4
inches above the ground ; the stumps bud again and a second
crop is obtained.

The enormous amount of stock food yielded by this crop
in Cuba will be understood when it is stated that a weight of
nearly 150 tons per acre per annum was obtained on land

which had only received a small amount of farmyard manure
together with a light dressing of potassium chloride.

When fed to sheep and pigs, the cabbages can be simply
placed in the open field, the animals being allowed to eat
them at will. It is mentioned, however, that in feeding to
cattle the best results are obtained by giving the cabbages
in conjunction with other green food, or with corn, In
connexion with milking cows, it is well known that if fed in
any quantity, cabbages impart an unpleasant flavour to the
milk of these animals.

The writer of the article states his conviction that,
with improved knowledge on the part of stock owners ot
the value of the crop in raising and fattening cattle and other
kinds of live stock, cabbage culture will be largely extended
in most countries where stock keeping is carried on, and the
results which are reported ‘rom Cuba should certainly
encourage stock owners to at least devote a small area to an
experimental cultivation of the crop.

AGRICULTURE IN THE VIRGIN

ISLANDS.

At a meeting held at the Court House, Road
Town, Tortola, on December 4 last, the Hon. Francis
Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc., Superintendent of Agriculture
for the Leeward Islands, delivered an address dealing
with the agricultural resources of the Virgin Islands.
His Honour the Commissioner, Dr. Earl, presided over
the gathering, which included the Revd. H. Easter, the
Revd. C. R. Trace, and Mr. W. C. Fishlock the Agri-
cultural Instructor. Mr. Fishlock has forwarded the
accompanying account of the proceedings :—

Dr. Watts sketched the progress of the cotton industry
in the Presidency from the beginning to its present state of
development. He described the chief difficulties met with by
planters who set out to grow cotton crops of high quality,
and pointed out the great need of care and watchfulness on
the part of the growers.

The speaker assured those present that the Department
of Agriculture was anxious to do everything possible to
encourage and assist the development of the cotton industry,
and in this connexion he referred to the recent improvements
at the cotton factory under the control of the Department.
At this factory enlargement had lately been made and a new
oil engine is being procured, the total expenditure being
about £250.

Last year, cotton to the value of about £350 was
purchased by the factory from small growers, but it was
stated by Dr. Watts that this year the Department expected
to buy about twice that amount.

Interesting reference was made to the question (discussed
in a recent number of the Agricultural News, Vol. VI, p.395)
of the possible establishment of a small cacao industry in the
Virgin Islands. It was suggested that much useful information
might be obtained if cacao plants were experimentally grown
in the more favourable localities of the islands, in the hope
that the same success might attend these trials as was
obtained with the cacao plots at the Experiment Station.

Dr. Watts also spoke encouragingly of the efforts which
are being made to establish a lime industry in the Virgin
Islands. Up to the present, something has been done by
buying up fruit from small growers, and manufacturing
concentrated lime juice. This-is~a new source of profit to
small growers, for in the past limes have to a large extent
simply rotted under the trees.

In conclusion a hearty vote of thanks was accorded
Dr. Watts for his helpful and valuable address.

28 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JANUARY 25, 1908.

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—_

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¢ er

2
ez
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GLEANINGS,

The exports of pimento from Jamaica during 1907
reached 85,000 ewt., valued at $380,000, Of this, the United
States took 40 per cent.

The average rainfall that oceurred in the Virgin Islands
during 1906-7 was 53°62 inches, as compared with an average
of 55°66 inches over the past five years.

The average rainfall experienced in British Guiana dur-
ing the year 1907 reached 120 inches. The average for the
first six months of the year was 84 inches.

The land under sugar-cane cultivation in British Guiana
durine 1907 was 73,471 acres, exclusive of about 2,500
acres cultivated by farmers. The area under seedlings, as
already indicated, is over 30,000 acres.

An ostrich farm has been started in Cuba~as an experi-
ment. At present the owner possessesabout forty-eight ostriches.
The valuc of the full-grown birds is from $300 to 5400 each.

Ginger exports from Jamaica during 1906-7 showed
a falling off in quantity, but there was an increase in value
of nearly £11,900 as compared with the shipments of 1905-6.

Jamaican grape fruits of medium size are retailed in
London at 4d. each, while the Jevger sizes fetch as much as
S/o each. (London Daily Mail )

The sugar crop of Porto Rico for the year 1906 amounted
to 205,000 tons. This indicates an increase in sugar produc-
tion of 200 per cent. in the last five years.

The United States Consul at Odessa reports that in his
district refined cocoa-nut oil is being largely sold as a butter
substitute. Oleomargarine, a well-known substitute composed
cheifly of animal fats, has quite been driven from the market.

Thirty-three bales of Sea Island cotton and 136 bales of
Marie Galante were ginned at the Government Cotton
Ginnery, Hillsborough, Carriacou, during the year 1906-7.
(Annual Report.)

A first consignment of cassava starch has been shipped
to England by Messrs. Etherington from their factory in
Dominica. Shipments of cassava starch have been recently
sent from Jamaica to London, and the results are certainly
promising.

The fruit growers of Porto Rico, representing a capital
of about $4,000,000, have recently formed a protective associa-
tion in order to be able to make more favourable terms with
the steamship companies for transport of their produce.

The Gardeners’ Chronicle states that a Norwegian
company has bought a large area of land at Toatal near
Passacoa in Cuba, with the object of cultivating pine-apples
and bananas for the home market. A manager well acquainted
with West Indian conditions hds been appointed.

Russian egg exporters haveadopted the method of shipping
their produce without the shells. In this way excessive
freight is avoided, as also loss from breakage, ete. These
eggs are put up in air-tight boxes, and may be purchased
with or without salt ; they are sold by weight and appear to
be popular on the continent, although they do not seem to
suit the English trade (British National Druggist.)

Praedial larceny, or the theft of growing crops, has
lately been causing a great deal of trouble in Jamaica.
A recent number of the Daly Telegraph reports the trial of
21 such cases in the police courts. The usual punishment
appears to be three months imprisonment. These thefts are
particularly hard upon the small peasant proprietor.

Uhe December number of the Journal of the Jamaica
Agricultural Society comments strongly on the unsanitary
conditions under which the milk supply of Kingston is
produced. Having regard to the readiness with which
disease may be carried through the medium of milk, this is
a matter needing immediate attention from the Agricultural
Society and others in the island.

The Liverpool press recently published a letter from
Mr. Chamberlain to Sir. Alfred Jones, in which the late
Secretary of State for the Colonies offers his congratulations on
the progress of the cotton industry in Jamaica. Mr. Cham-
berlain added that he will be interested to learn of the
success of the efforts that are being made in Jamaica to
encourage cotton growing amongst small landowners.

The raising of Sicilian lemons is under experiment in
Porto Rico, where a plantation of 10,000 trees has recently
been established. ‘The trees were imported from one of the
best lemon-growing «districts of Sicily. ‘lhe specimens so far
produced in Porto Rico appear to equal the best grade of
Sicilian lemons. These results appear to promise a new
industry for the island. (U.S. Consular R port.)

A note in the Loutstana Planter draws attention to the
extraordinary development of the sugar industry in Porto
Rico. The value of the sugar imported by the States from
Porto Rico was in 1897, no more than $1,500,000. The
figure for 1907 is $15,000,000—a ten-fold increase. This
also practically indicates that the total output of sugar from
the island at present is ten times what it was in 18¥7.

A note in the Agricultural News (Vol. VI, p. 360)
mentioned that a shipment of bananas from Trinidad had
recently been made to France by the steamer Guadeloupe.
It has later been reported in the Port-of-Spain JWirror that
a price of $3 per buneh was realized for the fruit, but that
the expenses were high in consequence of the Import duty on
foreign fruit. The same paper states that 600 more bunches
cf bananas are being sent by the next mail.

Wor. VII. No. 150. THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS: 29

THE BREATHING OF PLANTS.

A reprint of a lecture on the above subject,
‘delivered at the New York Botanic Gardens, appears
in a late number of the Journal of the Botanic
Gardens. 'Uhe fallacy of the popular idea—taken
literally—that plants differ from animals in that
while the latter breathe in oxygen and_ breathe
out carbon dioxide, the former absorb carbon dioxide
and exhale oxygen, is explained, and it is shown that
respiration or the absorption of oxygen, with its
consequent exhalation ef carbon dioxide is carried on
by every part of a living plant—leaves, flowers, stem,
and roots. The following extracts are from the
lecture in question :—

Great differences exist between certain animals, as well
as between certain plants, but the process of respiration is
everywhere the same. Even dry seeds, which certain German
physiologists have considered as in a condition of * Scherntodt ’
(apparent death), are respiring. The bouquets in our vases,
the celery and lettuce on our tables, as well as the trees,
shrubs, and herbs, indoors and out, are constantly taking in
oxygen, exchanging it in the living cells for carbon dioxide,
and returning the latter to the surrounding air.

Even in regard to the amount and rate of respiration
the supposed difference between animals and plants breaks
down. Under favourable conditions the process may even
be more active in plants than im animals. In man tke
carbon dioxide produced in twenty-four hours equals about
1-2 per cent. of the body weight, but in some of the moulds
the amount has been found to equal 6 per cent of the dry
weight of the plant. Bulk for bulk, the very active bacteria
may consume oxygen 200 times more rapidly than man. In
both kingdoms respiration is accompanied by an evolution
-of heat.

In plants, as in animals, the rate of respiration varies
with the age of the organism, and with external conditions.
Breathing, which is the expression of respiration in man,
is most rapid with infants, and decreases with the approach
of old age. So it is with plants, for germinating seeds and
young seedlings respire more rapidly than mature plants.
Increase of work is accompanied with increase of respiration
in animals : in trees also, the process is more vigorous in the
spring, during the work of bud opening and putting forth of
new leaves and flowers. Under bodily pain or mental
excitement we breathe more rapidly, so also does a plant
that has been cut, or otherwise injured, or subjected to any
stimulus, as, for example, violent shaking.. A thermometer
placed in a dish of cut onions, for example, will indicate the
existence of a fever (due to wounding of the tissue), just as
surely as if placed in the mouth of a typhoid patient.

This question is far from having a merely academic
interest. Practices that have been in vogue since man first
began to till the soil, and that must be continued as long as
cagriculture is carried on, depend in part upon the respiratory
function of plants.

In reference to the operations of ploughing the soil and
hoeing the crops, it is not alone to get the soil into a suitable
physical condition that this work is carried out by the
farmer. The roots and other under-ground parts must have
air to respire just as much as the parts above ground, but if
the soil is hard and compact this need is but poorly met.
‘The plough, the spade, and the hoe facilitate the thorough
aeration of the ground. For the same reason it is desirable
frequently to loosen the surface of the soil in the flower pots,
and this, in part, is why flower pots are made of porous
amaterial.

PREPARATION OF RUBBER FOR
MARKET.

In view of the experimental work that is in
progress in many of the West Indian Islands in the
cultivation of rubber trees, and of the efforts that are
being made to place the resuiting product on the
market inthe best form possible, the accompanying
extracts from the last danual Report of the Director
of Agriculture of the Federated Malay States.

(Mr. J. B. Carruthers, F.LS.) are worthy of note :—

Our knowledge of the best methods of preparation of
plantation rubber for the market is still in the plastic and
changeable stage. Biscnits have had their day, and on all
estates producing any quantity of rubber they have been
abandoned as unpracticable when large quantities are to be
treated. Sheet or crépe have both their advantages, and the
manufacturer has learnt to appreciate their fine qualities.
But the goal to which the rubber planter is making in
relation to the improvement of his product is the preparation
of a rubber which the buyer and manufacturer will consider
as good as, or better than, the finest Brazilian Para.

The qualities of resilience, elasticity, and durability
which characterize the Brazilian rubber must be produced in
plantation rubber, and the discovery of the means by which
this end can be obtained has been the subject of much
consideration, experiment, and observation both in the Malay
States and in Ceylon,

Acetic acid and creosote, which, in the case of the
preparation of Brazilian rubber, are added by submitting the
latex to smoke containing these substances, have been intro-
duced in the case of plantation rubber by mixing small
quantities of these two substances in solution. :

The acetic acid produces quick coagulation, and the
creosote is an efficient antiseptic and prevents the growth of
bacteria which produce ‘tackiness’ or other putrefaction of
the dry rubber.

The physical treatment of the Brazilian Para, which is
sent home in blocks consisting of a series of thin films of
rubber, each dried so that it contracts and produces an
automatic pressure, is most probably one of the factors which
give it its resilience and elasticity. This has been imitated by
artificial pressure, by means of a scew press, of the rubber into
blocks of approximately the same density as the Brazilian
Para. The presence of a certain percentage of water in the
Brazilian block may be one of the factors which add to its
good qualities, and the retention of a percentage of water
instead of the complete drying which had previously been
carried out in the Federated Malay States rubber, has now
been tried with success. Wet block rubber sent home from
Malay and Ceylon was received with satisfaction by the buyer,
and fetched a higher price than any other plantation rubber
on the same day.

‘The manufacture of wet block rubber, i.e., rubber which
after being coagulated and asepticised is at once pressed into
blocks, is a great saving of time, and in the space of plant
required. Rubber can be prepared for shipment a few hours
after the latex has been taken from the tree.

The block rubber travels better without the deterioration
en route to which the other forms, having large exposed
surfaces are very liable.

_ The production of wet block rubber, free from putrefae-
tion, of a convenient size and weight, and containing a uniform
quantity of water, say 10 per ecent., seems at present without
doubt the best method.

30 THE AGRICULTURAL

GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
OF TRINIDAD.

Dr. R. W. Ells, LL.D., etc., read a paper in May
last before the Royal Society of Canada on the Geology
and Mineral Resources of Trinidad and Barbados. The
extracts given below relate to the island of ‘Trinidad,
and in the next issue of the Agricultural News it is
proposed to reprint parts of Dr. Ells’ paper dealing
with Barbados :—

The geology of both Trinidad and Barbados is quite sim-
ple. In Trinidad, the northern portion from the passage sepa-
rating the north-west corner from Venezuela, known as the
Bocas, to the cape at the north-east extremity, is ocenpied by
a range of hills with elevations rising in places to more than
3,000. feet, composed of slaty and schistosex rocks with
occasional areas of limestone. The schist is cut by veins of
quartz generally of small size in which traces of gold are
found, while the presence of iron has also been recognized at
several points. These schists are the oldest rocks in the
island, and resemble the lower Cambrian of Canada in many
respects.

The mines of manjak located near Saa Fernando are
also exceedingly interesting. The mineral is also an altered
petroleum, and now fissures which traverse the
shales and sandstone of the oil-bearing series in the same way
as the albertite mines in New Brunswick have been formed.
Their position is near the crest of an anticline and the
fissures have been formed in the period of disturbance or
crushing by which the anticlinal folds were produced.

The mineral manjak is a very pure variety of asphalt
carrying from 90 to 95 per cent. of bitumen. A certain
amount of impurity is found in the form of clay particles
evidently detached from the sides of the fissures in the
process of vein formation. It is jet black, and
brittle, and can be lighted in the flame of a match, dropping

occurs in

clossy,

like sealing wax and taking readily the impression of
a seal. In this respect it differs somewhat from New
Brunswick albertite, which does not fuse readily but
splinters on the application of heat. Manjak is largely used

insulating
paints, ete.
worked

in the manufacture of high grade black varnishes
paints for electric waterproof
The veins vary greatly in size, the

conductors,
principal one

having increased from a width of about 7 feet at the
surface to over 30 feet at a depth of 200 feet. Much of
the mineral in the upper 100 feet is what is known as

columnar, as if the vein matter had been
pressure, but at lower depths the massive form
and forms the greater portion of the deposit. In its
conchoidal fracture it resembles strongly the albertite of New
Brunswick, as also in general aspect, the difference (apparently
due to metamorphism on the part of the latter) being that
the albertite in Devonian rocks while the manjak
is found, both in Trinidad and Barbados, in the soft Tertiary
clays, and is comparatively unaltered from its pitch condition,
in this respect presenting analogies to anthracite and lignite in
the coal series. The limit of the veins in depth has not been
ascertained at any one point, with one exception in Barbados,
where, in a shaft at a depth of 150 feet, the manjak became
soft and soon passed into a thick, asphaltic oil which could
be removed by bailing. The Barbados mineral is somewhat
purer and apparently softer than that of Trinidad and
commands a higher price in the market, some portions of the
output realizing as much as S75 to $90 per ton in’ the
English market. It will be seen therefore that this mineral
has a high economie value, and with the increase in the
demand should form a very important article of commerce.

shattered by
comes in

occurs

NEWS. JANUARY 25, 1908.

The albertite of New Brunswick, of which some 250,000 tons
were mined before the vein matter was exhausted, was used
largely for mixing with ordinary bituminous coal in the
manufacture of gas, possessing the property of keeping the
production at a high standard.

It can be readily seen therefore, that the island of
Trinidad possesses great resources in the matter of asphalt,
manjak, and petroleum, which are now coming into prominence,
and will undoubtedly in a few years become a great source
of wealth to the investors, and of revenue to the Government,
since the development work already done is most encouraging

EXPORTS FROM SAMOA.

The United States Consul at Apia gives, in his
latest Report, the following particulars relating to the
agricultural exports of Samoa :—

The exports of agricultural products from
amounted to $720,258, against $482,855 in 1905.

Copra exports for 1906, show an increase of $217,011
over the previous year. In value, copra constituted 96 per
cent. (about $687,939) of the total exports. Germany taking
50 per cent., other European countries 26 per cent., and
Australasia 24 per cent. There has been e steady increase in
the production of copra, as since 1900, no less than 333,000
cocoa-nut trees have been planted by the natives the govern-
ment having made it compulsory for every village to plant
fifty cocoa-uuts each year.

The exports of cacao amounted to 316,943, as against
£7,200 in 1905, Germany taking the most of it. :

Samoa

ARBOR DAY AND TREE PLANTING.
At a Convention, held in June last, of the Chamber
of Agriculture, Victoria, Mr. J. M. Reed, Surveyor-
General, read a paper entitled, “Lhe Importance of
Tree planting’ Mr. Reed referred to the danger
which exists in agricultural countries of too rapid
exploitation of the timber resources, an: pointed out
that the reasonable aim should be to do all that was
possible to conserve existing woodlands and to promote
tree planting, consistently with the increasing demand
for land for agricultural purposes.
Spe aking of Arbor Day, and the
as the result of this movement, Mr.

good work done
Reed said :—
A leading institution, familiarly

Day, is becoming more and more popular

now known as Arbor
with members of
our State, Shire and Borough Councils, acting in conjunetion
with the Education Department in a most praiseworthy
manner to promote the suecess of the movement. Tf all the
gentlemen present at this Convention would take an active
interest in this work and encourage the young people to
become planters, the god effect throughout the State would
be speedily evidenced.

Arbor Day was originated in America, in 1872, by the
Nebraska State Board of Agriculture, at the instance of Mr. J
Sterling Morton, and from its inception has been remarkably
successful. Throughout the United States, Arbor Day is now
systematically observed, and through the active co-operation
of the schools, colleges, and universities, a great interest
in tree planting has been fostered and a wonderful success
achieved. In many States Arbor Day is a recognized public
holiday. It has been officially recorded that :the inaugura
tion of this movement by Mr. Morton has done more for the
protection of forests, and the encouragement of tree planting,
than all the legislation that has been enacted in connexion
with this question,

Vout. VII. No, 150.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS, 31

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.
J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the
following reports on the London drug and spice market
during the month of November :—

The spice and drug markets during the month of
November have experienced a very variable course, many

things occurring to alter or impede the usual order of
business. Of these causes may be mentioned the high and
fluctuating Bank rate, and the American crisis.

GINGER.

In the matter of ginger, at the first spice auction on the
6th, only 1 barrel of Jamaica was offered and sold at 70s. per
ewt.; 900 packages of Cochin and Calicut were also offered
and bought in at prices varying from 37s. to according
to quality. A week later, 105 packages of Jamaica, and
135 bags of wormy rough Cochin were offered and all bought
in, the latter at 35s. 6d. On the 20th, 10 bags of washed
Jamaica sold at 70s. to 72s., and good common at 67s. At
the last sale on the 27th, 156 packages of Jamaica were
offered and only 6 sold at 53s. for bold dark, 75s. to 76s,
being the prices at which ordinary to good ordinary was
bought in.

ry)

NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO.

Of the first named, on November 13, 10
Penang were disposed of without reserve, at the following
rates :—69’s, at Is. 2d. to ls. 3d.; 83's, at Td. to Tdd.
Forty-seven boxes of Singapore were also sold, 80's, at Td. to
Tid. Fourteen cases of Ceylon 98’s, wormy, fetched 4d. to
Ald., and 24 packages of West India were offered and sold as
follows slightly wormy, 71's, at 5id.; fair, $2’s, at 63d.;
84s, at 6d. sand 95’s, at 54d. per Ib. Similar prices prevailed
during the remainder of ‘the month, with a slightly lower
tendency in West Indian. On the 1 13th, 10 packages of West
Indian mace were disposed of at ls. 5d. to 1s. 4d. for fair ;
ls. ld. to Is. 2d. for ordinary ; and 9d. for broken. Fair
Penang realized 1s. 5d.. and wild Macassar bought in
at 10d. On the 27th, there was but very little alteration ; 3
packages of fair West Indian realized 1s. 2d. to Is. 3d. and
Ceylon broken and pickings 9d. to 11d. per Ib. Of Pimento
there has been but very little demand daring the month. At
the first sale when about 100 bags were “offered, all were
bought in at 34d. A fortnight later, the quotations were
3,,d. to 34d. for fair, at which price the whole offerings were
bought in, ‘and no further change occurred during the remain-

der of the month.

cases of

Was

ARROW ROOT.
sale on the 6th, 309 barrels of St. Vincent
23d. to 28d. for fair to good
few cases of good Natal

At the spice
were offered and bought in at
manufacturing. On the 20th, a
were offered and realized 4d. per tb,

SARSAPARILLA.

At the first drug sale in the month, grey Jamaica had
advanced 2d. to 8d. over previous rates. Native Jamaica
sold at steady rates, 2 bales of fair red realizing Is. per b.,
and 2 bales of dull red 11d. per tb. Five bales of a kind
said to be from Ecuador, but imported via New York, and
resembling a starchy kind of Guayaquil, sold at 9d. per tb.
At the auction of the 21st, 11 bales of grey Jamaica were
offered, 9 of which were sold —for good fibrous, 1s. 9d.; and
for slightly coarse and country damaged, Is. 7d. to 1s. 8d.

per lb. ‘Twenty-one bales of Lima-Jamaica were offered and
12 sold at 1s. 7d. for fair, and 1s. 4d. to 1s. 5d. for rather
coarse. One bale of good red native Jamaica realized 1s,

per Ib., and 20 bales of a character similar to Guayaquil were
bought in at 1s. 1d. per tb, A recent outery about the false
packing of sarsaparilla, deserves all the publicity that can be
given to it, with the view of exposing and preventing such
a nefarious practice. The Chenist and Druggist of Novem-
ber 9, referring to this, says: ‘Of late several parcels of
Native Jamaica sarsaparilla have been consigned to London
mixed with red earthy dist and chumps, and occasion: uly
stones have been found packed in the interior of the bales
A parcel offered at the drug auction to-day prove to have
been false packed with several pounds of this rubbish—
a practice which, if continued, is hkely to detract from the
value of the goods and weaken confidence in the article.

KOLA, LIME JUICE, QUILLATA, ete.

At the auction on the 6th, 7 packages of fair dried West
Indian kola sold at 2¢. to 24d. per tb. A fortnight later, the
offerings from all sources amounted to 37 packages, fair
Ceylon and West Indian selling at 2d. to 24d., 1 bag of very
mouldy West Indian finding a “purchaser at 1?d. per Ib. Oe
the 27th, some 50 of West Indian dried were all
brought in at 54d. per lb. Of lime juice at the first uae
34 packages were offered and 21 sold, fair raw West Indian
fetching Is. 2d. per gallon. Oil of lime was represented
at the first auction by 20 packages of West Indian distilled,
the bulk of which was held at 2s. 3d. pertb. No other sales
occurred during the month. On the 6th., one case of West
Indian Oil of bay realized 7s. 3d. per tb. Some 22 bags of
fair dry Ceylon annatto seeds were offered, and sold at the
first auction, at from 2d. to 21d. per Ib. No other sales
were made during dhe remainder of the month. Quillaia
bark has commanded higher prices, 30s. per ewt. being asked
for crushed. A large consignment of cashew nuts
from Bombay was offered during the month, good white decor-
ticated finding purchasers at 47s. 6d. per ewt. and fair at 44s.

| JAQS

and 35s,

STOCK REARING IN JAMAICA.

The American Consul at Kingston contributes the
following note on the rearing of animals in Jamaica to
the Decemb the U.S. and
Trade Reports —

The rearing of cattle,

number of Consular

horses, and mules is an important

industry in Jamaica, This is known as ‘pen keeping,’ the
pens varying in size from 200 to 2,000 aeres, and embraces
ee: a pen of I, 000 acres about 350 to 400 head of eattle.

ttle raising is most largely engaged i in yy the pen keepers,
a rear both beef and draft ess The English bree ds

are for the former, and the East Indian cross breeds for the
latter purposes. Dairying is not carried on to any great
extent, the native cow not being a milker. Jamaica
must the srefore draw largely from foreign sources for butter,
cheese, and condensed milk supplies.

Excellent horses are bred on the island, both racing and
work stock. Horse and mule breeding is a profitab le
industey for the pen keeper having proper knowledge of its
requirements. All heavy draft work is done by mules, for
which animals a large home market is created, owing to the
finit and dyewood industries. For the fiseal year 1906. the
export statistics of animals are given as follows : Cattle,
2,769 head, valued at $80,673 ; horses and mules, 273 head,
valued at $16,517. Hides to the value of $41,852, and
goat skins to the value of $47,292 were alse exported.
Cuba afforded the principal market for cattle. Bee-keeping
resulted in export returns of honey amounting to $49,560
for the same year.

good

a)
Lo

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JANUARY 25, 1908-

MARKET REPORTS.

London,— January 7, 1908, ‘THe West Inpra Com

New York,-

MITTEE CircuLar ’ Messrs. Kearton, Prrer & Co.;
January 7, 1908, Messrs. BE. A. pe Pass: & Co.; ‘THE
Liverpoo, Corton Assocration WEEKLY Crrcu-
LAR,’ January 3, 1908.

ARROWROOT—St. Vincent, 2}d. per Ib.
Batara—Sheet, 2/4 ; block, 1/7 per tb.
Bees’-wax—£7 1ds. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 114/- per ewt.; Grenada, 92/-
per ewt.

CorrEE—Santos, 30/45 per cwt.

Copra—West Indian, £20 per ton.

Corron— 18d. to 20d. per tb.

FRvUIT—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 5/- per bunch.
Limes—No quotation per box.
Prne-appLes—St. Michael, 1/2 to 3/6 each.
Grare Fruir—5/- to 7/6 per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 5/- to 7/- per box.

Fustic—£4 5s. to £4 15s. per ton.

Honety—l6s. to 28s. per cwt.

Isrnciass—West India lump, 2/- to 2/2 per th.; cake. no
quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/3 per gallon; concentrated,
£18 17s. to £19 per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled Oil,
1/10 per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per tb.

Lo woop—#£4 5s. to £4 15s. per ten; Roots, no quotations.

Macre—Fair, 1s. to 1s. 8d.; pale, 1s. 4d.; broken, 10d. to
1s. ; ordinary, 1s. to 1s. 1d. per tb.

Nurmecs—75’ Sadie Ts. Gade; 92's to 103’s, dha, to
112’s to 134’s, 43d.

Pimento— Market quiet, 37. to 3td. per Th.

Rusper—Fine hard Para, 4s 3}d. to 4s. 4$d.; fine soft,
4s. Std. to 4s. Bhd. per Tb.

Rum—Jamaica, common, 2s. 9d. to 2s. 1LOd
Demerara, 1s. 2d. to Is. Shi. : Trinidad, no quotations.

Svucar—Crystals, 17/3 te 19/3 per ewr. ; Muscovado, no
quotations ; Molasses, 12/9 to 15/14.

to 99/-

G4d.;

:good, 38. to Ss. *

1908.—Messrs. GILLESPIE

January 10,

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 2le. to 23c.; Grenada, 20c. to 2le.;
Trinidad, 20c. to 22c.; Jamaica, 163c. per Th.
Cocoa-nurs—Jamaica, select, €24°00 to $2600 culls,

$14:00 to $15°G0 ; Trinidad, $18°00 to $20-00 ; culls,
$12:00 to $13-00 per M,.
Corrrr—Jamnaiea, ordinary, Tic. to Thc.; good ordinary,
T4e.; washed fancy, 9bc. to L1de. per th.
Gincer—Smmall to lean sevagey root, 8$e. to 9}c. per
bold root, Me. 'e.: small to bright bold, 10sec. to
lle. per tb.
Goat Sxins—Jamaica, 50c. ;
Kilts, 30c. to 4c.
Grave Frurr—Jamaicas, no quotations per barrel, $1°00
per box.

Limes—No quotations.

Macr— 28c. to 32c. per tb.

Nurmrcs—110's, 9$c. to 10fe. per th.

Orancrs— Jamaica, no quotations per barrel, no quotations
per box.

Praenro— No quotations.

Svucar—Centri,ugals, 96°, $315 to 83:16; Muscovados,
89°, $3:07 to $3°:16; Molasses, 89°, $3:°03. to S216
per th, duty paid.

to 92c.;

St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKBTS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lynen & Co., January 21,

1908 ; Messrs. T. 8. Garraway & Co., January 20,
1908 ; Messrs. Leacock & Co., January 11, 1908

ARROWROOT—St. Vincent, $4°25 to $4°50 per 100 th.

Cacao—Dominica, $16°00 per 100 tb.

Cocoa-Nurs—$11°60 per M. for husked nuts.

Correr—Jamaica, $8°25 to $10°50 per 100 th.

Hay— $1°85 to $2-00 per 100 tb.

Manures—- Nitrate of soda, $62°60 to $65°00 ; Ohlendorff's
dissolved cuano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00 ; Cacao
manure, $42°00 to $48°00; Sulphate of ammonia
$72-00 to $75°00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Ontons— Madeira, $1°50 to $2°50 per 100 th.

Poraros, ENcrisH-—$1-50 to $2710 per 160 tb.

Preas—Split, $600 to $6°50 ; Canada, $345 to $3°50 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $5°25 (177 to 180 tb.); Patna, $3°80;
Rangoon, $3:00 to $3°19 per 109 tb. ;

Sucar—No quotations.

British Guiana.—January 11, 1908.—Messrs. Wretine

& Rienter : Messrs. SANDBACH, Parker & Co,

Arrnowkroor—St. Vincent, $10°50 per barrel.

Banara— Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c. per th,

Cacao—Native, 20c. to 21c. per fb.

Cassava—No stock.

Cassava Srarcu—$9°'G0 per barrel.

Cocoa-Nurs—$12°00 to $16°00 per M.

CorreE— Creole, 13e.; Jamaica, 12c. per th.

Duat— $4°80 to $4°00 per bag of 163 Ib.

Eppos— $2°40 to $2°64 per barrel.

Moxasses— Yellow, 18$c. : Dark, no quotations per gallon.

Ontons—Madeira, 3c. to 3$e ; Lisbon, Se. to dhe. per ib.

Pianvarns— 20c. to 64e. per bunch. =

Poravros,—Madeira, $2°8) to $3°00) per barrel.

Poraros, Sweet—Barbados, $1°32 per bag.

Rice—Ballun, $6°25 to $6°40 ; Creole, $450 to $4-60 per
bag ; Seeta, $6°00 per bag.

Reupeer—No quotations

Serir Pras—S$4-00 to $7°25 per bag (210 Tb.).

Tannras—$3°60 per bag.

Yams—White, $3°C0; Buck, $4°00 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°20 to $2-40 ; Yellow, $2°90 to
3-00 ; White, §$3°50 to $3-60; Molasses, $1-70 to
$1-95 per 100 ib. (retail).

TiapeRr—Greenheuart, 32c. to doc. per cubic foot.

WALLARA SHINGLES—$3'50 to $5°50 per M.

—___— Frreweon—$2°40 to $2°64 per ton (5-fect lengths),

Trinidad,—January 11, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT

& Co.

Cacao—$18'50 to $19°50 per fanega; Venezuelan, $18°00
to $20°00 per fanega.

Cocoa-Nu1s—No quotation.

Cocoa-Nur O1.—7ée. per Imperial gallon.

Correte—Venezuelan, Ze. to 8c. per th.

Corra— $2'75 to $3:00 per 100 tb.

Duat—$4°25 to $4:40 per 2-bushel bag.

Oxtons—$2°25 to $2°50 per 100 tb. (retail).

Poratos. Excrish—$1:60 to $1°75 per 100 th.

Rrev—Yellow, $5'50 to $5°60 : White, $5°50 to $6°00 per bag,

Sprir PEas—$3°30 to $6°25 per bag.

Svean—$d-00 to $510 per 100 th.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN. A Quarterly Scientific Journal.
Volume I. No. 1 out of print. Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price 1s. each. Post free, Ls. 2d-
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Volume IV. Nos. 1 and 2. Papers on general subjects. No. 3. (out of print), No. 4.
in the United States and the West Indies. Price 6d. each number.
Volumes V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists.
Conference, 1905. Price Gd. per number. Post free, 8d.

Sea Island Cotton
Post free, 8d.
Report of Agricultural

Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Papers on general subjects : Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the
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Volume VIII. No. 1. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907. List of Representatives ; Presidential

Address ; Abstract of Proceedings ; Papers dealing with the Sugar Industry, including summaries of
results of Experiments with Seedling Canes and Manures at Jamaica, Leeward Islands, and Barbados.
No. 2. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907. (contd.) Papers relating to Cacao, Fruit, Lime
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PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially
adapted to West Indian conditions. They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work
on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulation. The following list gives particulars
of all the pamphlets which are still available. The missing numbers are out of print and can no longer be supplied :—

(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900, Price 2d. (32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904, Price 4d.

(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
(6) Recipes for cooking Sweet Potatos.
(7) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part I.
(9) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1.
Price 2d.
{13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901.
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivation. Price 2d.
(17) General Treatment of Fungoid Pests. Price 4d.
(18) Recipes for cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d.
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.

(20) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1901-2.
Price 2d.

Price 2d.
Price 4d.

Price 4d.

(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.
Price 4d.

(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d.
(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1903-4. Price 4d.

(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.
(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

(39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5.
Price 4d.

(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1903-5. Price 6d.

(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

(42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1904-5. Price 4d.

(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding

Stuff on West Indian Plantations. Price 2d.

(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1904-6. Price 6d.

(45) A. B. C. ef Cotton Planting.
Price 6d.

(46) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1905-6.
Price 4d.

(47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1905-6. Price 4d.

(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part II. Price 4d.
(23) Notes on Poultry in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(25) Ground Nutsin the West Indies Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903, Price 4d
(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.
Price 2d.
(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d.
(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.
(80) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1902-3. Price 4d.
(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d.
The above will be supplied post free for an additional charge of 4d. for the pamphlets marked 2d., 1d. for those

marked 4d., and 13d. for Nos. 40, 41, 44, and 45.

The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains extracts from official correspondence and from progress and
other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in
Agricultural matters throughout the West Indies. ;

The ‘Agricultural News ’ is printed in time to he distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the
local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post free, 2d. The subscription price, including vostage, is
Qs, 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d. per annum. Vols. I—V, complete, with title page and index as issued.—Price 4s,
Post free, 5s. Only a few copies available. All applications for copies are to be addressed to the Agents, not to the Department,

New and Enlarged Edition.

ents.

The following have been appointed Agents for oe of the publications of the Department :—

London: Messrs. Dutau & Co., 37, Soho Square, W. City Agents: THe West India Commrrrex, 15, Seething
Lane, London, E. C.—BZarbados: Messrs. Bowrn & Sons, Bridgetown.—Jamaica: THE EpucationaL SuPpy
Company, 16, King St., Kingston.—British Guiana: ‘ Daily Chronicle’ Office, Georgetown,— Trinidad : Messrs. Murr,
MarsHaLiL & Co., Port-of-Spain.—Zobago: Mr. C. L. PLAGEMANN, Scarborough.—Grenada,; Messrs. F. Marrast & Cc.,
‘The Stores,’ St. George.—St. Vincent: Mr.Stantey Topp, Agricultural School.—St. Lucia: Mr, E. Buck ire, Botanic Station,
_— Dominica: Messrs. C. F. Duverngey & Co., Market St., Roseau.—dntigua: Mr. 8. D. Matong, St. John’s.—
St. Kitts: Tue Pre anp Bock Suppry Acency, Basseterre.—Nevis: Mr. 8. D. MatoneE, Charlestown.

.

Vou. Vil. ‘Nox 150:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JaNuARY 25, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

2S AR ee

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use

Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

Ohlendorfi’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammcnia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,

Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR DIRECT TO:—

THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS,

London Agency:

15, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C

(137.] Barbados Agents : James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

THE GOVERNMENT STUD FARM,
ANTIGUA.

The half-bred horse stallion Michael is offered
for sale for £40.

This animal is rising ten years, is 15? hands high,
and black in colour. He is the progeny oe the thoroug h-
bred English stallion George Michaelovitch, out of
a Canadian mare.

tions should be addressed to :—
The Superintendent of Agriculture,
Antigua.

Applica

a A SE RS SA

ORANGE BOXES.

The Dominica Saw-Mills have now been
equipped for cutting Orange and Fruit boxes,

These boxes will be ent to purchaser's own
specifications, so that the flimsiness so much
complained of in the Fl rida boxe Ss can be avoided.

Samples and quotations can be had on
application to the Manager, W. A. D. Allport,
Roseau, Dominica.

a EI ONE ESS EET ES

Printed at Office of Agricultural Reporter, 4, High Street, Bridgetown, Barbados,

THE

INDIA. COMMITTEE CIRCULAR

(Published fortnightly).
HUE) ©! EaFaleGalvAi vOuRIGPAUN
OF

THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE

(Estab: circa 1760.
Aug. 4, 1904.)

Edited by ALGERNON E. ASPINALL.

Containing a Review of the Work of the West India Com-
mittee, Notes on West Indian Affairs, Statistics as to }
Cacao, Sugar, Molasses and Rum, Coffee, Cotton,
Nutmegs, Mace, Pimento, Ginger, Arrowroot, Lime
Juice, etc., etc., Home Arrivals and Departures by
the M: uil Ste umers, ete.

WEST

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fon nim wy sus }GOTTON FACTORY. LINATED.
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LECTURES T9
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Sugar-cane in the West Indies. Guaranteed Strictly PURE PARIS GREEN in Bond.

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A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW

THE NEW

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. :

Nore lie Noy TDi: BARBADOS, FEBRUARY 8, 1908. Price ld.
CONTENTS: As regards elementary schools, in practically every

Pacn Paar, Colony steps have been taken to provide a course of

Agricultural Education in Gleanings ... ... ... .. 44 training for teachers, in the principles underlying
the West Indies... ... 33! Insect Notes :— :

iranadce Geolouy tana HitGnricta: RRC T ole... 45 agricultural practice in order to fit them to give
Mineral Resources of... 45| 7-16 Juice. Concentrated suitable instruction to their pupils. In this connexion,
and Citrate of Lime... 46 too, the provision and use of school gardens have been

Barbados, Peasants’ Agri-

cultural Show at... ... 43} TG Hee BSC MINTCL SOARS E

Canada, West Indian Dickits ; 40 general, and on the whole, the progress made has been
Studentsin...-... ... 40 poteeg on, saeaede So oes em fot +f

; MG nee teeta tte ; _ fairly satisfactory.

Cane Farming in Naparima 41 Market Reports... ... 0... 48 Yee chou

Central Africa, Tobacco DI Milking Cattle, Water and In many of the secondary schools of the West
Growing in... .. 45 Shadesfor.. “ls. 2 42 . :

Gatton Hvebonies: Matchiesine40 Indies, systematic efforts are being made to bring
Cotton Notes:
Central Africa, Cotton in 88 Onion Crop in Antigua,
Cotton-Seed Factory, and ASO Fats: Oa) Ba igko ndo oh
Cotton-Seed Products 38
Cotton Stalks, Paper

Notes and Comments... 49

scientific agricultural instruction within the reach
of boys who hope to become planters, or mana-
BlantsMDisessces Enevention vers of plantations. This is especially the case
Ober -41 at Harrison College, Barbados. Other centres of

Manufacture from ... 38 PortorRic es avait Fin one
Cotton Worm in Olden BEE eas Ors instruction in the sciences allied to, and bearing upon
oD iaga ° 89 and Pine-apples in... 39 Su : Bot Os Garis, Up
VS see sieve! tee one OF - “5 a ar ‘ 16 Oye a (1over
Seallnlande@otton Rice Crop eeBuieielt agriculture, are the Jamaica College, the Government
MaLkecMOnsss crs, 2 38 Guiana... 0. 89 ~~ Laboratory, Trinidad, the Queen’s College, British
West Indian Cotton ... 38 Rubber Cultivation... ... 47 Tee ara Ae ee a :
Cuba, Agricultural Indus- Rubber Latex, Function of 47 CUE TLE De and the Grammar Schools at Antigua and
tries of... ... ... «.. 43 Sugar Industry :— St. Kitt’s.
Dominica Planters’ Associa- Sugir-cane Experiments
é tion So ch ce 37 at Paidos saa ioe ae At the agricultural schools established by the
‘ii, Agricultural Prospects Superphosphate ... ... ... 37 : 5 P Lehi
d in Ba Bod, ban a edu Canal Bowes Crop Roa! Otre eat Imperial Department of Agriculture at Dominica,
Vormaldehyde, and its Tobacco Papancton in St. Lucia, and St. Vincent, a course of instruction
nee ntumile Mrmid geen ce. ecs on : : . . :
LE cee San ana a: ,/ extending over three years, together with free board

Rubber... ...-.. -.. 47 Trinidad, Crown Lands in 3) i ahaa :
a and lodging, is given to selected boys, with the object of

Agricultural Education 1n the preparing them for a life of responsible agricultural
West Indies, en

These facts were laid before the Conference in

Reports from the Education Section presented at the

AS HE report presented by the special com- recent Agricultural Conference by his Lordship the
mittee appointed to deal with this question Bishop and the Revd. Dr. Dalton (Head-master of
= at the recent Agricultural Conference Harrison College, Barbados). The latter followed up
“indicated that considerable advance has been made in the presentation of his report by an address, in which
“Sagricultural education in the West Indies and British he drew attention to the great importance of further
“Guiana during the past nine years. effort being made to extend agricultural teaching in

L

oi THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Fesruary 8, 1908.

secondary schools in all these colonies. Reference
was also made to the question of the establishment of
a University for the West Indies, in which Tropical
Agriculture should be a branch of instruction receiving
special attention,

Following Dr. Dalton, an interesting and impor-
tant point was raised by the Hon. Francis Watts, who
brought forward a suggestion that something might be
done, through the Imperial Department of Agricul-
ture, to organize a system of reading on subjects
connected with their work for overseers and sub-man-
agers of estates, to be followed by examination for
certificates of proficiency.

The first step towards the establishment of such
a system would be to draw up and arrange courses of
reading suitable for young men anxious to extend
their knowledge of matters relating to tropical agri-
culture, including soils and crops, and the management
of estates. These courses would have special reference
to the methods of cultivation of local crops.

The examinations, it was suggested, should be held
at regular intervals, and in order to get more thorough
results and to avoid cramming, it was proposed that
candidates should, at one time, be examined only in
a single branch of knowledge, such as the methods
of cultivation, ete., of a particular crop. For example,
a man might, in the first place, submit himself for
examination in the details of sugar planting and
manufacture. Later, he could take up the details

of cotton cultivation, An overseer living in an
island like Dominica, St. Lucia, or Trinidad, would
probably offer as subjects of examination, the principles
The

examinations should be broad and general in their

and practice of cacao, fruit, and lime growing.

scope, but certificates would only be awarded as the
result of real proficiency, and not on the basis of mere
book work or a smattering of knowledge.

To make the certificates more valuable, and in
order that the holder might be recognized asa man
well qualified, both froma practical and theoretical
point of view, it was pointed out that it would
not be advisable to admit an overseer to examination
who had not been engaged in the actual practice of
his work for at least one year. ‘The object would
be, that a man who held a certificate of proficiency in
regard to sugar, cotton, or cacao cultivation might be
celied upon as being thoroughly qualified in connexion
with the crops specified, by those who wished to
engage him.

Apart from the subjects included in the reading
course, the examination should include practical sub-
jects, such as details of cultivation and management,
a knowledge of which could only be acquired by work on
an estate, and as much importance would be attached
to correct methods of handling a plough in the cane
or cotton fields as to a knowledge of elementary
chemistry or botany. Further, in regard to the same
idea, there should be a practical planter on the
Examination Board, who could test by oral examination
a candidate’s knowledge of field work and_ estate
management.

In conclusion Dr. Watts stated his conviction that
if such a system were established, young men holding
certificates would be much more likely to obtain
remunerative employment than under present condi-
tions, while their powers of usefulness would be
considerably enhanced.

It was suggested that the subject should be
brought up for discussion at the Agricultural Societies,
and that planters and overseers generally be made
acquainted with the proposals. Although the idea
may be new in the West Indies, yet in Great Britain
the Board of Agriculture and the Royal Agricultural
Society have co-operated for some years in holding
examinations for what is known as the National Diploma
in Agriculture. Each examination is held in two parts,
with an interval of a year between the two, and is of
a thoroughly practical nature, suitable for farm managers,
etc. In the United States, also, the institution of
‘Farmers’ Reading Courses,’ with or without following
ex: minations, has for years been part of the educational
work of the Department of Agriculture.

The. proposals in regard to what was suggested
should be done were brought before the Barbados
Agricultural Society on Friday, January 24, by Siv
Daniel Morris, who went over the points outlined
above, and suggested that a special meeting of
the Agricultural Society be held for the purpose
of considering whether something of the kind could not
be started on simple lines at Barbados and elsewhere.
The Imperial Commissioner pointed out that the agri-
cultural industries of the West Indies would reap
considerable benefit from increased scientific knowledge
on the part of overseers and managers, and further, that
the possession of certificates of competency might also be
ameans of helping some of the young men of the island
to lucrative posts in other colonies. There was need
and room for good men, and courses of instruction such
as those described would be one means towards produc-
ing them and advancing their interests, as well as
those of the colonies in which they laboured,

Vor. Wi No; Lol.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 35

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Sugar-cane Experiments at Barbados.

At aspecial meetiug of the Barbados Agricultural
Society, held on January 11 last, Professor d’Albu-
querque and Mr. J. Rt. Bovell presented a summary of
the more important and interesting results obtained in
connexion with the sugar-cane seedling and mavurial
experiments, carried on in Barbados tinder the direction
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, during the
crop season of 1905-7.

The work of raising new varieties of seedling canes has
now been in progress for many years, and during the time
no less than 30,000 new varieties have been -produced and
tested. The great majority of these have shown no particular
merit ; some, which have shown exceptional qualities, are
already being planted extensively by estate proprietors, while
a large number of varieties are still at various stages of
the testing process as regards their field characters and yield
and purity of juice.

Selected varieties of seedling canes were, during the
past year, grown on eleven black soil estates, and three red-
soil estates, and Professor d’Albuquerque referred to the
willingness of planters to allow the use of their land in
testing the varieties, as a result of which it has been possible

to carry out trials in every typical soil, and under every
climatic condition existing in Barbados.
The weather conditions during the season under review

were rather unfavourable, and in many instances the average
weight of canes obtained per acre was small, especially among
ratoon canes.

Hight selected varieties of seedlings were, during the
season 1905-7, grown in comparison with the White Trans-
parent cane on black soils in the island. Three of these
seedlings were especially noticeable on account of the good
return yielded by them. Cane B. 3,696, which headed the
list on black gave 2,045 Ib. of saccharose in excess of
that given by the White Transparent, this representing an
increased value of $29°61 per acre ; B. 208 came second with
an inerease of 1,494 tb. of saccharose, and an increased value
of $2163 over and above the return obtained from the
standard cane. Cane B. 147, which took third place, showed
an increased value of S15°34 per acre.

On red-soil estates, during the season under review, ten
selected varieties were grown ip comparison with the White
Transparent. Five of these were grown as plants only, and
five both as plants and ratoons. As plant canes, all gave
returns in advance of the yield obtained from the White
Transparent, which gave 6,006 lb, of saccharose per acre.
Cane B. 3,405 headed the list with a yield of 10,792 Ib. of
saccharose per acre, while B. 5,412 and B 3,590 came second
and third with 9,589 tb. and 9,536 tb. of saccharose
respectively.

Considering now the five
and ratoons on red soils during 1905-7, cane B. 1,566 was
again, as last year, top of the list, giving 8,394 Ib. of
saccharose per acre as plants, and 6,645 tb. as ratoons, as
against 6,006 Ib. per acre from the White Transparent as
plants and 5,736 th. as ratoons, showing a total gain of
$4773 peracre. D.95 and B. 376 came second and third
respectively, on the average of both plants and ratoons, the
former showing a yield of 6,266 lb.of saccharose as plants and
7,591 Ib. as ratoons, and the latter giving 6,423 Tb. as_ plants
and 6,586 tb. as ratoons. The other canes which gave good

soils,

varieties grown both as plants

=

results were: B.3,635, D.95, B.1,753, B.3
on black soils, and B 208 on red soils.

It will be noted that in regard to the purity of juice, all
the above varieties were fair to good, an important point in
muscovado manufacture.

76, and B.1,529

In the 1905-7 crop, too, some trials of seedling canes in
comparison with the White Transparent were made in differ-
ent parts of the island, on larger estate plots of from: 4 acre
to anacie inextent. At Jordan’s plantation (St. George),
B. 208 gave 2,180 Ib. of saccharose per acre in excess of
the yield obtained from the White Transparent, while at
Husbands (St. Lucy), B.147 and B.208 each gave 1,340 Ib.
sugar per acre more than the standard variety.

Considering now the average results obtained with the best
varieties during the past four seasons, it is seen that B. 3,696
still keeps its position as first on the list of plant canes on
black soils. As regards the other varieties, however, there is
a slight rearrangement from the positions gained on the basis
of the 1905-7 crop alone. Still considering plant canes only,
on black soils, B. 1,753, B. 1,529, and B. 147 came second,
third, and fourth respectively, the increases per acre, compared
with the White Transparent, being valued at $31:71, $1618,
and $11-64. Considering the returns obtained, over the past
four years, as plants and ratoons taken together, on black
soils, B. 208 gave an average of 5,542 1b. of saccharose per
acre, as against 5,197 Ib. from the standard variety.

Among all the promising varieties grown on black soils,
and considering the results obtained with plant canes only,
the White Transparent comes out ninetieth, on the average of
the past three and four years, with a yield of 6,670 Ib. of
saccharose per acre. There are no less than seven varieties,
however, that have been cultivated for three or four years,
which, on the average of the period, gave yields of from
9,004 to 10,120 Ib. of saccharose per acre. Among these,
B. 6,204, B. 3,675, B. 3,747, and B 3,696 may be specially
mentioned.

Considering the average returns obtained on red soils
during the past four years, striking resuits are recorded:
Among plant canes, B 3,405 gets first place on the average
of the crops of 1904-6, as in the crop of 1907 considered
alone. The increased value of the yield of B. 3,405, as
compared with that of White Transparent, was "11 As
plant canes, too, B. 3,412 and B. 3,390 did remarkably well,
giving values of 55°75 and $49°87 respectively, in excess of
the White Transparent return. B. 1,566 and B. 208 also did
well. Taking er and ratoons together, on red soils, for the
same period, B. , D. 95, and*B. "208 gave increased values
per acre, as ome with the White Transpare ent, of S10°84,
$10°59, and 38°13 respectively.

New seedling canes to the number of 4,874 were planted
in 1905, From these, after the usual testing processes, 118
were selected, and were replanted at the close of 1907.

At the end of 1906, owing to the unfavourable weather
conditions, only 219 seedlings were obtained. These were
transplanted in due course, ‘and will be tested during the
reaping season of 1908, and all the stools of the best varie-
ties will be replanted.

The work of producing seedling canes by artificial
hybridization, crossing parent canes of known merit for this
purpose, is being conducted by Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A.,
F.L.S., and it is anticipated that future work in this direc-
tion will lead to valuable and interesting results.

The results of the manurial experiments carried on dur-
ing the past year were also put before the meeting. ‘These
experiments were conducted at Dodds Botanic Station, and
at five sugar estates situated in typical parts of the island.

THE -AGRICULTULAL NEWS.

WEST INDIAN, PRUE

PROFITABLE VARIETIES OF PINE-
APPLES.

The Cuba Review for December last gives the
following particulars as to varieties of pine-apples most
worthy of attention :—

The Red Spanish is the only variety that it 1s profitable
to grow on a commercial scale at the present time. It is
a very strong, hardy, and vigorous variety. The fruit is
small to medium, weighing from 2 to 8 lb. The flesh is pale
yellowish-white, solid and juicy. The flavour, however, is
poor, being very acid unless ripened on the plant. For home
use the Red Spanish is not to be compared with some other
varieties, but it will stand the rough handling that at present
seems to be considered as part of the pine-apple business.

The Golden Queen pine-apple is an early variety and is
described as a fruit the plants of which do well upon high
lands, but will not stand wet soils. The fruits weigh from
2 to 6 Ib.. and are of a handsome, golden-yellow colour. The
flesh is solid and the flavour delicate. Golden Queen is not
a long keeper, but an excellent variety for home use.

The Smooth Cayenne and Sugar Loaf varieties are also
recommended as producers for the home market. The
former produces a large, handsome fruit with an excellent
flavour. Unfortunately, however, it does not possess keeping
qualities, which render it unsuitable for the export trade. The
Sugar Loaf pine-apple is a late variety which will do well on
poor land and is also able to stand drought. The variety
is productive, the fruit has good flavour, but this also does
not keep well.

CITRUS FRUITS AND PINE-APPLES
IN PORTO RICO.

Owing largely to American initiative and the
favourable market offered by the United States, the
growing of oranges and pine-apples gives good returns
in Porto Rico. With better facilities for transport, too,
the industries will in all probability undergo still
further development. The American Cousular and
Trade Reports for December Jast contain the following
particulars :—

Until the American occupation of Porto Rico there were
practically no shipments of oranges to the United States.
The natives possessed no knowledge of proper packing
methods, and the duty was prohibitive. After the American
occupation, the duty was reduced, which gave the industry
an impetus and led a few American packers to commence

shipping to the United States. Previously no citrus fruits
were cultivated in the island, while at the present time it is
estimated that about 7,000 acres are under cultivation, prin-
cipally on the northern coast between San Juan and Arecibo.
The stocks are Floridian and California, and the plantations
are owned and managed exclusively by Americans. The prin-
cipal yield, however, is from the native or wild orange trees,
neither cultivated nor fertilized, which grow in the mountain
regions, on the west coast in the Mayaguez and Aguadilla
districts, and on the south coast in the Ponce district. With
few exceptions, there are no regular orange plantations in
the Mayaguez or Ponce districts, the large number of trees
being found on the coffee plantations, where they were
planted to give shade to the coffee trees.

These so-called wild oranges, like all tropical fruits, must
be handled with the utmost care in order to reach the United
States in good condition. This has been accomplished
during the last two years owing to the improved methods
which the packers;have adopted in the picking, transporting,
and packing of the fruit. The season begins in September
and lasts until about the middle of April. The Porto Rico
orange is very sweét and of fine flavour, and the exportation
of them has annually increased since the opening of the

industry, amounting at present to 250,000 boxes a year.

Pine-apple culture is increasing in the island, this fruit
having been extensively planted during the past two years.
The largest plantations are on the north coast, though a great
Inany pine-apples are raised in the Mayaguez district. The
variety most suitable for shipment in a green state, packed in
crates, is the Red Spanish, which originated in Cuba. This
is the only variety which can be depended upon to arrive in
the United States in good condition. There are now several
canning factories on both the northern and western coasts,
which are buying up all those varieties and grades which will
not bear shipment in their original condition. This industry
has been a very jaying one to the planters for the past year,
and promises to assume larger proportions. One planter has
recently set out a plantation comprising 6U0 acres. I am
informed that there are many fruit growers who two years
ago paid $50 an acre for land which was at once planted with
pine-apples, and the returns for the first crop year show
a profit of over 100 per cent., with the land still in their
possession and a crowing crop for the next season. This has
stimulated fruit crowing to a remarkable extent. Labourers’
wages on the pineapple plantations have increased with the
development of the industry, and the man who formerly
demanded a 40c. daily wage now receives 55 or 60c. for his
day’s labour,

Vor alice Nos Tale

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 37

DOMINICA PLANTERS’ ASSOCIATION.

The annual general meeting of the Dominica Planters’
Association was held on December 30, Hen. A. D. Lock-
hart, M.L.C., presiding.

The following gentlemen were clected to form the
Committee for the ensuing year: Hons. J.C. Macintyre,
M.L.C., H. A Frampton, M.L.C., Messrs. W. D.. Riviere,
L. L. Bell, E. A. Agar, and A. St. Hilaire.

Mr. G. C. Downing was re-elected Honorary Secretary
and Treasurer.

The meeting, in acknowledging the receipt of the pubhi-
cations of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, passed
a hearty vote of thanks to Sir Daniel Morris for the compl
ment paid them.

Messrs. E. A. Agar and L. L. Bell were elected to
represent the Association at the West Indian Agricultural
Conference of 1908.

ONION CROP IN ANTIGUA, 1997-8.

The following report on the present season’s onion
crop in Antigua has been received from Mr. Thomas
Jackson, Curator of the Botanic Station in the island :—

In Antigua, onions are grown as a catch crop, previous
to the planting of the sugar-cane. ‘This year the area planted
is about 52 The crop is not one which is grown
by many planters. Of the 52 acres growing in’ Antigua
at the present time, 40 acres are planted by the Hon, F.
Holborron, and 8 acres are planted on North Sound estate.

The greater part of the seed for this crop was imported
from ‘Teneriffe, through the Imperial Departinent of Agri-
culture, and soll to planters at the price of cost and charges.
The germination of the seed was good, and no trouble has
been experienced in transplanting the young onions from the
nursery to the field. With the exception of a slight attack
of caterpillars, which did no material damage, the crop has
not suffered from any insect attack.

acres.

TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN TRINIDAD.

In the report for 1906-7 on the Ward Unions of
Trinidad, the Warden of Oropuche and La Brea Makes
the following reference to tubaccy growing in his
district :—

The peasant proprietors of Oropuche and Siparia seem
to have almost given up the cultivation of the fragrant weed,
which is to be regretted, as Siparia tobacco once ranked next
to the best Havana. In spite of efforts to induce the plant-
ers to grow and cure the leaf according to scientific aud
approved methods, they still adhere to their primitive ways
with the usual disheartening results.

It is estimated that in this Ward only 60 acres were in
cultivation with tobacco during 1906-7.

In the Report of the Curator of the Royal Botanic
Gardens for 1906-7, mention is made of a method of cultiva-
tion anda process of curing tobacco, successfully carried out
at the St. Clair Experiment Station. It would be of benefit
to the tobacco planters of this Ward Union if the Agricultural
Tustructors could impart this method to them, in order that
a, once profitable industry might be revived,

Permits for the removal by water of 7,362 Ib. of native
grown tobacco were issued by the Warden duving the year,
but as considerable quantities are now removed by land, for
which mode of transit no permit is needed, this quantity does
not represent the total output.

SUPERPHOSPHATE.

The method of manufacture, and the qualities and
uses of this well-known phosphatic manure are discussed
at considerable length in the Journal of the British
Agricultural Organization Society for December last.
The subject is treated primarily trom the point of view
of the British farmer, but- the accompanying extracts
are worthy of note by agriculturists in all parts of the
world who may have occasion to use superphosphate :—

In the purchase of superphosphate, it is sometimes
necessary, from a practical point of view, to take the physical
condition of the manure into consideration ; that is to say,
a good-superphosphate should be a fairly dry, friable powder,
and should not readily become wet and sticky. Unfortunately,
this tendency to stickiness is more common in the high
grades than in the low, and it arises from the fact that in
their anxiety to dissolve as much of the phosphate as possible,
the manufacturers use rather more acid in proportion than
they do for the lower grades. A sticky superphosphate is
exceedingly disagreeable to handle and difficult to distribute
evenly, so that it is worth while to remember that any
wetness or stickiness can be most easily corrected by
thoroughly mixing 2 ewt. of steamed bone flour with each
ton of superphosphate and leaving it in a heap for a day or
two.

Lime must on no account be mixed with superphosphate
becanse it converts the water-soluble phosphate into the
reverted phosphate which is only soluble in dilute acid, and,
if the mixing is carelessly done, a good deal of .the phosphate
will go back into its original insoluble state and be quite
valueless.

It is sometimes stated that the acid superphosphates
have a tendency to make land sour, particularly the heavy
lands ; but the proper way to correct any tendency in this
direction is by giving the land an occasional dressing of lime.
It has been calculated that 1 ewt. of lime per acre is more
than sufficient to correct the acidity of any reasonable dress-
ing of superphosphate, so that an ordinary agricultural dress-
ing of burnt or ground lime would be sufficient for many
years. It is well worth mentioning that on many soils,
particularly the clays and sands, dressings of lime have
a wonderful effect in increasing the result of subsequent
dressings of superphosphate.

As a source of phesphatie food for plants, no manure
is more reliable and certain in its results than superphosphate,
but it must be borne in mind that it supplies nothing
but phosphate, and that this is only one of the numerous food
substances that plants require. A great many soils contain
a fair quantity of nitrogen, abundance of potash, and all
the other plant foods with the exception of phosphate, and
it is on these soils that superphosphate is all that is required
to increase considerably the crop yields produced. On other
soils in which nitrogen or potash is deficient it is useless to
apply large dressings of superphosphate alone, because. the
plant will have used up all the available nitrogen or potash
and have ceased to grow before it has been able to utiize
half the phosphate supplied by the manure. In such cases
a suitable quantity of mitrogen or potash should be applied
along with the phosphate.

Generally speaking, 3 ewt. of 26 per cent. superphosphate:
will supply all the phosphate required to make a complete
manure with 1 ewt. of nitrate of soda (or } ewt. of sulphate
of ammonia) and } ewt. of sulphate of potash; indeed,
a powerful general manure can be made by mixing super-
phosphate, sulphate of ammonia, and sulphate of potash in the
proportions mentioned.

eo
(2)

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Frepruary 8, 1908.

eet TET

ASS .

orn

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland of Liverpool
write as follows, under date of January 20, with refer-
ence to the sales of West Indian Sea Island Cotton :—

Since our last report, about 100 bales West Indian Sea
Islands have been sold, at from 20d. to 25d.,chietly St. Vincent
cotton.

Spinners continue quite indifferent buyers, some having
considerable stocks left over from last season.

It is difficult to obtain over 20d., except for extra fine
quahty, and at the moment the tendency is towards lower
prices.

COTTON-SBED FACTORY AND
COTTON-SEED PRODUCIS.

A cotton-seed oil factory, capable of dealing with
4 tons of seed per day, and including steam power
delinter, with presses and refining outfit, would cost
about £2,500.

The usual return of oil is at the rate of 40 gallons
per ton of seed. Old cotton seed yields less oil, and
that of a darker colour... Fresh seed is found to be
more economical in working, while the oil is brighter
and also sweeter in flavour.

The dry oil-cake yielded by a ton of seed after the
extraction of the oil may weigh from 1,500 to 1,700 th.,
depending on the age and quality of the seed.

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET

Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co. of Charleston, report-
ing on January 11 last, in regard to the market for Sea
Island cotton, state :—

During the past week there has been a moderate demand
for fully fine quality of cotton at 40c. per Tb., and for fully
fine to fine, but off in preparation, at 53c., the buying being
for France. There is also some enquiry for crop lots, but at
prices below the views of the planters.

On January 18, Messrs. Frost write -—

The sales for the week consisted chiefly of fine quality
at 35hc. to 36c., and of stained to tinged cotton at prices
ranging from 28c. to 33c. The larger proportion of the buying
was on account of the Northern mills. Factors continue to
hold firmly fully fine qualities at 40c., and the planters’ crops
at 43c. to 45c. and upwards, whilst they are willing to make
some concessions in prices to sell the tinged and stained cotton,
of which the receipts now largely consist,

a)

COTTON IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

Referring to the cotton industry in British Centra.
Africa, the Annual Report (1906-7) on the Protecto-
rate states :—

The area under cotton in 1906-7 was 7,017 acres, or
about 3,000 acres less than the preceding year, and less than
one-third the acreage under cotton in 1904-5. At that time
(1904) large acreages were put in without much regard to
the variety sown, soil, or the prevailing climatic conditions.
The results obtained under these circumstances were so
disappointing that many planters felt compelled to discon-
tinne cotton cultivation, and devote their attention to other
Next season it may be anticipated that more cotton
will be planted, as many are awaiting a favourable opportun-
ity for making a fresh start with this product. The varieties
of cotton are getting acclimatized year by year, and the
industry tends to become more firmly established.

ere ps.

PAPER MANUFACTURE FROM
COTTON STALKS

The Queensland Agricultural Journal for
September last, published the following note on the
prospective manufacture of paper from cotton stalks :—

Paper manufactured from cotton stalks is of the strong-
est texture softest finish. It is reported that several
plants for the purpose of carrying on this manufacture will be
during the next few months in certain American
The practical effect of this new invention, if fully
developed, would be to inerease the present value of the cotton
crop nearly £20,000,000 sterling annually.

The utilization of a waste product such as the cotton

and

erected
States.

stalk, manufactured into commercial paper, will be a boon
of inestimable value to the world. It will check the present
increasing cost of paper, which is becoming such a burden
upon the newspaper industry.

Mr. Harvie Jordan, President of the Southern Cotton
Association, U.S.A., declares that the manufacture of paper
from the fibre of the cotton stalk is one of the latest and most
interesting inventions of the new century. Not only have
the investigations passed the experimental stage, but they
are rapidly being shaped so as to be placed into practical
operation. Mr. Jordan says it has been unquestionably
demonstrated that all grades of paper, from the best form of
linen to the be manufactured from this
material.

lowest ‘news,’ can

Samples of unbleached paper prepared from cotton
stalks, grown at Barbados, were exhibited at the recent
Agricultural Conference, by Mr. Bert de la Mar of
Trinidad,

Vou. VII. No. 151. THE

THE COTTON WORM IN OLDEN DAYS.

From a chapter in the ‘Natural History of the
Island of Barbados’, a book written by the Revd. Grifhith
Hughes, Rector of St. Luey’s parish, and pubiished in
1750, it is evident that cotton was grown in the island
in those days, and also that planters of the eighteenth
century found the cotton worm as destructive a pest
as it still proves to-day. In reference to this question,
Mr. Hughes wrote :—

The cotton wool (of which in the East Indies they make
their finest calico) is too well known to want a further
description. Yet it would not be amiss here to observe,
that as the inhabitants of the warmest climates want clothing,
especially in the wet seasons of the year, indulgent Providence
has sufficiently supplied the want of wool, here denied to the
sheep, by causing a vegetable to bear the finest wool in the
world.

However, the certainty of gathering a good crop of this
kind is very precarious, since we may almost literally say of
this shrub, that in the morning it is green and flourisheth,
and almost in the same evening it decays and withers; for
when the worms begin to prey upon a whole field of cotton
trees, though they are at first scarce perceptible to the naked
eye, yet in three days they will grow to a considerable bigness,
and so devouring in that short time, they, will reduce the most
verdant field, thickly and beautifully clothed with leaves and
flowers, into almost as desolate and naked a condition as
trees are in the month of December in England, leaving
often not a whole leaf remaining. By this means, especially
if they come late in the year, they greatly prejudice, if not
entirely destroy, the ensuing crop, and sometimes the very
young trees are by this means killed.

These worms are of three sorts, all of the caterpillar
kind and distinguished by the names of the ‘black backs,’
the ‘streaked backs’ and the ‘fire worm.’ The last is of
a russet colour, and the smallest in size, but it is the most
destructive. When they grow to their destined bulk, they spin
and enwrap themselves in a bag or web, like silk-worms, in the
few remaining leaves or any other covering. After a few days’
rest in this, their Aurelia state, they turn into dark-coloured
moths, and tly away.

These worms are observed most generally to make their
appearance after sultry weather, especially if it thunders and
lightens, as the weather is then more than ordinary sultry.

RICE CROP IN BRITISH GUIANA.

Reporting on the present season’s crop of rice in
British Guiana, the Demerara Argosy estimates that
it will reach at least 300,000 bags, this being 50,000
bags over and above the amount consumed in the
colony.

The question of export, therefore, becomes a very
important one to the rice producers of British Guiana.
Realizing this fact, one of the largest milling firms in the
colony recently snbmitted. samples of rice, grown on the
banks of the Essequebo, to leading houses in the English and
German markets, and the reports received are by no means
discouraging.

The report on Demerara’s rice, received from England,
was to the effect that tt was ‘ bold, handsome, well grown, and
well separated, its only defect being in preparation, since it
showed signs of fermentation.’ The samples for the German
market were submitted to merchants in Hamburg, where the

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 39

largest rice mills in the world are situated. The report
received from Hamburg commented on the inferior prepara-
tion of the grain which renders the product in its present
state unsuitable for the English market, but the report
added: ‘we have seldom seen rice of such good grain, and
if properly prepared, it should be worth a very good price.’

It is not at present easy to state exactly what are the
particular defects of preparation of British Guiana rice, but
improved methods however, will no doubt be brought into
operation with further experience. In the meantime it may
be noted, that the favourable mention of the quality of
Demerara rice, contained in the above reports, is sure
evidence of the possibilities which the future holds for the
industry in the colony.

In connexion with the question of rice cultivation, the
Argosy refers to the rapid development of the industry in the
American States of Louisiana and Texas. In these countries
the paddy fields are described as rising in natural tiers on
either side of the rivers and creeks, and irrigation is cheaply
and effectively carried out by means of a series of pumps,
raising the water from tier to tier as the land rises. It is
thought that this system could with advantage be brought
into working in Demerara, along the banks of the rivers and
creeks, and also at considerably less cost than in Louisiana
or Texas. In those States, as a result of the adoption of this
system, one man is able to do all the work necessary for the
cultivation of 100 acres. . Irrigation operations would
necessarily be simpler, and less expensive in Demerara than
in the American states, on account of the unvarying low level
of land through which the principal rivers flow.

The possibilities of export in this line fully warrant the
expense of irrigation operations. At present, most of the
rice entering the English market comes from India and
Rangoon, but both these sources of supply are rendered more
or less unreliable on account of the occurrence of occasional
drought. By the adoption of a thorough system of irriga-
tion the question of drought would be reduced to a negligible
quantity in British Guiana.

In conclusion, the Argosy quotes the remark of a promi-
nent rice miller in the colony, who states : ‘I have no hesita-
tion in saying that, provided we can guarantee the quality of
the rice, there is no reason why there should not be scope
for an annual export trade from British Guiana of over’
200,000 to 300,000 bags of rice.’

CROWN LANDS IN TRINIDAD.

The Warden of Naparima Ward Union, Trinidad,
makes the following reference in his latest Annual
Report, to the sale of Crown lands in his district of
the island, and the disabilities put upon settlers by the
suspension of traffic on the roads just at the crop
time :—

The sale of Crown lands is steadily on the increase,
This year, 2,786 acres were sold [in the Naparima Ward
Union] against 2,701 last year, and 932 the year before.
It is true the increase is not very much, but it would have
been much greater if traffic on the roads had not been sus-

pended. This annual stoppage is very discouraging to
settlers. It takes place just at the time their provisions are

ready for market, and this suspension means that all their
perishable produce is lost to them, which is a serious throw-
back to men just starting the cultivation of a plot of land,
and dependent on what they get from it for their subsistence.

Of these 2,786 acresof land sold, there were only one lot of
50, two lots of 40 acres, and all the other lots were under
25 acres

40 THE. AGRICULTURAL: NEWS.

Fesrvary £, 1908.

EDITORIAL NO'TICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayvents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
pow, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
o., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Coin-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A coniplete list of
Agents will be anit on page 3 of the cover

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subseription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultura il Hews

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8,

Vou. VII. 1908. No.

NOTES AND 'COMMENTS.

151.

Contents of Present Issue.

The advancement made in agricultural education
in the West Indies during recent years is disscussed in
the editorial. Proposals bronght forward at the Jate
West Indian Agricultural Conference for the institution
of a systematised course of reading and examination for
overseers and sub-managers of estates are of special
interest.

A report on the work done during 1905-7 in
connexion with the sugar-cane experiments carried on
in Barbados is given on page 35°

The Red Spanish varieiy of pine-apple is the one
most recommended for export trade by growers in Cuba.
For home trade the Smooth Cayenne and other varieties
give better results. Fruit growing in Porto Rico is
giving good returns (page 36),

Market reports and other notes of interest in regard
to the cotton crop will be found on page 38-9.

A brief article on page 87 deals with the properties
and uses of superphosphate,

The development of the rice industry of British
Guiana is making the question of European export
trade in this product one of immediate interest, (p. 39.)

An article dealing with cattle and fowl ticks and
methods for the destruction of these pests appears
under ‘Insect Notes’ (page 42).

West Indian Students in Canada.

Jt is interesting to note that the number of West
Indian students now in residence at McGill University,
Montreal, is thirty-eight. All except one are white. Last
year the number of students was fifty. The students from
the several colonies areas follows: Jamaica, 17; Barbados,
13; Antigua, 3; Trinidad, 2; Demerara, 1: St. Lucia, 1 ;
St: Croix, 1.. The number taking Applied Science
(Engineering, Mining,. Architecture, etc:). is 19; Arts
and Natural Science, 2; Theology, 2; Medicine, 15.

On the occasion of the visit of Sir Daniel Morris
to the University, in October 1907, he met the students
atthe Union and gave them a short address. As
a rule the West Indian students are reported to be
steady and earnest workers, and pass their examina-
tions successfully.

Matches in Cotton Factories.

A question of importance to those in charge of
cotton factories, and others, is being raised by the
Administrator and the Agricultural Superintendent of
St. Vincent, who are making enquiries as to whether
action has been taken in any of the West: Indian
colonies. to prevent the inportation of matches which
will ignite without the use of a specially prepared box.

The enquiry is made on account of the fact that
sulphur matches are stated to have been sometimes
found in seed-cotton sent to the ginneries in St. Vincent.
It will readily be seen that this indicates a possible
source of considerable damage to owners of cotton
factories, and it may be added thi at the point also closely
concerns the welfare. of the sugar industry,
during the crop seasop when canes
set on fire.

especially
are dry and easily
It would appear thai at present, there are
no restrictions whatever in regard to the use of sulphur
watches in the West Indies.

Best Method of Packing Limes.

The West India Committee Circular mentions
that Mr. rank Evans, Assistant Superintendent of the
Botanical Department at Trinidad, who arrived in
England at the close of 1907, brought with him a few
packages of fresh limes from the island. These limes
were put up in various ways, with a view to testing
the effectiveness of the different methods of pac king.
The results were as follows: (1) packed in box, no
paper wrapers, fruit arrived in bad condition; (2)
packed in box, wrapped in paper, fruit in fair
condition ; (3) packed in’ baskets, wrapped in tissue
paper, fruit in good condition ; (4) packed in baskets,
wrapped in stiff newspaper, fruit in very good condition,
This confirms the frequently repeated statement that
limes packed stout paper keep much better than
those wrapped in tissue paper. ‘The stouter paper
appears to peor’ the moisture, and experience has
shown that limes so wrapped will keep a very long
time,

tissue

Vou.: VII. No 151. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 41

Agricultural Prospects in Fiji.

The Annual Report (1906-7) on Fiji, recently
issued by the Colonial Offiee, states that there is
undoubtedly a good opening for the cultivation in that
colony of such minor products as. sisal hemp, ginger,
limes, spices, tobacco, ete. The cultivation of rubber
has hitherto hardly been attempted ; successful efforts
are, however, being made on at least two plantations to
introduce this product. The growth of the existing
trees shows that conditions are favourable to both the
Para and the Ceara Large areas of land
suitable for rubber cultivation can be obtained at
moderate rates.

species.

Prevention of Plant Diseases.

The question of legislation, forbidding the importa-
tion of certain plants, with the object of preventing the
spread of fungus diseases attecting those plants
occasionally demands attention trom Governments, and
measures of this kind frequently save great loss to the
agricultural community whose crops may be threatened
by inseet or fungus pests.

With the object of stamping ont the American
gooseberry mildew (Sphiwrothecu Mors-wrue), which
has been the cause of much trouble in Great Britain
during the past season, the Board of Agriculture
and Visheries of that country has vecently issued
an order under which tlie landing in Great Britain
of any gooseberry bush or currant bush, brought
from any place outside the country is strictly prohibited.
The order also provides that directly any bush is
found to be affected with the mildew, the fact is to
be reported to the Board of Agriculture, and the
owner of the premises is forbidden to allow any goose-
berry or currant bush to be removed, until, after
inspection, the place is declared to be again free from
the disease.

>

Sweet Potato Crop.

Bulletin No. 10 of the Tuskegee Agricultural
Experiment Station (Alabama, U.S.A.), deals with
some points that should be observed: by growers of
sweet potatos, especially those who may wish to store
a portion of the crop tor a time.

It is stated that potatos dug after or during
a long period of dry weather keep well as a rule, while
those dug after or during a rainy season tend early to
decay. Bruising or cutting the potatos in the process
of raising also naturally lessens the keeping properties.
In Alabama, the sweet potato crop is frequently
attacked by a fungoid disease, the Black rot (Ceratocytis
fimbriata).

i Attention is drawn to the value of the vines as
a nutritious food for stock. Results of analysis appear
to show that these vines possess about the same teed-
ing value as the young succulent pea vines. All kinds
of stuck eat them greedily when green, and drying by
hanging them across fences or racks in the sun does
not lessen their palatability,

Cane Farming in Naparima.

The Warden of the Naparima Ward Union, Trini-
dad, comments strongly on the methods. of cultivation
adopted by the cane farmers of his. district. The
greater part of the land occupied by these cane farmers
is stated to consist of old sugar estates, abandoned by
previous holders on account of the fact that it did not
pay to grow canes on them, ‘Yet the present occupiers
plant canes year after year without the slightest assist-
ance in the form of manure., It will readily be under-
stood therefore that only small crops are obtained.

During the crop season of 1906 cane farmers
obtained 9s. per ton for their canes at the commence-
inent of the season. Owing to the shortage of the crop,
however, the price subsequently rose to 14s. In 1907,
planters were fully occupied reaping their own abundant
crops, with the result that prices remained at 7s. per
ton. In 1904-5 the quantity of farmer-grown canes
raused in the Naparima Ward reached 85,266 tons,
having a value of $184,669. In 1905-6, $256,053 were
realized for the 73,428 tons grown, while in 1906-7 the
farmers produced 135,133 tons of the value of $279,919.
It will be seen, therefore, that the crop of 1907, although
almost double that of the previous year, did not bring
much increased profit to the farmers.

It is mentioned that in the Débe and Penal
Settlements of the Naparima Ward nearly all of the
new settlers are planting cacao in preference to sugar.

oa

Salt Industry in the Turks Islands.

The salt-raking industry which forms the mainstay
of the Turk’s Islands has during the past three years
gone through a period of exceptional depression.
Abnormally wet seasons occured in 1904 and 1905, and
this seriously interfered with raking operations and
reduced the yields of salt. With the advent of a drier
season in 1906, larger amounts of salt were prepared,
but, on account of the inability of the salt pond owners
to meet the demands of the two previous years,
principal purchasers had, in the meantime, found other
sources of supply, notably in the Trapani district of
Sicily. It is further stated in the Annual Report
(1906) on the Turks and Caicos Islands, that although
a good market was formerly found for the salt in the
United States, yet the opening up of native supplies,
and the high protective duty of Ge. per bushel now
levied on foreign salt imported into the country, make
it a matter of impossibility for the salt producers of
the Turks Islands to retrieve their losses,

While the total export of salt from the islands in
1903 reached 1,806,694 bushels, having a value of
£23,678, it had fallen, by 1906, to 1,043,474 bushels,
having a value of £14,276. Grand Turk has_ suffered
more especially, the shipments from this island having
fallen from 694,609 bushels in 1903 to 104,648 bushels
in 1906.

In view of this decline of the salt-raking industry,
it is all the more satisfactory to note the extension ot
the area devoted to sisal cultivation, and the increasing
exports of fibre.

42 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SS

INSECT NOTES.

Cattle and Fowl Ticks.

A small collection of ticks was recently forwarded
from the Imperial Department of Agriculture to Dr.
George H. F. Nuttall, of Cambridge University,
England, for identification.

These have been studied by Dr. Nuttall, and he has
lately furnished the following information :—

The common cattle tick of the Lesser Antilles is
determined as Boophilus australis and is closely related to
the cattle tick of the Southern U.S. (Boophilus annulatus)
the well-known agent of dissemination of Texas fever among
American cattle. The gold tick of Antigua, sometimes
called the St. Kitt’s tick, is Amblyomma variegatum, This
is closely related to the ‘ Bont’ tick of South Africa. The
common fowl tick which is found in several of these islands
This insect is distributed
throughout tropical and sub-tropical America.

The remedies for cattle ticks have been given in previous
numbers of the Agricultural News, and in a recent number
(Vol. VI, p. 186), an account was given of successful treat-
ment of a cow badly infested with ticks.

These consist of dipping, and spraying
recognized tick washes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State
officials in the tick infested States have devised a scheme of
rotation pasture as a result of which entire farms and country
districts may be freed from this pest.

Recently a correspondent of the Louisiana Planter has
recommended molasses as a cure for ticks.

The directions include the use of molasses as a feed and
a wash for the surface of the bodies of the affected animals.
Molasses is fed with equal parts of water, and a mixture of one
part of molasses, and two parts water is used as a wash. This
is said to give satisfactory results.

The remedy may be worthy of trial in countries where
molasses is cheap.

It may be of interest to note that the fowl tick is
capable of remaining alive for a long time without food, or
at least with no food available other than members
of its own species. Early in 1904, specimens of this
tick were received from a correspondent in
This gentleman was having a fowl house rebuilt, and
it was found that an number of ticks had
collected in crevices in the boarding of the fowlhouse.
A small piece of board on which were perhaps a hundred
ticks, larvae and adults, was sent in to the Department of
Agriculture. This piece of board with the ticks, was placed
in a glass jar, and the top covered over with a piece of cloth.
Two years later a few of the ticks were still alive. This will
show that in where fowl infested with
these pests it is not enough simply to remove the fowls
from the house for a time. It will be necessary to
thoroughly disinfect the house in all its parts. This might
be done by thoroughly white-washing, or by the use of
Whitewash for this purpose

is Aryas persicus, var. miniatus.

with any of the

Barbados.

enormous

cases houses are

kerosene or crude petroleum

Frpruary 8, 1908,

should be made by slaking quick-lime in water to make
a thick wash. Crude earbolic acid at the rate of 1 pint for
each gallon of the wash should be added and thoroughly
stirred in.

When used for the purpose of disinfecting a fowl-house
or other out-buildings, lime wash, crude petroleum, ete., may
be sprayed or apphed with a brush, but care must be taken
that every crevice is penetrated and every portion of the
surface covered.

WATER AND SHADE FOR MILKING
CATTLE.

Cows are frequently seen in the West Indies tied
with a comparatively short rope to a post in the field,
away from shade and water. The yield of milk obtained
in such cases cannot possibly reach the return that
would be given under conditions more in accordance
with the bodily comfort of the animal, and cow keepers
should realize that, apart from the question of disecom-
fort to the cow, such treatment does not pay.

‘The accompanying notes in reference to this ques-
tion are taken from the Quarterly Journal (October
1907) of the Bengal Department of Agriculture :

As every one\ knows, milk contains, or should contain
about 87 per cent. of water. In addition to the water
necessary for the production of milk in the animal system,
there must be sufticient for the ordinary vital processes in
the body, therefore a supply of water should be given to an
animal producing milk in such quantities as the animal itself
wishes to take as drink. An ideal water supply is, of course,
a clear running stream, but in default of this, a good supply
of clear standing water that is not in the least stagnant, ete.,
will suttice.

Another important matter is that of shade. Milking
cows must have shade, otherwise their yield of milk will
be greatly diminished by reason of the fact that they become
too hot in the full glare of the sun’s direct light, uncomfort-
able and restless, and do not graze. Remembering also the
worry caused by thes, it is easy to understand that the beasts,
instead of feeding and forming milk, are wasting their time
in moving about, tossing their heads and flicking their tails,
ete. Not only is it essential, from the point of view of
obtaining as large a milk supply as possible per cow, to
provide shade, but this shade will also protect the beasts
more or less from the flies, so that the hides of the eattle
will be much less liable to become damaged. There is
a certain tly [! //ypoderma bovis] that attacks exposed cattle,
settling on their backs along either side of the back-bone, and
there laying a number of eggs on the skin among the hair.
These eggs develop into ‘maggots,’ which bore through the
hide and live underneath ; but each maggot keeps an aperture
open, through which to breathe. Thus, if there are many
eggs laid, the hide on being taken off the animal is observed
to be perforated in numerous places, and more especially at
the part where the best leather should be obtained. Conse-
quently the hide is reduced in value by 70 to 90 per cent.
From what the writer has seen of Indian milk cattle, it is
easy to understand that when the beasts are tied up with
a short rope the whole day or part of the day, on a bare
patch of inferior pasture, and away from water, the yield of
milk, for all the above reasons, must be insignificant, and
many of the hides damaged, not to speak of the pain suffered
by the beasts from thirst and heat. Milk eattle should also
have salt within reach.

Votes Ville Noe Til. SERS

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 45

AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES OF CUBA. +

The U.S. Consular service in Cuba has prepared
an interesting and complete report on the agricultural
and industrial conditions which at present obtain in the
island. The following forms a summary of the particu-
lars given in reference to the agriculture of Cuba:—

Although nearly every portion of the island is suited to
cane growing, it is estimated that not more than 2,000,000
acres (about one-fourteenth of the entire total acreage) is
under cane cultivation. The opportunities for a profitable
development of this industry are great. We have only to
consider the millions of acres adapted to such cultivation to
realize the incalculable wealth of the island.

Cuban tobacco, as is well known, is of superior grade.
Pinar del Rio, the extreme western province, is the home of
the highest grade of leaf grown, and nearly three-fourths of
‘the total tobacco acreage of the island is contained in’ this
province. The tovacco industry gives employment to about
100,000 persons. The cigar-naker’s wage varies, an expert
in making selected sizes sometimes earhing $50 a week ;
a person employe | in making the highest grade cigars receives

4
for the work 15e. to 20c. eath ; others are paid from $10
to $15 per week. :

In 1906, tobacco and manufactures of tobacco were
valued at $36,702,586, an intrease of 37,286,624 over the
previous year. E

The possibilities of the cultivation of citrus fruits in Cuba
are great. The estimated cost of establishing a 10-acre
orange grove on land valued at $50 an acre is as follows:
Land, $500 ; clearing, $250 ; planting 5150 ; 900 trees, $225 ;
care for five years, $1,500 ; total, $2,625. Some fruit may
be expected the third year. Varieties of orange, which have
proved most satisfactory for ‘cultivation in Cuba are the
Pine-apple and Valencia, the first an early, and the second
a later variety. In regard to grape fruit, Marsh’s seedless
and Duncan are the two varieties favoured for planting.

The pine-apple is indigenous to the island. The first
shipment of ‘pines’ from Cuba was made to New
York in 1870, and the industry is now an important and
profitable one. The demands of the market are large. Sucker
plants are worth $20 to 525 per 1,000, and an acre of
pine-apples yields sutticient plants to stock from 3 to 5
additional acres,

)

PEASANTS’ AGRICULTURAL SHOW AT BARBADOS.

Fic. 1, Peasants’ AGRICULTURAL SHow, BarBapos, 1907: Frurr anp VEGETABLE SECTION,

A photographic view of some of the exhibits at the
highly successful peasants’ show of agricultural produce,
held at Applewhaite’s plantation on December 4 last, is
here reproduced. '

The view represented is thai of part of the fruit
and vegetable section, which was distinctly the chief
feature of the show. Some indication of the abundance
and quality of the citrus fruit exhibits, more especially,

may be gained from the picture, while the decorations
of the room bear evidence to the willing co-operation
of Mr, Edghill (the attorney of Applewhaite’s planta-
tion) and his assistants, with those responsible for the
arrangements of the show.

It will be remembered that a full account of the
Exhibition was given in the Agricultural News of
December 14 last (Vol. VI, p. 393).

44 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Frsruary 8, 1908,

The present area under cacao cultivation in Jamaica is
6,021 acres.

The amount of cotton exported from Montserrat for the
quarter ending December 31, 1907, reached 162 bales, hav-
ing a weight of 59,115 Ib. and a value of £4,417 16s.

Java produced 1,133! tons of sugar in 1906, as
compared with 1,110,469 tons in 1905, and 1,102,871 tons
in 1904. (London Chamber of Commerce Journal.)

The importations of cacao into the United States now
average over 31,000,000 a month in value, as compared
witha value of $250,000 ten years ago,

Pine-apple cultivation is one of the best established
industries in Cuba. The annual crop varies from 600,000 to
over 1,000,000 crates and is steadily increasing. (Cuba Review.)

The Department of Agriculture, Bengal, estimates the
present season’s crop of date palm sugar (from the wild
date palin) Phoenix sylvestris) in India, at over 72,900 tons,
while the amount of raw sugar obtained from the Palnyra
palin will probably reach 2,937 tons.

The United States Consul at Porto Rico reports that the
cultivation of tobacco in the island is extending more rapidly
than that of any other product. Tokaceo lands have risen in
value, better methods of cultivation have been introduced,
and new factories erected.

The American Sea Island cotton crop appears to be all got
in. Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co’s report, dated December
28 last, stated that the odd bags of cotton then coming in
consisted largely of off, and stained cotton. The market was
practically at a standstill during the week reported on.

The Agricultural Journal of Queensland reports a fall-
ing off in the 1907 arrowroot crop of the colony, as compared
with that of the previous year. his is attributed to the fact
that greater attention is being paid to the dairy industry,
from which better returns are anticipated.

The gathering of the cacao crop is proceeding apace in
Trinidad. On Wednesday, January 22 last, the railway
achieved a record as regards the weight of cacao carried, no
less than 2,400 bags having been brought into Port-of Spain,
(Port-of-Spain Gazette, January 24.)

Although the fruit industry is a flourishing one in
Porto Nico, growers and planters are under disadvantage
owing to the bad condition of the roads. Jt is stated in
a U.S. Consular Report that, owing to this, fully 40 per cent.
of the entire orange crop is left to decay on the trees, causing
great loss to the planters.

In reply to an enquiry from the Imperial Commissioner
of Agriculture, Mry John Barclay, Secretary of the Jamaica
Agricultural Society, states that the present area of Sea
Island cotten planted in the island consists of 200 acres, 10
lots of 10 acres and upwards, together with about 20 acres in
smaller lots.

The question of rubber growing has lately been receiving
considerable attention in Hawaii, and the Hawatian Forester
of November last, states that one company recently imported
210,000 seeds of Hevea brasiliensis. Of these 190,0U0 are
to be planted at Nahiku on the island of Maui, 10,000 in
Honolulu for experimental purposes,and 5,000 seeds at Koolu-

The Port-of-Spain Gazette mentions the sale, to a pur-
chaser in Grenada, of the Courland, Auckenskeoch, and
Goldsboro estates in Tobago. Cocoa-nuts form the chief
product of these estates, the annual output being placed at
about 220,000, 120,000 and 100,000 nuts respectively.
Goldsboro estate is also preducing cacao.

In further reference to the Labuan pomelow, an interest-
ing citrus fruit of which a fine example was recently received
by the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture from Mr. Mae-
gillivray of Tobagn (Agricultural Ne ws, Vol. VII, Ds 20), at
may be mentioned that the colour of the flesh is pink, similar
to that of a blood orange.

At a meeting of the St. Kitt’s Agricultural and Com-
mercial Society, held on January 6 last, the following mem
bers were elected to serve as officers for the current year:
Hon 8. L. Horsford, President ; C. Forbes Todd, Esq., Vice-
President ; F. BR. Shepherd, Esq., Hon. Secretary and
Treasurer.

Reports from New York stated that up to Christmas the
market had been glutted with oranges from Porto Rico,
Florida, and Jamaica. All the fruits, however, were of poor
quality, those from Porto Rico especially so, having been
picked too early, Low prices only were realized. Very few
oranges had been received from Cuba at the time of report.

The Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, after
testing formalin as a remedy for ealf scour, announces that
it has found one part of formalin in 4,000 parts of milk will
almost invariably destroy the organisms in the bowels of the
calf responsible for the disorder. Calf owners should dissolve
3-oz. of formalin in 154 oz. of water, and add a teaspoonful
of this Liquid to each pound of milk fed to the ealf.

Co-operation among agriculturists has developed in
France probably to a greater extent than in any other country.
The farmers’ organization possess 8,501,695 members, forming
7,089 societies. As a result of this universal co-operation,
agriculturists are able to buy and sell on the ‘most advanta-
geous terms, and have secured cheap transport for their
products.

Fibre cultivation is being taken up by many planters in
British Central Africa. The Anwual Report (1906-7) on the
Protectorate states that special attention is being given to
Sisal and Mauritius hemps. During the year reported on,
27,250 young plants of these two fibres were distributed
from the Botanical Department. This constituted the whole
supply, but it is stated that three times this quantity would
have been planted, had they been available.

‘Vou. VIL. 151. THE AGRIC

ULTURAL » NEWS. 45

‘GEOLOGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
OF BARBADOS.

The portions of Dr. Ells’ paper which relate to the
Geology and Mineral Resources of ‘Barbados are here
reproduced, if continuation of the extracts that
appeared in the Inst issue of the Agricultural News
(Vol. VII, p. 30), dealing with the island of Trinidad :—

In Barbados, the geological formations are somewhat
different from those of Trinidad. Of the 166 square miles
in the area, six-sevenths are occupied by coral limestone,
which doubtless at one time formed a complete capping over
the whole island. This coral formation reaches to the
highest points of the island or about 1,100 feet above the
sea, though to the ordinary observer or visitor the island
is usually regarded as of but small elevation. The remaining
seventh in the north-eastern portion shows a
Tertiary sediments which are almost identical with those
seen in Trinidad, and, like that island, contain petroleum and
manjak-in large quantities. They have been exposed by the
denudation of the overlying coral, which presents bold
-escarpments facing to the east. Between the Tertiary rocks
and the coral isa considerable thicknéss of earths and clay
deposits, with an aggregate thickness’ of nearly 300. feet,
which, with the overlying coral formation, are quite undis-
turbed.

series of

The Tertiary oil-bearing sandstone and shale are more
highly disturbed than those of Trinidad, the anticlines
being sharper and the strata in places joverturned for short
distances. As in Trinidad, boring for oil has been carried on
for some years as well as mining for manjak, and some
fifteen holes have been sunk, several of which have
been carried to depths of over 1,000 feet. In most of
these oil has been found in some quantity and a pipeline
and refinery were erected several years ago, the oil being
pumped from the wells to the height of land whence it
descended by gravity to the refining works near the city of
Bridgetown. In certain cases the location of the borings
was unsuitable, the sediments being too greatly disturbed to
be largely produc tive of oil, so that the yield of petroleum in
economic quantity has not been satisfactory ; but at other
places the conditions are more favourable, the strata being
more regular and less broken, while beneath the coral and
clay formations—the latter being known under the name
‘Oceanic beds’—the oil-bearing Tertiary probably occurs
throughout the whole extent of the island. Here also, owing
to the cov ering of impervious clays, the possibility of finding
oil in paying quantity should be more favourable than in
those portions where the clay and coral formations have
been removed, asin the north-eastern portion. The thickness
of the coral formation varies from a few feet only to 200
feet, and, in some places, possibly 250 feet, and the Tertiary
are sometimes seen, the denudation of the
more especially in the southern and northern portions
The judicious expenditure of a certain amount

care-

rocks owing to
coral,
of the island.
of capital by boring in this coral-capped area should be

fully considered.

In the Oceanic or clay and earthy deposits ave large beds
of infusorial earths, often beautifully ‘hite and resembling
the infusorial earth obtained from the beds of Jakes in
eastern Canada. The microscopic examination of the
contained foraminifera, however, shows that the forms ave of
deep sea water types instead of fresh water origin, as is the
case with the northern lake deposits. These infusorial earths
-should at some time be of economic importance,

The manjak deposits of Barbados occur in true fissure
veins as in Trinidad, the fissures undoubtedly being formed
during the general period of upheaval which affected the
Tertiary oil-bearing sands. The origin of this mineral
is clearly seen in the case. @fthe shaft referred to, where
the manjak passed down at £50 feet into petrolenm. The
inference is, that this petrolétam has flowed into the fissures
thus formed, either from thg sides or bottom, from the oil-
sands which have been thus$traversed : the volatile matters
have been largely re Be by oxic ition, and the asphaltie
portion has reniained as a vein filling,

|
b

TOBACCO GROWING IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

The cultivation of tobaeco is becoming more and
more popul: win the British Central Africa Provteconntes
While in 1906, the area under tobaceo was 955 acres,
this had increased to 2,330 acres in 1907. In the
latter year, too, the tobacco ex Xports were valued at
£6,889, as compared with £3,317 in 1906.

The following information on tobacco, furnished by
the Blantyre & East Africa Co. Ltd. is given in the
Annual Report (1906-7) on the protectorate : —

Tobacco is generally grown by planters, but owing to
the season, the crop has not‘been quite so successful as in
the previous year. The drought in January came at a very
Aitioal time, most of the plants having then only been

recently set out or being reat ly. to put out horn the nurseries.
+]

Many of those in the | died, and the drought stopped the
pene a operations. The result was that large numbers
of the plants were lost and the full acreage could not be
Reet up. Following the dry weather, the continued
rain was prejudicial. Some of the tobacco which was
planted early could only be harvested at a disadvan-
tage, owing to the wet weather, while the younger
tobacco was affected by a (probably fungoidal) disease.
This showed up in the cured product as black spots
and depreciated the value of the tobacco. The propor-
tion of first-class tobacco was therefore small, and the

leaf was also much less
the total

proportion of good bright yellow
than expected. In spite of all drawbacks, however,
crop will exceed that of the previous year. The unfavourable
conditions were much to be regretted, as efforts were
made to grow a leaf suitable for the home market,
naturally, it was desired to make as favourable an impression
There is, however, no doubt now, that excellent
the British market can be grown in

being
and,

as possible.
tobacco suitable for
this protectorate.

Efforts during the last few seasons have been chiefly
directed to the production of Brights (Yellow Leaf), and
there is no doubt that Brights will pay the planter best as
the prices rage from 6d. to Ls. per tb. on the Liverpool
market. All estates, however, have not the class of soil
most suitable for Brights, and: on these a fine sun-cured
tobacco has been produced. Although the price for dark
leaf is lower than for Brights, the heavier yield, to
extent, makes up for the lower prices. It is interesting to
note that Turkish leaf has been tried in the Protectorate
for the first time during the past season, and that the results
obtained promise success for this class of leaf. Cigar tobacco
production has also received attention, and while it is too
soon to pronounce a final verdict, the results, so far, are all
favourable. Tt is hoped to be able to complete the curing
of the leaf and subject it to the/final test this year, viz, the
test of the open continental market.

some

46 THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Fesruary 8, 1908,

CONCENTRATED LIME JUICE AND
CITRATE OF LIME.

The following information as to methods of prepara-
tion of concentrated lime juice and manufacture of
citrate of lime is given in continuation of the articles
on lime growing, ete., that appeared in recent numbers
of the Agricultural News (Vol. VI, p. 414: and Vol.
VII, p: 14):—

CONCENTRATED LIME

Lime juice for concentration should, when leaving the
mill, be carefully strained in order to remove all seeds, and
as much pulp as possible before it is run into vats. It is then
placed in a still, in order to obtain the oil, and afterwards
run to the tayches to be concentrated. It has lately been
shown (West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VII, p. 171), that lime
juice, carefully strained and settled after distillation and
before concentration, has obtained a special market and
commands higher prices than ordinary concentrated juice.

Lime jnice is usually concentrated before shipment to
the citric acid makers in order to reduce bulk. It is usual
to reduce at the rate of 600 gallons of raw lime juice to
50 gallons of the concentrated product. This is concentrat-
ing at the rate of 12 to 1. Some estates however, concen-
trate 10 to 1 and others 9 to 1. Even with low concentra-
tion there is a considerable loss of acid.

The juice is shipped to New York or London in hogs-
heads of 52 gallons, where it is tested and paid for according
to the citric acid contents.

Planters can now test their own lime juice in the
boiling house, and thereby save a considerable destruction of
citric acid during concentration, by means of a citrometer or
an ordinary specific gravity hydrometer. A description of
a scale prepared by the Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., D.Se.,
for use in ascertaining the strength of solutions of citric acid
and of lime juice Ae be found in the West Indian Bulletin,
(Vol. V, pp. 238-9), while a similar citrometer
the 2 tyricultural nae (Vol. VI, p- 149).

Care should be as much of the impuri-
tics as possible, and lime juice should never be concentrated in
iron tayches.

A carefully prepared jnice, testing 100 to 105 oz. per
gallon isa black, heavy, but not dense liquid. When no care
is taken to strain or settle the juice, the product is as thick as
molasses at the same degree of concentration.

When raw juice is prepared for shipment, it should be run

JUICE,

is described in

taken to remove

to the setting vats through earthenware pipes, for it should
never be allowed to come in contact with any metal.
The concentration of lime juice is carried out in open

copper tayches, but it has been suggested that concentration
in copper or “Herston vessels fitted with steam coils would be
an improvement over the present system. Now however, that
the manufacture of citrate oflime has been successfully under-
taken, it is doubtful whether any effort will be made at
improvement in the system of concentrating juice.

For boiling down the juice very considerable quantities
of fuel are required, and on estates where fuel is scarce, it has
been recommended that quick-growing species of Eucalyptus
might be advantageously planted in odd corners of the estates.
Once established, they could be cut over every two or three
years, whereas native trees once cut down, are not ready for
cutting again under at least ten years.

Ittakes from 1} to 2 cords of wood, according to the degree
of concentration, to boil down sutticient juice to fill a he eshe: ud.
On some estates, fuel costs as much as from 8 to 10s. a cord,
while on ethers, where wood is plentiful, the
more than 3s. to ds, This yuestion of fuel, combined

present

is not
with

cost

the cost of packages, and the high freight that has been paid

on liqnid produce, is of great importance, and when concen-

trated juice is sellmg at normal prices, i.e, from £12 to

£12 10s. per hogshead, testing 133 oz. to the gallon, this

industry cannot be said to be particularly attractive. At

present, prices are high, and may remain so for some time.
CITRATE OF LIME.

In the manufacture of citrate of lime, the lime juice, on
leaving the mill, is carefully strained, then distilled to obtain
the oil, and afterwards, while still hot, it is run into a wooden
vat to be neutralized with chalk. Before running into the
mixing vat, the juice should be passed through filter bags
(West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VILL, p. 167). The neutralizing
vats are fitted with perforated steam coils to keep the juice
hot, and to act as agitators during the time the chalk is being
added,

A sufficient quantity of chalk is made with water
into a cream. The mixture is poured cautiously into the
juice until the whole of the acid is neutralized. ‘To determine
when neutralization has been accomplished, samples are taken
from the mixing vat periodically and tested as follows :—
To a small quantityj of the mixture, some of the chalk and
water cream is added, and if this produces an effervescence,
more chalk must be added to the main quantity and further
tests made. This is continued until the addition of chalk to
a small quantity of'juice produces no effervescence. When
this occurs, the reverse test is carried ont, viz..—a little of the
supposed neutralized mixture is withdrawn and heated until
all bubbles of gas are given off. A few drops of acid—fresh
lime juice will answer—are added. <A slight effervescence

will take place if the requisite quantity of chalk has been
added, but if there is too much chalk present, a brisk

effervescence will be produced.
suyers of citrate of lime penalize anything containing
2 per cent. of chalk, and, therefore, care must be taken
in the neutralizing process not to add excess of the chalk.
After neutralization the citrate is allowed to subside, and
the mother liquor is'then run off through a tap fitted in the
side of the vat. Hot water is then run in and steam turned
on to thoroughly wash the citrate. The citrate is washed
several times, and finally it is agitated and run through a lower
tap into the filter bags to drain. It is then placed in a press
and finally conveyed to the drier. Recent experiments by the
Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., show that the use of centrifugals
is to be recommended for removing the water from citrate in

over

place of the press, and it can be conveniently washed with
a small quantity of hot water while in the centrifugal. When

thoroughly dried the citrate
cool before being tightly
puncheons for export.

Citrate of lime is twice as bulky as concentrated lime
juice, but it is not expected that freight on citrate will be
higher than on concentrated juice, as the shipping companies
give a preference to the dry over the liquid product.

At present, the greatest requirement in citrate manufae-
ture is a drying machine that will dry the citrate in a few
hours without any loss of acid. The driers chietly in use are
modelled after the pattern of the cacao drier described in the

should be placed ina room to
packed in barrels, hogsheads, or

West Indian Bulletin, Vol. Il, p- lite The process of
drying in this class of machine takes too long, and the

cousumption of fuel is too great for economical production of
citrate. Citrate from which moisture has been removed by
centrifugals can be dried in a much shorter time than the

ordinary pressed product. If centrifugals were generally
adopted and an improved drier brought into use, the
inanufacture of citrate of lime would be considerably

simplified.

Vor, Wid NoF 151° THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. AT
FORMALDEHYDE AND ITS INFLUENCE freight. These were immediately planted out, and 80 per cent.

ON FUNTUMIA RUBBER.

At a meeting of the London Section of the Society
of Chemical Industry, the Pharmaceutical Journal
reports that a paper was read by Dr. P. Schidrowitz
and Mr. F. Kaye on the influence exerted on Puntuimia
elasticu rubber by formaldehyde, when this latter
substance is used to coagulate the latex.

These two workers have found that the rubber obtained
from the latex treated by formaldehyde, although less elastic
and resilient than that obtamed by other means, was extra-
ordinarily tough. They suggest that a rubber of this charac-
ter might be particularly suitable for such purposes as the
covers of motor tyres, where toughness is of greater import than
resiliency, and that in future it may be found desirable to
use different methods of coagulation for the same latex
according to the purpose for which the rubber is intended.

RUBBER CULTIVATION.
The cultivation of rubber formed the subject of
a paper read some tiine ago before the members of the
Grenada Agricultural and Commereial Society by the
Hon. W. Grahame Lang.

In an island like Grenada, where cacao forms the staple
crop, it is probable that if rubber planting is taken up, the
form of cultivation adopted will be that of growing the trees
through the cacao crops. Myr. Lang, jhowever, points out
that in all parts of the island, and on every estate, there are
plots of land unsuitable for cacao cultivation, but which would
in all probability give satisfactory results, under rubber.

The valuable information contained in a letter from an
experienced planter of Para rubber in, Burma formed the
basis of some practical operations in rubber culture, which
Mr. Lang has carried out, and this letter he read before the
meeting. The following notes on the requirements of Para
rubber, given by Mr. Lang’s correspondent, are reproduced :—

‘Para rubber requires an even temperature of 70 to
100°, but must not fall below 63°. . Thrives best with
a rainfall of from 80 to 160 inches, but will stand a drought
of three months.

‘Tt will thrive at elevations of from 100 feet up to 2,000
feet in suitable localities.

‘The best soil for Para rubber is a rich friable Joam—the
deeper the better. Requires goo: drainage.

‘Tf the young plants are raised in a; nursery, the seeds
should be sown at distances of 1 foot from each other. The
plants ave then set out when about eighteen months old. The
best time to plant out is at the beginning of the rainy season.

‘When land is under rubber only, the trees may be at
distances of 15 x 15 feet, but when planted through cacao
or other crops, they may be planted at distances of 20 x 20
or 25 x 25 feet.

‘Tapping should not take place till the trees reach a girth
of 2 feet at 3 feet from the ground. ‘This will usually be in
the seventh or eighth year of age.’

Mr. Lang has planted 4,000 ¢ ‘astilloa trees. Some time
ago the trees were attacked with black blight and seale insects
Spraying with kerosene and whale-oil soap emulsion (10 Ib.
whale-oil soap in 20 pints of water, and 12 pints kerosene,
water enough being added before cooling to make the whole
up to 25 gallons), by means of a knapsack sprayer restored
the whole toa healthy condition.

Hevea seeds to the number of 1,000, were obtained from
‘Ceylon in November 1906, at a cost pf £6 5s., including

germinated. The young plants grew rapidly, and some were
set out in their permanent positions two months after
the seeds were sown. The “whole were planted out by the
end of March. Owing to thé dry season a number of the
young plants died, but as thelresult of experience, Mr. Lang
was able to testify to the drought-resisting properties of //evea
brasihensis,

In connexion with the question of raising the young
plants, the reader of the paper expressed his opinion that the
method of planting the seed at stake,in the position the trees
were to permanently occupy, was, on account of its cheapness,
and the smaller risk of damage to the young plants on account
of rough handling, ete., preferable to raising plants in the nurs-
ery and afterwards setting them out.

With rubber, as in the case of young cacao, various
catch crops can be raised for the first few years, and Mr. Lang
mentioned that on his estate, cassava, peas, potatos, yams, and
corm were growing among the rubber trees and doing well.

The rapid growth of Para rubber trees was referred to,
many attaining a height of over 3 feet in ten months. The
growth of the roots is equally rapid, and as the roots keep
near the surface and radiate at considerable distance, care
must be exercised in digging and forking the soil, or harm
will certainly follow. Para rubber is not so liable to attack
by blight as is Castilloa.

The question of the yield of rubber per tree and per
aere was discussed in considerable detail by Mr. Lang, and
from the figures quoted from Mr. Herbert Wright’s book on
rubber, it is evident that a return of 1 to 3 tb. of rubber per
tree per annum should be obtained up to their tenth year,
with an increasing yield in subsequent years.

Some attention is evidently being civen to rubber plant-
ing in Grenada, since Mr. Lang mentioned that he and one
or two friends had ordered a,supply of 70,000 Hevea seeds.

FUNCTION OF RUBBER LATEX.

Mr. W. G. Freeman, B.Se., F.L.S., Superintendent of
colonial economic products at the Imperial Institute, and
formerly Scientific Assistant on the staff of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture for the West Indies, remarked at
a meeting recently held at the Royal College of Science,
London, that the exact use of the latex to the rubber tree
is still a matter of discussion, but it is one of more than
purely botanical interest.

A view which has had a considerable amount of evidence
to support it, is that the latex tissues serve as a place of
storage for water, to be drawn upon in time of drought. It
has been observed in South America that Castilloa rubber trees
growing under moist conditions develop very little latex,
i.e. yield very little rubber, while trees growing under drier
conditions yield latex more abundantly. If the latex really
serves the function of water storage, it would be reasonable
to expect that it would be developed to the greater extent in
plants living under circumstances which made it necessary
for them to store up moisture for periodical seasons of
drought. That is to say, rubber plants growing in countries
with wellanarked dry seasons would have greater inducement
to produce latex than those growing in continuously humid
districts.

Under the latter conditions, the trees themselves would
thrive and grow very freely, but they might yield less
rubber, because the same necessity for moisture storage does
not exist.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Frepruary 8, 1908--

MARKET REPORTS:

London,—January 21, 1908, ‘THe Wesr Inpria Con-

MITTEE CrrcuLar ; Messrs. Knarron, Piper & Co.;
January 10, 1908, Messrs. E. A. pr Pass & Co.;‘THE
LiverrooL Corron Assocration WEEKLY Crrcu-
LAR,’ January 17, 1908.

ArRowkooT—St. Vincent, 23d. to 22d. per Ib.

Batata—Sheet, 2/4 ; block, 1/7 per tb.

Bres’-wax—&£7 1s. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 90/- to 107,- per ewt.; Grenada, 80/- to
90/- per ewt.

CorreE—Santos, 30/6 to 31/5 per ewt.

Copra—West Indian, £19 10s. per ton.

Corron— 18d. to 20d. per th.

Fruit
Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 5/- per bunch.

Limes—No quotation per box.
PINE-APPLES—St. Michael, 1/2 to 3/6 each.
Grape Fruir—5/- to 7/6 per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 5/- to 7/- per box.

Fustic—£4 5s. to £4 15s. per ton.

HonEy—l6s. to 28s. per cwt.

Isinciuass—West India lump, 2/- to 2/2 per lb.; cake, no
quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£18 per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled Oil, 19 to 1/10
per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per Tb.

Locwoon—#£4 5s. to£4 15s. per ten; Roots, no quotations.

Mace—Fair, 1s. 2d. per tb.

Nurmrcs—68'sto 69's, 7d. to 9d.; 75's, Fd. to Ghd. :105’s, dad. :
111’s to 115’s, 33d. to 4}d.; 121’s, 3$d.; 158’s, 33d.

Pimento—2?d. per th.

Rupser—no quotation.

Roum—Jamaica, common, 2s. 10d. to 2s. 11d. ; good, 3s. to 8s. ;
Demerara, 1s. 3d. to Is. 9d. ; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 19/74 per cwt.; Muscovado, no quota-
tions ; Molasses, 12/5 to 14/6.

New York,—Jannary 24, 1908.—Messrs. Giniesrie

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 18c. to 20$c.; Grenada, 18c. to 18¥c. ;
Trinidad, 174c. to 18'c.; Jamaica, 15$c. per Th.

Cocoa-nuers—Jamaica, select, $25°00 to $26°00 ; culls,
$16-C0 : Trinidad, $24°00 ; culls, $15°00 per M.

Correr—Jamaica, ordinary, Tye. to The.; good ordinary,
T#c. per Th.

Gincer— 10fe. to Ue. per th.

Goat Skins—Jaimaiea, 50c.: St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kitts, 38ce. to 435c. dry flint ; 29c. to 32c. dry salted ;
30c. damaged.

Grave FrRuir—Jamaicas, $5:00 to $8:00 per barrel ; $2°25
to €4°C0 per box

Limes— Dominica, $6°00 to $6°50 per barrel.

Macr— 28c.. to 30c. per Tb.

Nurmecs—110's, 94c. to 9Fc. per th.

Orancrs—Jamaica, no quotations.

Pimento—5éc. to ofc. per 1b

Sucar—Centrifueals, 96°, $3:°77 to 83°80; Muscovados.
89°, $3:27 to $3°30; Molasses, 89°, $3:°00 to $3:05
per Ib , duty paid.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. Jaws A. Lyxcn & Co., February 4,

1908 ; Messrs. T. 5S. Garraway & Co., February 3,
1908 ; Messrs. Leacock & Co., February 3, 1908.

Arkowroor—St. Vincent. $4-00 to $4°50 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $16°00 to $1750 per 100 1b.
Cocoa-Nurs—$11:60 to $1750 per M., for husked nuts.
Corrrre—Jamaica, €8°25 to $10°50 per 100 tb,
Hay—$1°65 to $2°00 per 100 th.

Manures— Nitrate of soda, $62°60 to $65°00 ; Ohlendorff’s
dissolved guano, €55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42:00 ; Cacao
manure, $42°00 to $4800; Sulphate of ammonia,

$72°00 to $75-00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Madeira, $1°50 to $2°50 per 100 tb.

Potaros, ENcrisu-—$1-50 tp 5) per 160 th.

Peas—Split, $6°00 to $6-50 ; mada, 3°46 to $3°50 per bag.

Rice—Denierara. $5°30 to $5°50 (177 to 180 th.) ; Patna

3°65 to $4:00; Rangoon, $3°00 to 3-10 per 100 th.

Svc an—No quotations.

British Guiana.,—Jannary 25, 1908.—Messrs. Wirerine

& Ricurer ; Messrs. Sanppacu, Parker & Co,

ARRowRooT—St. Vincent, $7 °00 to $10-00 per barrel.

Bazara— Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c. per th

Cacao—Native, 20c. to 21e. per tb. :

Cassava—No stock.

Cassava SrarcH—§$9°60 per barrel.

Cocoa-Nuts—$12°00 to $16-00 per M.

Corree—Creole, 13e.; Jamaica, 12c. per tb.

Dxar— $5-00 to $4°25 per bag of 168 th.

Eppos—$2°40 per barrel.

Motassrs— Yellow, 18sec. : Dark, no quotations per gallon

Oxtons—Madeira, 3c. to 3$e ; Lisbon. 3c. to Bhe. per ie

PLANTAINS— 20c. to 72c. per bunch. - i‘

Poratros,—Madeira, $2°70 to $3-00 per barrel.

Poraros, Sweet—Barbados, $1°32 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6°25 to $6°40 ; Creole, $425 to $4-T5
bag ; Seeta, $6°00 per bag.

Sprir Pras—$4°00 to $6°75 per bag (210 th.).

Tannras— €3°60 per bag. ‘

Yams—White, $2:40 to $2°64 ; Buck, $3-48 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°15 to $2-45; Yellow, $2-90 to
$300 ; White, $3°50 to $3°60; Molasses, $1:70 to
$1°95 per 100 tb. (retail).

Tinwer—Greenheart, 32c. to 55c. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3'50 to $5°50 per M.

— Frmewoon—$2'40 to $2-64 per ton (3-fect lengths),

per

Trinidad,—January 25, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpoy, Grant

& Co.

Cacao—$16'75 to $19°10 per fanega; Venezuelan, $17-25
to $18°00 per fanega.

Cocoa-NuUIS—No quotation.

Cocoa-Nuv O1n—72e. per Imperial gallon.

Correr—Venezuelan. Te. to Se. per ib.

Corka— 2°50 to $2°75 per 100 th.

Duatr—$4°60 to $475 per 2-bushel bag.

Ontons—$2°25 to $2°50 per 100 the (retail.

Poratos. Excrist—$1°‘00 to $1°40 per 100 fh.

Rree—Yellow, $5°50 to $5°60 : White, $550 to S6°C0 per bag

Srrirv Peas—S$6-00 to $6°25 per bag. rd

SuGak—#5-09 to $5°10 per 100 th.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN.’ A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

Volume I. No. 1 out of print.
Volumes IT and III.
Volume IV. Nos. 1 and 2.
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Conference, 1905. Price 6d. per number.
Volume VII. . Nos. 1, 2, 3 and. 4.
VIII. No. 1. West Indian Agricultural

Volume

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Papers on general subjects.
in the United States and the West Indies.

Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists.

Papers on
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Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price 1s. each. Post free, 1s. 2d:

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Price 6d. each number. Post free, 8d.
Report of Agricultural
Post free, 8d.

general subjects : Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the
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No. 2:

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Juice, Rice, Rubber, and Tobacco Industries in the West Indies.

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Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.

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(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting.

Price 2d.
Price 4d.

Price 4d.

Price 4d.

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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

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APP ORENIGHTLY REVIEW,

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

IMPERIAL

\orts WARIS ISK, IG!

CONTENTS.
Paar.
. 49) Immigration into Cuba
Jamaica, Fruit Industry of 52

Asricultural Banks
Agricultural Experimerts

in Antigua: Visit of Lemon Curing ... 57
Planters SC 58) Market Reports oe pop NaS
Cacao Drier, a New... ... 57, Milking Cow, Choice of ... 61
Cacao Industry of West Millions im Antigua ... 63
Indies wwe 53| Montserrat Preserving
Canadian Reciprocity | Industry — 52
Conference ... ... 62) Northern Nigeria, Agri-
Cocoa-nuts in Federated culture in 4 aT
Malay States 52 Notes and Comments 56
Coffee in Hawaii ... 62) Our Book Shelf :—
Cottee in Porto Rico . 59 Carolina Rice Cook Book 59

Corn Selection by Azri- Insects Injurious to

cultural Pupils .. ... 57 Veyetables ... 5”
Cotton Notes :—- Poultry Notes :

Barbados Co-cperative Sinalll Heese 2) ce.) san Ol
Cotton Factory ... dd.) Table Chickens, Breeding
Carriacou, Cotton and Feeding of ... 61

Growing in » «. OF Rubber Cultivation in
St. Croix, Cottoa | egisla- | Mindano woe. ses, GI
tion in 5. O00 54. Rubber in Dutch Guiana 56
St. Vincent, Cotten St. Vincent, Suggested Oil
Ginning in Jaeeoee 04 Factory for 57
Sea Island Cotton Crop... 55) Science Notes :
Sea Island Cotton Vegetable Ivory 58
Market .. «- «» 04] Sugar Industry:

West Indian Cotton . 54) Central Sugar Mills in
Department News... ... 58| (Queensland . 51
Dominica Agricultural an | Sweet Potatos, Fungus

Commercial Society nO Diseases of .... ... 56, 59
Heuador, Cacac Produetion Tobacco Industry of

HH) G00, «indo. 6B... Cogan cope Jamal cAeerewascat <s) DD
Gleanings ... «> . 60) West Indian Products... 63

Acricultural Banks.

E question of the establishment of Agri-

2

cultural Banks in these colonies is one

which has often been discussed in various

SJocalities, more particularly in Jamaica. Information
“in regard to these useful institutions has frequently
‘been given in the periodicals of the Imperial Depart-
“ment of Agriculture and the subject has received

VA

BARBADOS, FEBRUARY 22, 1908.

Price ld.

attention at more than one Agricultural Conference.

A particularly valuable contribution dealing with
this question was the paper read before the West
Indian Agricultural Conference held at Trinidad in
1905, by the Hon. Wm. Fawcett, Director of Public
Gardens in Jamaica, which gave a clear review of the
principal provisions of the ‘Raiffeisen’ system of
co-operative loan banks, that have given such satisfac-
tory results within recent years in Germany and
Central Europe. Mr. Fawcett’s paper, together with
others dealing with the same subject, was reprinted
under the title ‘ Information in Regard to Agricultural
Banks,’ as No. 35 of the Pamphlet series of the Imper-
ial Department of Agriculture.

There is no need to dwell at length upon the
advantage of a society or institution by means of which
a thrifty peasant proprietor or holder is enabled to
obtain, at moderate interest, a small amount of capital
for the development of his land, on the security of the

crops thereon. The value of these institutions is
at once apparent. In every part of the West Indies
there are small holders, willing to provide the

necessary labour to work their land, but who occasion-
ally, for various reasons, require the temporary need of
a little extra capital. The ordinary banks do not lay
themselves out to do business of this kind, and if the
would-be borrower has recourse to a money lender, he
is frequently charged an excessively high rate of
interest, and the negotiation, instead of proving
a means of assistance, often lands
difficulties than before.

It is just such men as these that agricultural loan
banks are designed to aid, and the value of such institu-

him in greater

tions has been so fully recognized in European countries
that nearly 30,000 banks have been formed in different

LIBRAR

NEW YORK

30T ANIC
IARI

50 TUE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Fesruary 22, 1908.

continental states on the ‘ Raiffeisen’

system. The peculiar qualifications in virtue of which

co-operative

these associations are specially adapted to give aid just
where it is needed, lies in the fact that under the
Raiffeisen system, each bank confines its operations
to a very limited area, and the managers are usually

men with a good

knowledge of matters agricultural.
It will be seen therefore, that they are in a position to
judge of the character of applicants for assistance, and
also as to the sum which may judiciously be advanced.
Sums lent are repayable in instalments with interest,
at periods agreed upon.

The fundamental idea of the Raiffeisen system is
that the members of the bank join together to pledge
their common credit for the security of money deposited
with them on interest, which is afterwards disposed of
among themselves, or advanced to applicants at slightly
The

money must of course be applied to agricultural

increased interest, so as to cover expenses.

purposes. A primary feature of these associations is
the unlimited liability of every member. As a result,
the greatest care is exercised in electing trustworthy
men only, since the other members know they will have
to meet any default caused by one of their number.

A Committee of officials is elected to carry out
executive work, but none of these are paid. Further,
there is no distribution of dividends, all the profits
being put towards the formation ofa reserve fund.
There is also a Council of Supervision, to which is
entrusted the task of supervising and checking tlie
Committee, while the Council themselves are subject

to check by the whole mass of members.

In the West Indies, so far, little has been done
towards the establishment of agricultural banks, but
one or two were started on a small scale in Manchester
parish, Jamaica, some yearsiago, through the efforts of
loval branches of the Agrictiltural Society. The neces-
sity of some agency, by means of which peasant proprie-
tors might be enabled to obtain temporary assistance
in time of need, was brought prominently to the front
as a result of the devastation caused on the lands of
small proprietors by the hurricane of 1905.

From some cause or another, however, nearly all
of the Agricultural Banks mentioned as having been
established in Jamaica have ceased to and at
present only two institutions, the Christiana People’s
Co-operative Bank, Limited, and the Trinity Ville
Bank, ave carrying on operations in the island.

exist,

These
operations are, it is true, on a modest scale only at
present,but the banks are undoubtedly doing good work
and making satisfactory progress. The Christiana Bank
has now a sum of £60 to its credit and this sum is

steadily increasing. In a paper prepared for the Agri-
cultural Conference of 1907, by the Revd. W. Turner,
and published in the West Indian Bulletin (Vol. VIIL,
No. 3), a full aceount of the system of working of this
bank is given.

At the reé¢ent Agricultural Conference, allusion
was made to the Barbados Sagar Industry Agricultural
Bank.
to carry out the administration of the free grant of
£80,000 made in aid of the sugar industry of the
island by the Imperial Parliament. The Directorate
consists of the Colonial Secretary (Chairman), one
member elected by the Legislative Council, four
members elected by the House of Assembly, and one by
the Agricultural Society. Loans, which can only be
expended in connexion with the cultivation and manage-
ment of the estate (except with the express permission
of the Directors), are made to planters at 6 per cent.
interest on the security of the growing crops.

This was established about a year ago, in order

Although the fund managed by this bank was
originally granted * in «aid of the sugar industry,’ yet
planters whose chief crop may be cotton, are not debar-
red from obtaining assistance from the bank, provided
they keep within the letter of the law by planting
sume sugar-cane,

In this connexion, too, it may be mentioned that,
in continuance of previous efforts in the same direction,
an Act (No 4 of 1907) to regulate advances in aid of
the cotton industry was brought into force in the
Leeward Islands during the past year. Its opera-
tions have been confined chietly to Montserrat, Nevis,
and Anguilla. Advances are made to large and small
estates, but in most cases the borrowers are persons
of small means.

Considerable interest has lately been aroused
in Trinidad as the result of an announcement by
Sir Henry Jackson, that he contemplates | to lay
before the Legislative Council, a scheme for the
establishment of a Government Agricultural Loan
Bank. Some years ago, a People’s Bank, as it was
styled, was established at ‘Trinidad for the benefit
of small holders and occupiers of land, and for
a short time it did good work. Unfortunately, how-
ever, it fell through, but its temporary existence
demonstrated the real necessity of some institution
through which, the peasant proprietors of the com-
munity might obtain assistance without being obliged
to resort to money lenders. The announcement made
by the Governor of Trinidad is apparently very
acceptable to those in the colony who have continued
to urge the establishment of some such means of
agricultural credit.

VOT VilleweeNOwe 52:

“THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 51

The presumption that the scheme to be introduced
by Sir Henry Jackson will be under Government
control, is considered to be the best guarantee of its
future snecess, for, unfortunately, the co-operative spirit
does not at present seem to be sufficiently strong in
the establishment of
co-operative banks on the Raiffeisen system.

these colonies to allow. of

An Agricultural Bank, started under Government
auspices at Trinidad, will be watched with considerable
interest in the neighbouring colonies, and its success
would prove a starting point for the establishment of
similar institutions in other parts of the West Indies,
and in British Guiana.

It may be mentioned that the question of Agri-
cultural Banks has occasionally come up for discussion
in British Guiana, where, owing to the large number of
small rice growers in the colony, institutions of this
nature should prove especially helpful. Witha view to
meeting the requirements of these rice growers, 1b has
been suggested that arrangements for advances might
be made on the lines of the cotton loans in the Leeward
Islands, or that efforts should be made to start co-opera-
tive loan banks on the lines of the one at present
working in Jamaica.

SUGAR INDUSTRY,

Central Sugar Mills in Queensland.

Some particulars in reference to the work earried
on at the Queensland central sugar factories were given
in the Agricultural News (Vol. V, No. 121). ‘These
factories are under Government control, the actual work
of supervision being delegated to the Hon. Dr. Walter
Maxwell, who holds the title of Comptroller, The mills
are supplied with canes by cane farmers in the neigh-
bourhood, and it would appear from the figures given,
that cane farming in Queensland is fairly remunerative,
since there has been a steady increase in the number of
farmers each year from 1903-7,

The following paragraphs
Dr. Maxwell’s report :—

The introduction of the cultivation ot new varieties of cane
into the districts around the mill is definitely raising the
quality of the crops. These varieties were obtained from
the Mackay Experiment Station, where their values are
ascertained before they are distributed. Each of the mills
has procured promising varieties, and is haying them grown
for distribution amongst the cane growers.

Each year renewed attention is given at the factories
to the governing factor of clarification. The Comptroller
wants steam power ample for all other purposes, and also to
introduce the practice of maceration with cold water. Tests
conducted personally some time ago showed that the extrac-
tion co-efficient of cold water is almost equal to that of hot
water ; and that cold water extracts less proportion of

are taken from

impurities relative to the sugar extracted, which factor
determines the proportion of recoverable sugar. With cane
of relatively low purity, which obtains at most of the mills
under the control, this is a matter of high importance

Also, in the clarification, the practice is being adopted,
where practicable, of taking the lime juice into the clarifiers
in its cold state. As the results of tests made some long time
ago, it was demonstrated that the best clarification, especially
of relatively low purity juices, is obtained by bringing the
cold juices gradually to a high temperature, and _ finally
to boiling point in the clarifiers The undisturbed state of the
the juice, as it rises to the high temperature, allows the impur-
ities to rise in a more solid layer to the top, and to be swept oft
without breaking, leaving a clear juice beneath. When the
juice goes first into and through the ‘heater,’ in whieh
course the heat is enough to coagulate certain of the impuri-
ties, and js then violently discharged into the clarifiers,
a clarification results which is visibly more imperfect. Unfor-
tunately, the equipment at some of the mills is not adequate
to allow of this practice being followed. At the Gin Gin mill,
the manager, Ma. Desplace, reports: ‘Your instructions respect-
ing the taking of the juice cold into the clarifiers were fully
carried out. The results were excellent. Unfortunately, we
cannot dispense with the heater until more clarifier capacity
is put in.” The changes in methods of treating the juices
are making apparent the further additions to the mill equip-
ment that are necessary in order that the best work may be
done. In the report of last year, the Comptrollerremarked upon
the ‘high loss of sugar due to preventable causes’ in the
Mount Bauple mill. These causes received the Comptroller’s
very close attention during the last crushing. As a result,
the losses have been reduced by between 5 per cent. and 6
per cent. upon the whole output as compared with previous
years. These ‘preventable causes’ have, doubtless, operated
ever since the mill began operations, and have only been
located since the control has checked the mill operations by
the laboratory. There is yet room for some further improve-
ment with the aid of additional crushing power.

During the period from December 1903, to June 1907,
white labour has taken the place completely of coloured labour,
which had previously been employed upon given kinds of
work. Also, during this period, the wages of white labour
have been increased fully 20 per cent. in the mills in which
the Treasury is in possession ; and the living conditions of
the workmen have been wholly reorganized at a very
considerable cost. On another hand, the prices paid for cane
during this period have been higher than at any other time
in the history of the mills under consideration. All these
several considerations, however, must not be allowed to
conceal the fact that what has been accomplished at the
mills under the control during the period specified has been
due in a very notable measure to the favourable seasons that
have obtained. Even with a continuance of good climatic
conditions, it appears certain that the same high measure of
suecess cannot continue, by reason of fiscal and economic
changes that are now transpiring, and which are lessening,
and must continue to lessen the margin of gain. Should
unfavourable climatic conditions recur, then nothing ean
prevent less favourable and, in fact, serious financial results
following. These considerations have emphasized the efforts
made, on the one hand, to get the mills put into a thoroughly
efficient working condition; and, on another hand, to
encourage the placing of more producing settlers upon the
land in order to secure an increased supply of cane. The
situation, present and prospective, reqnires the exercise of
the most careful device and economy if a measure of the
recent success is to be maintained.

Fresruary 22, 19)8-

52 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.
\

WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

MONTSERRAT PRESERVING INDUSTRY. 1,254,000 in 19067.

The Imperial Department of Agriculture has
awarded a Diploma of Merit to the Montserrat, Preserv-
ing Industry Company for excellence in producing guava
jelly, preserved pine-apples, green tamarinds, preserved
mangos. preserved limes, mammee apple cheese, and
guava cheese.

The Secretary of this Society will be happy to
correspond with persons desirous of information in
regard to quality and prices. ‘Guavarina’ appears to be
a special dainty supplied from Montserrat.

In order to supplement the information which
appeared under the above heading in a recent number
of the Agricultural News (Vol. VII, p. 20), the
accompanying facts and figures on fruit, production in
Jamaica, are reproduced from the Annual Report
(1906-7) on the colony -—

Fruit formed 53:7 of the total exports in 1906-7, as
compared with 55:0 per cent. in 1905-6, and 41°8 in 1904-5.
The absolute value of the fruit shipments, however, shows
an advance as compared with last year, the banana exports
alone having a value of £37,800 in of those of
the previous year. During 1906-7, also, the number of cocoa-
nuts exported from Jamaica was greater by 4,000,000 than
those shipped in 1905-6, This represented an increased
value of £15,800. It is remarked in the report that the
increased export of cocoa-nuts indicates the gradual recovery
of the plantations from the hurricane of 1903. ;

Grapefruit, limes, and lime juice were sent abroad in
slightly increased quantity, but, on the other hand, the
decline in the shipments of oranges that was first noticeable
in 1903-4, still continues, and the returns for 1906-7 show
a deereased value in the orange exports of £19,500 as
compared with those of 1905-6,

excess

Bananas, of course, take first place among fruit products
The following ave the number of
stems exported in cach of the past four years +

and exports of Jamaica.

1903-4 700,000
1904-5 8,900,000
1905-6 14,980,000
1906-7 16,000,000

The vast bulk of the crop goes to the United States, but
the quantity sent to the Uiited Kingdom, which was under
695,000 in 1904-5, 1,217,000 in 1905-6, and

rose to

In the same period the quantity
exported to Canada has risen from 10,500 to nearly 118,000.

The number of oranges exported has fallen since 1903-4
from $2,600,000 to 55,100,000 last year, the shipments to
the United States having declined from 64,200,000 to
18,400,000. On the other hand, the quantity exported to
the United Kingdom, which was 12,100,000 in 1903-4, has
risen to nearly 26,000,000 last year, and to Canada from
4,500,000 to nearly 10,000,000,

CGOCOA-NUTS IN THE FEDERATED
MALAY STATES.

The Government Inspector of cocoa-nnt planta-
tions reported that at the end of the year 1906, there
were very approximately 105,000 acres under cocoa-nut
cultivation in the Federated Malay States. This
represented an increase of 5 per cent. as compared
with the area of 1905. Rather more than the half of
this acreage is in bearing, and the value of the whole
is roughly estimated at $20,000,000.

Owing to the great attention that is now being given
to rubber planting throughout the Malay States, the cultiva-
tion of cocoa-nuts, in common with that of many other
crops, 1s taking a secondary position. The annual production
of copra, ete., however, indicates the existence of an important
local industry. ‘Taking an average return of forty nuts per
tree——which is stated to be a reliable return when the trees
have reached maturity—it is estimated that if the whole of
the yield were couverted into copra, it would be capable ot
producing 47,500 tons. In addition to this, there is, of course.
the large and valuable stock of fibre that would be aaalatle
for the manufacture of coir matting, rope, ete.

The condition of the cocoa-nut plantations is des-
eribed as being generally healthy, although attacks from
beetle pests and caterpillars are reported as having occurred
in one or two States.

Large numbers of cocoanut trees are being cut down to
make room for Para rubber trees. As many of the trees are
coming into bearing, and form valuable property, the Inspector
comments on this policy as a mistaken one, and draws
attention to the adyantage of a mixed cultivation of rubber
and cocoa-nuts,

At the end of bis report, the Inspector, referring té >
fact that cocoa-nut tiscation Situ in Rett aig ee
native community, is not undergoing great extension, points
ont that, as a safe remunerative investment, cocoa-nut produe-
tion is an industry hard to beat, and one which should
receive every encouragement,

Vou: Vil, Non 152: THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 53

CACAO INDUSTRY OF THE WEST
INDIES.

Interesting papers in relation to the West Indian
cacao industry were read at the late Agricultural
Conference. ‘The Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G.,
summarized, on behalf of Mr. Joseph Jones and him-
self, the results of manurial experiments with cacao in
Dominica, while Mr. R. D. Anstead and Mr. J. C. Moore
reviewed the progress of the experimental work carried
on at Grenada and St. Lucia respectively. Mr. Joseph
Jones also read a paper on trials in grafting cacao
which have been made at the Dominica Botanic Station.
A summary of Dr. Watts’ remarks dealing with the
Dominica experiments is given below, followed by
areprint of the paper presented by Mr. Anstead :—

CACAO EXPERIMENTS IN DOMINICA.
Manurial experiments are carried out in Dominica both
at the Botanic Station andin the country districts. Those

at the Botanic Station have been in progress since 1900, and
now present results of considerable interest, clearly indicat-
ing the value of judicious manuring on the part of the cacao
planter. There are five cacao experiment plots at the Station.
Of these, one has been regularly manured each year with an
application of 4 ewt. of basic phosphate and 12 ewt. of
sulphate of potash per acre, a second plot has been annually
treated with 4 ewt. of dried blood per acre, and a third has
received a complete manure (containing nitrogen, potash, and
phosphates), composed of 4 ewt. of basic phosphate, 14 cwt.
of sulphate of potash, and 4 ewt. of dried blood per acre. The
fourth plot has been annually mulched with grass and leaves,
while the fifth has received no manure whatever.

Considering the crop returns obtained during the past
five years, the results show that the use of phosphates and
potash on the first plot has increased the yield of dry cured
cacao by an average of 219 Ib. per acre per annum over the
yield given by the unmanured plot. The use of the dried
blood alone, primarily a nitrogenous manure, increased the
return of cacao by 187 tb., while the combination of
the two sets of manures, i.e., phosphates, potash and dried
blood resulted in an average yield of 374 Ib. per acre per
over and above that obtained from the unmanured

annum
plot. The mulching gave the greatest gain of all, viz,
402 Ib. in excess of the return from the unmanured plot

Dr. Watts mentioned also that the cacao trees on the
mulched plot are much finer and better developed than those

on the other plots, and also that the soil of the mulched area
is in exceptionally good physical condition. Although such

good results ane been obtained with mulching alone,
Dr. Watts pointed out that in many cases it will be well to
supplement mulching with moderate applications of nitrogen
and phosphate. It is believed that potash is not urgently
needed as a fertilizing constituent in Dominica, as the soils
of the island are fairly well supplied.

The results obtained with the experiment plots in the
country districts show that manures are beneficial and
remunerative in the establishment of young cacao, and that
pen manure, when obtainable is likely to give the best results.

Observation shows that good general results are likely to
follow the intelligent use of ‘the weeds growmg in a cacao
orchard. When the country experiment plots were first laid
out in Dominica, attempts were made to keep weeds down
thoroughly by a system of clean weeding. The soil showed
signs of deterioration, but on altering the method of treat-
ment, allowing the weeds to grow to a moderate height, and

then either cutlassing them down, or bedding them in with
the fork, surprisingly g good results followed.

Mr. R. D. Anstead then read the following paper,
reviewing the experimental work with cacao that is in
progress at Grenada, of which island Mr. Anstead is
Agricultural Superintendent.

In Grenada, experiment plots of cacao are of two kinds,
distinguished, for the sake of reference, by the terms ‘ experi-
ment plots ’ and ‘experiment stations.’

The experiment plots, as was explained at the last Agri-
cultural Conference (West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VI, p. 66),
are each about | acre in extent, and are chosen from land near
the public roads, belonging to peasant proprietors.

The experiments carried out upon these plots are
conducted by the Imperial Department, and are designed to
run for three years, the cost of them being defrayed from
Imperial funds.

The results obtained by means of these plots are highly
satisfactory. The Agricultural Instructor uses them as
a rendezvous when he is in the district, and as demonstration
plots. Here he is able to meet the peasants, and to show
them how agricultural operations, such as forking, drainage
and pruning, should be carried out, and how manures should
be applied.

Considerable interest has been taken in the plots by
the neighbouring peasants, and the operations carried out
upon them are imitated to an encouraging extent. The plots
were originally chosen in poor areas, and where trees have
been considerably neglected, in order that the benefits of
scientific treatment may be the more marked. A good crop

serves as an excellent object-lesson to all cultivators of cacao,
and indicates how the most satisfactory results are to be

obtained. This year, for instance, from a plot 1 acre in
extent, the owner has picked two-thirds of the total yield of
cacao usually derived from 5 acres of land.

With regard to the actual results of the experiments,
figures are kept as accurately as possible, and published from
year to year in the Annual Report of the Botanie Station ;
but from a purely experiment point of view, and as a means
of obtaining accurate numerical results, the second class of
experiments—the ‘experiment — stations’—should afford
better opportunities than the experiment plots, since they are
on a bigger scale and are run more on estate lines.

These experiment stations are established on large estates
and consist of not less than 5 acres, or 1,000 trees. The
cost of the experiments is borne by the owners, the Imperial
Department supplying scientific advice as to the experiments
and the manner in which they should be conducted. These
stations, of which there are at present five, have become very
popular, and next year a number of others will be started.

The result of establishing them has been to make the
larger proprietors take a lively interest in scientific experi-
ments carried out on their own estates—experiments designed
to answer questions and solve problems connected with their
own soils and conditions.

It is as yet too early in the history of these experiments
to be able to give, with any confidence, numerical results, but
two facts are already apparent : firstly, that cacao grown on the
heavy red clay soils of Grenada responds quickly and liberally
to the applications of lime ; and secondly, that pen manure,
when applied in heavy dressings and thoroughly and deeply
forked in, is of considerable value, and gives results that
conipare very favourably with mineral and chemical fertilizers.

Mr. Jones’ paper on the grafting of cacao, and the
paper read by Mr. Moore on experimental work at
St. Lucia, will be reprinted in the next number of the
Agricultural News.

54 THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Frepruary 22, 1908.

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland. of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date of February 3, with refer-
ence to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

About 150 bales of West Indian Sea Island have been
sold since our last report. Prices are easier, and there is
very little enquiry, the position of the fine trade being
exactly the reverse of what it was last year. The sales
include Barbados, St. Kitt’s, and Nevis, 194d. to 21d., and
a few St. Vincent, 22d. to 23d.

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET.

Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston,
report as follows, on January 25 last, in regard to the
sales of Sea Island cotton during the week previous :-—

The market was quiet during the week. There was
limited demand for fully fine quality cotton at 40c., and
stained to tinged cotton at 28e. to 32c. There isalso some
inquiry for planters’ crop lots, but at prices below the views
of the factors, and only one small crop has been sold for
France on private terms. The following prices may be
quoted ; fully fine to extra fine, 1Oc. ; fine, 854$c. to
fine to fully fine, but tinged and stained, 28c. to 33c.

36c, :

On February 1, Messrs. Frost write:—

The market has been very quiet throughout the
week, with very limited demand, resulting in the sale
of only one small crop. Factors are showing more
disposition to sell, and with orders in hand we think we
can buy at some concession. Market quotations have
undergone no change since last week.

COTTON GINNING IN ST. VINCENT.

The following vote is from the St. Vincent Times
of January 16 last :—

Ginning operations at the Central Cotton Factory are
now in full swing. We learn that seed-cotton is so rapidly
handled there that any one giving notice could get their bale
of lint within an hour after delivery of the seed-cotton at the
factory. Up to the 14th instant, 127,642 Ib. of lint have
been ginned ; twice as much as that ginned for the correspond-
ing period last year. On the 19th ultimo, the factory made
a record by ginning 4,779 Ib. of lint on that day. It reflects
ereat credit on the officers concerned, that the daily work done
at the factory has exceeded the expectation of all, as with
only two more gins they are nearly doubling last year’s daily
output.

Atte A

COTTON LEGISLATION IN ST. CROIX.

An ordinance has lately been passed by the Colonial
Council of St. Croix by which an export duty, of 5 per cent.
of the value, is levied on all cotton grown in, and exported
out of the colony, while a duty of 5 per cent. is imposed on
exported cotton seed grown in the colony. It is enacted
however that this duty must not exceed 6°25 franes (5s.)
per 100 1b. of cotton, or 15 bits (1dd.) per 190 tb. of
cotton seed.

On the other hand, the following articles for use in
connexion with the raising of cotton and its preparation for
market were, by the same Ordinance, exempted from import
duty, viz :—cotton seed for sowing, implements and stuffs for
use in disinfecting cotton seed and cotton ; implements and
machinery for use in sowing, cultivating, harvesting, cleans-
ing and packing cotton and cotton seed, as well as ready-made
bays, ete., for purposes of package of these products, Also,
fuel for use in connexion with cotton machinery will be
admitted free, on production of a certificate from the ginnery
concerned,

WA,

COTTON GROWING IN CARRIACOU.

The reports relating to the cotton area of Carriacou
for the season 1906-7 indicated that about 60 acres
were planted with the Sea Island variety, and about
2500 acres with Marie Galante cotton.

In reference tothe Carriacou cotton area of the
present season, the Imperial Commissioner of Agri-
culture recently received the following letter from
Mr. R. D. Anstead, Agricultural Superintendent of
Grenada, from which it shall be seen that the acreage
planted with Sea Island cotton shows an increase of
100 per cent. as compared with the season of 1906-7,
Mr. Anstead writes :—

I have just received from the Commissioner of Carriacou
an estimate of the area planted in cotton in that island, viz.,
Sea Island cotton

Marie Galante ,, wee

Writing on this subject on January 6, Mr. Whit-
field Smith The growth of the plants was greatly
retarded by the dry weather experienced during October and
November, and at one time I thought the crop would be an
utter failure. December, however, proved a favourable month

120 acres.
3,000 ,,

Says :

on the whole, and there is a prospect now of fair average
results being obtained, although the crop will be late. The
cotton worm has not been troublesome this year. Indeed,

owing to the vast flocks of blackbirds and hordes of ground
lizards, insect life is not abundant in Carriacou. Dangerous
kinds of scale insects do exist here and there, but they show
no disposition to spread. F

Vou. Vi. No: THE

152.

SEA ISLAND COTTON CROP.

The particulars given below are abstracted from an
article in the Cotton Trade Journal of January last :—

The Sea Island cotton crop in sight’up to the present
time at the principal receiving ports is 50,046 bales, as
against 40,771 bales at the same time last season. The total
exports from all ports to date are 35,687 bales against
32,002 bales for the corresponding period a year ago. The
stocks at Charleston and Savannah are 14,259 bales.

The markets continue dull and respond to nothing.
Faney quality Georgias show practically no change, but
lower grade qualities show a tendency to fall slightly in price,
as there is very little apparent demand for them. For other
special staples the situation is about the same.

What is attracting most attention at present is the
actual extent of the Sea Island crop. As shown above, the
number of bales in sight this year is 10,000 in excess of the
quantity of last year. What quantity is yet to come in
is stilla question, It is thought that a considerable amount is
being held back, more especially in Florida, where the
planters are well organized. The growers of that State have
agreed upon a fixed minimum price, below which they refuse
to sell, and they are supposed to be waiting for buyers to
accede.

Meanwhile the general demand for goods manufactured
from Sea Island cotton keeps normal. It is thought that
there is an inclination among spinners to keep out of the Sea
Island market for awhile in the hope that prices may show
a downward tendency.

BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE COTTON
FACTORY.

The origin and establishment of the Barbados Co-
operative Cotton Factory formed the subject of a paper
read by the Hon. I. J. Clarke, C.M.G, Chairman of the
Board of Directors of the Factory, at the late Agri-
cultural Conference.

Mr. Clarke mentioned that the first cotton factory was
opened in July, 1903, and was further enlarged in 1904. It
was managed by a committee appointed by the Agricultural
Society, in co-operation with the Imperial Department. of
Agriculture.

In view of the success that attended the cotton industry
during 1903-4, the committee felt that the time had arrived
when the factory might be carried on without Government
or other assistance.

The Barbados Co-operative Cotton Factory Company,
Limited, was registered under the Companies’ Act in August,
1905, and the present factory was opened in January 1907,
The building is equipped with a double expansion engine,
a Stirling water tube boiler, twenty-four gins, a hydraulic
baling press, and a seed disintegrator.

It now forms the largest Sea Island Cotton Factory in
the world. The working of the factory has been highly
satisfactory both to the cotton growers who utilize it for the
ginning of their cotton, and to the shareholders, who have
received good dividends.

At the conclusion of the paper, the Conference
delegates paid a visit of inspection to the Cotton
Factory under Mr. Clarke’s guidance.

In this connexion it may be interesting to note the
following facts and figures, taken from the latest
report of the Directors, which relate to the results of

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 55

working of the factory during the half-year ended Sep-
tember 30 last :—

After deducting the cost of material, labour, expenses
of management, and minor repairs to house, the net profit
for the half-year from April 30 to September 30, 1907,
amounts to $5,850°30, which, together with the balance
brought forward from April 30, 1907, makes a total of
$8,676°05. Of this amount, the Directors have given as
a bonus to the staff, the sum of $170, equal to one month’s
salary, and it was agreed that the balance, $8,506:05 be
appropriated as follows :—

(1) That a dividend of 7 per cent., equal to 16°O08c. per
share, amounting to $2,036°83 be declared.

(2) That $1,000 be transferred to the reserve fund,
bringing this fund up to $3,000.

(3) That 2 per cent. of the cost of erection of the fac-
tory buildings and plant be written off.

(4) That a bonus at a rate of 4c. per 100 tb. of seed-
cotton be given to those persons who have sent cotton to the
factory to be ginned on their account. This will absorb
$688°35.

(5) That the remainder, $4,179°93, be left to the credit
of this account.

TOBACCO INDUSTRY OF JAMAICA.

An official of the U.S. Department of Commerce
and Labonr, stationed at Kingston, reports as follows
on tobacco production in Jamaica :—

Tobacco in Jamaica is cultivated on about 300 acres.
The tobacco districts are situated in the parishes of St.
Andrew, St. Catherine, and Clarendon, in the southern part
of the island. There is a good future for the successful
cultivation of the leaf here, the required conditions of soil
and climate being liberally afforded; in fact, it is claimed
that Jamaican lands in certain localities are capable of
producing 600 Th. of tobacco per acre. The official statistics
of 1906 give the number of cigar factories on the island
as sixteen, four of which are equipped with machinery. One
factory employs 200 persons and produced during the season
3,137,473 cigars and 30,020,122 cigarettes. Another firm
employs 120 persons and produced 3,068,513 cigars and
12,342,160 cigarettes. Productions of other factories were
appreciably less. The following quantities of tobacco (in
pounds) were exported in 1906: Cigars, 40,325; cigarettes,
11,261; leaf, 6,554; the total valuation of which was
$106,117. ‘The larger percentage of these exports was
taken by British possessions: and by the United Kingdom.
‘The shipments to the United States were valued at $1,435.
A large modern tobacco factory is now being erected in the
city of Kingston by American capitalists.

Reference is also made to the tobacco industry of
the island in the lately issued Annwal Report on
Jamaica (1906-7), from which the paragraph below is
extracted :—

There are severai excellent cigar factories in Kings-
ton, and the merits of Jamaica cigars are becoming slowly
recognized. The demand for the tobacco is in excess of the
supply, and in view of the special skill required in its treat-
ment, the position in this respect will be changed only very
gradually. Five of the chief factories produced last year
quantities of cigars varying from 245,000 to 3,459,000 each,
and two factories produced 3,000,000 and 23,000,000. cigar-
ettes respectively. The cigarettes are chiefly made from
imported tobacco,

56 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Fresruary 22, 1908.

: EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulan &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural

| 4lews

SS

4)
i
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}

Vou. VII. SATURDAY,

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

FEBRUARY 22, 1908. No.

Contents of Present Issue.

The establishment and working of Agricultural
Banks, a question of considerable interest to small
holders and peasant proprietors in these colonies,
is discussed in the editorial.

Some interesting particulars in regard to the
working of the Government Central Sugar Mills in
Queensland will be found on page 51.

Fruit shipments from Jamaica in 1906-7 show an
increased value of £37,000 as compared with the
previous year (page 52).

The results of cacao experiments in progress at
Dominica and Grenada are summarized on page 53.

From the notes relating to the cotton industry
it will be seen that market prices show little change,
that the area under Sea Island cotton in Carriacou
has doubled during the past year, that a small export
duty has been placed on cotton and cotton-seed shipped
from St. Croix, and that the Barbados Co-operative
Cotton Factory is in a flourishing condition.

It has been thought that the vegetable ivory
palm, from the seeds of which is manufactured
a serviceable substitute for the genuine ivory, might
be profitably cultivated in parts of the West Indies
(page 58).

Brief descriptions of some of the chief fungus
diseases affecting sweet potatos are given on page 59,

Rubber in Dutch Guiana.

Some account was given in the Agricultural
News, Vol. VI, p.'313, of the agricultural industries of
Dutch Guiana, and it was mentioned that a beginning
had been made in rubber planting.

A correspondent, writing from Surinam, states
that Hevea guianensis, which grows naturally, but in
small quantity, in the interior, gives a fairly good yield
of rubber of high quality. He also mentions that Para
rubber (H. brasiliensis) dags well in the colony, and
that the area planted with this species is rapidly
extending. On one estate several thousand trees are
already established, and it is expected that within the
next year double the number will be set out.

+ ae

Cacao Production in Ecuador.

As is generally known, the principal product of
Ecuador is cacao, and the condition of this industry is
reviewed ina recent report of the British Consui at
Guayaquil.

From this it appears that the record crop of cacao
produced up tothe present was that of 1904, which
reached 25,000 tons. In 1905, and again in 1906, the
crop obtained was about 21,000 tons. The high prices
which have recently prevailed, however, have more than
compensated growers for the reduced output. The
average price of cacao in 1905 was about £3 per 210 th.
at Guayaquil. In 1906 this had increased to £3 8s.
per 210 tb., and a further rise of nearly 40 per cent. in
the value of cacao took place in 1907, the average price
for the year being £4 4s. per 210 Ib.

The value of the cacao shipped from Ecuador in
1906 was £1,499,221, or somewhat more than half the
value of the total exports of the country,

——_____——-¢

Fungus Diseases of Sweet Potatos.

With reference to the note that appeared in the
last number of the Agricultural News (Vol VII, p. 41)
relative to the sweet potato crop, the Mycologist on
the statf of the Department wishes to point out that
the black rot of sweet potatos in Alabama was in 1891
attributed by Halstead and Fairchild to Ceratocystis

jimbriata, Ell. and Hals., but that this fungus was

subsequently found by the same authorities to be
Sphaeronema fimbriatum.

The Mycologist further adds that he is aware of
but one fungus disease that causes damage to the
sweet potato crop of the West Indies. This is due
to a white mycelium, most probably of a species of
Marasmius, that envelopes the roots and eventually
renders them unfit for food (Agricultural News,
Vol. V, p. 285). Should any readers have knowledge
of other fungus diseases of sweet potatos in the West
Indies, it is hoped that they will communicate
information, together with specimens if possible, to the
Imperial Commissioner of Agrienlture. On another
page of this issue will be found details respecting
fungus diseases of sweet potatos in other countries,
which may serve as a guide.

Von. VII. No. 152.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 57

Corn Selection by Agricultural Pupils.

A competition of an interesting nature, and one
worthy of imitation in other parts of the West Indies
has been carried out at the Antigua Grammar School.

In June last Dr. Watts offered, on behalf of
Mr. A. M. Lee, prizes for the best samples of selected
corn grown by the boys. The management of the
competition was taken over by the Agricultural and
Science Master(Mr. A. H. Kirby, B. A, ), who instructed
the boys as to the qualities to be sought for in the ears
of corn chosen for seed purposes. Three ears were
selected by each boy, and the seed was sown in any
place where the boy could keep a watch on the growing
plants. Four boys succeeded in bringing the corn to
maturity, and each lad then chose, for the purposes of
the competition, what he considered to be the ten best
ears on his plot. These were submitted to Mr. Kirby
who awarded the prizes.

Arrangements are being made at the school to
hold a second competition of a similar nature.

Agriculture in Northern Nigeria.

From the Annual Report (1906-7) on Northern
Nigeria, itis evident that although the Protectorate
possesses very considerable agricultural possibilities, yet
these wre at present almost entirely undeveloped.

Tobacco is grown for local. cousumption, and it is
stated that great things may be expected of this indus-
try in the future. A considerable amount of experi-
mental work will have to be carried out, however, before
tobacco growing for export can be taken up.

Ground nuts are grown thronghout the Protec-
torate in considerable quantity. Shea butter trees
(Butyrospermum Parhii) are also fairly abundant.
Large forests of gum arabic trees (Acucia spp.) exist,
but it is stated that very little of the gum is collected.

Rubber forms the most valuable article of export
from Northern Nigeria, and large acres could be rented
at small cost for rubber growing. Funtumia seedlings
to the number of 25,000 were planted last year at the
Government plantation, and rubber seedlings of Para,
Castilloa, and Funtumia are grown at this plantation
and distributed free.

New Cacao Drier.

An illustrated description of a new apparatus for
drying cacao by artificial heat, patented by Mr. H.
Hamel Sinith, appeared in the December number of
Tropical Life, of which Mr. Smith is editor.

The principal feature of the drier is a large revolv-
ing wheel, on the circumference of which are a number
of hollow cylinders in a horizontal position, and contain-
ing the beans to be dried. This wheel is enclosed in
an outer case, and is fixed over a furnace, which
supplies the necessary heat.

The provision ofanaperture at thelevel of the furnace
fireensurestheadmittance of « current of air into the case
containing the revolving wheel. ‘This air is heated by
passing around and over the furrace, before being led
into the wheel chamber. It finally passes off by an
aperture at the top. The smoke from the fire is led

off by a flue built up on one side of the drier, and this
also affords additional heat. In working, the small
cylinders would be about half filled with cacao beans,
and revolution of the large wheel, which is driven by
hand power, ensures the constant turning of the beans.
The apparatus costs about £150 for a small plant.

TD

Suggested Oil Factory for St. Vincent.

The need of an oil factory for St. Vincent in
connexion with the cotton industry of the island is
discussed in a late number of the Kingstown Times.
This need is all the more apparent at present because
it is stated that the Barbados oil factory can take no
cotton seed from St. Vincent for a while, as the available
storage space is filled up with locally produced seed
Cotton growers in St. Vincent have in past years found
a ready sale for their seed at the Barbados factory, but
with the extension of the cotton area in the latter
island, outsiders have to wait until the oil factory has,
dealt with the home-grown seed before they can get
into the market.

The value of the cotton seed forms no inconsider-
able part of the returns of a cotton grower, and this fact,
together with the additional one that the seed experi-
ences aloss of weight on storage, makes a planter
anxious to get his seed to the oil factory as early as
possible.

The Times suggests that the Government should
erect an oil factory in connexion with their central
cotton factory.

Lemon Curing.

Lemon trees are reported to flourish and to give
good returns in many parts of Australia, and an article
ina recent number of the Agricultwral Guzette of New
South Wales draws attention to the great improve-
ment in the general quality .of the fruit that would be
brought about by the adoption of a good curing system.

It appears that this process is at present almost
entirely neglected.

The writer of the article recommends that the fruits
be gathered just as they are turning ripe. They should
be allowed to stand for a few days in a large, airy
building, after which they are packed in paper-lined
boxes which may be stacked in such a manner as to
allow a free circulation of air throughout. The fruits
are looked over occasionally, and if they are found to be
keeping well, they may be left for several months until
they are thin-skinved and pliable, but they should be
marketed before the skin shows the least sign of hard-
ening.

The object in curing lemons is to reduce the thick-
ness of the peel and make it tough; it also increases
the juiciness, and keeps the fruit in good condition for
a longer period than would be the case without curing.

A further advantage of curing lies, of course, in the
fact that the fruits can, if necessary, be kept and put on
the market when fresh fruit is not available oris carce,
thus giving a better return to the grower.

58 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Fepruary 22, 1908.

SCIENCE NOTES.

Vegetable Ivory.

In the Agricultural News (Vol. III, p. 108),
reference was made to the manufacture of buttons, etc.,
from vegetable ivory—the product of the ‘Ivory nut
Palm’ (Phytelephas macrocarpa).

Specimens of immature fruits have been forwarded
to this office from Dr. H. A. Alford Nicholls, C.M.G.,
through the Curator of the Botanic Station, Dominica,
and the following abstract has been made of a paper,
prepared for the West Indian Agricultural Conference
by Dr. Nicholls :—

The tree that bears the seeds known as vegetable ivory
is indigenous to Panama, Colombia, and New Granada. It
has a thick, rough, creeping trunk, from the under surface
of which roots are given off. The leaves, which crown the
stem, resemble in their size, shape, and disposition those of
the cocoa-nut palm. The male and female flowers are borne
on different trees, and the trunk of a male plant is always
taller and more erect than that of a female.

Fic. 2.

Nur

The inflorescence of the male plant is a simple, fleshy,
cylindrical spadix, about 4 feet long, with four or five
spathes, and crowded with flowers, while that of the female
plant, which also forms a simple but much shorter spadix,
bears from six to seven flowers, pure white in colour.

The flowers exhale a powerful perfume, especially the
larger white female ones.

The ripe fruit consists of three portions : an external one
which is dark, rough, hard, and woody ;a middle one that
occurs as an oily pulp of a yellow colour, and sweet taste ;
and an inner portion—the seed—which is the vegetable ivory
of commerce.

The fruits grow from the stem, just above the bases of
the leaves, and they occur in collections of six or seven,

Ivory PALM.

Each fruit contains from six to nine seeds, or ivory nuts, as
they are commonly called.

The seeds when quite young contain a clear, watery
liquid used by travellers to quench thirst. Afterwards this
liquid becomes milky and sweet, and finally becomes hard
and opalescent. On exposure to light and air, it becomes
white and opaque. ‘It is softer and less brittle than ivory,
and is therefore much used as a substitute for the more
costly genuine article.

Large quantities of vegetable ivory are obtained from
the banks of the River Magdalena, and are exported from
Panama to the home markets. Most of the seeds are gathered
by the natives from plants in a wild state, but it is not
known whether the tree is cultivated to any extent.

It is suggested, therefore, that tropical agriculturists
might profitably turn their attention to the cultivation of
the vegetable ivory plant, for the constant increase in
consumption of the article points to the success of such
a minor industry.

Plants have grown well at the Botanic Stations of
Jamaica and Trinidad, as well as at St. Aroment, Dominica,
and it is thought that the plant should thrive along the banks
of the rivers and streams of any of these islands.

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS IN
ANTIGUA:: VISIT OF PLANTERS.

A useful feature in connexion with agricultural
experiment work is the arrangement for periodical visits
by practical planters, as this gives opportunity for the
visitors to see for themselves the aim and progress
of the experiments, and also affords occasion to the
officer in charge for imparting some useful information.

The Antigua Standard of January 11 last has
the accompanying note on such a visit of planters to the
Skerretts Experiment Station in Antigua :—

Monday, Jannary 6, at three o’clock was the afternoon
fixed by the Hon. Dr. Watts. C.M.G., Superintendent of
Agriculture for holding a meeting of planters at Skerretts
Experiment Station, for the purpose of inspecting the experi-
ments at present in progress, and especially the recently intro-
duced varieties of seedling canes.

At that hour a small gathering of planters assembled at
the station, and were met by Dr. Watts, accompanied by
Mr. Jackson, Curator of the Botanic Station, and Mr. Abbott,
Assistant in connexion with the Agricultural Experiments.
The gathering proceeded through the Experiment Station,
where Dr. Watts pointed out and explained the chief partieu-
lars of interest, notably a large variety of experiments with
cotton, and some new varieties of Guinea corn recently intro-
duced from Northern Nigeria. ;

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

Mr. H.A. Ballou, M.Sc., Entomologist on the staff
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, left Barba-
dos on February 9, by the S.S ‘Sobo, on a visit to
Antigua, for the purpose of investigating the insect
pests of cotton in that island. Mr, Ballou is expected
to be away a fortnight.

Mr. George I*, Branch, Agricultural Instructor at
Grenada, has been granted an extension of leave for
three months, from December 23 last, on half-salary.

Wore Villu uNowelip:

lo

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 59

CAROLINA RICE COOK
Mrs. Samuel G. Stoney; published hy the Carolina Rice

BOOK: Compiled by

Kitchen Association, Charleston, S.C. Price 205e.

The fact that rice forms the chief ingredient of the food
of 54 per cent. of the inhabitants of the globe may well
warrant the production cf a small book compiled for the
purpose of giving instructions as to different methods of
cooking and serving this article of diet. It is with this
object that the above booklet of ninety odd pages has been
published, and since it issues from Carolina, it naturally lays
special stress on the nutritious qualities of the well-known
Carolina rice.

The book is divided into sections, and the several
sections are composed of recipes giving instructions as to the
use of rice in the preparation of breads, soups, fish, meat,
and side dishes, sweets, and invalid diet.

In view of the abundance and cheapness of this article
of diet, a booklet containing so much information on the
subject of its preparation for food should certainly serve
a useful purpose.

INSECTS INJURIOUS T0 VEGETABLES: By
CG. F. Chittenden, D.Se. Yew York: Orange Judd Company ;
London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd.
pp. XIV + 262.

_ This little book is specially adapted to the use of the
general farmer, fruit grower, and gardener in the United
States.

It is freely illustrated in the text with figures of the
insect pests dealt with.

The subjects treated include a general outline of Ento-
mology, prevention of injury from insects by proper farming
methods, insecticides with directions for their preparation
and use, general crop pests and the pests of various crops,
grouped together according to the crops they attack. To
this is added a useful bibliography.

Most of tke subject-matter has been previously published
by the author in the publications of the Bureau of Ento-
mology of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This volume is of a very practical nature, and should be
useful to agriculturists generally, but especially in locali-
ties where the crops mentioned are grown, and where the
particular pests of these crops abound.

Coffee in Porto Rico. In the mountainous
interior of Porto Rico there is a considerable area under
coffee cultivation. It is stated that at present there are
17,000 plantations, comprising 185,000 acres, the average
yield of which is 200 tb. an acre. The industry, however,
is not ina flourishing condition, owing to inferior methods
of cultivation and curing, and also to the difficulty of
obtaining a remunerative market. (U.S. Consular Report.)

IMMIGRATION INTO CUBA.

The immigration movement into Cuba forms the
subject of an interesting report lately issued by the
Secretary of the Treasury of the Cuban republic.

From the figures given in the report it appears that
during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1907, the number of
immigrants entering the island was 29,572. Of these by far
the greater number—no less than 22,171—came from Spain,
2,044 from England, and 1,709 from North America. Of
the great Spanish influx, 18,261 were and 3,917
females. These figures for the immigration of the past year
show a great falling off as compared with those of 1905-6,
when no less than 52,652 immigrants entered Cuba.

About half the Spanish immigrants are day labourers
or field hands, a small number being artisans and traders.

males

FUNGUS DISEASES OF SWEET POTATOS.

The following brief descriptions of some of the
chief fungus diseases of sweet potatos may be of
interest :—

(1) The West Indian disease of sweet potatos is caused
by the mycelium of a Basidiomycetous fungus (most probably
a species of Jarasmius) that envelops the roots underground,
and eventually renders them unfit for use.

(2) White This fungus attacks the roots and
changes the tissues of the root into a whitish granular
substance. The fungus is a Phycomycete, and the spores can
live in the soil for a considerable period. Care should be
taken not to plant sets coming from roots infected with this
disease, and none of the diseased roots should be stored.

(3) Black vot. Dark brown or greenish spots are formed
on the root. These spots become larger and extend deeper
into the tissues of the potato, until finally the entire root
turns a brownish-black. The affected potatos are totally
unfit for use. It is caused by Sphaeronema firibriatuimn
(Ceratocystis fimbriata), and this fungus may attack the
young shoots, producing black patches on the stems. The
disease is then known as ‘ black shank.’

(4) Dry vot. The whole upper end of the root becomes
much wrinkled and covered with small pimples. This condi-
tion progresses until the whole of the root is diseased and
the interior converted into a dry whitish powder. This rot is
said to be caused by Phoma hatatae.

(5) Scab. This disease is confined to the surface of the
root, upon which it makes its appearance first as a small brown-
ish speck. This spot enlarges, and assumes a dark colour and
rough appearance. Larger areas of the root may become attec-
ted, or often shrivelling takes place to a considerable extent.

(6) Sol vot. This disease is strictly a field disease, and
the principal damage is confined to the early part of the
season. It is characterized by the fact that the affected parts of
the root cease to grow, while the adjacent portions not only
continue growing, but remain perfectly healthy and edible.
The roots therefore assume a shape somewhat similar to that
of an hour-glass.

(7) Soft rot. This disease takes place chiefly where
the roots are stored. An affected potato when broken open
is found to consist of a black mass of spores. It is due to
Rhizopus nigricans, a cosmopolitan fungus that gains entrance
to the roots through wounds caused in digging or storing.

(8) Stem vot. This disease first appears on the stem at
the level of the ground, and progresses both upwards and
downwards. It is supposed to be caused by a species of
Nectria.

rot.

60 THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 1908.

FEBRUARY -22,

GLEANINGS.

Rice production in ren i Naparima Ward Union of
Trinidad showed a considerable increase during the 1906-7
While the crop of 1905-6 was approximately

5,400 barrels, that of 1906-7 was 9,120 barrels.

season.

_ The rainfall in British Guiana for the year 1906-7
reached 95°51 inches. The highest rainfall on any one day
was 3-24 inches, and the total for the year was above the
average for the last twenty-five years. (Annual Report.)

The average yields of raw sugar obtained per acre in the
chief beet-producing countries of Kurope during the season
1906-7 are given as follows in the latest issue of
Beet :—Germany, 4,400 Ib.: Belguim, 4,118 Ib.; Austria,
France, 3,220 Tb.; Russia,2,200 Ib.

Sugar
334325

The British Guiana Government has made a concession
on favourable terms, of lend in Essequebo, suitable for sisal
hemp cultivation, to a gentleman who intends to take up the
cultivation on a considerable scale in the colony.
Chronicle.)

(Demerara

The total area of Crown lands in Jamaica is estimated in
the latest Annual Report on the colony as 202,750. acres.
During the year 1906-7, 247 acres were taken up, i in forty-
eight grants. None of these comprised 100 acres in area. The
average price realized was £1 4s. per acre.

The ‘ Pocket
Mr. Algernon I,
mittee,

Guide to the West Indies,’ prepared by
Aspinall, Secretary to the West India Com-
has evidently met with the ready sale that such a use-
ful and interesting publication deserves, since we learn that
a second edition is already in preparation.

In 1906-7 the United States imported 2,204,000 tons of
sugar, valued at SL08,000,000. Of this quantity, 1,600,000
tons, or more than two-thirds came from Cuba. The Dutch
East Indies sent 224,000 Porto Rico 204,000 tons,
while Germany shipped 163,000 tons of sugar to the United
States. (Sugar Beet.)

tons,

Agricultural Instructor at St.
now vacant. The salary and allowances of the
the annual value of £200 to £250,
experience. A sound
treatment of cacao,

The post of an Lucia is

post are of
depending on age and
knowledge of the cultivation
limes, and rubber is desirable.

and

The appointment of Science and Agricultural Master at
the Grammar School, St. Kitt’s, is now vacant. The salary is
at the rate of £150 per annum with quarters free. Applica
tions for the post may, in the be addressed to
the Head-master, whom particulars can be
obtained,

first instance,

from further

The Cuba Review reports that a large crop of oranges
and grapefruit is expected in Cuba this year, although the
trees have suffered much from drought. The pine- apple crop
suffered from the same cause during 1907, the exports for the
year being 650,776 crates as compared with 920,542 crates
in 1906.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has received
application for a large number of bulbils or bulblets of Agave
rigida, var, sisalana “sis alhemp). Only plants of the true vari-
ety, with a terminal thorn, and without any side thorns are
needed, Letters from persons having a supply for disposal
should be addressed—Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

The Port-of-Spain Gazette learns that the demand in
the American market for fine estate cacao is not as great as
formerly obtained ; and that planters would do well to pay
more attention to the preparation of ordinary quality cacao,
which must, however, be unclayed in order to meet the
existing market.

Ground provisions, bananas, sugar-cane, and coffee occupy
the largest acreages of cultivated land in Jamaica. The
ground provision area is 113,995 acres ; bananas are planted
over 62,685 acres, while 29,182 and 27,783 acres are under
sugar-cane and coffee respectively. The cocoa-nut area is
9,782 acres, and there are 8,586 acres of cacao in Jamaica

The Annual Report (1906-7) on British Honduras draws
attention to the large sums spent annually in the importation
of certain articles which might be produced in the colony.

Chief among these are rice (annual value of imports,
$40,673), live stock (annual value of imports, $40,494), raw

tobacco (annual value of imports, $12,756), and coffee (annual
value of imports, $11,251).

Some idea of the dependence of Great Britain upon
foreign countries for her supplies of raw cotton may be
gathered from the fact that while the British possessions buy
from the mother country every year £40,000,000
manufactured cotton goods, yet they send to Great
only £2,000,000 worth of raw cotten annually.

worth of
Britain

The total area of land under sugar-cane cultivation in
Fiji amounts to 40,519 acres, from which in 1906, were pro-
duced 403,182 tonsof sugarcane The area planted with
cocoa-nuts is estimated at 27,477 acres, while pine-apples and
bananas cover 5,978 acres. Only about one-sixth of the
area of the under cultivation, (Annual Report,
1906-7.)

colony is

The annnal consumption of sugar in Eeuador reaches
about 8,200 tons, of which abont 7,000 tons are produced
within the republic. A protective tax formerly levied on all
imported sugar was removed at the end of 1906, and the
resulting full in prices has so diminished profits to the home
vrower that it is extremely doubtful whether cane cultivation
in Ecuador can be continued or not. (British Consular Report.)

Krom the Board ef Trade Returns, it appears that the
namber of bales of cotton imported into the United Kingdom
during the week ended November 7, 1907, was 115,174
(including 67 British West Indian, and 1,059 bales
British West African), and the number imported during the
period from January i to November 7, 1907, was 3, 764,922
(including 5,816 bales British West Indis in, and 9,917 bales

British West African),

bales

Von alla Nowa?

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 61

POULTRY NOTES.

Breeding and Feeding Tabie Chickens.

In the September number of the Journal of

Agriculture of Victoria, Mr. H. V. Hawkins, Poultry
Expert to the State, discussing the question of poultry
breeds for the table, strongly recommends a cross
between the Indian Game /cock) and the Silver Dorking
hens), as likely te give the best results from this
point of view, Buff Orpington and White Orpington
hens are also excellent crosses with the Indian Game
cock, At five months old, chickens from the above
-erosses should weigh from 6} to 74 tb.

With reterence to the food most suitable for young
chickens, and likely to produce the best white flesh,
Mr. Hawkins says :—

Chickens should not be fed until quite twenty-four
hours after hatching. Then give hard-boiled ege (shell
included) chopped up finely, with double the quantity of
bread crumbs, every two hours for the first few days. Give
a little often, but on no account should any be left over, as sour
food is disastrous to young chicks. When a week old, change
the diet to coarse oatineal and broken biscuits, slightly moisten-
ed with sweet milk ; the mixture should not be pasty. Add
a little charcoal and finely pulped raw onion. It is also very
necessary that an ample supply of coarse sand, fine gravel,
and a very small quantity of bone meal should be available to
the young birds, as these are most essential to their proper
development, i.e., to make bone and to keep the gizzard in
a vigorous condition. Digestive disorders of all things
should be guarded against ; therefore avoid giving green bone,
as there are perhaps more chickens killed by this than by
any other thing.

Small Eggs.

An article ina late number of Kamm Life dealt

with the causes which influenced the production of

small eggs by laying hens.

It was pointed out that overfed hens, or birds which
are too fat, will frequently lay eges smaller in size than those
laid by the same birds when in proper condition. Similarly,
the provision of warm, or stimulating, food will influence
a hen to lay before the egg has attained its proper size.

The use of small eggs for hatching purposes is, however,
stated as an undoubted reason why, m many cases, the
resulting pullets should themselves produce eggs small in
size. ‘This is perhaps what one would naturally expect, on
the principle of like prodacing like. It follows from this
that the best way in which to bring about improvement
with a given breed, is to select, for latching purposes, eges
from those hens only which are distinguished by the large
size of their produce, and to take care beforehand that these
hens are mated only with male birds which are the offspring

of hens of equally good laying strain.

RUBBER CULTIVATION IN MINDANO,
PHILIPPINES.

The reports by the Bureau of Forestry in Mindano show
that interest in rubber culture is increasing in that part. of
the archipelago. Many seeds and seedlings have been planted
during the past year, especially in the district of Davao, the
Island of Basilan, and along the east and west coasts of the
Zamboanga peninsula, ~The reports show the following total
number of trees growing on ten plantations at the present
time :—Hevea brasiliensis, 9,000: Manihot Glaziovii,61,000 ;
Castilloa clastica, 1,000 ; total number, 71,000 ; or the equiva-
lent of :--- Para rubber, 47 acres; Ceara rubber, 313 acres ;
Castilloa rubber, 6 acres; total 366 acres. The ordinary
planting distance in Mindano for rubber trees is 15 feet,
but when intercrops are grown, the trees should be planted
20 feet apart.

CHOICE OF A MILKING COW.

In a leaflet ‘The selection and milking of Dair
Cattle, recently issued by the English Board of Agri-
culture and Fisheries, a good deal of detailed advice is
given to those about tocommence dairying. The hints
as to the points to be looked for in selecting milking
cows are worthy of reproduction.

The special points to be considered in the purchase and
judging of dairy cattle are: Temperament of the animal;
shape of the udder ; general appearance denoting milking and
feeding qualities; indications regarding quantity of milk
yielded ; and age and constitution,

The cow should be quiet when handled, possess a clean
coat, and a long neck, with eyes prominent and wide apart.

The udder or bag should extend well forward : should
be full and globular, flat underneath and well rounded behind,
the whole vessel showing great capacity, each quarter being
sound, and the teats easy to draw. The teats should be
equal distances apart, squarely set on, and of a useful size for
nulking.

A first-class dairy cow is somewhat wedge-shaped when
viewed from behind or from the side: the neck should be
thin and longer than ina beef animal, whilst the shoulder
should be light and oblique. The abdomen should be
capacious, the flank clean and thin, being lean rather than
fat The back of a heavy milking cow is usually thin. The
animal should also appear wedge-shaped when viewed from
above, being narrow on the shoulder blades, with the lines
spreading out to the hips, which should be wide apart.
The thighs should allow plenty of space for the development
of the udder.

The milk veins should be large, prominent, and branched,
and the milk ‘wells,’ where the blood vessels enter the belly,
highly developed. Milk veins are blood-vessels carrying away
impure blood from the udder back to the heart and lungs for
purification. As milk is derived directly from the blood, it
follows that the greater the supply of blood passing through
the udder. the greater the possibilities of the production of
a large quantity of milk.

As regard constitution, a deep chest gives plenty of room
for lung development, whilst wide and open nostrils commonly
show great lung capacity. The ribs immediately behind the
shoulder, if round and deep, make a big heart girth.

Cows which are heavy milkers are frequently thin and
bony, and the buyer should never refuse a cow solely because of
her ‘poor’ appearance, cases being known in which such
animals have yielded upwards of 1,000 gallons of milk per
annum.

62 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Frsruary 22, 1908-

CANADIAN RECIPROCITY CONFERENCE.

The following is an extract from the address made
by the Hon. Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., at the
opening of the Canadian Conference on January 15
last :—

Yesterday, at the opening of the Agricultural Confer-
ence, you received a welcome from his Excelleney
the Governor on behalf of the colony of Barbados. It
remains for me this morning to meet those who have been
appointed to the Canadian Conference, so that I may make
a brief statement in regard to the cireumstances under which
this Conference has been called together ; also to place before
you papers and returns that may be useful in the discussion
of a subject that all admit presents many difficulties. Among
the papers is a reprint of an address delivered at a joint
meeting of the Chamber of Conmerce, and Agricultural
Society of Barbados. That reprint also contains a short
summary of proceedings at a similar meeting held at
British Guiana. At both those meetings, resolutions were
passed recommending that a Conference comprising repre-
sentatives from all parts of the West Indies should meet at
a central place, and discuss the possibilities of closer trade
relations with Canada. As there was no other central
organization existing in the West Indies to take action im
a matter of this character, I regarded it as part of the duty
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture to communicate
with the several Governments and enquire whether it would
be agreeable to them to send delegates to a Conference at
Barbados. ‘his question of closer trade relation with
Canada has been slowly ripening for some time. For several
years we have been sending exhibits of the products of the
West Indies to Canada and these have been shown
at Toronto and Halifax. In 1906 I was able to address
meetings of business men in different parts of Canada,
and on my suggestion, the various Boards of Trade sent
Delegates to visit the West Indies and prepare a Report
which is now before you. The Government of Canada has
also in other ways taken steps to facilitate closer relations
with the West Indies. The Boards of Trade have appointed
West India Committees, with a Chairman and a Secretary to
undertake correspondence with business men in the West
Indies, and afford them assistance in regard to trade matters.
In addition, the Dominion Government has appointed a general
‘Trade Commissioner with headquarters at Barbados, who will
travel through the West Indies and give information in regard
to trade with Canada. The Trade Commissioner, I understood,
will not necessarily take the place of any of the Canadian
agents already existing.

The immediate cause which has led to the calling of this
Conference is the fact that for some years we have had
a favourable market in Canada for oursugar. The returns
which are before yon give particulars of the quantities of
sugar, molasses, and syrup that have been imported into
Canada during the last six years. These are taken from
Canadian returns. They do not tally with the returns
obtainable in the West Indies. That, as will be explained to
you later, is due to the fact that, owing to the manner in which
the statistics in the West Indies are kept, it is not possible
to show what goods come from Canada by way of the United
States. nor, on the other hand. to show the ultimate destination
of goods shipped to New York. The returns will be useful as
showing the large amount of trade that has sprung up in
sugar between the West Indies and Canada. Practically
79 per cent. of all the sue consumed in Canada has been
obtained directly from the West Indies. I was assured,
however, by business men as wellas by others, that there
were yarious circumstances likely to interfere with the con-

tinuance of a favourable market for the West Indian sugars
in Canada. That is ‘the reason why this Conference has
been called more quickly than it otherwise would have
been. Tf action be not taken at once, there is a possibility of
the West Indies losing their favourable position in the Cana-
dian market. I have been informed on undoubted authority
that such is the case; and the gentlemen from Canada
attending this Conference will confirm this. A promiment
person in the United Kingdom has expressed the opinion
that it would bea calamity if the West Indies lost their
present market for sygar in Canada. These have been the
main considerations in bringing about this Conference.

There is an impression that if the West Indies enter
into closer trade relations with Canada, and give the Dominion
advantages in this market, we shall antagonize the United

States. I hope you will fully satisfy yourselves on this
point. If you assume that the United States are going to

penalize you becans> you enter into closer trade relations
with Canada, you will raise a ‘ bogey ’ likely to neutralize any
good results that may be obtained from this Conference.

In spite of the progress made with seedling canes, and
the establishment of central factories, and with new industries,
such as cotton and rice and the development of the lime
industry, if we are suddenly confronted with the failure of
the sugar industry, which is of the value of £2,700,000
a year, I am afraid the West Indies will receive such a set
back, as will neutralize much of the work that has been done
during the last ten years. hat is the position as it now
stands, and T leave it with confidence in your hands.

COFFEE IN HAWAII.

Owing to the extraordinary production of coffee
Ip Brazil of late years, growers in other countries are
being gradually pushed out of the market, unless
their produce shows qualities of special value as in the
cease of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, which readily
commands high prices on the London market. This
difficulty of finding a sale for the lower qualities of
coffee, and the necessity of turning to other articles of
cultivation, ave referred to in the course of the Report
of the Hawatian Agricultural Baperiment Station,
1906, although it is stated that the best qualities
produced in the Hawaiian Islands are in great demand,
‘To quote from the report :— :

The coffee industry is one especially adapted to the
development of a stable population of small landowners.
The coftee belt lies at an elevation of from 1,000 to 3,000
feet, the most salubrious location in the islands, a region of
comfortable temperatures all the year round. Coffee does
not require a large outlay of capital in its cultivation, and it
is a crop which can be prepared for market without expensive
machinery. When once prepared, it does not deteriorate =
but, on the contrary, constantly improves with age, so that
the producer is not subject to the great losses which
frequently happen to those engaged in the production of
perishable crops. The trees are remarkably
disease, the yields are high, and returns sure.

The chief cause of failure as regards coffee growing in
Hawaii is due to economic conditions. s

free from

ii The best grades of
Hawaiian coffees have always been in demand, and these
grades sell themselves, The low grades, however, can not be
produced in competition with Brazil and similar countries
and practically every small producer engaged in coffee growing
in Hawaii has been foreed out of business. ¥ 3

Wor. Vil. No.

152.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 65

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.
Mr. J. RB. Jackson, A. L. S., has forwarded the
following report on the London drug and spice market
-during the month of December :— >

At the beginning of December there was a shght
improvement in certain articles at the spice and drug
auctions, but the general character throughout the month
was one of decided dullness, due both to the continued high
bank rate, to the Christmas holidays, and to the New Year's
annual stock takings.

At the first drug sale on the 5th, it was announced
that the next sale would not take place till the middle of
January. Our present report will therefore be of a brief
nature, more especially as there is but little to say about
West Indian products.

GINGER.

With regard to ginger, no Jamaica was offered at the
first auction and the other kinds were quite unimportant.
‘At the second auction on the 11th, Jamaica was represented,
and 38 bags and 5 barrels sold at the following rates:
Good ordinary, 70s. ; ordinary small, 65s. ; and dark, 62s. 6d.
Some ordinary washed rough Cochin, in bags, was offered
and bought in at 36s. per ewt. On the 18th, all the
offerings, which consisted of 180 packages of Jamaica, were
bought in, and there was no further business done in this
article during the remainder of the month.

NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO,

A very quiet trade was done in nutmegs. On the 11th,
21 packages of West Indian were disposed of at 42d. for
11l’s, and 1s. for 65’s, there being mo dealings at a later
period. Mace at the same sale realized for dark red West
Indian ls. 1d., at which rate 2 packages were sold. Fair
Penang was bought in at 1s. 7d. No further dealings were
reported. Small sales of Pimento were.also made at the same
auction at 3d. per Ib. at which price a few bags were
disposed of on the 18th, but no sales were made later.

ARROWROOT.

This article was not much in evidence during the month,
but at the sale on the 11th, the offerings of St. Vincent
amounted to 196 barrels, but a few only were sold at 2d,
per Ib. for good mantfacturing. Some sales were effected
privately at from 24d. to 32d. for fair to good fair mannfac-
turing, and 237. for good, while fine commanded 4d. per Ib.

SARSAPARILLA.
At the first drng sale on the 5th, 15 bales of genuine

erey Jamaica were disposed of at ls Sd. per tb. for good
fibrous, but partly coarse ; Ls. 6d. per Ib. was paid for 3 bales
of partly black mixed, and for a consignment of 15 bales

from Hcuador, of the character of Guayaquil, + only were
disposed of at 11d. One bale of native Jamaica,
common mixed grey and red, was bought in at Is. per tb.
Though information was at hand in the middle of the month
of the arrival of 6 baies of grey Jamaica, and of the same
quantity of native Jamaica, these had not yet appeared at

per iv.

auction.

KOLA, LIME JUICE, TAMARINDS, ELC.

CANELLA ALBA,
For Canella bark, of which 5 bales of fair bright, mostly

pale quill, were offered in the early part of the month, 65s.
was quoted. Good West Indian, partly washed, kola, also
offered at the same sale, sold at 23d: to 24d., and ordinary
cat lid. At the first spice sale lime juice was represented by

11 packages of raw West Indian, which realized 1s. 3d. per
gallon ; also 2 hogsheads of raw Dominica were sold at Is.
per gallon. Private dealings were also made in good row

Jamaica at ls. 5d, and fair at ls. 3d. Four cases of West
Indian distilled oil of lime realized 1s, 9d. per Ib. Black

Caleutta tamarinds were bought in at 13s. per ewt., and fair
Ceylon annatto at 2$d., and ordinary 24d. per tb.

MILLIONS IN ANTIGUA.

The Hon. Francis Watts, C.M.G., has forwarded
the accompanying note in reference to the small fish
known as ‘millions, which, as mentioned in the
Agricultural News, was recently identified by Mr. G. A.
Boulenger, F.RS., of the British Museum as
Cirardinus poeciloides :—

The small fish which in Barbados is known as ‘ millions’
were introduced from that island into Antigua in August
1905, by the Inperial Department of Agriculture.

They were found to thrive exceedingly well in the ponds
and tanks at the Botanic Station. From the Botanic Station
they were distributed to various ponds and streams.

It is interesting to record that the Country Health
Board, being convinced of the useful part played by these
fish in consuming mosquito larvae, have arranged for their
systematic distribution throughout the ponds and streams of
the island. The official reports show that these fish are now
abundant in every district and practically in every pond and
stream.

DOMINICA AGRICULTURAL AND
COMMERCIAL SOCIETY.

A general meeting of the above Society was held
on December 28 last.

The _ first which received attention was
a communication from Sir Daniel Morris, covering a letter
from Mr. W. N. Sands, Agricultural Superintendent of
St. Vineent, with respect to an enquiry from Messrs. Robert-
son Bros., Ltd., of Toronto, Canada, for samples of sweet
potato flour and starch. Copies of the correspondence were
provided for planters who thought of taking up the matter,
and these planters were asked to submit the prices at which
they would be able to supply the four and starch.

Mr. A. R. C. Lockhart was appointed to represent the
Society at the late West Indian Agricultural Conference held
at Barbados.

A letter on the subject of means of communication and
trade relations between the West Indies and Canada, sent by
the West India Committee in October, 1907, to the Hon. W.S.
Fielding, Canadian Finance Minister, and reprinted in the
West India Committee Crrcular of December 10 last, came
up for consideration by the Society. The Secretary was
instructed to inform the West India Committee that the
Society was in general accord with the views and suggestions
expressed in the letter referred to, as to means whereby
relations between the West Indies and Canada might be
improved.

The Society also carvied unanimously a motion, in which
it pledged its support to the French Compagnie Générale
Transatlantique, if this company, by calling regularly at the
island, would afford shippers of Dominica an opportunity to
establish trade relations with France.

sul ject

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Frsruary 22, 1908

London,— February 4, 1908,

New York,

MARKET REPORTS:

‘Tne West INpta Com-
MITTEE CrrcuLar,’ Messrs. Kearron, Pipurn & Co.;
January 24, 1908, Messrs. E. A. DI
January 31, 1908. ‘THe LiverrooL Corron

t Pass & Co.;

F

ASssociATION WEEKLY CIRCULAR.

ArRowrRoot—St. Vincent, 24d. per tb.

Baxtara—Sheet, 2/4 ; block, 1/7 per th.

BeeEs’-wax— inferior to dark, £6 14s. to £7 Ss. ; fair to good
bright, £7 10s to £7 12s. Cd. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 84/- to 94/- per ewt.; Grenada, 7+t/- to
82/- per cwt.

Corrrr—Santos, 30 7% to 31/3 per ewt.: Jamuica,
ordinary to fine ordinary, 35/- to 42/6: ordinary fine
to ordinary, 40/- to 52/- : middling bold, 61/- per e vt.

Copra—West Indian, £18 10s. to £19 per ton.

Coiroxn-—West Indian Sea Island, geod medium, 18. ;
Medium tine, 19d. ; fine, 20d.

Fruir—
3ANANAS—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.

Lives—No quotations.

PINE-aprLEs—St. Michael, 2/5 to 4,6 each.
Grave Frurr—4/6 to 6/6 per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 5/3 to 7/- per box.

Fusric—£4 to £4 10s. per ton.

HongEy— 20s. to 27s. 6d. per ewt.

Istnciuass—West India lump, 2/4 per tb.; cake. no
quotations.

Line Jurce—Raw, 1/2 to 1/8 per gallon; concentrated,
£15 ds. per cask of 108 g: allons; Distilled Oil, 1.9 to 1/10
per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per Tb.

Locwoon—£4 to £4 10s. per ten; Roots, no quotations.

Mace— Fair, Is. 2. per Tb.

NuTMEG s— 68's to 69's, Td. foe tas Oa tobsd.; 105’s, 44.3
11J’s to 115’s, 33d. tu 43d.; 121’s, Shd.; 1388's, 34d.

Pimento— 22d. per tb.

opreiUNe aaa adont

Rum—Jamaica, no quotations; Demerara, Is. 2bd. to
ds. 4d. ; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 17/6 to 20/6 per ewt. : Muscovado, no
quotations ; Molasses, 12/- to 15

24, 1908.

ssrs, GILLESPIE

Bros, & Co.

Cacao—Carucas, 8c. to 20sec. ; Grenada, lsc. to 18fe. ;
Trinidad, 17}c. to 18fe.; Jamaica, Lode. per th.

Cocoa-nurs—Jamaica, select, $25°00 to 826-00 ; culls,
$16-00 ; Trinidad, $24-00 ; culls, 815-00 per M.

Corrre—Jamaica, ordinary, Tie. to The.: good ordinary,
Tie. | yer th.

Gieaenes 1Ofe. to Lhe. per th.

Goat Sxkins—Jainaica, 50ce.: St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Nitt’s, 38e. to 43c. dry flint ;29e. to 32e. dvy salted ;
50e. diumaved

Grare Fruvr— Jamaicas, $5:00 to $8:00 pel barvel ; S2°25
to $400 per box

Limes— Dominica, S600 to 86°59 per barrel.

Macr— 28c, to 50c¢. per th

Nutrmecs—110's, 9he. to O%e. per th.

Onances—Jamaica, no quotations

Pimentro— 5éc. to aye: per li

Cenrrifuanls, 86°. S377 to S5-SO0: Museovados,

: 7 to 30; Molasses. SY. S3°CO to €3 05

per WL, duty paid.

Trinidad,

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lynen & Co., February 18,

1908 ; Messrs. T. S. Ganraway & Co., February 17,.
1908.

ArnowrRoor—St. Vincent. $4-00 to $4°50 per 100 Th.
Cacao—Dominica,: $16-00 to $17-00 per 1v0 Th.
Cocoa-Nurs—S$12°25 per M. for husked wuts.
Corrern—Jaimaica, $$°50 to $10°50 per 100 Th,
Hay—$1-75 to $2°00 per 100 1b.

Manures—- Nitrate of soda, $65°00 ; Ohlendonfs dissolved
guamo, $5500; Cotton manure, $42°C0; Cacao
manure, $42°00 to $4800; Sulphate of ammonia,
$72°00 to $75°00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Morassrs—-1 le. perv Ge allen

Oxtons— Madeiri, 50 per 100 th.

Poraros, ENGitisu-—$1°20 to $2-05 per 160 Th.

Peas—Split, $6°20 10 $650 ; Canada, $3°36 to $3°35 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $5°60 to $5°65 (180 th.) ; Patna, $3°65
to $4°00; Rangoon, $3°00 to €3°19 per 100 ib.

Sucarn—No quotations.

British Guiana.—January 25, 1908.—Messrs. Wretrne

& Luenter ; Messrs. Sanppacnu, Parker & Co.

ArRoWROOT—St. Vincent, $7°00 to 810-00 per barrel.
Saxara—- Venezuela vlock, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c. per th.
Cacao—Naiive, 20c. to 21le. per Tb.
Cassava—No stock,
Cassava SrarcH—§89-60 per barrel.
Coco a-NuTS—$12°00 to $L6-00 per M.
Correr— Creole, 13e.; Jamaica, 12c. per th.
Duar—- $5-00 to 84°25 per bag of 1658 th.
Epvos— $2°40 per barrel.
Morasses— Yellow, 18$c. : Dark, no quotation s per gallon.
Ontoxs— Madeira, de. to She ; ; Lisbon, fe. to 3$c. per ib.
PrLanvatns— 20e. to 72e. per bunch. :
Poraros, —Mdeira, $2°70 to $8°00) per barrel.
Poratros, Swrer—Barbados, $1°52 per bag.
Rick—Ballan, 6°25 to F640 ; Creole, $4°25 to $475 pex
bau ; Seeta, 26°00 per bag.
Spurr Pras $400 to $6°75 per bag (210 Tb.):
Tanntas— 83°60 fis Hag.
Yams—White, $240 10 Re. G4 ; Buck, €3-48 per bag.
Sccar—Dark meas 2°15 to $9°45; Reno $2-90 to
$3°00 ; White. €3-50 to $5°60; relies $1-:70 to
$195 per 100 Ib. (retail).
Timprn—Greenheart, 32c. tu dace. per cubic foot.
WALLARA SHINGLES Bae 50 to 5°50 per M.
Frrewoon $2°40 to $2°64 per ton (3-fect lengths).

— January 25, 1908.—Messrs. Gotupox, Grant
& Ca,

Cacao—S$16'75 to S19°00 per fanega ; Venezuelan, $17°25
to $18°00 per fanega.

Cocoa-Nvuis No quotation:

Cocoa-NutT O1.—72e, per Imperial gallon.

Correr—Venezuelan, Te. to Se. per th,

Covra— A 50 to Sv 7 per 100 Th.

DitaLt—-$4°60 to & per 2-bushel bay

ONIONS “$9: 25 to $2-50 per 100 th. (retail).

Potratros. Exc Bie $1-00 to $1-40 per 100 ih

Rre aaa ellow, $5°50 to $5°G0 : White, $3" 50toS6°00 per bag.

Senive Peas 6-00 to 86 25 per baw. e

Sucan—$5-0) to €5-10 per LOU Ih.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture

FOR

THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN. A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

Volume I. No. 1 out of print.
Volumes IT and III.
Volume IV. Nos. 1 and 2.
Volumes V and VI.
Conference, 1905.
Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and’ 4.
Volume VIII.
Address; Abstract of Proceedings ;
Agricultural Conference, 1907. (contd.)
and Tobacco Industries in
(concluded. )
subjects, and Agricultural Education.

the West Indies.
Papers dealing with Animal Industry, Agricultural Credit and Loan Banks, Miscellaneous
Price 6d. per number.

Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price Is. each. Post free, 1s. 2d-
Price in original paper covers as issued, 2s. each. Post free, 2s. 8d.

Papers on general subjects.
in the United States and the West Indies.
Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists.
Price 6d. per number.
Papers on general
Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; etc., ete.
No. 1. West Indian Agricultural Conference,
Papers dealing with the Sugar Industry.
Papers relating to Cacao, Fruit, Lime Juice, Rice, Rubber,

Sea Island Cotton
Post free, 8d.
Report of Agricultural

No. 3. (out of print). No. 4.
Price 6d. each number.

Post free, 8d.
subjects : Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the
Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.

1907. List of Representatives ; Presidential
No. 2. West Indian

No. 3. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907.

Post free, 8d.

PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially

adapted to West Indian conditions.

They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work

on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulation. The following list gives particulars
of all the pamphlets which are stil] available. The missing numbers are out of print and can no longer be supplied :—

(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d.
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
(6) Recipes for cooking Sweet Potatos.
(7) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part I.
(9) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1.
Price 2d.
(13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901.
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivation. Price 2d,
(17) General Treatment of Fungoid Pests. Price 4d.
(18) Recipes for cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d.
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902, Price 4d.
(20) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1901-2.
Price 2d.
(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part II. Price 4d.
(23) Notes on Poultry in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(25) Ground Nutsin the West Indies Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903, Price 4d.
(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.
Price 2d.
(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d.
(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.
(30) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1902-3. Price 4d.
(81) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d.

Price 2d.
Price 4d.

Price 4d.

(32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904. Price 4d,

(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.
Price 4d.

(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d.

(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1903-4. Price 4d.

(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.

(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

(39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5,
Price 4d.

(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1903-5. Price 6d.

(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

(42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1904-5. Price 4d.

(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
Stuff on West Indian Plantations. Price 2d.

(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1904-6. Price 6d.

(45) A. B. C. cf Cotton Planting.
Price 6d.

(46) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1905-6.
Price 4d.

(47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1905-6. Price 4d.

(49) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados
1905-7. Price 6d.

New and Enlarged Edition.

The above will be supplied post free for an additional charge of }d. for the pamphlets marked 2d., ld. for those

marked 4d., and 14d. for Nos. 40, 41, 44, and 45.

The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains

extracts

from official correspondence and from progress and

other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in

Agricultural matters throughouc the West Indies.
The ‘Agricultural News’

local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post free, 2d.

is printed in time to he distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the

The subscription price, including postage, is

9s, 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d. per annum. Vols. I—V, complete, with title page and index as issucd.—Price 4s.
Post free, 5s. Only a few copies available. Add applications for copies are to be addressed to the Agents, not to the Department,

Agents.
The following have been appointed Agents for the sale of the publications of the Department :— 4 '
London: Messrs. Dutau & Co., 37, Soho Square, W. City Agents: THE West Inpra CommitTrex, 15, Seething

Lane, C.— Barbados: Messrs.

London, E.

BowrEn & Sons,
Company, 16, King St., Kingston.— British Guiana: ‘ Daily Chronicle’

Bridgetown.— Jamaica: THE EpucatronaL Supply
Office, Georgetown,— Trinidad: Messrs. Murr,

MarsHALy & Co., Port-of-Spain.—Zobago: Mr. C. L. PLAGEMANN, Scarborough.—Grenada: Messrs. 10, MARRAST & Ce.,
*The Stores,’ St. George.—St. Vincent: Mr.Stantey Topp, Agricultural School.—St, Lucia : Mr. E. Buckire, Botanic Station,

— Dominica : Messrs. C. F. Duverne¥ & Co., Market St., Roseau.—dAntigua. Mr.

S. D. Matong, St. John’s,—

St. Kitt’s: Toe Prete anp Roce Supphy Acrency, Basseterre.—Wevis: Mr. 8. D. Martone, Charlestown.

Vor. Vil, No; 1152. THE Ae OUT Se NEWS.

THE BEST ‘MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

oe PASE EE

FEBRUARY sc 1908.

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use

Ohlendorfi’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure
Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,

Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR

DIRECT TO :—

THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS,

London Agency:

[137.]

15, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C

Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

— — ee

THE GOVER INMENT STUD FARM,
ANTIGUA.

The half-bred horse stallion Michael is offered
for sale for £40.

This animal is rising ten years, is 153 hands high,
and black in colour. He is the progeny of ane thoroug rh-
bred English stallion Michaelovitch, out of
a Canadian mare.

George

Applications should be addressed to :—
The Superintendent of Agriculture,
Antigua.

ORANGE BOXES.

The Dominica Saw-Mills have now
equipped for cutting Orange and Fruit boxes.

been

These boxes will be
specifications, so that the flimsiness so much
complained of in the Flerida boxes s can be

cut to purchaser's own
avoided.
Sa.uples and quotations can be had on

application to the Manager, W. A. D. Allport,
Roseau, Dominica.

Printed’ at - Office ef Apri Raden LE. High Street, Beheetown, Barbadoe

THE
INDIA COMMITTEE CIRCULAR
(Published for fortnightly).
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THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE

(Estab: circa 1760.
Aug. 4, 1904.)

Edited by ALGERNON E. ASPINALL.

WEST

Incorporated by Royal Charter

Containing a Review of the Work of the West India Com-
mittee, Notes on West Indian Affairs, Statistics as to
Cacao, Sugar, Molasses and Rum, Coffee, Cotton,
Nutmegs, Mace, Pimento, Ginger, Arrowroot, Lime

Juice, ete., etc., Home Arrivals and Departures by
the Mail Stoamers, ete.

To Menuers Free of charge.
To others, Subscription £1 1s. per annum.
Single Copies 1s.
Published at—

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15, Seething Lane,
London, E.C.

LLL LL LE EE I I II I

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Vol. VIL. Nos 153%] SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1908.

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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

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conformity with, the requirements of
THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENTS OF THE(UNITED STATES.

The only sure and effective insecticide and destroyer of the cotton worm, caterpillars, and other pests.
Guaranteed to be absolutely pure by the manufacturers. Used extensively throughout the British West Indies, and sold

by all high-class merchants and dealers. Consumers are cautioned against worthless substitutes, and should always see
that the packages bear the name of the manufacturers :-—

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LECTURES TO ae

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Apply for further information to :—

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of the Sugar-cane in the West Indies. } Guaranteed Strictly PURE PARIS GREEN in Bond.

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for the sale of the Department’s publications. Factory, Ltd., Barbados.

Ginning and Shipping of Cotton, sent from the |

= _ Gh
SS RE

AURAL
F2g5

Nh abel SY,

uae as a. BS

- x

S Aa \

i BM SA
4 uenict “=
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Ais \\ a
Le af
ame inom
A TNIGHTLY REVIEW eae
O = NEW YOR
OF THE BOTANICA
DEPART ie AGRICULTURE FOR THE WES NDIE GARDEN
IMPERIAL DE PARTMENT OF AGRICULTUR R T INDI S. :
VOT Vililay Now 53) BARBADOS, MARCH 7, 1908. Price 1d.
CONTENTS. Root disease, caused by attack of the fungus
Pee Pace, Alarasmius Sacchari, was first reported from Java in
Agayes and Soil Denuda- Gleanings ... 76 1895. The same fungus was, some six or seven years
tion : Pe ear Goatstand Sheep, Improved Liver nicenoniecdaencialnc! heehee lif eral
Agricultural E ducation in | Breeds of : oy eh) PRE EOE H NATE st eing chiefly, if not entirely
Elementary Schools ... 78| Ground Nut Cultivation in responsible for similar trouble in the West Indies.
‘itish Guiana, Agric e | tt 5 + 69 : > :
aa SRR Deo = ace eee "Root disease of the sugar-cane has also been described
500 2 996 eon (EU ve sg ae : ‘ es
British Honduras, Mavi- India, Success of — ... 7 from Hawaii, and more recently from Louisiana.
cultural Industries of... 73) Market Reports Sol ee O) ; :
Cacao Experiments in the Notes and Comments... 72 It is evident, therefore, that this disease is widely
West Indies... ... ... 69) Nutmeg Cultivation... ... 75 . :
Cacao peste of Trinidad 7 Oruies Gotwine Ne es spread throughout sugar-producing countries. The
Cassava Refuse as Stock South Wales ... ... €8 question of the best methods of combating attack is
3 ) Ps) yok . ai ] Pp . . - . .
Re Gaia as Taste ee Daa -» one of first importance, and is receiving considerable
ie eee i ‘ ane de . ms a :
Coffee Production in Brazil 74 Rubber in British Guiana 72 attention at the hands of both practical and scientific
Cotton Notes :—- Rubber Planting with Inter men
Catch Crops with Cotton 70 Cropsand Catch Crops 74
tserrat, Cotto St. Kitt’s Agricultural and :
pondaee ba oe 70 dual Siow oe 71 As already mentioned, the sugar-cane crop of
St. Lueia, Cotton Cultiva- School Gardens in Jamaica 78 Barbados has suffered considerably from attack during
tion in. 70| Sisal Cultivation in the ae Ber ea aera one ee eet ears
Sea Ish aralGautam Market veo) Caic OS Ish nds eee oe = rs) the past oy @ Seaems aia mn 1906 sugar planters in the
West Indian Cotion ... 71] Sisal Hemp as a possible Couva district of Trinidad reported the occurrence of
Departmental Reports :— Tndustry in Jamaica... 79 ee Valea Ale ie Sy 7 realeo i eeu A 5
m : ; a a disease, which was causing considerable damag
St. Iitt’s-Nevis : Botanic Sugar-cane, Root Disease. i iS > : Se
Station, ete , 1906-7... 77 of. ess wep) among their crops. Specimens were forwarded for
St. Lucia: Botanic = Sugar Industry : .. examination to the Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Station, ete., 1906-7... 77 In British Gaians ee tee Ol é ¢ ; 5
Department News ... .. 74| Muscovado Molasses ... 67 and it appeared that M. Sacchari was respon-
Dominica, Prosperity of... 71 Trinidad Cacao Exports .. 2 sible for the greater portion of the damage noticed.
Zoot Disease of Su var-eane. Root disease of the sugar-cane was some years ago
~

very prevalent in Antigua, but the general opinion of
planters of that island, as elicited by Dr. Watts in
OOT disease is probably the most important 1906, was that very little disease existed in the island
among the fungoid diseases of sugar-cane at that time. Dr. Watts himself, however, ‘s of opinion
in the West Indies. It is fully described, that the root fungus is more widely distributed than is
with illustration, in ‘Diseases of the Sugar-cane, generally imagined, and that the insidious nature of
= (Pamplilet 29 issued by the Imperial Department of attack of the root fungus leads planters to overlook its
= Agriculture). The disease has been especially preva- existence except in bad cases, He points out that very
2 lent in Barbados during the past two seasons, when the often the crop may be seriously lessened by the
~~ weather conditions have been too dry to be favourable presence of root fungus without any appreciable

=e do a vigorous growth of the cane. amount of dead cane being seen.

=

66 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 7, 1908.

The symptoms of root disease are well known to
most sugar planters in the West Indies. The shoots
affected present a stunted appearance ; the leaves are
few in number and pale-green in colour, while the
oldest leaves show a tendency to dry up from the apex
and margin. The youngest leaves present infolding of
the two halves of the blade, to prevent, as far as
possible, undue loss of moisture by evaporation, It is
characteristic of the disease, too, that the leaf bases
at the foot of the cane are matted to the stem by
a ‘felt’ of white mycelium.

Root disease tends to destroy the cane crop in two
ways: it destroys the roots of plants and ratoons,
it also smothers the new shoots of ratoon stools,

and

Destruction of the roots is caused by the fungus
entering and destroying the delicate cells that consti-
tute the growing points. The growth of the root is
stopped, and the available supply of water and
minerals, etc. in solution, is therefore gradually reduced.
The efforts made by the plant to replace the dead or
dying roots by new tissue cause a constant drain upon
its resources, with the result that the affected cane crop
is, at the best, poor and tight in character,

In addition, the matting of the white fungal
mycelinm undoubtedly smothers or seriously injures
young ratoon shoots, and the loss entailed in this way
is often very considerable. Young shoots which have
died off, too, have sometimes been found to be pene-
trated iv all directions by a fungus similar in appear-
ance to that attacking the roots.

It may be pointed out that the Marasmius
Sacchauri can be distributed in three ways: (1) by
spores bore by the toadstool-like fructifications, (2) by
the mycelium that travels underground, and (3) by the
planting of affected cane cuttings.

At the late West Indian Agricultural Conference,
the whole question of root disease of the sugar-cane
was discussed in a paper prepared by Mr. F. A. Stock-
dale, B.A., F.L.S., Mycologist on the staff of the Imper-
ial Department of Agriculture. At the beginning of
his paper Mr. Stockdale reviewed the advance of knowl-
edge that had been made during the past ten or
twelve years on the subject of root diseases of the
sugar-cane. Stress was laid upon the importance of
a more thorough adoption of remedial measures with
a view of stamping out the disease.

The remedial and preventive measures recommen-

ded (1) ecnltural
improvements, (2) samitary measures, and (3) selection

were divided into three classes:

of varieties.

In view of the fact that a cane, growing vigorously
under healthy conditions, is not likely to be seriously
attacked by the fungus, the value of thorough and
careful cultivation of the soil becomes at once apparent,
since this tends to allow of good ruot development,

Ratoons are always much more badly affected by
root disease than plant canes, and in fields where the
trouble is especially noticeable, it may be better to give
up ratooning altogether for a time.

The importance of good drainage was alluded to,
and the question of rotation of crops fully discussed.
Sometimes cotton can be grown on the affected land,
and in this way a remunerative return can be obtained,
at the same time resting the soil from sugar-cane,

Rotten canes and trash from

land where the
disease has recently appeared should never be made
into pen manure, but should be destroyed.

The use of lime as a fungicide was also discussed
by Mr. Stockdale, and the possibility that some of the
good results attendant upon the use of lime in many
sugar-producing ‘countries might be due to its action
on the parasitic enemies of the cane, rather than its
indirect manurial action, was mentioned.. The use of
lime on sugar lands in Hawai has recently been on
the increase, and in Jamaica it has been shown that
lime

and cow peas form suitable treatment from

a manurial point of view on many sugar-cane soils,

Another point of great importance in this connex-
ion is the necessity of the greatest care being exercised
not to plant cuttings from affected canes. If such
cuttings are planted, they obviously serve as centres
With suspec-
ted canes, or in planting on soils where disease is likely
to occur, the cuttings may with advantage be soaked
in Bordeaux mixture.

from which the disease is propagated.

The disease-resisting qualities of many of the
seedling canes were referred to by Mr. Stockdale, who
reported that some progress had lately been made in
breeding hybrid canes for disease resistance.

Finally it was mentioned that the adoption of the
remedial and preyentive measures described has had
such excellent results in Java, where root disease of
the sugar-cane was first noticed, that it is now stated
to be difficult to find specimens of the
Marasmius Sacehavi in island. The system of
rotation adopted, with elimination of ratoon crops, and

fungus
the

the great care taken with material for planting purposes

ave Ve} 019) ] ey 47 > 1s 7 7 7 ny .
have been especially influential in bringing about this
result.

Vou. Vil; No: 153: THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 67

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Muscovado Molasses.

In a report recently presented to the Barbados
General Agricultural Society by a Committee
appointed to investigate the causes of souring in
molasses, the following valuable information 1s
given :—

From the results of a very thorough examination. still
going on at the Government Laboratory, the souring of
molasses is concluded to be due chiefly to the production of
acetic acid. This acid is produced in two stages. In the
first stage alcohol is produced by the action of certain yeasts
on some of the sugar of the molasses ; in the second stage
some of the alcohol is converted by a bacterium into acetic
acid, The acetic acid then reacts upon certain substances in
the molasses to liberate a proportion of other and unpleasant
tasting acids to which the flavour is due. For the production
of the alcohol from the sugar, other substances besides sugar
must be present, and both the production of alcohol from
sugar, and the production of the acetic acid from the alcohol
may be prevented or delayed by the presence of certain sub-
stances in molasses whose nature is not understood.

It would appear that in muscovado
ordinarily made, these last mentioned inhibitory substances
are comparatively plentiful, while if the ordinary method of
manufacture be deviated from, the amount of — these
substances may be insutticient to preserve the molasses
under the ordinary conditions of handling.

molasses as

Under the ordinary conditions of, manufacture and
handling, a certain number of the acidifyin,s organisms must
get in; but if the molasses is of the right composition, the
souring will be slow or so slight as to be unnoticed. If the
molasses is not of the right composition the souving will take
place rapidly.

On the other hand, even with molasses of the right
composition, if unusual contamination takes place as the
result of want of cleanliness in the boiling house or pun-
cheons, or through admixture with germ-laden molasses in
town or in shipment, souring will take place.

From the above it will be noted that for fermentavion
and souring to take place, either the molasses must have an
unusual composition, or the organisms (yeasts and bacteria)
must be present in unusual quantities.

These facts supply the key to the problem as to how to
preserve molasses. The answer is to keep the molasses of the
ordinary muscovado composition so that it resists to a certain
extent the attacks of the organisms, and to prevent as far as
possible the presence of the organisms.

The first is accomplished by tempering and boiling the
liquor in the ordinary way, particularly avoiding boiling too
low. The second condition is attained by cleanliness and
«are in the handling of the molasses.

The points to be specially noted are :—

(1) Temper and boil the juice in the ordinary way an1
«lo not boil too low.

(2) Do not mix syrup with molasses.

(3) Be careful of the cleanliness of the gutters or pipes
leading to the oscillators or coolers and from them to the
centrifugals, and from the centrifugals to the molasses
cistern. Avoid closed pipes as far as possible, as one cannot
see inside them.

(4) Be careful of the cleanliness of the curing boxes
when such are used. They ought periodically to be
thoroughly cleaned and finally sterilized with a steam jet
if possible, or rinsed with bisulphite of soda solution ; or
failing that, with weak milk of lime, and then dried with dry
bags that have been washed.

(5) Be scrupulously careful about the condition of the
molasses cistern and as far as possible of the stancheon.
Avoid water leaks of all descriptions. If a cement cistern
cracks, peck up the bottom all round the crack and_ replace
with fresh, sound cement, ete. Clean out the molasses cistern
as often as possible. Finish off with bisulphite of soda
ov milk of lime, and dry afterwards.

(6) Avoid second-hand puncheons or shooks, as they
will probably be impregnated with the germs of fermentation.

(7) Pay great attention to the rinsing out of the
puncheon before it is filled. It should be first drained, then
rinsed out thoroughly with ordinary clean water. The best
way of finishing the cleansing is to play on the interior with
a steam jet and then drain or rinse out with boiling water, and
drain. Failing these, rinse out finally with bisulphite of soda
or thin ilk of lime, and drain.

(8) If possible, it is desirable that out rods and sampling
instruments should always be washed between one puncheon
and the next. It is suggested that the ordinary out rods
might be copied locally in pine so that each guager has 50 or
100 to work with, enabling them to be washed in batches.

(9) Filling up one puncheon from another and ‘ running’
are undesirable wherever they can be avoided ; chiefly because
of the risk of infecting a good molasses with a bad one.

Sugar Industry in British Guiana.

The Annual Report (1906-7) on British Guiana
makes the following reference to the sugar industry of
the colony :—

The sugar crop for export amounted to 114,951 tons,
as against 116,550 tons for the previous year. The total
area in canes at the end of March, exclusive of land cultivated
by cane farmers, was 74,426, as compared with 72,390 at
the close of the previous year.

Work on the experimental cane cultivation at the
Botanie Gardens under the charge of the Board of Agri-
culture continued during the year. Cultivation of the new
varieties of canes on the sugar estates of the colony received
still greater attention on the part of the planters generally,
ana the area occupied by these experiments increase
20,069 acres in the previous year to 27,500 acres, Practically
all the sugar estates of the colony continue to take part in
this work.

The usual consolidated returns of the results of the
experiments on the sugar estates undertaken on a manu-
facturing scale were published during the year, These
rettuns indicate that a steady advance is maintained, and
that new varieties produce in the colony and in Barbados,
not only exceed the standard variety in yield of sugar per
acre, but show greater resistance ic drought and disease.
These large scale experiments are being co itinually increased,

65 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 7, 1908:

AN .

WEST INDIAN

CITRUS FRUITS IN-CUBA.

At the first annual meeting (1907) of the Cuban
National Horticultural Society, Mr. C. F. Austin read
a paper dealing with the varieties of citrus fruits
chiefly grown in Cuba. It was stated that inquiries
had been made from most of the leading fruit growers
in the island, and the information contained in the
paper was compiled by Mr. Anstin with the help of the
answers received.

Most of the varietiesof oranges crown in Florida have also
been adopted in Cuba, and many of them are largely planted.
Other kinds, however, are being raised as well, and in the
course of his paper, Mr. Austin spoke in favour of the native
Cuban oranges, which appear to be somewhat neglected by
growers. It was mentioned that a collection of the native
varieties was being made at the Experiment Station, with
a view to testing their merits in comparison with the more
popular Florida and other varieties.

Among oranges, Hart's’ Late appears to be the kind
which is being most extensively planted in Cuba. The
Pine-apple, Parson Brown, and Washington Navel varieties
are also very popular. Hart’s Late, as its name implies,
is a late orange, as also is the Pine-apple, and both varieties
can be recommended to the attention of growers who
endeayour to meet the late season market. The flavour of
both kinds is excellent, but it was mentioned by Mr. Austin
that the Pine-apple is a variety which demands a good deal
of attention in order to obtain the best results.

Parson Brown is an early orange with rather a poor
flayour. It is a variety which needs care and attention, and
it is probable that more profitable kinds could be raised, e.g.,
Boone’s Karly

The Washington Navel orange is as yet in the experi
mental stage in Cuba. It is an early variety, prolific, and
has a fine flavour, but doubts were expressed as to whether it
was suitable to Cuba from the commercial point of view.

The Jaffa, Joppa, Valencia, and King varieties of
oranges were all mentioned favourably in the course of
Mr, Austin’s paper. These are, mid-season and late varieties.
The Fancy Tangerine has also gained a very excellent reputa-
tion in Cuba. It is very prolific, has an excellent flavour,
a fine colour, and can be grown almost to perfection when
given due care. The Willow-leaved Mandarin, on the other
hand, does not appear to be regarded so favourably.

As the result of his inquiries Mr. Austin learned that
more or less of the following varieties of oranges have also

PRUE:

been planted : Centennial, Enterprise, Homassa, and Medium
Sweet.

Pomelows or shaddocks, lemons, and limes also receive
a considerable amount of attention in Cuba. Among pome-
lows, the most popular kinds are those known as Walters,’

and Marsh Seeclless.

ORANGE GROWING IN NEW SOUTH
WALES.

A correspondent from New South Wales, writing
to the Journal of the Society of Arts, gives Some
account of the orange-growing industry in that colony.

A trial shipment of oranges was recently despatched
from Sydney to England. The fruit arrived in a satisfactory
state, although the prices obtained in this first instance did
not leave any profit to the consignors. It is hoped, however
that the cost of transport may in future be reduced.

Orange growing is an extensive industry in the coastal
districts of New South Wales, but up to the present the
available markets have been limited to those of Australia
and New Zealand. In successful plantations the cuitivation
is very thorough, the ground being periodically dug or
ploughed, and afterwards well tilled and harrowed. =

Bone-dust, which is obtained from the meat-preserving

factories of the State, is the principal fertilizer used, but
potash manures, superphosphate, and sulphate of ammonia
are frequently applied by some orange growers, the soil being
asarule shallow and not rich in fertilizing constituents.
Tt is stated, too, that mulchings of leaves and other vegetable
refuse are found to give excellent results, and when available
in sufticient quantity, satisfy all the manurial experiments
of the orange plantation.
; The Bahia and the Valencia Late form the most promis-
ing varieties of oranges grown. Owing to the suitable
season of ripening, hopes are being entertained amone
growers that a market may be found for the latter variety if
the United States, .

The Government.of New South Wales is endeavouring to
encourage the orange industry by every means in its power
notably by experiments conducted on Government farms and
by the employment of experts as travelling lettinrers and
demonstrators in pruning, budding, and grafting.

It may be mentioned too, that the manufacture and
export of marmalade, a subsidiary industry dependent upon
orange cultivation, jhas latterly come into existence in
New South Wales, anda market for this product has been
found in South Africa and the far East,

Vo. VII. No

153.

THE. AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 69

CACAO EXPERIMENTS IN THE WEST
INDIES.

The paper read by Mr. J. C. Moore at the late
Agricultural Conference, giving an account of cacao
experiments earried on at St. Lucia, is reproduced below,
in continuation of other papers which appeared in the
last number of the Agricultural News (Vol. VII, p. 53),
dealing with cacao experiments in Grenada and
St. Lucia. The paper read by Mr. Joseph Jones, on
the subject of experiments in grafting cacao made at
the Dominica Botanic Station, will be published in the
next issue of the Agricultural News.

CACAO EXPERIMENTS IN-STy LUCIA,

In St: Lucia, three l-acre cacao experiment plots,
maintained by the Imperial Department ef Agriculture, have
successively demonstrated, in three of the principal cacao
districts, the cultural and manurial treatment most likely to
convert unfruitful, diseased, and neglected trees, into healthy
and profitable ones.

On one plot the trees were old and neglected ; the stems
numbered about eight to the clump. It was described as the
worst piece of cacao in the locality ; but by judicious treat-
ment, including thinning, pruning, shading, annual forking,
weeding and burying weeds, draining’ and manuring, the
productiveness of this plot was, in three years, increased
from 56 tb. to 1,100 lb. of cured cacao.

The manures were applied during 1901, and consisted
of 10 ewt. of basic slag, and .4-cwt. of sulphate
of potash in February, 5 cart-loads of pen manure in April,
and 1 ewt. ef sulphate of ammonia in July.

The cost of cultivation and manures during this period
was £14 13s., and the value of the crops reached £45 10s.

The second plot consisted of seven-year-old trees in
a diseased and failing condition, in the Soufriere district.
The cultural operations consisted of thinning, pruning, fork-
ing, etc, as in the previously described lot.

The cost of cultivation and manures during these five
years reached £37 Ts. 4d., and the value of the crops
produced was £64 17s.

The third plot, situated at Roseau, was a mixtnre of old
and young trees (the latter | about seven years old) in
a neglected and dying condition.

The cost of cultivation and manures was £30 17s. 5d.,
and the value of the crops produced was £70 5s.

On another estate, not under the Department’s super-
vision, similar cultural and manurial treatment on 38 acres of
old cacao resulted in a net profit of £180 for nine months,
over and above the average value of the crop reaped from
the plantation before manuring was commenced, The benefit
to the general health and bearing capacity of the trees is said
to have increased their value by £500.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS.

From the results obtained on these and other plots in
the island, the following conclusions may be drawn :—

]. That intensive culture in cacao is very profitable, as
regards monetary returns. It also improves the vigour and
disease-resisting power of the trees.

2. That on St. Lucia soils phosphates and nitrogen, in
the form of basic slag and sulphate of ammonia, increase very
considerably the productiveness of the trees.

8 ‘That better results have been secured where pen
manure or other suitable organic mantre has been used in
addition to basic slag and sulphate of ammonia.

4. That on most St. Lucia plantations efforts should be
directed towards increasing and subsequently maintaining
the supply of organic matter in the soil.

5. That the yield of cacao in St. Lucia from an estimated
area of 6,200 acres, now giving, on an average, about 300 tb.
of cured produce per acre, could be trebled by means of high
cultivation, costing, onan average, from £5 to £6 per acre
per annum. This means that from the present acreage, the
cacao exports could, in four or five years’ time, be raised from
9,900 bags (1905-6 crop) worth (at 6d. per tb.) £47,500, to
28,500 bags, worth £142,500. In addition to this, the value
of the cacao properties would be greatly enhanced.

GROUND NUT CULTIVATION IN
BURMA.

One of the most noticeable features in connexion
with agriculture in Burma of late years is the remark-
able extension in the area devoted to ground nut
enltivation, a crop to the value of which attention has
frequently been drawn in the Agricultural News.
Extracts from an article in the Tropical Agriculturist
of September last, dealing with this subject, are here
reprinted :—

Until about six years ago ground nut cultivation was
practically unknown in Burma, and where there was cultiva-
tion, it was insignificant and was mostly in the hands of
Indian cultivators who had migrated to these shores. Within
recent years however, the extension in the ground nut area
has been extraordinarily rapid, the acreage having increased
over twenty-fold in five years. The provincial area in acres
during the past five years has been : 1902-3, 3,866 ; 1903-4,
11,731; 1904-5, 15,880; 1905-6, 37,110 ; and 1906-7, 78,743.

From an economic point of view Arachis hypogaea is of
considerable importance, and it may be stated that few
legumes can compare with it in the number of uses to which
it can be put. From the seeds, a clear, straw-coloured, non-
drying oil, having the taste of olive oil, is expressed, which
is used in lieu of olive oil for alimentary and medicinal
purposes. Further, in the manufacture of soap and as
a lubricant, this oil is in great demand. Some sixty years
ago the oil was unknown to European commerce, but at the
present day the annual consumption may be safely computed
at over 150,000 tons of prepared oil. The nuts are largely
eaten by the natives of all classes, either shelled or roasted in
oil; roasted in shell they serve as a dessert on European
tables and are eaten with salt. Hand-shelled nuts are also
made into confectionery, and the roasted seeds are often
used as a substitute for chocolate.

The dried plants and leaves serve as a excellent fodder
for the cattle, the hay being very nutritious, greatly increas-
ing the milk of cows. From the refuse of the shells after the
extraction of the oil, a cake is also made which has a high
reputation as a nourishing cattle food. Besides, the plant is
eminently useful as a source of green manure, since, in
common with other leguminous plants, it has the power of
fixing free nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil.
Analysis has shown that the roots, leaves, and stems contain
about 0-914 per cent. of nitrogen. On account of this
property, and also because of its influence upon the mechani-
eal textnre of the soil, drainable paddy land, which has
become exhausted, can be made to produce further crops of
paddy if ground nuts are grown asa rotation crop. After
the harvest, the plants can be ploughed in as green manure,
and paddy grown on such soil usually produces a double crop.

70 THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Marcu 7, 1908.

iV SU

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET.

Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston,
write as follows on February 8,1in reference to the sales
of Sea Island cotton :—

The market was quict and unchanged throughout the
week, with the sale of only one crop lot of 15 bales for France.
Factors are showing more disposition to sell, and with orders
in hand, we think we could buy at some concession,

On February 15, Messrs. Frost write :—

In the absence of any demand the market remains quiet
and nominally unchanged. [actors are anxious to dispose of
their remaining stocks, and to effect sales would be willing
to make considerable concessions from their asking prices.
We give the accompanying quotations, which in the absence
of demand are nominal : fully fine to extra fine, 38c. to 40c.;
fine. 35c.; fine to fully fine, but tinged and stained, 22c. to

25.

COTTON CULTIVATION IN ST. LUCIA.

The accompanying particulars, gathered from
abriefarticlein a recent number of the Voiceof St. Lucia,
indicate the increasing interest that is being taken in
cotton cultivation in that island.

On February 9 last, a meeting was held at the Roman
Catholic School of Choiseul parish to discuss the prospects of
cotton planting in St. Lucia. A large audience was present,
and an address on the subject was given by Mr. John Salmon.

The speaker referred to the action of Messrs. Macfarlane,
Junior & Co. in introducing the cotton industry by planting
the Balembouche estate with the crop, and by the establish-
ment of a central ginnery at Castries
the factory were willing to purchase all the Sea Island seed
cotton brought to them, and they meant to pay prices that
woud make it worth while for the small planters to go in for
the eultivation, which, he could assure them, was one that
would give good returns for intelligent work, Messrs. Macfar
lane would supply seed free, and sell cheap manures and
insecticides to those who were willing to undertake to sell
their cotton to the firm.

Meetings to consider the subject of cotton planting are
being arranged for at Micoud and Dennery, where the hearty
co-operation of the clergy has been assured, and it is reported,

The proprietors of

too, that attempts are heing made to arouse interest in the
industry in the Gros Islet district, where there is much
land now lying unproductive, but very suitable for the
prodnetion of cotton,

A special general meeting of the Agricultural
of St. Lucia was summoned for February 28 last, to discuss
the cultivation of Sea Island cotton in the island.

Societ Vy

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date February 17, with
reference to the sales of West Indian Sea Island
cotton :—

The market for Sea Island cotton has been depressed

our last report. The fine spinning trade is very
unsatisfactory, and unless they can sell yarn, spinners will
not buy cotton, as they still hold large stocks from last
The sales of West Indies include about 110 bales of
St. Vincent, 19d. t6 23d.; 50 hales Barbados, 18d. to 19d.;
30 bales St. Kitt’s, I8bd. to 20d.; and 50 bales Montserrat,
18. to 183. Quotations are reduced 1d. per tb.
still quite nominal.

since
season,

, and are

CATCH CROPS) WILE COLTON:

The Report for 1906-7 on the work of the British
Cotton-growing Association in West Africa contains
a large amount ofinformation with regard to the results
so far obtained with the different varieties of cotton
tested, methods of cultivation, ete. In Nigeria trials
are being made with a view to the establishment of
a definite rotation of crops, cotton being the chief, and
such products as maize, yams, ground nuts, and pigeon
peas being planted as catch crops.

The following paragraph is reproduced from the
report :—

The ground nut is another catch crop, and is far more
valuable than maize, both on account of its fertilizing quali-
ties, and its higher commercial value. Ground nuts do not
rob the land of its fertility, but improve it, on account of the
property shared by all Ieguminous plants, of assimilating
nitrogen from the atmosphere, and storing it up in the soil,
where it becomes available for the following crop.

If after gathering the ground nuts the dead vines are
dug into the soil, this latter will be further improved by the
addition of organic matter or humus. a

Ground nuts need somewhat careful “cultivation
than corn, but their higher commercial value more than pays
for the extra labour expended on them. i

more

In growing ground nuts as a paying catch crop before
planting cotton on the land, there is always the danger that
they may become fully ripe before it is time to plant the land
with cotton. The rains at the beginning of the rainy season
may set in too late, or a drought during the growing season
may retard their ripening. In either case the nuts would be
valueless from a commercial point of view, but would greatly
increase the fertility of the soil. ‘ ;

Vor Ville Noe 153:

‘THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. oul

COTTON INDUSTRY IN MONTSERRAT.

Mr. W. Robson, Curator of the Montserrat Botanic
Station, writes as follows to the Imperial Commissioner
of Agriculture, under date of February 19 Jast, with
ison to the present season’s cotton crop of the
island :—

The total shipments of cotton to date amount to
216,515 Ib., of an estimated value of £16,218, so that it is
likely that the average return per acre will exceed considerably
that of last year, which was 160 tb. of lint per acre, over
1,000 acres.

On good land an appreciable second crop will be obtained,
especially on many of the peasants’ plots, where the cotton 1s
grown under garden conditions. r

Iam not able to state what prices were
the first shipments.

received for

St. EITTS AGRICULTURAL AND

INDUSTRIAL SHOW.

Mr. F. R. Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent
of St. Kitt’s-Nevis, has forwarded an account of the
Agricultural and Industrial show, held at St. Kitt’s
on February 13 last, from which it appears that the
meeting was a very successful one in every way.

The show was opened by his Excellency the Governor
of the Leeward Islands (Sir Bickham Sweet-Escott, .C.M.G.),
who, in his speech, congratulated the Society on the quantity
and quality of the exhibits. He referred to the presence at
the exhibition of Mr. W. G. Parmalee, Deputy Minister of
Trade and Commerce of Canada, who could see, from the
numerous exhibits, that St. Kitt’s-Nevis was capable of
producing other products than sugar. Sir Bickham also
alluded to the great value of the West Indian sugar trade
with Canada, and pointed out the importance of doing every-
thing possible to strengthen trade relations between the
Leeward Islands and the Dominion.

In referring to the good werk of the Imperial Depart-
ment of Agriculture in the Leeward Islands, his Excellency
regretted the absence of Sir Daniel Morris, who was unable
#9 be present that day. A telegram, However, had just been
received from the Imperial Commissioner ot Agriculture
in which he sent his best wishes for the success of the show.

The exhibits were more numerous and of better quality
than last year, this being especially the case with the vege-
tables and sugar-canes on view. Nevis came well to the
front : exhibits of yams, maize, and a stool of plant canes
from that island all being awarded first prizes, while the
Goyernor’s prize for the best collection ‘of vegetables also
went to a Nevis exhibitor.

The horned stock, goats and sheep, as ‘well as the poultry,
formed good classes, many of them showing distinct advances
as compared with past years.

As regards school exhibits, the Roman Catholic school,
and the Wesleyan school, Basseterre, sent creditable collections
of pot plants, ete., while four schools ‘sent collections of
vegetables.

Two bales. of broom corn were shown, one from
Pinney’s, Nevis, which was awarded first prize, and the other
from Brighton estate.

A separate exhibit was arranged for the Botanic Station,
on which was displayed all the different products grown at
the station and at La Guerite.

SUCCESS OF IRRIGATION METHODS
IN INDIA.

The success that has attended efforts to develop
agriculture in a portion of British India by means of
inigation is thus described by the U.S. Consul
Calcutta :—

The Chenab canal system was opened in 1887, and
waters nearly 2,000,000 acres of land that was comparatively
worthless before brought under irrigation, but which is now
rated at an average of 450 per acre. The Chenab colony
is now one of the most prosperous in all India. It has no
fears hanging over it as to the ontcome of crops on account
of uncertain rainfall, and the result is that the people com-
prising the colony are happy and contented. Before the
canal was opened and the colonization scheme carried out to
any degree of success, the land was practically a ae
country occupied by a few people engaged principally i
When the grazing was
fairly good by reason of sufficient rainfall, the population
increased and the animals did very well. But when the
drought was on (which was the case most of the time), the
herdsmen moved their herds to a more favoured locality.
Now all this is changed. The Chenab canal has converted
the desert into a garden, and the people living there have
plenty and to spare.

raising goats and breeding camels.

oS

PROSPERITY OF DOMINICA.

The increasing prosperity of Dominica is evident
from the facts and figures brought forward in the
course of an address delivered by the Administrator of
the island (Hon. W. Douglas Young) at a meeting of
the Legislative Council on February 13 last. ‘The
following notes are taken from Mr. Young’s address :—

In 1906 the trade of Dominica reached the unpre-
cedented value of £209,470. During the past year (1907)
this prosperous state of the island was maintained, and the
value of the trade advanced to £252,943.

The imports of the island for 1907 reach the figure of
£115,297, an increase of over £22,000 over the previous
year, while the value of the exports totalled £118,701, an
advance of £23,000 on those of 1906.

The output of the lime industry during 1907 was most
marked. The lime crop of the year was the largest ever
reaped in Dominica, and was estimated at 245,000 barrels, an
increase of 28,000 barrels over the crop of 1906.

Concentrated lime juice formed the chief exported
product of the lime industry, the increased value of the
shipments of this article being £11,000 as compared with
those of the previous year.

The trade in raw lime juice, citrate of lime, and green
limes has also shown advance during 1907. The total value
of the exports of the lime industry during 1906 was £54,874,
and those for the year 1907 were valued at £77,407, this
latter figure representing 65 per cent. of those exports which
are the produce and manufacture of the island.

There was a small increase in the amount of cacao
shipped from Dominica during 1907 as compared with 1906,

In the latter year, 11,580 ewt. of cacao were exported, while
in 1907 the figure was 11,628 ewt. In 1906 the value of
the exports was £35,185. Owing to the higher average price
of cacao in 1907, however, the value of the year’s exports
of the crop is placed at £49,000. Some sales of Dominica
cacao in the London market during the year fetched as much
as 120s. per ewt.

=i
to

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marca 7, 1908-

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados,

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and ‘The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural slows

MARCH 7,

1908.

Mor: Vink

SATURDAY,

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

No. 153.

Contents of Present Issue.

Root disease of the sugar-cane receives attention
in the editorial of the present issue of the Agricultural
News. Remedial and preventive measures are discussed.

Useful information in relation to the causes of
souring of muscovado molasses appears on page 67.
There is also a note on the sugar industry in British
Guiana.

The varieties of citrus fruits that have given the
most satisfactory results in Cuba are mentioned on
page 68, where also will be found a brief article on the
orange growing industry in New South Wales.

An account of the cacao experiments in progress
at St. Lucia is given on page 69.

The Cotton Notes of the present issue include
market reports, together with other brief articles of
interest.

A successful Agricultural Show
St. Kitt’s on February 15 last (page 71).

was held at

An interesting article in regard to nutmeg cultiva-
tionwill be found on page 75,

Sisal cultivation in the Caicos Islands has under-
gone rapid extension during the past few years, and is
now a valuable industry (page 79).

Trinidad Cacao Exports.

Cacao growers in Trinidad are certainly experienc-
ing a favourable season and good returns for their
produce, and ever. if prices drop somewhat before the
whole of the crop has been gathered in, the increased
output as compared with last year should go far to
make ample compensation to prodvecrs.

During 1907, a total of 251.755 bags of cacao were
shipped from ‘Trinidad, of which 154,611 went to Europe,
114,749 to New York, and 2,388 bags to Canada. Jn
January 1907, the amount of cacao shipped was 16.308
bags, while during the corresponding month of 1908,
the exports reached 46,139 bags, or very nearly treble
the output for January of the previous year,

eS
Agaves and Soil Denudation.

An excellent example of the use of vegetation in
arresting soil denudation is reported from South
Africa, where removal of the soil through the agencies
of burning, excessive trampling, torrential rain, ete,
causes much trouble on the bare Jands of the veldt,
It is stated, however, that a good deal of success has
attended efforts made to combat this evil by planting
the American ‘ Aloe’ [probably Agave americana] on
affected areas.

An etfective barrier is formed to the denuding
effects of torrential rain by the establishment of ines
of these plants across sloping lands, and since the
sediment washed down is stopped by the barrier,
periodical terraces tend to become formed on the hillside
in the course of a few years.

Further, shelter is provided for other plants which
grow up below the lines and form an additional mass of
vegetation, while the young succulent leaves of the
agave attord a supply of palatable food for stock during
dry seasons.

SSS
Rubber in British Guiana.

The possibilities of the rubber industry in British
Guiana are mentioned very favourably in “the Report
for 1906-7 of the Lands and Mines Department of that
colony.

Reference is made to the fact that indigenous
rubber trees, notably Sapiwm Jenmani are growing
luxuriantly in the lower reaches of all the rivers in the
North West District, as well as on the banks and
islands of the Essequebo river, and the Commissioner
of Lands and Mines is strongly of opinion that rubber
cultivation in the colony should receive every encourage-
ment. The low, Hat, alluvial banks of the river are
especially adapted for the growth of the native species
of Sapiwm, and thousands of acres of this land might
be utilized in the ciiltivation.

The terms on which land is leased for rubber-
planting purposes by the Government of British
Guiana were summarized in the Agricultural News
(Vol. VI, p. 409), and they are certainly favourable
enough to encourage men of means to test the rubber-
producing possibilities of the colony.

During the year 1906-7, 2,563 tb. of rubber, and
634,222 tb. of balata were exported from 3ritish
Guiana.

Mors Wille eNose 153:

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

-T

oo

Cacao Pests of Trinidad.

Acknowledgement must be made of the receipt of
copies of Mr. O. W. Barrett’s report on fungus diseases
and insect pests affecting cacao trees in Trinidad.
This report has been issued as Society Paper No. 2SU
of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago,
and in addition to information dealing specially with the
insect and fungus enemies of cacao, it contains also hints
and suggestions in reference to treatment of the soil,
cover crops, shade, windbelts, pruning, ete, as well
as notes on miscellaneous crops.

A review of Mr. Barrett’s report will shortly appear
in the Agricultural News.

Cassava Refuse as Stock Food.

Dealing with the cassava experuments that are in
progress in Jamaica, the Island Chemist (Hon H. H.
Cousins. M. A.) mentions that trials are being made as
to the possibility of converting the cassava refuse
(‘bitty’) after starch manufacture into a useful feeding
meal for cattle. The bitty is first dried, and then
mixed with one-third its weight of guango pods.

The results already obtained indicate that such
a mixture is easily prepared, that it possesses a good
flavour, and a high nutritive value for cattle, pigs, and
other stock.

Many scores of tons of guango pods rot and waste
annually in St. Catherine parish that might be utilized
in this way.

Plant Acclimatization Work in India.

Acclimatization work with large numbers of exotic
plants has for many years past been carried on at the
Saharanpur Botanic Gardens in India. Saharanpur is
the western district of the United Provinces. The
altitude of the Botanic Gardens is 903 feet; the
average rainfall is about 37 inches, and the mean
temperature a little over 70°F. The maximum shade
temperature, however, reaches 105° F.,while in the
winter the thermometer may fall as low as 22° F.

A report has lately been compiled by the Superin-
tendent of the Gardens giving an account of all the
trials that have been made with various plants.
Mention is made of the results obtained with many trees
and plants well known in the West Indies. The alligator
apple (Anona palustris, Linn.), a native of Jamaica,
grew well under shelter, but died when exposed to the
cold of winter. The climatic conditions seemed to
suit the jalap plant (Ipomoea (Lxogonium) Purga),
but a promising crop was destroyed by a fungoid disease.
Guinea grass (Panicum maxcimum, Jacq.), introduced
into India from Jamaica, did well, and gave good results.

The Mammee apple (Mammea americuna, Linn.)
stands the cold of winter well. Plants set out twenty
years ago have developed into handsome trees, 15 feet
high. So far, however, they have not fruited.

The Avocado pear (Perse gratissima), first
planted twenty-five years ago, has done fairly well, and
borne a few fruits. It has apparently suffered more
from excessive heat than from cold. A more equable
climate is required for this tree. The sapodilla (Achras

sapota) has grown to a handsome tree; it flowers
every year, but has not yet fruited. The Jamaica shade
tree (Pithecolobium Saman),on the other hand,ha sbeen
utterly killed out by frost.

Both the quassia tree (Quassia amara) and the
Lignum vitae (Guiacum officinale) did well under
shelter, but would not grow in the open.

—_—_

Improved Breeds of Goats and Sheep.

A good deal of interest is being taken by peasants
and others in the improved breeds of goats and sheep
now being raised as the result of the introduction of
selected rams from various parts of the world by the
Imperial Department of Agriculture. ‘The improved
breeds of goats are of the Toggenburg, Anglo-Nubian,
and Punjab sorts. The sheep are of the woolless kind
described in the West Zndian Bulletin (Vol. VI, p. 187).
Latterly four fine rams of this breed have been obtained,
at considerale cost, from Lagos, West Africa. One of
these rams measures 335 inches at the shoulder and
weighs 140 Ib.

With the view of assisting those who may wish te
obtain kids or lambs of the above breeds, arrange-
ments have been made with Messrs. Garraway & Co.,
of Barbados, to act as Agents for the Department,
and this firm will receive applications, and ship animals
when available, at reasonable rates.

It is desired that correspondence on this subject
be addressed to Messrs. Garraway & Co., and not to
the Imperial Department of Agriculture.

oD

Agricultural Industries of British Honduras.

The British Honduras Annual Report (1906)
indicates that the timber trade still holds the premier
position among the industries of the colony. In fact,
the mahogany exports are greater than in any previous
year, having a value of $584,598 as compared with
$549,099 in 1905. .The shipments of logwood show
a decline, while those of cedar are practically stationary,

The year 1905 is mentioned as having been an
excellent one for fruit, but still better returns were
obtained in 1906. Bananas, plantains, ard cocoa-nuts
are the chief fruits grown. The value of the banana
exports increased from 5142,925 in 1905 to $181,250
in 1906. Plantains also were shipped in greater
quantity, and cocoa-nuts were exported to the value
of $83,077 as compared with $74,804 in 1905.

This enhanced value of the fruit trade has been
continuous for several years past. It indicates that
the inhabitants of the colony are paying more attention
to agriculture proper, instead of devoting all their
energies to wood-cutiing.

It is stated that forty-nine sugar mills are in
operation in the colony, seven of which are worked by
steam. About 700 tons of sugar are annually produced,
and nearly the whole of this quantity is consumed
locally.

Attention has been given to rubber planting jn
British Honduras, and during the year 22,108 tb, of
rubber, having a value of $18,362, were exported.

74 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 7, 1908.

RUBBER PLANTING WITH INTERCROPS
AND CATCH CROPS.

The progress of the rubber industry in its various
phases during 1907, is discussed at considerable length
in a special article in the India Rubber Journal of
January 27 last. The writer is of opinion that the
recent fall in the price of rubber will have a wholesome
effect. in stimulating production, since manufacturers
complain that excessive prices prohibit the use of
rubber to anything like the extent in which it would
be employed if the cost were somewhat lower, Even
with considerably reduced prices, it is anticipated that
Para (Hevew brasiliensis) and Castilloa (Castillou
elastica) rubber cultivation would still return hand-
some profits.

Questions relating to “methods of cultivation are
discussed, and the following paragraphs relating to
distances in planting, and the use of intercrops and
catch crops, may be quoted from the article :—

The method of cultivating rubber trees may appear very
simple, and as one unlikely to show many changes during
a year. Planters are, however, gaining more opportunities of
judging the requirements of Para rubber trees at different
ages, and the past year has seen changes in two directions in
the planting programme of new concerns.

In the first place the distance adopted in planting has
been increased ; instead of planting the trees 10, 12, or
15 feet apart as in previous years, a minimum distance of

1D x 20, or 20 x 20 feet has more often than not
been adopted. Following on this change it is obvious

that a much larger area of “Soil is exposed to sun and
rain, and the necessity for weeding therefore has been propor-
tionately increased ; in order to meet these objections the use
of temperary catch crops, to last six to eighteen months,
or even as long as three years, and of more or less perma-
nent intercrops, to last twenty years or more, has been
extended.

The advisability or otherwise of devoting all efforts to
the cultivation of rubber-yielding plants alone, on a rubber
estate, has frequently been discussed. In the wild state

most varieties of rubbei-yielding trees grow naturally
mixed with other forest trees. Some of the rubber

trees offer, by means of their branches and foliage, an
adequate shade for other plants, whilst others again appear
themselves to require the shade of more gigantic forest forms.
Under cultivation, this natural condition is being entirely
overlooked, rubber trees—-more often than not—being grown
alone; but we have no proof that such a state will be
the best in the long run. It that, on
young plantations where the soil is packed with decaying
roots of old and large trees, the cultivation of bananas and
other rapidly-growing plants is sometimes beneficial, in so
far as these plants assist in the more rapid decomposition of tree
root structures, which, if allowed their own time, might serve
as the basis for the origin of diseases injurious to Para rubber
plants. In this respect we need only refer to root fungi and
white ants to emphasize the importance of using other crops
on the same land.

has been shown

We are fully aware that, at the best, the cultivation of
catch crops does not give the same freedom to the roots of
a rubber tree as does the exclusive cultivation of rubber
plants, but we are inclined to think that though the growth
of the rubber trees may be a little retarded, the investment is
a safer or more permanent one. We still think that it would

be a great advantage to adopt a distance in planting which
would allow of the permanent cultivation of other intererops ;
we regard the combination of cacao and rubber, or even
coffee and tea in conjunction with rubber, as a very suitable
method of developing a tropical plantation. The life of such
intercrops is mainly determined by the distance apart the
rubber trees are planted, and we hope before long to see
rubber planters taking a greater interest in the growing of
intererops on their rubber plantations.

COFFEE PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL.

The effect of improved cultural methods upon coffee
production in Brazil is evident from a consideration of
the latest report of the U.S. Consul-General at Rio de
Janeiro, from whieh the accompanying interesting
extract has beensmade -—

While undue consideration of the possible size of future
coffee crops in Brazil is more or less speculative, there are one
or two facts which should be taken into consideration by
cotfee men the world, over as. having a permanent bearing
upon the coffee supply of the world. After the experience,
following the previous record crop of 1901-2, Brazilian
governmental authonities considered that there was an over-
production of the berry, and proposed to prevent such over-
production by means of legislation prohibiting the planting
of more coffee trees and the extension of coffee acreage
generally. While this legislation was not as general and as
effective as it was planned, there was enough done in. this
direction to prevent the further extension of coffee estates
in the chief coffee-producing centres of the country.

The result was that, instead of extending their estates,
the coffee planters threw the energy which they would have
expended in such extensions, into the improvement of the
coffee areas already +planted. Old and broken trees were
grubbed out, and young and vigorous trees were planted in
their stead. What before had been more or ineffective
culture became intensive culture—in some places intensive
culture of the most pronounced sort.

The result is that the production of coffee has been
increased more generally, more uniformly, and probably
more regularly from year to year than it would have been
had estates been extended and cultivation continued under
old methods. Trees planted to take the places of the
discarded ones are now coming into full bearing. Improved
methods of culture have produced more coffee, and generally
better coffee from the same trees.

less

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture left
Barbados on Wednesday, March 4, by the C.LS.
‘Dahome’ on an official visit to St. Lucia, Sir Daniel
Morris may possibly return to Barbados by the inter-
colonial mail steamer on the 10th instant. —

Mr. H. A. Ballot, M.Se., Entomologist on the staff
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, returned to
Barbados on February 25, and left again for Antigua
by the R.MS. ‘Eden’ on March 8, in order to continue

his investigations of the insect pests affecting cotton in
that Presidency.

Vor, Vil. No. 153.

NUTMEG CULTIVATION.

The Tropical Agriculturist of August last con-
tained an interesting article in relation to the nutmeg
and its cultivation, from which a few extracts are given
below. In the West Indies nutmeg cultivation is
carried on principally in Grenada; the exports from
that island in 1906 were 8,166 ewt., of the value of
£24,941.

The mace of commerce, it may be mentioned,
is produced from the same fruit as the nutmeg, the
former being a loose coat of tissue (known botanically
as the aril) within the external fleshy portion, but
surrounding the nutmeg or kernel of the fruit.

To quote from the article in the Tropical Agri-
culturist :-—

The nutmeg tree belongs to the genus JMyristica, of
which there are several species, those cultivated in the East
being Myristica moschata, M. offiteinalis, and MM. fragrans.
The tree usually attains a height of about 25 to 30 feet.

The seed, which is enveloped by the mace, has a hard
outer shel], and within is the well-known nutmeg of commerce.
The fresh mace is of a bright dark-crimson colour, which
gradually changes as it dries, and becomes golden-yellow.
It is aromatic, and, like the fresh nutmeg, contains essential
oil, The fixed oil is extracted by presstre, forming a sub-
stance called ‘butter of mace’; while’ the volatile oil is
obtained by distillation. Mace contains about 7 to 9 per
cent. of oil, and about 23 per cent. of aromatic balm.

The nutmeg tree bears unisexual flowers, the male
blossoms being on one tree and the female on another. In
the wild nutmeg woods there is naturally about one male
tree to every twelve or fourteen female, or bearing trees, In
plantations where the trees are 20 to 30 feet apart, one male
tree is required for every ten females, but as the sex of the
tree cannot be told until the tree flowers, which is at about
four or five years old, the proportions of the trees cannot be
exactly gauged.

Nutmeg trees may be planted along with cacao, and in
Ceylon they are found also as avenues and shelter belts on
some tea estates. In the West Indies, bananas and cassava,
ete., are planted as intercrops. ‘The shade in the plantations
is dense, so that there is no expense in weeding, etc. Indeed,
the cultivation expenses, once the tree is up, are almost nil.
The plant requires a rich, well drained soil, and a rainfall of
75 to 90 inches, a tropical climate, and shelter from strong
wind. The young seedlings may be raised in nursery beds
before planting out, but the method of sowing at stake in
plantations is generally being adopted, and is said to give
earlier bearing plants.

Beginning to yield fruit at five to eight years of age, the
trees go on increasing in yield until they reach full bearing
at the age of about twenty to twenty-five years, and then
continue in full fruiting condition for very many years.

Flowering and fruiting of the nutmeg tree continues
more or Jess throughout the year, but the heaviest crop comes
on about July or August. When ripe, the fruit bursts, and
must be carefully gathered, since it is easily injured and
this depreciates its value.

On gathering, the fruits are sorted and then cured. The
curing process takes some weeks to complete, and must be
carefully done, the nuts being frequently turned. If exposed
to too great heat, the essential oil of the nutmeg is lost.
The most favourable temperature is from 95° to 104° F,
A temperature over 112° is considered injurious. When
the fruit is dry, the nut rattles-inside, and then it may be
cracked, and the mace separated,

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

I
ou

Sorting, liming, and packing follow the curing process,
The nutmegs are sorted according to size and appearance, and
are rubbed with dry lime as a protection against worms and
weevils.

The mace is dried, and afterwards packed for shipment.
Care must be taken to prevent the growth of mould, and
also to maintain the light or orange colour of the product.

AGRICULTURE IN BRITISH GUIANA,
The following particulars in regard to the agri-
enltural industries, other than sugar, of British Guiana,
are given in the Annual Report (1906-7) on the
colony :—

The area under cultivation in rice increased from
23,853 acres to 26,568 acres, and the estimated rice crop
from 442,860 bags (of 120 Ib, each) of paddy to 756,400 bags.
Further importation of varieties of paddy from Ceylon was
made by the Board of Agriculture. These are being cultivated
experimentally in a manner similar to that adopted for
varieties of sugar-cane. About 4 acres are occupied with
these experiments.

The area returned as under cacao is 1,760 acres. The
exports of this product amounted to 50,033 Ib. during the
year, while that of 1905-6 was 57,097 Ib. A large proportion
of cacao produced in the colony is utilized in the local
manufacture of chocolate.

Coffee is cultivated over 1,460 acres in British Guiana.
The produce is all used locally, and there is practically no
export trade.

About 6,700-acres are estimated as being oeeupied by
cocoanut palins, and during the year under review, cocoa-
nuts to the number of 49,900, and having a value of £149,
were exported. By far the greater part of the crop of
cocoa-nuts is used locally in the manufacture of oil and fibre.

The area under cotton cultivation shows a decrease from
17 acres in the previous year to 10 acres. The lint exports
amounted to 303 Ib., valued at £11.

Plantains and bananas cover 17,800 acres, and practi-
cally the whole production is consumed locally.

The returns show that there are 85,000 cattle in the
colony ; and 1,389 cattle, valued at £6,652 were exported
during the year, as against the 1,588 head, valued at £7,074,
of the preceding year. The Board of Agriculture continues
to introduce pure-bred bulls of suitable kinds in the hope of
improving the class of cattle raised on the pastures. The
number of horses shown is 2,420.

There are, according to the returns, about 24,500 sheep,
15,500 goats, and 15,650 swine in the country districts.
The number of these animals exported in 1906-7 was 752,
valued at £454, as against 745, valued at £392, in 1905-6.

The Board of Agriculture continues to devote its attention
to the promotion of agricultural work in the colony in several
directions.

In addition to the very extensive experiments with sugar-
canes, attention has been devoted to the encouragement of
the cultivation of many other tropical agricultural and
horticultural products, which can be raised in the colony,
more especially rice, cacao, and rubber,

As a means of interesting the people in the production
of agricultural and horticultural products, the Board has
encouraged the holding of small local shows and country agri-
cultural exhibitions. Two were held during the year with
fair success. Farmers’ competitions have also been held and
have been attended by much interest on the part of the
small cultivators.

76 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 7, 1908.

The first shipment of St. Vincent Sea Island cotton for
the season sold at prices ranging from 225d. to 25d.

The prices at the opening for the season of the Barbados
sugar market were 81°75 per 100 Ib. of muscavado sugar, I Le.
per gallon for choice molasses, and 12e. for fancy molasses.

An outbreak of anthrax in Guadeloupe was reported
some weeks ago, and the Government of the colony has
prescribed measures with a view to stamping out the disease.

At the Experiment Station, Tortola, Virgin Islands,
nearly an acre is under pineapples. The variety grown is
Black Antigua, and the Annual Report on the station states

5 ; 1 a i
that the plants are doing well and fruiting freely.
i=} t=) e

The apiary at the St. Lucia Agricultural School gave
excellent results during the year 1906-7, A shipment of
983 Ib. of honey was made to London, which realized the
excellent price of 29s. per ewt., or a total of £9 3s,

A rainfall of 81°84 inches was registered at the
St. Lucia Botanic Station in 1906-7. This was 9°20 inches
higher than the rainfall of 1905-6, but considerably below
the average for the seventeen previous years.

The Government of Queensland has offered a reward of
£10,000 for the discovery of an effective method of
destroying prickly pear (Opuntia spp.). The cost must not
exceed 35s. per acre for scrub land, and 20s. per acre for
forest land.

Some 9,000 cuttings of cassava and 5,900 cuttings
of sweet potatos were, during 1906-7, distributed free to
planters and small holders, from the St. Kitt’s-Nevis Botanic
Station, with a view to improving the quality grown.

At the present time there are five plots of cacao in
Tortola, all of which have been established during the past
few years. Two of these plots contain over 1,000 trees
each, and are now coming into bearing. (Virgin Islands
Bapervment Station Report, 1906-7.)

A late number of the /urmer and Stockbreeder contained
an article dealing with the fallacy of the popular idea that
brown eggs are richer and better flavoured than white eggs.
Chemical analysis shows that there is no difference whatever

in the composition of white eggs and of brown eggs.

Thirty pounds of onion seed were imported from Teneritte
into St. Kitt’sNevis during 1906-7 through the Imperial
Department of Agriculture. This was sold locally at cost price,
but the interest now taken in cotton tends to discourage any
extension of onion planting.

Balata forms one of the natural products of Dutch
Guiana, and the quantity collected during 1906 was 297 tons.
High prices have recently been obtained, and there has been
a large extension of the area undergoing exploitation for this
product. (British Consular Report.)

The largest shipment on record of cacao from Grenada
was recently made, when the Crown of Granada took 14,858
bags (about 24,000 ewt.) on board for the European market.
Limits of space alone prevented even a larger shipment being
made. (Grenada Chronicle.)

The Government of Queensland is reported to be about
to adopt measures to encourage the systematic breeding of
mules in the colony. So far little has been done in that
direction in Australia, South America has 7,000,000 mules,
Europe 1,488,000, the United States 3,600,000, Mexico
335,000, and Australia only 1,000 mules.

The English thorough-bred stallion ‘Beau 2nd’ will
stand for service at the Stock Farm, Agricultural School,
St. Vincent, until further notice. Fee 10s., attendant, 2s.
The fee for the services of the Ayrshire bull, ‘Duke of Truro,”
has, in the case of bona fide peasants, been reduced to 2s. per
cow until the end of May next.

Mangabeira rubber, the product of a small tree, ancornia
speciosa, Gomez, was exported from Santos, Brazil, in 1906,
to the quantity of 194,777 lb. This shows a slight decrease
as compared with the exports of 1905, but a recent report
dealing with tie trade of Santos during the first three months
of 1907, states that the exports of this commodity show a large
increase over those for the corresponding period of 1906.

In an article in the Farmer and Stockbreeder, buyers of
basic slag are strongly advised to insist on a guarantee as
to the three following points in connexion with their purchase :
(1) the total percentage of phosphate of lime in the slag ;
2) the percentage of phosphate of lime soluble in a 2-per
cent. solution of citric acid ; (3) fineness cf grinding.

Blocks of cedar and rubber, both of which are highly
remunerative, are being planted by many owners in the
Tacarigna district of Trinidad, where formerly cacao was
grown to the exclusion of almost every other product. Cane
farming, too, has undergone extension during recent years,
there being now 2,300 acres under farmer-grown cane in the
Tacarigua and Blanchisseuse Ward Union. (Ward Union
Reports, 1906-7.)

The Warden of Oropuche and La Brea in Trinidad,
states that coffee and rice cultivations receive little attention
in his Ward Union. Cocoa-nut cultivation
decline, in spite of good. prices.

is also on the
The sugar-cane has barely
held its own during the past year, cacao receiving first
attention on all hands wherever it can be grown. The cacao
area in the Oropuche and La Brea Ward Union is stated to
be not less than 10,000 acres.

The influence of carbon dioxide at high pressure in
destroying bacterial life is commented upon by the Gardeners’
Chronicle, which describes some interesting experiments carried
out at the New York Agricultural Station. Milk which had
first been pasteurised, then charged with carbon dioxide at
a pressure of 150 tb. to the square inch and run_ into
ordinary siphons was found to be perfectly good at the end
of forty weeks. Ordinary (tmpasteurised) milk, charged in
the same way, kept good for several weeks.

BVors- VII No: 153:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

wl

=T

BOLTAN-
AND

REPORTS ON THE
EXPERIMENTS,

SL, KITTS-NEVIS *
IC STATION, ECONOMIC
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION, 1906-7.

In common with other reports dealing with the work,
during 1906-7, of the various ~ Botanic and Experiment
Stations under the supervision of the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, that relating to St. KittissNevis opens with
a short historical account of the establishment of the Botanic
Station. This is followed by a summary of the work of the
Imperial Department of Agriculture im St. Kitt’s-Nevis
during the period 1898 to 1907. The interest of the report
is enhanced by the inclusion of eight photographic illustra-
tions.

In addition to the Botanie Station at St.
branch station was started at Nevis in 1903.
ing year this was placed under the charge of
also acted as Agricultural Instructor for Nevis.

Experiment plots on which trials are made in the
cultivation of food-producing and other crops were established
at La Guerite in 1901. The best varieties of sweet potatos,
cassava, yams, Onions, Guinea corn, tobacco, ete., have been
planted, and cuttings or seeds of these plants have been
distributed among planters and small growers with a view to
improving the quality of the crops grown in the presidency.

The question of agricultural ‘education in St. Kitt’s-
Nevis has received considerable attention from the Imperial
Department of Agriculture. Courses of lecfureson the principles
of agriculture have been given to teachers in elementary se hools
Bu Dr. Francis W) atts, C. M.G, and Mr. John Belling, B. S«

By the provision of an Agricultural and Science master, as well
as scholarships and equipment for the agricultural side at the
St. Kitt’sNevis Graimmar School, the Department supplied
facilities by means of which promising boys might obtain
both prac tical and theoretical instruction | in chemistry , botany,
and agriculture.

The work done during the past nine years in connexion
with sugarcane experiments, the re-introduetion of eotton
cultivation, and the efforts made to improve the local breeds
vy the importation of superior animals has been of
community of St. Kitt’s-

Kitt’s a small
Tn the follow-
an olhicer who

of stock |
very great value to the agricultural
Nevis.

During 1906-7, the total expenditure on agricultural
service in St. Kitt’s-Nevis was £1,23] 19s. 7d. Of this
amount, the sum of £253 6s. 3d. was expended on the economic
experiments with sugar-cane, cotton, etc. The receipts from the
sale of plants, ete. at the Botanic Station, and of produce
grown in the experiment plots amounted to £106 16s. 2d.

During the year, 1,038 economic } ants were distributed.
Of these 711 were Castilloa elastica. Teeter in cacao plant-
ing also continues, and onions are still grown to considerable
-extent. 4

Under the head of Economic [Experiments interesting
particulars are given in regard to the results of the trials
-earried out with various crops, more especially cotton,
tobacco (shade-grown and sun-grown), cassava, sweet potatos,
-and yams.

The sum of £195 5s. 2d. was expended on the branclr
station at Nevis during the year under review, while £90 8s.
was received from the sale of plants and produce at this
station,

The experimental work in progress at Nevis deals chietly

with yams, cow peas, Nepaul peppers, cassava, and sweet
potatos. A considerable number of lime plants have also
been raised at the station and distributed.

_ ST. LUCIA: ANNOALZ REPORT ON THE
BOTANIC STATION,” AGRICULTURAL ~ SCHOOL,
AND EXPERIMENT PLOTS, 1906-7.

This report, which contains fourteen illustrations;
is prefaced by a brief historical account of the Botanic

Station of St. Lucia.

From this it appears that the station was established at
the close of 1886, when Mr. John Gray of Jamaica was
appointed Curator. Mr. J. C. Moore, of Kew, succeeded to
Mr. Gray’s post, on the death of the latter in 1895.

Following this comes a short review of the work of the
imperial Department of Agriculture as regards the island of
St. Lucia. One of the most important and useful branches of
work of the Department has been the raising of plants at the
totanic Station, and their distribution to planters. The total
munber of plants distributed, since January 1899, amounts to
199,544, of which number 20,670 were distributed free to
purchasers of Crown lands.

The Imperial Department has also endeavoured to
assist the planting community of St. Lucia by providing
a travelling Agricultural Instructor, by the institution of an
experiment station «nd experiment plots, by the establish-
ment of the Agricultural School ; and by the founding of an
agricultural science scholarship at Harrison College, Barba-
dos, and open to boys in St. Litcia.

Coming to the report on the work of the past year, it is
stated that the total expenditure in connexion with the
Botanic Station and the experiment plots, during 1906-7,
amounted to £809 13s. 9d. The amount derived from the
sale of plants was £64 2s.

The general condition of the Botanic Station appears
satisfactory, and a considerable increase in the demand for
nursery plants is reported. The total number of plants
distributed, during the past year, was 64,850, which is the

highest figure yet reached, and 39,775 more than in the
previous year, Of these, 5,864 were cacao, 18,177 Castilloa

rubber, and 57,116 limes, as compared with 708 cacao
plants, 531 rubber plants, and 11,834 lime plants distributed
in the previous year.

In regard to the St. Lucia Agricultural School, the
expenditure during the year amounted to £586 14s. 1d.,
exclusive of the salary of the Officer-in-charge. The health
of the boys has been good, and. fairly satisfactory reports on
the work of the school were given on the basis of the half-
yearly examinations.

The experiment plots at the school, on which are grown
cacao, bananas, rubber trees, limes, and oranges, are also of
value for demonstration purposes in the practical instruction
of the boys.

The report of the Agricultural Instructor
a new series of cacao experiments was started in St.
during the year under review. This report also
a brief account of several cliseases of cacao, and recommenda-
tions for dealing with them. Seedling canes are stated to
be gaining in favour with the planters. Some interesting
results of tapping Castilloa rubber trees are given. The net
profit per tree perannum (two tappings) was 105d. With
older trees it is thought this profit would be largely increased.

states that
Lucia
gives

78 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 7, 1908,

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

At the recent West Indian Agricultural Confer-
ence the subject of agricultural education received
special attention, and the evidence brought forward
indicated that good work has been done of late years in
most of the West Indian Colonies and in British Guiana
to extend this branch of teaching, chiefly through the
medium of Nature Study and School Garden plots.

In view of this, therefore, the accompanying
particulars, from the Report for 1906-7, of the Board of
Education of Great Britain, in reference to the progress
of agricultural education in that country should be of
considerable interest: —

In the teaching of gardening there has been a great
increase : the total number of boys on account of whom grants
were paid for instruction in this subject having been 11,216
in 1905-6, as compared with 8.359 in 1904-5, and 5,695 in
1903-4.

The number of schools in the country areas (excluding
London and other. self-administered urban areas) which
applied for a grant in the subject in 1906-7, was over 900,
as compared with 371 earning a grant in 1903-4, Gardening
is taught in practically every [English county. The
increase is almost entirely coutined to those counties in which
a Horticultural Lecturer has been appointed, part of whose
duties it is to organize and supervise school gardening, and
to train school teachers to teach it. This is the case in
Staffordshire and Surrey, which top the list of counties with
ninety-eight and seventy-nine recognized schoool gardens
respectively. Moreover, it is in the counties —now upwards of
twenty—that possess a Horticultural Lecturer, that school
gardening is, asa rule, best carried out. Evidence continues
to be received of the usual effect of gardening on the
general work of the school, especially where the teachers are
able to centre round the practical work some of the arithmetic,
drawing, reading, and nature study.

Last year reference was made to the defect in most of
the school gardening that it was not dealt with as a branch
of uature study, ie., asa study of the plant in relation to
environment, the opportunity of developing the general
intelligence of the scholars in rural work thus being largely
lost. An attempt has been made in certain counties to
provide a remedy by issning a syllabus of nature study for
the gardening classes. But this is useless if the teachers
are not themselves nature students, and it cannot be
too strongly insisted upon that imposing a syllabus in
stich cases may lead to the worst form of text book teaching.
Twenty-one counties already make some provision for afford-
the a training in nature study, but much
remains to be done. The Board have recognized for grant
a number of Saturday classes and summer courses in nature
study and gardening, and have provided during the year
a course of nature study as an optional subject for the prelim-
inary examination for the Teacher’s Certificate, in addition to
the course of rural science (including gardening) in the
Training College Regulations referred to in last year’s Report,

ing teachers

One of the most encouraging features in the school
nature study movement is the inerease in the number of
gchool exhibits of nature study and rural economy at
agricultural shows and local flower shows. The exhibits have
in many eases been of a very high order of merit. To the

children such exhibitions provide a stimulus ; to the teachers
they provide fresh ideas for work in their own schools ; to the
gcneral agricultural public they demonstrate that the
children’s studies have a very real bearing on their future
work in life.

Of ‘other rural subjects, increased attention is being paid
to fruit culture as part of school gardening, thus carrying
out the recommendation of the Departmental Committee on
the fruit industry in Great Britain. ‘The Committee also
advocated the teaching of gardening in training colleges. Bee-
keeping is also sometimes associated with gardening, or recog-
nized asa subject of nature study. From time to time the
Board are asked to recognize, as attendance at school, time

spent in manual work affording a direct training for
rural life. The Board have always given sympathetic

consideration to these cases, but local circumstances have up.
to the present prevented the work being started. During
this year, however, the Board provisionally sanctioned areca
tion in thatching, and the work was carried out. The Board’s
Tuspectors reported favourably upon its educational value as
taught in this case, as a form of manual instruction, but it is
understood that the considerable expense of providing such
instruction will prevent the experiment being repeated,

Dairying -has been re-introduced

) into the code as
a special grant-earning subject.

Tt was felt that asa manual
subject for girls it was one that taught nicety and precision ;
as an observational subject it was one that had developed
intelligence in an important branch of domestic work ; and
that it had the additional advantage that itis a practical
means of giving a knowledge of the principles of hygiene.
It was stated that, in a western county, a course of
dairying to elementary school girls had led them to seek
further instruction im the subject after leaving the school,
thus having the effect of arousing that desire for further
education which all elementary education should produce,

It is not easy to provide for instruction in rural subjects
in sinall village schools, and? the Board have had under
consideration proposals for establishing upper classes in
centrally situated schools where special subjects could be
taught, especially i comexion with schools possessing an
endowment which it was thought might be utilized to defray
the special expenditure involved.

SCHOOL GARDENS IN JAMAICA.

The section of the Jamaiea Report for 1906-7
which relates to ednueaiional work in the colony eontains
the following note relating to school gardens and their
educational value :-—

It is pointed out by the chief Inspector of Schools that
certain changes made in the code last year have stimulated
the formation and maintenance of school gardens with great
educational benefit, not only to the school, but to practical
agriculture in their neighbourhood. It should, however, never
be forgotten that the main object of such work in elementary
schools is in fact essentially identical with that of manual
training. It aims at the training of the hand and eye and
the general development of the powers of observation “under
cireumstances, and in a medium, which correspond to the
conditions under which a great majority of the children will
earn their livelihood. A new officer who has had experience
of their working in the United States has been appointed
Inspector of school cardens.

Von Ville Nov 153:

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 79

SISAL CULTIVATION IN THE CAICOS
ISLANDS.

Although the cultivation of sisal hemp for economic
and export purposes has been carried on in the Caicos
Islands for no more than sixteen or seventeen years,
yet its rapid extension, and the now very considerable

annual exports of fibre, have made it one of the chief

mainstays of the dependency, coming second in impor-
tance only to the salt- preparing industry.

The sisal industry of the Caicos forms the subject of
a most readable report recently prepared by the Commissioner
of the Islands, the Hon. F. H. Watkins. This report
contains a good deal of interesting and valuable information
in regard to sisal cultivation and the preparation and grading
of the resulting fibre.

The first year in which any sisal fibre was exported from
the Caicos was in 1890, when a consignment of the value of
£50 was shipped. In 1894 the value of the exports rose
to £420, and three years later to £2,539. The year in
which the greatest shipments have been made, so far, was
1899, when the exports reached the value of £7,494. This
figure has been, however, approached on two occasions since.
In 1906, the quantity of fibre extracted was 219,565 tb.
and the value of the exports £5,605.

The area under cultivation with” sisal
Islands is estimated at about 3,200 acres, while the
industry gives employment to about 500 people. A further
area of 1,000 acres in East Caicos is to be planted in the

in the Caicos

near future, while it is mentioned that several thousand
acres, suitable for sisal cultivation, exist in the different

islands, but are awaiting development. ‘Two companies were
formed at an early stage of the industry'to carry on planting
operations. In addition there exists a considerable number
of small growers, many of whom are extending their area as
rapidly as their limited means will allow.

These figures indicate sufficiently the rapid expansion
of the industry, and its value to the inhabitants of the
Dependency will be realized when it is remembered that the
soil of the Caicos Islands is very shallow, that droughts are
of frequent occurrence, and that that the bulk of the “popu \-
tion were previously entirely dependent for a precarious
livelihood upon salt-raking or sponge collecting.

In regard to the cost of clearing land and planting it with
sisal, it is stated that in some places £1 an acre with an
additional $¢. for each plant set out, forms the average
expense, but in other cases £1 10s. is gencrally paid for an
acre fully planted 43} by 43 feet. The average daily wages
for a man in East Caicos are 2s. 3d., for a youth ls. 6d., and
for a woman Is.

The life of the sisal plant in the Caicos Islands may be
put at about eight years, at the end of which period replant-
ing must take place. The first crop of leaves may be
gathered three or four years after planting. An acre of land
should yield an annual average of from 675 to 900 Th. of
fibre. At an average cost of 6c. per tb., or £28 per ton
(present price is about £32 per ton) this would give a return
of £10 per ecre per annum.

At the close of his report, Mr. Watkins mentions the
following three conditions, the existence of which is essential
to profitable results in sisal cultivation :—

(1) Capital, on account of the. somewhat expensive
machinery for extracting the fibre, and the length of time
which must elapse before a return is made.

(2) A large area of land, especially where the soil is Spoor,
to maintain the cultivation in regular succession.

(3) An abundant and cheap supply of labour.

SISAL HEMP AS A POSSIBLE INDUSTRY
IN JAMAICA.

The Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society,

commenting on ue fact that the ‘colony of Jamaica
imports every year hemp rope and other cordage to

the value of £8 500, in addition to home-made substi-
tutes, points ont that sisal (Agave sisalana, var.
rigida) might well be grown in parts of the island
where the soil is too poor for most other crops.

The following extracts are quoted from the article
in question :—

Sisal hemp grows wild in the colony, and stands dry
weather almost as well as the eactus, in fact almost desert
conditions. Our neighbouring country, Yucatan, grows. sisal
hemp to a large extent, and in the Bahama Islands it is also an
important industry. The fibre is better when it grows in dry
countries. In the plains of St. Elizabeth it flourishes any-
where, and a nine-months’ drought did not affect plants
growing among the rocks, in situations where there was
apparently no earth for the roots to fasten on. In the
plains of St. Elizabeth the people are in want of suitable
crops, and require just some such industry as this to help
them in earning a living.

There is no part of the island where the people cannot
make a good living, if they are inclined to work steadily,
and would listen to agricultural instruction. We would
recomend the untilization of the different kinds of agaves or
aloes, which grow so commonly in the dry parts of St. Eliza-
beth, for the making of good hemp rope, which canbe sold
wholesale at 67. per Ib. Pen keepers will gladly use these

ropes, as they are strong and lasting.
Sut it is not only as a native industry, for local use
alone, that we wish to call attention to sisal hemp. As we

have pointed out, the production of this hemp is a big
industry in Yucatan and the Bahamas. The Queensland
Government is spending a large sum of money in fostering

a sisal hemp industry in that colony. We notice also that
the Natal Government is likely to do the same. At one

time the people of this colony, at least those most concerned
in agriculture, agitated themselves over this same industry
that we now speak of, and £100 was granted for fibre
cultivation at Hope Gardens, where 50 acres weve once in
cultivation. But nothing came of this, and we are no
further advanced to-day than we were then. In many parts

of the country sisal hemp is common, growing in hedges and
along the road, and it should be a matter for attention that

its cultivation for rope-making purposes should be encouraged.

The price of all fibre is high at present, and is likely to
continue so. The ordinary value of sisal hemp in London is
not less than £29, and is often sold for as much as £38 per
ton. There is no lack of machines to deal with this fibre
now. The hand methods will do for local use.

Sisal hemp grows best under just such conditions as
exist in the driest areas of Jamaica, that is, dry, rocky, lime-
stone soil. The dry areas could be as flourishing as other dis-
tricts if planting operations were adapted to the climate. At
any rate, we should like to see sisal hemp systematically tried
on some estates in the driest parts of St. Elizabeth, simply to
show what may be done. Even a hundred plants set out and
cared for enough to give them a fair start, would be interest-
ing and useful for experimental purposes. The rate of
growth and returm of fibre could be noted, and information
be got ready for any development that might happen.

SO

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Marcn 7, 1908.

London,— February 4,

New York,—February 7,

MARKET. REPORTS.

1908, ‘THe West Inp1a Com-
MITTEE CrrcuLar,’ Messrs. Knarton, Pirie & Co.;
1002, Messrs. E. A. pE Pass & Co.;
February 14, 1908. ‘Tae Liverroon Corron
AssocIaTION WEEKLY CIRCULAR.’

February 7.

ARRowRooT—No quotations.

Batara—Sheet, 2/4 ; block, 1/7 per th.

BreEs’-wax—good to fine, £7 15s. to £8 per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 76/- to 88 - per ewt.; Grenada, 69/- to
75/- per cwt.

Correr—Santos, 30/44 per ewt.; Jamaica, no quotations.

Copra—West Indian, £17 10s. per ton.

Corron——St. Vincent, 19d. to 23d; Barbados, 184d. to 19d. :
St. Kitt’s, I8}d. to 20d.; Montserrat, 18. to 193d.

Frouir—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limes—No quotations.

Prye-aprLes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grave Fruir—4/6 to 6/6 per box.
Onrances—Jamaica, 5/3 to 7/- per box.

Fusric—£4 to £4 10s. per ton.

Honry— 20s. to 27s. 6d. per ewt.

Ismvcrass—West India lump, 2/4 per tb.; cake, no
quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/2 to 1/6 per gallon; concentrated,
£15 10s, per cask of 108 gallons ; Distilled Oil, 1 9to 1/10
per th. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per tb.

Locwoon— £4 to £4 10s. per ten; Roots, no quotations.

Mace—Fair, 1s. 2d. per th.

Nourmecs—68'sto69's, Td. to 9d.; 75's, Ga. to Gid.: 105°s, 440. :
111’s to 115’s, 33d. to 44d.; 121’s, 3$d.; 1238's, 34d.

Pimento—2jd. per th.

Rum—Jamaica, no quotations; Demerara, Is. 23d. to
Js. 4d. ; Trinidad, no quotations.

Svuear—Crystals, 17/6 to 20/6 per ewt. ; Museovado, 12s. 3d.;
Molasses, 14/- to 14/6.

1908.—Messrs. GILLESPIE

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Carueas, 17c. to 19c.; Grenada, 14$c. to 18c. ;
Trinidad, I4jc. to 18c.; Jamaica, i8}e. per th.

Cocoa-nurs—Jamaica, select, $24°00 to $26°00 ; culls,
$15-00 to $16°00: Trinidad, $25°00 to $25°00; culls,
$1400 to $1500 per M.

CorreE—Jamaica, ordinary, 7}c. to
Se. to Se. per Vb.

Giscen— fe. to Ue. per tb.

Goat Sxrxs—Jamaica, 50c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kitt’s. 38c. to 43c. dry flint ; 29e. to 54e. dry salted,

Grave Fruir—Jamaicas, $4°50 to $5°50 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, $4°75 to $5°50 per barrel.

Macn— 25c. to 30c. per Ib.

Nourmecs—110's, 9fe. per th,

Onances—Jamiaiea, no quotations.

Vimenro— oc. per Ib

Sccan—Centrifugals, 96°, 3-75e. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3°25c. ;
Molasses, 89°, 8c. per th, duty paid.

‘

Se.; good ordinary,

INTER-COLONIAL MAREBSTS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lyxcn & Co., February 18,.

1908 ; Messrs. T. S. Garraway & Co.,
1908

March 2,.

Arrowroot—St. Vineent, $400 to $4°50 per 100 tb.
Cacao—Dominica, $16°00 to $1700 per 100 Tb.
Cocoa-NuTsS—S12"25 per M. for husked nuts.
Corrrn—Jamaica, 8°50 to $10°50 per 100 tb,

Iay— $1°75 to $2:00 per 100 db.

Manunes—-Nitrate of soda, 865°00 ; Ohlendortf's dissolved
suano, $dd°00; Cotton manure, $42°00; Cacao
manure, $42°00 to $4800; Sulphate of ammonia,
$72°00 to $7500 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Morassrs—1de. ; Faney, 16c. per glon.

Oxrons— Madeira, $3°50 per 100 th.

Poraros, MNGiysnt-—$1°40 to $2°25 per 160 Th.

Peas—Split, $6°20 to $6°50 ; Canada, $3°56 to $3°35 per bag.

Rick—Demerara, $5°35 to 5°65 (180 th.) ; Patna, $3°80 ;
Rangoon, 3°00 to $5°19 per 100 tb.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89° €1°75 per 100 th. packave included ;
Dark crystals, $2°05 ; Centrifugals, $2-00 to $2-30 per
100 tb. fe

British Guiana.—February 22, 1908.—Messrs. WreTine

& Ricwrer.

ARROWROOT—St. Vincent, $7°00 to $10-00 per barrel.
Bavara—- Venezuela block, 32c. ; Demerara sheet, 48e per tb
Cacao—Naiive, 20c. to 2le. per tb. : Hi
Cassava—No stock.
Cassava Srarcy—$§9°60 per barrel.
Cocoa-NuTs—$12°00 to $16°00 per M.
Corrieu— Creole, 1vc.; Jamaica, 12c. per th.
DuHai— $925 to $540 per bag of 168 th.
Eppos— $144 to $1°92 per barrel.
Motasses— Yellow, 19c. ; Dark, no quotations er
Ontons— Madeira, 4c. to 5e ; Gahan to de. oes Ballon:
PLaNvAINS— 20c. to G4e. per bunch. ;
Poratos,—English, $2°25 per barrel.
Poraros, Swrer— Barbados, $1°32 per bag.
Rice—Ballain, $6°25 to $6°40 ; Creole, $4°90 to $d-00 per
bay ; Seeta, $6°00 per bag.
Sprir PEas—$6'50 to $6°25 per bag (210 Tb.).
Tanntas—No quotations. ;
Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $3:00 per bag.
Sucan—Dark crystals, $2:15 to $2.45; Yellow, 82-90 to
$5°00 ; White, $3°50 to $3-60; Molasses, $1:70 to
$1°95 per 100 ib. (retail).
Timbenr—Greenheart, 32c. to 55c. per cubic foot.
WaALLAbA SHINGLES—$3°50 to $5°50 per M.
CorDWool —82'49 to $2°64 per ton (3-feet lengths).

Trinidad,— February 22, 1908.—Messrs. Goxvon, Grant

& Co.
Cacao—$15‘75 to $1700 per fanega ; Venezuelan, $16°50

to $17-00 per fanega.
Cocoa-Nvuts No quotations.
Cocoa-Nt r Orn—70e. per Imperial gallon, cask included
Correr—Venezuelan, no quotations. :
Corra—-$2°50 to 82-75 per 100 th.
Durat—-$5'00 to $5:25 per 2-bushel bag.
Ontons—$2°50 to $300 per 100 tb. (retail).
Poratos, ExGrisH—$1-25 to $1:40 per 100 it.
Rice—Yellow, $5:50 to $560 ; White, $5°25to$6°00 per bag
Sriir Peas—$6-00 to $6°25 per bag. ; =
SuGak—§5-00 to $5-05 per 100 tb.

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(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d. (32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904. Price 4d.

(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
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(6) Recipes for cooking Sweet Potatos.
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(13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901.
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
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(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.

Price 2d.
Price 4d.

Price 4d.

(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.
Price 4d.

(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d.

(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.
(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

(39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5,
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(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

(42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward

Islands, 1904-5. Price 4d.

(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
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(44) Seedling Canes and Manuvial Experiments at Barbados,
1904-6. Price 6d.

(45) A. B. C. ef Cotton Planting.
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(46) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1905-6,
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(47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(20) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1901-2.
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(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part II. Price 4d.

(23) Notes on Poultry in the West Indies. Price 4d.

(25) Ground Nuts in the West Indies. Price 2d.

(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903. Price 4d.

(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.
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(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d.

(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-eane. Price 4d.

(380) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d. 1905-7. Price 6d.
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Vou. VII. No. 153.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 7, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

Sige el aah

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BARBADOS, MARCH 21, 1908.

OF

Vou. VII. No. 154

CONTENTS.
PacH. PAGE,
Agricultural Apprentices in Departmental Reports :

British Guiana... ... 88) Virgin Islands: Experi-
Agricultural Schools... ... 91 nent Station, 1906-7 93
Autigua Central Sugar | !ise Plouuhs ... ... ... 94

Factory... ... ... ... 81 | Ginger Cultivation at
British Guiana and Agricultural UWI: “és! “dal ao GB)

Conferences...) a Ot NleanInGSpeaetce cee ee Ie

| Inseet Notes :—-
Practical Remedies for

British Honduras, Agri-
cultural Conditions in 89

Cacao Experiments in the Insect Pests ... ... 90
West Indies... ...... 85] Limes, Spineless, in
Cacao Seeds, Packing of ... 89 WOME See oan 84
Cassava, Hydrocyanie acid | Maize Crop. American ... 89
Content of ... 2... ... 87) Market Reports eee) ees 690
Cassava Roots and Stareh | Mule Raismg in Cuba... 89
Manufacture ... «- 91| Notes and Comments ... 88
Cotton Notes :— Porto Rico, Fruit Culture
Sea Island Cotton in | LDS occa TOo Ss mncede RerEeL oe.
South Carolina .. . 86) Rubber Exhibition in
Sea Island Cotton Market 86 | London Sed Wess
Cotton Crop at St. Vincent 86] Seedling Canes in Antigua
West Indian Cotton seonteht} and SE Kuttis,... 4... 88
West Indian Sea Island Sugar Industry :—

Cotton . + «+. 86| Seedling Canes in the
Cyclone in St. Kitt’s-Nevis 87 | Leeward Islands ... 83
Departmental Reports :— Trinidad, Labour in... ... 88

Dominica: Botanic | Trinidad Oil-fields ... ... 89

Station, ete., 1906-7... 93 West Indian Products ... 95

Antigua Central Sugar Factory,

DASA

TS HE Antigua Central Sugar Factory started
\ vi operations early in 1905. An account of
O=s its origin, the constitution of the company,
and the working arrangements, was given in a paper
contributed by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., to the West
Indian Bulletin (Vol. VI, p. 60), while details of the
1905 and 1906 seasons’ working were given in the
Agricultural News, Vol. V, p. 49; and Vol. VI, p, 131,
respectively,

NEW

Price 1d.

In view of the fact that the factory was erected as
a pioneer one, in the hope of solving the question
whether it is desirable, under the conditions prevailing
in the Leeward Islands, to abandon the muscovado
method of sugar manufacture in favour of modern
factory methods, some account of the results that have
attended its working during the past three years should
be of interest to all connected with the West Indian
Sugar industry.

The Antigua factory started with a capital expendi-
ture of £45,359, of which £15,000 was contributed from
the grant made by the Imperial Parliament some ten
years ago in aid of the sugar industry of these colonies.
The remainder was supplied by the shareholders
forming the Factory Company, and a co-operative
arrangement was made, by which the company agreed
to build and run the factory, while eight estates’
supply
during a period of fifteen years, on a profit-sharing

proprietors agreed to grow and the canes,

basis.
railway facilities for the transport of canes.

The company also agreed to provide reasonable

For every 100 lb. of canes delivered the estates
proprietors are paid the equivalent price of 4) Ib. 96°
sugar crystals. Should in the
aggregate than at the rate of 10s. per ton of canes,
any profits remaining after paying working expenses,
interest on capital, and a reasonable contribution to
sinking and reserve funds, are first applied to bringing
the payments up to 10s. <Any profits still left over
after this has been done are divided equally between
shareholders and estates’ proprietors,

this price be less

In the first season of working (1905) the amount
of sugar produced was 1,634 tons, from 15,860 tons of

LIBRARY

BOTAN]

GARDEN

HD
we

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

Marcu 21, 1908.

cane. This is equal to 1 ton of sugar from 9-7 tons of
eane, and 14s, ld. per ton of cane was paid to the
estates’ proprietors.

The ontput in 1906 was 2,3

24,676 tons of cane, 7s. 57. per ton of cane being paid
It took 10°5 tons
to produce a ton of sngar. |The
obtained in 1907, when 4,280 tons of sugar were made
from 40,782
9:64 tons of cane.
the 1907 season, after paying 10s. per ton for the canes,

8 tons of sugar from
to the estates’ proprietors. of cane
best results were

tons of cane, or 1 ton of sugar from

On division of profits at the end of

a further sum of 2s. 3d. per ton of cane supplied
(making 12s. 3d.) was allotted to the contracting
proprietors.

Although the factory was only planned to turn out
3,000 tons of sugar, yet the 1907 output was 4,230 tons,
and there is now an assured cane supply, calculated to
yield about 5,000 tons of sugar in a moderately good
season. Estate owners other than the original contract-
ing proprietors in many cases were glad to sell canes
to the factory instead of making muscovado sugar,

The factory started with two three-roller mills,
and during the 1907 crop season a Krajewski crusher
was added to the plant. This of course entailed extra
outlay of capital, aad further expenditure was incurred
by extension of the railway, the total Jength of which
is now 9 miles, and vy minor additions to the plant,
These additions and extensions brought the total capi-
tal expenditure up to £52,159. Of the extra outlay
about £3,500 has already been paid by being charged

in the annual expenses of working ; £3,300 are this year
added to capital account from the profits, and the

remainder will appear as a charge in future accounts.

During the three seasons 1905-7, the original
contracting proprietors delivered 62,274 tons of cane to
the factory, for which the sum of £28,501 1s. 5d., or
practically 9s, per ton, was paid on the 43 th. of sugar
per 100 Ib. of cane bas's.
as the result of the distribution of profits during the

In addition to this, however,

three seasons, these proprietors have received the sum
of £7,567 4s.
original prices paid for the canes.

bonuses, over and above the
This brought the

average price per ton during three years up to 1Is. 4d.

as cash

From the review of the aecounts of the factory
presented by Dr. Watts, C.M.G., in a paper at the
recent Agricultural Conference, it appears that the total
gross profits earned during the three years of working
amount to £26,665, exclusive of interest on share capi-
tal. Of this sum, £12,482 have been paid out as cash
bonuses—£7,367 to the estates’ proprietors, 2s men-
tioned above, and £5,115 to the shareholders, This

leaves a sum of £14,183 still to be accounted for.
Depreciation charges (5 per cent. on £50,000 for
three years) amount to £7,500, leaving a remainder of
£6,685 invested in the factory. Under the terms of the
agreement, the ‘A’ (or original) shareholders and the
original contracting estates’ proprietors share equally in
profits which have not been paid
Hence one-half of the above sum,
£3,341, belongs to each contyacting party, which, in
the case of the estates’ peoprietors, is equal to an addi-
tional 1s. Of. per ton of cane supplied.

that portion of the
out as cash bonuses.

The position of the original contracting estates’
proprietors may be summed up in saying that they have
sold 62,274 tons of canes, and have received £28,501,
or 9s. per ton., by way of first payment; a further
£7,367, or 2s, 4d. per ton, by way of cash bonus, and
have invested £3,341, or 1s. Ofd. per ton of cane
supplied, in the factory itself.

The ‘A’ shareholders have received 5 per cent.
interest on their money, and in addition cash bonuses
of £5,115, equal to an additional 6°8 per cent. per annum,
or together, 11°8 per cent. In addition, there is the
investment in the factory of £3,341 out of the profits,
making a further 44 per cent, per annum, or 16 per
cent. in all.

It may be added that the factory has made, during
the three years, $8,214 tons of sugar, which realized
£81,682, or on the average, £9 18s. 104d. per ton.
Taking this price of sugar as a basis, and assuming
that 100 tb. of canes are equal in vaiue to 42 th. of 96
sugar, it 1s interesting to note that the value ofa ton
of canes works out at 8s 11}d., a figure practically
identical with the average first payment made,

A sum of £2,000 has, each year since 1905, been
written off towards a sinking fund. The capital charges
of the factory have in this way been reduced by £6,000.
In 1907, too, £2,000 ;

was carried to the reserve fund.

Canes are also purchased by the factory from
While
the original estates’ proprietors receive payment on the
basis of 4+) Ib. of sugar per 100 tb. of canes, with
a share in the profits, the payment for canes from

outside estates and from peasant proprietors.

outside estates is a matter for bargaining, They are,
however, usually bought on the basis of 53 tb. of sugar
per 100 th, of cane, which works out at about 11s. 4d
per ton ot canes. It was stated that the owners of the out-
side estates were perfectly satisfied to sell their canes at
this rate. The factory, too, is under an obligation to
certain amount. of
peasant-grown cane each year, for which a price of not
less than 7s, G:/, per ton, must be paid.

the Government to purchase a

Voi. VET. Nor 154:

Seedling Canes in the Leeward Islands.

No. 50 in the Pamphlet Series issued by the
Imperial Department of Agriculture has just been
published, and contains particulars of the experiments
with seedling and other canes, carried on in Antigua
and St. Kitt’s during 1906-7, under the direction of the

Department. The critical notes on the characters of
the chief varieties of canes on trial should be of interest
to planters anxious to make the best selection for
their estates. hese notes are therefore reproduced
below :—

Sealy Seedling. This cane has given good results in the
experiments both at Antigua and St. Mitt’s. At the former,
it has given satisfactory results as plants and also as ratoons,
but at St. Kitt’s it has not ratooned well. It is a cane of
great vegetative vigour, capable of growing on rather poor
and heavy soils where other canes will not thrive, and it
appears to stand drought fairly well. It is to be recommended
for cultivation on heavy, clayey soils. This cane mills well,
but its juice is not exceptionally rich in sugar.

B, 208. This cane requires good, well-tilled soil with
a fair rainfall. It grows freely and is easily established ;
it ripens quickly and thus offers advantages in cases where
the land is required for other crops ina rotation. It yields
juice of exceptional richness.

In ordinary mills it mills well, but is inclined to be
somewhat brittle, and therefore is rather difficult to handle
where a Krajewski crusher is used.

D. 625, This is a yellow cane, usually of large size,
a vigorous grower, but yielding juice which is not exception-
ally rich in sugar. The average sucrose content of the juice
from plant canes for this season at Antigua was low. It is
a cane that is likely to attract the attention of planters and
will shortly be introduced into the experiments at St. Kitt’s.

B. 156. This is a yellow, erect cane having light-green
leaves. It arrows rather freely. It would appear to be

more suitable for the heavy, clayey soils of Antigua than for
the light ones of St. Kitt’s, thus somewhat resembling the
Sealy Seedling. The juice which it yields is not very rich in
sucrose.

D, 109. This is a purple cane introduced somewhat
recently into these experiments. It has given good results
at Antigua both as plants and ratoons. At St. Kitt’s the
plant canes were satisfactory, but the ratoons were poor.
The juice is of moderate richness in sucrose. Like some of
the other canes (notably Sealy Seedling), 1t would appear that
this cane is more suitable for the heavy soils of Antigua than
for the light ones of St. Kitt’s.

B. 367. This is a short, erect, grey or pink-tinged cane
with broad, light-green leaves. It arrows freely. At one
time it was thought promising in St. Kitt’s, but it has not
cecupied a prominent position there recently. [t ratooned
well during the last season at Antigua. The juice is only
moderately rich in sucrose. This cane must be classed as one
of moderate merit.

B. 306, This is a yellow cane not. unlike the Bourbon,
It does not arrow excessively, It has given good returns

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

v4)
w

both at Antigua and St. Kitt’s as plants anl as ratoons,
though the ratoon canes at both places have, this season,
been somewhat below the average. It is a cane worth
attention in a moderate degree. Sucrose content of juice
moderate. Instances are reported where this cane has become
dry and hollow in parts, and there is a suspicion of liability
to disease. These points should be noticed.

D. 116. his is a yellow, erect cane with very broad,
dark-green leaves. It arrows freely. The cane appears well
suited to the conditions obtaining at St. Kitt’s where it has
given good results and where it can be recommended for
planting. It appears less suitable for planting in Antigua.
The juice is somewhat poor in sucrose.

D, 150 is a dark-green, erect cane with dark-green
leaves. It is easily grown and arrows freely. It appears to
be of moderate merit only, but might be cautiously tried on
asmall scale. The juice has a fair sucrose.

D, 95, This is a dark-purple, erect cane which, when
growing, often presents a shabby, unsatisfactory appearance.
It therefore frequently happens that when the cane is reaped
the yield is in excess of what was anticipated. The sucrose con-
tent of the juice of this cane is usually very high, though it is
to be observed that this feature has not been conspicuous this
season in the juice from plant canes. This cane thrives best
on somewhat heavy moist land, and it does not stand drought
well. It is not well suited for the conditions of St. Kitt’s,
but in some districts in Antigua it gives very
and is being planted in fair quantity.

D. 74 is a pale-green, erect cane with light-green leaves,
and is of interest because of the attention which it has
attracted in Louisiana. It has given fairly good results
under experiment at St. Kitt’s, but has not been so successful.
at Antigua. The juice is of moderate richness.

good returns

fo)

Bb. 147. Ayellow, long-jointed cane, inclined to trail, having
broad, dark-green leaves. It rarely arrows and is now very
extensively planted in St Kitt’s. Its cultivation is also being
rapidly extended on the lighter soils in Antigua. It is con-
spicuous as a disease-resisting cane ; its timely introduction
into St. Kitt’s saved the situation when the ravages of disease
bade fair to ruin the sugar industry. Its juice is of full aver-
age richness in sucrose when the canes are fully mature. It
is an excellent milling cane, containing a large quantity of
juice, which it yields very freely. When this cane is being
crushed the capacity of the pumps attached to the mills is
frequently taxed to the utmost, owing to the great flow of
juice.

White Transparent. This cane, which is known locally
under many names (Naga B., Caledonian Queen, Rappoe,
Mount Blane, and Jamaica cane are believed to be synonyms),
is the variety that is most extensively planted at Antigua
where it was introduced to replace the disease-stricken Bour-
bon with happy results. As it fella prey to disease at
St. Nitt’s, its place has there been largely taken by B. 147.
It is a grey or pink-tinged cane, somewhat inclined to trail,
having broad, dark-green leaves. It arrows freely. The
juice is of average richness in sucrose, but at times is inclined
to be gummy. Itisa somewhat fibrous cane. It is believed
that several canes of greater merit are now at the disposal of
planters, and it is anticipated that it will be steadily super-
seded by other canes at Antigua in a manner similar to that
already adopted by the planters in St. Kitt’s,

B. 303, This cane, which has only recently been
introduced into Antigua, showed a disposition to die out in
ratoon canes during this season. This was probably due to
the dry weather experienced during the early part of the
season, but if this character is confirmed, it will render this
cane an undesirable one for planting in this island.

$4 Tie: AGRICGETURMS NEWS.

Marcm 21, 1998.

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WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

SPINELESS LIMES IN DOMINICA.

The spineless variety of lime is believed to have
originated on the Shawford Estate, Dominica. In the
Agricultural News (Vol. I, p. 38) it was mentioned
that on this estate, in 1891, ‘a lime tree was noticed
without the usual spines. On sowing seeds from the
fruits of this interesting iree, some 75 per cent. of the
resulting plants came ‘true,’ proving themselves to be
spineless. A plot was formed at the Botanic Station,
and since that time plants have been regularly raised
for distribution in Dominica. At present it is stated
that about 20,000 lime trees of the spineless variety
are growing 1n the island, this being equivalent to an
area of 100 acres.

Some particulars. in reference to the distribution and
growth of spineless lime trees were given in the 1905-6 report
on the Dominica Botanie Station, and reproduced in the
Agricultural News (Vol. V, po 276). The report on the
Botanic Station for 1906-7 includes a paper, prepared by
Dr. Watts, C.M.G., containing a good deal of further infor-
mation on the subject.

With a view to comparing, the yields of juice and the
percentage of citric acid in the juice, of the spineless and the
ordinary varieties of limes, tests of the two kinds, grown as
nearly as possible under similar conditions, have been made
from time to time at the Government Laboratory, Antigua.
The results of these tests go to show that while the fruit of
the spineless lime is smaller than that of the ordinary variety,
a relatively larger yield of juice is obtained from the spineless
variety, and this juice would appear to be purer, as well as
richer in acid. Five examinations were made, at different
times, of fruits grown at the Botanic Station. The
amount of citric acid in the juice of the ordinary variety was
$35 per cent., or 13:4 oz. of acid per gallon of jnice, while the
citric acid content of the juice from the ordinary variety
reached an average of 9°29 per cent., or 14°86 oz. of acid
per gallon of juice. Further, while the ordinary variety of
lime gave a yield of juice equal, on the average, to 49°83 per
cent. of their total weight, the spineless lime yielded juice
equal to 53°25 per cent. of their whole weight.

The report also gives figures relating to tests carried out
by Mr. A. E. Agar of Dominica, with the object of determin
ing the relative merits of the two varieties. In these experi-
ments the spinless lime gave a return of juice 12 per cent.
greater than that yielded by the ordinary variety. The fruit
of the spineless lime contain comparatively few seeds, while
the skin issmooth and thin. There appears to be no difference

average

in the quantity or quality of the essential oils produced by the
two kinds of limes.

It remains to be seen whether the spineless lime will tind
favour in connexion with the fruit trade. The thinness of the
skin, the small number of the seeds, and the juciness of the
fruit may more than compensate for its small size, This how-
ever, isa matter which can only be determined by carefully
conducted trial shipments.

FRU CULTURE IN PORLO RICO:

The fruit industry of Porto Rico, which in its
present stage, is ay important and promising one, and
which will undoubtedly undergo considerable develop-
ment with the provision of better facilities of transport,
ete., formed the subject of a paper read at the first
annual meeting of the Cuban Horticultural Society,
held in May of last year. :

Fruit lands in Porto Rico. it is stated, are yearly
increasing in value. Land which, a few years ago, could be
bought at $10 and $20 per acre now costs $50 and $100.
Pine-apples do so well that soils suitable for this crop
command very high'prices. Much of tae land best suited
for citrus fruit growth, however, has not yet been planted,
as the districts in which it exists have not yet been opened
up by roads.

The citrus fruit districts of Porto Nico are almost entirely
confined to the north side of the island, and comprise an
area of 7,000 or 8,000 About 70 per cent. of this
is planted with oranges, 25 per cent. with grapefruit, and
5 per cent, with lemons.

aeres,

The oranges grown include a considerable number of
Floridian varieties. "The early and the late kinds are expected
to give more profitable results than varieties ripening in mid.
season. The Washington Navel orange is cultivated, and
appears to do much: better in Porto Rico than in Florida.
Some of the native varieties of oranges, however, are reported
to do better than any imported kinds.

Great numbers of orange trees grow wild in the moun-
taimous districts. The fruit is stated to be of excellent
quality, and would ship well if properly handled. It grows,
however, too far from the railway or from passable roads to
be a profit to any of the inhabitants. It is
estimated that 100,000 boxes of oranges are annually Jost in
Porto Rico ov this account. .

source of

Artificial manives are used on a fairly considerable scale
in the enltivation of both oranges and pine-apples.

Wore Villlge Nos. 154. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 85

CACAO EXPERIMENTS IN THE WEST

INDIES.

At the recent West Indian Agricultural Confer-

ence, held at) Barbados, Mr. Joseph Jones, Curator of

the Domimiea Botanic Station, read the following paper,
dealing with the propagation of cacao by budding and

grafting :—

The variety of cacao first grown in the West Indies was
the Criollo, the best kind, but very susceptible to any
adverse conditions. More hardy varieties, introduced later,
are the Forastero and Calabacillo, which to-day are cultivated
so larvely in the British’ West Indies.

At the present time Criollo cacao appears to be grown
on any seale only in favourable localities on the mainland
of Central America. — Its produce is of the highest quality,
but the tree is delicate, and the yield per tree is low. This
is compensated for by the high prices which this variety
fetches.

From time to time attempts have been made to grow
Criollo cacao in Dominica, but has never followed
any of them. Planters who have triel to grow it express
regret for what experience teaches them was wasted effort.

The growing of the Forastero and Calabacillo varieties
of cacao in the West Indies has been a great commercial
success. Although the beans are inferior and, in the
Calabacillo, extremely bitter, there is still a great demand for
it, and it pays to grow.

Commencing with the cultivation of the best kind, the
cacao planter has been forced to give this up im favour of
the Forastero variety, a hardier type yielding a lower-
grade produce — Very large plantations of this exist to-day,
but the variety appears to be weakening. Investigations
made by scientists, at the imstance of planters, have shown
how numerous are the enemies of thercacao trec. Several
of these diseases have been described and their seriousness
has been pointed out. One or more of them may become
virulent at any time and inflict great loss on planters. ‘The
ravages caused by the ‘ Witch Broom’ disease in Surinam
must be fresh in the memory of all interested in these matters.

Some planters now grow the Calabacillo variety alone,
on account of its hardiness and freedom from disease. ‘Those
who know by experience how harassing is the presence of the
‘canker’ and kindred @iseases in a plantation will understand
why planters prefer hardy trees and a low-grade produce, to
delicate trees, bearing high-grade produce,

The method of propagating cacao is the same to-day as
always practised. Good pods from trees showing some
desirable quality are usnally selected and sown. Such seed-
lings, if planted under good conditions, commence to bear in
five or six years and reach their prime when twelve to fifteen
years old. Owing to cross-fertilization, very few are exactly
like the parent, and seed from one I orastero tree will
produce plants of the Forastero type and also of all its sub-
varieties. It is due to this fact that it is not possible to take
full advantage for propagation purposes of trees that some-
times appear on plantations and are noticeable on account
of their hardiness, freedom from disease, and good bearing

success

qualities. ]
It is important that when trees showing desirable quali-

ties have been noticed and have been tested for a number af
years, these types should be fixed and perpetuated. This ean
be done by budding and grafting.

The Botanical Department of Jamaica has shown that
budding of cacao can be done under certain conditions. ‘The
Botanical Department of Trinidad recommended the grafting

of cacao some years ago.

Experiments conducted at the Dominica Botanic Station
show that grafting cacao by approach can be fairly easily
carried out. A tree of good type is selected, and rough
Stages are erected round it at varying heights in such positions
as to be able to obtain a maximum of young shoots to graft
on the stocks which have already been grown in nurseries in
bamboo pots. The pots are placed on the staging, young
shoots of the cacao tree of the same age and thickness as the
stocks are carefully denuded of their leaves at the point where
they are to be fitted to the stocks, a portion of the bark is
removed with a sharp knife both from the scion and the stalk,
and the two are gently but firmly bound together with garden
tying. A small piece of bark is cut from the stem of the
scion below the graft so as to make it more dependent on the
stock and to hasten the union. In short, it is simply the well-
known system of grafting mangos by approach, applied to
cacao,

At certain seasons, with good, healthy stocks, cacao can
be grafted in six weeks ; but the average time may be placed
at about ten weeks. The plants must be watered daily.
When ready to be taken off, they may be planted in the field
at once or may be removed to a shady nursery and watered
daily until the time of planting.

At present the only stocks available are the Calakacillo
and strong Forastero kinds. Theobroma Bicolor has been
tried as a stock and has failed. It is possible, if the known
species of Theobroma could be brought together, that one
or more might prove more hardy than Theohromu Cacao, and
at the same time suitable as a stock on which to graft the
commercial kinds.

It will, of course, be more costly to plant a field of
cacao with grafted than with seedling plants, but the
advantage should rest later with the grafted plants. Nothing
should be used for propagation but prolitic, well-tried kinds,
that have shown themselves resistant to the diseases now
prevalent in cacao plantations. Some of the advantages that
should be gained by this method may be stated below :—

(1) A planter would be able to grow fields of plants of
one selected strain, the beans of which would all require just
the same degree of fermentation.

(2) It would be possible to propagate disease-resisting
varieties.

(3) Grafted plants, well cared for, should. fruit earlier
than seedlings, thus giving a quicker return on capital
invested.

(4) The return per acre should be increased by the
selection of prolific types.

(5) The effect of grafting may tend to dwarf the plants.
This would be an advantage in islands which sutter from
much windy weather.

(6) The growing of grafted selected cacao, combined with
intensive cultivation, would be the high-water mark of
successful cacao cultivation,

Over 200 grafted plants have been taken from two
selected trees in the Botanic Station. Sixty have been
planted in the gardens. hese will be carefully watched and
the results recorded later. A number of these are the Alliga-
tor cacao (Theobroma pentagona) worked on Forastero stocks.

On estates where the area of cultivation is being increased
each year, the system mentioned above should be tried. It
should be a recognized part of estate work to propagate,
by grafting, the best strains of cacao. Botanic Stations can-
not in this instance supply large quantities of plants, because
cacao plants in bamboo pots cannot be conveyed long
distances by road in islands like Dominica, without consider-
ble expense and probable injury to the plants.

(92)
for)

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 21, 1908.

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET.
In their Sea Island cotton report of February 22
last, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, write

as follows with reference to the condition of the
market :—
With the continued absence of demand the market

remains at a stand, and normally unchanged. In order to
effect sales, however, we think that factors would be willing
to make considerabe concessions from their asking prices.
We give the following quotations : Fully fine to extra fine,
38c. to 40c. ; fine, 35c.; fine to fully fine, but tinged and
stained, 22c. to25e.

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date March 2, with reference to
the sales of West Indian Sea. Island cotton :—

Since our last report about,280 bales West Indian Sea
Island cotton have been sold, comprised of about 150 Barba-
dos, chiefly at 17}d., with a few at 18d. and 183d, 80
Montserrat, at 17d. to 18}d., 40 Superior Nevis at 18d., 25
St. Kitt’s 174d. to 18d., with a few odd bags at 19d

The tendency of the market is downwards, quotations
being reduced 1d. per tb., and buyers are very particular in
selecting the lots which they care to purchase, as they are
only buying for immediate requirements, and in the present
state of trade will not add to their stock.

COTTON CROP OF ST. VINCENT.

Mr. W. N. Sands, Agricultural Superintendent of
St. Vincent, has forwarded to the Imperial Commissioner
of Agriculture the foilowing report on the 1906-7 cotton
crop of the island :—

The estimated St. Vincent Sea Island crop 1s
1,200 bales of 563 Ib. each. About 1,000 bales have been
ginned to date. The prices realized for the first shipment
have been from 20d. to 25d. per b., but with a falling
market, lower prices are expected for the later shipments.
This
was due to an exceptionally wet December ; in fact December
was the wettest month of the last year. Owing also to this
fact, growers were not able to prepare their cotton for the
ginneries as well as in previous Seasons,

In the Grenadines, however, good returns have been
obtained. In some cases they reached nearly a bale an acre.
Picking being finished on most estates, planters are now
pulling up and burning the cotton stalks. Unless — this
operation is effectively carried out generally, the leaf-blister
mite and black scale will do a‘ great deal of damage to the

5
coming seasons crop,

cotton

The yield generally has not beén so good as last year.

WHST INDIAN

SEA ISLAND COTTON.

In a pamphlet lately issued by the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture, ‘Sea Island Cotton: Its Culture,
Jmprovement and Diseases’, the following note occurs
on the development of the West Indian Sea Island
cotton industry :—

Sea Island cotton produced in the West Indies is equal
to the average American product, and indeed competes with
the Carolina Sea Island cotton rather than with the interior
product. The West Indian industry is new, having been
developed mainly since 1902, and is yet of small proportions.
Only about 4,000 bales per annum are at present produced ;
but the industry there may grow rapidly It has already led the
South Carolina planters to organize in refusing to sell seed.

The Sea Island grower will therefore recognize that the
prices of his crop depend on several factors, and that quality
is more important than quantity. Organized efforts should
be made to raise the standard of length and preparation in
order to avoid competition with cheaper cotton. Of the
better grades a larger quantity can be sold than is now
pre duced.

SEA ISLAND COTTON IN SOUTH
CAROLINA.

The accompanying note, from Farmer's Bulletin
30.2 of the United States’ Department of Agriculture,
instances the value of seed selection as a chief factor
towards the production of the best quality Sea Island
cotton :-—

In the Charleston district of South Carolina the finest
cotton is that growa by a hmited number of planters who
have for many years paid the most careful attention to seed
selection. Their cotton is not only long and fine, but it is picked
with so much regard to cleanliness and uniformity that the
grower’s private brand on the package is often a sufficient
guarantee of its quality.

These fine ‘crop lots’ comprise about 35 per cent. of
the cotton marketed in Charleston, and sell for from 30c. to
60c. a pound. They are all exported. The demand for this
extra-fine and high-priced cotton is very limited. The
remainder of the South Carolina crop is sold in the usual
manner at lower prices. The higher price secured for South
Carolina cotton is largely because of its superior preparation,
all stained and weak cotton and bits of leaf being removed
before baling. The exercise of every possible care in prepara-
tion may mean a difference of from 5e. to 10c. per Ib. to the
grower. Loss of grade is due to exposure of weather before
picking, to storing or ginning when too wet, and especially to
the presence of stained or yellow. cotton and bits of leaf. or
other trash,

Vou., Vill No: 1542

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 87

HYDROCYANIC ACID CONTENT OF
CASSAVA.

The question of the danger of poisoning arising
from the consumption of imperfectly cooked cassava has
formed the subject of several notes and articles in the
Agricultural News (Vols. I, p. 5; I, p. 102; and TI,
p. 425), and a leatlet (Hints und Information in
regard to Cussava poisoning) dealing with the subject
was issued some two or three years ago.

Some investigations in connexion with the amount
of hydroeyanic acid and starch present in cassava have
recently been carried out by the Bureau of Chemistry
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the results

are published in Bulletin No. 106 of the Bureau. The
previous work that has been done in relation to this

question has chiefly been undertaken in Trinidad by
Professor Carmody and his predecessor in the office of
Government Analyst, and by the Hon. H. H. Cousins
in Jamaica.

Cassava has been divided into sweet and bitter varieties,
and although sweet cassavas are considered to be less poison-
ous than the bitter varieties, yet it appears that the sweet or
bitter character of a cassava is not directly connected with
its content of hydrocyanie acid, but is dependent upon the
absence or presence of some bitter principle. As the result
of his investigations, made some five years ago, Professor
Carmody reported the mean percentage of hydrocyanic acid
in the sweet varieties examined as 0-010, and in the bitter
varieties as 0°022. It is usually held that sweet varieties
contain only half as much prussic acid as those known to
have been fatal.

Varieties of cassava grown in Colombia, and analysed
by the Government Analyst of Jamaica showed a mean per-
centage of only 0°001 of hydrocyanic acid, the maximum
being only 0°003. From this it appears that all the Colom-
bian cassavas may practically be classed as sweet.

On the other hand, analyses of native bitter cassavas made
by the same officer show percentages of hydrocyanic acid of
from 0°036 to 0-077.

Professor Carmody suggests that the difference between
the two kinds consists in the hydrocyanic acid being distribu-
ted throughout in the bitter kind, whereas in the sweet
varieties, it exists chiefly in the cortex

In regard to the proportion of hydrocyanic acid present,
this is certainly influenced by environment, and the experi-
ments with cassava that have been in progress in Jamaica for
some years past (Agricultural News, Voll, ps 261) would
appear to indicate that when a variety—nsually cultivated in
elevated districts —is transferred to lower levels of country, the
proportion of hydrocyanie acid tends to increase. Mr. Cousins
reports that fourteen varieties of cassava, stated to be quite
non-poisonous in Colombia, were tested after a year’s growth
in the Liguanea plains of Jamaica, and were found to contain,
on the average, 0°0034 per cent. of hydrocyanic acid. After
a further period of four years’ growth in the same changed
locality the hydrocyanic acid content rose to 00124 per cent.,
or practically fourfold. On the other hand, a report from
Trinidad, dealing with this question, notes that residents of
Colombia, who have imported bitter Varieties from Jamaica,
find they have become sweet. :

The work referred to as having béen carried out in the
United States was conducted at Diloni, Mississippi, and at
Miami, Florida, in 1904 and 1905. Cassava is a erop that
may be grown in any of the Gulf States, and it was felt that
the great feeding value of the roots, could the danger of

poisoning ke eliminated, justified investigation of the

hydrocyanic and starch contents of different varieties, and the
conditions which influenced variation in these constituents.

Thirty-nine varieties were under trial at Biloni and
twenty-eight at Miami. The whole of those raised at Miami
were originally obtained from Jamaica, while at Biloni twelve
varieties from Porto Rico were grown in addition to the
Jamaica kinds. At Biloni, a common native variety, Florida
Sweet, was also grown.

It is curious to note. that none of the imported varieties
gave so low a percentage of hydrocyanic acid as ‘Florida
Sweet,’ which contained oaly 0:002 per cent. Pie de Perdiz and
Cenagnera approached it- nearly, however, with an average
content of 0-003. Of the cassavas grown at Biloni, Porto Rico
White Top contained the highest proportion of hydrocyanie
acid, 0-030 per cent. This was closely followed by Porto
Rico Auntie Grace, with 0-028 per cent., and by the Mantera
and a Helada variety from Jamaica, which contained 0:026
and 0-022 per cent. respectively. At Miami, Florida, the
percentage of hydrocyanic acid was, in the great number of
cases, somewhat lower than at Biloxi. In the twenty-eight
so-called sweet varieties grown at Miami, the hydrocyanic
acid content ranges trom 0°0005 to 0-016 per cent., and more
than half the varieties contained 0-002 per cent. or less. On
reference to the Biloni results with the same varieties, it is
seen that two-thirds of the samples contained 0-010 per cent.
or more of hydrocyanie acid. The Mantera cassava, for
example, which at Biloni showed a proportion of 0026 of
hydrocyanic acid, contained only an average of 0-006 at
Miami. Statements have in the past been made to the effect
that varieties of cassava grown in Florida, cease in time to
be poisonous, and these results certainly give some ground
for this theory.

The chief portion of the hydrocyanic acid was, in the
case of both bitter and sweet cassava, found to exist in the
cortex

From the observations made, there does not appear to be
any relationship between the starch and the hydrocyanic acid
content of the cassavas.

CYCLONE IN ST. KITT’S-NEVIS.

Mr. F. R. Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent
ot St. Kitt’s-Nevis, has forwarded a report to the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture on the damage
done by the cyclone which passed over St. Kitt’s-Nevis
during the might of Saturday, March 7, and_ the early
hours of the following morning.

The weather had been unsettled in St. Kitt’s since
Friday, and throughout Saturday the wind blew in strong
putts from the west.

On Saturday night the wind blew violently from the
north-west with a falling barometer. By midnight the wind
was at its height, and in Basseterre the barometer reading
fell to 29°3. Rain fell heavily, over 4 inches being registered
in Basseterre, and over 8 inches at Molineux in the northern
part of the island. About 3 inches of rain fell in Nevis.

The disturbance passed quickly, however, and by 10 a.m.
on Sunday, the weather had cleared, the wind changing to east.

As the result of the storm, a large number of trees were
blown down in St. Kitt’s. .The cane crop, being very advan-
ced, sustained considerable damage, being levelled with the
ground in some cases. Apart from the loss due to broken
canes, the quality of the juice will be lowered as the result of
the heavy rains. The cotton crop of Nevis has been all
reaped and ginned, so consequently no damage was experienced.

At the Botanic Station a few cedar trees were blown down
and some others damaged

88 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 21, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 87, Soho Square, W., and The West India Coin-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, EC. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s, 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural jews

—

VII. SATURDAY, MARCH

VoL.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

21) 1908: eNow 153.

Contents of Present Issue.

An account of the origin and results of working,
during the past three years, of the Antigua Central
Sugar Factory is given in the editorial.

Some interesting notes on the characteristics of
the chief varieties of seedling canes under trial at
Antigua and St. Kitt’s will be found on page 83.

The spineless variety of lime, which is being tried
on a fairly extensive scale in Dominica, gives
good results as compared with the ordinary variety.
(page 84.)

Mr. Jones’ paper, dealing with cacao grafting
experiments at the Dominica Botanic Station, is
reprinted on page 85.

Some brief notes of interest relating to the cotton
industry, including market reports, appear on page 86.
Experimental work in relation to the hydrocyanie

content of cassava, carried on in ‘Trinidad,
and the United States, is reviewed on

acid
Jamaica,
page 87.

Some practical remedies for insect pests are
discussed under ‘Insect Notes’ (page 90).

It is hoped that the West Indies will contribute
to the International Rubber Exhibition to be held in
London in September next (page 94).

Agricultural Apprentices in British Guiana.

Just over three years ago the scheme for training

_a limited number of lads in the principles of agriculture

at the Botanic Gardens was put upon its trial, and the
work was started with six lads fresh fron: school. In
this initial experiment, however, only two boys, both
from the Friendship Wesleyan School, East Coast, had
sufficient perseverance to take full advantage of the
opportunity, and to continue the course to the end,

A second lot of six students entered for a three-
years’ course at the beginning of the present year.
These are housed at the Orphan Asylum, and a part. of
their pay is deducted each week, to yo towards the
expense of their board and lodging.

It is hoped that later it will be found possible to
take on a dozen boys at a time.

re

Seedling Canes in Antigua and St. Kitt’s.

The figures given in Pamphlet No. 50, just
published by the Imperial Department of Agriculture,
indicate the increasing extent to which seedling canes
are displacing the Bourbon and White Transparent
varieties in Antiguavand St. Kitt’s.

Sixty estates in Antigua reaped 8,879 acres of
canes in the crop season of 1907 of which 1,902 acres,
or 214 per cent. of the whole, were planted with
seedling canes. Tor the crop season of 1908 on the
same estates, the area devoted to seedling varieties in
Antigua had increased to 2,121 acres, or 241 per cent.

In St. Kitt’s, no less than 5,814 acres out of
a total aren of 7,506 acres, or 71 per cent. are planted
with the newer seedling varieties. This relatively
large proportion, as compared with Antigua, is due to
the fact that the White Transparent cane, grown in
St. Kitt’s, does not exhibit the immunity to
has shown elsewhere, and hence it has been
to look for more resistant varieties.

disease it
n ecessary

ge
Labour in Trinidad,

The proper adjustment of the wages to be paid for
indentured and free labour respectively, in Trinidad, has
been causing some trouble of late.

Under a previous enactment the rate of wages
paid for indentured labour must not be less than would
be paid to a free Jabourer for the same work, Under
these conditions it was impossible to raise the wages of
the creole workman, without at the same time increas-
ing those of the indentured East Indian as well. But
inasmuch as the latter also obtained perquisites of the
value of from Ile. to 18¢. per day, besides being entitled
to constant employment, it is hardly to be wondered at
that this arrangement should require modification.

As the result of inquiry into the question by
a Select Committee, the Secretary of State has sanetion-
ed an alteration in the Immigration Ordinance, the
effect of which will be to enable employers to raise the
wages of their free Jabourers by an amount equivalent
to the free quarters and medical attendance provided
for the indentured Rast Indians.

VoL Vill; No: 154.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. a9

American Maize Crop.

The final official estimate of the. American maize
crop of 1907 is 2,592,320,000 bushels. Although this
is fully 335,000,000 bushels less than the yield of 1906,
which formed a record crop, it has been exceeded only in
that year and in 1905. ‘There is ‘consequently an
ample quantity for export, and the amount shipped
will probably be quite as great as would be the case if
the crop were considerably larger. This 1s due to the
fact that, with a record crop, prices tend to drop, and
growers prefer to feed the corn to stock instead of
selling. At present prices, however, it would be more
profitable to place on the market. “Asa rule, about
one-thirtieth part of the maize crop of the United
States is exported.

rr)

Mule Raising in Cuba.

The increased attention that is being devoted to
agriculture in Cuba, and the adoption of more up-to-
date methods, have brought about the necessity for more
efficient motive power on the estates, than the native
oxen. ‘his has led to an increased demand for mules,
and good animais are reported to fetch from $220 to
$250 on the Havana market.

The growing. value set-wpon~mules in Cuba of
late years is indicated by the greater number of these
animals annually inaported into the island. In 1902-3
the imports nnmbered 2,128 head; this increased to
3,454 in 1903-4, while the mule imports of 1904-5
reached 6,801. Most of these animals were obtained
from the United States, Mexico, and the British West
Indies. As mules can be bred cheaply in Cuba, increas-
ing attention is being given to this branch of stock
farming.

qqum 2? a —_——

Trinidad Oil-fields.

In his report on the oil-fields of the Central Antic-
line (Central District of Trinidad), Mr. E. H. Cunning-
ham-Craig states that the surface indications of oil
are not numerous but are very striking in character.

Favourable conditions for drilling along the Central
Anticline extend eastward through the Oropuche
Lagoon, and the horizon of the Rio Blanco Oujlsand
continues to be petroliterous when traced in this
direction.

Drilling can be confidently recommended along the
greater part of the line on both sides of the crest, but
Mr. Craig thinks it probable that wells drilled south of
the crest would prove more productive than if sunk on
the northern flank. The line between the Moruga
Road, and the point where the anticlinal crest reaches
the lagoon seem to offer the most favourable conditions.

One of the chief difficulties that would be encoun-
tered by oil companies are the steep dips prevalent
over a large part of the Trinidad oil-fields. It is only
in fairly deep wells, however, that difficulties caused by
steep dips become very serious, and Mr. Craig states
that any part of the area referred to in the report can
be tested for oil without the necessity of driling wells
deeper than 1,000 feet.

Agricultural Conditions in British Honduras.

British Honduras is a colony of great agricultural
resources, but up to the present, the development of
these resources has progressed very slowly. To a large
extent this can be accounted for by the want of good
roads and the poor facilities of transport that exist
within the colony. These considerations have been
mainly responsible for the fact that capitalists preferred
to make investments elsewhere, while the peasantry
have chiefly made a living ont of the wood-cutting
industry.

The soil and climate of British Honduras are
undoubtedly suited for the growth of many valuable
crops, such as limes, bananas, rice, maize, and cacao, and
in the future these will probably form staple products
ofthe colony. The past year was a good one, and the
agricultural exports showed a considerable increase: but
the rate of development is still slow, aud the peasantry
are stated to be emigrating in search of work elsewhere.

This is very unsatisfactory in a colony where there
exists such a large area of Crown lands, and it 1s possi-
ble, as the Belize Clarion suggests, that a modification
of the conditions under which lands are taken up in
British Honduras might go far to increase the number
of small holdings, and encourage the peasantry to settle
at home, instead of emigrating as they are doing at
present.

———— SB
Packing Cacao Seeds.

A method of packing cacao seeds for export,
which had given good results in Samoa, was described
in the Agricultural News of October 20, 1906 (Vol. V,
p. 331).

By this method, ripe seeds, after being well washed,
were gently rubbed with a rough towel in order to
remove the pulp, care being taken not to damage the
skin. The beans are next placed in a current of cool
air for twenty-four hours. ‘Che material with which the
seeds are packed consists of a mixture of equal parts of
vegetable mould and finely ground charcoal, moistened
to resemble earth taken froma shady place. A layer
of this mixture, { inch deep, is spread in the bottom of
a tin box (9x 4x 4inches) and on this rows of seeds
are placed, another layer of charcoal and mould coming
above. The box is filled in*this way with alternate
layers of seeds and packing mixture, and abox of the
above dimensions will hold about 200 seeds.

In order to put the above method to the test at
Kew Gardens, a request was made to Sir Daniel Morris
that a package of seeds, put wp in the manner described,
should be forwarded to Kew. A box containing 200
seeds was accordingly sent by parcel post from Domin-
ica, and arrived at Kew apparently in good condition,
every one of the seeds having germinated on the way.
A second supply of seeds packed in a similar manner
was forwarded a few months later. and these also arrived
in good condition, and practically all of them germinated,

The outcome of this packing experiment is that
cacao beans, selected, prepared, and packed as
above described, can be sent from the West Indies to
England, and probably much farther, and that about 70
per cent. of them are likely to produce healthy plants,

90 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 21, 1908

Practical Remedies for Insect Pests.

The article reprinted below, dealing with measures
for the destruction of insect pests affecting agricultural
crops, 18 from the pen of Mr. H. Maxwell-Lefroy,
formerly Entomologist on the staff of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture, and now holding a similar
position under the Government of India.

Although some of the insects referred to by
My. Lefroy are not found in the West Indies, yet many
of the remedial measures recommended are of general

utility, and are reproduced as illustrative of lines of

treatment that may with advantage be adopted in
combating the ravages of insect pests in these
colonies :—

The ultimate aim of the study of destructive insects
is the discovery of some feasible method, whereby their
increase and destructiveness may be checked and crops
preserved from their attacks. .In such a quest, not only
must the habits and characteristics of each individual pest be
considered, but it is of equal importance to take into account
the conditions under which the crop is grown, and the facilt-
ties there are for adopting any method of ‘repression, It is
probable that the scientific methods that appeal — to
the skilled farmer of European countries will be of Iittle
value when applied to the conglitions of Indian Agriculture,
and the best method that science reveals can scarcely be
regarded as suitable to the present problem. In very many
cases, the habits of a pest are such that practically nothing
is possible unless we can utilize the most up-to-date
methods. In others, a weak point can be found in
the life of the pest when it can be successfully attacked by
some very simple means. Giyen some such simple remedy,
thorough co-operation in its appheation over some area is
usually also necessary, and this is perhaps to be obtained only
when an unusual abundance of a pest awakes the cultivator
to the necessity of some action and, with a little pressure,
a fair trial can be given to, the remedy. Experience has
shown that, for some pests, there are such simple remedies
as can be applied by an individual cultivator, and it is chietly
these it is proposed to discuss here.

One instance is the very simple method of checking the
stem borer of cotton, where the withered plants which contain
the pest can be removed and burnt with the pest within.
The emerging beetle is not a wide-ranging insect, and is apt
small area ; the destruction of the
withered plants in a cotton plot does much to protect that
particular plot, and though joint action over a large area
would be far more effective, even a small plot may be largely
protected.

The red bug of cotton isa pest that yields to the simplest
of all methods, destruction by hand ; so also the very common
dusky bug, which often swarms in cotton bolls, can be checked
by the simple precaution of removing all the bolls that are
worthless at the same time as the round ripe bolls are plucked.
It is unfortunately a general practice to leave on the plant
those bolls which have been so damaged by boll worm as to

to confine its ravages to a

be not worth plucking ; the dusky bug finds there a secure
breeding place where it may lay its eggs, and where its young
can obtain food from the uninjured seeds; from these
breeding places it spreads to other bolls and in them it sucks
the seeds, rendering, them useless for sowing or oi-extraction.
The removal of all such bolls is a simple and effective means
of preventing the feeding of this pest. In cases where dusky
bug is very abundant, a further simple method is valuable ;
the bug collects in the bolls in great numbers and, when
disturbed, runs out and falls to the ground. The great
nunber of these can be destroyed by tapping the boll while
a pot of water with,a film of kerosene over is held below the
boll: practically all the bugs fall into the water and are
killed. and an infested field can be very rapidly cleared.

Among the minor pests of cotton that are occasionally
very injurious is the leaf roller, a green caterpillar that rolls
up the leaf into a funnel and lives inside. This pest commences
when the cotton (if sown with the first rain) is about a month
eld ; the rolled up leaf is very characteristic and an infested
plant has a peculiar appearance due to the unnatural position
of these leaves. Every one of these leaves can be picked off
with the caterpillar in, and if the work is done early, the first
brood ean be so thoroughly checked that very little remains
to be done. If the first brood is missed, the increase
great that a vigorous crop will be completely stripped later in
the season, and it then becomes a far harder task. Were
labour an expensive item, spraying with an arsenical poison
would be the simple remedy, and both have been in use on
the Pusa Experimental Farm. As it is, we have here a case
that partienlarly applies to our conditions, and one that is
within the reach of any cultivator.

1S SO

A pest that is constantly reported from cane-growing
districts is the moth borer. The principal remedy for it is to
cut out and remove all the shoots which die in the young
canes and which have the insect in them, In many sorghum-
growing districts, especially in the Central Provinces and Bom-
bay Presidency, this msect hibernates insorghum plants, and the
caterpillar is constantly found in the stumps left in the ground
after the crop is cut. The removal of these stumps is a very
valuable remedy, since it removes the pest when it has no
other refuge and destroys the insects that would otherwise do
much harm later in the season. This is a practical measure
well worth impressing on cultivators ; they know the insect,
they can be shown it in the sorghum stump, and though they
do not understand. its transformation, yet they are open to the

common-sense suggestion that these insects will increase
later on, and attack their crop.

Most of these remedies are plain common-sense
methods, and if we could find such points in the life

of every pest, we would be able to deal more effectively
with the problem. Apart from their value as remedies,

the methods of* treatment mentioned are valuable also
as demonstrations: if a start can be made by demon-
strating such simple remedies, and the agriculturist can
be induced to take them up at times when the losses
from the pest are fresh in his mind, the foundation

for further work in checking preventible loss will be laid. It is
astounding universally the simplest remedies are
unthought of by the cultivator, apparently because the question
of checking pests never suggests itself until the overwhelming
numbers of a caterpillar or grasshopper make a practical
remedy an impossibility. In very many cases, if the possibil-
ity of checking ansinsect was known to the crop grower, he
would from his own intimate knowledge of his crops, be ‘able
to prevent ov cheek much of the loss that constantly occurs.

(To be continued. )

how

Woe Wal aNoy aby

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 91

AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS.

In December last the pupils of the Dominica,
St. Lucia, and St. Vincent Agriculturai Schools under-
went the usual half-yearly examination by Mr. F. A.
Stockdale, B.A. F.LS. Below are ‘given tie general
reports of the examiner on the work done at the
respective schools :— ,

DOMINICA,

Twelve pupils sat for the examination.
juniors and one was a new boy.

Of the more important subjects, Arithmetic came out
best, but the working ont of the various questions was not as
clearly given as could be wished for. Attention should be
given to this point, and careful supervision over the whole
class is necessary. The answers submitted in the science
subjects were very uniform, and showed 'that the pupils had
a fair elemetary knowledge of the principles of agricultural
science Some slight improvement has been made in these
subjects since the last examination, and it is satisfactory to
note that few careless blunders were noticeable in the present
examination. There is, however, still room for improvement
in all the subjects. Geography has improved slightly, but
some of the papers were poor. Extra time might profitably
be given to this subject during the conting half-year. The
Composition and Dictation were fair. Some slight advance
has been made in grammatical construction. The writing and
neatness of the whole class were generally satisfactory.

The new boy sent in some promising answers.
Arvithemetic was good.

Eleven were

His

ST.- LUCIA.

Seven pupils took the papers set for the senior class, ten
those for the junior, and there were two new boys. Papers
from three candidates for admission into >the school were also
submitted.

The work of the senior class was: fairly satisfactory.
Some improvement has been made in ‘Agriculture and in
Chemistry. The Botany is only fair, while Geography is
particularly weak. These last two subjects should receive
careful attention for they have been rather weak for some
time. Geography, although special attention was called to it
in the last examination, has shown no improvement. Extra
time might profitably be given to this subject.

The junior class, as @ whole, is fair. / Agriculture is still
rather weak, particularly with some of the lower boys.
Chemistry has improved considerably singe the last examina-
tion but Botany should receive further attention. Geography
was very poor. Arithmetic has maintained the improvement
shown at the last examination, but greater neatness could
have been wished for. Composition and Dictation have shown
some slight improvement. f

The new boys’ papers were fair, their Arithmetic being
quite promising.

The papers sent in by the candidates were very interest-
ing, as they may, I suppose, be taken as good examples of the
raw material sent to the school. The best of the three could
only obtain 29 per cent. of the total marks for Agriculture,
Arithmetic, Geography, Composition, and Dictation.

ST. VINCENT. I

Five boys took the papers set for the senior class, twelve
those set for the junior class, and there were four new boys.

The science subjects are, on the avhole, satisfactory.
The improvement shown in the last examination in Agriculture
and Botany has been maintained ; many of the answers sent
in were of a high standard. It is satisfactory to note, also,

that considerable improvement has been made in Chemistry,
a subject that had been rather weak at the two last examina-
tions. Attention should, however, continue to be given to
this subject in order that the improvement made may be
maintained, and that the few pupils that are still weak may
be given careful instruction, Arithmetic is fairly good, but
it is not quite so satisfactory as in the last examination.
Many careless blunders were made.

Of the less important, subjects, the Composition and
Dictation papers were generally satisfactory, but Geography is
stil weak. In the last reportit was mentioned that Geography
should receive careful attention, and I would now suggest that
extra time should be given to this subject, as improvement
will be looked for at the next examination.

CASSAVA ROOTS AND STARCH
MANUFACTURE.

A pamphlet (Bulletin No. 106 of the Burean of
Chemistry) has been issued by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture dealing with; the properties and uses of
cassava.

Apart from tood purposes one of the chief uses of cassava
is in the manufacture of starch. It will be remembered that
cassava starch manufacture has been on trial in Jamaica for
some time past (dyricultural News, Vol. V, p. 410), and
it is now being produced at three centres, This starch is of
considerable value, and if well made, commands a price of
from £15 to £16 on the English market. In the trials
carried out at Hope Gardens to ascertain the starch-yielding
values of different cassavas, a return of 4 tons of starch per
acre was obtained, after twelve months’ growth, from the best
varieties.

Since cassava tubers deteriorate rapidly on being harvest-
ed, it is advisable, when intended for starch manufacture,
that they should be grown as near the mill as possible. The
grower who lives in close proximity to the factory is there-
fore at an advantage as compared with the grower who lives
at a distance. Some practical method of treatment of the
roots which would do away with the necessity of immediate
utilization would confer a great benefit upon cassava culti-
vators, and experiments of this kind undertaken by the U. 8.
Department of Agriculture, are described in the pamphlet.

Briefly, these experiments consisted of grinding the
tubers to a fine meal and drying in the sun. The cassava
meal so prepared is reported to have kept for eight months
without signs of deterioration. This means that the product
can be stored and marketed to much better advantage, while
owing to the great decrease in weight (about 50 per cent.), as
the result of moisture evaporation on drying, the cost of
transport is reduced by one-half,

The mill used in grinding the roots was of very simple
construction, and cost complete no more than $10. Such
a machine would therefore be within the reach of growers
producing cassava on only a small scale. It ground 1 ton of
tubers in one and a half hours.

The drying trays used in exposing the ground cassava to
the sun, in order to evaporate the moisture, consisted of
a wooden framework with a canvas bottom. They were 5 feet
long by 24 feet broad, and Were made very cheaply. The
cassava meal was occasionally stirred in the process of drying.

Should the cassava starch industry of Jamaica develop,
as it shows every promise of doing, the above method of
preparation and preservation might be worthy of adoption
by growers in certain parts. In the West Indies it would be
possible to completely dry and bag the cassava meal on the
same day as the roots were ground.

99 THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Marcu 21, 1908-

GLEANINGS

During the year 1906, 06 Miwelve grants of Crown land
were taken up in British Honduras, the whole comprising an
arew of T7161 acres. The Crown land in British
Honduras is $1 per

cost. of
acre.

One hundred and thirty-one-grants of Crown land were

made in British Guiana during 1906-7. These comprised
a total area of 3,571 acres. Thirty-two grants were of 5 acres

and under.

The Port-of Spain Gazette veports that from the begin-
ning of the cane-reaping season up to February 29 last, cane
farmers in the southern district of Trinidad had supplied the
factories with 29,500 tons of cane, valued at £60,200.

The introduction into Papua, New Guinea, of ravbits,
hares, foxes, monkeys, or any animal other than useful
domestic animals, has been forbidden under heavy penalties.
(Papua Government Gazette.)

Over 1,600 budded citrus plants, chiefly of the
Washington Navel orange, were sold from the Dominica
Botanic Station and Agricultural School during 1906-7. It
is reported that there is a steady demand for these plants.

The output of balata in British
reached 637,040 b., figure for
1905-6, Prices are good, and the latest report ( (1906- 7) on
the colony estimates the present year’s production to be still
higher.

Guiana during 1906-7
a considerable increase on the

The want of good transport fac ilities has long prevented
the utilization of the best agricultural land in British
Honduras. The railway that is about to be laid in the Stan
Creek Valley, ‘will open up one of the most fertile
districts.

however,

A number of Mangosteen plants (Gareima Mangostana)
ave now established in Dominica, three of which are at the
Botanic Station. It is stated that this plant grows best on
fairly heavy soils, and in districts where the rainfall is well

over 100 inches per annum.

His Majgsty’s Consul at Palermo reports a good crop of
fruit {oranges and lemons) for the present season in
fruit is small, but the return abundant

A new company has just been formed for
manufacture,

citrus
Sicily. The
than last season.
citrate of lime

is more

The U.S. Consul at Caleutta, in a Jate report, draws
attention to the great ae of cattle from disease and other
causes, that took place in the Madras province during the
three months ending June 30, 1907... The total loss is placed
at 23,801. Of these, 12,778 died ‘from rinderpest, 1,979
from anthiax, while 2,789 were killed by wild animals.

St. Kitt’s-Nevis during 1907

The amount of sugarcane products shipped from

reached 14,179 tons of sugar,
and 300 puncheons of rum,

55 puncheons of molasses,

It is satisfactory to note that the exports of cacao from
Jamaica during the past year show a greater increase than
those of any other product. The amount of cacao shipped in
1906-7 was greater by 16,500 ewt. than the shipments of the
previous year, this being equal to an-inereased value of
£57,000.

The Vorce of St. Lucia comments on the great extent to
which donkeys are used in Barbados as compared with other
West Indian islands. It points out that. these animals would
be most useful to small cultivators in St. Lucia, especially in
the more hilly districts of the interior, and suggests that the
Agricultural Society might start a movement to promote the
breeding of donkeys on organized lines in the island.

The Tahiti or Persian Seedless has been reported on as
the chief variety of lime grown in Cuba. This is described
as a prolific variety, the fruit containing a'good percentage of
citric acid, but not ‘having good keeping properties. There
are, too, a considerable number of native varieties of limes
grown in Cuba, and growers of these report that the produce
is of excellent qué ality.

The Jamaica Board of Agriculture has recommended to
the Government, that a provision of school gardens shall
become compulsory in connexion with all the elementary
schools of the colony. The Jamaica Telegraph approves this
step, but expresses an opinion that the best results will
only be obtained if the Agricultural Instructors of the island
undertake the instruction work with the
gurdens.

connected school

Several varieties of cassava have been grown experiment-
ally at the Agricultural Experiment Station, Bahamas. Part
ot the erop was raised after nine months’ growth, the
remainder being taken up twelve months after planting. In
all cases the most profitable results were obtained after twelve
months’ growth. In the ease of two varieties, White Top
and White Stock, the return after twelve months’ growth was

greater by 7 tons per acre than after nine months’ growth.
The Agricultural Instructor of St Ann and Trelawney,

Jamaica, reports that the people of the Deeside district are
showing very considerable interest in the possibility of the
establishment of jippijappa hat manufacture in their midst.
The Instructor has heen requested to get

all the information
possible on

the subject, together with a stock of plants for
establishment in the district, so as to ensure a steady supply
of straw before starting operations. ;

Raw lime juice to the extent of 234,238 gallons was’
exported from Dominica during 1907, fi shows an increase
of 60,700 gallons as compared with 1906. Of concentrated
lime juice, 126,809 gallons were shipped during 1907
a small increase on the shipments of the previous year,

Sisal hemp (Ayave rigida, var. stsalana) and Mauritius
hemp (/ureraca gigantea) we now being largely planted in
many parts of Queensland. The agricultural report on the
colony for 1906-7 states that these plants thrive luxuriantly
on the coast Jands, and there appears to be every indication

that Queensland will become an important centre for the
production of sisal fibre.

VOT Ve NOne lo 4:

DOMINIGA: REPORT ON BOTANIC STATION,

AGRICULTURAL

SCHOOL, AND EXPERIMENT
PLOTS, 1906-7, .

This report, the interest of which is increased by the
inclusion of twelve photographie illustrations, opens with an
account of the establishment and subsequent history of the
Dominica Botanic Station. From this it appears that Botanic
Gardens were established on the present site in 1891. The
present Curator, Mr. Joseph Jones, was appointed in 1892.

The efforts made by the Imperial Department of Agri-
culture to develop the agricultural industries and advance
the agricultural interests of Dominica are also described in
the réport. Since 1898 the Imperial Department has main-
tained the Botanic Station by means of an annual grant.
The Dominica Agricultural School was started in 1900, and
this also has been kept up by the Department. Lectures and
demonstrations on the principles of agriculture have been
given to head teachers in the elementary schools of Dominica
by officers of the Department, im order to fit these masters to
give agricultural instruction to the pupils of their schools,
and to undertake the management of school gardens.

The work which the Dominica Botaénie Station has been
enabled to carry out as a centre for the growth and distribu-
tion of economic plants has undoubtedly been of the greatest
value to the planting community of theisland. The average
number of plants distributed from the Gardens each year from
1902 to 1906 was 55,726, with a total of 285,631 for the
whole period. These consisted chiefly of limes and cacao.
Large numbers of rubber seeds and plants have also been
supplied from the station. An important branch of work,
too, has been the raising and propagationfby budding methods,
of citrus fruits and mangos. More“recently, interesting
experiments in grafting cacao have been made at the station.
Useful experiments in connexion with the mannrial require-
ments of cacao have also been in progress in Dominica during
the past few years, under the <«lirection of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture. ia

The organization and institution of agricultural shows,
the establishment of Permanent Exhibition Committees, and
the introduction of improved cacao driers—which have also
proved useful in drying citrate of lime+may be mentioned
as other means by which the Imperial Department has
endeavoured to assist the agricultural industries of Dominica.

With reference to the work of the'year under review,
it is stated that the total expenditure in*connexion with the
Botanic Station amounted to £779 7s, 5d., while the
receipts from the sale of plants and produce amounted to
£252 3s. 11d. The number of plants distributed during
1906-7 is the largest recorded in any year since the station
was started, the total number being $3,505. This represents
an increase of nearly 18,000 over the jrevious year, which
is mainly due to the enormous demand’ for cacao and lime
plants. Mg
The experiments with spineless limes and grafted cacao
at present in progress at the station, and’of which details are

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 93

given in the report, are of especial interest. In connexion
with the lime experimenté, results are tabulated, showing the
relative percentage of juiée and of acid in the juice, of the
spineless lime, as compared with the ordinary variety.
Interesting results have? been obtained in the manwial
experiments with limes atSt. Aroment

As regards the Agric&ltural School, work has progressed
satisfactorily during the: year. The expenditure on the
school during 1906-7 was £590, while £26 14s. were received
from the sale of plants, honey, ete. Apart from the school
lessons, the boys receive piactical instruction out of doors in
general cultural operations, and budding, grafting, pruning,
ete. are also taught.

VIRGIN ISLANDS: ANNUAL REPORT ON THE
EXPERIMENT STATION, 1906-7.

An account of the establishment of the Tortola Experi-
ment Station in 1900, under the auspices of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture, appears at the commencement of
the report. The Department purchased an old sugar estate,
on which considerable improvements have been made, build-
ings erected, a well sunk, ete. About 46 acres of this estate
were afterwards let out to small holders, and about 14 acres
reserved for the station proper. Many improvements have
been effected on the site; roads have been laid out, a well
sunk, and an aermotor erected for pumping water. The
station has since been laid out in plots of 1 acre, and
planted with various crops, such as seedling canes, limes,
pine-apples, cacao, coffee, etc., for experimental purposes.

The report also contains a summary of the efforts made
by the Imperial Department, during the past ten years, te
improve the condition of the agricultural industries of the
Virgin Islands. During this period the cotton imdustry has
been re-introduced, and the cultivation of this crop has been
of special benefit in Virgin Gorda and Anegada, where little
else can be grown. Further, the suitability of certain districts
of Tortola for the cultivation of cacao has been demonstrated,
and some plots have been planted with this crop, and improve-
ment has been effected in the local breeds of stock by the
introduction of animals of superior type, such as members of
the woolless breed of sheep, and Togeenburg goats.

The work of the Agricultural Instructor, both at the
Experiment Station and by means of visits to ontlying
districts for the purpose of giving information and advice
has been of value to the agriculturists of the Virgin Islands.

The total expenditure on the Experiment Station
during 1906-7 was £609 7s.!ld. The receipts from the sales
of prodnee, amounts paid in towards the purchase of land,
ete., amounted to £47 17s.’ 7d. The figures given in rela-

_ tion to the cotton industry show that an estimated profit of

£125 lls. 3d. was made during the year under review.
Experiments made at the station seem to indicate that May
and June are the best months for planting cotton in Tortola.

The value of the cotton and seed shipped from the
Virgin Islands in the 1907 season is estimated at £400, an
increase of £135 on the slipments of the previous year.
As mentioned in a recent number of the Ayrienttural News
(Vol. VI, p. 395), samples ,of cacao produced in Tortola
were at the end of 1906 submitted to dealers in London.
From the report received it would appear that cacao of good
quality can be grown in the island. :

The seven reproductions of photographs with which the
report is illustrated will assist In giving some idea of the work
that has been done at the station.

o4 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. Marcu 21, 1908..
RUBBER EXHIBITION IN LONDON. they might not, with advantage, lend their assistance

The proposals that have been made to hold an
International Rubber Exhibition in London during
1908 were mentioned in the, Agricultural News of
September 21 Jast (Vol. VI, p. 297). The initial sugges-
tions met with such ready respouse from planters and
manufacturers, as well as from Con cammeni officials in
rubber-producing countries, and other persons inter-
ested, that the proposals have t taken concrete form, and
arrangements have already been made to hold the
exhibition at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hall,
London, from September 21 to 26 next.

The great success which attended the Ceylon rubber
exhibition of 1906 led to the suggestion that such meetings
should be held periodicaliy, and the prospects for the London
exhibition of the present year are certainly promising. The
main object of the show is naturally to attract pubhe atten-

tion to the great advances made by the rubber producer and
manufacturer during recent years. Even since 1906 many

new features and improvements have been introduced which
are still unknown to many who would be interested.

The preliminary prospectus of the exhibition that has
Jately been issued contains a list of the various articles,
materials, ete., for which elasses will be provided. The large
number of these classes indicates the extensive nature of the
exhibition, which will cover the whole of the rubber industry,
and include manufactured goods of every description,
machinery used by manufacturers in the preparation of
mbber goods, as well as all kinds of planters’
such as tapping knives, latex cups, coagulating
presses, packing cases, etc. There will also
erude and prepared rubber of every description, rubber seeds,
and specimens of all known rubber yielding plants,

Another interesting feature in connexion with the show
will be the iustrated lectures aud addresses, for the delivery
of which the committee are making arrangements. It is
hoped that planters and producers will attend these lectures,
and by taking part in the discussions, the inter-
change and dissemination of information on subjects connected
with the rubber industry. A club-room will be arranged in
the Exhibition Hall solely for the use of exhibitors and their
friends.

The advantages of participating in exhibitions of the
kind described are being realized in the West Indies, where
Permanent Exhibition Committees have been organized in
most of the islands to bring together representative collections
of produce of the colonies, and forward them to suitable meet-
ings of this kind in England and Canada.

Little can be expected in the way of rubber exhibits
from the individual colonies of the West Indies, since in those
islands in which the industry exists at all, it has advanced no
farther than the experimental stage. The several islands and
British Guiana, however, might well co-operate to illustrate,
by a collective exhibit, the rubber-producing possibilities of
this part of the British Empire.

At least three kinds of rubber
several of the islands, notably in Trinidad,
and St. Lueia, while British Guiana
indigenous species of the Sapeum genus

“There exists therefore, the possibility of preparing and
forwarding an interesting colléection to the London
This might well consist of botanical specimens, seeds of native
and also small or large
Permanent Exhbibitien
whether

accessorles,
agents,
be classes for

assist in

trees are being grown in
Dominica,
addition,

Jamaica,
has, in

show,
and introduced rubber plants, speci
mens of rubber from such plants. The

Committees of the several islands should consider

in connexion with thé exhibition, since even at this early
stage of development of the West Indian rubber industry, it
will be well to keep the possible resources of the colonies well
before the London market.

Tt may be mentioned that the Advisory Committee of

the Exhibition includes the names of Sir Daniel Morris,
Mr. Algernon E. Aspinall (Editor of the West India

Committee Circular), and Mr. H. Hamel Smith (Editor of

Tropical Life).

BRITISH GUIANA AND THE AGRI
CULTURAL CONFERENCE.

In the course, of their reply to the Governor's
speech, the members of the Combined Court of British
Guiana made the: following reference to the West
Indian Agricultural Conference of January last :—

It is to be hoped that among the important results
ensuing from the recent West Indian Conference at Barbados
will be an enlargement of trade, not only intercolonially, but
also with ¢ Canada, a country which seemingly has reciprocal
inclinations in this direction. We shall look forward with
much interest to the further holding of such Conferences,
feeling assured as we do that much good will follow. We
cordially unite in support of the suggestion to hold the next
Conference in this colony, and any sum that your Excellency
may deem fit to require us to vote will be most willingly
considered

DISC PLOUGHS.

Dise ploughs are being successfully experimented
with in parts of the West ‘Indies, notably in Antigua.
The uses of this implement were discussed in a short
article in a recent. number of the West India Com-
mittee Circular, trom which the following particulars
have been taken :—

Dise ploughs are at the present time playing an important
part in the cultivation of dry, arid soils by reason of their
adaptability for breaking up and thoroughly pulverising land
which is in a dry, hard condition, and preparing it to receive
the first rains. Itis a well-known fact that in many dry and
hot climates the land has to be left unploughed until the rain
has softened and prepared it for the share plough. This often
causes serious delay,in seeding, late crops, and sometimes
failure, as the first heavy rains run off the land into. the
streams, instead of soaking into the soil. Tt has been proved
by experience that the land ploughed ina dry state retains
moisture for a much longer period than land ploughed in
a wet condition, Among the many other advantages claimed
for the dise plough in arid and hot climates are: (1) It is
lighter in draught, due to the fact that it is carried entirely
on Wheels, which thus reduces the bottom and side friction

toa minimun, while the revolving action of the dise blades

also gives a lighter cut than the driving action of the share
and coulter of the ordinary plough. (2) The wear and tear
of a dise plough isivalso considerably less than that of an
ordinary plough, asithe lite of a disc is about twelve times
that of a steel share, while the cost is less than double, (3)
For weedy lands, peat, or other soils infested with fibrous
roots the dise plough is unsurpassed, as it cuts through and
clears itself of all/ obstacles. In fact there is little land,
except very stony, ov very wet and sticky soils, which

canmot be advantageously ploughed with a dise plough.

Vor. VII. No’ 154.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS 95

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.

Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the
following report on the London drug and spice market
‘during the month of January :—

The extension of the Christmas holidays far into the first
week of the year, combined with the effects of stock taking,
has been the means of reducing the actual amount of busi-
ness done in January to that of a short month. The first drug
auction, indeed, was not held till Jannany 16, when, as might
be expected, the offerings of goods were of a consider rable
extent, and the tone of the markets generally showed some
improvement over that which prevailed at the close of the
year. In the matter of West Indian products the following
are the principal items :—

GINGER,

At the first spice sale on the &th, no Jamaica was
offered, and but a few packages of Cochin and Calicut, good,
small and medium cut fetching 56s. 6d., and ordinary, part
mouldy washed, 3ls. None was brought forward in the
following week, but at the auction on the 22nd, 250 barrels
of Jamaica were offered and bought in, at 75s. to 80s. for
dull to fair washed, and 90s. for bold. Washed rough Cochin
was also bought in at 38s. to 40s. It was stated that a large
business had been done privately in Cochin during the w eek.
At the last spice sale on the 29th, Jamaica was in slow
demand, while Cochin and Calicut sold at steady rates, about
100 bags being disposed of.

NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO

On the &th, some 240 packages of nutmegs were offered
and mostly sold at varied prices, the smaller sizes realizing
firmer rates. Nothing of note occurred in this article for the
remainder of the month, At the same’ sale about 80 pack-
ages of West Indian mace were disposed of at the following
prices :—ls. 4d. to Ist ae for fair pale, 1s. 3d. for pale and
reddish, ls. ld. to 1s. 2d. for fair red, and 93d. to 1s. per Ib.
for broken. Of P an 3d. per Ib, wasithe price quoted
the beginning of the month, with a decline towards the end
to 21d.

ARROW ROOT

This article was in very slow demand, the quotation at
the beginning oH the month for good manufacturing St.
Vincent being 2 éd. At the auction on “the 8th, some 800
barrels were ae but none sold. For good Natal 47. per tb.
was asked ; nothing of note in this article occurred later.

SARSAPARILLA,

In the early port of the month: grey Jamaica was
reported to be very scarce, but at the first anction of the

year 6 bales of fair sound grey realized Is. 9d. per Tb., and
sea-damaged 1s. 8d. It was announced that a further
consignment of 18 barrels had arrived: but not landed in
time for this auction. Small sales of native Jamaica
were made at the following rates: for conmon mixed
yellowish and greyish 10d. per Ib, and for sea-damaged
8d. For another batch of 11 bales Is. ld. was obtain-
ed for good tawny, while fair red ‘sold at 1s, and
seen at J1lid. Fair rolled LimaJamaica fetched

s 7d. per Ih, at w hich price 3 bales of coarse rongh Lima were
see of; while 11d. to 1s. Od. per tb. was realized for 7
bales of Ecuador. At the last auction on the 29th, Sarsaparilla
was represented by offerings amounting to 63 bales, 60 of
which were disposed of mostly at lower rates, 39 bales of grey

Jamaica being secured at a reduction of from 2d. to 3d. per Wb.,
on the price paid at the previous auction.
KOLA, ANNATTO, LIME

JUICE, TAMARINDS, ETC.

At the sale on the 15th, some 48 packages of kola were
offered and 2 of dark Jamaica sold at 3 per lb., and ordinary
at 1$d¢. which was the price obtained on the 29th, for 3 bags
of mouldy and wormy West Indian. Nine bags of annatto seed
were offered about the middle of the month, 7 of which were
disposed of at 24d. per Ib. Towards the end of the month
annatto was reported as bel Ing scarce, a very medium quality
realizing 3$d. per Tb. With regard to lime juice, if was
stated towards the end of the month that some heavy orders
had been placed on the London market and that 1s. 3d. per
gallon had been paid for really good raw juice. On the 15th,
1 case, ont of 10 offered of West Indian oil of limes, hand
pressed, fetched 4s. 6¢. per lb. At the same sale 4 barrels
of sweet West Indian distilled oilof orange realized 7s., and
1 barrel of bitter orange oil, 5s. 6d. per tb. Two cases of
West India distilled oil of pimento were also offered at this
sale and bought in, 6s. being the price suggested as the
probable value.

Cassia Fistula reported as scarce in the
middle of the month, no West Indian being on the market,
and 17s. to 20s. being the quotations for East Indian.
A week later, some 28 baskets of fair thin West Indian were
offered, and all sold without reserve at from 12s. to 13s.
Towards the end of the month the quotations for tamarinds
sold, duty paid, were as follows: —-First quality Barbados, 21s.;

was

Jamaica, 20s.; Antigua, 18s.ito 19s.; and East Indian from
12s, 6d. to 13s. At the ‘auction on the 16, a sample
bag of 114 tb. of ‘Cedron nuts’ were offered as a trial
sample, and being something out of the ordinary way
attracted some attention, though they are by no means
unknown in England. The tree producing them is the

Simaba Cedron belonging to the Natural Order
and a native of new Granada, Their supposed cure for the
bites of snakes brought then into notice in early times, and
at one time they were favourably spoken of as a valuable
remedy in fevers, and as a ¢ure for toothache.

Stmarubeae,

GINGER CULTIVATION AT JAMAICA.

The United States Consul at Kingston, in a late
report, supplies the following particulars in reference
to the cultivation of ginger at Jamaica :—

The requirements for the growth of the plant are a cool,
equable temperature, a regular rainfall, an elevation of over
2,000 feet, and a rich clay loam soil. It is claimed that
these conditions are found in the central districts of the
island, the northern central, and, to some extent, the northern
parishes. I believe no extensive acreage of ginger, grown by
any single individual, at present exists on the island, its
cultivation being almost exclusively confined to settlers who
rent land in small, areas.

Since American capitalists have given such a boom to
banana growing in Jamaica, many of these small settlers, it
is said, have turned their energies in this direction
hence the falling off in the ginger exports.
planted between April and

| yOSsess OF

also,
Ginger is usually
June, and the crop is ready for

picking between the following December and March.
A. Jamaiean authority on the subject states that ‘ with

seasonable weather and fair attention bestowed on the
cultivation, the grower imay jcalewlate wpon an average of
2,000 Tb. of « “ured ginger per acre.”

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Marcu 21, 19085

MARKET REPORTS.

London,— March 3, 1908, ‘Tue West Inpta_ Con-

MITTEE CrrcuLar : Messrs. Krarron, Preir & Co.,
February 7. 1908; Messrs. E. A. pE Pass & Co.,
February 21, 1908.

ARROWROOT— No quotations.

Barats—Sheet, 2/4 ; block, 1/7 per tb.

Bees’-wax—Good quality £7 15s.

Cacao—Trinidad, 76/- to 88/- per ewt.; Grenada, 69/- to
75/- per ewt.

Corree—Santos, 30/- per cwt. ; Jamaica, no quotations.

Corra—West Indian, £16 10s. per ton.

Corron-—St. Vincent, 19. to 23d. ; Barbados, 1s. to 19d.;
St. Kitt’s, 18$d. to 20d.; Montserrat, 18d. to 194d.

Froir—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limes—No quotations

Pine-appLEs—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
GrarE Fruir—4/6 to 6/6 per box
Orances—Jamnaica, 5/3 to 7/- per box.

Fusric—£4 to £4 10s. per ton.

HonEy— 20s. to 27s. 6d. per ewt.

Istncuass—West India lump, 2/4 per tb.; cake. no
quotations.

Live Jurce—Raw, 1/2 to 1/5 per gallon; concentrated,
£15 5s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled Oil, 1/10
to 1/11 per th. : hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per Tb.

Locwoop—#4 to £4 10s. per fen; Roots, no quotations.

Mace— (Quiet, no quotations.

NurmMrecs—68'sto69's, 7d. to 9d!;'75's, Gd. to Ghd. 105’s,4gd.:
11)’s to 115’s, 33d. to 4}d.; LZ s: 3hd.; 138’s, hd.

Pimenro—2éd. per tb.

Rum—Jamaica, no quotations ; Demerara, no quotations ;
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucan—Crystals, 17,6 to 20/6 perewr. ; Muscovado, 12s, 3d. :
Molasses, 14/- to 14/6.

New York,—Felruary 21, 1905.—Messrs. Gimuespre

Bros, & Co.

Caoao—Caracas, 16}c. to lic. ; Grenada, lic. to Life. ;
Trinidad, I6c. to 17¢.; Jamaica, 15e. to 13$c. per Th.

Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, selecty $26°00 to $27°00; culls.
$1600 to $1700: Trinidad, $25°00 to $26°00; culls,
$1500 to S16-00 per M.

Corree—Jamaica, good washed, She. to 1c. ; good ordinary,
Sle. to Sie. per th.

GINGER The. to Lle. per th.

Goat Skins—Jainaica, 50c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Iitt’s, 50c. to Sle., dry tint ; 27¢. to 40¢., diy salted,

Crave Frvurr—Jamaicas, $2°50 to $4-00 per barrel,

Limes—Dorninien, 84°25 to 85°50 per barrel,

Macrn—30c. to 85e. per th.

Nurmecs—110's, 9c. per 1b.

ORANGES— Janmiiica. no quotations,
Prmentro— Sic. per th.
Svucan—Centrifugals, 96°, 3:°67e. to 3:78e.: Museovados,

89°, BAe. : Molasses, 89% Be. per th., duty praia.

Trinidad,—March 7,

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrsy James A. Lyncn & Co., March 17,

1908 : Mess
1908.

s. 1.5. Garraway & Co., March 16,

Arrowroor—St. Vincent, £4°00 to $4°20 per 100 Ib.
Cacao—Dominica, 16-00 to $17-G0 per 100 ib.
Cocoa-Nurs—$12°25 per M. for husked nuts.
Corrrr—Jamaica, $8°50 to $1050 per 100 ib.

Hay— $200 per 100 th.

Manoures—-Nitrate of soda, $6500 ; Ohlendortf’s dissolved
guano, $55°00; Cotton manure, $42°C0; Cacao
manure, $48°00; Sulphate of ammonia. $72-00 to
$75-00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Mo rassts—1lde. ; Faney, 6c. per gallon.

Oxtons—Madeira, $3°50 per 1U0 th.

Poraros, Enerisu—$1-40 to $2°25 per 160 th.

Peas—Split, $6°20 to $6°50 : Canada, 33°36 to $3°35 per bag.

Rrce—Demerara, $5°60 to $5°65 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°80 ;
Rangoon, $5°00 to $3:10 ver 100 th.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89 $1°90 per 100 th. package included ;
Dark crystals, $2°25 ; Centrifugals, $2 00 to $2°30 per
100 th.

British Guiana.—March 7, 1908.—Messrs. Wrerine

& RicHrer.

ArRrowkoor—St. Vincent, $700 to $10-00 per barrel,

Bazara— Venezuela vlock, 32c.: Demerara sheet, 48c. per tb,

Cacao—Native, 7c. to 18¢. per tb.

Cassava—No stock.

Cassava Srarncu—9°60 per barrel (retail).

Cocoa-Nurs—$12-00 to $1600 per M.

Corrre— Creole, 13c.: Jamaica, 12c. per th.

Drau— $5:00 to 84°25 per bag of 168 th.

Eppos— $144 per barrel.

Morasses — Yellow, 19c. ; Dark, no quotations per es

Ontoxs— Madeira, 4c. ; Lishon, 4c. nee ib. pon eaten

PLANTAINS— 20c. to 60c. per bunch.

Poratros,—English, $2°25 per barrel.

Poratros, Sweer— Barbados, $1-°32 per bag.

Rice—Bullan, €6°25 to §6°40 ; Creole, $5-00 for ood:
Seeta, $6°00 per bag. a (

Sprit Peas—$6°20 to $6°25 per bag (210 Ib.).

Tannias—$3°S4 per bag.

Yams—White, $240 ; Buck, $400 per bag.

Sucsr—Dark crystals, $2-20 to $2-25 ; Yellow, $2-90 toe
$3°00 ; White, $3°50 to $3-60; Molasses, $1:70 to
$195 per 100 tb. (retail).

Timver—Greenheart, 32c. vo 5dc. per cubic four.

WALLABA SHincirs—$3°50 to $575 per M.

Corpwoop— $240 to $2°64 per ton.

1908.—Messrs. Gouvon, Grant
& Co.

Cacao—$15°25 to'$16°50 per fanega.

Cocoa-NvuIS—No quotations.

Cocoa-NuT OrL—70e. per Imperial gallon, cask included.

COFFEE =) enezuclan, no quotations.

Corka—$2-75 to $3-00 per 100 tb.

Ditat—-$5'00 to $5-25 per 2-bushel bag.

ONIONS—$2°50 to $300 per 100 tb. (retail).

Poratos, ENcrish—$1°25 to $1:40 per 100 it.

Rier—Yellow, $550 to $5°60 ; White, $525 to $6-00 per bag.

Srrit Peas—$t-00 to $6°25 per bag.

Sveak—$5-00 to $h-05 per 100 tb.

THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN.’ A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

Volume I. No. 1 out of print.
Volumes IT and ITI.
Volume IV. Nos. 1 and 2.
Volumes V and VI.

Conference, 1905.
Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2; 3 and 4. Papers
Volume VIII.

Agricultural Conference, 1907. (contd.)

and Tobacco Industries in the West Indies.
Papers dealing with Animal Industry, Agricultural Credit and Loan Banks, Miscellaneous
Price 6d. per number.

(concluded. )
subjects, and Agricultural Education.

Price in original paper covers as issued, 2s. each.
Papers on general subjects.
in the United States and the West Indies.
Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists.
Price 6d. per number.
on general

Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; etc., ete.
No. 1. West Indian Agricultural Conference,
Address ; Abstract of Proceedings ; Papers dealing with the Sugar Industry.
Papers relating to Cacao, Fruit, Lime Juice, Rice, Rubber,

Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price 1s. each. Post free, 1s. 2d-

Post free, 2s. 8d.
No. 3. (out of print). No. 4.
Price 6d. each number.

Sea Island Cotton
Post free, 8d.
Report of Agricultural

Post free, 8d.

subjects : Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the

Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.

1907. List of Representatives ; Presidential

No. 2. West Indian

No. 3. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907.

Post free, 8d.

PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially

adapted to West Indian conditions.

They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work

on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulation. The following list gives particulars
of all the pamphlets which are still available. The missing numbers are out of print and can no longer be supplied :—

(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d.
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
(6) Recipes for cooking Sweet Potatos.
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Price 4d.

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The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS.’ A Fortnightly Review.

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Vou. VII. No. 154. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. Marcu 21, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES. FOR COLONIAL USE

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FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW

OF THE

FOR THE WEST INDIES.

APRIL 4, 1908. Price 1d.

CONTENTS. elementary schools in the West Indies and British
a Pak Guiana. It was mentioned that at Jamaica, fair pro-
Agricultural Banks in | Dominica Agricultural _ “gress was being made in this direction. In 1900, only
British Colonies... ... 107) Society... .-. +. 110 six schools received special grants amounting to £32.
Antigua Central Sugar Ege Preservation, New : ; : : Sai Be
ee ; ( thedtor 9 In 1906, the number of schools had increased to ninety-
Factory cdo. 104 Method of,.. 110

Avocado, Propagation of Fruit Fly, Destruction of

105 two, and the special grants to £227.

by Budding... . 104 Fruit Transportation and
Bananas in Costa Rico 101) Storage : Ne At british Guiana, three Government school
Resetaerai ymca ee ae = ‘ sleanings a cos 8 ; -
ritish Guiana, : s : eee Oe eee ; AW alanG : Aas nity Byars Ree a
Ee pee bina ee Ground Nut in United gardens had been established at Georgetown. In
SS : States . 101 addition, it was reported that the managers and teachers
Conference ... . 110 TDSC ReENTS tase ps : D :
Canada’s Wheat-producing Practical Remedies for of over Atty schools had started small gardens in the
Capacity 107 Insect Pests .. 106 country districts. ‘These latter are stated to ve earn-
Jastilloa Rubber 5 simes in Mexic fon Kt 2 : > 2 > ro
Cee Sea ae Tae i as ing about SO per cent. of the small grant offered under
Products of... ... 193 Nigeria, Southern, Agri- the Code Regulations.
Colombia, Rubber in . 104 culture in... By pest LOS pe 2 ;
Colonial Fruit and Vege- Notes and Comments ... 104 In Trinidad during last year, 203 schools were
table Shows... ... ... 100 Pineapples, Manures for 100 examined in practical agriculture. Steady progress
Cotton Notes :— Rubber Experiments in 5 Bs ean : a =e)
Barbados, Cotton British Guiana... ... 111 is reported from all parts of the island. ‘The forma-
M a ae goo 103 Bape Pigotingaan asi tion of school gardens is stated to be hindered by the
ontserrat, Cotton awall ats OnD 5 = oh 3 rapes
Industry in . 102 St. Lucia, Sericulture in 103 Want of suitable land, and by other difficulties. Five
Sea Island Cotton School Gardens ... - 97 horticultural school-sbows are annually held in Trinidad
Market .» ee 102) Sugar Industry :— Sa naty ‘ =
Virgin Islands, Cotton Brazil, Cane-sugar and Tobago.
Industry in seen LOZ, Imdustryfof... “<2. 9... 99 a : . atte , ke
West Indian Cotton . 102, Bread Manufacture, Use At Grenada, agricultural education in elementary
Department News -- 109 of Sugar in... . 99 schools appears to have declined during the last two
Departmental Reports :— British Guiana, Cane vee atts . | Ht Sie Fee lo
RENN d nee Gard Of Farming in... ..... 99 years and nothing worth mentioning is being done at
Agriculture, 1906-7 ... 109 Mexican Sugar Industry 99 present with school gardens. Matters are practically at
Montserrat : Botanic Tamarind Seeds, Uses of 101 : : “VW:
Station. 19067. ... 109 Tinidad Meat Stpply * jon 2 Standstill also in the elementary schools at St. Vincent.
Dominica Agricultural | Vanilla Plants in School Moderate progress is reported from St. Lucia.
g : 2 prog I
School... ..- LOZ! Gardens ve. LO5
ee At Barbados, forty-one boys’ schools and three
School Gardens girls’ schools presented children at the annual examina-

in establishing School Gardens in connexion

> N dealing with the subject of Agricultural
Education at the recent Conference, special
attention was drawn to the progress made
with

tions in object-lessons. About one-third of these had
school gardens or showed plants under cultivation in
pots or boxes. It is stated that the school gardens sre
decidedly better managed than before and the number
has increased to twenty-one. The school exhibits at

the Peasant Exhibitions reached a higher standard.

LIBRAR
NEW
BC NI

98 ' THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 4, 1908.

At Montserrat, five school gardens have been
started, and it is reported that very good results have
been obtained in the cultivation of various kinds of
vegetables. Theoretical instruction is also given iu
school hours.

At Antigua, efforts have been fairly successful in
introducing and encouraging the teaching of agricul-
ture and the formation of school gardens. So far,
school gardens have not been successful at St. Kitt’s.
‘On the other hand, at Nevis, they have had greater
success, and at the Agricultural Shows the schools
have always been well represented.

The Education Committee of the Conference
reported that the evidence available from the different
colonies testified that opposition on the part of the
parents to their children working in garden plots has
now practically died out. Lack of interest in agri-
cultural teaching on the part of the teachers in some
of the colonies is probably accounted for by the small-
ness of the grant allotted to this subject.

With the view of assisting in the work of estab-
lishing gardens for teaching purposes, a special pamphlet,
entitled ‘ Hints for School Gardens, was issued by the
Imperial Department of Agriculture in 1901. In this
the hope was expressed that the time was not far
distant when every primary school in the West Indies
would include elementary agriculture in its curriculum,
and that to all such schools a small garden should be
attached where the pupils might learn by actual
practice the best way to carry on the more important
details of gardening work. This, it was considered,
valuable opportunity of training the
powers of observation of the pupils in a way not
attainable by mere book learning, or even by watching
the work done by the teacher.

would afford a

In cases where a suitable area for a school garden
was not available, it was recommended that the culti-
vation of plants in pots and boxes might be adopted as
likely to supply, in part, the training obtained from
school gardens.

In 1907 a new and enlarged edition of ‘ Hints for
School Gardens’ was published. As showing the con-
siderable growth of interest that was taken in starting
school gardens, this edition was exhausted within a few
months, and now a revised edition(Pamphlet No. 52%),
containing fifty-five pages and a plan, is placed within
the reach of all who are interested in the subject.

* ‘Hints for School Gardens,’ Pamphlet Series, No. 52.
Price 4d. Free by post, dd. On sale by all agents of the
Imperial Department of Agriculture.

In the introduction to the revised edition, it is
stated that instruction in school gardens is not given
merely for the purpose of showing how to grow vege-
tables, any more than the ordinary teaching in schools
has for its object the winning of prizes. It derives its
value from its usefulness in training the intellectual
faculties, especially those of observation and correct
inference, and its power to do this is the best indica-
tion of its true worth. Knowledge useful to the agri-
culturist is gained incidentally, and the material profit
arising from the produce of the soil may be an
incentive to painstaking efforts on the part of the
learner.

Pupils should be put through a good course of
box and pot culture, and should thoroughly master the
principles underlying it before they are allowed to
proceed to the cultivation of plants in plots. The latter
is a repetition of the elementary work on a larger
scale, but does not serve so well as a means of imparting
knowledge connected with plant life, as its processes are
not under such immediate control. Its main object is
to show how the methods adopted in practice naturally
have their foundation in ideas derived from careful and
accurate observation, and to provide exercises in actual
agricultural procedure. At all stages, the teacher
should seize every opportunity of demonstrating the
processes of nature, so that the course of instruction
may include also facts concerning animal life, especially
that of insects.

In the revised edition of the pamphlet, consider-
able attention is devoted to pot and box cultivation,
and details are given in regard to the preparation of
boxes and pots, the manner in which seeds are germi-
nated, the necessity of water, air, and shade for young
seedlings, the effect of the age of seeds on their
germination, the use of plant food in the seed to the
growing seedling, and the best means for rasing plants
from leaves and cuttings, the care of ornamental pot
plants, and the treatment of plants with the object
of producing flowers and fruit.

With regard to garden plots, full particulars are
given as to selecting the site, preparing the ground,
planting hedges, laying out plots, and the successive
operations necessary to establish 2 well-equipped and
successful school garden,

The latter part of the pamphlet is taken up in afford-
ing special instruction in regard to twenty-six of the
principal vegetable crops grown in the West Indies,
The concluding pages contain simple and useful hints
in regard to the various processes of budding, grafting
and training garden plants,

Yor. VII. No. 155.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 99

SUGAR INDUSTRY,

Cane Farming in British Guiana.

The Demerara Argosy of January 18 last
contained the following note on cane farming in British
Guiana: —

The villagers at several places on the East Coast are
cultivating sugar-canes to a much larger extent than has been
the practice with them in former years. Asa rule the canes
are sold by the villagers to the estate nearest them ata fair
market price; but occasionally the estate may not be able to
take canes at the time they are offered, and as this always
causes the villagers inconvenience and disappointment, there
isa desire on the part of some of them to start a mill for
themselves. The East Coast villagers have at least one
example to look to in their own district, of a small cane-mill
giving its owner a very fair return for his labour and capital ;
and they are clever enough to see that such a mill as_ this,
with a cheap and simple plant of machinery, capable of mak-
ing niuscovado sugar, is likely to pay better in the
future thanit has done in the past, owing to the yearly
decreasing number of sugar estates with common process
machinery. Ina very short time the number of such estates
which will be left promises to be too small to meet the local
demand for muscovados, and it looks as if the small mills of
the villagers have a promising future in store.

Mexican Sugar Industry.

A law has just been passed in Mexico raising the
duty on imported sugar from 2c. to 5c. per 100
kilograms (220 1b.). The object of this duty is to
protect the growing sugar industry of the republic,
and it will affect the United States more than any
other country, since the value of the sugar imports into
Mexico from the States during the first five months of
1907 amounted to $78,472, the total sugar imports for
this period being valued at 590,162.

Some account of the Mexican sugar industry was given
in the Agricultural News of August 24 last (Vol. VI, p. 259),
and the figures then quoted indicated the continuous increase
in the output that has been going on during the past few
years. While the output in 1900 was only 75,000 tons, it
had increased to avout 115,000 tons in 1907.

It is stated in a recent U.S. Consular Report that the
amount of foreign capital invested in sugar cultivation and
production in Mexico is continually increasing, advanced
methods of plinting and harvesting are being introduced,
and modern mills and refineries erected. It is evident, there-
fore, that still further developments may be expected in the
near future.

A grea‘ deal of land in Mexico is suited to cane grow-
ing, and it is doubtless owing to the primitive methods of
cultivation and manufacture employed, as well as to difficul-
ties in the way of transportation, that the republic has not
entered nore largely into the sugar export trade. Great
fertility of soil abounds in the Gulf States, and the rainfall
is ample, being estimated at about 100 inches annualiy. In

the inland State of Morelos, however, where the largest
quantity of sugar is produced, irrigation is necessary, as is
also true of cane lands on the Pacific coast. From 25 to
40 tons of cane per acre is said to be the average yield on
the elevated lands, with from 40 to 60 tons in the lowlands.

There are already two or three modern sugar factories
of considerable capacity in operation. One of the most
important is at Teuxtepango, in the State of Morelos. This
is capable of turning out 3,750 tons of sugar per annum
Another factory, that of the Mexican National Sugar
Refining Company, was started early in the present year.
It contains a modern plant, equipped with the most up-to-

date sugar-making machinery. The factory has a daily
capacity of 125,000 Ib. of sugar. The cane mill connected

with this factory will be able to deal with 800 tons of cane
a day, supplied from adjacent plantations.

Cane-sugar Industry of Brazil.

The conditions of the Brazilian cane-sugar industry
were reviewed at considerable length in the Jnterna-
tional Sugar Journal for February last. The annual
production of sugar in Brazil amounts to about 300,006
tons, or rather more than the annual output of the
West Indies and British Guiana, At present, there
are about 4,000 usines and open-pan factories at work
in the republic.

The chief sugar-producing State is Pernambuco, which
possesses 1,547 factories and turns out 156,000 tons of sugar
each year. Bahia, however, is the State in which sugar manu-
facture las reached the greatest degree of perfection,
practically all the mills containing facilities for double
crushing. Large quantities of sugar are also produced in
States of Alagoas and Sergipe.

The system of cultivation in vogue appears to be some-
what crude, excepting in the State of Sao Paulo, where more
up-to-date methods have been adopted.

Planting takes place about March and April, and the
canes take about fourteen to sixteen months to arrive at
maturity, the reaping season coming from July to October.

Ratooning is extensively practised in Brazil, as many as
four crops being obtained from one planting in this way.

Use of Sugar in Bread Manufacture.

Several of the sugar journals have lately published
articles dealing with the use of a smallamount of sugar
in bread manufacture. The Sugar Beet for January
has a short note on the subject. Apart from the advan-
tage claimed in this note, bread so prepared would, of
course, have an additional food value.

The Sugar Beet says :—

Tn France every possible idea is being brought to the front
with the view of increasing the home sugar consumption.
Ata recent meeting of the Sugar Chemists’ Association at
Bordeaux, a French chemist, Mons. F. Dupont, read a paper
discussing the possibility of adding 7 per cent. of sugar to
bread, and this without materially altering the taste of the
latter product. An addition of 5 per cent. of sugar has no-
influence on the flavour. The chief advantage of this sugar
addition is that the bread has greater keeping qualities.
Bread which -vill ordinarily be sour in forty-eight hours,
will undergo very little alteration, even after several days,
when a slight proportion of sugar has been mixed with the

dough,

100

AC “a in’ \
Ce

\ =
w ==

COLONIAL FRUIT AND VEGETABLE
SHOWS.

Full particulars of the three exhibitions of colon-
ial fruit and vegetables which the Royal Horticultu-
ral Society have arranged to hold in London during the
present year, were given in the Agricultural News of
December 28 last (Vol. VI, p. 405). The first of these
shows has already taken place (March 5 and 6), and
there now remain the June and November meetings.
Some of the West Indian islands may find it possible to
participate in the June exhibition, but in the majority
of cases much finer collections of produce will be avail-
able in November, and it is greatly hoped that
a general effort will be made by the Perrnanent Exhibi-
tion Committees of the several colonies, and that deal-
ers and consumers in London will be enabled to see
really creditable displays of fruit and vegetables from
the West Indies.

In the course of a circular letter sent out, together
with leaflets relating to the shows, to the Secretaries
of the Permanent Exhibition Committies of the differ-
ent colonies, Mr. A. E. Aspinall, Secretary to the West
India Committee, says :—

From the enclosed leaflets you will see that the Royal
Horticultural Society has responded to our suggestions, and
is taking far more active steps to advertise the Colonial Fruit
and Vegetable Shows than has hitherto the
There is to be a band, the hours of admission are lengthened,
and the price is reduced.

It is hoped that several of the West Indian Colonies will
organize exhibits for the show to be held on June 11 and
12, but it is on the show fixed for November 26 and
27 that we might, I think, with advantage concentrate our
attention. Experience has shown that the cost to colonies
participating in these exhibitions need not exceed from £15
to £20 ; the space is free, and the shipping companies consent
to carry exhibits freight free.

In the circumstances |
Exhibition Committee will co operate
a really representative exhibit. The exhibits from each of the
colonies will be kept entirely distinct, and the awards will
be made to the actual exhibitors. All that will be necessary
for the Exhibition Committees to do will be to collect
representative exhibits, to have them carefully put up,
labelled, and packed, and addressed to me at the Royal
Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, and we
will then gladly undertake the necessary arrangements.

been

case.

hope very much that your
towards securing

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

Aprit 4, 1908.

MANURES FOR PINE-APPLES.

The need for the application of large quantities of
fertilizers in the cultivation of pine-apples is empha-
sized in an article in the Florida Agriculturist. This
is on account of the fact that many soils, well adapted
from the point of view of their situation and physical
conditions to pine-apple culture, contain very little
plant food. By the provision of the necessary constit-
uents, however, the pine-apple will live, flourish, and
give good crops for twelve or fifteen years,

Or
blood, are preferable to nitrate of soda or sulphate of
ammonia, for the supply of nitrogen. A little nitrate of
soda may be given soon after planting, but it is stated, as
a conclusion drawn from experiments carried out at the
Florida Experiment Station, that the continued use of nitrate
of soda or sulphate of ammonia, brings about a. spiky condi-
tion of the plants, and results in the production of fruits of
small size and poor keeping quality.

ranic manures, such as cotton seed meal and dried

fe
>

Basic slag appears to be the best phosphatic manure for
the pine-apple crop. Bone meal also gave satisfactory results
Superphosphate was an unprofitable fertilizer, and resulted
in an unhealthy condition of the plants with lessened fruit
return, In the Florida experiments, however, it was shown
that when the application of superphosphate was accompanied
with a good dressing of lime, much better returns were given
This is what would be expected in view of the results
obtained with basic slag.

\ good supply of potash is also essential to the proper
development and fruiting of the pine-apple. Sulphate of
potash is recommended as the most suitable potassie manure
and as likely to produce better results than kainit apart
from the economy in freight observed in purchasing the
former. The following is recommended as a good mixe.
manure suitable for the pine-apple crop : eee Hoe
735 Ib.; raw ground bone, 435 lb.; and low-erade sulphate x
potash, 925 lb., making a total of 2,095 Ib. per acre,

The mentioned as a_ sufficient quantity
for the first year’s growth of the plants. Since a greater
return of fruit will be expected in the second year, a hence
application of fertilizing constituents should be made. The
quantity applied, in fact, should be in proportion to the
return of fruit that may reasonably be expected. Under
average circumstances, however, no more than 3.50

3,800 Ib, of manure can be profitably applied each oa is

above is

Vor, Vill No: 155:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

101

LIMES IN MEXICO.

The United States Consul at Manzanillo states
that there is a large number of plantations in the
Mexican State of Colima which produce many tons of
limes that might be utilized for the production of lime
juice or extract. At present, owing to the want of demand,
the fruit rots on the ground. The Consul continues :—

The owners of these plantations would be glad to
dispose of crops of limes ata nominal price, and contracts could
be made for their gathering and delivery ata stated price.
There is no lime industry in the State of Colima, and it seems
that a good practical man could establish a large and profit-
able business here on account of the abundance of the fruit.
Several attempts have been made to ship the limes to San
Francisco, but these attempts, it is said, were unsuccessful,
principally because the steamers called irregularly at Manza-
nillo, and the limes commenced to deeay before reaching
their destination.

BANANAS JIN COSTA RICA.

A duty of one cent. on each bunch of bananas
exported, fur a period of ten years after 1910, has just
been adopted in Costa Rica.

In connexion with the Costa Riean banana indus-
try, the U.S. Consul writes :—

There seems no doubt that the export of bananas from
the Port of Limon will reach 10,000,000 bunches per annum
in the near future, as the productive area is steadily increas-
ing, while the business is remunerative to the producer as
well as to the exportiny company, which is also a producer of
about 40 per cent. of bananas exported. It is an attractive
occupation, except for the fact that the bananas are chiefly
grown in malarial districts, the lowlands aback of Limon
being overflowed by the rivers almost every rainy season,
receiving therefrom a rich sedimentary deposit which
prevents the exhaustion of the soil. In localities lacking
this advantage the productive capacity of banana plantations
decreases annually, in many localities one-third in seven years.
Trial shipments of Costa Rican bananas are now being made
from England to continental ports, with encouraging prospects.

FRUIT TRA NSPORTATION AND
STORAGE.

Investigations into causes of decay of oranges dur-
and shipment, as well’ as when on the

ing storage
1907 by the

market, have been continued during
U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Summarizing the results obtained from all the tests, it is
evident that sound uninjured fruit at the start, carefully gath-
ered and packed with care, forms the basis of successful keep-
ing quality under all conditions of handling and shipment.
In the packing house, sound, unbrushed fruit developed an
average of only 2°9 per cent. decay. On the other hand,
brushed fruit showed 6°6 per cent., washed fruit 17-8 per
cent., and mechanically injured fruit 40-1 per cent. decay.
The necessity for washing is due to the occurrence of black
scale on the fruit.

Shipping tests indicated that the amount of decay which
took place during transport was proportional to the length of
time that elapsed after packing and before shipment. Other
conditions being equal, too, it was observed that the least
decay took place in the case of the fruit that was packed and
shipped in the coolest condition. :

Sound fruit, handled throughout with sufficient care to
prevent injury, and shipped quickly after picking and pack-

ing, in the coolest possible condition, are evidently essential
for successful shipment. There appeared to be little difference
in the keeping quality of sound oranges, whether shipped

under ventilation, under ice, or after precooling.

GROUND NUTS IN THE UNITED STATES.

The increasing demand for ground nuts, and the
greater attention that is being paid to the cultivation
of this crop, are evidenced by the accompanying extract
from the latest report of the Bureau of Plant Industry,
U.S. Department of Agricuiture :—

Owing to the greatly increasing field for the use of
ground nuts, the demand has grown steadily during recent
years and is now in excess of the supply. There are now
four principal varieties of ground nuts extensively grown in
the Southern States, and while the type of these varieties is
quite satisfactory, there remains much to be accomplished
through the selection and improvement of seed strains for
maximum yield. The ground nut can be very readily improved
by selection and proper culture, and the work undertaken is
mainly along these lines. Experiments are being conducted
to determine the oil-producing possibilities of the ground nut,
although at present prices the extraction of the oil would not
be profitable.

The use of the ground nut as a forage crop and stock
food is being encouraged, and it has been demonstrated that
the variety known as the ‘Spanish’ is best adapted to this
purpose.

The greater portion of the labour of picking and hand-
ling ground nuts has heretofore been done by hand, but during
the past two years great improvement has been made in
mechanical lines, and the cost of production thercby decreased.
Machines have been perfected which eliminate a large portion
of the labour of picking, thus breaking the bond which held
this crop to-the limits of the labour supply.

USES OF TAMARIND SEEDS.

The Indian Agricultural Ledger (No. 2, 1907)
contains a paper dealing with the composition and uses
of the seeds of the Tamarind (Zamarindus indica),
a well-known tree in the West Indies.

Analysis shows that the kernel remaining after the
removal of the brown covering is rich in nutritive constituents.
These kernels contain 18°06 per cent. albuminoids, 6-6 per
cent. fat, and 62°88 per cent. carbohydrates. They have no
disagreeable odour or taste.

Tamarind seeds are consumed as a food by the natives
in certain parts of India, notably in the Madras Presidency
and Central Provinces. For this purpose the outer skin is
removed by roasting or by boiling in water, and the kernels are
roasted and then ground into flour, This flour is, either
alone or mixed with rice or other cereal flours, made into
cakes for food. Disagreeable effects which sometimes follow
eating these seeds are stated to be due to the fact that the
husk has not been entirely removed. ‘The tannin and fibrous
matter of this husk are likely to produce unpleasant results.

In some districts of India tamarind seeds are regarded
as having medicinal properties, and are given as a remedy for
certain disorders.

Another useful property of the seeds of the tamarind is
due to the fact that the powdered seeds boiled in a small
quantity of water make a tenacious glue or size, which is used
by wool-weavers, saddlers, and book-binders. This is used to
dress country-made blankets.

102

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 4, 1908

Pos a
AF i0NiU AUS }
ew ~
E ays

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date March 16, with reference
to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Since our last report about 450 bales of West Indian
Sea Island cotton have been sold, comprised of 170 bales
St. Vincent, at 18d. to 20d.; 120 Montserrat, 20 Nevis,
60 St. Croix, 40 Barbados, 25 St. Kitt’s, and 13 bales
Anguilla, all at 17d. to 174d. per Wb.

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKBT.

In their report, dated February 29 last, on the
state of the Sea Island cotton market, Messrs. Henry
W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, write :—

With the continued absence of demand, the market
remains at a stand, and nominally unchanged. In order to
effect sales, however, factors would, we think, be willing to
make considerable concessions from their asking prices.

On March 7, Messrs. Frost write :
With the continued absence of demand for the better

grades, and only a limited demand for tinged and ‘ off’
cotton, the quotations continue more or less nominal. A sale,

however, has just been made, on private terms, of 200 bales
tinged and ‘off? cotton on account of the northern mills. There
is also some enquiry for the better grades, but at prices much
below the present views of the factors. Present prices are :
Fully fine to extra fine, 55c, to 40c.; fine, 30c.; fully fine, but
tinged, 27c.; fully fine to fine, but stained, 20c. to 24e.

COTTON INDUSTRY IN MONTSERRAT.

Some notes on the progress of the cotton industry
of Montserrat appear in the 1906-7 report on the
Botanic Station and Experiment Plots of the island.
About 1,000 acres were under cultivation with this
crop in 1906-7, and 160,000 Ib. of lint were shipped,
this giving an average of 160 Ib. per acre.

The bulk of the crop was grown from local seed, but
1,770. tb. of selected seed was imported and sold from the
Botanic Station.

The leaf-blister mite and the cotton worm were preva-
lent in 1903-4, but both pests are now being kept in check.
In the case of the cotton worm this has been effected by the
use of Paris Green. As a safeguard against the ravages
of the leaf-blister mite all old cotton plants are destroyed be
fore the season for planting the next crop arrives. Growers
are also constantly reminded of the danger of attempting to
ratoon old cotton plants, since as the result of the adoption
of such a proceeding, the leaf-blister mite has a chance of
establishing itself.

For the 1907-8 ‘cotton season, orders were booked for
5,500 Ib of selected cotton seed. Practically all the planters
of the island used this seed. The aumber of peasant growers
of cotton has increased during the past two or three years.
In 1906-7 there were at least 150 of these small cultivators
each of which grew less than anacre of cotton. For the 1907-8
season, about 170 peasant cultivators purchased selected seed,
and it is stated that’this probably represents about half the
number of small holders that actually planted cotton.

COTTON INDUSTRY IN THE VIRGIN

ISLANDS.

Since 1904, when the total value of the lint and
seed shipped from the Virgin Islands was no more than
£35, the cotton industry has undergone steady expan-
sion, and the estimated exports of lint and seed for
1907 are valued at £400, this being an increase of £135
over the shipments of 1906. It is gratifying to note
that 2 good proportion of this cotton is grown in
Virgin Gorda and Anegada, where the soil is unsuitable
to most crops. Marie Galante cotton is cultivated as
well as the Sea Island, but it is recognized that the
latter is by far the more profitable variety.

The Botanic Station Report (1906-7) states that there
was a marked improvement in the quality of the seed-cotton
of last season’s crop... The cotton is purchased by the Imper-
ial Department of Agriculture, and ginned at the factory
established at the Experiment Station. This step on the part
of the Imperial Department was necessary to the success of
the industry, since the cotton growers are all peasants who
could not afford to await the returns for their crop until the
cotton had been sold in England, and the money returned.

At the Virgin Islands Experiment Station, during the
past season, cotton was planted between the rows of lime
trees, on an area of about an acre. The seed was planted
about the end of June, the first cotton being picked about

the middle of October. Very good results were obtained
from this plot, 900 Ib. of seed-cotton being gathered

Another plot of Sea Island cotton planted in August proved
an almost complete failure. May and June have certainly
proved the most suitable months for planting in the Virgin
Islands. 7
The plots at the Experiment
remained remarkably free from insect pests.

cotton Station have

Some few trees
were infected, but nat seriously, with aphides, but spraying
with tobacco juice and soft soap water soon killed these pests,
Up to the present there has been no appearance at the
Station of the cotton worm, so disastrous in other islands
and very few cotton worms have been seen in the out-islands.

Vor; Vill, No: 155. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

103

COTTON EXPORTS FROM
BARBADOS.

The Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society
for January last thus comments on the cotton industry
of Barbados, and the value of the lint shipments, as
compared with the chief exports from Jamaica :—

From October 1, 1906, to September 30, 1907, which
is the cotton year, the total quantity of cotton shipped from
Barbados (the produce of the 5,000 acres estimated to be
under this crop) was 1,796 bales, containing 852,408 Ib. of
lint, which, together with the cotton seed shipped, brought
the eoall valner of the cotton industry of Barbados to £76,876.
The average price of the cotton works out at Is. 8d. per tb.
That total is almost as much as the value of our [Jamaica]
coffee exports ; it 1s more than the total value of our orange
exports for 1906-7, over a half more than the value of our
exports of cocoa-nuts, and a great deal more than the value of

our cacao exports for the last three years. In fact, we have
in Jamaica only six items of export, which amount to more

than the value of the cotton shipments from Barbados, viz :
coffee, bananas, pimento, sugar, rum, and logwood. We have
dry districts in Jamaica as large as the whole of Barbados ;
these districts are well peopled, and cotton-growing should
make an ideal cultivation for the inhabitants.

AGRICULTURE IN ST. LUCIA.

The recently issned Annual Report (1906-7) on
the colony of St. Lucia gives figures which indicate
considerable progress in the cacao industry of the
island during the. last decade. Lime cultivation also
shows signs ‘ot promise, while a start has been made
with rubber and cotton. The exports of sugar show

a considerable advance compared with past years. The

following particulars are taken from the report -—
There was a marked increase in the sugar crop over

1905. The usine sugar exported was 5,441 tons, of

a declared value of £: 51. ,689, as compared ith 3,721 tons, of
the declared value of £37,210, in the preceding year.

During the past ten years there has been a considerable
fluctuation in the In 1897, caleulating at 200 Ib.
to the bag, 4,768 bags were exported. In 1900 the exports
rose to 6,490 bags, but in the fetes year fell to 3,285
In 1902 the exports reached 7,524 bags, and in 1905,
9,468, the highest record. The aver: age for the five years
from 1897 to 1901 was 4,865 bags,, and the average
for the next five years, from 1902 to 1906, was 8,045 bags.
Tt will be seen, therefore, from these figures, that the cacao
industry has been nearly doubled during the past ten years ;
but the progress of the industry has nevertheless been very
slow considering the quality of land suitable for cacao in the
possession of large and small proprietors. The attention
directed this year to improvements in the methods of cultiva-
tion will have good and wide-spread results, especially among
the peasant growers, as time goes on ; while the great rise
that has recently taken place in the price of cacao will be the
strongest inducement to planters to extend their cultivation.

The lime industry made great strides. and appeared for
the first time as an export produce. Vive hundred and
seventy-one packages of limes and 12 packages of lime juice
were shipped. The cultivation is being eetended. Forty
thousand lime plants were distributed by the Agric ultural
Department during the year.

Rubber also for the first time appeared as an article of
export, a small quantity from trees of the Castilloa elastica

cacao CYOp.

bags.

having been shipped. This industry has not, however, been
started to any extent, and must be regarded as being still in
an experimental stage.

The cultivation of Sea Island cotton has not yet been
taken up. Some few years ago, at the instance of the
Dnperial Department of Agriculture, an effort was made to
induce local growers to start the industry, but the trial was
made in a lukewarm manner and proved a failure, which has
since exercised a discouraging effect on any further attempts.
Owing, however, to the successful results that have been
obtained in the neighbouring colonies, the desire to make
another trial is manifesting itself, and it. is hoped that this
industry will soon again be started. There are large areas of
cleared land, apparently well adapted for the cultivation,
that are available for enterprise in this direction.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS OF
COLOMBIA.
From the account of the agricultural industries of
Colombia, as given in a British Consular Report

just issued, it is seen that coffee and bananas are the

chief products ofthe republic. The coffee ontput had
diminished of late years, but is again increasing. The
export for 1907 1s put at 800,000 bags, the greater part
of which went to the United States. The beans of
this Bogota coffee, as it is known, are of an_ especially
large size. Cottee production seems to be extending,
and phi untations devoted to the growth of this crop are
receiving more care and attention than was former ly
the case.

Bananas are stated to be largely cultivated in all the

districts suitable for this crop. The export trade, which has
largely developed, commenced about fifteen years ago. Since
then the methods of cultivation have been greatly improved,
and now the fruit commands the highest price on the New
York market. In 1905 the number of bunches shipped from
Santa Marta reached 865,750. The number increased to
1,397,388 bunches in 1906, while up to the end of August
1907, the bunches of bananas exported had already reached
1,315,715. It is expected that during 1908 the export will
reach at least 2,500,000, and asa large area suitable for
cultivation is now being opened up, a still further increase
inay be expected.

Minor agricultural products of Colombia are cacao,
tobacco, and cotton. A few districts only of the country are
suitable for cacao eultivation and the whole of the crop
produced is consumed at home. Tobacco, cigars, and cigar-
ettes are produced for home consumption and a small quanti-
ty of tobacco is also exported to Germany. Efforts are being
made to increase the area of cotton grown, and the climate and
soil of certain districts seem specially suitable for this produe-
tion.

Rubber may probably form an important article of
produce from Colombia. At present a certain amount of wild
rubber is collected, and with the expenditure of capital, it is
believed that a good trade in this product will be developed,
One or two rubber plantations are being made chiefly of
Ceara rubber (Manihot Glaziovi).

Divi-divi (the curved pods of the Caesalpinia coriaria,
used for tanning)and also vegetable ivory, the fruit of Phytele-
are exported in small quantities to

phas MACVOCALVPA,
vegetable exports are tolu, balsam,

Germany. Other
ipecacuanha, and quinine.

Panama hats form the only manufactured article export-
ed from Colombia.

104

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s, 4d.

Agricultural News

SS,

No. 155.

Vou. VII. SATURDAY,

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

APRIL 4, 1908.

Contents of Present Issue.

The editorial discusses the progress that has been
made of late years, in connexion with the provision and
use of school gardens, in the different West Indian
colonies. A revised edition of the pamphlet ‘ Hints
for School Gardens, has just been issued by the
Imperial Department of Agriculture.

Notes on the cane sugar industry in British Guiana,
Mexico, and Brazil appear on page 99.

It is hoped that the West Indian colonies will
make a point of participating in the Exhibition of
colonial fruit and vegetables that will be held in London
in November next (page 100). A brief article on the
manurial requirements of pine-apples appears on the
same page.

The progress of the cotton industry in Montserrat
and the Virgin Islands is briefly reviewed on page 102.
Market prices for Sea Island cotton are practically at
a standstill.

Particulars in regard to the present condition of the
agricultural industries of St. Lucia, as well as those of
the Colombian republic, will be found on page 103.

The concluding portion of Mr. Maxwell-Lefroy’s
article dealing with remedies for insect pests is given
on page 106.

Agricultural Banks have lately been established
under Government auspices in Cape Colony, Natal, the
Transvaal, and in Western Australia (page 107).

THE AGRICULTURAL

eS

NEWS. Aprit 4, 1908.

Antigua Central Sugar Factory.

In connexion with the Antigua Central Sugar
Factory, discussed in the last issue of the Agricultural
News, and the question of the relative return of sugar
obtained under the factory system, and by the musco-
vado method of manufacture respectively, it was
mentioned by Dr. Francis Watts at the late Agricultural
Conterence, that the figures so far available indicate
that 17 tons of cane were required to yield a ton of
sugar on an Antigua muscovado estate, whereas. at the
factory a tonofsugar was obtained from 10} tons of
cane. As pvinted out by Sir Daniel Morris in his
presidential address, this difference would indicate that
out of the 6,000 tons of sugar crystals shipped from
Antigua, nearly 2,500 tons represent the gain due to
improved methods of crushing and manufacture of
crystals.

Se

Rubber in Colombia.

Extensive plantations of Castilloa rubber are
reported by the U. S. Consul at Cartagena to be in
course of formation in Colombia. At least 1,600,000
trees have been planted in different river valleys, but
these are at present too young to have made much
return. At present the Colombian output of rubber
is chiefly from wild trees, and collected chiefly by Indians.

Rubber planters do not seem too sanguine as to
prospective yields. One grower reported an annual
return of 1,121 tb. of dried rubber from 14,155 trees, of
eight years old. he trees were carefully tapped, and
this yield would work ont at no more than 4oz. of rubber
per tree per annum. Other planters, basing their
expectations on wild rubber returns, assert that at
least 1 tb. of rubber per tree per year should be obtained.

The total shipments of rubber from Cartagena in
1906 were 351,076 tb., and 300,696 tb. in the first nine
months of 1907,

a

Propagation of the Avocado by Budding.

1 he avocado is of comparatively recent introduc-
tion into Florida, but experiments in the propagation
of this fruit by budding methods have been undertaken
at the Experiment Station of the State for some years
past. Success has attended these efforts, since a report
dealing with the work done states that frequently as
many as 75 per cent. of the buds have developed into

avet~t mr > Y , nt s = A
trees. ‘The method of budding is the same as that
practised in the case of citrus fruits. It is reeommeded

;
however, that the buds used should be rather larger

. . . "Wy he
than ordinary citrus buds. They should preferably be
1 inch in length, since small buds are frequently grown
over by vigorous stocks. For wrapping the buds

aye . To . onl ae ot . ae
waned ab is mentioned as giving better results than
string. By adopting this method of budding, large,
unproductive avocado trees can be made to give good
eS ‘on rn : Aa ¥ SEK
returns. The trees should be cut down within
3 or 4 feet from the ground, and buds from a good

stock inserted on the shoots which soon make an
appearance,

Wot, WAGE ion wey

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

105

Agriculture in Southern Nigeria.

The portion of the Annual Report (1906-7) on
Southern Nigeria dealing with agriculture shows that
the chief industries have made rapid strides of late
years. The leading agricultural exports consist of

cotton, palm oil, fibre, coffee, “and shea * butter (from :
In the Western Province

Butyrospermum Parhii).
of the Protectorate the area devoted to the cultiva-
tion of cotton, maize, cacao, and ground nuts has
undergone considerable extension during the past year.
It is stated that many districts are especially well
suited for cacao cultivation. Ground nuts are com-
mented upon in the report as a crop which should be
more largely grown on account of its value as green
manure. Experiments in the cultivation of tobacco,
castor oil, bananas, and leguminous crops are in
progress at the Botamic Gardens in the Western
Province. From these gardens, too, it is mentioned
that 26,000 plants, as well as a quantity ot tubers,
packets of seeds, suckers, etc, were distributed during
the past year.

Rubber planting in Southern Nigeria appears to
be proceeding apace. During the year 1,903 plantations
of Funtumia rubber were made, consisting of 207,455
trees. Para rubber is also being planted in the Central
Province. ‘he methods of preparation at present
generally adopted are somewhat crude, and much
higher prices will be obtained for the rubber when
improved methods have been brought into use.

rr a

Destruction of Fruit Fly.

The campaign against the fruit (or orange) fly
that was carried on in Bermuda last season, where all
fruit known to be in the least affected was rigorously
destroyed, was described in a recent number of the Agri-
cultural News (Vol. VII, p. 8). In addition to destruc-
tion of fruit, wholesale pruning of the trees was also
undertaken, to prevent the bearing of fruit which
would serve for the reception of the eggs of the fly.
Latest reports from Bermuda state that good results
have attended the work thus carried out, and while the
islands were almost destitute of fruit, the flies also are
reported to have almost entirely disappeared.

The Wew Bulletin (No. 1, 1908) describes
a method of destruction of this pest, which, from the
particulars brought forward, has given excellent results
in experimental trials in the Australian colonies, where
the insect has caused so much trouble. The remedy
depends on the fact that kerosene oil appears to have
a great attraction for the fruit fly, and on exposing
shallow vessels containing kerosene among the branches
of the trees, the flies were destroyed by hundreds in
a short space of time.

This method of combating the pest is referred to by
the Kew Bulletin as by far the most efficient at present
brought to notice, but it must be remembered that by
its means only the adult flies are killed, and that it
would still be necessary to collect and destroy fallen
infected fruit, with the object of killing as many
maggots as possible.

Trinidad Meat Supply.

The fact that British Guiana now exports a con-
siderable number of cattle each year, whereas a few
years ago, they were imported into the colony in large
numbers, leads the Port-of-Spain Gazette to suggest
that efforts should be made, through the medium of
the Government Farm and the Agricultural Society of
the island, to render Trinidad less dependent on outside
sources for the required meat supply.

The change was brought about in British Guiana
by the imposition of a heavy duty on all imported
cattle, a step which, however, is not recommended as
the right one to adopt in Trinidad. The suggested
course is that the Agricultural Society should each
year offer cash prizes to any Jocal breeder who turns
out a number of oxen, fit for the butcher, and reaching
a given standard of excellence. This _ practically
amounts to paying a bonnty on cattle raising, but since
such an industry would be certain to be highly
remunerative when once developed, is is not likely
that such a system would become a heavy charge
on the funds of the society.

In this connexion the Gazette comments upon
what it regards as the mistaken policy of the Govern-
ment Farm in annually selling off large numbers of
useful animals, which either go out of Trinidad, or are
at once sent to the butcher, instead of being used as
the foundation of a superior stock of animals in

the island.
——=2 ee

Vanilla Plants in School Gardens.

In their efforts to extend the cultivation of vanilla
in suitable districts and disseminate knowledge as
to proper methods of curing, etc., the Jamaica Board of
Agriculture sent an instructor to the parish of
St. Elizabeth in October last, when the vanilla pods
were ready to be gathered, in order to demonstrate the
best methods to the growers.

In his report dealing with the work done, the
instructor recommends that vanilla should not be
planted under very tall trees, since it is often necessary
to cimb the trees in order to get at the pods, which
frequently leads to breakage of the vanilla vines.
More satisfactory results are obtained by planting under
trees which do not grow too high, and which send ont
branches at a few feet from the ground. Grown in
this way, the pods can be easily gathered without
damaging the vines.

Vines were planted by the instructor in one or two
school gardens, and instructions given to teachers and
children as to methods of treatment. It is remarked
in the report that it would be a good plan to introduce
a few vanilla plants into all the school gardens of
Jamaica, Cuttings of vanilla for such purposes may
be obtained tree from the Public Gardens, Kingston.

These cuttings are about 3 feet long, and should
be planted in a wide hole about 9 inches deep at the base
of suitable trees. About 18 inches of the cutting should
remain above-ground, and be tied lightly to the tree.

It is important that a small quantity of manure be
mixed with the soil used in filling the hole, and the
earth should be firmly trodden down around the plant.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Apri 4, 1908.

i
Vr
po eg

INSECT NOTE
Practical Remedies for Insect Pests.

The concluding portion of Mr. Maxwell-Lefroy’s

article (reprinted trom the Agricultural Journal of

India), dealing with methods of destruction of common
insect pests, is given below :—

A familiar pest to cultivators im some parts of India,
and also in other parts of the world, is the common white
ant. Investigation up to the present shows that the destrue-
tive white ant of the plains is one species only ; in some
parts of the country it nests below ground, in others at the
surface or it builds up mounds the surface of
the soil. Where the termites nest deeply as in the deep
alluvial soils of the Gangetic and Indus plains, practical
means of checking them are difficult to find; but where
they nest at the surface, a great deal can be done to check
them by the systematic destruction of the nests ; the simplest
method is to dig into the nest and pour in abundant boiling
water; the sign of success is when the very large white
queens are obtained, as they are found only in the nest itself,
and if these are destroyed with as many of the smaller
termites as possible, the termites cannot increase until they
build up a new nest and rear a fresh queen.

above

In some parts
of India, there is no reason why any termite nest should
be allowed to remain, and a little systematic effort by each
village would keep the land practically free from this
destructive insect.

Another common pest is the weevil whose grub tunnels
in sweet potatos, rendering them wholly unfit for food. We
have seen fields, where a crop has been dug, covered with
potatos which were thoroughly infested and left to breed
weevils, thus providing a plentiful supply of insects to infest
other fields or the next crop. This might readily be avoided
if these potatos were gathered and buried in a pit under
a foot of hard trodden soil. It is only pure common-sense to
take such a precaution and so prevent the multiplication of
the insect to attack the next crop.

For some pest the bag and frame so extensively used in
the destruction of the hoppers of the Bombay locust 1s
a practical method. The surface grasshoppers do a very
large amount of damage yearly among the young crops.
They are tlattened insects, white below, with the upper
surface roughened and earthy in colour ; they abound in
the fields hop out as one walks along. If a wide
bag on a frame is run through the field fairly rapidly,
the grasshopper, as it jumps up, is caught by the bag
and swept up. At the end of each run the bag is twisted up
and the insects are shaken into a corner and destroyed.
In this way a large area can be rapidly and thoroughly cleared
either before the crop is up or while the plants are still young.

The bag in its various forms is useful in many cases where
its application is once understood, and it provides the most
practical remedy against a fairly universal pest of rice, the
rice bug. This is a slender green insect, which flies readily
when full-grown ; it emits the usual aromatic odour of its
class, and an infested field may often be known by that alone.
As the rice comes into ear, the bugs assemble there and suck

and

out the milky juice in the developing grain. The grain then
whitens and the ear has nothing in it when it comes to harvest.
A light bag, 8 feet wide, run rapidly through the field, brush-
ing the teps of the rice, sweeps up these bugs, and though some
escape, the bulk are captured. A bag must be used, as the
insects escape from a plain cloth, unless it is smeared
with sticky matter ; the bag is considerably more effective if
first soaked in kerosene, or in an emulsion made by shaking up
kerosene with sour milk. This method like the others men-
tioned above is in application on the Pusa farm, where ordinary
coolie labour is employed : as soon as the bug is found the
bag is used and there is no difficulty in checking this pest.

Rice is constantly attacked by another class of pest,
which yields to simple treatment if that treatment is carried
out over any area larger than a few acres. This pest is the
stem borer, a caterpillar which eats wp the centre of the grow-
ing shoot of the rice and kills it. The result is that each
shoot withers, and as a single caterpillar in many cases attacks
several shoots, the damage to the ripening crop is considerable.
This form of damage is reported from practically every rice-
growing tract in India ; several insects are concerned which
are all quick breeders, and of which two or three broods
complete their life-history in one crop. For all these there is
but one practical cure: that is, to pick them all out from the
beginning. If the cultivator would leam that withered rice
shoots contain a caterpillar which, if left alone, breeds and
multiples quite naturally, he might systematically pick out
and burn all withered shoots. These are sufticiently easy to
see, and it does not require much time or labour to go over
some acres of paddy. Were this known to the cultivator, and
were he to do it, we believe that no cases of destruction by
these pests would ever be seen. In some cases, it is possible
also to utilize another method, depending upon the fact that,
hke the moth borer of cane, the stern borer of rice spends the
cold weather or hot weather when the crop is not’ growing,
in the stubble. Where this stubble can be taken out and des-
troyed, it destroys those imsects which live over until the
next crop and then emerge to breed. How far the destrue-
tion of rice stubble is possible depends upon local conditions,
but it is always a valuable safeguard.

It is perhaps needless to multiply instances of simple
methods of destruction. For very many pests, the remedy is
there to hand, namely, to destroy the insects when they first
appear, and so to save the later destruction caused by their
natural increase. We have cited cases enough to show that,
in very Many instances, there are simple methods by which
the cultivator could materially lessen the losses caused to his
crop by insects. It is perhaps needless to say that there are
other cases where equally simple remedies could be devised
hy the cultivator, if he knew how his pests lived and multi-
plied. In most cases, the scientific study of an injurious insect
shows what its weak points are, but to take advantage of
them requires also a very thorough knowledge of local agri-
culture, Which no one person can have for more than a limited
area. The treatment of such pests must be a matter for the
future, but there seems to be no reason why efforts should
not now be made to bring home to the cultivator the facts
regarding such simple pests as it is possible for him to cure,
and thereby to open his mind to the realization of the fact
that the knowledge of the pest’s life-history is the first
essential, and that, given this, it is often within his scope to
devise some means of cireumyenting the enemy. The cases
enumerated above are cited as being those in which there
exists a simple practical remedy for a particular pest. If the
cultivator can be induced to adopt one of these and so to
lessen the damage to his crop in any one case, a great step
forward will have been made.

Vou. VII. No. 155. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 107
AGRICULTURAL BANKS IN_ BRITISH more than £100 is to be advanced for the purchase of breed-
COLONIBS. ing stock

In further reference to the question of Agricultural
Credit Banks, discussed in a recent number of the Agri-
cultural News (Vol. VIL, -p. 49), the accompanying
notes, taken from the Journal of the British Board of
Agriculture for February last, and dealing with the
progress of this movement in South Africa and Western
Australia, should be of interest :—

An act has recently been passed in the Cape of Good
Hope providing for the establishment of a Government bank,
for the purpose of assisting the occupation and improvement of
agricultural lands. The management is vested in a board
of trustees appointed by the Governor, and a sum not exceed-
ing £1,000,000 sterling may be advanced to them from funds
of the Post. Office Savings’ Bank at not more then 4 per cent.
interest.

Advances may be made by the board-to farmers for the
following purposes: (a) to pay off existing Nabilities in
cases in which the board approves-of an advance for improye-
ments ; (b) to effect improvements, including (1) water storing
and irrigation, (2) fencing, (3) clearing land for cultivation,
(4) planting orchards and vineyards, and (5) farm buildings ;
and (c) for purchase of stock and plant. No advances are to
be made except on the security of a first mortgage on land,
and the amount is not to exceed two-thirds of the value of
the property. No loan will be less then £50 nor more than
£3,000. The rate of interest is not to exceed 5 per cent.,
and repayments are to be made half-yearly as may be agreed.

The Natal Government Gazette of October 22 contains
a copy of an Act (No. 27 of 1907) authorizing the Govern-
ment to assist persons engaged in agricultural and pastoral
pursuits by loans, and to appoint a board of Commissioners
for the management and administration’ of a fund created
for that purpose. Advances may be made to farmers and
landowners (a) to pay off existing liabilities ; (b) to ettect
improvements, including water pumping, storing, irrigation,
fencing, clearing land for cultivation, planting orchards, etc.,
and farm buildings ; (c) for purchase of live stock and plant —
on security of freehold or quit-rent land, land held from the
Crown or Jand held under private lease if the landlord
becomes a joint mortgager. Loans are not to be granted for
less than £50 or more than £1,530. Applications for advan-
ces of £500 or under are to have precedence over those for
a larger amount.

The Transvaal Government have also passed an Act
(No. 26 of 1907) on very similar lines. The funds of the
bank to the amount of £2,500,000 sterling are to be advanced
from the Transvaal Guaranteed Loan, and a loan to any
one person is not to be less than £50 nor more than £2,500,
except for large agricultural or irrigation works, which may
be specially authorized, in which case the advance may be
increased to £5,000. The advance is not to exceed three-
fifths of the value of the land.

The Agricultural Bank Act of Western Australia (No. 15
of 1906) provides for the issue of mortgage bonds for the
purpose of providing funds for advances to farmers. The advan-
ces are to be made on the security of land, and are to be for
the purpose of clearing, fencing, draining, or water supply, for
paying off previous mortagages, and for the purchase of stock
for breeding purposes. Up to £300 the advance may be to
the full value of the proposed improvement, and further
advances not exceeding £200 may be nade to one-half of the
value of the improvement ; but for the purpose of paying off
previous mortagages, the advance is not to exceed three-fourths
of the improvements already made on the holding, and not

It may be mentioned that many articles on the
subject of Agricultural Banks have appeared in past
numbers of the Journal of the British Board of Agri-
culture. The following may- be specially mentioned:
‘Agricultural Credit Banks’ (May 1905); ‘Village Banks
in England’ (June, 1905); ‘ Agricultural Loans in
Queensland ’ (September, 1905); and ‘ Agricultural
Credit in Germany’ (March, 1906).

CANADA'S WHEAT-PRODUCING
CAPACITY.

In view of the negotiations that have recently
taken place in Barbados tending towards the establish-
ment of a reciprocal trade arrangement between the
West Indies and Canada, Messrs. H. R. Silver, Ltd,
Comiission Merchants of Halifax, in a recent trade
circular issued by the firm, give the following particu-
lars relative to the flour industry of the Dominion,
which may be interesting to readers, :—

A large portion of the extra flours shipped from New
York to the West Indies are Canadian flours.

Canada’s wheat-growing area in the West is 171,000,000
acres in extent, of which at present only about 5,000,000 are
under cultivation, producing last year 100,000,000 bushels of
wheat. The Canadian West is capable of producing three
billion bushels of wheat annvally. At the present rate of
increase it is estimated that im less than ten years’ time there
will be 10,000,000 acres in wheat yielding 200,000,000
bushels annually. Even at the present time Canada ranks
tenth among the world’s wheat-producing countries.

One hundred pounds of Canadian flour makes more
bread of high quality than the same weight of any other
wheat imported into Great Britain.

The grain crop of the Dominion of all kinds reached,
last year, nearly 300,000,000 bushels.

Canada ranked first in the world’s display at the
St. Louis Fair. One hundred and fifty varieties of wheat
and other grains were there shown. from Canada.

The daily capacity of the largest milling concern in
Canada to-day is 14,500 barrels, or in other words, it can
mill sutticient flour in thirteen days to supply British Guiana
for one year. There are two other milling companies whose
output is almost as large.

DOMINICA AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL.

The following is a copy of a nute made by
Sir Bickham Sweet-Escott, K.C.M.G., Governor of the
Leeward Islands in the visitors’ book of the Agri-
cultural School on the occasion of a visit which his
Excellency paid to the school on March 12 last :—

I visited this school on the 12th instant and am glad to
record the pleasure which the visit gave me. I saw the boys
at their work and inspected all the premises and grounds,
which I found clean and well kept. I am satisfied that
excellent work is being done at this institution, and T
congratulate Mr. Brooks, the Officerin-charge, on the good
order which I found prevailing everywhere, and on the
method of work adopted by hin.

108 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS

Aprit 4, 1908.

~ GLEANINGS.

The citrate of lime exports from Dominica increased
trom 36 tons in 1906 to 119 tons during 1907.

crown lands were made in
The total area alienated amounted
The cost of the St. Lucia ezown lands is £1

Seventy-nine grants of
St. Lucia during 1906-7
to 1,197 acres.
per acre.

The Sisal hemp producers of Yucatan have formed them-
Joint Stock Company. The State of Yucatan
has practically a monopoly of Sisal production, the annual
output amounting to 600,000 bales of 360 Tb. each,

selves into a

A recent report states that, in growing cotton, the
native ORION itors in Egypt usually manure their fields at the
rate of 34 ewt. of superphosphate and 1? ewt. of nitrate of
soda or sulpl hate of ammonia per acre.

Over 1,000 bags of sweet potatos were shipped to British
Guiana from Barbados by the Comrade > on
a recent date. The potatos commanded a price of 6s, Gd,
per bag on the Georgetown market.

‘

schocner

The present mango season in British Guiana is reported
to be a record one and the market has been quite glutted by
the unusually large supplies of fruit. Mangos were at
time selling as low as thirty for 1 cent. (Demerara Argosy.)

one

Tea-pianting experiments are being carried on in the
United States, under the direction of the Department of
Agriculture, both in South Carolina and
experiments in to the

Texas. Laboratory

regard aromatic properties of tea are
also in pre IPTCSS,.

On the pineapple plantations of Porto Tico, the Red
Spanish variety is planted in preference to any other, but it
is stated that the Porto Rico or Cabazana variety 1s also

extensively cultivated for canning
which there are three or four,
these

purposes. The canneries, of

pay 50c. to 60c. a dozen for both

varieties, according to size

School garden work is rapidly extending throughout the

United States, according to the report for 1907 of the
Bureau of Plant Industry. During the past year seeds
sufficient to supply 36,173) flower gardens and 31,480

vegetable distributed to the

Department of Agi culture

gardens Were schools by the

The Jamaica Agricultural Society
the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture — expressing
appreciation of the kind reception and treatment atforded
the delegates of the Society at the late Agricultural Conference
at Parbados, together with congratulations on the success of
the Conference. The Jamaica representatives were the Hon,
W. Faweett, and J. 2 Williams, Esq.

has sent a letter to

grown.

Owing to abundant rains, an excellent cane crop is
reported from the coast districts of Mexico where this crop is
In the interior, however, rains have been scarce, and
the cane crop of the dry districts is stated to be 30 per cent.
lower than last year.

During the week ended February 20 last, 159,803. bales
of cotton (including 39 bales British West Indian and 8 bales
British West Afric an) were imported into England. From
January 1 to February 20, 1908, the number of bales imported
reached 1,218,571 (including 1,5 990 British West Indian and
921 bales British West African).

Rubber is one of the most important products of Nigeria,

and during 1906, the output amounted to 3,454,279 tb,
valued locally at £307,077. The chief native variety 1s

Funtuinia. The rubber, although prepared in a somewhat crude
way, commanded a price of about 4s. 6d. per Tb. on the
London market at a time when Brazilian Para was selling
at 5s. 2d. per Ib.

The first progeny of the West African rams imported
from Lagos by the Imperial Department of Agriculture, in
September last, were recently obtained in Barbados, as the
result of a cross with the ordinary woolless sheep of the
island. The lambs are consider: bly larger than would be
the case if a ram of the local breed had been used.

The Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association has for

some time been carrying on experiments with seedling sugar-

canes, and recent reports state that valuable results have
been achieved, Over five thousand seedlings have been
tested, Lut owing to the large number rejected, the actual

number under trial at present has been reduced to 555. It
is confidently expected that the work will result in the
production of canes superior to any hitherto grown in the
islands.

According to the Tropical Agriculturist Gambier
growing is being taken up ona considerable scale on the east
coast of Sumatra, where hitherto tobacco has |

een practically
the only crop grown,

The Gambier plant yields « valuable

dyeing and tanning material, as mentioned in the Agrv7-
cultural News (Vol. VI, p. 376), and attempts (hitherto

unsuccessful) bave been made to introduce

into the West Indies.

its cultivation

The ‘xed

Tndies,

sorrel ? or roselle, well-known in the
in for attention in the United States, where
selection experiments have for some years past been carried
on under the direction of the Department of Agriculture,
with the object. of producing a strain with especially large
calyces, the calyx being the part of the plant used in making
je lies and drinks. ‘The 1907 re port of the Bureau of Plant
Industry states that a variety with calyces twice as long as
the ordinary kind has already been established.

West

has come

From the account of a French scientist who has re
been carrying out investigations on the subject, it appears
that the tse-tse fly, which is responsible for the dissemination
of sleeping the vicinity of watercourses
and the shelter of moist plants for the purposes of repro-
duction, Its larvae perish rapidly if exposed for a few hours
to the rays of a tropical sun, even when they are covered by
a thin layer of dry earth. his indicates that the spread of

the tse-tse Hy may be prevented by cutting down the coverts
in which it lays its eggs,

cently

sickness, seeks

Von. VII. No. 155.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 109

MONTSERRAT: REPORT ON BOTANIC. STA-
LION AND EXPERIMENT PLOTS, 1906-7.

The Montserrat report for the past season has just been
issued, and forms a brief history of the agricultural activities
and progress of the island during the past ten years, and also
gives an account of the present state of the planting and live
stock industries. Reproductions of several photographs of the
Botanic and Experiment Stations are included in the report.

The three agricultural experiment stations of Montserrat,
at Grove estate, at Harris’s Village, and at Olveston respect-
ively, were all started in 1901. The first-named is a Botanic
Station as well as an experiment ground. The present
Curator, Mr. W. Robson, was appointed in 1905.

The most important result of the efforts of the Inperial
Department of Agriculture to improve the agricultural
conditions of the presidency has been the successful establish-
ment of the Sea Island cotton industry. Preliminary experi-
ments were undertaken in 1901 and 1902, and in the follow-
ing year many estate owners in the island made trial plant-
ings. The present extent of the industry is indicated by the
fact that while 98,262 Ib. of lint were shipped in 1905-6, in
1906-7 the export increased to 160,000 tb. Manurial
experiments with cotton have been carried out during the
past three years, in order to ascertain the most economical
method of applying fertilizers to this crop. Advice and
assistance have also been given to peasant growers of cotton
by the Curator of the Botanic Station and the Agricultural
Instructor.

The existence of the Botanic Station, with its readily
available supply of economic plants, has no doubt largely
influenced estate owners and others to’ make experimental
plantings of crops which otherwise would not have received
attention. The station has distributed about 50,000 lime
plants since it was established. The gréat majority of these
were planted by small holders, but in one case a lime planta-
tion of 50 acres was supplied from the station.

The attention of planters has also been drawn to the
possible establishment of cacao estates in suitable districts of
the island. Some small plantations have been started, and
over 1,000 cacao plants were sent out from the Botanic
Station last year.

The Castilloa rubber tree has been''tried in the island,
and will probably do well in certain parts. About 1,000
plants were distributed during the season.

Other crops under experiment are onions, Sisal hemp,
broom corn, ground nuts, bay leaves, etc.

The efforts of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
to improve the live stoek of the island, by the introduction
of male animals of superior type, has already been attended
with considerable success.

In special reference to the work for the season 1906-7,
it may be mentioned that the total expenditure on the
Botanic Station amounted to £624 16s. 2¢., while a sum. of
£54 14s. Td. was received from the sale of plants and
produce. The receipts show a gain of nearly £15 as compared
with the previous year.

Altogether, 11,975 plants were distributed from the
Botanic Station. These chiefly of lime, cacao,
Castilloa rubber, cabbage and bay plants. In addition
a large quantity of seeds and cuttings were also sent ont.
The largely increased number of cacao and bay plants
distributed, as compared with the previous year, is especially
noticeable.

consisted

BERMUDA: REPORE
AGEHRICULTURE, 1906-7.

The cultivation of fruit appears to be the industry hold-
ing most promise for Bermuda in the future, and two of the
most interesting points discussed in the above report are the
efforts made to promote a banana export trade with New
York, and the steps taken to stamp out the ravages of the
fruit tly.

The climate and soil of Bermuda are especially suited to
banana cultivation, and by taking advantage of these natural
conditions, it has been estimated that a large trade might be
established with the United States. The first trial shipments
of bananas made during the year under review gave promising
results, but unfavourable weather interfered with the experi-
ments, which had to betemporarily dropped, with the intention,
however, of continuing the work in the near future.

An account of the thorough-going measures that were
carried out in Bermuda during the past year for the destruc-
tion of the fruit fly is also given, in the course of
a paper dealing with the fruit industries of the colony,
prepared by the Superintendent of the Public Gardens, and
reprinted in the report. A sum of £500 was put on the
Agricultural Estimates of the year to provide the cost of the
destructive measures adopted. These involved the entire
destruction for the season of all fruit known to be liable to
attack by the fruit fly, while the trees were severely pruned
back, with the object of preventing them from bearing, so
far as possible.

Sea Island cotton has been grown on an experimental
scale in Bermuda, and a favourable report on the quality of
the lint was received from the Imperial Institute, but owing
to the meven nature of the land, which entails the necessity
for hand labour, and the high cost of labour as compared
with the West Indian Islands, it is not thought that this
crop will prove sufticiently profitable to warrant its general
cultivation.

Experiments were carried out during the year in the
cultivation of Sumatra wrapper tobacco, which it is believed
would prove a lucrative industry in the colony. A sum of
£700 to defray the cost of these experiments was granted
by the Legislature. Fairly well attended lectures on the
cultivation and curing of tobacco were also given at the
Public Gardens by the Superintendent,

OF THE BOARD OF

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., F.LS., Mycologist on
the Staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture,
left Barbados on March 31, by the R.M.S.‘ Eden’ for
St. Lucia and Antigua, for the purpose of carrying out
investigations into the fungus diseases of crops in those
islands. Mr. Stockdale is expected to be away about
three weeks, and will inspect the Agricultural School
at St. Lucia, and the Botanic Stations at both the
above-mentioned islands, in addition to paying visits to
estates in the country districts.

110

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aprin 4, 1908.

BRITISH GUIANA AND WEST INDIAN
AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE.

Ata general meeting ot the Royal Agricultural
and Commercial Society of British Guiana, held on
March 18, the following resolution, relative to the hold-
ing of the next West Indian Agricultural Conference,
was proposed by the Hon. B. Howell Jones, seconded
by Mr. P. P. Fairbairn, Town Clerk of Georgetown,
and unanimously carried by the members of the
Society :—

Whereas, since the establishment of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture in the West Indies, Agricultural
Conferences have been promoted and held by the Depart-
ment, at Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica, at which delegates
of this Society have been received and entertained :

Be it resolved, that this Society cordially invites Sir
Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., to hold the next Conference in
British Guiana, and promises to assist and support him
in carrying out such a Conference, and will be happy to
receive and entertain any delegates from the West Indian
Islands who may be appointed to attend to represent the
various Governments and Societies.

DOMINICA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

An interesting meeting of the Dominica Agricul-
tural and Commercial Society was held on February
29 last, under the presidency of Dr. H. A. Alford
Nicholls, C.M.G,

Mr. A. R. C. Lockhart, delegate of the Society at
the recent West Indian Agricultural Conference, presen-
ted his report on the Barbados Conference. A resolu-
tion was unanimously carried expressing the warm
appreciation felt by members of the society for the
etforts of the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture in
bringing about such a successful gathering.

The subject of lime cultivation was then discussed.
A letter from Dr. Watts was read dealing with the question
of mixing the juice of sour oranges with lime juice intended
for concentration. As the result of experiment (See Ayricu/-
tural News, Vol. VI, p. 340), it appeared that this was not
a practice to be recommended. Juice of the -wild Ine,
however, may be mixed with lime juice for concentration
without harmful effect. The Bengal bean is frequently
allowed to grow over lime trees in Dominica, since it appears
that this has an influence in checking scale insects, but it was
stated that in districts where the rainfall is heavy, the bean
tended to kill the lime trees. Reference was made to weed-
ing and forking under lime trees. Three weedings a year
were generally regarded as sufticient. The hoe may be
recommended for weeding under the trees on flat land, and
the entlass upon hillsides. A good way to dispose of the
weeds is to use them for mulching purposes. The beneficial
effects of forking in the formation of a loose layer of surface
soil, by which undue evaporation of moisture was prevented,
were dwelt upon by Dr. Nicholls, but stress was laid upon the
importance of care being exercised in forking, since it is so
easy to cut and bruise the roots.

Mr. A. J. Brooks, Officer-in-charge of the Agricultural
School, spoke in favour of nurseries for raising lime plants, as
opposed to planting at stake in the field. Care and attention
given inthe nursery resulted in the development of better
root systems on the young lime plants.

From figures brought before the meeting, it would appear
that there are now 2,500 acres of lime trees in bearing in

Dominica. In addition to this, 1,318 acres of trees have been
planted, but have not yet arrived at the fruiting stage. As
Dr. Nicholls pointed out, therefore, the output of limes and
lime products from Dominica will probably be greatly
increased within a few, years.

A NEW METHOD OF EGG
PRESERVATION.

An interesting method of preserving fresh eggs by
means of desiccation has lately been put in operation
in Sydney, New South Wales, according to the
February Consular Reports ot the United States.
There appears to be no reason why the process should
not become a success, In common with modern methods
of preserving meat, milk, and fruit, and it shonld
result in a considerable cheapening of this popular
article of food.

The process was invented by a chemist of Victoria,
Australia. The results obtained have been so satis-
factory that the Farmers and Settlers’ Co-operative
Society, of Sydney, has erected an extensive plant for
the manufacture, on a large scale, of ‘ egg powder.’

Ihe following account of the process is taken
from the Consular Report :—

The process is as simple a one in principle as that of
preserving fruit by sealing it hermetically at a_ boiling
temperature, or of pasteurizing milk. Eges, freed from the
shells are dried at the relatively low temperature of 54:5" EG:
(130° F.). The operation can be rapidly executed in con-
tainers kept at this temperature, from which the air has been
exhausted, and from which likewise the aqueous vapour
is withdrawn as fast as it is given off by evaporation from the

eg.

oS.
oS

The advantage of this method consists in the fact that
there is no alteration in the chemical composition of the
eggs. There is simply a loss of the greater part of the
water held mechanically in combination, as when fruit
is dried by free exposure to the air and sun, or by more
rapid artificial methods. When thoroughly desiceated and
brought by pulverization into the state of coarse powder, the
egg material can be preserved for an indefinite period in
ordinary packages, if kept in a dry place.

The eggs are ‘reconstituted’ by the simple addition of
water to the dry powder, the resultant mass being quite
indistinguishable from newly beaten-up eggs. Before the
method was accepted as a basis for industrial exploitation
it was submitted to exhaustive critical tests by the Victorian
Department of Agriculture, which demonstrated that purity,
ease of digestion, flavour, etc., were entirely unaffected by the
operations of desiccation, preservation for a long period, and
reconstitution by the addition of water, provided that fresh
eggs were employed at the outset.

From the economic standpoint it is evident that the
cost of eggs as an article of food will be notably reduced
when large tracts in remote regions are utilized for the
purpose of poultry raising. An important factor would be
the low cost of freight for a compact powdered material as
contrasted with the expense of transporting eggs in the

natural fragile condition, containing 74 per cent. of water.
and involving much waste space in packing. The simplicity
of preservation and the ease with which a variety of savoury
dishes can be expeditiously prepared from eggs enhance the
value of such a food preparation, not only for the ordinary
household, but also for the emergencies of travel

Vor, VII. No. 155.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

111

RUBBER EXPERIMENTS IN BRITISH
GUIANA.

Experiments in rubber cultivation are in progress
at the Onderneeming School Farm, British Guiana.
The varieties under trial are Para rubber (Hevea
brasiliensis), as well as Custilloa elastica, Funtwmia
elastica, and the indigenous rubber, Sapiwm Jenmanti.

With regard to the Para variety, the latest report on the
experiments states that plants set out in June 1902, had, at
the end of September last, grown to a height of 43 feet, with
a circumference of 17 inches ; trees planted in November
1903 had (also in September last) reached a height of
24 feet, with a circumference of 12 inehes, while Para rubber
trees, planted in December 1904, had attained a height of
20 feet and a circumference of 7 inches by September 1907.

All these trees, it was stated, had been topped from
time to time, as the natural tendency of the trees is to grow
to an unlimited height without branching, and with a very
small girth.

Young plants of all the above-mentioned species have
been planted out under various conditions—some in swamp
land, some in sand, ete., with a view to ascertaining under
what conditions they grow best.

The Castilloa trees are reported as having grown fitfully,
and different trees show considerable differences in rate of
development. One tree of this variety, four and a half years
old, is now seeding ; it is 12 feet high, and has a girth of
104 inches at 1 foot from the ground.

The Funtumia or West African rubber trees are hardy,
and have shown excellent growth. It is mentioned, however,
that they have a strong tendency to branch excessively, and
grow into bushes rather than trees unless the lateral branches
are regularly cut back. The oldest Funtumia trees at the
station are four and a haif years ,and their height 21 feet
with a girth of 12 inches, The trees have given a good
supply of seeds, and a large number of plants have been
raised. Of these, 3,466 have been sold and sent to estates
in Essequebo and Berbice, and 500 to the North West
district.

RUBBER PLANTING IN HAWAII.

The question of the maintenance of a satisfactory
fovest reserve has of late years been receiving considerable
attention in Hawaii, in common with many other coun-
tries. The Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Monthly for
November last contained the Annual Report of the
Forest Committee of the territory; this gives a good
deal of information and advice as to the most suitable
and remunerative varieties of hardwood timber, From
the closing section of the report, the accompanying notes,
dealing with rubber planting in Hawau, are taken :—

Systematic rubber planting in Hawaii as an industry was
begun three years ago, but until this year there have been no
systematic tapping of trees and keeping of statisties of yield,
on which to base commercial calculations of the profitableness
or otherwise of the business.

During the past year under the direction of Mr. Jared
Smith, chief of the Federal Agricultural Experiment Station
in Hawaii, a number of mature rubber trees growing in the
territory have been tapped and statistics kept of the yield.
The results are not yet available for publication, but sufticient
has been learned to make certain that rubber production will
be profitable in this territory under existing conditions.

This fact has been accepted to the extent that there are
already five incorporated companies “planting rubber on

a considerable scale, vesides a large number of individuals
planting on a small scale. There have already been planted
in the territory between 500,000 and 600,000 rubber trees.
The first tapping on any scale will take place next summer.

From the standpoint of a profitable industry there is
great hope in ri!) ev, especially as, although the trees require
good soil, the) grown to advantage in patches
scattered throus! (he many small vaileys which are found in
all the mountain se:tions of the territory. The business will
therefore not ouly ve of val ie im creating a new and profitable

industry, but wil! inciden aly assist in reatforesting the islands,

Can be

especially wher, ason of inaccessibility or sinallness of
area, It probably ever pay to plant for lumbering

purposes.

There are uy
are unfit for gé
and where rubix
able, than any ot!

westiona ly, however, large areas which
‘tivation, which should be reafforested,

rees wi do as weil, and be more profit-
iree which can be planted there.

The Territo \gricultural Forestry Department has
also interested if / in the matter; is furnishing rubber
seed at approximaic cost to all who desire it, and is
prepared to give expert advice and suggestions as to locations
and methods of planting.

There is no » ison why, incidentally, a number of sugar
plantations, especially those in the non-irrigated windward
districts, should not, at slight expense, plant large numbers
of rubber trees in “uilics and other localities unsuitable for
cane, resulting benefit by present afforestation, and
ultimate profit from the rubber product, which, if present
prices prevail and the expectations of those who have made
a study of rubber are fulfilled, will eventually be greater per
acre than is even sugar.

The concrete results of next year’s tapping of the trees
at Nahiku will be watched with eager interest by all
interested in the development of Hawaii. ;

CASTILLOA RUBBER.

Referring to the cultivation of Castilloa rubber as
carried out in Mexico, the report, for 1906-7, of the
Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, contains the following notes :—

Visits to extensive Castilloa rubber plantations in
Mexico give evidence of the need of caution in enterprises
based on the Central American rubber tree, for it is being
found that the bark in the proximity of old cuts yields very
little latex. The rubber-forming materials of the latex are
restored only slowly, if at all. The first cuts yield far more
latex than in the Para rubber tree, but there is no such per-
sistent production, nor any repeated flow to be obtained by
paring back the edges of the wounds, which, in the case of
the Para rubber tree, produce more latex than previously
uninjured bark.

The latex of Castilloa is also quite different from that of
the Para rubber tree, and requives different methods of treat-

ment. With slow coagulation the quality of the product
deteriorates. Exposure of the latex to air and sunlight by

spreading it out in thin layers produces better and more
durable rubber than bulk coagulation, even with the thorough
and repeated washings which are now generally advised.

The backward condition of some thinly planted areas of
Castilloa rubber trees indicated the damaging effects to the
crop of exposing the soil to stm and rain. Rapid growth
of the trees is promoted by a surface mulei with decaying
organic matter.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 4, 1908,

MARKET REPORTS.

London,— March 17, 1908, ‘THe West Inpra Com-

mitten CrrcuLar : Messrs. Kearton, Prpur & Co.,
March 17. 1908: Messrs. E. A. pr Pass & Co.,
February 21, 1908.

Arrowroot—23d. to 34d.

Batara—Sheet, 2/3 to 2/4 ; block, 1/74 to 1/8 per th.

Bres’-wax—Good quality £7 15s.

Cacao—Trinidad, 80/- to 90/- per ewt.; Grenada, 75/- to
82/- per ewt.

Correr—Santos, 30/- per cwt. ; Jamaica, 40s. 6d. to 60s.

Corra—West Indian, £16 10s. per ton.

Corron-—St. Vincent, 18d. to 20d.; Barbados, 18. to 19d. ;
St. Kitt’s, 18}d. to 20d.; Montserrat, 18d. to 19kd.

Fruir—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Liuies—4/6 to 5/ per box of 200.
Pine-appLeEs—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grape Fruir—14/6 to 20/- per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 5/ to 6/- per box.

Fustic—£3 10s. to £4 per ton,

Honry—20s. to 27s. 6d. per ewt.

Tstncuass—West India lump, 1/6 to 2/- per tb.; cake, no
quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/2 to 1/5 per gallon; concentrated,
£12 12s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled Oil, 1/11
per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per tb.

Locwoon—#£3 5s. to £4 5s. per ton; Roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Mace— (Quiet, no quotations.

Nurmecs—68'sto 69's, 7d. to 9d.;75’s, Gd. to G4d. 5105's, 44d. :
111’s to 115’s, 33d. to 4nd. ; 121’s, 33d.; 138’s, 33d.

Pimenro— 22d. per th.

Rum—Jamaica, 2/11 to 3/3; Demerara, 1/25 to 1/4:
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 17/6 to 20/6 per ewt.; Muscovado,
14s. 10d.; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6,

New York,—Mareh 6, 1908.—Messrs. Ginuespre

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Caracas, l5c. ; Grenada, lic. to lofe. ; Trinidad,
IG}ec. to 16$c.; Jamaica, 13}c. to 14sec. per th. ‘

Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $26°00 to $28°00; culls,
$17°00: Trinidad, $26-00 to $27°00; culls, $16:00
per M.

Corrre—Jamaica, good washed, S$c. to L1e. ; good ordinary,
GZe. to Ste. per Tb. :

FING ER— 10sec. to 12k¢. per tb.

Goat Sxins—Jamaica, 55c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kitt’s, 53c. to 55c., dry flint: 27¢. to 40c., dry salted.

Grave Fruit—Jamaicas, $175 to $3:00 per barrel.

TLimes—Dominiea, 83°75 to $4°50 per barvel.

Macr— 28&ce. to 33c. per Ib.

Nurmecs—110's, 9}c. per th.

Onances—dJamaica, $2750 to $3°25 per barrel.

Pimentro—. dc. per th.

Scoar—Centrifugals, 96°, 3°89. to 38:92c.; Muscovados,
89°, 3:-42c. ; Molasses, 89°, 8c. per th, duty paid.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lyncnu & Co., March 24,

1908: Messrs. Ty S. Garnraway & Co., March 30,
1908.

>

Arrnowroot—St. Vincent, $4°00 to $450 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $15°00 to $16-GO per 100 ib,
Cocoa-Nurs—$12°25 per M. for husked nuts.
Corrre—Jamaica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 tb.

Hay— $1°55 to $2°00 per 100 th.

Manunrs—Nitrate of soda, 865°00 ; Ohlendort?’s dissolved
guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00; Cacao
manure, $42°00 to $48°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia,
$72:00 to$75-00; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton,

Morassres—12e. ; Fancy, 15c. per gallon.

Oxtons— Madeira, $2°40 per 100 th.

Poraros, Enerisu-—$2°40 to $3:00 per 160 th.

Pras—Sphit, $6°20 to $6°50 ; Canada, 33°56 to $3°35 per bag.

Rrce—Demerara, $5°60 to $5°65 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°80 ;
Rangoon, $3:00 to $310 per 100 tb.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $1°90 per LOOT. package included ;
Dark crystals, $2°40 to $2°50; Centrifugals, $2:00 to
$2°50 per 100 Tb.

British Guiana.—March 21, 1908.—Messrs. Wretina

& Ricurer.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $7-00 to $10-00 per barrel.

Bazara—-Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c. per tb,

Cacao—Native, 17e. to 18c. per tb.

Cassava—No stock.

Cassava Srarcu—No quotations.

Cocoa-nuts—$12°00 to $16°00 per M.

Corrne— Creole, 18c.; Jamaica, 12c. per tb.

Duar— $5:00 to 85°25 per bag of 168 th.

Eppos—72c. to $1744 per barrel.

Morasses— Yellow, 19¢. ; Dark, no quotations

Oxtoxs— Madeira, 4c.; Lisbon, 3$c¢ tode. per ib. ; Dutch, 3e.

PLANTATNS— 20c. to 64c. per bunch.

Poratos,—Enelish, $2°40 per barrel,

Poraros, Sweer—Barbados, $1'08 per bag.

Rice—Ballain, $6°25 to $6°40 ; Creole, $5:00 for cood ;
Seeta, $6°00 per bag. ; é

Sprir PEas—$6°20 to $625 per bag (210 lb.); Lisbon, $4 50,

Tannras— $3°60 per bag. q

Yams—White, $2.16 to $240 ; Buck, $5-24 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°50 to $2°35 ; Yellow, $2:90 to
$3:00 ; White, $3°50 to $3°60; Molasses, $1:70 to
$1°95 per 100 th. (retail).

Tinper—Greenheart, 32c. to 55c. per cubic foot,

WaLLAbaA SHINGLES—$3°50 to $5°75 per M.

Corpwoop—$2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

Trinidad,— March 21, 1908.—Messrs. Gorvon, Grant

& Co.

Cacao—$17°-00 to $20°00 per fanega.

Cocoa-Nuts—No quotations.

Cocoa-nuvt O1.—72e. per Imperial’ gallon, cask included.
Corree—Venezuelan, 10 quotations.

Copra—$2°60 to $2°80 per 100 th.

Duat—-$5°00 to $5°25 per 2-bushel bag.

ONtoONS—$2°50 to 83°00 per 100 th: (retail).

Poraros, Excrisn—$1-15 to $1:25 per 100 th.
Rrer—Yellow, $5°40 to $5°60 ; White, $5°25to $6°00 per bag.
Sperrv Peas—$5-90 to $6:00 per bag. :
ScGak—$5-0) to $5-05 per 100 th.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS:

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Vou. VII. No. 155. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. Apri 4, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

2AL EGZES =

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Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

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conformity with, the requirements of

THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

The only sure and effective insecticide and destroyer of the cotton worm, caterpillars, and other pests. |
Guaranteed to be absolutely pure by the manufacturers. Used extensively throughout the British West Indies, and sold
by all high-class merchants and dealers. Consumers are cautioned against worthless substitutes, and should always see
that the packages bear the name of the manufacturers :—

MORRIS HERRMANN & CO.,
NEW YORK: Ucss:

Or obtain a guarantee from the merchant selling the PARIS GREEN that it is MORRIS HERRMANN & CO’s.
brand. Samples furnished free on application to the manufacturers :—

MORRIS HERRMANN & CO.,,

68, William St., New York City, U.S.A.

WORKS ; BRANCHES ;
Newark, N.J., U.S.A. Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
(ib?) San Francisco, Cal., U.S.A.

DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE |
JUST ISSUED COTTON FACTORY. LIMITED. |

pie ee Ginning and Shipping of Cotton, sent from the
OF Other West India Islands, will be undertaken.

NEE Go UO eR ei er et toma ee

THE SECRETARY.
Price 4d. Post free, 5d. :

HINTS FOR PARIS GREEN.

Guaranteed Strictly PURE PARIS GREEN in Bond.

SCHOOL GARDENS. a
(REVISED EDITION. ACME’ POWDER GUNS

for applying the same to Cotton, and best quality selected

Price 4/7. Post free, 5d. Sea Island cotton seed for planting. |

The above ‘pamphlets may be obtaincd Apply :— nr
through any of the Agents for the sale of THE SECRETARY, |
the publications of the Imperial Department Barbados Co-operative Cotton
of Agriculture. iFactory, Ltd., Barbados. |

OF THE

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IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Vor. VII. No. 156. BARBADOS,
CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAGE
A.B.C. of Lime Culture... 121 | Market Reports ... ... 128
Cacao Cultivation in St. Nitrogen as a Plant Food 126
Kitt’s-Nevis ... 119) Notes and Comments ... 120
Castor Oil Plant .. 119) Onion Growing in
Citron Peel Required . 116 Montserrat 50 122
Cocoa-nut Cultivation . 116 Rice Culture in United
Cotton Notes :—- Stabeseeea easiest only
Sea Island Cotton in the Rubber Planting in the
Bahamas Mth ee RLUG West Indies ... ... 118
Sea Island Cotton in the Rubber Production in
Society Islands . 118 1 EEO sees eeupepe moto 126
Sea Island Cotton School Gardens in the
Market Ban) code Alalts) West Indies 117
West Incian Cotton ... 118] Sugar Industry :
Department News. eae tals) 3eet Sugar Industry of
Edueation, Agricultural, in | United States-... ... 115
Great Britain . 121) Sugar Industry in Java 115
Gileamingshts cen ss 124 | Sugar Production in Cuba 121
Ground Nut Experiments Sweet Potato Investiga-
in Dominica: 2.5) -..> 17, tLON Sete wee) bse ices 20
Hawk’s-bill Turtle, the ... 123) Sweet Potatos, Propaga-
Insect Notes :—- tion of, aot rade aces 430)
Argentine Ant, the ... 122) West Indies, Climate of... 120
Jamaica Earthquake, the... 123) Ylang-ylang Cultivation... 121
Lemon Grass 125. Zapupe Fibre Plant » 125

Planting in the West

Indies.

Rubber

UBBER planting on an experimental scale,
was begun in suitable localities in the

West Indies several years ago, and a remun-
erative, if at present somewhat small, industry is grad-
ually being developed in more than one colony, notably
in Trinidad and Tobago. The Central American rubber
(Castillow elastica) is the kind which has received most

APRIL 18, 1908.

Price ld.

attention, since it is apparent that it is well suited to
the natural conditions prevailing in this part of the

world, and moreover, is well adapted to serve as
a shade tree in and around cacao plantations. Para

rubber (Hevew brasiliensis) is also being planted, and
is almost everywhere regarded with favour. For practi-
cal purposes, it may be said that planters in the West
Indian Islands are limiting their attention to these
two varieties, In British Guiana, probably more than
one species of Sapium are found, which have been
In
that colony, therefore, while experiments are undertaken
with Castilloa and Hevea, it is possible that the best
returns may be obtained from the cultivation of the

proved to yield a good supply of valuable rubber.

native rubbers in preference to other kinds.

Considering the great and continually increasing
number of uses to which rubber is applied in every-day
life, it is manifest that the market for the raw product
is in no danger of falling off to an appreciable extent.
The rapid displacement of horse traffic by motor
vehicles, that has taken place of late years, has alone
brought about an enormous and permanent increase in
the demand for rubber, while its peculiar physical
properties are continually creating fresh uses for 1t in
the arts and industries.

The world’s supply of wild rubber, the chief sources
of which are the Amazonas district of Brazil, Mexico
and other parts of Central America, and Africa, is being
exploited as rapidly as collectors can get it on the
market, and since the natural rate of replenishment is
far less rapid than the present rate of collectio’, it is
obvious that exhaustion of the wild supp'ty must sooner
or later come about.

114

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 18, 1908

It was lately pointed ont in one of the leading
rubber journals that the danger of an appreciable fall,
under ordinary circumstances, in the price of rubber
was improbable, since, assuming such a drop to take
place temporarily, the product would at once be avail-
-able for a large number of uses for which the present
price is prohibitory, and for which more or less ineffi-
cient substitutes have to be found. Such an
enhanced demand would, of course, tend again to put

Now

up the price, until a natural equilibrium was once more
established.

Another point to which attention may be drawn in
considering the prospects of plantation rubber is the
fact that while the demand is universal, the
of production is a comparatively limited one, since all
the commercial rubber-yielding plants flourish only
within the tropics. In this respect rubber differs from
The demand for the latter article

area

sugar, is universal
also, but production is carried on in temperate as well
as in tropical regions, and the supply is limited only by
considerations of profit. Even within the tropics, it is
only in suitable districts that rubber cultivation can be
carried on, and it would appear that in the future,
dealers will have to look chiefly to the Malay States,
Ceylon, Northern and Western Brazil, Central America,
a portion of the West Coast of Africa, and it may he
hoped, the West Indies, for the supply of plantation
rubber which will be needed to replace the annual out-
put now obtained from wild sources.

It is evident from the above considerations that
estate owners and others who may be debating the
prospects of rubber culture, need have no fear as to the
ultimately profitable nature of the industry, provided
of course, due Judgement is exercised in the selection of
the variety grown, in planting only on suitable soils,
and in the actual planting operations and after-
management.

As regards the present status of the rubber indus-
try in the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago are the
islands in which the greatest advance has been made.
More than a year ago there were thirty-three estates
engaged in rubber production in Trinidad, andshipments
were taking place in fairly largequantities. Prices varying
from 4s. 3d. to 5s. 3d. were reported for Castilloa sheet
rubber. The Castilloa tree appears to do very well in
Trinidad, the conditions of soil and climate being
congenial. About ten estates are also planting Para

rubber as well. In Jamaica, too, many planters are
now seriously taking up rubber cultivation, Para and

Castilloa being the kinds receiving chief attention.

The rubber industry is likely to become promi-
British Guiana in the The
colony possesses large tracts of land well suited to the
requirements of Para and Castilloa, while it is fortunate
in possessing quick-growing native species of Sapiums

nent in near future.

which are reported to be very hardy, and to give good
rubber than
Castilloa, and three or four years earlier than Para
trees,
mentally grown at the Onderneeming Farm School,
The
Combined Court of British Guiana has voted the funds
for the upkeep of a rubber Experiment Station in the
North-West district. It is stated that many applica-
tions fur land for rubber-planting purposes have been
received since the conditions under which such land
may be leased have been settled.

returns of two or three years earlier

Different varieties of rubber are being experi-

and have been under observation for some years,

In St. Lucia, there are some few hundred Castilloa
trees, chiefly planted through cacao estates, and from
nine to twelve years old. Tappings of some of the
older trees have been undertaken with satisfactory
results, and about two years ago samples of St. Lucia
rubber were valued at 5s, per Ib. in London.

Castilloa is also regarded as the best rubber tree
for cultivation in Dominica. The trees grow well and
can be expected to yield good rubber in eight to ten
The fact that sheet
rubber from Dominica was valued at 5s. Td. to 5s. 9d.
per Ib. in London in 1906 indicates that no doubt
need be entertained as to whether a product of high
quality can be produced in the island. Samples of
Para rubber, the first produced in Dominica, were
forwarded to London in 1907, together with further
specimens of Castilloz.

years from the time of planting.

Both were favourably reported
upon, but the Para samples were adjudged the best.

In discussing this question of the development of
the rubber industry, reference may again be made to
the International Rubber Exhibition, which is to be
held in London in September next, and of which full
particulars were given ina recent issue of the Agri-
cultural News (Vol. VII, p. 94). It is satisfactory to
uote that, as regards the West Indies, the Permanent
Exhibition Committees of Trinidad and Dominica have
already made arrangements to send samples of
rubber, etc, to this Exhibition. In addition to rubber
samples, portions of rubber trees showing the method
of tapping, together with specimens of leaves and fruit,
and photographs might besent,aswellasdecorative mate-
rial so as to make the West Indian section thoroughly
abtractive,

Vo.. VII. No. 156.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

115

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Sugar Industry in Java.

A sugar expert from the Dutch East Indies lately
visiting Dutch and British Guinn: is, gave the Demerara
Daily ‘Chronicle some interesting particulars i in regard
to the sugar industry of Java.

The great advantage possessed by Java as compared with
British Guiana lies in the fact that the Dutch colony possesses
a plentiful and cheap labour supply. A labourer’s daily
wage in Java was stated to be Ge. The planter is therefore
able to give his land all the cultivation needed, and gets
a high return of sugar per acre. This return was mentioned
as averaging 4 tons, compared with 1°75 tons per
obtained in British Guiana.

Of late years there has been considerable amalgamation
of small estates in Java, and central factories with up-to-date
machinery have been largely established. The greater
extracting power of this machinery would help to account for
the increased return of sugar as compared with estates

acre

employing the muscovado process. The average cost of
manufacturing sugar in Java is about £6 16s. per ton.

The sugar lands of the Dutch colony are iaturally well-
drained, and no extensive irrigation schemes have been
necessary to ensure a relable water supply. On the clay
lands hand labour only is employed, but ploughs are utilized
on the lighter soils.

Ratooning canes is not practised on any estate in Java.

No doubt the successful results of the campaign against the
oot disease of the sugar-cane in the island are lar gely due to
this fact. This colony, it may be mentioned, was the place
from which the disease was first reported, in 1895, but at
present it is stated to be difficult to find a specimen of the
fungus JMarasmius sacchari in the island. Every crop of
sugar-cane is entirely replanted with fresh cuttings.

Another feature of cane cultivation in Java is that the
crop is not cultivated continuously on the same land without
intermission. Two crops of rice are grown on the land after
the removal of the sugar crop, before it is again planted with
canes.

The sugar growers and owners of factories, it appears,
seldom own the land, but rent it from the native proprietors
at about 36s. per acre per annum. ‘There is no cane-farming
industry, the planters growing all the canes worked up by
them at the factory.

The aid of the chemist and botanist has been largely
called in to the assistance of the Java sugar industry, and an
extensive series of seedling and manurial experiments is in
progress at the three Experiment Stations of the island. The
cost of these stations, it was mentioned, is entirely borne by
the planters themselves, no assistance being given by the
Government. Recognizing the influence of local conditions,
and the fact that results obtained on one estate may be
considerably modified on another in the same neighbourhood,
owners of some of the larger estates have begun to carry out
experiments of their own.

The cultivation of seedling canes in Java has progressed
so far that at present about 50, per cent. of the total area
under sugar cultivation is planted with these new varieties.

Formerly the United States took the great bulk of the
sigar produced in Java, but the exports to New York have
latterly decreased. and now no more than one-third of the
output (1,011,546 tons in 1906-7) goes to America. A. still
further decrease in the shipments is expected, The chief
markets now open to the Jaya sugar producer are those

of Japan and British India. Japan purchases a large
amount of raw sugar for refining purposes, while British

India requires a pure white sugar which needs no refining.
The prospects of Java on the latter market are good. Some-
315,000 tons of raw sugar were also in 1905-6 exported to
Hong-Kong, where there exists a very large sugar-refining
industry.

Beet Sugar Industry of the United States

The particulars relating to the production of beet
sugar in the United States which were given in the
Louisiana Planter (February 21, 1908) would indicate
that if the present rate of dev elopment of this industry
is continued, the United States will in a comparatively
short aumber of years, be entirely independent. of all
outside countries for its sugar supply. Referring to
this development, the Planter expresses the opinion
that in no other branch of agriculture has the encourage-
ment and assistance of the United States Department
of Agriculture been attended with more strikingly
beneficial results than in connexion with the beet sugar
industry.

The prospect thus indicated to the West Tndian
sugar- producing colonies of a continuously declining
market for their product in the States should be an
additional incentive to them seriously to consider the
question of closer commercial intercourse with the
Dominion of Canada, the chief country in which the
West Indies and British Guiana are likely to find
customers for their cane products in the future.

The average annual production of beet sugar in the
United States up to 1887 was no more than 560 short tons
(of 2,000 Ib.). In 1891, the production had advanced to 6,000
tons. In the following year, this quantity had more than
doubled, the output reaching 13,450 tons. The production
of beet sugar in 1893 was 22,544 tons, while by 1897, it had
reached 45,246 tons, Two years after this date, the crop
produced was 81,729 tons, while by 1901, the annual output
had again more than doubled, amounting to 184,606 tons.
In 1903, the year’s crop was 240,604 tons ;in 1906, it was
483,000 tons, while in 1907, the output of beet sugar totalled
500,000 short tons.

The total amount of sugar imported into the United
States in 1906 amounted to 1,989,665 short tons, so that it
will be seen that the present home production of beet sugar
now reaches rather more than one quarter of the total sugar
imports.

The tendency of the United States market as regards
sugar from the West Indies and British Guiana may be

judged from a glance at the shipments of recent years. In

1898 the quantity of sugar exported from these colonies to
the States was 185,274 tons (of 2,000 Tb. each). Five years
later America received from the West Indies and British
Guiana, sugar to the quantity of 182,142 tons. In the
following year (1904), however, the same colonies were
unable to find a market in the States for more than 69,572
tons. A slightly less quantity, 68,284 tons, was shipped in
1905, while in 1906 the shipments fell to 44,148 tons.

In the face of the above figures, it is encouraging for
sugar producers in these colonies to note that whereas the
total exports of sugar to Canada from the West Indies and
British Guiana were, in 1900, no more than 6,496 short
tons, they had advanced to 125,776 tons in 1905,

116

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aprit 18, 1908.

Oe See 2 eID = he) ee ED)
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!

PEST

WEST UND

COCOA-NUT CULTIVATION.

The Brazilian journal Ll Hacienda recently
contained a lengthy article dealing with the cultivation,
manuring, etc., of cocoa-nut plantations. Some of the
points dealt with are worthy of reproduction.

In the nursery where the seedlings are grown, it is
recommended that the nuts be planted, base uppermost, in
raised banks of earth, the nuts being placed quite close to each
other. Germination takes place in about four or five months,
and transplanting may be carried out when the plants have
three or four leaves. The young trees are set out at distances
of from 23 to 28 feet each way. The more fertile the soil,
the greater the distance at which they may be set, since growth
is more rapid.

The holes dug to receive the cocoa-nut plants should be
about 3 feet in diameter, and it is advantageous to half fill
the hole with manure, or earth mixed with ashes. Growth
is more rapid in a fairly loose soil. In dry seasons or dry
districts it will be necessary to water the young plants regu-
larly, and indeed the tree is one that always repays atten-
tion to provide a good supply of water. Depth of soil is very
favourable to good growth of the cocoanut.

For the first two or three years after planting, the
cultivator may with advantage raise other crops, such as
maize, cassava, ground nuts, ete., between the rows of palms.
Tf the last-named crop is grown and ploughed in, there will be
a considerable gain to the fertility of the soil. Regular
cultivation of the land during the carly years of growth of the
cocoanut trees must be undertaken in order to bring about
development of the plautation at the earliest date. Experien-
ced growers assert that the cost of such operations is fully
repaid by the enhanced returns obtained.

Some yield of fruit may be given on good soil, where the
trees have received every attention, at the end of five years
after planting, but a full crop will not be obtained until from
the seventh to the tenth year.

At the end of the fifth year it is recommended that the
whole of the plantation be cleared of other crops, under-
growth, etc., and the land receive a fairly deep ploughing.
The soil should not be disturbed, however, too near the roots
of the palms.

As a general rule, the application of fertilizers to the
cocoanut crop is repaid by an inereased yield, but manures
should not be given until the trees have commenced to bear.
Tn fact, unless the soil is poor, manuring may be deferred
until one or two crops have been obtained.

Pen manure, and the use of green manure, such as
ground nuts (already mentioned), cow peas, and velvet beans,

ie

C2

IAN FRUIE

are reported to form excellent dressings for cocoa-nut planta-
tions. On some estates in Ceylon it is stated to be the
custom to tether cattle to the trunks of the trees, allowing
them in this way to manure the plantation with their drop-
pings. In order to obtain the best results the manure
should be afterwards worked into the soil by cultivation.

A dressing of manure may occasionally be given with
advantage, even though the plantation shows no sign of
falling off in condition. The ground should be ploughed and
the manure worked into the soil. As in the case of most
other fruit trees, it is usually preferable to dress cocoa-nut
palins with slow-acting manures, such as bone meal, basic
slag, organic refuse, cotton seed meal, ete., instead of using
quick-acting manures, such as nitrate of soda and superphos-
phate. In the former ease, the results are not at once
apparent, but they are continuous, and spread over a con-
siderable time. Nitrogen and phosphorie acid are stated to
be the elements chiefly necessary, but, except on very heavy
soils, an occasional dressing of a potassic manure should
certainly also be given, since large quantities of potassium
salts are removed from the soil by a crop of cocoa-nuts.

When the husks are removed from the nuts on the
plantation, these should always be buried between the rows
of palms, since a considerable amount of fertilizing matter
is returned to the soil in this way.

An average return of nuts is usually considered to be
about 3,000 per acre, and assuming sixty trees to this
area, each tree would give about fifty nuts. With judicious
cultivation and manuring, however, this return, it is stated, is
not infrequently increased to seventy or eighty nuts per tree,
which means a total of from 4,200 to 4,800 nuts per acre.

CITRON. PEEL REQUIRED.

A letter has been received by the Imperial
Commissioner of Agriculture from a firm of produce
dealers in London, in which this company states that
it would be glad to receive samples of citron peel, cured
ready for the use of confectioners. Growers who
propose to send samples should communicate in the
first instance with the Imperial Department of Agri-
culture, stating the price (per tb. or otherwise) delivered
in London. They ‘should also mention the probable
quantity that could be shipped if required, and also the
season of the year when this product is available. The
market for citron peel is at present not a large one,
but it is probable that the demand might become more
extensive if it is kpown that a good supply can be
relied upon,

Wotan willie eNiow d565 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

117

GROUND NUT EXPERIMENTS IN
DOMINICA.

Experiments with three varieties of ground nuts
(‘Dixie Giant’, ‘Tennessee Red’, and ‘ Africans’) were
commenced at the Dominica Agricultural School about
a year ago. Seed of the two first-named varieties was
obtained from the United States by the Imperial
Commissioner, since these two kinds were reported to be
of special excellence.

All three varieties appear to.have done well in the
experiments so far carried out, and the nuts were
unattacked by any pest. The soil on which the trials
were carried out was of a very light and sandy nature.

The nuts produced sold very readily on the local
market, but it appears that smaller nuts are preferred
to those of larger size.

Mr. A. J. Brooks, Officer-in-charge of the Agri-
cultural School (who has prepared and forwarded to the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, the report deal-

ing with the experiments given below), states,his belief

that ground nuts should form a remunerative crop in
Dominica. It is hoped to carry ont further and more
conclusive trials with the scveral varieties of nuts
during the coming season. ‘The following is Mr. Brooks’
report :—

GIANT

© DIXIE VARIETY.

Two and a half pounds of seed nuts were received
from the Head Office in May. These were sown on Septem-
ber 4, in rows 1} feet apart both ways.

The _ plants grew well and commenced to
October 3, twenty-nine days after sowing.

Three weedings were given. The plants ripened off and
the nuts were reaped on January 15, 64 Ib. of cured nuts
being obtained. The area being so small it was scarcely
possible to estimate the yield per acre. The object chiefly
sought in this trial was to see if this variety would thrive in
Dominica and to raise as much seed as possible so that a plot
sufficiently large could be sown the next season to estimate
the return per acre, ete.

The results of this first trial were therefore very satisfac-
the nuts obtained being of a good quality and the
The crop took a little over four months to

flower on

tory,
yield also good.
mature,

RED? VARIETY.

Only 3 oz. of received, this
a quantity to estimate the yield per acre. The object sought
was the same as with the former variety.

Sowing took place on August 6. the distance of planting
being 2 feet each way.

Being so few, special care was taken of the plants of this
variety, the plot being irrigated when necessary and the
branches carefwlly pegged down to assist the formation of
nuts. The plants thrived well, making good vines and
producing numerous flowers.

Reaping took place on December 28, and the yield was

t=}
extremely good, | Ib. 3 oz. of cured nuts being ol tained.
‘ AFRICAN’

‘ TENNESSEE

seed was being too small

VARIETY.

Twenty pounds of seed nuts cf the ‘African’ variety
were obtained from Barbados carly in the year.

Sowing took place in May, two seeds being sown in each
1 inch deep and 1 foot apart in the rows, and 13 feet
The area planted was acre in

hole,
apart between the rows.
extent.

i
8

The plants grew well and soon covered the ground ; they
commenced to flower thirteen days after sowing. This was
rather premature and caused no doubt by the excessive
drought experienced at the time.

The plot was mulched with a light covering of small
leaves such as bamboo, which readily fell between the plants,
thus protecting the roots. Irrigation was necessary every
alternate day for three weeks. Three weedings were given.

Reaping took place on November 4, the crop having
taken six months to mature.

Four hundred and forty-three pounds of cured nuts were
obtained from this plot, this being at the rate of 3,569 Ib. per
acre. This was an exceptionally good yield and the nuts sold
readily at 4d. per Tb. in the local market.

SCHOOL GARDENS JIN THE WEST
INDIES.

The accompanying extracts from the report pre-
sented by the Education Section at the late Agricultural

Conference, dealing with school gardens in ‘the West
Indies, their provision and educational value, are

reprinted as forming a supplement to the editorial
article on the subject that appeared in the last issue
of the Agricultural News :—

The provision and use of school gardens have been
general, and, on the whole, the progress has been fairly
satisfactory. Where the progress has been less satisfactory,
it has been in part due to the difficulty of obtaining land, as in
Barbados, or to the cost of preparing it, as in British Guiana : ;
but more to the smallness of the grant allowed to elementary
teachers for agriculture.

There is no indication that-teachers are now unwilling
to teach the subject in any of the colonies. But in some, as
in Barbados, it pays them better to teach other subjects.
Where real suecess has been attained, as in Trinidad, it has
been due to the liberal scale on which grants have been
allowed for teaching the subject.

Where it is impossible to obtain land for school gardens,
the children in many schools cultivate plants in pots and
boxes at school and at home.

An interesting account has been

given of the model

gardens which have been established in British Guiana-—two
in Georgetown and three in the country districts. These

appear to be excellent centres for teaching the children and
others in their nebbew ond and we specially commend
a practice which there obtains, of giving to four selected boys
the opportunity of continuing their agricultural education by
apprenticeship to the scientific instructor of the Government.

In the smaller colonies, it is felt that one of the greatest
wants is that of suitable direction to teachers and children
and the people generally, by means of frequent visits of
qualified Agricultural Instructors.

All the representatives on the Committee wish to
emphasize the vast importance of this subject of education
in agriculture to the welfare of every colony, and all bear
testimony to the markel advance, not only inthe knowledge of,
but in general interest in, agricultural matters. This is true
not only of children, but of parents and others generally.
The opposition of parents, the indifference of teachers, and
the ignorant attitude assumed by some that scientific instrue-
tion was not needed have passed away, and considering the
difficulties such as these, combined with the smallness of the
financial grants, the Comiznittee consider the past. satisfac-
tory and the future full of hope.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aprit 18, 1908.

» 7 oe x

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date March 20, with reference
to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

The fine spinning trade continues extremely depressed,
and buyers in consequence are only prepared to buy small
parcels for immediate requirements.

As the West Indian Sea Island cotton supply is in
competition with a stock of 3,000 bales American Sea Islands
lying at Charleston, spinners will only buy at a marked con-
cession in values.

Holders of West Indian cotton are anxious for sales at
full prices, but under present conditions, it is only with
difficulty that fair market prices can be obtained.

The sales amount to about 230 bales, including St. Kitt’s
at 16d. to 174d.; St. Croix at 174d. ; Nevis, chiefly at 16¢.,
with a few at 17d. ; Montserrat and Anguilla at 16d. to 16%. ;
and a few bales of St. Vincent at 19d. Z

SEA ISLAND COTTON IN THE BAHAMAS.

Experiments in the cultivation of Sea Island cot-
ton, which seem to promise well, were carried out in
Long Island and Exuma, two of the Out Islands of the
Bahamas, during 1907. Reports on the work done,
and the results obtained, appear in the Bulletin of the
Agricultural Department of the Bahamas for January
last. The experiments were carried out under the
direct supervision of the Resident Justices of the two
islands, who are also in each case the chairmen of the
local Boards of Agriculture. ;

Five acres of Jand were planted with cotton in Long
Island. The seed was sown, on soil well representing the
average of the island, at the end of June and beginning of
July. The plants did well, although on the more hilly
portion of the area, growth was retarded for want of rain.
Fears were entertained that the cotton stainer would prove
a serious pest, but the few insects that did appear were kept
well under. A first picking of cotton was obtained in October,
and after the rains experienced during that month, the plants
blossomed afresh, and good prospects of a second picking were
reported.

The total cost of clearing and preparing the bush land,
weeding and destroying insects over the 5 aeres, amounted
to £16 2s., while the value of the return (estimated in the
report to be at least S00 Ib. of lint) is placed at £66 13s. td.

A slightly larger area (55 acres) was planted with cotton
in Exuma, another of the Out Islands, the seed being sown
about the middle of Drought was experienced in
August, but the plants grew fairly well. Several showers of
rain did a great deal of good in September. A small gather-

June.

ing of cotton was made in October, but the chief picking
took place at the end of November, when 400 tb. of seed-
cotton were gathered. At the time of writing the report
(January 7) the second picking had not been made, but
an excellent return was anticipated. The total cost of cultiva-
tion, ete., amounted to £12 10s., the heaviest item being the
expense of picking, which was about 5s. per 100 tb, of seed
eotton,

These results certainly indicate that Sea Island cotton
ean be profitably grown in the Bahamas.

SEA iSLAND COTTON MARKET.

In their report, dated March 14 last, on the state
of the Sea Island cotton market, Messrs. Henry W.
Frost & Co., Charleston, write :—

The sales of the week include the 200 bales of tinged
cotton referred to in our last circular, and 100 bales of fine
quality, at 30c. per Ib., sold this week. The market is quiet,
with some demand, but at prices much below the present views
of factors.

On March 14, Messrs. Frost write :—

The sales of this week consist of 35 bales tinged Sea
Tslands at 27c., and later, further sales have been made of
50 bales fine quality on private terms. The buying has been
on account of the Northern mills. The factors continue to
hold the planters’ crop lots at 35c. to 40c. and upwards, and
fully fine,’ at 35c., but there is no
Spinners could, however, probably
concession. The following are the present
1Oc.: tine, 30c.;
fully fine to fine stains, 20c. to

also odd bags classing *
demand at these prices.
purchase at a
prices: Fully fine to extra fine, 35c. to
fully fine, but tinged, 27¢.:
D4e.
SEA ISLAND COTTON IN THE SOCIETY
ISLANDS.

Sea Island cotton at one time formed a very valu-
able item of export from the French colony of the Socie-
ty Islands. Up to about twenty-five years ago the annual
shipments of lint reached over 1,000,000 tb. per annum.
About 1885 the industry began to fall off, but latterly
it has again revived. In 1905, 18,375 Ib. of baled cotton
were shipped to England from these islands, and the
exports increased to 52,800 th. in 1906. The Govern-
ment is anxious to encourage the industry, and has
caused the publication in the official journal of the
colony of a series of long articles dealing with the
cultivation. A banis closely connected with the
colonial Government has also guaranteed a minimum
price of 7c. per th. for all seed-cotton grown in the
colony.

Vou. VII. No. 156

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 119

CACAO CULTIVATION IN ST. KITT’S-
NEVIS.

Some attention has during the past year or two
been paid to cacao cultivation in St. Kitt’s-Nevis, and
the accompanying notes in reference to the subject are
taken from the recently issued Annual Report on the
Botanic Station of the presidency :—

The cultivation of cacao at Molinenx estate [St. Kitt’s] has
been considerably extended during the year and there are now
some 22 acres under cultivation. The first planted trees are
doing well and give promise of this experiment being a great
The cultivation is being extended to lower levels,
and in one instance one of the cane fields is being planted in
cacao, Suitable wind-breaks are being planted to protect
the young trees, as without these it would be impossible to
grow them in this position.

In Nevis, the cacao cultivation on Madden's estate has
developed, and there are some 40 acres in cultivation. Great
attention has been paid to this new industry by those in
charge of the estate, and the condition of the trees generally
does them credit. A small crop will soon be obtained from
the first planted trees, which are about five years old. As
this estate has abandoned eane cultivation, the addition of
a new and remunerative industry must add very much to tie

value of the estate, and it is also a most useful object-
lesson as to the chances of growing cacao in such places in

Nevis.

success.

CASTOR OIL PLANT.

Since the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis)
is very common throughout the West Indies, efforts
have occasionally been made in*some ot the islands,
notably in St. Lucia and Jamaica, to encourage its
cultivation. In the latter island its cultivation has
been urged on account of the fact that the resulting
oil was desired for the manufacture of soap. As pointed
out in a recent number of the Agricultural News
(Vol. VI, p. 389), castor oil has of late found such
numerous applications in the arts and industries, apart
from its use in medicine and as an illuminating and
lubricating agent, that the demand for this product
is certain to increase.

In order to supplement the information contained
in the above-mentioned article, the accompanying
particulars in regard to the cultivation of the plant,
and the preparation of the oil have been abstracted
from an article in a late number of the Cape of Good
Hope Agricultural Journal :—

The castor oil plant is hardy, and thrives well in most
situations. It prefers dry soils, and being an exhaustive
crop to the land, demands good preparatory cultivation.
The land should be deeply ploughed and subsequently
harrowed. This is necessary, »s the plant makes an
enormous root growth in a short space time.

The seed is sown in rows which are 5 or 6 feet apart, the
seeds being placed about this same distance apart in the rows.
They quickly germinate, and in warm climates the plant
may grow too rapidly, with the result that a large wood
growth i is formed, to the detriment of seed production. To
avoid this, the main stem of the plant should be pinched back
so as to increase the bearing surface.

Harvest season arrives about six months after the seeds
have been sown. As previously mentioned, the spikes bearing

the capsules are gathered and spread in a shed, being
occasionally turned until the capsules have all burst and
shed the enclosed beans.

The yield obtained varies between 20 and 50 bushels of
seed (900 to 1,350 Ib.) per acre, although it is stated that in
Texas and Florida a return of as much as 58 bushels to the
acre is frequently given. As to the amount of oil obtainable,
seed often shows an analysis of 50 to 60 per cent., but the
null yield more frequently ranges only from 35 to 40 per
cent. of the weight of the seed. The American standard i
43 gallons of oil from 112 tb. of seed.

In the process of extraction of the oil, the first step is
to remove the hull or seed coat The beans are passed
through suitable machinery, which cracks the hulls and these
are afterwards removed by winnowing. The operation of
removing the husks is one which requires considerable care.
The cold-pressure method of expressing the oil is the
most costly, on account of the expensive machinery required,
but the resulting oil is of the best quality. By this method
the beans are crushed to a mash after the removal of the
husk. This mash is then placed in smal] bags, which are piled
one above the other with plates of steel between them. The
room is kept warm, and on subjecting the pile to pressure, the
oil oozes slowly out. After standing for a few days it is
filtered through linen into bottles or drums.

In another method, the seeds, after the husk has been
removed, are placed in hempen bags, and great pressure 18
brought to bear upon them by means of serew or hydraulic
The expressed oil is then boiled to separate the
The impurities are skimmed off, and
carefully filtered

presses.
albumen and mucilage.
the oil is siphoned from the vessel and
through flannel.

The usual price of castor oil for lubricating purposes is
from 2s 9d. to 3s. per gallon. Thus, taking the figures
(900 to 1,550 Tb.) as representing an
average yield, the return from a castor oil crop would be
worth from £7 to £10 10s. per exclusive of the
residual oil-cake, which forms an excellent manure.

These figures are, however, only approximate, and if the
oil were extracted by the cold-pressure method described, it
would be suitable for medicinal purposes, and would
consequently command a higher price.

mentioned above

acre,

DEPAKTMENT NEWS.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture left
Barbados in RMS.‘ Esk’ on April 14,0n an official
visit to Grenada and St. Vincent aud is expected to
return in R.M.S. ‘Eden’ on April 21 next. It is prob-
able that the Imperial Commissioner will proceed on
an. official visit to the Leeward Islands in S.
‘Dahome’ on April 21, and return in R.MLS. ‘ Eden’ on
May 5 nest.

Mr. H. A. Ballou, MSc.. Entomologist on the statt
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, returned
to Barbados from Antigua by the RMS. ‘ Eden’
on April 7.

On the recommendation of the Imperial Commis-
sioner of Agriculture, Mr. Thomas Worm, Deputy Mana-
ger of Carrington Plantation at Barbados, has been
selected for the post of Agricultural Instructor on the
staff of the Local Department of Agriculture in the
colony of St. Lueia.

120

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 18, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Avents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and ‘The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4c.

Aq qeultural Hews

Vote | Vill, SATURDAY, APRIL 18,

156,

1908. No.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The future prospects of the rubber industry, and
the progress so far made in rabber planting in the
West Indies are discussed in the editorial.

Some interesting particulars of the sugar industry
of Java appear on page 115, followed by an article
describing briefly the rapid development of the beet
sugar industry of the United States.

A brief article on the subject. of cocoa-nut cultiva-
tion will be found under ‘ Wesi Indian Fruit’, Experi-
ments with ground nuts, carried out in Dominica, are
described on the following page (117).

The ‘Cotton Notes’ include market
notes on Sea Island cotton cultivation
and the Society Islands (p. 118).

reports, and
in the Bahamas

Information relating to the cultivation of the
castor oil plant, preparation of the oil, ete., is contained
ina brief article on page 119,

Attention may be drawn to the article on the
zapupe fibre plant, that will be found on page 125.

The methods of rice culture adopted in the United
States are described on page 127.

Propagation of Sweet Potatos.

In order to demonstrate the advisability of
occasionally having recourse to the tuber in the propa-
gation of sweet potatos, and the bad economy of
continuing, year after year, to plant vine cuttings from
crops whic h have been themselves grown from vine
cnttings, some trials were in 1905, aa again in 1906,
carried out at one of the Cuban Experiment Stations.

In these tests, sweet potatos of the same variety
were grown on adjacent plots which received identical
treatment in all respects. In one case, however, the
crop was grown from vine cuttings which had been
raised in this way continuously for many generations,
while in the second case planting wes made with slips
grown directly from potatos themselves. The plots
planted with slips returned a crop three and a_ half
times as great as the plots planted with cuttings. It is
evident that the gain of 350 per cent. fully repaid the
extra expense and trouble involved.

rE

Sweet Potato Investigations.

Extensive investigations dealing with the sweet
potato crop are being undertaken by the United States
Department of Agriculture. Experiments are in
progress at. several centres, and include a study of the
kinds most stitable for the several potato-growing
districts. Research is being made in regard to
methods of growing and their comparative cost, and
methods of harvesting, storing, packing and shipping
the crop. The question of storage, it is stated, is
receiving special attention, in order to determine the
best means of curing, the most suitable temperatures
to be maintained in the storage house, and the amount
of shrinkage that takes place under those conditions.
Attention is also being given to the uses and _possibil1-
ties of sweet potatos as food for stock, as well as to the
desiccation and canning of the product for human
consumption.

ro

Climate of the West Indies.

The first report of the Canadian Trades Commis-
sioner lately appointed at Barbados (Mr. E. H. S. Flood)
has recently been published by the Department of
Trade and Comnierce.of the Dominion. In reference to
the climate of the ;,West Indies, Mr. Flood writes:
‘One of the causes which have apparently deterred
Canadian firms sending their travellers to the West
Indies, is the quite erroneous opinion as regards climate.
With the exception of the months of August, September,
and October, which are rainy and a little warmer than
the other months of the year, the heat is not greater
nor so oppressive as in New York, and not greater than
in parts of Ontario in summer. Some of the islands of
the West Indies, particularly Barbados, claim the finest
climate in the world, and with much ground for such
aclaim. The terror of the tropics may be a real terror
when thinking about. travelling in India, but it ought
not to exist as regards the West Indies, where the heat
is always tempe red, and kept quite bearable by refresh-
ing breezes from the oce: an, and health conditions are
generally favourable.’

Vou. VII. No. 156.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 121

Ylang-ylang Cultivation.

Mention has been made in past numbers of the
Agricultural News (Vol. III, pp. 151, 231) of the
Ylang-ylang tree, the flowers of which give, on
distillation, an essential oil, very valuable for perfumery
purposes. The tree belongs to the same family as the
Sour sop (Anonuceac), and appears to flourish in
many of the Botanic Gardens of the West Indies, where
specimens have been planted.

The tree is largely grown in Réunion for the
production of its essential oil, the price of which has
steadily increased in value of late years. It is also
cultivated in the Philippine Islands.

Recent U.S. Consular Reports from Cochin China
state that planting of the Ylang-ylang has been
taken in hand on several estates in the province of
Bienhoa with satisfactory results. The high price
obtained for the essence makes the cultivation highly
remunerative. It is stated officially that 2 acres
planted with 300 trees may give 6,500 Ib. of flowers,
which would yield at least 33 Ib. of essence.

In the past there has apparently been some con-
fusion as to the proper botanic name of the ylang-ylang.
It has been referred to as Artabotrys odorutissimus
and Unona odorata. It is evident, however, that the
correct name 1s Canangu odorata.

a
A BC of Lime Culture.

The above is the title of the latest pamphlet (Ne.53)
in the series issued by the Imperial Department of
Agriculture. It has been published in view of the
increasing attention that is being given to lime culture
in parts of the West Indies, and with the object of
disseminating information as to the best methods of
cultivation, and the different ways of utilizing the
produce. Lime cultivation is annualy extending in
Dominica (where it is the chief industry of the island),
and in Montserrat, where it 1s second only to cotton.
Progress is being made at St. Lucia, Carriacou, and
other portions of the West Indics, and the industry is
also being taken up in British Guiana.

The pamphlet should serve as a popular guide in
regard to the above points to all taking up lime growing,
It is believed that it will be of special value to young
settlers and others embarking in the industry, since it
gives full advice on the subjects of choice of land, laying
out plantations, preparation of seed beds, raising of
plants, ete.

The trade in green limes and pickled limes from
Dominica and Montserrat is discussed, and the methods
employed in the preparation of the various products of
fruits, 1. e., raw and concentrated lime juice, citrate of
lime, hand-pressed lime oil and distilled lime oil, are
described.

The insect pest and fungus diseases of lime trees
are also dealt with.

The four appendices to the pamphlet give further
information on the subjects of citrate of lime manu-
facture, the cultivation of limes at Montserrat, details
of the exports of lime products from Dominica and
Montserrat, and a table of useful references to litera-
ture dealing with the lime industry.

The manuscript was originally prepared by
Mr. Joseph Jones, Curator of the Dominica Botanic
Station. It was afterwards carefully revised by the
Hon. J. C. Macintyre, an experienced and successful
line planter at Dominica, and by the scientific officers
of the Department.

The price of the pamphlet, which is obtainable
from all the agents for the sale of the Department's
publications, is 4c/., free by post, 5d.

+ =

Sugar Production in Cuba.

Since so much is at present being heard of the
sugar-producing capacity of Cuba, some details, taken
from a tabular statement iucluded in the latest British
Consular Report on the trade and commerce of Cuba,
may not be without interest. The sugar crop of 1906-7,
which was a record one, reached 1,427,973 tons. In
1905-6, the output was 1,178,749 tons, and in the year
before this 1,163,258 tons of sugar were produced.

It is apparent, however, on comparing the planted
sugar acreage with the total area suitable fur cane
cultivation, that the limit is far from being reached.
As muchas 15,451,264 acres, or more than half the
area of the island, are said to be suitable for cane grow-
ing, but only 458,363 acres (or less than one-thirtieth
of this area) are planted. In the province of Mantan-
zas, Which has the largest proportion of its available
land under sugar, no more than 833 per cent. is plant-
ed, while in Havana no more than 172 per cent. of the
land suitable is as yet growing canes, and in Pinar del
Rio only 0:73 per cent. From a consideration of these
figures, it is at once obvious that enormous possibilities
of development lie before the Cuban sugar industry.

go

SS +>

Agricultural Education in Great Britain.

The grants made by the Board of Agriculture of
Great Britain in aid of agricultural education amounted
to £11,550 in the year ending March 31, 1907, an
increase of £1,000 over the previous year. This increase
is chiefly accounted for by a grant of £800, given for
the first time to the Royal Veterinary college. In
all, twenty colleges and schools now share in the funds
placed at the Board’s disposal by Parliament, and the
number of students receiving instruction at these
various centres was 1,221 in 1906-7.

These figures are regarded as fairly satisfactory,
but in the report lately issued, dealing with this side of
the Board’s work, it is mentioned that the number of
students pursuing the longer courses of agricultural
education offered at many of the colleges does not tend
to increase to a very great extent.

The special grants offered by the Board in aid of
agricultural experiments and research during the year
amounted to £4.95.

In addition to the Government Grant, the County
Councils of England and Wales expended a sum of
approximately £80,000 for agricultural education pur-
poses during 1906-7.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aprit 18, 1908.

NSEGT NOTES.

The Argentine Ant.

At the twentieth annual meeting of the American
Association of Economic Entomologists, held at Chicago,

Illinois, on December 27 and 28, 1907, Mr. Wilmon

Newell presented a paper entitled ‘Notes on the
habits of the Argentine or “New Orleans” ant

(Iridomyrmex huiulis, Mayr.).

Mr. Newell in his paper, which appears in the Journal
Entomology, Vol. 1, No. 1, expresses the
opinion that the entomological problem presented by the
occurrence of this ant in the Southern United States is one
which will rank in magnitude alongside the problems
presented by the San José scale, gypsy moth, and cotton boll
weevil, but in marked contrast to these it is not likely to
adimit of remedial measures being as easily applied.

The Argentine ant first deseribed from material
collected near Buenos Ayres in 1866. [It dees not appear to
have been mentioned in the literature of economic entomology
until 1904, when Mr. E. S. Titus, of the Bureau of
Entomology, U.S. Department of Agriculture, visited New
Orleans and made observations on this insect, which were
published in Bulletin 52 of the Bureau of Entomology of the
Department of Agriculture.

The date and manner of introduction of the Argentine
ant into the States are largely conjectured, but there seems to
be no doubt that New Orleans was the place of the first
introduction, and that coffee slips from Brazil were the means
by which this was brought about. The pest was known to
occur in New Orleans in 1891, and it is probable that it was
introduced sometime prior to that date.

At the present time the infested district extends from
New Orleans, to a distance of about 200 miles, along the
principal railroad lines.

The Argentine ant has thus far attracted most attention

of Econoniue

Was

as a household pest. Its colonies are to be found under
houses, beneath outhouses, in compost heaps, in hollow
trees, and beneath the walls of dwellings. Among the

substances upon which this insect feeds are mentioned sugars
and syrups of all kinds, fresh meat, blood, lard, fruit
juices, honey, cakes, and dead insects.

The ants are able to iwnake their way over the surface of
water for a short distance, so that the precaution sometimes
adopted, of standing the legs of tables in bowls of water
has not proved a protection against them, and when kerosene
has been added to the water, it has been found that the bodies
of the ants which were killed by the oil, short
time as a bridge by which the others were to pass over
to the table.

As all

eream,

served in a
able
agricultural ant has also
considerable

pest, the
attracted attention, by
for the secretions of plant lice and
account of its direct attacks on the fruit,
seeds of many plants.

This ant is not a

Argentine
reason of its

fondness
insects, and on
flowers, buds, and

scale

stinging ant, but can bite severely,
It is not predaceous, but is very fierce and drives out or kills
other species of ants.

It is in relation to the cane-growing industry that this
ant promises to be of most importance. The Argentine ant
appears to be very fond of the mealy bug of the sugar-cane
(Psendococeus [ Dactylopius) calceolariae ), ‘and in this way its
presence in any district is a serious menace to cane ¢ sultiva-
tion. Wherever the ant is exceedingly abundant the mealy
bug of the cane is also found in lar: ze number. It appears
that the mealy bug is colonized by the ant on the plant canes,
this sometimes resulting in the complete destruction of the eyes
of young buds where considerable damage is done.

The cotton aphis is also. protected and colonized by this
ant, and on this account the aphis will be less likely to be
controlled by its natural enemies and thus will become a more
serious pest of growing cotton.

The remedies given are few. Carbon bisulphide is
effective in killing out colonies in their nests, but unless the
work is performed almost simultaneously over large areas
it will not accomplish much good, since old nests are frequently
utilized by ants from adjacent colomes. Tapes soaked in
corrosive sublimate, and cloths saturated with kerosene and
wrapped around table legs, ete., serve as excellent barriers to
the ant.

At the present time the Argentine ant is not known to
occur in the West Indies, and it will readily be seen that
every effort should be made to prevent its introduction. The
laws for the fumigation of imported plants, which provide for
the fumigation of all plants and packages, should prove eftec-
tive in preventing the introduction of this ant in this way.

ONION GROWING

Successful

IN MONTSERRAT.

experiments in the cultivation of
onions have been carried on in Montserrat for some
years past. Seed has been obtained each year from
Teneritfe, the amount imported last year being 190 tb.
Onion plots are under cultivation both at Grove and
Harris’ Stations. At the latter station, however, the
soil appeared to be too heavy for the crop, which, it is
stated, gives better results on the lighter soils of the
island.

The onion bed at Grove Station is ;1, acre in area. The
report for 1906-7 on the experimental work carried out,
states that Bengal beans were planted on this plot in March.
By September this crop had formed a dense growth, which
was cutlassed down and buried in the green state as manure.

The onion seeds* were sown in October in raised beds,
the seedlings being transplanted out later into rows 1 foot
apart, at a distance of 2 inches from plant to plant. The soil,
which is rather light, was made firmer before planting by
treading it.

Twelve barrels or 1,672 tb. of cured onions, equal to
a yield ot 16,720 Ib. per acre, were obtained from the plot.
Eight barrels of these were shipped, and realized a return of

5 per barrel, or 24d. per Ib. The total cost of cultivation,
including seed, was £L.5s. 8d. This represents a net return
of £91 ls. 4d. per acre, which sufficiently indicates the
remunerative of the crop, although, of course, the
limited market precludes the possibility of its cultivation on
any extended scale. The quantity of onions exported from
Montserrat in 1906 amounted to 20,760 Ib., while 59,350 tb.
were shipped in 1907, Reports on the shipments state that
small onions are preferred on the market, and in order to
meet this demand, therefore, the seedlings should be planted
very close together in the rows.

nature

Vou. VII. No. 156. THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 123

THE JAMAICA EARTHQUAKE.

Under the above title a paper was read at the
Royal Geographical Society, London, in December last,
by Dr. Vaughan Cornish, a gentleman well known for
research work and writings in connexion with Physical
Geography, ete.

Dr. Cornish happened to be in Jamaica in January
1907, at the time of the earthquake. His paper has
been reprinted in the Geographical Journal tor March,
and the following is the first of one or two extracts
from it that may be given in’ the Agricultural
Ne WS :—

On Thursday, January 10, my wife and I arrived at
Kingston on our way back from a visit to the Panama Canal,
and took up our quarters in the centre of Kingston, at the
Grenville Hotel, East Street. This hotel, which was built
in the days of slavery, was very substantially constructed of
brick, with solid walls 14 inches in thickness for their whole
height of two floors, viz. a ground floor and a first floor. The
roof, a sloping one, was of wooden shingles, and in the whole
structure there was no chimney-stack, fires not being necessary
for warmth in Kingston, and the kitchen being always separate
from the dwelling-house In front, that is to say on the west
of the house, a row of massive brick arches formed a verandah
to the ground floor, and supported a covered wooden balcony
on the first Hoor, Our own room was a corner one on the
first, that is to say the top floor, having an outside wall to the
south, and another 14-inch brick wall on the west, with two
long French windows opening into the balcony.

In this room my wife and T were sitting at half-past
three in the afternoon of Monday, January 14, when I heard
the noise of an electric car coming from down town, that is
to say from the south. ‘The noise increased, of course, till it
was opposite the house, and then just as the rushing should
have begun to diminish, there was a sudden and alarming
increase of rushing and rumbling sound, accompanied by
a savage tearing and rending noise, For a moment I felt no
shock, and did not realize the cause of the uproar, but my
wife, who was sitting nearer the wall, felt a tremor, and
realized that it was an earthquake. The next instant the whole
house was rocking violently : a fissure opened horizontally near
the top of the west wall facing me, and a shower of brickwork
fell near the threshold of the door. Had my wife hastened
to the door on feeling the shock, she would probably have
been struck down at the moment of emergence, as happened
in so many cases that day. <A cloud of dust and mortar
darkened the air, and the solid 14-inch briek wall vibrated to
and fro, discharging a cannonade of brickwork into the room.
A lump of masonry struck me a numbing blow on the shin.
A heavy mahogany wardrobe standing behind me, but facing
my wife the way she stood, executed a clumsy dance, and then
pitched over ; and the heavy cormice sailed over our heads
and struck my wife on the hip in its descent. We were
being bombarded both front and rear, but, even had there
been any direction in which safety could be found, we were
unable to fly, for the timber floor was like quicksand beneath
the feet, rising and falling, and opening and shutting, so that
we could see into the unceiled room below.

Up to this point one knew that these occurrences might
at any instant terminate fatally, but the really awful time
came when the house seemed suddenly to lose its cohesion,
and we both realized that in another second the floor would
give way and the walls fall bodily upon us. At this supreme
moment, with absolute suddenness, the quaking floor stiffened
under our feet, owr environment was instantaneously rigid and

still, and the noise of the earthquake died away. We rushed
from the dark and dust-laden room into the verandah, and down
the steps into the sunny garden, where the earth was now
ouite firm beneath our feet.

We spent the next few days on the lawn by the honse,
and on the Thursday we left Iingston for Port Antonio, on
the north of the island, the train being crowded with sick and
wounded. A week later we sailed for England.

During our short and eventful stay in Jamaica, we had
been much impressed by the generons spirit displayed by the
colonists in the face of the great financial They
scrupulously refrained from exploiting the public misfortune
for private profit. We were also much struck with the
kindliness which they displayed to one another under very
trying circumstances, as well as with the consideration which
they showed towards the strangers within their gates.

On May 4, my wife having sufticiently recovered from
her injuries, we set out again for Kingston, as I wished to
investigate, to the best of my ability, the cause and effects of
the earthquake, by which, and the subsequent fire, twelve
hundred persons were killed, and a loss of about £2, 000, 000
incurred.

losses.

THE HAWK’S-BILL TURTLE.

A brief account of the turtle trade of the West
Indies, the headquarters of which is at Kingston,
Jamaica, was given in the dAgricultural News,
Vol. V, p. 405.

Both Green and Hawk’s-bill turtles are caught on the
coral reefs to the north of Jamaica, and are exported to
England in limited quantities. The shell of the Green turtle
is of little value, and it is from the Hawk’s-bill (2retmochelys
imbricata) that tortoise shell is obtained. The shell of a good
specimen may be worth as much as £9.

In Bulletin 25 of the United States National
Museum—‘ The Natural History of the Bermudas,’ it is
stated that, apart from their occurrence in the Caribbean
Seas, the above two species of turtles are found on the
American Atlantic coast from the Carolinas to Southern
Brazil, and on the Pacifie Coast from Southern California to
Peru. The places of greatest abundance are on the shoals in
the neighbourhood of low sandy beaches, or uninhabited
islands.

Through the courtesy of Sir. Bickham Sweet-Escott,
K.C.M.G., Governor of the Leeward Islands, an interesting
account of the mode of living, ete., of the Hawk’s-bill turtle,
as observed in the Seychelles Islands, by Mr. J. Spurs,
a naturalist with expert knowledge of the subject, was
lately forwarded to the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture,

Mr. Spurs states that the Hawk’s-bill does not reach
maturity till it is about twenty-two years old.

Eges are laid by the female turtles, on three separate
occasions, during the period from August to January, the
total nuinber of eggs for each turtle being about 400 per
annum. These are deposited in a hole made on a sandy
beach. Young turtles begin to hatch out about seven weeks
after the last eggs have been laid. The turtle has many
enemies, such as rats, land crabs, ete., on land, and sharks,
etc., in the sea. They make at once for the high seas, and
hide as much as possible under floating sea-weed. In this
way only do they escape total destruction from sharks.
When about five years old, the turtles return to shore, and
find shelter under blocks of coral, ete.

The turtles feed on zoophytes, mussels, and small fish,

124

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 18, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

‘The Government of Trinidad is paying a reward of 2s. 6d.
for each mungoose (male or female) destroyed in the island.

A planter in Carriacou has this season obtained a return
of £0,917 tb. of seed-cotton of the Sea Island variety, from an
area of 50 acres.

The Union-Castle Steamship Company has arranged
with the Natal Government to carry citrus fruit in cold
storage for the British market at a freight charge of £3 per
ton of 40 cubie feet.

The first pickings of the present season’s cotton crop in
Barbados is reported, on the whole, to be somewhat below the
average. The second picking, however, in) many
appears to offer prospects of a better return.

cases,

From twelve hives of bees kept at the Grove Experi-
ment Station, Montserrat, 556 lb. of honey were extracted

during 1906-7. The best hive yielded 250 Ib, A sum of
£6 13s. 1d. was received for honey sold.

The rainfall returns for Montserrat indicate that the
island experienced a favourable year in 1906-7. Grove

Station recorded 68:18 inches, Harris’ Station 76°33 inches,
and Olveston 76°67 inches for the year.

An order recently passed by the Irish Board of Agrieut-
ture renders it illegal to import into Ireland any horse, ass;
or iiule, from Great Britain and all foreign countries, with-
ot special permission having first been obtained from the
Board.

The quantity of cacao imported into the United States
during 1906-7 reached 92,000,009 Ib , of which 39,000,000 tb.
came from the West Indies, while 20,000,000 Ib. were imported
from Brazil, and 15,000,000 Ib. from other South American
countries.

Kiforts are being made by the United States Departinent
of Agricultare to introduce the cultivation of the mangosteen
(Garcinia Mangostana) into parts of the Panama Canal Zone,
where the climate and soil conditions are suitable.

(Bureau
of Plant Industry Report, 1907.)

rom the commencement of the crop season up to
March 31 last, 3,084 tons of sugar, and 8,568 puncheons of
molasses have been exported from Barbados, as compared
with S74 tons of sugar, and 14,077 puncheons of molasses
during the same period of last year.

Mr. Boyce C. Burt, formerly Science and Agricultural
Master attached to the Government Laboratory at Trinidad,
has been appointed Deputy Director of Agriculture for the
United Provinees of Agra and Oudh, under the Government of
India.

The London Trades Commissioner for Cape Colony reports
a steadily increasing demand for the calabash pipe in England,
and is of opinion that 200,000 to 250,000 bowls per annum
will be required for the market. The Commissioner believes
that these bowls should command a price of from £25 to £30
per thousand.

A correspondent, writing to the Jamaica Daily Tele-
yraph, reports very favourably on the prospects of the Sea
Island cotton crop in St. Andrew parish. If the return is as
good as it now promises to be, there is no doubt but that the
Sea Island cottun area for the 1908-9 season will be consider-
ably extended.

Enquiry was recently made from British Guiana with
regard to methods of utilization of rice straw. Straw from
the rice-growing districts of the United States, it may be
mentioned, has of late years been baled and placed on the
market for packing purposes. lice straw, too, has consider-
able value for feeding stock.

The Chemist and Druggist computes that the world’s
demand for camphor reaches 10,600,000 Ib. annually, of
which 70 per cent. is utilized for celluloid manufacture,
2 per cent. in gun-cotton works, 15 per cent. for disinfecting
purposes, and 13 per cent. for medicinal preparations. At
present the output from Formosa reaches about 70 per cent.
of the above total.

The area devoted to sugar cultivation in the Australian
States of Queensland and New South Wales appears of late
to have been rapidly diminishing. This is stated to be due
to labour ditticulties consequent on the deportation of inden-
tured labour from the South Sea Islands. White labour does
not take favourably to sugar cultivation, but prefers cattle
and sheep industries

Castilloa rubber trees appear to do well in Cuba,
although their value does not seem to be recognized by
many planters on whose estates the young trees grow wild.
The chief of the Botanical Department at the Agricultural
Experiment Station has recommended that Castilloa trees
be grown as shade for tobacco plantsin place of many worth-
less trees that are now used for this purpose. (Cu/a Review.)

At the Durham (England) Dairy Research Station
experiments have lately been carried out in regard to the
composition and properties of the milk of newly calved cows.
As the result of these investigations it was concluded that
at the end of three complete days after calving, the milk of
the cow loses its ‘colostrum’ character, and is again of normal
composition, ;

There is a ready market for sweet potatos in the United
States, and large quantities of this crop are grown in
California. Experiments in shipping sweet potatos to the
Pacific Coast States have lately been made from Hawaii.
Imported produce of this kind sells best from Apri! to
August, dwing which months it does not compete with the
home-grown crop. The first sweet potatos on the market
of these States, it is reported, command a price of $50 to
$60 per ton.

eVox:

VAS Nom 156:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

125

ZAPUPE FIBRE PLANT.

During the past two or three years increasing atten-
tion has been drawn to a fibre plant of the Agave genus
which is being cultivated in Mexico, more especially in
the State of Santa Cruz, with most profitable results.
The specific identity of the plant, however, has not yet
been established. ‘The plant is described as being very
similar in appearance to the sisal hemp, but differs
from the latter in producing a larger number of
leaves, which are alsolonger and more Heshy. <A recent
number of the Kew Bulletin states that a plant has
been received at Kew, and is making good growth in
the gardens.

In view of the possibility that the Zapupe plant
might be found a suitable and remunerative crop for
cultivation in some of the British West Indies,
a report dealing with the subject, prepared by the
British Consul at Vera Cruz, was lately forwarded to the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture from the Colonial
Office. The particulars given. beloy have been
abstracted from this report :—

Although the first Mexican experiments in the growth of
zapupe began only in 1902, yet during the past two or three
years at least 4,000 to 5,000 acres of ground have been
cleared and planted in the State of Vera Cruz alone, and the
reports on the fibres obtained have been so promising that
the planted area is still rapidly extending. Owing to the
larger yield of leaf and the more rapid growth of the zapupe,
it is expected that it will prove a far more remunerative crop
than sisal. Whereas fully six years. must elapse before the
first crop of sisal leaves can be gathered, the zapupe yields its
first return in from three to four years from planting.
Further, although the weight of fibre per leaf is considerably
less in the case of the zapupe than with the sisal, yet owing
to the much greater number of leaves on the zapupe, the latter
is reported to give an average of 2) Ib. of fibre per plant per
annuin, as compared with 14 Ib. of fibre obtained from the
sisal. Extra labour and expense, however, would be entailed
in the case of the zapupe, since the leaves are obtained in
three cuttings per annum, whereas the sisal plant gives its full
yield in two cuttings.

Zapupe seems to prefer a moderately light soil, of not
too porous a nature, on gently sloping hill-sides. Soil too
sandy or too clayey in nature should be avoided. The land
should be well drained, and though it is reported to do well
on poor soil, better results are obtained on land fairly rich.
The plant flourishes in a warm and humid atmosphere, and
will not grow at too high an elevation.

No great trouble is entailed in the cultivation or
propagation of the zapupe. Young shoots given off by the
plant are taken when they are but a few inches high, and
set out in nurseries. Here they remain and grow for about
nine months, when they are transplanted to the field.
A furrow is made with a plongh, the young plants are set out
at distances of 5 feet apart, and the earth is banked up around
them by another turn of the plough. The furrows in which
the rows of plants are set are about 7, feet apart, and at these
distances, a little over 1,000 plants are set out per acre. The
cost of planting an acre, including the purchase of about
1,000 shoots, tending these in the nursery, preparing ground,
and transplanting would amount to about $50,

As already mentioned, the first cutting of leaves would
-be obtained in about four years, and three cuttings take

place each year. Each plant produces about 25 Ib. of fibre
annually (representing a return of somewhat more than a ton
per acre), and continues productive for a term of eight to
ten years.

Up to the present, the uses to which zapupe fibre have
been applied have been somewhat limited. Recent experi-
ments, however, have demonstrated its adaptability for
working up into rope and ‘binder twine,’ for which it is
reported to possess the necessary toughness and_ tensile
strength in a remarkable degree.

The gigantic strides that have taken place in the sisal
hemp industry of Yueatan should undoubtedly prove
encouraging to those who propose to take up what appears
to be an even more promising cultivation. In 1880, only
18,179 tons of sisal, valued at £177,757 were exported from
Yucatan. Ten years later the value of the shipments reached
£523,030 ; in 1899 the exports were valued at £2,021,124,
and in 1906 they reached a total of £2,724,752.

LEMON GRASS.

The cultivation of lemon grass (Andropogon
citratus), which has received some slight attention in
Montserrat, was briefly described in an article that
appeared in the Agricultural News (Vol. V, p. 27).
Some further particulars are given in the Quarterly
Journal of the Bengal Department of Agriculture for
January last.

Lemon grass is largely grown for its oil in Ceylon,
It does not seem to be particular as to soil or situation,
and will grow at any elevation up to 1,600 feet. The
soil that gives the best returns, however, appears to be
a sandy loam.

Lemon grass is usually propagated by offsets from
clumps of the mature grass. The best results are obtained
from clumps two or three years old. The stools are divided
into slips and planted into holes at distances of 2 or 3
feet apart. After planting, the soil should be trodden down
firmly around the plants. Necessary weeding operations
should be carried out at least twice a year.

Tn the cultivation of this crop little or no expenditure
need be made in the purchase of manure. An occasional
application of cattle dung, however, is said to have good
results, and after distillation of the essential oil, the grass may
be returned to the ground as amulch. In Ceylon a first
cutting of grass is made about nine months after planting.
Two or three cuttings a year can be made. Replanting is
necessary after the third year.

The oil is generally distilled directly the grass has been
cut, but it is stated that better results are obtained by keep-
ing the grass for a day before commencing this operation.
The process of distillation, although very simple, takes four or
five hours to complete. After distillation, the crude oil is filter-
ed and then run into bottles or casks ready for the market. The
yield of oil varies greatly, sometimes amounting to 0-2. per
cent. of the weight of the grass, A good yield is about 100
quarts, or 4,000 fluid oz, per acre. At 6d. per oz., this
represents a return of £100 per acre

Lemon grass oil is generally employed in the perfuming
of scented soaps and pomades. It is also largely used in the
adulteration of verbena oil. The product has largely increased.
in value of late years, and in Ceylon a price of from 6d. to
8d. an ounce can be relied on. A sample of oil sent from
Montserrat was valued by London brokers at 4d. per oz, and
it was stated that there would be no difficulty in disposing of
at least 500 Tb. of the product.

126

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 18, 1908.

NITROGEN AS A PLANT FOOD.

No plant food is of more importance than nitrogen,
since this is the element removed from the soil in
largest quantity by the great majority of crops. The
available supply of nitrogen in most soils, too, is very
readily exhausted by continuous crop growing, and it
is the most costly of manurial elements ‘to replace. As
most planter rs are aware, 2n economical method of
increasing the store of nitrogen in the soil is by includ-
ing 1n the rotation an occasional crop of leguminous
plants, such as cow peas, velvet beans, ground nuts, ete.,
which thus serves a double purpose. The following
notes dealing with the subject of nitrogen as a plant
food, ave taken from a lengthy article entitled ‘ Relation
of Nutrition to the Health of Plants’, that appeared in
the Yearbook of the United States Department of
Agriculture, 1901 :—

Nitrogen is an important constituent both of plant and
animal food. It is essential to the formation of albuminoids
and of various constituents of the protoplasm or living sub-
stance of the plant. By farthe most important source of nitrogen
for most agricultural crops, under ordinary circumstances, is
the nitrates of the soil. The main source of nitrogen in the
soil, besides the decay of organic matter, is the fixation of
the nitrogen of the atmosphere through the agency of micro-
organisms. Though about 75 per cent. of the volume of the
air is nitrogen, it does not become available to ordinary crops.
In the case of leguminous crops, however, nitrogen is absor-
bed by micro-organisms, and converted into nitrates or some
other high nitrogen conipound which can then be utilized as
plant food by the growing crop. Many varieties of bacteria
and fungi have been found which can absorb free nitrogen if
they are furnished with carbohydrate food. This is usually
derived from decomposing vegetable matter or from living
root cells. The bacteria live on, or in, the roots of the
Jeguminous plants, forming swellings or tubercles on them.
The great importance of this to agriculture is at once
apparent, and the study of the conditions favouring the growth
of these beneficial mico-organisms is of the highest practical
value.

The lack of a sufficient supply of nitrogen to growing
plants is usually manifested by reduced leaf and stem growth
on the part of the crop, and a tendeney to the production of
flowers and fruit at a very early period, though the amount
of fruit produced is correspondingly small. In this respect the
effect of a lack of nitrogen is similar to that of a lack of
water. On the other hand, an excess of nitrogen acts like
an excess of water, stimulating the production of vegetative
growth at the expense of flowers and fruit. This growth is
rich ia nitrogenous matter and water, and is very easily
injured by unfavourable conditions. It is a well-known fact,
for example, that many cereal crops have not only soft leaves
and weak stems under such conditions, but the plants are
more subject to rust and mildew, and various other parasitic
This is true, not only of cereals, but practically of
all ordinary plants. In culture under glass these conditions
can be controlled and remedied, but in the field it is more
difficult. Drainage and methods of cultivation also in
a measure afford means of check to rapid and sueenlent
growth in wet seasons.

Besides these general effects of the lack or
nitrogen on growth, attention should be directed to
obsenre diseases where nitrogen assimilation appears to be
involved. Among these may be mentioned ‘mosaic
of tobacco, winter blight of tomatos, ‘die back’ of

diseases.

excess of

some

* disease
the

orange, and California vine disease. As already stated, plants
obtain most of their nitrogen through the absorption of
nitrates by the roots. The dilute solutions pass up through
the stem to the leaves, where, through the aid of the
chlorophyll, the nitric acid unites with sugars to form the
more highly organized nitrogen compounds. such as amides

and proteids, which serve as food for the growing cells. The
young cells cannot use the original soil nitrates any more

than animals can, so that if anything interferes with the

process of proteid organization, nitrogen starvation will
follow, even in the presence of Jarge quantities of nitrate.

For the organization of proteids, sugars are required, and
sugar cannot be produced unless the chloroplasts are in good
working order, and exposed to light and heat of the proper

intensity. The proper mineral nutrients—lime, potash,
phosphoric acid, magnesium, iron, ete., must always be
present. With insufficient light or heat there is no proteid

formation from nitrates, neither is there any in albino leaves,
or those devoid of chlorophyll. In both of these cases,
therefore, nitrates accumulate in the plant. With the
renewal of the activity of the chloroplasts the accumulation
of nitrates is gradually worked up ‘Bho proteids, except, of
course, in albino leaves, where the chloropl: ists may have
permanently lost their functional activity. in such eases the
cells usually remain comparatively rich in nitrates.

It is known from experimental investigation that
a large excess in nitrates may in itself cause a yellowing
in the chloroplasts, and thus serve directly to prevent further
nitrate assimilation. At first, plants overfed with nitrate
of soda, or other strong nitrogenous fertilizer, become a brighter
green and grow 1 idly, but as the nitrate accumulates in the
cells faster than it is used, the leaves begin to tum yellow
on the edges and along the vascular bundles, erowth
is checked and the plant dies back. This is espe cially likely
to happen in the the case of crops that are not gross feeders.
Yellowing and death of the edges of leaves (though not follow-
ing a stimulated growth) is caused by an over-application of
almost any quickly soluble salt (potash, sodium chloride, ete.),
In the case of the orange, it has been observed that the
disease known as ‘die back? appears to be greatly favoured,
if not caused, by excessive fertilization with organic manures
rich im uitrogen, It is not known whether nitrogen from
inineral fertilizers has the some effect.

Webber also observes that on the poor sandy soils of
Florida, sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda stimulate not
only vegetative growth of the orange, but the production of
fruit as well, while organic manures are more likely to stimu-
late vegetative growth at the expense of fruit, the fruit
produced with organic nitrogen being coarser, thicker skinned,
and of poorer quality than when mineral fertilizers are used.
Pen manure acts in this way like organic manures
be expected.

, as might

RUBBER PRODUCTION iN PARA.

The Governor of Para, in a recent message to the
Legislative Assembly of Brazil, gave the
figure s with reference to the output of rubber
1906-7

The rubber production of Para in the season
amounted to 11,467 tons, valued at £3,392,000. In
the output-of rubber from this State was 11,832 tons,
at £3,623,440. The total rubber
amounted to 37,159 tons.

follow ing

during

1906-7
1905-6
valued
crop of Brazil in 1906-7
Practically the whole of it was
exported to New York, Liverpool, Hamburg, Havre, and
Antwerp. ‘The qu vutity of rubber on hand on June 30. last
was about 165 tons,

Vou. VII. No. 156.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 127

RICE CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES.

Rice growing has become an Important industry in
the United States, notably in Louisiana, Texas, the
Carolinas, and Georgia. Low-lying lands, easily irri-
gated and drained, naturally constitute the chief part
of the area given over to rice culture, and it is stated
that the best results are obtained on medium loamy
soils, underlaid by a stiff subsoil. A rice that has
given excellent results in the States is a Japanese
variety, known as Kiushu. Carolina Golden Rice is
also famous for its yield and quality.

A British Consular Report (No. 625, Miscellaneous
Series) was issued sometime ago, giving a full and
elaborate account of the methods of cultivation, irriga-
tion, harvesting, threshing, ete., in general practice
among the rice growers of the States. The following
extracts, which may be of some interest to cultivators
in British Guiana and other parts of these colonies
where rice is grown, have been taken from this
report :—

For purposes of irrigation, rice fields are surrounded
by a marginal canal, and are divided up into strips of land
about 50 feet wide and of various lengths, by ditches which
extend from the marginal canal on one side of the field to the
marginal canal on the other. These ditches are about 3 feet
wide and 3 to 4 feet deep.

The surface of the field should have a uniform grade in
order to be properly irrigated. An mneven surface requires
more labour, produces smaller crops, and in the end damages
the crop itself. Too much water in some places and too
little in others soon show injurious effects on the soil. On
such a field the crop does not ripen uniformly ; the field
shows alternate patches of yellow and green, and the grain
when harvested is found very inferior in quality. The
planter whose crop is uniform in quality knows the value of
applying water evenly over the entire surface. The rice lands
of the Gulf and Atlantic States have a very gentle slope, and
do not, as a rule, require much grading.

Drainage is very essential to rice culture. Planting,
cultivating, and harvesting all depend, to a considerable
extent, on drainage. On grounds insufticiently drained
planting is never well done, for the ground cannot be put. in
condition. Cultivation is greatly impeded, men cannot go
on the fields to work, the ground cannot be stirred, and
weeds and noxious grasses flourish.

Before the crop can be harvested it is necessary that the
field be drained. When the land is wet the harvester works
at a great disadvantage; the fields are dug up by the
labourers and the surface becomes sodden and sour. On
account of insutlicient drainage, grain has often to be taken
from the fieids to some high place where it is stacked and
cured.

In the Carolinas and Georgia the lands, as a rule, are
prepared for planting in December and January. The ground

isploughed 3 or 4 inches deep, run over with a dise harrow,

and then by a roller which breaks up the clods, and makes
the surface level and compact. In different sections the time
for ploughing varies and the methods differ. In some
instances the soil is so stiff that it is necessary to flood the
fields before they can be ploughed.

Rice is a shallow feeder. Some planters are therefore
of the opinion that deep ploughing is unnecessary. It might
appear, however, that deep ploughing would give new land
each year for the plant. In upland culture the ground
is prepared as it is for corn, and in North Carolina the crop
is raised in much the same way,

On lands that are flooded by rivers which carry a rich
sediment, sufticient nutritive material may be deposited to
ensure its continued fertility. On lands not so favourably
situated the soil greatly impoverished if some
fertilizer is not used. Many different kinds of fertilizers are
in use in the rice belt. Among these are cotton seed meal,
dried blood, bone meal, kainit and tankage. The last-named
is a special mixture for these lands. Most fertilizers contain
a large percentage of potash, and are spread with very
satisfactory results.

becomes

Rice is generally planted with a drill in rows which are
14 inches apart, and covered by means of a harrow. The drill
is gauged to put in from 54 to 81 tbh. of unhulled seed to the
acre. In some fields trenches about 2 inches deep and
14 inches apart are made with trenching hoes and the seed
dropped in and covered. Sometimes, in what is known as
the open trench method, the trench is left open, in order to
save tine and labour, the seed having been clayed, in order
to prevent it from floating when the field is flooded. Claying
consists in stirring the seed in clayed water until a coat of
clay covers each grain.

In the North Carolina uplands the common corn drill is
used in planting. Planting with a drill insures equal distri-
bution, one of the essentials for the greatest productivity of
a given piece of land. The amount sown per acre varies ;
the average, however, is estimated at 3 bushels.

One of the most important features in the culture of
rice is flooding. Many planters flood the field immediately
after the seed is sown, planting and watering on the same day.
This first water, called the ‘sprout flow,’ protects the grain from
the birds and causes germination. The sprout flow is left on the
field till the seed sprouts In early planting this requires
from six to eight days. Rice planted in June sprouts in
twenty-four hours. When the sprout flow is taken off the field
remains without water until the plants come up, and the rows
across the field can be plainly seen when the water is again
turned on. ‘This is called ‘stretch flow’, and remains on the
field until the plants are 5) or 6 inches in height. This
requires froin two to six days, the time depending very largely
on weather conditions. The stretch flow serves the double
purpose of rendering nourishment available to the rice plant,
and impeding and destroying the growth of weeds and
injurious grasses.

When the plants have grown sufticiently high under the
stretch flow the water is gradually lowered to an average depth
of + inches, where it remains from thirteen to thirty days accord-
ing to the strength of the soil, the condition of the plants,
and the temperature. The stretch flow is taken off, and the
following period of forty or, fifty days, when the crop grows
under dry conditions, is known as the ‘dry growth.’ During
this period the crop is cultivated with horse and hand_ hoes.
All weeds, grasses, and self-sown rice are uprooted and the
ground is thoroughly stirred. It is during the ‘dry growth’
that conditions are most favourable for grubs, and an
intermediate flow is sometimes necessary to protect the crop
from these pests.

When the plant begins to joint, the ‘harvest flow’ is
turned on. Tirst the water is raised till it covers all the high
places in the fields, and is held so for three, four or five days,
after which it is lowered to the level reached by the stretch
flow. Ina few days the water is again raised till it almost
touches the rice heads, where it remains till the grain is ripe.
The harvest flow extends over sixty-five days, and in order that
the water may not become stagnant, it is shifted every ten days.
When the grain is ripe the heads bend low. The field is then
drained for harvest,

THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aprit 18, 1908.

London,— March 31,

New York,—March 20,

MARKET REPORTS.

1908, ‘Tne West Inpta Conm-

MITTEE CrrcuLar ; Messrs. Krarvon, Prieur & Co.,
March 31, 1908; Messrs. E. A. pe Pass & Co.,
March 20, 1908.

Arrowroor—2hd. to d}d.

Batiata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/4 ; block, 1/74 to 1/8 per tb.

BegEs’-wax—Good quality, £7 10s. to £7 15s. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 80/- to 90/- per ewt.; Grenada, 72/- to
80/- per cwt.

CorreE—Santos, 28/6 per ewt.; Jamaica, 40s. Gd. to 60s.

Corra—West Indian, £16 10s. per ton.

Corron-—St. Vincent, 18d. to 20d.; Barbados, 18id. to 19d.;
St. Kitt’s, 16d. to 175d.; Montserrat, 16d. to 164d.

FRuIT—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limes—4/6 to 5/ per box of 200.
Prne-appLes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grave Frurr—l4/- to 20/- per box
OrancEes—Jamaica, 5/ to 6/- per box.

Fusric—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton,

Hongy—20s. to 23s, per ewt.

Istncruass—West India lump, 1/10 to 2/- per th.; cake, no
quotations.

Ling Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£12 12s. 6d. per cask of 108 gallous; Distilled oil, 1/11
per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/5 per Tb.

Locwoop—#3 10s. to £4 5s. per ten; Roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Mace—1/- to 1/10 per Th.

Nurmecs—68’sto 69's, 7d. to 9d.;75’s, 6d. to Ghd. ; 105's, 44d. :
111’s to 115’s, 32d. tu Atd.; 121’s, 3$d.; 138’s, 34d.

Pimentro—22d. per th.

Rum—Jamaica, 2/10 to 3/-
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 17/6 to 20/6 per ewt.; Muscovado,
14s. 10d.; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6.

; Demerara, 1/2} to 1/4;

1908.—Messrs. GILLESPIE,

Bros. & Co.
Cacao—Caracas, 15jc. to 20c.; Grenada, I6c. to 17he. ;

Trinidad, 15c. to 18c.; Jamaica, 14e. to 15}e. per Ib.
Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $25°00 to $26°U0; culls,

$1500: Trinidad, $24°00 to $25°00; culls, $16-00
per M.
Correk—Jamaica, good washed, She. to 11e. ; good ordinary,

. to She. per Th. ae
— Ile. to We. per tb.
Jamaica, 55e.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.

3c. to 5dc., dry flint ; 30c. to 42c., dry salted.

r—Jamaicas, $1°75 to $2°50 per box and $4°50
to 5°50 per barrel

Limes—Douinica, $4°25 to $5°75 per barrel.

Macr— 30c. to 35c. per th.

Normucs—110's, Ske. to Ofc. per Th.

Onanxnces— Jamaica, $2°50 to $400 per barrel.

Pimenro—. 5c. per tb.

Sucan—Centrifugals, 96°, 41c.; Muscovados, 89°, 3°80c. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3c. per th , duty paid,

Barbados,— Messrs. Jamrs A. Lyxcn & Co.,

Trinidad,— March 21, 1908.—Messrs.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

March 30,
1908 ; Garraway & Co., April 13,

1908.

Messrs. T. 8:

Arnownoor—St. Vincent, $4:00 to 4°20 per 100 tb.
Cacao—Dominica, $15-00 to $16-00 per 100 tb.
Cocoa-Nurs—$16°00 per M. for husked nuts.
Corrrr—Jamaica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 to.

Hay— $1°55 to $1°70 per 100 Tb.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $65-00 ; Ohlendoitf's dissolved
euano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°60; Cacao
manure, $42:00 to $4800; Sulphate of ammonia,
$72°00 to$75-00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Morassves—12c. ; Fancy, 15e. per gallon.

Onrons—Madeira, $2°15 to $2°40 per 100 tb.

Poratos, EncusH-—$2°40 to $300 per 160 th.

Pras—Split, $6°20 to $6759 ; Canada, $3°30 to $3°35 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $5°60 to $5°65 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°80 ;
Rangoon, $3°09 to $3°19 per 100 ib.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $1:90 per LOO Tb., package included ;
Dark crystals, $2°60 ; Centrifugals, $2°30 to $2°60
per 100 Ib.

British Guiana.—March 31, 1908.—Messrs. SanpBAcH,

Parker & Co.; Messrs.
April 4, 1908.

ARRowRooT—St. Vincent, $7°00 to $1000 per barrel.

Bavara—Venezuela block, 33c. to 35c. ; Demerara sheet,
D4c. per th.

Cacao—Native, 19c. to 20c. per fb.

Cassava—No stock.

Cassava SrarcH—$7°S6 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocoa-Nurs—$12°00 to $16°00 per M.

Corrrt— Creole, 10c.; Jamaica, 12c. per th.

Duart— $5°00 to $5°25 per bag of 168 th.

Eppos— $1°12 per barrel.

Motasses — Yellow, 17c. to 19c. ; Dark, 15c. to 16e.

Oxtons—Madeira, 4c. ; Lisbon, 4c to 4$c. per ib.; Dutch, 3e.

Pranrains— 2Ue. to 64ce. per bunch.

Poratos,—English, $2°40 per barrel.

Poratos, Sweer—Barbados, $1:00 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6°25 to $6°40 ; Creole, $5°25 for good ;
Seeta, $6°00 per bag.

Sprir Pras—$6°20 to $6°25 per bag (210 Ib.); Lisbon, $459.

Tannrias—$2'52 to $3°12 per bag.

Yams—White, $2.16 to $240 ; Buck, $3 24 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $24 to $2°97 ; Yellow, $2°90 to
$3-00 ; White, €3°50 to $3°60; Molasses, $1:70 to
$1-95 per 100 Tb. (retail).

Timber—Greenheart, 32c. to ddc. per cubie foot.

WaALLABA SHINGLEs—$3°24 to $6 00 per M.

Corpwoonv—$2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

Wirrinc & RIcHTER,.

Gorpon, GRANT
& Co.

Cacao—$17°'00 to $20°00 per fanega.

Cocoa-NutIs—No quotations.

Cocoa-Nuv O1r—7Tze. per Imperial gallon, cask included.
Correr— Venezuelan, 10 quotations.

Copra— $2°60 to $2°8) per 100 th.

Ditat—-$5'00 to $5°25 per 2-bushel bag.
Oxtoxs—$2°50 to $8°00 per 100 th. (retail).

Poraros, Excutisu—$1'15 to $1:25 per 100 tb.

Rier—Yellow, $5°40 to $5°60 ; White, $3°25to 600 per bag.
Serre Peas—$5°90 to $6°00 per brug.
SuGak —$5 0) to $5°05 per 100 tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

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Agricultural matters throughouc the West Indies.

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Vou. VII. No. 156. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. Aprit 18, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

Se ALE

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—Fer Sugar-cane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special: Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,
Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR DIRECT TO :—
THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS.

London Agency: 15, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C.
[137.] Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

|

“JOURNAL D'AGRIGULTURE TROPICALE. ||

THE
A Monthly Mlustrated Review, published in French, WEST INDIA COMMITTEE CIRCULAR
dealing with all matters connected with E i
Tropical Agriculture. (Published fortnightly).
PARIS: M. Vilbouchevitch, SEE
10, rue Delambre. THE OFFICIAL ORGAN

Subscription price: 20 franes per annum, THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE
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eae. Sock: a) : stab: cirea 1760. Incorporated by Royal Charter
Street ; Zrinidad, D. A. Majani; Cuba, Solloso ; Haytr, | | us 4, 1904.) i orporated by Royal Charter
Louis Coicou, Port-au-Prince

Edited by ALGERNON E. ASPINALL.

Containing a Review of the Work of the West India Com-

mittee, Notes on West Indian Affairs, Statistics as to
WEST INDIAN BULLETIN Cacao, Sugar, Molasses and Rum, Coffee, Cotton,
Nutmegs, Mace, Pimento, Ginger, Arrowroot, Lime
Vol. VIII, no. 4). Len Juice, etc., ete., Home Arrivals and Departures by
a URS the Mail Steamers, etc.

the — es
Containing an account of the West Indian =

Agricultural Conference, 1908, comprising list of i tho, oo
Representatives, Presidential Address, Abstract of ” Eee eeoCarice le? 4 eile
Proceedings, and Reports of Committees. — This pee cmrey ial
number also contains Title Page. Index} and Published at—
Contents, el THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE ROOMS,

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A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW cae

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Vor, Vil. No; 15

CONTENTS.

PAGE, PAGE,
Agricultural Instruction in

Klementary Schools... 141

| Insect Notes :—
The Hemiptera or True

Artificial Manures, Increas- ISITE Aon boo Se caGe. ane: UBS)
ed use of in Egypt ... 138) Jamaica, Cotton Growing
Bahamas and Caicos Islands, | in Redes. test neon kod

Botany of ... ... 137) Jamaica Harthquake... ... 159
Bananas, Indian : Prospec- | Market Reports ... 144
tive Export to England 152 Nitrate of Soda, Output in
Blood-sucking Flies and | South America... 137

Ticks sss ee, 129) Nitrogen, Atmospheric,
British Guiana, Cattle and its Fixation by

Trade of eee cacy a6 Electrical Methods... 135
British Honduras, Timbers | Notes and Comments ... 136

Olen octet a entraasee 143 | Papaws, Shipments of ... 152
Cabbage Growing in St. Para Rubber Seed... ... 133

Lucia... .:. ... .-. 133)| Para Rubber Seed Oil ... 137
Camphor, Propagation of 137) Plant Food in the Soil ... 142
Canadian Exhibitions, 1908 139) Potash as a Plant Food... 1385
Castilloa Rubber Seed 158 | Rice Production in United
Citrus Fruits in New South States Sony, 000, 25s}

Wales... ... ... ... 182] Soils, Physical Condition
Cotton in the Sea Islands 134 | of ~ 142

|
Cotton Seed Selection at Sugar and Cotton in St.
Barbados . 134] KattsaNevis’ <. «.. 138i
Department News .- 141) Sugar Industry :-—

Department Publications... 136 Cuban Sugar Crop... 131
131

Gleanings sponte ss 140 Stripping Sugar-canes...

Green Colour in Plants, United States, Sugar
Preservation of... 36 Consumption in... 130

Ground Nut, Value of . 133) West Indian Cotton on

Tndigo Production in India 137 | the Liverpool Market 134

Blood-Sucking Flies and ‘Ticks.

BS OLLOWING on the discoveries of the past

= considerable interest has been aroused, and great efforts
“are being made by medical men, Government officials,
and entomologists to increase, as far as possible, the
amount of knowledge bearing on this subject.

= With this object in view, the Colonial Office has

few years in regard to the part played by
many insects in the transmission of disease,

V

BARBADOS, MAY 2, 1908.

Price ld.

during the past year or more, sent out requests for
collections of certain kinds of insects, together with
directions prepared by the British Museum (Natural
History Department) for collecting, preserving and
forwarding these insects.

The insects most actively concerned in the trans-
mission of disease belong to the order Diptera or true
These insects have only two wings and possess
In addition to the flies the
ticks are very serious pests. Although they are not,
strictly speaking, insects, they are closely related, and
are similar in their manner of transmitting certain
diseases.

flies.
mouthparts for sucking.
g

Among the Diptera be mentioned the
mosquitos, and of these, the yellow fever mosquito
(Stegomyia), the malarial mosquito (Anopheles), and
the filarial mosquito (Culex) are the most important.
Other insects of this order which carry disease from
the infected to the healthy are the T’se-tse flies of
South Africa, one of which conveys the Nagana disease
which is fatal to animals, and another the sleeping

may

sickness, equally fatal to man.

In all
organism which must have been taken from an infected
individual by an insect and, after the lapse of a suffi-
cient time for the parasitic organism to undergo certain
developmental changes, transmitted, in the process of
biting, to a healthy individual. In the case of mosquitos
it is only the female that is able to pierce the skin and
suck blood. In the 'se-tse fly both sexes are able to bite
and both are able to transmit the disease. In the case of
filaria the parasite is a worm, in malaria a protozoon,
and though in yellow fever the organism has not been
definitely determined, it has been found that aStegomyia
biting an infected person cannot

these cases, the disease is the result of an

mosquito, after

130

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 2, 1908.

transmit the infection for a certain period of time after-
wards, and it is reasoned that changes are going
forward with this mosquito, in the same way as with
Culex and Anopheles under similar conditions.

In the case of the diseases carried by the Tse-tse
fly, the parasites are minute organisms known as
Trypanosomes, which are conveyed from wild big-game
animals to domestic animals. The native wild animals
are tolerant of the disease, while imported animals,

such as horses and cattle, are fatally affected by it.

In the case of the insects already mentioned as
carriers of diseases, it happens that the adult insect
which attacks the infected host transmits the disease to
the next host: but in the case of the ticks, which are
closely related to the insects,and are very important
earriers of disease, the adult female when it has gorged
itself with the blood of the infected animals, does not
carry the disease directly to the new host.

When the female tick bas become fully gorged, she
drops to the ground, and deposits eggs, and the young
ticks which hatch from them carry the infection.

The parasites carried by ticks are minute organ-
isms, various species of a protozoon called piroplasma,
and the diseases caused by them are spoken of as
Piroplasmosis. The disease of cattle called variously
Texas fever, tick fever, blackwater, and redwater in
different places, heart water in sheep, and malignant
jaundice in dogs in Africa, are all forms of piroplasmosis,
and there is also one disease caused by piroplasma which
attacks man. This is the tick fever, spotted fever, or
Rocky Mountain fever,as it is called, which runs through-
out the western half of the United States,

It is of the utmost importance that the carriers of
these disease-organisms should be known, and it is for
this purpose that efforts-are being made to enlist the
services of volunteer collectors in all the colonies, but
more especially in the tropics.

The circulars which have been prepared by the
British Museum (Natural History Department) give
directions for collecting, preserving, and forwarding
insects for the purpose of study, and include lists of
apparatus needed, give illustrations of the manner of
pinning and setting insects, and in short, contain all the
information needed by the most unpractised beginners
to enable them to prepare specimens suitable for study.

Careful collections in newly opened districts, and
the careful identification of the specimens obtained
will enable specialists to state the probabilities of any
known diseases appearing, and will greatly help in

dealing with the better-known diseases occurring in
those localities.

In this connexion it may be mentioned that
some two years ago the Bureau of Entomology of
the United States Department of Agriculture sent
Mr. August Busck to the West Indies for the purpose
of collecting mosquitos, in order that the species
representative of different localities might be better
known, and precautions taken against the importation
of any diseases that might be transmitted by them.

Asaresult of the interest in the study of mos-
quitos, a very large amount of literature has appeared
during the past years. Perhaps the greatest
publication of all is Theobald’s Monograph on the
Culicidue of the World. a work in four
volumes of text and one volume of plates. An examina-
tion of the lists given in this work will convey some
idea of the amount of material that is being collected
and sent forward for study from many parts of the world.

few

This is

Sugar Consumption in the United States.

Messrs. Willett & Gray have published a report on
the sugar trade of the United States for the year 1907,

From the statistical tables given it is seen that the total
consumption of sugar during the year was 2,293,979 tons,
an increase of 129,966 tons, or 4°558 per cent., as compared
with the amount consumed in 1906. The increase compared
with the consumption of 1905 is 231,797 tons, or &°6 per
cent,

Full duty was paid on 355,297 tons of the sugar con-
sumed, while the amount of sugar on which a concession of
duty was allowed, was 1,351,000 tons. The consumption of
duty-free sugar (from Hawaii and Porto Rico) was 1,287,582
tons.

Cuba contributed 1,340,400 tons; the Hawaiian Islands
418,102 tons ; Porto Rico 212,852 tons; and the Philippine
Islands 10,700 tons. The amount of home-grown cane sugar
consumed was 264,968 tons, and of home-grown beet sugar
375,410 Ib. The consumption of maple sugar amounted to
10,000 tons.

The total amount of refined sugar consumed during
year Was 2,845,928 tons. Of this no less than ;
tons (or 99°9 per cent.) were refined in the States.

The average consumption of sugar per head of
Umited States population during 1907 was 77-54 bb.
compared with 76°L tb. in 1906, and 70°5 Ib. in 1905,

Since 1897, the full duty on sugar imported into the
United States has been 1:685e. per Ib., 96° test. As already
mentioned, sugar from Hawaii and Porto Rico pay no duty,
while that imported from the Philippines is allowed a redue-
tion of 25 per cent., and from Cuba, 20 per cent.
from all other countries pays full duty.

the
2,841,246

Sugar

Worn avila | Noy 157,

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 131

Cuban Sugar Crop.

During the past few months various estimates
have been made as to the extent of the present season’s
sugar crop in Cnba, but all have more or less agreed
that there would be a shortage as compared with last
year. According to most recent reports, those best
qualified to judge would now definitely place the crop
below 1,000,000 tons.

The United States Consul-General at Havana,
writing under date of March 13, states :—

The great majority of planters and. others interested
assert that 950,000 tons will represent the maximum, and
850,000 tons the minimum crop. There is good reason for
believing that 900,000 tons is not too low an estimate, for it
is known that cane-cutting has practically ceased in many
districts, and that some of the mills will stop working on
April 1, or thereabouts.

Under the most favourable conditions the grinding
season will be finished by the end of April. The latest
returns available dealing with the shipments and stock on
hand for 1903 up to March 1, show a falling-off of nearly 40
per cent., as compared with the figures for the same period of
1907. If this shortage is maintained to the end of the
season the volume of the crop will be below 900,000. tons.

Discussing the same subject the New York
Journal of Commerce says :—

The United States ordinarily depend upon Cuba for
about half their consumption, but this year, the crop, on
account of drought and other causes, will, as far as can be
estimated, be from 400,000, to 500,000 tons short. The out-
put last year was 1,427,000 tons, and conservative estimates
for 1908 have been lowered to from 900,000 to 1,000,000
tons. To make matters worse, Porto Rico, San Domingo, and
the British West Indies all show reduced yields, so that
there is a total shortage of 500,600 to 600,000 tons.
A significant indication of the situation is the fact, that,
owing to unfavourable conditions, thirty-three central factories
have ceased grinding in Cuba.

Stripping Sugar-canes.

A note was given in the Agricultural Neas,
Vol. VI, p. 98, on experiments conducted in Hawaii
with the view of ascertaining the effect on the crop
return of stripping trash from the sugar-cane. Further
tests on the same lines have been conducted since
1906, and the results published in Bulletin No. 25 of
the Division of Agriculture and Chemistry, Hawaii.

Stripping was carried out both with plant canes and the
following ratoon crop. The young canes were planted in
June 1904, and the crop gathered in February 1906. The
ratoons were cut back in July 1906, and harvested in
January 1908. Each crop was stripped on three different
occasions. Briefly stated, the following are the principal
results :—

(1) In the case of the plant cane crop, the weight of
unstripped canes obtained per acre was 2431 tons greater
than the weight of stripped canes, while in;the case of the
ratoon crop, the unstripped area gave a return exceeding by
15°68 tons per acre the yield given by the stripped area.

(2) With the plant cane crop, the percentage of sucrose
in the juice was 17-7 in the unstripped canes, as compared
with 16°8 in the stripped canes. With the ratoon crop, the
difference in favour of the unstripped canes was 1:0 per cent,

(3) There was a slightly higher standard of purity in
the case of the juice of the unstripped canes, compared with
that from the stripped portion of the crops. The average of
the two crops in the case of the unstripped canes was 891,
while the juice of the stripped canes showed a purity of
88°1 per cent.

(4) The unstripped canes gave a return of 4:10 tons
of sugar per acre more than the stripped canes in the plant
crop, while in the case of the ratoon crop the unstripped
canes gave 2°36 tons of sugar per acre more than those stripped.

(5) The number of dead canes on the stripped area was
greater by 2,539 per acre than on the unstripped area with
the plant cane crop, and by 1,457 per acre with the ratoon
crop.

It is probable that the reduced yield of sugar per
acre 18 chiefly due to the much greater number of dead
canes on the stripped area. As far as can be gathered,
it would appear that 323,800 tons of sugar were
obtained from stripped cane in Hawauan plantations
in 1907. It is remarked in the Bulletin that if the
average percentage of loss from stripping was no more
than one-third of that which resulted in the experi-
ments in question, then the practice cost those planta-
tions, four one year ouly, nearly $3,000,000.

SUGAR AND COTTON IN ST. KITTS-
NEVIS AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.

A recent issue of the Weekly Reports of the
Canadian Department of Trade and Commerce contains
the following report from the Commercial Agent of the
Dominion at St. Kitt’s, on the sugar, molasses, and
cotton output in St. Kitt’s-Nevisand the Virgin Islands
during the past year :—

The sugar crop for the season just closed was a fairly
good one, and the bulk found its way to Canadian markets.
( wing to favourable conditions in the United Kingdom, about
2,797 tons were shipped to Greenock and London, while for
the first time in the shipments to Canada, a new departure
was made by 433 tons being forwarded to Montreal, instead of
all being consigned, as heretofore, to Halifax.

The total sugar exported for the year amounted to
14,177 tons, of which Canada received 11,188, the United
Kingdom 2,797, and other places 192 tons,

~The molasses crop was again disappointing, the output
being smaller in proportion to the quantity of sugar made than
is the casein other islands. Of the 2,157 puncheons shipped,
1,263 were forwarded to Canada, and 894 elsewhere. In
regard to this article also, there has been a change in the
method of disposal, as while in former years the greater
portion of the erop was sold locally at fixed prices on definite
orders from Canadian buyers, this season, owing to the
absence of such orders, the bulk was shipped on consignment.

The output of cotton from this island, Nevis and
Anguilla, during the last season, showed a gratifying increase
on the previous year’s production, and this without any
appreciable diminution in the acreage under cane cultivation,
at least in St. Kitt’s ; and as prices were fairly good, the
results have proved of substantial benefit to the planters. The

crop obtained in St. Kitt’s was 269,109 Ib.; in Nevis,
136,670 Tb.; and in Anguilla, 59,666 tb. The whole was

exported to the United Kingdom,

132

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. May 2, 1998.

WEST INDIANSERUES

SHIPMENTS OF PAPAWS.

Experiments designed to ascertain the practicability
of shipping papaws from Hawaii to San Francisco have
been carried ont, and are reported upon in Bulletin 14
of the Hawaiian Experiment Station.

The papaw is a fruit which offers good prospects of find-
ing a ready market, since it is one which is practically certain
to be popular with consumers.

The results of the trials would indicate that under
proper conditions, papaws carefully selected, handled and
packed, could be successfully shipped such a distance as that
from Hawaii to the Pacific coast.

It was found that frnit of the long type was more
suitable for shipping than round fruits, being less liable to
damage and consequent decay. Provided the voyage is direct
and no transhipment is involved the best stage at which to
gather the fruit is just when it is beginning to show slight
tinges of yellow. If the voyage is longer, and the fruit has
to undergo transhipment, it is recommended that the papaws
be gathered green.

The fruits should be wrapped separately in glazed
paper, with an exterior wrapper of crimped straw-board if
possible. Papaws will undergo refrigeration in shipment
without deterioration in flavour.

INDIAN BANANAS: PROSPECTIVE
EXPORT TO ENGLAND.

The United States Consul at Calcutta, in a report

published under date of March last, states that some of

the more enterprising banana growers of India are
giving considerable attention to the question of develop-
ing an export trade in this fruit to Great Britain. The
Consul writes :—

It is claimed that vessels properly fitted wp can reach
the Liverpool market from Calcutta in twenty-five days, and
that several kinds of fruits, especially the plantain, can be laid
down in Liverpool to compete with the West Indian banana,
which now monopolizes the English market. It is stated that
one firm trading between the West Indies and Liverpoo] has
thirteen vessels, each of 3,000 to 5,000 tons capacity, and
each one capable of stowing away 60,000 bunches of bananas,
without crushing or bruising the fruit. This trade has
increased to vast proportions, and it is urged that India
should have part of it.

The native East Indian banana is smaller by half than
the fruit grown in Jamaica, Costa Rica, and along the coast
lines of Central America, but the former is as rich in favour.

In fact it possesses a ‘bouquet’ all its own, and would, it is
believed, become popular at once with European consumers.
The East Indian banana, both yellow and red, grows abund-
antly throughout the southern provinces and the supply could
be made practically unlimited. All the Indian needs to learn is
how to ent the bunches at the right time, to handle the fruit
without bruising, and so that it can be landed in twenty-five
days on the English market before it begins to get yellow. The
only thing lacking, it is claimed, is the necessary transporta-
tion, and this will be forthcoming if encouraged. The fruit
is in India and needg.a market, and if enough money is raised
to back the enterprise, it is believed that India can get her
share of the banana trade of Europe and hold it.

CITRUS FRUIT IN NEW SOUTH
WALKS.

Efforts are being made in New South Wales to
extend the cultivation of the best kinds of citrus fruit
(oranges and lemons), in the hope of developing an
export trade to England and America.

A sample shipment of fruit was despatched from Sydney
to London about a year ago. ‘The Washington Navel oranges
realized very satisfactory prices, ranging from 7s. 67d. to
16s. 6d. per case, the greater number bringing from I12s. to
16s. 6d. Oranges of the Jaffa, Mandarin, and other varieties
commanded correspondingly lower prices, while the lemons
realized only 5s. to 5s. 3d.

It is believed that the Washington Navel orange will do
well in the colony and return a handsome profit, more
especially if the soil is well worked and manured. Growers
in many cases are cutting back trees of the Seville and other
varieties, and grafting with the Washington Navel. The
Jaffa is another..profitable variety. Valencia Late is also
grown, but owing to lateness in ripening is hardly sweet
enough for export to Europe in June or July. It would,
however, be in proper condition to ship to America in August,
September, and October, when such fruit usually commands
a good price.

The report on the trial shipment mentioned states that
if the cost of packing, marketing, and shipping in cool
storage to England could be reduced to about 4s, 6d. to 5s,
per case, the results would be sufficiently profitable to
encourage the trade. The brokers in London recommended
that only the best selected fruit should be sent, and that the
oranges be packed separately in silky or oily paper, instead
of incommon white paper. In the case of one or two of the
oranges decaying, the use of the former kind of paper
prevents the decay spreading to other fruits.

Moter Vili Nos 15i7.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 13%

VALUE OF THE GROUND NUT.

The value of the ground nut, not only for the
remunerative fruit crop yielded, but also on account of
the special qualities of the vines for the purposes of
green manure, has frequently been dwelt upon in the
Agricultural News. This crop is very popular in the
United States (where it is known as the peanut), and
the area under cultivation appears to be annually
extending. From a booklet ‘The Peanut and _ its
Culture, issued by the American Nut Journal
Company, Petersburg, Virginia, the accompanying
notes have been taken :—

The opinion has been entertained in some quarters that
the ground nut is an exhausting crop. This is an error. It is
only so when the method of cultivation adopted involves
taking the entire crop, plant and fruit, off the land without
putting anything back to replace the elements of fertility
that have been abstracted. The crop does not draw heavily
upon the fertility of the soil. The plant is a mitrogen collec
tor, and having a strong tap-root that penetrates deeply into
the subsoil, it collects much of its. mineral food from the
layer of earth beneath the surface soil. It does not get the
bulk of its food material from the surface through a great
mass of fibrous roots, as is the ease with corn.

Like clover, and other leguminous plants having bacteria
nodules upon the roots, the ground nut plantisa greedy collector
of nitrogen from the atmosphere, either above or within the
soil, and hence may be utilized, like clover, in’ restoring
fertility to the soil. The root of this plant, in shape and
mode of growth, resembles the branching of an oak tree, with
a main root or stem that penetrates deeply. Hence the
plant is a good drought resister. It does not send out lateral
roots far into the surface soil, like Indian corn, hence ferti-
lizers are best placed under the plant in the row, rather than
broadeast.

Ground nuts are of special value for growth as green
manure. Pound for pound, rotted, the vines are fully
equal in value as a fertilizer to the best stable manure.
Wherever ground nuts are picked off in the field, and the vines
and debris are left to decay, the corn or other crop grown
upon the spot in the following year will invariably show
great improvement.

The domestic uses of the crop are very important if
properly utilized. As a feed and fattener of stock and poultry,
ground nuts are worth more, acre for acre, than field peas
or corn. They not only yield more food and more fattening
material to the animals, but the benefit to the soil arising
from the decay of the vines and roots is greater. Wherever
pigs, turkeys, ducks, geese or hens are raised and fattened
for the market, this crop should be grown for consumption
upon the Jand. There is no better fattening agent. When
the crop is fed at home all the labour and cost of harvesting
and selling the crop is obviated, and the farmer gets more
per pound for the nuts thus converted into meat, than he
could get for them after the most careful harvesting and
marketing. Further, by this means manure of high fertiliz-
ing value is economically produced.

In regard to feeding value, ground nut kernels have an
average of 29 per cent. protein, 49 per cent. fat, and 14 per
cent. carbohydrates in the dry material. Not only is the
kernel part high in feeding value, but the vines also are very
nutritious asa stock food. A loamy soil of a sandy nature,
that is light and porous, produces the most remunerative
crop. However, practically any kind of soil that is open

and friable and that can be kept so, provided there is lime
and mineral elements, will do for the plant.

The yield of ground nuts per acre varies from 25 bushels to
100, and occasionally as high as 150 bushels. The highest
yield recorded by the Arkansas station is 143-6 bushels.
This yield was secured from the Spanish variety, and on
highly fertile soil. The highest yields secured at Fayetteville
were obtained in 1902, when the Virginia White yielded
113°6 bushels per acre, and Spanish yielded 109°9 bushels
per acre, on soil of only ordinary fertility, and without
fertilization other than the ploughing-under of the stubble
from a heavy crop of cow peas. This soil was a mixture
of calcareous and siliceous formations, admirably suited to
the requirements of the ground nut plants.

CABBAGE GROWING IN ST LUCIA.

For some years past cabbage growing has been
carried on, on an experimental scale, at the Botanic
Station, St. Lucia, and now it is reported that the culti-
vation of the crop is being undertaken by several
growers in the island. ‘This vegetable should certainly
find a ready market, and provided the right varieties
are tried, success would probably attend efforts made
to extend cabbage cultivation in other islands of the
West Indies.

The report, for 1906-7, on the Botatic Station,
St. Lucia, gives the following particulars in reference
to the cabbage experiments :—

This year, the cabbage plot oceupied { acre. The land
received manure at the rate of about 16 tons per acre. The
plants were put out on December 21, and the cutting of the
crop lasted from the middle of February to late in April.
The crop consisted of about 1,200 heads, averaging in weight
3-4 Ib. each. The varieties grown were ‘ Succession’ and
‘Autumn King,’ and they have now been tested at the station
for six years in succession, and have always given satisfac-
tory results.

The land for cabbages should be heavily manured and
forked early in November, and about the same time the seed
should be sown in boxes or seed-beds. When the seedlings
have formed three leaves they may be transplanted into other
beds of rich soil, and by the first week in December they should
be strong enough to be planted out in the field. With favour-
able weather and good tillage, the ‘Succession’ should be
fit for cutting in about twelve weeks from sowing, and the
‘Autumn King,’ from two to three weeks later.

The distribution of seeds of these varieties from the
Botanic Station, practically at cost price, and the sale of
produce from the Experiment Station, have done much to
make this vegetable popular. Supphes of well-grown cabba-
ges are now frequently to be seen in the local market in
season, whereas a few years ago stumps carrying a few loose
leaves represented this vegetable, and imported supplies were
retailed at 4d. per Ib.

Para Rubber Seed. Para rubber seeds, direct from
the East, can be obtained on order from Mr. C. Curtis,
Laurel House, Barnstaple, England, and formerly Superin-
tendent of the Government Forests, Penang. Orders should
be sent by the end of July in time for the autumn crop,
which ripens from September to November, For less than
1,000 seeds the price is 8s. per 100 ; over 1,000 but less than
5,000, £3 per 1,000; over 5,000 but less than 20,000,
£2 15s. per 1,000; over 20,000, £2 10s. per 1,000.

134

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SELECTION
BARBADOS.

COTTON SEED

In December 1905, it was decided to carry ont
experiments with the object of improving the cotton
grown in Barbados by seed selection as outlined in
the West Imdian Bulletin, Vol. IV, p- 208, and
arrangements were made for the work of selection to be
carried out on seven estates. From one of these estates—
Stirling—fifteen plants were obtained, and from these
fifteen three plants were finally selected, viz., Nos. 300,
301, and 303 (West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VII, p. 159).

Recently Dr. C. E. Gooding, the proprietor, shipped,
under the mark ‘ Stuling S’ 7 bales of cotton from
plants grown from the seed obtained from the plant
No. and Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, in
reporting on this cotton, write :—

303,

We have formed a very high opinion of this latter lot
(‘Stirling S °), as it is the most serviceable class of cotton we
have seen produced in the West Indies, and if it
a better yield per acre than the finer descriptions —as it
probably will—we think it is more suitable for
cultivation.

This cotton, as Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland
correctly surmise, has for the last four plantings given
heavier yields in the experiment fields at Stirling than
any of the other varieties grown.

gives

extensive

The opinion expressed by Messrs. Wolstenholme
& Holland is very encouraging, and shows the desira-
bility of systematically and regularly carrying out the
selection of the best seed for planting purposes.

COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS.

Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston,
report that the condition of the Sea Island cotton
warket remains very dull. Prices are still the same as
those quoted in the last issue of the Agricultural
News, and during the fortnight ended April 11 last it
is stated that no receipts, sales, or exports had taken
place.

Messrs. Frost’s report of April 11 contains the
following note on planting prospects for the coming
season :—

The spring so far has been an early and favourable one,
and the cotton crop has been planted in the Sea Islands, as
well as in Georgia and Florida. With fair weather conditions,
it promises to have an early and fair start.

On the islands and coast of Carolina, the acreage is
reported about the same as last year. In Georgia, however,

there has been a sharp reduction in the acreage, owing to the
low prices prevailing. In Florida it is also reported that
there has been a decrease in the acreage, but not to as great
an extent as in Georgia.

Owing to low prices prevailing, the receipts are now very
moderate, and it is reported that if no improvement in the
market takes place, at least 10,000 bales of the crop will
not come to market, but will be held over until next season,
when with reduced acreage, and probably some improvement
in trade, it is hoped that better prices may be realized.

WEST INDIAN COTTON ON THE
LIVERPOOL MARKET.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date of April 13, in reference to
the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Since our last report about 400 bales West Indian Sea
Island cotton have been sold, comprising Anguilla, Antigua,
Barbados, Montserrat, St. Kitt’s, Nevis, and St. Vincent,
chietly at 15d, to 16d., with a few bales very choice cotton at
l7d. to 19d.

COTTON GROWING IN JAMAICA.

A number of hints and recommendations to cotton
growers are given in the March number of the Journal
of the Jamaica Agricultural Society.

The middle of August is mentioned as the most suitable
time for planting in Jamaica, since this would ensure a dry
season (January and February) for reaping. If a good stand
is ensured before the October rains, the plants do not get
strangled by weeds, and the cost of weeding is much reduced.

The time of the first rains of March is recommended as
most suitable for spring sowing. Planting should not be
continued after April, and by following this rule the greater
portion of the spring-sown crop will be gathered before the
September rains.

Attention is drawn to the need of a thorough knowledge
(on the part of Agricultural Instructors and also of planters)
of the contents of the A. B. C. of Cotton Planting, published
by the Imperial Department of Agriculture, this
booklet contains full information and advice on all points
connected with Sea Island cotton cultivation.

The Acricultural Instructors, it is urged, should
endeavour to interest in cotton planting at least one intelli-
gent planter in every locality, should use trial plots
such men as centres for demonstration to neigh-

since

and
planted bv
bouring holders.

Vor Vile Nos 157.

THE AGRICULFURAL

NEWS.

ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN AND ITS
FIXATION BY ELECTRICAL METHODS.

The question of how to provide a continuous and
available supply of nitrogen to growing crops at the
least cost is discussed in an article, ‘The Present Status
of the Nitrogen Problem,’ that appears in the latest
issue (1906) of the Yearbook of the United States
Department of Agriculture. The writer concludes that
in the case of the greater proportion of the available
land of the world this question will become a problem
of bacteriology, with the soil as a culture medium.
But while much can be accomplished through the
agency of soil bacteria in conserving and increasing the
supply of combined nitrogen, it is voneious that there
will always be a demand for an immediately available
supply of nitrates, or other form in which nitrogen can
be supplied for the use of growing crops. Since the
Chile deposits of nitrate of soda, which for years past
have formed the chief source of supply of this valuable
nitrogenous manure, must sooner or later be exhausted,
it 1s satisfactory to note that considerable progress has
been made of late years in electrical processes designed
to effect the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen in a suib-
able form, so as to make it available for manuriel
purposes. The following mention of these processes 1s
made in the article in question :—

It has long been known that atmospheric nitrogen can
be oxidized under the influence of electricity, producing nitric
oxide fumes, which are then combined with water, to form
nitric acid, or with quicklime, forming calcium nitrate. Other
bases may also be used. Various attempts have been made
from time to time to develop a process by which nitrogen can
be combined commercially. The most promising results have
thus far been secured with Franck’s process of making calcium
cyanamide and with the Birkland and Eyde
producing nitrates. The former process consists in combining
nitrogen with the carbides of alkalis, producing cyanides,
or, in the case of calcium, producing caleiuin cyanamide,
containing 35 per cent. of nitrogen—more than twice the
amount present in nitrate of soda The caleium cyanamide,
when properly used, has proved to be an excellent nitrogenous

process of

fertilizer for many crops, and quite equal to ammonia
compounds, into which it can be readily converted. The
ammonia thus produced can be oxidized by conductins

it over highly heated metallic oxides, producing nitric acid.

Tne Birkland and Eyde process, however, appears to be

the most promising as a means of producing nitrates.
A special electric furnace is used, in which an alternating

electric are of between 3,000 and 4,000
in connexion with a large electroanaguet, which forces it to
take the form of a roaring dise of ay AGE is forced through
this furnace at the rate of about 3,000 cubic feet per min-
ute, the nitrogen being oxidized in the furnace to nitric oxide.
These fumes are then collected, and after further oxidation
are absorbed in water towers, forming nitric acid,
powdered quicklime, forming calcitun nitrate, Of course, the
nitric acid can be combined with almost any desirable base,
such as soda or potash.

These direct processes of securing nitrogen will certainly
be rapidly improved, and what has been accomplished already
in this direction should remove the last vestige of doubt that
we shall be able to secure at a reasonable, cost all of the
immediately available nitrogen we may need, in addition to
the great supply that may be secured through bacterial action

volts, is produced

or by

POTASH AS A PLANT FOOD.

The following notes on the importance of potassium
as a plant food are taken from an article, ‘The Relation
of Nutrition to the Health of Plants, which appeared
in the Yearbook: of the United States Department of
Agriculture for 1901 :—

Potassiuin, the essential ingredient of potash, is well
known to be one of the most important and indispensable of
all plant foods. Large quantities of it are required by all
crops. A considerable part of the ash of most plants
consists of this material, and though closely related to
sodium in its chemical properties, the latter cannot replace
it in the plant. Plants growing in soil which contains more
sodium than’ potassium will nevertheless absorb much
more of the potash. One of the first signs of a lack
of potash is a decided cessation in growth without other
apparent cause of trouble. The plants often have their
normal green colour, but make very little starch or sugar, and
almost no protein or nitrogenous matter. Potash plays an
important part in the formation of starches and sugars, but
its greatest importance is in connexion with protein forma-
tion, in which it is apparently indispensable. When it is
remembered that proteins or the related nitrogenous com-
pounds are the main source of food for the young growing
cells, the importance of potassium will be appreciated.

A ready supply of potassium also hastens and perfects
the maturing of plants, especially the ripening of the wood of
fruit and other trees. A lack of potash is said by Webber to

cause in the orange an excessive growth of weak, immature
wood. The same writer also calls attention to the fact that
many growers believe that potash, atleastin the formof sulphate,
causes the production of excessively sour fruit. It would be
important to determine if this is really true. There are good
physiological reasons which lead us to expect such a result,
not only in the orange, but in plants in general. However,
an increase of starch or sugar would also be expected at the
same time. The acid juices of plants are, as a rule, disliked
by insects and fungi. This may explain why muriate of
potash prevents, to some extent, the ravages of the rust mite
on the orange, and the injurious action of the rust mite on
cotton,

Clay soils, especially clay loams, usually contain from
0°5 to O-S per cent. of potash, lighter loams about 0:3 3} per
cent., and deep sandy soils less than O-1 per cent.; but even
this small amount is equivalent to 3,500 Ib. to the acre,
assuming that an acre of land 1 foot deep weighs 3,500,000 Ib.
As a rule, therefore, it is only upon the lighter sandy
soils that a lack of potash may be expected. In the use
of potassic fertilizers careful attention should be given to
their composition. Mnuriate, or chloride of potash, and the
sulphate are examples of common potash fertilizers in’ use.
The former is as a rule cheaper, and, for some crops, just as
good as the sulphate, and should therefore in these cases be
used. The sulphate is preferable for certain crops, and when
doubt exists, is much safer and more satisfactory. This is
especially true in the case of tobacco, which requires a pro-
portion in the leaf of about 6 parts of potash to 1 part of
chlorine to be of good burning quality. Night soil, kainit,
and other manures rich in chlorine should not be used for
tobaeco,

Wood ashes contain a great deal
practically the whole amount. used for manurial
purposes is obtained from the mines at Stassfurt,
Germany, which appear to be almost inexhaustible.
The priee of this fertilizing constituent has remained
practically constant during the past fifty years.

of potash, but

136 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all

pee for naming, should be addressed to the
ommissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,

Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural Hews

Vou. VIL. SATURDAY. MAY 2.

1908. No. 15’.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

In the editorial of the present issue, some informa-
tion 1s given in relation to those blood-sucking flies
which are responsible for the conveyance of various
tropical diseases. This is a subject’ which is engaging
a great deal of attention at the present time.

Particulars in regard to the trade in, and consump-
tion of sugar in the United States will be found on
page 130. Notes on the following page discuss the
shortage in the Cuban sugar crop, and the result of
experiments in stripping sugar-cane, carried out in
Hawaii.

aly eres ‘ F sale :
Che question is being raised as to the possibility of

developing an export trade in bananas from India to
England. Experimental shipments of citrus fruits
from New South Wales to London have given promis-
ing results (page 132).

The great value of seed selection work in cotton
growing is evident from the brief article ‘ Cotton Seed
Selection at Barbados ” on page 134. Other notes on
the same page refer to cotton growing in Jamaica, and
the prescnt state of the cotton market.

Interesting methods now coming into practice, of

obtaining nitrogen from’ the atmosphere, are described
on page 135, where also appears a brief article dealing
with the importance of potash as a plant_food.

On page 141 will be found an address recently
delivered in Antigua by Dr. Francis Watts on the
subject of Agricultural Instruction in
‘

Schools.

Klementary

Department Publications.

The index and title-page for binding Volume VI
of the Agricultural News are issued as a supplement
to the present number.

Reports, for the year 1906-7, of seven of the
Botanic Stations of the West Indies are now on sale by
all the Agents of the Department. In the cases of
Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica and
St. Kitt’s, the price of the reports is 6. each number.
The reports on Montserrat and the Virgin Islands,
respectively, «are issued at 3d. each. As already
mentioned in reviews which have appeared in the
Agricultural News, the above reports are exception-
ally full, and contain a good deal of interesting matter.
They are, in each case, prefaced by a history of the
particular Botanic Station, and are well illustrated by
reproduction of photographs.

eons
Preservation of Green Colour in Plants.

The preservation of plants so as to maintain their
natural green colour has been successfully carried out
by Professor Trail, of Aberdeen University, who
describes in the Hew Bulletin (No. 2, 1908) the
method followed by him.

The plants to be preserved are steeped for a time
in a solution of copper acetate in acetic acid, whereby
compounds of chlorophyll with copper are formed. On
removal from this solution, they are washed in fresh
water, dried in the air, or transferred to a preservative
fluid.

The best results were obtained when the plants were
boiled for a short time in the solution. The average
time required in the boiling process is about five
minutes, the most refractory plants requirng no more
than twenty minutes. The green colour so fixed 1s
quite permanent and almost natural.

+

Cattle Trade of British Guiana.

The cattle breeding and export industry of British
Guiana has developed within the past nineteen years.
In 1887-8 the imports of cattle into the colony
numbered 1,223 head, while only forty-eight were
exported. The imposition, in the following year, of
a duty of S10 per head of cattle imported appears to
have stimulated the development of a local breeding
industry, with the result that during the ten years
1890-1900, the exports of cattle from British Guiana
continually tended to eqnal or exceed the imports.
Last year the exports reached 1,389 while the imports
were reduced to one solitary head.

The Government of British Guiana has received
a communication from a firm of Brazilian merchants,
suggesting the possibility that an export trade in
cattle might be developed between the colony and
Brazil, and stating that arrangements might be made
whereby a large number of animals could regularly be
taken, if terms were agreed upon. ‘The matter is now
under consideration by the Royal Agricultural Society
of the colony. The poor transport facilities available
for conveying the cattle are likely to prove the chief
difficulty in the way of developing a profitable industry
in this manner.

Vou. VII. No. 157.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Para Rubber Seed Oil.

Para rubber seed is now in great demand for
planting purposes, and for the present there is no need
to consider other methods of utilization, but it may be
well to point out that the seeds possess a commercial
value on account of their oi] content, and when the
supply exceeds the demand of planters, a market will
still be available.

The oil of the seed of Hevea brasiliensis is similar
in. character to linseed oil, and is quite equal in value to
the latter for the preparation of paints, varnishes, ete.

The Agricultural Bulletin ot the Malay States
(November 1907) reports that offers have been received
from manufacturers and others for decorticated Para
seed in good condition at from £10 to £12 per ton.

The shell of the seed, which has no commercial
vaiue, should be removed before shipping, in order to
reduce the cost of freight.

rr

Indigo Production in India.

As is generally known, the indigo acreage in India
has tended to fall off of late years, as the result of the
competition of the synthetic product. While the
average indigo acreage for the five years preceding
1904-5 was 755,900, the area planted in 1906-7 had
decreased to 329,800 acres.

It is now believed, however, that the lowest
possible point has been reached in the cost of producing
synthetic indigo, and the Consul-General of the United
States at Calcutta reports that many growers are
strongly of opinion that, with new methods of cultiva-
tion and more economical processes of extraction, which
are claimed to have been recently discovered in India,
naturai indigo can be produced more cheaply than the
synthetic article.

A proof of their convictions in regard to this point
lies in the fact that in the United Provinces, 47,319
acres were planted to indigo in 1907, an increase of
6,935 acres as compared with the previous year.

Sa

Nitrate of Soda Output in South America.

Reports from Valparaiso place the total output of
nitrates from the deposits of Chile and Peru, during
the period from 1830 to 1907, at 36,443,327 tons, valued
at £251,818,492. As much as 40 per cent. of this total
was produced during the last ten years. At present
the output approximates to nearly 2,000,000 tons per
annum. These beds of nitrates are yery remunerative
to those working them, and it is stated that half the
price obtained is net profit. A new process has lately
been introduced which will diminish the proportion of
nitrates left in the waste from about 10 per cent. to as
little as 2 per cent.

The t-me which must elapse before these beds
will be exhausted has been variously estimated. It is
stated by some that the supply, even at twice the
present output, will last another two hundred years,
whiie others are of opinion that the beds will give out
in another fifty years or less.

Botany of Bahamas and Caicos Islands.

A report on a botanical exploration of the Bahamas
and Caicos Islands, lately made by two members of the
staff of the New York Botanie Gardens, is given in
the Journal of the Gardens for March last.

The total number of herbarium specimens collected
in this visit were about 8,000. The marine algae are
mentioned as being of special interest. Among the
interesting plants found at Watling’s Island were
Euphorbia vaginulata, Griseb. (which occurs there
in great quantity, though formerly known only from
Turks Island), and some marine algae of rare
occurrence, including Halimeda tridens, previously
reported only from Porto Rico. Several species of
plants which it is believed are new to science, were
discovered at Atwood Cay, an uninhabited island,
visited only by gatherers of cascarilla bark (from Croton
Eleuteria). Seven hundred specimens of plants were
collected at Mariguana, an island notable as the resort
of many interesting birds. Large flocks of the red
flamingo were seen there. A’specimen of the hgnum-
vitae (Guaiacum officinale) was obtained on South
Caicos Island.

North Caicos is mentioned as the most interesting
of all the islands visited during the voyage, on account
of the abundance and development of its vegetation.
It is remarked that a more thorough exploration of
what is known as the ‘ Kew’ district of this island at
some future time would undoubtedly yield results of
much scientific value.

—_—_———

Propagation of Camphor.

Attention has of late years been given in Ceylon
to the cultivation of camphor trees, as a result of the
increasing price obtained for the product. On account
of the difficulty experienced in getting a good supply of
seed from Japan, however, experiments in vegetative
methods of reproduction have been carried out at the
Royal Botanic Gardens of the island.

The process of layering was tried with young
branches of the camphor trees, and this was usually
successful, although very slow. Ata convenient point,

just below a bud, the branch to be layered should be

half cut through on the lower side, and split upwards
for an inch or so. This portion should be inserted into
the ground, and kept in position with a hooked peg.

The most successful of the methods tried was that
of propagation by ‘root cuttings. Adventitious buds
readily develop on the lateral roots of camphor trees,
especially where the roots are a little exposed, these
buds afterwards developing into suckers. Cuttings of
roots, about the thickness of an ordinary lead pencil,
and bearing adventitious buds were made and planted
out. Over 50 per cent. of these cattings struck root,
and are reported as growing well. Such cuttings may
be made anything from 24 inches in length. The top
cut should be made in a slanting direction just above
a bud, the lower cut being horizontal and just below
the bud. In placing the cutting in the soil, the upper-
most portion must be the end which was nearest the
stem of the parent tree,

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. May 2, 1908.

INSECT NOTES.

The Hemiptera or True Bugs.

In the Agricultural News from time to time (see
Vol. VI, pp. 106, 218, 266, 298) there have appeared
short sketches dealing with groups of insects in which the
generul characters of the order or family have been given,
and mentiov has been made of certain West Indian forms
likely to be well known on account of their habits, or
any peculiarity or special beauty in their appearance.

The Hemiptera include many diverse forms of many
habits. The name of the order means half-wing and was
given on account of the peculiar appearance of those members
of the order who have the outer wings thickened for a portion
of their length (say one-half) while the remainder, the term1-
nal portion, is thin and membranous. The Hemiptera have
sucking mouth parts, and undergo incomplete metamorphosis.

The Hemiptera are divided into three large groups.
One of these contains insects which in their habits are parasi-
tie on man and other mammals. These are low forms which
have no wings, such as the lice and bed-bugs.

A second group is called the Hemiptera Homoptera, in
which the outer wings are membranous for their whole length.
To this group belong the scale insects (Coccidae), the white
flies (Aleyrodidae), the lace bugs, the leaf hoppers, the plant
lice (Aphidae), and others.

The third group contains the Hemiptera in which the
wings are typical as described above ; they are called Hemip-
tera Heteroptera.

Perhaps the most abundant and the most important from
an agricultural point of view are the scale insects. Nearly
everyone in the West Indies is familiar with these insects, or
with the results of their work. Scale blight, as it is often
called, attacks nearly every. kind of plant growing in the
tropics. The scale insects on the citrus fruits and on cotton
are perhaps as well known as any.

In this family is found: still a further exception to the
wing arrangement. The female is wingless and the male has
only one pair of wings.

The white flies (Aleyrodidae) are closely related to the
seale insects. One species (A/eyrodes evtr7) is fairly common
on citrus trees and, in Batbados at least, another species
(Aleyrodicus Cocois) occursson the cocoa-nut, and others on
a variety of palms, banana, fiddlewor rd, and other plants.

The aphids or plant lice are also common and are at
times serious pests. The cotton aphis, and the aphis of rose
and many other garden plants are all well known.

Among the Hemiptera Heteroptera are to be included
the cotton stainers (Dysdercus spp.), the green pea chink
(Nezara viridula) which is common on pigeon peas and
often found on cotton, the large brown bug (Spartocera fused),
which is sometimes found on tomato and other Solanaceous
plants, the water striders, water boatmen, and others.

Although most of the members of this latter group are
plant feeders, some are predaceous on other insects and a few
even attack man. The most these latter is the
blood-sucking cone-nose (Conorhinus sanguisugus) which

common of

inflicts a very painful sting with its proboscis. The wheel
bug (Arilus cristatus) is one of the largest of the tree bugs.
The thorax is much arched longitudinally in a sharp curved
ridge which is toothed like a saw. This insect is predaceous
and, in this way, useful.

There is an insect which is frequently found in cotton
fields and mistaken for a cotton stainer and which is preda-
ceous on other insects. Care should be taken by the cotton
grower to distinguish between them.

As the Hemiptera are well provided with sucking mouth
parts, Paris green and other similar stomach poisons are use-
Scale insects, plant lice, ete., must be killed by means
of contact poisons, such as kerosene, whale oil soap, petroleum,
rosin, etc. Directions for making up these solutions and
applying them have been published from time to time in the
Agricultural News, and are to be found in the booklets
‘Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles,’ Parts I and I, Nos. 7
and 22 in the Pamphlet Series issued by the Imperial Depart-
ment of Agriculture.

less.

INCREASED USE OF ARTIFICIAL
MANURES IN EGYPY.

The United States Consul-General at Cairo draws
attention to the increasing imports of artificial manures
into Egypt. While the quantity shipped to Egypt
from South America in 1904 was only 20 tons, it
increased in 1906 to 2,798 tons, valucd at $136,500!

The Consul states that the above increase is due partly
to the greater area of cultivable land, owing to the Assouan
Dam and other irrigation works, and partly to the fact that
the peasant cultivators are endeavouring to grow cotton
once every two years instead of once in three, and are
beginning to realize that it is necessary to restore to the soil
the nourishment taken from it by the cotton.

The chemical manures used, with average prices per ton
c. i. f., Alexandria, including the packing of the manures in
double sacks, are as, follows: Nitrate of soda, $60°88 :
sulphate of ammonia, $63°31 to $64°53; superphosphate,
$15:10 to S16°07.

The only manures manufactured in Egypt are sewage
and slaughter-house products worked up by the Cairo Sewage
Transport Company, for which a good market is found. The
market for chemical manures is open to any manufacturer
or merchant, as there is no monopoly for the import. of
artificial fertilizers, and also because the Government has
ceased lending money to the Khedivial Agricultural Society at
a low rate of interest, ie., 2 per cent. per annum,

The imports of chemical manures are allowed duty free
into Egypt, and there are special reduced rates on the State
railways for carriage into the interior.

Chile is the principal source for nitrate of soda ;
Belgium for superphosphates, and Glasgow is the main port
of shipment for sulphate of ammonia.

Castilloa Rubber Seed. In view of a prospec-
tive demand for Castilloa rubber seed during the coming
season, it may be mentioned that the Curator of the Dominica
Botanic Station expects to have about 12 or 15 tb. of seed
available after meeting the local demand. At Montserrat,
the Curator anticipates that he will be able to supply about
10 Ib. of seed from the Castilloa trees at the station. This
mbber seed should be worth about 5s. per Ib., packed.

Vou. VII.

No. 157.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 139

THE JAMAICA EARTHQUAKE.

A further extract from Dr. Vaughan Cornish’s
paper, dealing with the character and results of the
Jamaica earthquake, is given below, in continuation of
the notes which appeared in the last issue of the Agri-
cultural News, describing the personal experience of
the author in Kingston at the time of the disaster :—

The economic importance of the Jamaica earthquake of
January 14, 1907, is due to the destruction of Kingston and
its suburbs, and it is in and around the city that the effects of
seismic shock upon buildings can best be studied. Viewed,
however, from the physical standpoint, the importance of an
earthquake is independent of the neighbourhood of cities.

Ithink I shall be able to show that the Jamaica earth-
quake was essentially double-barrelled, so to speak ; that
Kingston was brought down by one barrel, and that the other
barrel was discharged in a thinly populated district, where it
consequently did much less damage; but that when we
examine the seismic effects in parts of the island distant from
either of these foci, we find that they are, on the whole, about
as much due to the one part of the double shock as to the
other, the charge in the two barrels, so to speak, being about
equal. From the physical standpoint, therefore, the Kingston
earthquake is not quite the same thing as the Jamaica earth-
quake.

Thirty seconds is the duration currently assigned to the
earthquake at Kingston, but no one really timed it there.
At Kellits, about 35 miles north-west of Kingston, Mr. Horn
informs me that the earthquake, timed with a watch, lasted
37 seconds, this space of time being divided as follows, viz :
17 seconds shaking, 15 seconds rolling, and again 7 seconds
shaking, which finished with a distinct jerk. At Bethany,
about 45 miles north-west of Kingston, Dr. Hargreaves
informs me that he timed the earthquake by a seconds-hand
watch, and found that it lasted 30 seconds.

I have described the character of the vibrations which
I experienced in a top story corner room of a brick house in
East Street. These were only in a secondary sense due to
the earthquake, the immediate cause being the action of the
vibration of the massive walls upon the wooden floor. The
movement of the ground was well observed opposite the old
Mico, in Hanover Street, by Sub-Inspector 'Tremlett, and
near the south end of John’s Lane by Mr. Sullivan. In
addition to any jarring or bumping, there was a strong swell—
literally a ground swell—running from west to east or east to
west. Mr. Sullivan says the west-to-east roll was much
stronger that the return roll from east to'west. The impres-
sion generally received was that these surface undulations
were only a few yards from crest to crest, and they certainly
succeeded one another several times in a’second. The height
from crest to crest appeared to be several inches, so that
their steepness was very considerable. As far as I am aware,
the only instrumental evidence as to the periodic time of the
earthquake oscillations is that afforded by the transmitter of
the West India Direct Cable to Kingston. I learnt that it
had continued to run for a tne before the office collapsed,
and that the strip of paper had been sent to the London
office as a curiosity. I therefore timed the running of the
machine in Kingston, and afterwards in London was allowed
to measure the oscillations of the writing pen as recorded on
the strip of paper. There were ten complete north-south-
north oscillations in the first two and a half seconds, i.e., four
per second. The position of the instrument did not permit
it to record east-and-west vibrations.

I carefully examined a large number of Luildings in
Kingston, which is a brick town, to ascertain the line,

or direction, and the sense in which walls had fallen. The
town is laid out rectangularly, houses facing the four cardinal
points, and in the detached houses east- and west-facing, outer
walls generally fell, while this fall of north- and south-facing
walls was an exception except in the area of greatest damage.
Of the east- and west-facing walls many more fell to the east
than to the west. In the neighbourhood of North Street,
east of Hast Street, which I examined in detail, I found that
of the north-and south-facing walls more fell to the south
than to the north. Thus the walls tended to fall, in most
cases, towards a little south of east, but in some cases, a little
north of west.

IT consider that the fall of these walls was due to the
action of the surface waves above described in tilting the
walls out of the perpendicular, first in one direction and then
in the other, causing them to sway. If the waves were short,
as they appeared to be, and as I think they were, the lower
part of the wall was thrown very much out of plumb at each
half-swing, and a wave of displacement travelled up each
wall, so that it became sinuous in form and was subjected to
rippling movement.

The mere rapid jarring vibration, which was so marked
a feature of the sensations of the earthquake, probably had
little effect in overthrowing walls. The north-and south-
facing walls, which did not usually fall, were equally exposed
to this form of vibration, which seemed to come somewhat
steeply from below. These walls were rocked Jongitudinally
by the east-to-west or west-to-east waves (instead of swaying
transversely), and the effect was to produce a double system
of cracks, often going through the whole thickness of the wall
but not throwing it out of plumb. As the wall returned
westward from its eastward excursion, a crack formed, owing
to the want of tensile strength in brickwork or masonry, the
eastern end of the wall being, so to speak, left behind. On the
return vibration in an eastward direction, a corresponding
crack opened at the west end, and these cracks often cross
each other diagonally, as some of my photographs show.
Walls in which cement mortar had been used stood much
better than those with only limeznortar. Kingston lime-
mortar is generally of poor quality. The defect of all stone
and brickwork, however, in respect to earthquake shock, is
want of tensile strength, hence the advantage of reinforcing
concrete, ete., by strips of metal, which give a fibre to mate-
rials otherwise two brittle. The disadvantage of extra height
and top weight were, of course, abundantly in evidence.
Any departuve from simplicity of form usually brought about
additional damage, Gothie gable and classic cornice being
almost equally uusuitable in earthquake countries. In face of
these restrictions it scems that architects in earthquake coun-
tries must rely mainly upon the skilful proportioning of
spaces for the production of artistic effect.

CANADIAN EXHIBITIONS, 1908.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has
received the following letter from Messrs. Pickford and
Black, in reference to the dates of the Canadian
Exhibitions to be held in 1908 :—

We yesterday received your cable asking for dates of
Toronto and Halifax Exhibitions and confirm our reply this
morning. The Toronto Exhibition opens on August 29 and
closes on September 14; the Halifax Exhibition opens on
September 2, and closes on September 10; therefore it will
not be possible for the exhibit that goes to Toronto to be
exhibited at Halifax. We will then probably only exhibit at
Toronto, unless the West Indies send two sets of samples.

140

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 2

=

1908.

Cane fires have been very frequent in Barbados during
the present reaping season. The majority are believed to be
due to incendiarism.

The number of beet sugar factories worked in Germany
in 1905-6 was 876;in the following year, 369, while in
1907-8, the number has fallen to 365. The output of sugar
shows a corresponding decline.

The Martinique central factory is purchasing canes
during the present season on a basis of 6 per cent. sugar
content, this being equal to a price of 33°36 per metric ton
(2,200 tb.).

Exports of sugar from Java to India have rapidly
increased of late. For the eight months ending November
30 last, the quantity was 224,700 tons, as against 134,500
tons during the corresponding period of 1906.

A central sugar factory of large capacity (the first of its
kind to be established in Jamaica) was opened at Vere on
March 27 last by the Governor. A portion of the capital
was subscribed in Great Britain, the remainder being local.

Mr. R. H. Biffen, M.A., well known for his successful
work in connexion with the hybridization of wheat and
barley, has been appointed to the professorship of agricultural
botany lately established in the University of Cambridge.

Under ordinary circumstances, it is estimated that in
1908-9 the cultivated frit lands of Porto Rico should yield
crops of 156,700 boxes of citrus fruits, and 170,000 crates of
pine-apples. (Cuta Review.)

Camphor trees in Japan are stated to bear their first
crop of seeds when from twenty to twenty-five years old.
Trees twenty-five years of age, in Ceylon, however, have not
yet flowered. Camphor seeds do not retain their vitality for
more than five months.

The Jamaica press reports a depressed condition of the
banana trade of the island consequent upon the
drought which has prevailed since early in 1907. As a result,
the output has largely fallen off, bat hopes are entertained
that conditions will improve in May or June.

severe

An experimental planting of Central American rubber
trees (Castilloa elastica) was made at the Botanic Station,
St. Vincent, in 1906-7. The plants are stated to be making
strong, healthy growth. Two or three planters in the island
are’also giving this tree a trial.

Mr. T. C. Davenport, Bramhall Estate, Dominica, desires
it to be mentioned that he has 5,000 budded Washington
Navel orange plants ready for sale. For export the price is
one shilling per plant, freight and packing extra for small
lots. For orders of fifty plants and over, there will be no
charges for freight and packing.

The best method of disposal of the cotton seed produced
in the island is at present a subject of discussion im St. Croix,
since the Barbados cotton factory is not taking the sup-
ply as in forner years. Some growers are grinding the seed,
using a portion for stock food, and returning the remainder
to the soil as fertilizing matter (St. Croir Avis).

In St. Croix the sugar crop of the season began in the
first week of April at two factories and on several muscovado
estates. In the case of the central factory, however, the
St. Croix Avis (cf April 4) anticipated that work would not
begin till about the third week in April. The crop is a very
light one.

The new cotton factory at Blakes’ estate, Montserrat,
was lately opened, and is now ready to handle all cotton sent
in. The building has two floors, on the upper of which two Asa
Lee gins are worked. Should the result of the present season’s
working justify the step, two additional gins will be provided
for next season. (Jontserrat Herald.)

The cost of cultivating 334 acres of land, under bananas
in Cuba, for five years, is estimated by the Agricultural
Department of the island to be $4,894. This land, it is
stated, should produce 37,000 bunches of bananas, worth, on
an average, 3le. per bunch, delivered at the steamer, which
would give a gross return of 311,470.

The 1906 Yearbook of the U.S. Department of Agri-
culture states that there is an increasing demand for avocado
pears in the United States, especially during the months
from October to March. Florida growers are extending their
plantings of late ripening kinds of avocado, and there is
every prospect that the cultivation will give profitable returns.
This fruit is also grown in California.

About eighteen months ago the site for anew Botanic
Station in British Honduras was selected, and the work of
clearing and laying-out was at once started. The area of the
new station is about 20 acres, and it is conveniently situated
near to Belize. The Government of the colony has now
decided that the station shall be a permanent one, and lately
voted the sum of 52,980 for its upkeep during the present
year. A further sum of $1,400 was also voted for building
quarters for the Superintendent. ‘

Investigations made at the Rothamsted Experiment
Station, England, on the subject of green colour in foliage
plants show that the chlorophyll formation in plants has
a close connexion with the amount of nitrogen assimilated,
but that the carbon assimilation is not in proportion to the
chlorophyll formed. Further, the necessity of a supply of
potash in the soil in order that carbon assimilation may ‘take
place, was demonstrated by these experiments. No starch
was formed in the grains of chlorophyll without the aid of
potash.

Wor. VIL; No. 157.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

141

AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

The following is the substance of a speech given
by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., F.L.C., at a recent meet-
ing held in the Bishop’s School Room at Antigua, The
speech, which is taken from The Antigua Churchman
of April 1908, followed, and was based on a discussion
which took place concerning the conditions and ditficul-
ties of agricultural teaching in the elementary schools
of the presidency :—

At the outset of his speech, Dr. Watts remarked that it
appeared to him that a great deal of difficulty arose from too
much stress being laid on agriculture, and too little upon
teaching. What one wanted was to teach general principles
which would appeal to and broaden the minds of children,
-and not merely to draw attention to the drudgery of agri-
cultural operations. One wanted children to be in a position
to appreciate the fundamental facts underlying the growth
and development of the crops amongst which they worked and
on which they lived, and to know something of the soil, the
plants, the animals, and other tangible objects by which they
were surrounded,

The garden therefore should become the teacher's labora-
tory in which he can permit children to elucidate facts for
themselves—facts which must have an educational even more
than an agricultural bearing. In these gardens, children may
conduct small experiments, and may acquire useful informa-
tion about the best kinds of vegetables, food crops, and the
like.

Dealing with the subject of school gardens, and the
interest created in the minds of the children by successful
erop growing on these plots, Dr. Watts referred to the success-
ful manner in which cotton had been grown as an object-
lesson at St. George’s School, Nevis. This cotton had been
eultivated and reaped ina systematic manner, samples had
been exhibited at the Agricultural Show, and had gained
a second prize in open competition. This small crop had been
baled, shipped to the British Cotton Growers’ Association, and
the proceeds returned, the enterprise throughout constituting
an object-lesson of the greatest utility.

The excellent exhibits which had been made at the
Antigua Agricultural Show were also mentioned. There were
good displays of vegetables which had been well grown, well
prepared, and tastefully arranged. In addition to vegetables,
there were good exhibits of decorative and other plants ¢ grown
in pots. The preparation and ownership of such things as
these must exercise a profound influence on the mind of the
scholar.

From the school gardens, it was pointed out, information
can be diffused amongst the parents who.will thus learn to
take an interest in the school work, while at the same time
gaining indirectly useful items of knowledge from the lessons

tanght in the school. As a result some improvement might

take place in the gardens of the peasants, and perhaps even the
day’s work of the labourer might be brightened and stimulated
as the outcome of some thought carried ‘hor ne by his child from
the school. The objection of parents to children working in
school gardens has in most instances disappeared, and, as
indicated above, it has actually been found that parents are
quite capable of taking a strong interest ih the work carried
on by their Ghildiren; once they recognize that there is no
attempt to exploit the children’s labours either for the benefit
‘of the school or of the teacher, but that the object of the
work is the instruction and benefit of the children themselves.

A ready means of aiding the removal of this objection lies in
the possession, by the childrey, of the crops which they them-
selves have grown. Where-at present this objection is
apparent, it may be well for*the time to dispense with. the
garden, and to carry on the Work in boxes and pots.

Dy. Watts said that, in his own experience with teachers,
Whenever he had come in contact with them he had invariably
found that they could soontbe worked up to a pitch of
enthusiasm. He alluded in détail to his experience with the
teachers at Dominica, who aftey offering some slight difficulties
in the first course, became duriny the second; zealous and ke en;
so that it was quite easy eventually to carry out a very use-
ful course of practical garden| work. His experience with
teachers in Antigna and in St. Kitt’s-Nevis had been precisely
sunilar.

The speaker appreciated the difficulties in garden work
—difficulties which often were’ made greater by placing too
much stress on school gardens, and too little on the general
teaching of scientific principles. The work should proceed
gradually, and school gardens only be resorted to when both
teacher and scholar feel the need for carrying into operation
the principles which have been brought to their notice in
their lessons. A point is soon arrived at when both teacher
and scholar are unable to rest satisfied with mere descriptions,
when they want to handle the things themselves, and to put
to proof the statements found in books. In this way practi-
cal work, first of all in boxes and pots, and finally in school
gardens, will be felt to be necessary hy both teacher and
taught, and the lesson will be both pleasant and permanent in
its effects.

A point to be emphasized in connexion with school
gardens is the necessity of a good fence, and in many instances
it constitutes a good object- lesson to grow a hedge around
the garden plot. Such hedges are to be seen at most of the
experiment stations, and the Officers-in-charge are always
willing to assist the teachers with advice in this connexion.
Without a fence, the garden lacks edneational value, for it
is liable to be injured by trespassing people and animals, and
also lacks that neatness which is so essential in educational
matters.

An adequate water supply is also most. desirable, for
without this, interesting experiments may be lost through
drought, and children may be greatly discouraged by the
failure of their efforts.

Dr. Watts strongly advocated teaching in relation to agri-
cultural objects, on the ground that it enabled the teachers to
deal with tangible objects and incidents of everyday life, and
the children to grasp and appreciate the real practical bear-
ing of the facts brought before them. Such teaching stood
in “striking contrast to some of the more abstract teaching
which necessarily oceupied a place in all schools, and so it
afforded valuable mental relief. It encouraged the children
to think and to take a rationaltinterest in things relating to
their everyday life, and afforded an opportunity for starting
trains of thought and education which would be continued
long after the immediate school work had ceased. Such
teaching might and should exercise a profound influence on
the lives of scholars, and tend to make them better citizens.

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture returned
to Barbados from St. Vincent by the R.M.S. ‘ Eden,’
on April 21 last, and left again for an otticial visit to
the Leeward Islands on the following day, by the
C.L.S.‘Dahome.’ Sir Daniel Morris is expected to
return to Barbados by the R.MLS. ‘Esk’ on May 5.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 2, 1908:

PLANT FOOD IN THE SOIL.

The following notes dealing with available and
unavailable plant food in the soil, and the dependence
of plant life upon the soluble portion of the fertilizing
constituents present, originally appeared in the Garden-
ers Chronicle, and are of sufficient interest to warrant
their reproduction herewith :—

Plants are composed of two classes of chemical substances,
the organic or volatile compounds, which are destroyed by
burning ; and the inorganic, orfixed elements, which remain
in the ash after burning. The importance of the inorganic or
fixed elements to plant life rests in the fact that, no matter
what sort of a soil is under cultivation, a healthy plant
carries away about the same amount of these constituents
which it obtains from the soil for the building up of its
structure. At the same time, while the same species of plant
when matured may yield to analysis very similar quantities of
these elements, different species will show different results as
to kind and quantity ; and the more remote the natural affinity
of the species to each other, the wider, as a rule, will be these
differences.

Perfect plants cannot be produced, much less can fruits,
on soils where one or more important constituent is absent.
The most valuable materials are phosphoric acid, potash,
nitrogen, and lime. Accordingly, where soils have been
exhausted by the growth and carrying away of crops, to
a point below that of remunerative cultivation, they may
he restored to fertility by making a jndicious return of the ash
or mineral constituents along with the element nitrogen.
This last-named, the nitrogen, belongs to the organic class of
plant foods.

While it is true that some alluvial soils possess vast
stores of plant food, both of nitrogenous and of mineral
substances, so as to be regarded as practically inexhaustible,
yet by constant cropping, without a suitable return in manure,
they will in time become unproductive.

Now the greater part of the plant food constituents
necessary to profitable erop cultivation are locked up in an
inert condition, in which state for the most part, they remain
until united with a solvent supplied as manure. For example,
in one of the experimental plots of the late Sir John Lawes
at Rothamsted, to which no manure whatever was applied
for thirty-eight years, the soil at the end of that period was
found, on analysis, to contain in the top 9 inches as much
as 36,604 Ib of potash per acre, and 2,503 tb. of phosphoric
acid per acre. Of these very large amounts ef plant food in
the soil, only 91 tb. of potash, and 139 th. of phosphoric acid
per acre were in a soluble condition and available to plants.
The addition of 3 ewt, of superphosphate per acre to this
same soil, on an adjoining plot, increased the solubility of
the plant food to 165 Ib. of potash per acre, and to 1,170. Ib.
of phosphoric acid per acre.

Having by this means brought the inert mineral con-
stituents into a condition of solubility, the addition of
nitrogen in the form of ammonia-salts as manure to this
same land raised the produce from 22 to 43 bushels of barley-
grain per acre, and the straw from 11 ewt. to 24 ewt. per
acre.

The plant grown in exhausted soil is therefore starving,
with mineral elements everywhere in the soil, and organic
elements everywhere in the atmosphere, and none available
for use.

Thus the chief office of manure is to furnish
food for the immediate, use of growing and to
combine with and supplement the natural food supply
existing in the soil. When it is said that certain constituents

assimilable

crops,

in the soil are lacking, it does not always mean that the soil
does not contain them, but that it does not supply to the
erowing plants as much as they need. It isnot so much,
therefore, because soils have been worn out of plant food,
but rather because the food is locked up in such combina-
tions that the plant roots cannot get at and use it, that an
artificial supply of soluble food in manure becomes necessary.

It is believed that the beneficial effects of commer-
cial fertilizers are due as much to the timely supply as to
the amount of nourishment they contain. This timely
supply enables the plants to enlarge their root system,
whereby they are able to secure more nourishment from the
soil over and above that furnished by the fertilizers, than
they could have secured without such supply. If this be so,
it is seen that the use of concentrated manures in small
quantities may not only largely increase the yield of crops,
but may also serve to deplete the soil of some of its elements
of plant food more rapidly than would the same kind of crop
and treatment without their use.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF SOILS.

The fact that the healthy and flourishing condition
of plants is as much dependent upon suitable physical
conditions of the soilas upon the provision of the
elements of plant food is perhaps not always remem-
bered by cultivators. And yet, if through want of
drainage, neglect, ete. land is allowed to get into an
ubhealthy condition, this condition is soon reflected in
the character of the herbage growing upon the soil.

Probably the chief danger resulting from unsuitable:
physical condition of land is poor drainage, with consequent
excess of water, and lack of sutticient oxygen in the soil.
Such a state results in the weakening, and it may be, even the
death of the roots of plants growing in such soils. This
particularly applies to crops growing in heavy clay soils,
especially where there is an impervious subsoil. Such crops
will often have many of their feeding roots killed by suffoca-
tion during extended wet periods. Roots that may just be
forming while the soil is ina suitably moist condition are often
killed in two or three days if the soil becomes saturated with
water. The vitality of the whole plant is weakened, not only
by the loss of its feeding roots, but by the development, under
the unhealthy prevailing conditions, of injurious products im
the cells of the roots that are not killed.

Again, piants growing where the surface soil is liable to
become caked and packed ave likely to suffer from want of
oxygen for the roots. ‘This perhaps applies especially to
trees. Under such conditions the annual growth is retarded,
and the plants lose vitality. Plants in this state readily
become the prey of insect and fungus pests. Deep and
careful cultivation is of course the remedy for such a condi-
tion, and the provision of some organic fertilizer, such as pen
manure, not only provides plant food for new growth of the
roots, but also lightens the physical nature of the soil. Lime is
also useful for this Jatter purpose in the case of heavy clay soils.

To realize fully the importance of the physical condition
of the soil to plant life growing upon it, it is only necessary
to remember that the roots of all plants must have a supply
of oxygen, withont which development. is impossible. If
they do not get this supply they will die of suffocation. The
plant will be poisoned by its own decomposition products,
and will starve, or become the prey of parasitic enemies
which it is too weak to resist.

Wor. VIT. No. 157.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 145

RICE PRODUCTION IN UNITED
STATES.

Extracts from a British Consular Report, describ-
ang the methods of cultivation adopted with the rice
crop in the United States were given in the last issue
of the Agricultural News. The following notes, from
the same source, give particulars of methods practised
in harvesting, threshing, cleaning, and polishing the
grain, preparatory to placing it on the market :—

Rice is cut when the straw barely begins to colour,
wen the lower part of the head (about one- eighth) i is still

‘in the milk.’ If cutting is delayed until the entire head
is quite ripe, the quality is inferior and the quantity greatly
reduced by the loss incurred by shelling out in handling.

It is cut 10 or 12 inches from the ground, leaving
a high stubble on which the grain is laid to cure. In About
twenty-four hours, when the grain is thoroughly dry, it is
bound into sheaves, tied with straw and shocked, or stood
upright in the sun to dry. As soon as possible, the sheaves
are taken in carts and waggons to the threshing mill, one
of which is placed on each plantation.

In harvesting, more or less seed falls to the ground,
especially at places where sheaves have been stacked and
along the driveway from the fields to the barnyards. The
seed that is not destroyed by sprouting and burning remains
in the ground and grows up with the following season’s plant-
ing. ‘The self-set plant produces red rice, so called because
of the pink cuticle next to the kernel. The great objection to
red rice is that it is so soft that it cannot be milled, and is,
therefore, unsaleable. The grain scatters out readily, and,
re-seeding the field, produces more and more of its kind.
In some instances it has increased so rapidly, and taken so
firm a hold of the ground that it has been necessary to leave
whole fields idle for a year or more in order to free the
ground from the intruder.

To eradicate red rice the field is flooded immediately
after harvest. This sprouts the scattered grain. When it
has grown up, the field is drained as dry as possible and
‘then burned.

Threshing is done on nearly all plantations with a steam

thresher. The machines are stationary and very large. Thresh-
ing mills are erected on canals or on the banks of streams,

in order that boats may come to the mill and carry the
produce to market. In the process of threshing the grain is
thoroughly cleansed by fans and screens, which remove all the

light and inferior grains, chaff, ete., from the marketable
article. This is then carried by elevators into large bins,
where it is stored. Great care is taken that the grain be

thoroughly dry before threshing.

The rough rice or paddy, as it is taken to the mill, has
two coverings—a thin, close cuticle, encased by a coarse, thick,
stiff husk. Milling consists in removing these coverings. In
the process 20 fb. of husks are taken from 100 tb. of “paddy.

The grain is usually brought to mill in boats and taken
from the boats hy elevators. “The first Operation the paddy
undergoes in the mill consists in recleaning, after which it
passes between milling stones, distant from one another by
about two-thirds of the length of the grain. These tear off
the husks, and, as the product passes over screens and bellows,
the chaff and grain are separated. The grain is now placed
in mortars, wherein the cuticle is removed by pounding with
pestles. When the cuticle is removed the contents of the
mortar form an oily mixture of rice flour and chaff. This
now passes over ‘ flour screens,’ by means of which all flour is

removed. The ‘chatt fan’ is then used, and the rice, delivered
as clean grain, is run into cooling bins. In the preceding

processes so much heat has been generated that cooling is
necessary. [or about nine hours the grain remains in the cool-
ing bin, after which one more separation takes place. By
means of ‘brush screens’ the large rice is separated from the
smaller, and the little flour that has not yet been removed is
brushed from the grain. The product is now ready for the
final process— polishing.

The commercial article is always polished. This consists
in giving the graina glossy appearance, and makes much
difference in the market value, The process that gives the

gloss removes much of the most nutritious parts of the grain
including nearly all of the fats and most of the flavour. The
food value of rice flour is many times greater than the food

value of the polished product. Polishing is etfected by pieces
of skins passing over the rice and by giving a thin, fine coat
of parattin. Within a cylinder of wire gauze revolves « cylin-
der of wood, around which sheep-skins are tacked, wool inside.
This gives a soft surface, over which tanned skin, worked to
a velvet-like softness is fastened. The grain, with a piece of
paraftin, is put into the large cylinder. ‘The cylinder revolves,
and passing the soft surface over the grain gives the pearly
lustre.

TIMBERS OF BRITISH HONDURAS.

The Monthly Bulletin of the International Bureaa
of the American Republics for December last contains
some interesting notes on the British Honduras timber
supply, from which the following particulars have been
extracted :—

Cabinet woods are one of the principal export products
of the republic. The best known are the mahogany and
rosewood the former being called the king of the forest,
because of its beauty and good condition generally. It grows
very slowly, and perhaps i is not fully developed until about
200 years old. Mahogany grows all over the republic,
especially in the valleys of the rivers and the lowlands adjacent
to the rivers which empty into the Bay of Honduras.

The cutting season commences in August of each year,
since, in the opinion of experts, it is not advisable to fell
cut the trees from April to August. Generally the trees are
cut at from 10 to 12 feet from the ground, and to this end
a scaffold has to be prepared for the woodman. Owing to the
dimensions of the trunks the latter are considered more valua-
ble than the limbs of the tree, but the branches are preterred
because of the beanty of their graining and the richness and

variety of their stripes. After the trees are cut they are
dragged along broad roads to ‘the river into which they are

thrown,

Trade in Honduras woods is developing considerably, and
there is no doubt that its importance will increase as the
supply of wood from the West Indies and the Peninsula of
Yucatan decreases, and the demands of the markets of the
world increase. In addition to mahogany, there are many
varieties of tropical woods in Honduras, such as rosewood,
which grows in abundance on the northern coast ; ignum-vitae,
or ‘guanacaste,’ which also grows in profusion in the valley of
Ulua, on the bank of the rivers, and in Camaguay and other
valleys of the republic. Among the dye-woods of Honduras
are yellow wood, yellow sandal, Brazil wood, dragon blood,
Nicaragua or logwood, and arnotto. There are also many

rubber trees and medicinal plants, producing gum arabie,
copaiba, liquid amber, copal, castor oil, ipecacuanha, and

caoutchouce The wood most extensively used 1 in the republic is
resin pine, which special mention, not only on
account of its superior quality, but also because of its
extraordinary abundance.

de serves

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 2, 1908

MARKET REPORTS.

London,— April 14, 1908, ‘Tae West Inp1a Cow-

MITTEE CrrcuLar ; Messrs. KEarton, Prper & Co.,
April 14, 1908 ; Messrs. E. A. pr Pass & Co.,
April 3, 1908.

ArrowRoor—2hd. to 22d.
Batata—Shect, 2/1 to 2/4 ; block, 1/74 to 1/8 per th.
Bres’-wax—Good quality, £7 12s. 6d. per ewt.
Cacao—Trinidad, 78/- to 80/- per ewt.; Grenada, 72/- to
80/- per ewt.
Corrre—Santos, 28s. 75d.; Jamaica, 40s. 6d. to GOs. per cwt.
Corra—West Indian, £16 per ton.
Corron——St. Vincent, 15d. to 16d.; Barbados, 17d. to 19d.;
St. Kitt’s, 16d. to174d.; Montserrat, 16d. to 163d. per lb.
FRvuit—
Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limes—4/6 to 5/- per box of 200.
PINE-APPLES—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grave Frurr—14/- to 16/- per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 6/- to 7/- per box.
Fustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.
Honety—20s. to 28s. Gd. per cwt.

Istncnuass—West India lump, 1/9 to 1/11 per th.; cake, no
quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£11 12s. 6d. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 1/4
to 1/10 per th. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per Th.

Locwoop—£3 10s. to £4 5s. per ten; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s, per ton.

Mace—1/- to 1/10 per Ih,

Nourmecs—68’s to 69’s, 7d. to 9d.;75’s, 6d. to Ghd. ; 105’s, 44d. :
111’s to 115’s, 33d. to 4gd.; 121’s, 33d.; 1358's, 34d.

Pimenro— 22d. per th.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/- to 3/3; Demerara, 1/25 to 1/4 per
gallon ; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 17/6 to 20/6 per ewt.; Muscovado,
16s. ]d.; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6.

New York,—<April 3, 1908.—Messrs. Ginuesprr, Bros.

& Co.

Cacio—Caracas, 16}c. to 18c. ; Grenada, 17c. to 17$e. ;
Trinidad, 17c. to 18c.; Jamaica, 14c. to 143c. per tb.

Jocoa-Nuts—Jamaica, select, $26°00 to $28°00; culls,
$1500: Trinidad, $25°00 to $27°00; culls, $16°00
per M.

(c orree—Jamaica, good washed, 8$c. to 114c.; good ordinary,
GZc. to 8hc. per th. . pa ee

Giscer— Ile. to le. per tb.

Goar Sxins—Jaimaica, 55c..; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kilt’s, 53c. to 55e., dry flint ; 37¢. to 42c¢., dry salted.

Grave Frum—Jamaieas, $1°50 to $2°75 per box and $320
to $5°00 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, $6°50 to $800 per barrel.

Macr— 29c. to 32c. per th.

Nurmrecs—110's, 8$ce. to Ofc. per Th.

Orances—Jamaica, $2°75 to $3°25 per barrel.

Pimentro—- 5e. per tb,

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 4)c.; Muscovados, 89°, 3°86c. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3c. per th., duty paid.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lyncn & Co., April 21,

1908: Messrs: T. S. Garraway & Co., April 27,
1908.

ARRowrnoot—St. Vincent, $4:00 to $4:50 per 100 tb.
Cacao—Dominica, $14-00 to $15-00 per 100 tb.
Cocoa-Nurs—$14'00 per M. for husked nuts.
Corrrr—J:amaica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 tb.
Hay—$1-50 per 100 tb.

Manunres—-Nitrate of soda, $65°00 ; Ohlendortf's dissolved
guano, $35°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00; Cacao
manure, $42°00; Sulphate of ammonia, $72°00 to
$75°GO ; Sulphate of potash, $67°00 per ton.

Motassvs—-Choice. 15c. ; Fancy, 17e. per gallon.

Oxsons—Madeira, $2°10 to $2°50 per 100 Tb.

Poraros, ENGLisH-—$2°85 to $3°00 per 160 th.

Peas—Split, $6:20 to $6°50 ; Canada, $3°36 to $3°35 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $5°60 to $5°80 (180 fb.) ; Patna, $380 5
Rangoon, $3:00 to $3°19 per 100 th.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $2°30 per 100tb., package included 5
Dark crystals, $2°60; Centvifugals, $2°30 to $200
per 100 th.

British Guiana,—March 31, 1908.—Messrs. SANDBACH,

Parker & Co.; Messrs. Wietinc & RicHTer,.
April 18, 1908.
ARRoWwRooT—St. Vincent, $7°00 to $10-00 per barrel.
Barara—-Venezuela block, 32c. to d5c. ; Demerara sheet,
48c. per fd.
Cacao—Native, 20c. to 21c. per th.
Cassava—No stock.
Cassava SrarcH—$7°56 per barrel of 196 Tb.
Cocoa-Nuts—$12°00 to $16°00 per M.
3c.; Jamaica, 12c. per tb.
43d per bag of 168 tb.
32 per barrel.
Motasses— Yellow, 19c. ; Dark, 15c. to 16c. per gallon.
Ontoxs— Madeira, 3$c. to 4e.; Lisbon, 35c. to 4c. Dutch, 3e.
per ib.
Pranvrarns— 20e. to 64c. per bunch.
Poraros,—English, $2°40 to $2°50 per barrel.
Poratos, Swret—Barbados, $1°44 per bag.
Rice—Ballain, $6°25 to $6°40 ; Creole, $5°25 for good 5
Seeta, $6°00 per bag.
Sprrr Pras—$6'00 to $6°L0 per bag (210 Th.); Lisbon, $4°59.
Tannras—$1°80 per bag.
Yams—White, $2°16 to $2°40 ; Buck, $2°64 per bag.
Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°50 to $2°55 ; Yellow, $2°90 to
$3:00 ; White, $3°60 to $3-70; Molasses, $1°80 to
$1-95 per 100 tb. (retail).
Timpen—Greenheart, 32c. to 55c. per cubic foot.
WALLABA SHINGLES—$3°50 to $5°75 per M.
Corpwvoop—$2°40 to $2°64 per ton.

Trinidad,—March 21, 1908.—Messrs. Goxvox, GRAN?

& Co.
Cacao—$17°00 to $20-00 per fanega.
Cocoa-yuts—No quotations.
Cocoa-Nvur O1—72e. per Imperial gallon, cask included.
Corree—Venezuelan, no quotations.
Corra— €2°60 to $2°80 per 100 Th.
Duat—S$5°0) to $5°25 per 2-bushel bag.
Oxtons—$2°50 to $3°00 per 100 th. (retail).
Poraros, ExGriso—$1-15 to $1°25 per 100 ib.
Rice—Yellow, $5°40 to $5°60 ; White, $5:25to $600 per bag-
Seri Peas—$5-90 to $6°00 per bag.
Sucakr—$5'00 to $5°05 per 100 tbh.

“A

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN.’ A Quarterly Scientific Journal.
Volume I. No. 1 out of print. Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price 1s. each. Post free, 1s. 2d-
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Volumes V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists.
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Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; ete., etc. Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.
VIII. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907.Listof Representatives ; Presidential
Address: Abstract of Proceedings ; Papers prepared for the Conference. dealing with Sugar, Cacao,
Fruit, Lime Juice, Rice, Rubber, Tobacco and Live Stock Industries of the West Indies: Also
papers on Agricultural Education and Miscellaneous subjects.

PAMPHLET SERIES.
The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially
adapted to West Indian conditions. They contain, amongst other subjects, summarie+ of the results of the experiment work
on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulat: »n. The following list gives particulars

Sea Island Cotton
Post free, 8d.
teport of Agricultural

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(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d.
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
(6) Recipes for cooking Sweet Potatos.
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(13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901.
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivation. Price 2d.
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(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.
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(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part IT. Price 4d.

(23) Notes on Poultry in the West Indies. Price 4d

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(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d.

(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.

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(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d. f

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Price 2d.
Price 4d.

Price 4d.

(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d.

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(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.

(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

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(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

(42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
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(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
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(45) A. B. C. ef Cotton Planting.
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(49) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados
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(50) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1906-7.
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(51 anurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1906-7. Price 4d.

(52) Hints for School Gardens, Revised Edition. Price 4d.

(53) A. B. C. of Lime Cultivation. Price 4d.

New and Enlarged Edition.

The above will be supplied post free for an additional charge of id. for the pamphlets marked 2d., 1d. for those

marked 4d., and 14d. for Nos. 40, 41, 44; and 45.

The ‘ AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A _ Fortnightly Review.

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains extracts from
and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in

other reports; ‘
Agricultural matters throughout the West Indies.

from official correspondence and from progress and

The ‘Agricultural News” is printed in time to he distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the

local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post free, 2d. _ Th :
per annum. Vols. I—V, complete, with title page and index as issued.—Price 4s.

25. 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d.

The subscription price, including vostage, is

Post free, 5s. Only a few copies available. All applications for copies are to be addressed to the Agents, not to the Department

Agents.
The following have been appomted Agents for the sale of the publications of the Department :—

London: Messrs. Dutau & Co.,: 37, Soho Square, W.
Bowen & Sons,
Kingston.— British Guiana - ‘ Daily Chronicle’ Office, Georgetown.—Trinidad : Messrs. Murr,

Lane, London, EF. C.— Barbados: Messrs.

Company, 16, King 8t.,

City Agents: THe West INDIA Commirrex, 15, Seething
Bridgetown.—Jamaica: THE EpucaTIONAL SUPPLY

Marsaty & Co., Port-of-Spain.— Tobago: Mr. C. L. Pracemann, Scarborough.—Grenada: Messrs. F. Marrast & Co.,

‘The Stores,’ St. George. —
— Dominica : Messrs.

C. F. Duvernty & Co., Market St., Roseau.—dntigua -

St. Vincent: Mr. Stantey Topp, Agricultural School.—St. Lucia: Mr. E. Buckmir®, Botanic Station,

Mr. S. D. Matong, St. John’s.—

St. Kitts: Tow Brste anp Bock 4p, -pLN AcENcy, Basseterre.—WNevis : Mr. 8. D. Matonz, Charlestown,

“—_

Vou VIL No 257 THE AGRICULTURAL NEW= May 2, 1908.
THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE
ARE

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugamcane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

OChlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,
Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR DIRECT TO;
THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS.

London Agency: 15, Leaderhall Street, London EC.
to

Barbados Agents : James A. Lyzuch & Co., Brid

j0u! RNAL Ob AGRICULTURE TROPICALE.

IN THE PRESS.

NATURE TEACHING.

(Revised ed Eqition).

A Monthly uh strated Review, published im Frex
Troni cal Agriculture.
PARIS. s M Vu oouUcoaevi tch,

10, rre Delambre. ook based upon the Geueral Principles of
Agneulture, for the use of schools
Subscription price : 20 francs per annum. Prepared by
A vents , W. Dawson & Sons, I Br s Ix. FRANCIS W ATTS. CME FEC ond othess
gs, E A } E. Steche Eas
~ T I Majani : Cuba, Sollus Published by the Imperial Department of

Agriculture

WEST INDIAN BULLETIN

(Vol. VIII, no. 4).

Printed at Office of Agricultural Reporter, 4, High Street, Bridgetown, Barbados.

[One penny.

Vol. VII. No. 158.] SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1908.

THE ROYAL MAIL 2
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THE AGRICULTURAL. NEWS.

Paris Green! Paris Green!
Warranted and Guaranteed Strictly Pure, and to be of |
the Standard of Purity required by, and made in |

conformity with, the requirements of
THE AGRICULTURAL DHPARTMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

The only sure and effective insecticide and sae of the cotton worm, caterpillars, and other pests.
Guaranteed to be absolutely pure by the manufacturers. Used extensively throughout the British West Indies, and sold
by all high-class merchants and dealers. Consumers are ae against worthless substitutes, and should always see
that the packages bear the name of the manufacturers :—

MORRIS HERRMANN & CO.,
INE W WORK. -Urssse

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a B. €. Ginning and Shipping of Cotton, sent from the
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L | M E 0 U iy | V A T | 0 N. Ayanlvsion further tnfonmaniene ee

THE SECRETARY.

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The above pamphlets may be obtained Apply &
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of Agriculture. Factory, Ltd., Barbados.

A PORTNIGHELY REVIEW

OF

Vou. VII. No. 158.

CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAGE,
Agricultural Conference, Market Reports 5 160
~ 4908, and St. Vincent Motor Power in Agri-
Delemubes .2. =... ... Hdl cultural Operations... 159
Avricultural Co-operation 153} : me
Ronee cee 119 Notes and Comments ... 152
Canadiun Wxhibitions, 1908 145) Paper Manufacture from
Cashaw ‘Tree in Hawai 151 Megass . 152
Cotton Notes :—- | Rice Cultivation se, oats)
Barbados, Conference of Rubber, Castilloa, Culture
Cottou Growers at... 151) of Sen sae exe 158
Barbados, Cotton Seed | Rubber Exhibition in
Imports into... ... 150 London daa cas let}
Cotton inthe Sea Islands 150} Rubber Lands of British
Jamaica Cotton, Wild ... 151} Guana = 152
West Indian Cotton . 150) Rubber, Plantation
Departmental Reports :— versus Wild Vara... 158
St. Vincent : Botanic School Shows at Trinidad 151
Station, etc., 1906-7 157) Shingles, Red Paint for 147
Department News .. 157) Sugar-cane t-isease at
Dominica Limes... ... 148) _ Antigua ae . 1565
Kee Preservation 152) Sugar Industry :—
Gleanings we oe -. 156) Carrington Central
Ground Nut Cultivation ... 149 Factory, Barbados... 147
Imported Seeds and Plants, Formaldehyde as a Pre-
Danger from ee eeLOo servative of Cane
Tusect Notes :- Juice... sobs elt,
Cotton Pests at Antigua 154) Java, Sugar Output of... 147
Mangosteen at Dominica 148) Tobacco-breeding Experi-
Mangrove Bark in British | ments Pree eu ecelb3
Guiana - 153| West Indian Products ... 159

Canadian I[xhibitions, 1908.

i ENS INCE arrangements are already in progress

for holding the Canadian Exhibitions of the

me

present year, the following information
will be useful to members of Permanent Exhibition
Committees in the West Indies, te whom is entrusted
the work of bringing together and shipping repre-
sentative collections of the products of these colonies,

BARBADOS, MAY 16, 1908.

THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Price: la:

As mentioned in the last number of the Agri-
cultural News, the Toronto Exhibition will open on
August 29 and close on September 14, while the
Halifax meeting opens on September 2 and closes on
September 10. It will be that the
exhibitions will be in progress at about the same time,

observed two
and in consequence it will not be possible, as on
previous occasions, for exhibits that have been on view
apt
is desired that the West Indies be represented at both
gatherings, it will be necessary to send two sets of
exhibits.

at Toronto, to be afterwards shown at Halilax.

In case only one set of exhibits is sent, and no
exhibit 1s made at Halifax, it may be worthy of con-
at the the ‘Toronto
Exhibition, that the collection of West Indian produce
may be repacked and forwarded either to Ottawa,

sideration to arrange close of

Winnipeg, Montreal, or scme other prominent. city,
where an exhibition is to be held immediately after
the close of the ‘Toronto Exhibition.

Canadian Exhibitions are largely attended by
manufacturers, produce merchants, and others from all
parts of the Dominion, as well as from the United
States. Further, the nature and quality of the exhibits.
receive due attention and are fully discussed in the
Canadian press. These facts, rightly utilized, should
prove of great advantage to colonies that are anxious.
to find a more extensive market for their produce.

The Canadian Exhibitions certainly form the best
means of bringing the resources and chief products of
the West Indies before the merchants and consumers
of the Dominion, and in view of the Conference on Trade

LIBRA
NEW Y
BOTA!

Gak

{

46

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS May 16, 1908

Relations between the West Indies and Canada, held
-at Barbados in January last, and the considerable
interest that has been aroused on the subject, the
present is a favourable opportunity for making every
-effort to promote further commercial intercourse between
these two portions of the Empire.

The appointment of a special Trades Commissioner
-(Mr. E. H.S. Flood) for the West Indies, indicates that
the Canadian Government has recognized the possibil-
ity of greater development in the trade relations
between the two countries, and is anxious to do all that
lies in its power to bring about this development.

Intending exhibitors will therefore realize that
‘there is, this year, a special reason for all the West

Indies to join in sending representative collections of

produce, pu’ up in an attractive and interesting
manner, so as to illustrate the commercial resources

of the West Indies and British Guiana.

As pointed out in previous years, the specimens

forwarded should consist of bona fide commercial
samples, put up for the most part in bottles, or neat
wooden boxes with sliding glass tops. Articles such as
sugars, rum, molasses, preserves, honey, cacao, arrowroot,
cassava, starches, oils, ete., would be most suitably put up
in closely fitting glass jars and_ bottles,
dried products may be. forwarded with advantage
in boxes with sliding glass tops. When shown under
these conditions persons interested can readily and
fully examine and test the quality of the various articles
Permanent
Exhibition Committees, therefore, will be to arrange
The

samples forwarded should naturally be accompanied

displayed. One of the first duties of the

for a suitable supply of bottles and boxes.

with full particulars as to their origin, shipping marks,
and, as far as possible, prices f.o.b. at the port of ship-
ment.

Further, as on previous occasions, illustrated Leaf-
lets and Handbooks should be prepared beforehand and
Pickford &
exhibitions open. Photographs are also useful in bring-

forwarded to Messrs. Black before the
ing before northern people the conditions and circum-
stances under which tropical produce is grown and

prepared.

In addition to the general exhibits there should
be sent a supply of decorative material, such as bamboo
stems, dried leaves of the cocoa-nut palm, bunches of
socoa-nuts (strongly wired together) fresh sugar-canes,

ete. This material would be ultilized in making the

West Indian court attractive, and for the purpose of

Samples of

suggesting the ‘tropical conditions under which the
crops are produced.

As in past years, Messrs. Pickford & Black have
kindly offered to: convey all exhibits from the West
Indies free of charge, as well as to unpack and arrange
them at the exhibitions. The latest steamer that can
take general exhibits will be the ‘ Dahomé,
British Guiana on July 20; Trinidad, July 25: Barba-
dos, July 26; St. Vincent, July 26; St. Lucia, July 27 ;
Dominica, July 28 ; Montserrat, July 28; Antigua, July
29, and St. Kitt’s, July 31. As the Canadian Line
steamers do not call at Grenada, exhibits from that
island might be sent to meet the ‘ Dahomé ’ either at
Trinidad or Barbados as found convenient.

The ‘Dahomé’ is due to arrive at St. John’s or
Halifax on August 8. The ‘Ocamo’ which leaves British
Guiana on August 1 and is due at Halifax on August
20, will accept fresh fruit intended for exhibition
other The ‘Ocamo’
will call at each island twelve days later than the
‘Dahomé’, e.g., it will be due at Dominica on August
9. Exhibits should be ready for shipment the day

leaving

from Dominica and islands,

before the steamers are due at each port.
Glass jars and bottles after they are filled should
be carefully

to detect any leakage.

order
Since they are likely to be
knocked about in transit, each bottle should be carefully

inspected before shipment in

isolated by being separately packed with straw, shavings,
or saw-dust.

Fresh fruit and similar articles to be displayed in
the glass bottles, shonld be placed in a 4-per cent.
solution of formaldehyde. This can be made by adding
10 parts by weight of ordinary formalin to 100 parts of
water.

It may be pointed out that labels descriptive of
the contents of each bottle should be placed near the
bottom of the bottle, and not in the middle, in order
It would be
were numbered, and a list

that the contents may be fully in view.
useful too, if each exhibit
made out and forwarded to Messrs. Pickford & Black,
giving the numbers, together with the contents of the
corresponding jars and bottles, so that in the event of
the labels being damaged in transit, the name of the
exhibit and other particulars could be attached at the
exhibition.

It is suggested that all correspondence on the
Hxhibitions for 1908 should
be addressed to Messrs. Pickford & Black, Halifax, N.S,
or, until July 1, ito Mr. Charles Pickford, Superintend-
ent of the Pickford & Black Steamship Company,

Jarbados,

subject of the Canadian

Vor Ville Now 158:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

14

Cm eee
SUGAR INDUSTRY,

Carrington Central Factory, Barbados.

Additional machinery was added to the plant at
Carrington Plantation, Barbados, in time for the work
of the present crushing season. This machinery has
worked very satisfactorily.

The output of the factory, sofar, has reached about
1,000 tons of dark crystals, the production) being at the rate
of 80 to 110 tons per week, according to the rate at which
the canes were available. About 700 tons of this sugar are
from the two estates Carrington and Chapel, while 300 tons
are from other estates, and from canes purchased from peas-
ant cultivators. The canes from the Carrington and Chapel
estates have yielded about 2} tons of sugar per acre.

Prices have been paid for purchased canes in accord-
ance with the condition of the sugar market. The highest
figure paid for labourers’ canes was 12s. 6d. per ton, with the
use of the estate carts free of charge In regard to canes
purchased from other estates, the highest price paid was
17s. 8d., the estates selling the canes being responsible for
delivering them at the factory.

An improvement in the present crushing power is under
consideration, since the three-roller mill now in use has, it is
stated, frequently delayed the triples at their work. It is
expected that a new mill will be put down in time for the
next season.

Formaldehyde as a Preservative of Cane Juice.

In Hawaii, as in the West Indies, it is the general
custom on sugar plantations to add lime to any juice
which it may be necessary to keep over fora day or two
when cane crushing is temporarily stopped, with the
object of preventing fermentation. There are, however,
disadvantages connected with the use of lime for this
purpose. In the first place lime does not altogether
prevent fermentation, not being a very efticient steriliz-
ing agent. Further, the lime combines with the
glucose present, forming dark-coloured products, which
investigation goes to show are responsible for the
‘sweating’ and consequent deterioration of raw sugar.
Another disadvantage of this course is that the greater
part of the excess of lime added is deposited on the
evaporator tubes or vacuum pan coils a8 soon as evapo-
ration begins,

In view of the above objections, the use of formaldehyde
as a preservative agent of cane juice has been tested in
Hawaii, with apparently satisfactory results. It has been in
use for this purpose for a number of years with laboratory
samples of juice. The juice experimented with was first
clarified by adding milk of lime until just alkaline to litmus,
heating to boiling, and then filtering.

In the experiments a very small quantity of formaldehyde
(0°025 ce. c. per litre of juice or 1 part to 40,000 parts of juice)
sufficed to keep the juice from fermenting for twenty-four
hours. A considerably increased proportion, i.e. 1 part of
formaldehyde solution to 3,500 parts of juice was necessary,
however, to prevent fermentation on the second day. When
added in this quantity, the proportion of saccharose was. still

the same at the end of the third day, showing that no fermen
tation had taken place. When the formaldehyde solution was
added at the rate of 1 part to 2,500 parts of juice, it prevented
fermentation for four days. When fermentation has once
started, it is very difficult to stop it, and under those condi-
tions the experiments showed that 1 part of formalin to 1,60
parts of juice checked the fermentation, after it had been in
progress for a short tine, for only twenty-four hours,

In ordinary mill work, the amount of formaldehyde
required for preservation purposes would probably be some-
what larger than the quantity used in the above experi-
ments, depending on the extent to which the juice was
exposed to fermentation organisms. At the Hawaiian and
Commercial Sugar Company’s factory, where formaldehyde
is generally employed, 1. ¢.c. is added per gallon of juice,
which prevents fermentation for from twelve to sixteen hours.

In any mill using formaldehyde for the first time, it
would be advisable to have the juice polarized frequently,
in order that loss of saccharose might be observed and the
progress of fermentation estimated. In this way the mint-
mum amount required for purposes of preservation might be
determined.

In the above experiments a 40-per cent. solution of
formaldehyde in water (ordinary formalin) was employed.

Sugar Output of Java.

The prosperous condition of the cane-sugar indus-
try in Java is well known, and in wiew of the account
givenin a recent number of the Agricultural News
(Vol. VII, p.115) of the methods of cultivation followed,
a note on the output during recent years may not be
without interest.

The Java sugar crop of 1896 amounted to 534,390 tons
From that year up to 1904 there was a steady and consistent
increase in the output, which in the latter year reached
1,055,013 tons, or almost exactly double the figure of eight
years before. The sugar crop of the island has remained
practically constant at this figure during the past three years,
and apparently the natural limit of production under existing
agricultural and economic conditions has been reached.

The area under cane in Java amounts to about 283,000
acres. There has been a very slight increase during the past
two or three years. The greater part of the sugar land is
rented from the native Javanese, to whom it reverts every
alternate year, when it goes into rice cultivation.

The planters of the island therefore, lose the advantage
of the ratoon crop, but on the other hand, they get heavier
returns from the plant cane crop, and the land undoubtedly
benefits from the change.

It is stated that the return from cane-sugar cultivation
in Java is about double the yield obtained from beet culture
in Germany. On the basis of the figures of the past ten
years, the sugar return was about 103 per cent. of the weight
of the cane crop, ie., about 210,Tb. of sugar were given by
2.000 Tb. of cane.

RED PAINT FOR SHINGLES.

It may be useful to place on record the following
recipe for a red paint for shingles which has been
furnished by Dr. Francis Watts, who states that it is
used by the Colonial Engineer and others in Antigua :-—

2 gallons Stockholm tar.

8 gallons boiled linseed oil.

1 ewt. red ochre.

Heat together and apply hot.

148

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 16, 1998.

0)

©)

DOMINICA LIMES.

During the past year the Permanent Exhibition
Cowmittee of Dominica has made considerable efforts
to bring to the notice of the British pubhe the merits
of lime fruits, with a view of increasing the trade in
green limes with the English market.

The committee has been fortunate in having the
assistance of A. E. Aspinall, Esq., Secretary of the
West India Committee. This gentleman made valu-
able suggestions regarding the best means of bringing
limes before the British public, which the local com-
mittce was glad to adopt.

The committee made a good display of lime fruits
at the Colonial Fruit Show held in London in June
1907. The exhibit received a good deal of notice in
the London press. Large posters were displayed draw-
ing attention to Dominica limes, and over 2,000 printed
cards giving information about limes were distributed
to grocers and fruiterers.

During September, Dominica limes were advertised
in the Grocer Trade Journal, in the catalogue of the
Midland Counties Bakers’ and Grocers’ Exhibition, and
recently in the Lancet. It now remains for Dominica
planters to further these efforts by making a striking
display of lime fruits at the Colonial Fruit Show to be
held in London in June next. The following leaderette
on ‘The Lime and Lemon’ which appeared in the Lancet
of March 20, 1908, is sure to be of interest to lime
planters :—

The lemon is a deservedly popular fruit and serves as
the foundation of that excellent beverage known as a lemon
squash, which perhaps, is the best example of an absolutely
non-alcoholic drink. The lime is not so well known, although
from the point of view of flavour it is regarded by many as
being even superior to the Jemon. In view of the fact
that there is now a good and abundant supply of limes to
this country, it is interesting to contrast the analysis of this
fruit with that of the lemon. According to an analysis which
we have recently made, it would appear that the lime,
although smaller than the lemon, yields weight for weight
a good deal more juice. Thus the average amount of juice
expressed from a lemon wag 37°50 per cent. of its weight,
whereas the lime gave 59:00 per cent. Moreover, the lime
gives more citric acid but less sugar, as the following analy-
ses show :—

Juice of the
Lime.

Juice of the
Lemon.
Total solid matters

8°80 per cent. 364 per cent.

Sugar 2-30 0-70 ss
Citrie acid 4°57 ; 5:60 a3
Mineral matter 0°35 “a 0°35 <
Potash 0-15 5 0-12 5
Phosphoric acid (soluble) 0-010 be 0-065 =

The lime therefore yields a ‘drier’ juice and contains
a third of the quantity of sugar present in the lemon. The
antiscorbutic properties of lime juice may be regarded as
more marked than those possessed by the juice of the lemon.
While the alkaline salts amount to practically the same in
both fruits, yet the phosphoric acid is greater in the lime than
in the lemon. It is probably owing to the richness in alka-
line salts that the use of lemon juice, as well as other fruit
juices, is helpful in some diseases of the skin and in pre-
venting eczema. The juice of the lime is equally valuable
in this respect if, indeed, in regard to some dietetic points it
is not superior.

MANGOSTEEN AT DOMINICA.

Mr. Joseph Jones has forwarded the following note
in reference tothe flowering of the Mangosteen at the
Dominica Botanic Gardens :—

The Mangosteen tree (Garcinia Mangostana) is now
flowering for the first time in the Botanic Gardens, Dominica.
The plant was received from Kew in August 1892, and is
therefore close on sixteen years old. It is now known that the
conditions at the Gardens are not altogether favourable for
the mangosteen, the soil being too light and the rainfall too
low. It is thought that seedling mangosteens may be got to
fruit in Dominica in from ten to twelve years when grown in
valleys some distance inland which possess a red soil and
a rainfall well over 100 inches per annum.

The first mangosteen tree to fruit in Dominica is one
grown at St. Aroment, which came from Kew many years ago.
Last year it bore a crop of over 300 fruits. Plants raised
from seeds sent to the station by Dr. Nicholls, C.M.G., will
shortly be ready for distribution.

Other interesting plants now in flower in the Dominica
Gardens are the Durian (Durio zibethinus), Litchi (Vephe-
lium Litehi), Shea Butter tree (Butyrospermum Parkit),
Cedron (Stmala Cedron), Butter Nut (Caryocar nuciferum),
Cassia maryinata, and the beautiful West African flowering
tree Batkea tnsign “Ss ;

Vou.. VII. No. 158. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

149

GROUND NUT CULTIVATION.

The possibilities of ground nut. cultivation are
evidently attracting attention in West Africa, since an
article on the subject appears in the Quarterly Journal
of the Liverpool Institute of Commereial Research in
the Tropics (January 1908).

This crop is one which is grown on an enormous
scale in the United States, where its value is fully
recognized. Ground nuts are fairly well known in
different islands of the West Indies, but, as frequently
pointed out in the Agricultural News, the crop is not
cultivated to anything lke the extent it might be,
with benefit to the planting community.

The methods of cultivation of the crop are simple,
and the directions given in the article above referred
to are necessarily much the same as those contained in
Pamphlet No. 25 of the series issued by tne Imperial
Department of Agriculture, ‘Ground Nuts in the West
Indies.’

A very light, preferably sandy soil, is necessary for the
cultivation of ground nuts in order that the fruits may be
easily able to bury themselves on maturity. The crop will
not succeed in clays or even in heavy damp loam. <A certain
amount of lime appears to be necessary for, or at any rate
favourable to, its suecessful cultivation.

The ground ought to be well worked up to a depth of
10 or 12 inches and then thoroughly harrowed, after having
been exposed for a few days to the action of the atmosphere.
The ground is next ridged up into flat ridges about 4 feet
6 inches wide, with narrow furrows between.

The seeds are set two or three together in pockets about

» to £ inches deep, at distances of 12 2 inches along the centre
of ae ridges. It 1s advisable to manure the bottom of the
pockets before setting the seeds, with any rich manure
that may be available. About 100 Ib. of seed will be required
per acre,

Tn regard to sowing the seed, a necessary condition for
germination and successful growth of the young plants is
a moist condition of the soil. The seed should therefore
preferably be sown at the commencement of the rainy season.
In Barbados this would be about the month of June, and
planting in Carriacou, where ground nuts are cultivated, is
also done in the same month. In Dominica, good results
have followed sowing in September. In the West Indies
a period of from four to six months is necessary from the
time of sowing seed to gathermg the crop. Some American
varieties, however, will ripen in three months or so,

Little cultivation is wanted for this crop except weeding.
It is well, however, that at the time when the plant is
approaching maturity the ground iminediately around should
be worked up, and loosened with a hoe so that the fruit may
easily bury itself. During growth the plant requires
a considerable amount of moisture, but a dry condition of the
soil at the time of fructifieation is a necessary factor to. the
production of a good crop of fruit. Maturity of the e crop is
noted by the stalks and leaves withering and turning yellow.

In gathering the crop the plants are dug up or pulled
up and dried in the sun, the nuts being afterwards detached
from the stalks by hand and exposed to the sun as long as
possible in order to dry them thoroughly.

Those varieties which chiefly their nuts at the
base of the main stem entail much less lubour in gathering
the crop as compared with other varicties in which the nuts
occur along the trailing branches.

bear

The yield of ground nuts appears to be very variable,
naturally depending to a large extent on the variety cultiva-
ted, the nature of the soil, and prevailing climatic conditions.
In Senegal, in ground prepared simply by the hoe, the yield is
said to be from ri ton to 1 ton of nuts per aere, while in the
same districts, on land receiving better cultivation, manuring,
etc., the yield is reported to be as high as 4 tons per acre.
An average on properly prepared ground may be taken to be
about 1 ton per acre. This may be looked upon as the return
which may reasonably be expected in the West Indies. The
cost of cultivation of ground nuts in St. Kitt’s has been
estimated at £1 9s. per acre.

ANTHRAX IN ST. VINCENT.
At a meeting of the St. Vincent Agricultural

and Commercial Society held on April 18 last, Sir
Daniel Morris delivered an address in which he dwelt
par ticularly upon the necessity for compulsory vaccina-
tion of all the cattle in the island, if the efforts now
being made by the Imperial Department of Agriculture
to stamp out the disease are to have any chance of
being rewarded with success.

The report of the Government Veterinary Surgeon
showed that the disease was still prevalent among the stock
of the island and was the cause of much mortality. Statistics
showed a total of 969 deaths from Angust 1906 to August
1907, of which about 500 were from anthrax. Further loss
to the island was entailed as the result of the prohibition of
stock importation from St. Vincent by other West Indian
colonies, with the exception of Barbados.

Under present conditions, stock-owners in St. Vincent
could decide for themselves whether or not they would have
their cattle vaccinated, but the system of voluntary vaccina-
tion has proved futile. Since the introduction of the system
about a year ago, only 5,000 animals had been inoculated
out of a total of 16,000 in the whole island. The inoculation
work had sum of £1,300. It had undoubtedly
been the cause of a very large reduction in the number of
deaths from anthrax, but while a number of owners refused
to have their stock vaccinated, it was useless to hope that
disease would be entirely stamped out. Vaccination was
free; it was attended with no harmful results to the animals,
and was introduced for the welfare of the island. Since it was
evident that the voluntary system was ineffectual, legis-
lation making vaccination compulsory should be resorted to.

In conclusion the Imperial Commissioner pointed out
that the subject was one which should receive the most

cost a

careful consideration from the Agricultural Society of the
island. Unless inoculation was made compulsory it had been

decided that it would be useless to continue the efforts at
present made by the Department to stamp out anthrax in
the island. The work would therefore cease, the animals at
the Stock Farm be removed, and the other colonies be advised
to act as they chose with regard to the importation of
stock from St. Vincent.

A discussion took place among the members present on
the points raised by Sir Daniel Morris, and it was agreed to
convene a general meeting of the stock-owners of the island
and to consider the matter. It was evident that at
the meeting addressed by the Imperial Commissioner there
was a general feeling in favour of compulsory vaccination, and
it is hoped that those attending the meeting to be held on
May 13 will recognize the nature of the situation, and make
a united effort to bring about this important and necessary
safeguard against anthrax.

1908.

150 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. May 16,
Ve
WEST INDIAN COTTON. WILD JAMAICA COTTON.
Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool, Some interesting particulars in

write as follows, under date of April 27 last,in reference
to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Since our last report West Indian Sea Islands have
arrived very freely. The demand from spinners, however,
is very limited, the fine spinning industry bemg in a deplor-
able condition.

The business amounts to about 200 bales,
St. Croix, Anguilla, and Barbados at 15d¢, with a few
extra St. Kitt’s at 164¢., and various stains at 7d.

chiefly
bales

COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS.

In their Sea Island cotton report, dated April 25
last, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston,
state that in the absence of demand the market
remains nominally unchanged since their last report.
In reference to the next season’s crop they write :—

A reduction has been made in the acreage planted in
Georgia and Florida, are unable as yet to give definite
information as to the extent of this reduction. We can only
report that the crop has been planted in the three States, and
that it is up. So far it has met with no serious set-backs, and
has the promise of a rather favourable start.

but we

COTTON SEED IMPORTS INTO
BARBADOS.

The Barbados Official Gazette otf April 27
contained the following order made by the
in-Executive Committee on April 16 :—

Seed-cotton shall not be
colony from any country.

Cotton seed shall not. be
the islands of

last
Governor-

imported or brought into this

imported or brought into this

colony from either of Antigua or St. Kitt’s.

CONFERENCE OF COTTON GROWERS
AT BARBADOS.

A conference of cotton held at
Barbados on Friday, May 15, under the auspices of the
Agricultural Society, the object of the meeting being
to enable planters and others to consider and discuss
the present situation in regard to the Sea Island
cotton industry. Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., was in
attendance and took part in the discussion. A sum-
mary of the proceedings will be given in the next issue,

growers Was

relation to
a variety of cotton found growing wild in Jamaica, by
Dr. N. L. Britton, of the New York Botanic Gardens,
when on a botanical expedition to the island, are given
in Science for April 24 last. Seeds of this cotton were
forwarded to the United States Department of Agri-
culture, and it is stated that the plant willbe grown for
comparative study with other Central American and
West Indian. cottons, in the acclimatization and
breeding expeviments carried on by the Department.
In his letter accompanying the seeds, Dr. Britton
writes :—

Tam sending a small box of cotton with seeds, collected

yesterday near Portland Point, Jamaica, by Mr. Win,
Harris and myself. We weve very much interested in
observing this cotton plant, which is growing in great

abundance at that point, in the extreme southern part of

Jamaica, 1m coastal thickets both in sand, and on nearly level
limestone rock where there is scarcely any soil. We noticed
it nearly over an area about a mile long and several hundred

feet wide. There is a total absence of weeds of cultivation
the cotton being associated with characteristic plants of the
coastal lowlands. The flowers are small, the petals white
With a crimson spot at the base, fading through the day to
pink. The nearly globular, the
pubescent or very nearly glabrous.

pods are small, fohlage

There are no white residents at the place. The negroes

say that the cotton was brought there in slavery times and
planted ; but the soil is such that no cultivation would be
practicable, and the remarkable absence of weeds indicates

that no cultivation was attempted there. The
that it was formerly collected and shipped.

negroes say

The occurrence ot the associated
only with native has given us a strong impression
that it is indigenous, though this may not be the case. At
any rate it is a race of cotton that has been probably quite
unchanged from its pristine condition.

plant at this place,

species,

It at once occurred to us that this
a very breeding
it furnishes anew point of departure. I therefore ask that
you transmit the sent to such officer of the Depart
ment of Agriculture as will be most interested.

\ ariety
purposes,

might prove
valuable one for inasmuch as

seeds

The following notes on this Jamaica cotton,
prepared by Mr. O. F. Cook, who is in ch: arge of the
breeding and acclimatization e xperiments above referred
to, were published with Dr. Britton’s letter :—

Biotest Britton’s account of the conditions under

Vou. VII. No. 158.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

which this primitive type of cotton grows would seem to
establish beyond doubt that it is really a wild plant. The
very small] bolls and sparse lint would seem to preclude the
idea that this cotton was introduced into the island for
civilized agriculture. If not truly indigenous it must have
been introduced i in aboriginal times, or by accident.

The existence of w ild cotton in Jamaica has been claimed
by Macfayden and others; but the evidene e has not been
convincing. Mae fayden described two species of cotton
(Gossypium jamaicense and (7. oligospermium) as native of
Jamaica, but both are said to have yellow flowers and have
been reckoned as forms of Sea Island Gotton (Gossypium
harbadense). White flowers are not known in any cottons of
the Sea Island series.

In the characters of the and bolls, Professor
Britton’s cotton closely resembles a type which grows wild on
the Florida Keys. Sir Watt’s recent monograph
refers this Florida cotton and other reputed wild cottons from
Florida, Jamaica, Curacao and other West Indian localities to
Gossypium punctatum, a species originally deseribed from
Africa. The same author reckons (ossyprum punctatune as
one of several ancestors of our United States Upland varieties,
because afew of our Upland cottons have the red spots at the
base of the petals. The argument is far from conclusive, for
red spots occur in many widely different types, and are
probably an ancestral character of the genus.

seeds

( FEC ree

The seeds of this wild Jamaica cotton show a _ very
interesting diversity. In addition to the lint, a majority of

them have a dense adherent covering of brown fuzz, but on
some the fuzz has a dull greenish tinge, while in still a third
group most of the surface is smooth and.naked, the hi ury
covering being limited toa tuft of brown fuzz at the base of
the seed, and a tuft of lint at the apex. The presence of all
three conditions in the same lot of seeds of this primitive wild
type of cotton may help us to believe that similar diversities
inside our Upland varieties do not, of nec essity, prove
hybridization, but may represent a normal range of ancestral
diversity in this group of plants.

The usual correlation of greater length and
quantity of lint on smooth seeds also holds good. The lint
from the smooth seeds averages 31°3 mill eines, that of the
tuzzy seeds 30 millimetres. “The lint represents 16°03 per
cent. of the total weight of the smooth seeds, and 18°27 per
cent. of the fuzzy seeds. The smooth seeds weigh, without
the lint, at the rate of 4:23 grammes per 100, the fuzzy at the
rate of 4°97 grammes. If the fuzz were removed and weighed
with the lint, the proportion of fibre to seed would appear
still higher with the fuzzy seeds. The slight increase of length
of fibre on smooth seeds is accompanied by a dispropor-
tionate reduction of the quantity of fibre.

smaller

WEST INDIAN AGRICULTURAL CON-
FERENCE, 1908, AND ST. VINCENT
DELEGATES.

The Hon. E. J. Cameron, Administrator of

St. Vincent, in a letter to the Imperial Commissioner
of Agriculture, dated April 23 last, writes :—

I desire to express my satisfaction at the opportunities
given by the Imperial Department of Agriculture to repre-
sentatives from St. Vincent to attend these Important Con-
ferences, and at the same time wouldjobeg to express my
appreciation of the attention and kindness mene’ by them
in Barbados. ;

SCHOOL SHOWS AT TRINIDAD:
Award of Medal for Best Exhibits.

With the object of encouraging agricultural instruc-
tion in the public elementary Echols of Trinidad, the
Agricultural Society of the colony has for some years
past offered a challenge medal for open competition, to
be awarded to the school which is adjudged to have
sent in to the annual School Shows (five of which are
held each year) the best collection of exnibits, which
must have been produced by the pupils in garden plots
connected with the school.

In 1904 this medal was won by the Couva Government
School ; for three years in succession it was then won by the
Careenage School, and this year the medal was awarded to the
Arouca Government School, in the Tacarigua Ward, of which
Mr. Sydney Smith is head-master.

In the presence of a large gathering at the school on
April 24 last, the medal was presented to Mr. Smuth, by the
Hon. S. W. Knaggs, Acting-Governor of the colony.

Speeches were made by Lt.-Col. J. H. Collens (Chief
Inspector of Schools), his Excellency the Acting-Governer, and
Mr. Warner (Warden of Tacarigna), all of whom referred to
the value of the inclusion of agricultural teaching in elemen-
tary school work. In his reply Mr. Smith stated that his
pupils had shown the greatest interest in agriculture and
school garden work ever since the first introduction of the
subject into the school course.

THE CASHAW TREE IN HAWAII.
The leguminous tree known as the Cashaw of
mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) is a native of Central

America and of Jamaica. It is very abundant in the
dry districts of the latter island. In Mexico and
Hawaii the tree is known as the ‘algorobo. The
cashaw grows to a height of 30 or 40 feet, and yields
a very hard wood, which however splits readily, and
makes excellent shingles. It is also of great value for
fuel. The seed-pods of this tree form a nutritious
stock food, although cases are reported in which horses
have died after eating them. This is probably due to
the seeds germinating in the stomach.

An extract is here given from an article dealing
with the spread of this tree in Hawan, which appeared
some time ago in a Hawaiian journal :—

No other imported tree has spread so rapidly or has
proved to be so valuable in Hawaii as the mesquite. Since its
introduction it has spread over more than 50,000 acres of
what otherwise would be worthless land. It
on the lowlands, but by gradual acclimatization it now
thrives at an altitude of 2,500 feet. The tree is seldom
found growing well on the windward side of the islands
because the salt air blasts the foliage. a

It has become the principal fuel tree of the islands on
account of its high calorific value, rapid growth, ready
regeneration, and accessibility to market. The pods, borne on
the trees in immense quantities, are rich in nitrogen, and
form one of the principal foods for the fattening of cattle,
horses, and other stock. The flowers furnish an exeellent,
clear honey, and most of the apiarists depend entirely on the
mesquite for the pasturage of their bees.

The rapid spread of the tree in Hawaii is due entirely

grows best

to cattle and horses, which do noc injure the seeds in the
eating of the pods, but racher prepare them for quick

germination.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 16, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d,

Agricultural Rews

Vo. VIL. SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1908.

NOTES AND COM

Contents of Present Issue.
The question of West Indian exhibits at

the
Canadian Exhibitions of the present year is discussed in
the editorial, which also contains useful hints as to the
most suitable methods of putting up and forwarding
exhibits, ete.

In experiments carried out in Hawaii on a practical
scale, formaldehyde in small quantity proved itself to
be an efficient preservative agent of cane juice
(page 147).

The brief article ‘Dominica Limes’ on page 148,
indicates that this truit is becoming better known in
England, and growing in favour as compared with the
lemon.

Compulsory vaccination of stock as a preventive
against anthrax isa question that is occupying public
attention at present in St. Vincent. Unless this system
is adopted, further attempts to stamp out anthrax in
the island appear hopeless (page 149).

Reports on market prices and other brief notes
will be found on the cotton pages (150-1). There is
also an interesting account of a variety of cotton,
discovered growing wild in Jamaica, and which is
thought to be indigenous to the island.

A preliminary report on an insect pest of cotton
that has been giving considerable trouble at Antigua
during the past season appears under Insect Notes

(page 154).

Root disease of sugar-cane has also been preva-
lent in Antigua in the past year. Some notes on
measures that may be useful in connexion with its
eradication are given on page 155.

Rubber Lands of British Guiana.

According to an official statement, the Government
of British Guiana will receive and consider applications
for tracts of Crown land, of any size, within the colony,
under leases for ninety-nine years for rubber-planting
purposes. The land will be rent free for ten years,
with the right of purchase after that period at 16s. 8d.
per acre. Ifthe holder does not exercise this right
of purchase, the rent charge will be 10d. per acre per
annum from the tenth to the fifteenth year, and
2s. ld. per acre per annum afterwards.

Crown land ifrom which areas may be selected is
available on all large rivers and tributary streams, and
within easy communication of Georgetown.

The mean total yearly rainfall in districts most
suitable for rubber cultivation is 96°57 inches.

rr

Egg Preservation.

Egg preservation is carried on on an enormous
scale in Denmark, and according to a recent report,
many of the eggs shipped abroad have already been
preserved for four or five months. The material used
for this purpose is chiefly water-glass (a solution of
silicate of soda), although lime water is also largely
employed, since it is cheaper and gives almost equally
good results. With lime water however, the shell of
the egg is hardened and roughened, which is not the
case with water-glass. The eggs are laid down in
enormous tanks, which will hold from 70,000 to $0,000,
and the tanks are then filled nearly to the top with the
preserving fluid. These tanks are built in cool, under-
ground cellars. For successful results it is essential
that the eggs should be fresh before laid down. On
removal from the solution, the eggs are well washed in
running water, and dried in the air before being placed
on the market.

DD __ —__

Paper Manufacture From Megass.

Samples of unbleached paper, prepared from cot-
ton stalks were exhibited at the late West Indian
Agricultural Conference at Barbados. This paper was
made by a process devised by Mr. Bert de Lamarre of
Trinidad, who owns extensive estates in the island, and
reports from Trinidad now state that, being convin-
ced of the practical possibilities of paper manufacture
from megass, banana fibre, Para grass, ete., Mr. Lamarre
has erected a paper pulp works at very considerable
cost, in conjunction with the sugar factories of the
estates.

According to an account which appeared in the
Port-of-Spain Gazette, the megass, after treble crush-
ing in the cane mills, is conveyed to the paper works,
where it undergoes the treatment devised by the owner,
It is boiled for some hours, further crushed by rotating
millstones, and then passed through ordinary pulp-mak-
ing machinery.’ Finally it is cut and baled under
hydraulic pressure. If this method of utilizing the
megass 1s found/to be a remunerative one, a valuable
subsidiary industry to cane-sugar production may thus
be indicated,

Von. Vil. No. 158.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Mangrove Bark in British Guiana.

A sample of mangrove bark (from Rhizophora
Mangle) was forwarded to the Imperial Institute some-
time ago for examination and report. It consisted of
a thick, dark, reddish-brown ‘bark of dense structure,
which contained very little fibre, and was readily
ground to powder. On analysis at the Imperial Insti-
tute this bark yielded 25 per cent. of tannin. When
tested in tanning the bark produced a medium reddish-
brown leather, of the kind furnished by typical
mangrove barks of commerce. ‘The report puints out
that the percentage of tannin is not sufficiently high
to allow the bark to be exported to. Europe with any
expectation of profit, but that it would probably yield
a satisfactory mangrove extract, which should answer
well for local use.

eS

Rubber Exhibition in London.

The International Rubber Exhibition, to be held
in London in September next, and of which full
particulars were given in the Agricultural News of
March 21 last, is apparently being well supported by
planters, manufacturers and others, since, on account of
the large number of applications for space that have
been received, it has been decided that the Horti-
cultural Hall, where it was first intended to hold the
show, will not be large enough, and the exhibition
will therefore take place at the Olympia. Further, it
will remain open for a fortnight from September 14,
instead of for a week only. As mentioned in a previous
issue, ‘Trinidad and Dominica have already arranged to
send samples of rubber, etc., to the exhibition, and
later reports state that British Guiana is also forward-
ing specimens of Sapium rubber together with balata
of various grades. It is suggested that the smaller
islands should combine to make a joint exhibit, entrust-
ing the arrangements to the Secretary of the West
India Committee, to whom all correspondence and
specimens might be addressed.

Tobacco-breeding Experiments.

Experiments in plant selection and plant breeding
are always of interest to cultivators, since they indicate
a line of work which, if consistently followed up on
a definite basis, necessarily results in improvement in
the type of plant cultivated.

A bulletin (No. 96 of the Department of Plant

Industry) lately issued by the U. S. Department of

Agriculture contains much information as to varia-
bility and its causes among tobacco plants, together
with an account of plant-breeding experiments having
for their object improvement in the shape of the leaf,
modification of size, control of number of leaves,
production of non-suckering types and of early varieties,
and improvement of burning qualities. The bulletin
also includes descriptions of methods of saving seed, of
seed separation, of a new variety raised by seed selec-
tion, and of others produced by cross-fertilization.

Danger from Imported Seeds and Plants.

A planter in Grenada, who at the end of last. year
imported some maize from the United States, found
on examination of the grain after it had been stored
for a time that it was infested with thousands of small
caterpillars. In the usual course these caterpillars
developed into small brown moths, which laid eggs not
only on the maize, but on some unbagged cacao stored
in the same place. The caterpillars of the next
generation attacked the cacao as well as the corn, doing
equal damage to both.

Specimens of the moth were submitted to the
Entomologist of the Imperial Departmentof Agriculture,
and in the opinion of this officer the insect is the
Angoumois Grain moth ((@élechia cerealella). Sugges-
tions were offered as to the likely methods of getting
rid of the pest, and the steps taken are reported as
having been attended with success. The rcom has been
fumigated, and caoao is no longer stored there. A few
grains of corn were scattered daily to attract the moths
for egg-laying purposes, these grains being afterwards
fed to hens and replaced by fresh ones.

The above incident illustrates the bad results
which may easily follow importation of seeds and plants
from other countries if these imports are not submitted
to fumigation on arrival. In this case, fortunately, the
results were not as serious as might easily have been
the case.

SSS
Agricultural Co-operation.

The benefits of co-operation among agriculturists
for the sale of crops {more especially fruit and vege-
tables), and for the purchase of manures and necessary
supplies are stated in recent reports to be widely
recognized in the United States, and such organiza-
tions exist in that country in large number. By their
means small growers are able to combine their produce
and secure minimum transportation rates on account
of the larger volume. They are also in a position to
secure more advantageous terms on tlie market, not
only because they approach it as a united body, but also
because in the case of an organization handling a large
quantity of produce, uniform grading and packing, ete.,
are more possible, which has an influence on the prices
obtained: Further, through the association, members
can obtain implements, manures, packing materials,
spraying outfits, etc. at greatly reduced cost.

In the United Kingdom, more particularly in
Ireland, the co-operative movement has made great
advances during recent years, The chief agricultural
co-operative organization in England is the Agri-
cultural Organization Society, the headquarters of
which are in London, and which has some hundreds of
branch associations in all parts of the country. The
chief value of the Organization les in its power to
purchase farm supplies from wholesale merchants and
manufacturers at greatly reduced rates, which supplies
are then distributed to local societies and through these
to the individual members. It is by some such method
as this most probably, that any co-operative movement
would be most beneficial to the planting community
of the West Indies.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 16, 1908:

ANS

Flower-bud dropping of Cotton at Antigua.

Early in the present year some cotton growers at
Antigua, in going over their cotton fields, observed that

numbers of the fower-buds on the plants had dropped off

to the ground just at the period when they were about
to open into flower. The attention of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture was called to this occurrence,
and as 16 was believed that the trouble was due to some
insect pest, the Entomologist paid a short visit to
Antigua in February. After returning to Barbados for
a fortnight, a second visit of a month’s duration was
made by Mr. Baliou from March 6. During the fort-
night's interval between the two visits, it was evident
that conditions had much improved, and many plants
which previously had not a Hower on them were reported
to be beginning to bloom freely. This improvement
continued throughout the second visit, and by the end
of March the pest had practically disappeared, and the
Hower-bud dropping had almost entirely ceased.

The following forms the chief portion of a prelimin-
ary report furnished by Mr. Ballou on his investiga-
tions into the cause of the trouble, which he had
previously determined to be a small tly belonging to
the natural order Diptera, and to the family Ceci-
domylidae :

I devoted myself to a study of the insect, in order that
I might get as much information as possible, and a few
experiments were established. As a result of this study, it
appeats that the maggots leave the bud soon after it falls, and
yo into the ground to pupate. The pupa is naked, the pupal
covering very thin and delicate, and pupation is carried out
some | or 2 inches beneath the surface. The duration of the
pupal stage is about ten to fourteen days.

The flies live Lut a few days after reaching the adult
condition. The female punctures the tissue of the bud with
the ovipositor, and inserts the Probably several
females lay their « same bud. I have found as
many as forty-three maggots in one bud, and these of such
The

for the eggs to hateh, and for the

rene)
esses.

svgs in the

varying sizes as to indicate several depositions of eggs.
length of time taken
maggots to become full-grown has not been ascertained, but
the indications are that it is very short, probably not much
nore for eggs and larval stages together than is required for
the pupal stage. If this supposition is correct, the total
length of time required tor the life cycle is about four weeks.

As stated in the report on my visit to Antigna in
February, most of the cotton planted previous to August 15
made a fairly good crop, while the greater part of that planted
from September 1 did not give a crop. A few of the earliest
blossoms on September cotton escaped attack, and again
The former of these
gave a few bolls which were ripening in March. The few
flowers which esca] cd attack in February resulted in bolls
which, at the beginning of April, had made good development

blossoms escaped in early February.

The first indication of the presence of the disease in
Antigua was the excessive dropping of the buds. Then it
was found that in the case of many of the buds the bracts,
instead of remaining closed (adpressed) around the bud, had
flared out in a striking manner, and on examination it was
found that all buds with ‘flared’ bracts were infested, and
I later discovered as the result of examination of large
numbers of buds that nearly all infested buds become ‘ flared’
before dropping.

The conditions which have led up to this remarkable
and very serious outbreak of this new pest can only be
surmised, but from the evidence at hand it would seem that
the surmise is well founded.

In the first place the pest is probably a native of
Antigua, or at least not a recent importation. This is borne
out by the fact that it appeared in all parts of the island
almost simultaneously and with a uniform degree of severity.
The tly is very fragile and probably not capable of any long
flight, nor of being carried far by the wind. Secondly, the
weather conditions in Antigua have been rather unusual for the
past eighteen months. Beginning with the very heavy rainfall
of September 1906, Antigua has experienced wet and damp
weather in rather an unusual degree in many parts, without
perhaps recording a rainfall much, if any, above the average.
This dampness, with the stronger growth of the plants, the
moister soil, and the great tendency to weeds in the fields,
gave the maggots as they fell to the ground a better oppor-
tunity of pupating than under the normal conditions in
Antigna. It was noticed on several estates that cotton fields
in which there was a tendency to damp soil, and where a strong,
vigorous growth of plants covered the ground, were more
severely attacked than the fields in which the soil was drier
and the plants smaller. When, as sometimes happened,
there was a strong tendency toward a rapid growth of weeds
on the damp soils, the difference was still more noticeable.

Two small insects which belong to the parasitic
Hymenoptera were very common in all infested cotton fields.
One of these I found to be a very active enemy of the
maggot in the flower bud, and I believe the other to be the
same, but I have not yet proved this point.

It is likely that the sudden improvement in the condi-
tion of the cotton fields and the almost total disappearance of
the maggots are due to the drier weather, and hot bright suns
of February, together with the beneficial effects of the
parasitic enemies of the maggots.

Up to the present time no remedial measures have given
definite results. Experiments have been started and it is hoped
that they may give results that will be useful. The use of
Vaporite seemed likely to be beneficial, and several applica
tions of this material have been made. Vaporite is a proprie-
tary material sold by Strawsons & Co., England. Its object
is the killing of insects in the soil, and it was hoped that
during the time when the maggots and the pupae were in the
soil, the effect of the Vaporite fumes would be sufficient to
kill most of these insects.

Cultural methods may reduce the loss from this form of
fower-bud dropping. Any system of planting and tillage
which allows the sun to get freely to the ground around the
plants, and which keeps the surface thoroughly pulverized,
dvy, and free from weeds, would seem likely to be useful.
Wet weather, damp surface soil, and the presence of weeds,
seem to he favourable to the increase of the pest.

The insect which causes this dropping of flower-buds of
cotton has recently been determined, by Dr. E. P. Felt, New
York State Entomélogist, to be a new species of the genus
Contarinia, vid he proposed to give it the name Contarinia
Jossypr

Vou. VIT: No:

158.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 15

Ct

SUGAR-CANE DISEASE AT ANTIGUA.

Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., F.L.S., Mycologist on the
statf of the Imperia!D epartment of Agriculture, visited
Antigua from April 12 to 18 to enquire into the fungus
diseases of plants in that island. ‘The following extract
dealing with root fungus of the sugdr-cane (Murasmius
Sacchari) in Antigua, is taken from Mr. Stockdale’s
report on his visit :-— /

The root fungus disease of sugar-cane was the disease to
which chief attention was given during;this visit to Antigua.
This disease is wide-spread, and undonbtedly has been the
cause of some of the small yields of, cane obtained from
several fields in the island. In some eases its effect was the
more marked, and owing to various conditions, over some of
which the planters may have had no control, certain individ-
ual fields had suffered considerably..The presence of the
disease was known to the planters, all of whom seemed ready
to apply such remedial measures as could be suggested, and
to carry out experiments that would be of value in increasing
knowledge as to the effects of the fungus on the canes under
varying conditions and as to various methods of control.

3y the examination of the trucks of canes as they came
to the mill at Gunthorpes factory, it was observed that the
distribution of the fungus might be supposed to be general.
The fight between host and parasite is so evenly matched
that but a small disturbance in the external conditions may
very easily lead to the one or the other getting the upper
hand, and therefore it is to be strongly urged that the
attention of the planters should be especially directed towards
doing everything that may possibly assist the sugar-cane in
its fight with the fungus. Dr. Watts. has made a careful
survey of the island, and has informed planters of the life-
history of the fungus and its remedial treatment. With
a view, however, of showing the planters that the Imperial
Department of Agriculture is desirous of assisting in every
way possible, I would suggest that a,series of experiments
with different remedial measures for root fungus disease
of sugar-cane should be organized at an early date. I would
also venture to suggest that separate reports might be sent
to the managers or attorneys of the estates that I visited,
dealing directly with the problems on their estates.

For the treatment of the root fungus disease of sugar-
cane at Antigua, I would suggest that all estates should make
it a general practice to throw out of cultivation one or two
of their worst fields every year, with the view of planting
rotation crops. If the fields are badly diseased it might be
advisable that all the old diseased stumps should be dug out
and burned before the fields are put into cultivation. I have
seen no case, during this visit to Antigua, of fields so badly
diseased as to warrant the burning of the trash ; but trash
from diseased fields should not be put into pens for manure.
If the throwing out of one or two badly diseased fields every
year were generally adopted on the estates, it would be
rendered imperative that the trash should be burned in order
to allow of thorough cultivation for the rotation crops, and
I would suggest for the consideration of Dr, Watts that
experiments in this direction might be commenced. The
humus problem is an important one in regard to the Antigua
sugar-cane soils, and therefore it would serve a useful purpose
if definite information could be gained as to how often trash
may be burned off without causing any serious effect upon
the condition of the soils. This matter was brought up for
discussion by Dr. Watts, and I think that carefully planned
experiments in this direction might be tried in certain
districts of the island. The use of lime as a fungicide should
receive careful consideration, for it is possible that lime may

play an important part in the control of this fungus disease.
The maximum quantity of lime that the land will stand
without danger to the various nitrification changes could be
recommended.

In the choice of rotation crops, cotton might be included
and also, perhaps, various forms of green dressings.
Sweet potatos, in view of their being liable to be attacked
by what would appear to be the root fungus of sugar-cane,
should be watched and should only be recommended with
caution, Near relations of the sugar-cane, such as maize,
(ruinea corn, etc., also should receive careful attention if they
are used as 1otation crops, for if they are found to be affected
they could not serve their purpose as rotation. Guinea corn
T have not known to become affected, but, in view of what
was noticed with Indian corn (maize) during this visit to
Antigua, I should be inclined to view this plant with
suspicion. ‘The evidences are not sufticient to condemn this
crop for rotation purposes as being liable to be attacked by
the root fungus of sugarcane, but I should recommend that
it be carefully watched.

RICE CULTIVATION.

An article under the above heading appeared in the
Agricultural News (Vol. V, p. 411) giving an account
of experiments carried out in Ceylon, the results of
which clearly indicated the great advantage to the
rice grower of sowing his seed in a seed-bed, and after-
wards transplanting the seedlings to the field. Experi-
ments in rice cultivation have also been lately carried
out at the Raipur Government Farm, Central Provinces,
and the results are also in favour of transplanting the
seedlings as opposed to sowing broadcast in the field.

The following notes on the Raipur experiments are
taken from the Agricultural Gazette of the Central
Provinces, for August 1907 :—

These experiments were carried out in series A and
b, A being irrigated and B unirrigated. Both series of
plots were uniformly manured with cattle-dung, estimated to
contain nitrogen at the rate of 20 Tb. per acre. The plots
were each 5/5 acre in area.

The transplanting plot has done best every year, and
has yielded a net profit that is double that of the second
best plot. It is often stated by cultivators who have never tried
transplanting that the system is suitable for irrigated paddy only,
and that even then it is not profitable on account of the addi-
tional cost of labour involved. The results of this series of
experiments prove that both these statements are doubtful, for
the plots were not irrigated, and in calculating the profits
derived from them, the cost of cultivation has been deducted
in each case. Transplanted rice grown under irrigation gives
a still higher profit, despite the fact that the cost of cultiva-
tion in this case is still increased by a water rate of 1*14 rupees
per acre. With the exception of broadcasting, transplanting
is the cheapest of all the methods experimented with, as it
reduces the weeding charges very considerably. The weeds
are so thoroughly eradicated by the ploughing given to the
plot before transplanting that after-weeding is seldom neces
sary. The extra cost of transplanting is much less than the
extra cost of weeding entailed by other methods of cultivation.
A most important factor in the cost of cultivation is that,
whilst broadcast sowing requires about 80 to 100 tb. of seed
per acre, transplanting requires only 20 to 30 Ib. of seed tor

the same area,

156

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 16, 1908.

A supply of good, fresh lime seeds is required by the
Agricultural Superintendent of St. Lucia, who will be glad to
hear from persons having seeds available.

Reports from Demerara state that there is a great
scarcity of provisions on the Georgetown market. A regular
supply of sweet potatos, however, is being received from
Barbados.

At the last monthly meeting of the Barbados Agri-
cultural Society it was decided that a ploughing match
should be held in the island at some time in the present year.

The Port-of Spain Gazette reports that rice cultivation is
much on the increase in the southern districts of Trinidad.
The cultivation is chietly carried on by coolie labourers.

The seedling canes D. 74 and D. 95 are reported to
have again done well in Louisiana during the past crop season.
Of the two canes, D. 74 is, on the whole, revarded with the
more favour, (Sugar Planters’ Journal.)

The Agricultural Superintendent of St. Lucia has about
600 strong plants of Para rubber (//evea brasiliensis) in
bamboo pots, ready for immediate distribution (in St. Lueia
only), at 6d. per plant.

The St. Lucia Agricultural Society is importing £10
worth of the best Sea Island cotton seed for gratuitous distribu
tion to intending planters during 1908. All applications
should be made to the Agricultural Instructor.

The value of the canes purchased from eane farmers. by
the sugar factories in the Naparimas and Savannah Grande
districts amounted to £29,250 from the beginning of the
present season up to April 25 last. (Port-of Spain Gazette.)

Mr. W. C. Vishlock, Agricultural Instructor of the
Virgin Islands, writing on April 20 Jast, reported that the
present season’s cotton crop of the Virgin Islands so far
gathered, amounted to 112 bales of 200 tb. each. The total
crop will probably amount to 120 bales. Last year only
51 bales were shipped.

With the object of extending the bee-keeping industry
of the island, the St. Lucia Agricultural Society is ready to
import, under certain conditions, 330 bee-keeping outfits for
intending bee keepers. Applications should be made to the
Secretary of the Society as early as possible.

The sugar-cane products exported from Barbados from
January 1 to May 7, 1908, amounted to 12,581 tons of
sugar and 23,690 puncheons of molasses as against 9,243 tons
of sugar and 29,147 puncheons of molasses for the correspond-
ing period of last year.

At the meeting of the St. Vincent Agricultural Society
held) on April 1k. last, Sir Daniel Morris informed the
members that he would make enquiry into the matter of
adding an oil plant to the Central Cotton Factory. If he found
that the local demand for oil was considerable, he was
prepared to assist in providing an oil-extracting plant.

The colony of Martinique has increased the duty on dry
or unprepared tobacco leaves from 2°05 francs (30°39) to 3°35
francs (30°638) per kilogram (2-2 Ib.). The duty on prepared
leaves, or black tobaceco as it is called, still remains the
same, 2°05 franes per kilogram. (U.S. Consular Reports.)

The African woolless ram sheep ‘ Egba,’ imported by
the Imperial Department of Agriculture, has been loaned for
service in St. Lucia, and is stationed at the Agricultural
School, Union. The service fee is 1s., which may be reduced in
the case of peasant proprietors, at the discretion of the Agri-
cultural Superintendent.

An Ordinance has been passed in Trinidad making it
illegal tor any person to have or keep in his possession
mungoose for breeding or any other purpose. It has been
thought that under previous regulations mungoose were being
bred in the island in order to obtain the reward offered for
their destruction.

There are three beet sugar factories in Canada, and the
industry is liberally subsidized by the Dominion Government.
In spite of this, however, the figures for the past three years
show a decline in the production. In 1905-6 the output of
beet sugar was 11,419 tons; in 1906-7, 11,367 tons were
produced, while in 1907-8 the production fell to 7,943
tons.

In reference to the project (mentioned in the Ag77-
cultural News, Vol. VII, p. 60) to introduce sisal hemp
cultivation on an extensive scale into British Guiana, the
Demerara Chronicle of May 1 reports that the whole of the
capital necessary has now been subscribed. The area of
land conceded by the Government for this purpose com-
prises about 7,000 acres, and is situated near Bartica.

Java exported only 52 ewt. of sugar to Great Britain
during the first two months of 1907, as compared with 33,000
ewt. shipped during the corresponding period of the present
year. The shipments from Peru have increased from 74,000
to 188,000 ewt. On the other hand, the German exports of
sugar to Great Britain dropped from 1,611,822 ewt. in
January and February 1907, to 1,255,000 ewt. in the same
period of 1908. ;

The cultivation of the sunflower, for the sake of the oil
in its seed, appears to be attracting a good deal of attention
in South Africa. In that country a yield of as much as
3,250 tb. of seed per acre has been recorded, although in most
countries 1,500 Ib. per acre seems to be a fairaverage. From
15 to 20 per cent. of oil can be obtained from the seed, and
the better qualities are sometimes employed for cooking
purposes.

Vor. VII. No. 158.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

157

ST" VINCENT: ANNUAL REPOR LON BOTANIC

STATION, AGRICULTURAL SCILIOOL, LAND
SETTLEMENT SCHEME, AND GOVERNMENT

VETERINARY SURGEON, 1906-7.

This report is more full and interesting than has been
the case in past years, since it contains a historical account
of the Botanic Station, and is well illustrated by reprodue-
tions of several photographic views. The historical portion
includes extracts from the descriptive account of the old
Botanic Garden (founded in 1765, and on a portion of the
site of which the present station stands), prepared by the
tevd, Landsdowne Guilding, and published in 1825. It was
for the St. Vincent Botanie Gardens and the Gardens at
Jamaica, that a special expedition was sent to the South
Seas in 1790, to procure specimens of the bread-fruit tree
and other interesting plants. About 530 plants of different
kinds were brought to St. Vincent as the result of this

expedition. The present Station was ‘organized in 1890,
Mr. W. N. Sands, the present Curator, was appointed in
1904.

The report also contains an account of the efforts made
by the Imperial Department of Agriculture to assist the
various agricultural industries of St. Vincent, and the plant-
ing community generally. The most successful efforts of the
Department have been in connexion with the cotton industry,
which has proved particularly remunerative in St. Vincent.
The erection of the Central Cotton Factory in 1903-4, at the
instance of the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, with
the approval of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, may
be specially mentioned. This factory cost nearly £2,000 to
build and equip, and is capable of ginning 4,000 Ib. of lint
in eight hours.

Other industries, e.g., cacao, arrowroot, live stock, ete.
have made advances during the past nine years. While in
1900 the cacao exported from St. Vincent amounted only to
443 bags, the shipments for 1906 reached 1,129 bags, of an
estimated value of £3,838.

The St. Vincent Agricultural School was started by the
Department in 1900, and has largely fulfilled its object.
The number of boys on the school books average about
twenty-three.

The agricultural efforts in connexion with the Land
Settlement Scheme have been under the charge of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture since the start. The Agricultural
Instructor devotes the whole of his time to the work of visit-
ing the allotments, and giving necessary advice and help to
the allottees. Considerable progress has been made in plant-
ing permanent economic crops on the estates, and towards
this end the Department has annually distributed free, a large
number of plants and seeds.

Coming to the work of the year under review, it is men-
tioned that theexpenditureon the Botanic Station’was £571 12s.,
while the receipts from the sale of plants and produce
amounted to £21 18s. 7d. This latter figure shows a falling
off as compared with the receipts for the previous year,
which is accounted for by the fact that increased attention to
‘Sea Island cotton cultivation lessened the demand for other

economic plants. This is still more noticeable when the num-
ber of plants distributed is compared with the number sent
out in the previous year, A tétal of 10,143 was distributed
in 1906-7 as compared with 17,543 sent out in 1905-6.

The progress of the cotton industry during 1906-7 is
reported upon at considerable length. The work of selecting
and disinfecting seed was continued at the Central Factory
and over 18,000 Ib. of seeduyere dealt with and distributed
to local growers. The total area planted with cotton in
St. Vincent in 1906-7 was 1,533 acres, and the yield of lint
reached 253,704 Ib., or an =average of 175 1b. per acre.
Cotton plant selection experiments were undertaken on
several estates in the island by officers of the Department
during the year.

The expenditure on the St. Vincent Agricultural School
during 1906-7 amounted to £565 8s. 8d., while a sum of
£20 12s. 11d. was derived from the services of animals and
the sale of plants. Twenty-one boys were reported to be on
the school books, with two probationers. The results of the
half-yearly examinations held at the school were satisfactory
and encouraging.

In addition to the ordinary school routine the boys
receive training in practical agricultural operations, such as
cultivating, manuring, mulching, etc. Considerable assistance
is also given by the boys in ‘the work of the experiment
plots. During the year a fine Ayrshire bull, a grade
Ayrshire cow, a thoroughbred stallion horse. and a Maltese
donkey stallion were imported for the Stock Farm carried
on in connexion with the school.

The work in connexion with the Land Settlement
Scheme showed satisfactory progress during 1906-7. The
allotments at the close of the year numbered 574. Cacao

appears to form the chief crop planted, and it is estimated
that over 60,000 cacao trees are now established on the
estates. Other crops receiving attention are coffee, nutmegs,
pepper, oranges, arrowroot, cassava, etc. The
establishment and maintenance of a good system of wind-
breaks, composed of Galba trees, form an important feature
in connexion with the St. Vincent Land Settlement Scheme.

The report of the Govermnent Veterinary Surgeon,
which is alse included, deals with the period from August 19,
1906 (date of appointment), to March 31, 1907. The sum
expended in connexion with the department of this ofticer,
for the above period, amounted to £386 13s. 9d. Tables
are annexed to the report showing the number of cases of
anthrax that occurred in the island, and also the stock
mortality, ete.

sulgar-cane,

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, who
has been paying an official visit of inspection to the
Leeward Islands, returned to Barbados by the R.M.S.
‘Eden’ on May 5.

Mr. F. A. Stockdale, BiA., F.LS., Mycologist on
the statt of the Imperial Department of Agriculture,
who has been for some weeks 1n St. Lucia, Antigua, and
Dominica, investigating the fungus diseases of plants
in those islands, more particularly the root disease of
the sugar-cane in Antigua, also returned to Barbados
by the same boat.

JAS THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. May 16, 1908.

CULTURE OF CASTILLOA RUBBER.

The Vear-hool: for 1907-8 of the Mexican Rubber
Planters’ Association has lately been issued, and
contains a full account of the proceedings that took
place at the first meeting of the association in October

last. Some interesting and valuable papers dealing
with various phases of the rubber industry, that were

read at this meeting are also reprinted in the year-
book, one of the most important being that by
Dr. Pehr Olsson-Setfer, entitled ‘The Present Condition
of Rubber Culture.’

Dealing with the cultivation of the Central American
rubber tree (Castilloa elastica), Dv. Olsson-Setfer remarked,
that although there was still much to learn, yet many points
had already been settled and were beyond discussion. It was
known, for instance, that Castilloa trees need an open,
porous soil, well drained, but with sufficient underground
water supply. The physical condition of the soil is of more
importance than its chemical composition. Stagnant water,
or an acid condition of the soil, is naturally detrimental to
the well-being of the trees.

On thin soil with impermeable subsoil, Castilloa will do
well for a few years, but growth ceases, and the tree is liable
to die back when the roots reach water.

The much-debated question of shade in rubber culture
was then referred to. Mexican planters are still undecided
as to the necessary amount of. shade for Castilloa trees, as
well as the best method of providing this. Later experience
has not tended to confirm the opinion, popular in the early
days of rubber culture, that the provision of heavy
is essential, Under such conditions, the rubber trees
tall, but there is no corresponding increase in the cireum-
ference of the trunk. Further, trees planted under shade
appear to be sickly and liable to disease.

Castilloa trees undoubtedly advantage
a certain amount of shade and shelter during the dry season,
and bearing this in mind, many growers, in clearing ground
for rubber planting, have left asmall number of the original
trees to overshadow the Castilloa plants. This state of
semi-shade is likely to be specially beneficial where the soil
is liable to become hard and baked on exposure to the sun.

It was pointed out that the amount of shade required
for proper de ‘velopme nt is best supplied by paying full regard
to close planting in setting ont the young Castilloa trees.
Such a method ensures soil preservation, and also provides
the best conditions for symmetrical development of the trees.
As with increasing growth, the trees interfere with
other, thinning-out operations should commence.

Kficient drainage is highly essential to success in start-
ing a mbber plantation. Every slope of the ground should
be taken advantage of in this connexion. On plantations in
the East the drains are always laid down before the rubber
trees ave planted.

Some Mexican cultivators sow the rubber directly
in the open, time when the soil
is fairly moist, complete failure of germination may result.
Planting in the open should: preferably take at the
beginning of the rainy

shade
grow

derive from

each

seed
Unless this is done at a

place
season.

In regard to the propagation of Castilloa rubber trees,
Dr. Olsson-Setfer strongly recommended planting the seeds
in the open, instead of raising the seedlings in
a method which involves the labour and
of transplanting, with its consequent check to the growth of
the seedlings. Transplanting also ineurs the tisk
siderable amount of rendering necessary subsequent
supplying. Planting at stake is the method now generally

at stake,
nurseries expense
of a con-

le ISS,

adopted by ex srienced planters. The seeds are planted on
small hills, with Labor seven seeds (at a distance of 3 inches
from each other) to gach hill. The hills are at a distance of
about 7 feet in rows 12 feet apart.

Planting
failure in &

in this manner allows for a high percentage of

rmination, as well as destruction by various field
In the earlytstages of growth of the seedlings, weed-
ing is frequently necessary, and at the same time weakly,
mis-shaped, and over-crowded plants should be removed. It
will be found that at least 50 per cent. of the young plants
may be removed with Se ieaies during the early stages of
growth.

pests.

Dr. Olsson-Setfer.recommends that thinning out should
continue each year, until the number of trees has been reduced
to about 800 per acre at the end ef six years from sowing. In
order to obtain the highest returns, it is advised that the. 400
best trees should be selected as the permanent trees of the
plantation, not to be:touched before they have reached 26 to
28 inches in circumference at 3 feet from the ground. The
remaining 400 trees may at six years old be tapped once, or
twice if necessary after a short intermission, and then felled.
At the end of the seventh year therefore, there would be 400
trees to the acre. Such a number would mean an average
distance from tree to tree, each way, of about 10 feet.

In regard to distance in planting, it is apparent that,
provided the trees do not directly interfere with one another
the closer they are planted the better. Dr, Olsson-Seffer
pointed out that growth is impaired as soon as the roots of
the trees touch and become intermatted. On the other hand,
when Castilloa trees ‘are planted widely apart their growth is
stunted, and when the trees become older, their bark is
exposed to the heat of the sun, and to the evaporating influ-
ence of winds. The result of this is, that the bark cracks,
the latex vessels shrivel, and the yield of rubber is conse-
quently reduccil. Bearing these considerations in mind it
appears obvious that the question of proper spacing isone which
requires the exercise of considerable judgement, but that close
planting in the first place and subsequent careful and gradual
thinning as indicated. above, is undoubtedly the best method
to adopt in Castilloa rubber culture.

PLANTATION l'ZRSUS WILD PARA RUBBER.

M. Lamy-Torrilhon, a well-known French rubber
expert, recently contribnted an article to the Journal
@TAgriculture Tropicale on the relative qualities of

rubber from the Brazilian forests, and that from the
cultivated plantations of the East.
At present, as is pointed out, manufacturers show

a preference for rubber from the wild trees. This, of
course, is not due to any natural defect in the plantation
product, but in the opinion of M. Lamy-Torrilhon, may be
attributed to (1) the non-observance on the part of plantation
owners of the system of curing recognized as the best in
Brazil, and (2) the comparatively young age of the greater
number of plantation trees. The first.factor, it will be seen,
is incidental, and may be remedied without great difliculty,
while time will remove the second. There is no real reason
why plantation rubber should not be equal in every respect to
the product from the Brazilian forests.

M. Lamy-Torrilhon does not seem to be favourably
unpressed by the wet block process of preparation, but
advocates the simnttaneons smoking and coagulation of the
latex.

Vor. VII, No: 158:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 159

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.
Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the
following report on the London drug and spice market
during the month of March :—

The month of March was specially marked in the drug
market by a fall in the price of cocaine hydrochloride which
had for some time been expected, and which, it was antici
pated, wonld still go lower. Six shillings per oz. was the
price at which the article was purchased at the beginning of
the month, and at this date very large purchases were made.
In the middle of the month, however, the price had risen to
6s. 5d., and at the last auction on the 26th, 6s. 8d. was paid
for 175-0z. contracts, and 7s. for 50-0z. purchases. It is
said that the use of cocaine as an anaesthetic is declining,
especially among dentists by whom it has hitherto been
much used,

The dealings in other products have been of a purely
xormal character.

GINGER.

At the first spice auction on March 4, some 300. pack-
ages of Jamaica were offered, and 33-sold at Gls. for fair
small washed, and 57s. 6d. to 58s. for ordinary small.
Cochin and Calicut were in fair supply, but small sales only
were made, small plump washed Cochin being held at
37s. 6d., and medium bold limed Calicut at 43s. A week
later prices had somewhat advanced, though the demand was
small. Out of 180 packages of Jamaica otfered only 15 were
sold at 65s. for low medium, and 58s. for good common, At
the auction on the 18th there was no Jamaica offered, but
17 bags of Calicut were put up, a few only of which were
disposed of at 36s. for tips, fair cuttings being held at 38s,
At the last spice sale on the 25th, the Jamaica offerings
amounted to 420 packages, 17 only being sold at the follow-
ing rates: Tis. for middling and 55s. per ewt for ordinary.
Neither Cochin not Calicut was in demand.

NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO.,

A slight advance on previous rates in nutmegs was
maintained at the first spice auction on March 4. On the
11th, a quiet tone prevailed at the sale, the offerings at which
were unimportant, 28 bags of Singapore 80's being bought
in at 73d. per Ib. On the 18th, 51 packages of West Indian
realized the following prices : 4d. to 44d. for 129’s to 131s;
44d. to Add. for 102’s to 115’s ; Ald. to 5d. for 92’s to 97's:
53d. to 6d. for 76’s to 83’s, and 9d. for 67’s. West Indian
mace at the first auction was disposed of to the extent of
40 packages, 1s. 10d. per tb. being realized for fine pale,
Is. 4d. to 1s, 5d. for fair to good pale and reddish, while
for fair to good red 1s. 3d. to 1s. 4d. was paid, and 102d,
to ls. for broken. These prices were maintained to the close
of the month. Of pimento there has been but a slow
demand throughout the month, the prices varying from
23d. to 23d.

ARROW ROOT.

At the first spice auction on the 4th some 60 Darrels of
good manufacturing St. Vincent sold at 23d. per tb. A week
later 50 packages of St. Vincent were sold without reserve
at 2d. to 22d. for ordinary to good, and 34d. for cases. One
hundred cases of Natal were also offered, and sales made at
33d. per Ib. for sound, and 1}d. to 2d. for an ‘off colour’
quality. At the last sale on the 25th, as many as 200 barrels of
St. Vincent were offered, the whole of which was bonght in.

SARSAPARILLA.

At the beginning of the month it was stated that there
was a dearth in genume grey Jamaica, and that only a few
bales of native red were to be found here and there. At the
drug auction on the 12th, 18 bales of grey Jamaica had
arrived, and were sold at advanced prices over previous sales,
Is. 10d. to 2s. being paid for part coarse, and little dark to
good grey. Six bales of native Jamaica were disposed of at
from ls. to ls. 2d. for ordinary pale and red mixed with
yellow. One bale of deep red native Jamaica realized 1s, 3d.
per Ib., and 10 bales of Honduras were bought in at from
2s. ld. to 2s. 4d. per Ib. A fortnight later fair red, partly
sea-damaged, fetched ls. 2d. to 1s. 3d., dull red and yellow
mixed, also partly sea-damaged, ls. to Is. 2¢., and common
mixed dull red and yellow, partly damaged, sold at 9. to
LI 4d. per tb.

KOLA, OIL OF LIME, ANNATTO, QUILLATA, ETC.

At the first sale of the month 40 packages of kola nuts
were offered and 15 seld ; 10 bags of dried, bold Grenada at
23¢., and 5 bags of mouldy dried Jamaica at 23d. per bb.
On the 25th, 36 bags of small and meditwm darkish, dried
West Indian were offered and all were bought in at 24d. per tb.
On the same date 3 cases of West Indian oil of lime were
sold at 1s. 9d. per Ib. In the middle of the month some
35 bags of good bright Ceylon annatto sold at from 33d. to
4d. per Ib, A consignment of 305 bales of Quillaia bark
was reported as having arrived in Liverpool from Valparaiso
in the early part of the month, but details of sale had not
come to hand at the time of writing. Sweet West Indian
distilled oil of oranges was quoted in the middle of the
month at 7s. 6d., and bitter at 5s. 6. per tb. There have
been small sales of good bright Tripoli strip orange peel at
S3d. per tb.; the market has been firm in chillies, good fair
but stalky Mombassa being held at 24s.

H
t
2
[

MOTOR POWER IN AGRICULTURAL
OPERATIONS.

In a letter to the Imperial Commissioner ~ of
Agriculture, Dr. Francis Watts has pointed out that
the rapid development of mechanical tillage in Antigua
(see Agricultural News, Vol. VI, p. 337) has naturally
resulted in an increased demand for draught power
for the agricultural implements used. Mules are
reported to be scarce and dear, and attention has
therefore been drawn to the possibility of the introduc-
tion of motor power for the purpose.

In England and America used to
extent in agricultural operations, and it is possible that if
a maker sent out a machine with a skilled man to manage
it, for the purpose of demonstration, they might be ford
suitable for use in these islands. One of the most prominent
among the English firms manufacturing agricultural. motors
is the Ivel Agricultural Motors, Limited, London. Another
firm is Messrs. H. P. Sanderson & Co., of Bedford, who report
that they ave sending motors to several British colonies, e.g.,
the Sudan, British East Africa, South Australia, ete., as well
as to many foreign countries. The latter finn give particu-
lars of two motors of 36 and 20 horse power respectively,
manufactured by them. The foymer will haul 4 to 5 tons,
and in England will plough ? acxe per hour. The latter will
haul 2 to 3 tons and plongh 4 acre per hour. They will
also drive machinery. The price of the former is £360, of
the latter, £290.

Dr. Watts points out that there is a good field ‘for
demonstration in Antigua, and the machines might also be
tried at Barbados and St. Iitt’s.

motors are some

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 16, 1908.

Londcn,— April 28, 1908, ‘THe Wesr Inpta Com-

MITTEE CrrcuLaRr : Messrs. Krarton, Prear & Co.,
April 14, 1908; Messrs. E. A. pg Pass & Co.,
April 17, 1908.

ARRoWROOT—21d. to 227.

Batata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/4 ; block, 1/74 to 1/8 per th.

Bres’-wax—Good quality, £7 15s. to £7 17s. 6d. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 74/- to 88/- per cwt.; Grenada, 74/- to
79/- per ewt.

CoFFEE—Santos, 28s. 43i.: Jamaica, 37/- to 57/- per ewt.

Corpra—West Indian, £16 10s. per ton.

Corron-—St. Vincent, 15d. to16d_; Barbados, 15d. to 16$¢.;
St. Kitt’s, 15d. to 164d.; Montserrat, 16d. to 16}d.
per Ib.

FRvIr
Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.

Limes—4/6 to 5/- per box of 200.
Prine-appLes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grave Fruir—t4/- to 16/- per box.
OrancEs—Jamaica, 6/- to 7/- per box.

Fustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton,

Honry—19s. to 34s. per ewt.

Istyciass—West India lump, 1/9 to 1/11 per Ib.; cake, no
quotations.

Lime Jurcr—Raw, 1/2 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£11 12s. Gd. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 1/9
per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per Th.

Loewoop—£3 10s. to £4 4s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Macre—1/2 to 1/3 per th.

Nurmecs—68’s to 69's, 7d. to 9d.; 76’s, Td.; 105’s, 44d.;
111’s to 115’s, 33d. to 4}d.; 121’s, 3$d.; 143’s, 4d.

PimentTo— (Quiet ; no quotations.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/- to 3/3; Demerara, 1/3 to 1/44 per
gation; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 18/6 to 19/6 per ecwt.; Muscovado,
16s. ]d.; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6,

New York,—April 17, 1908.—Messrs. Gmuespre, Bros.

& Co.

Cacao—Caracas. 16c. to 20c. ; Grenada, 16$c. to 17}e. ;
Trinidad, 16}c. to 17}c.; Jamaica, 4c. to 14$c. per Ib.

Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $26°00 to $28-00; culls,
$15:00: Trinidad, $25-00 to $27:00; culls, $15:00
to $16°00 per M.

Corrre—Jamaica, good washed, 9$c. to 11$e.; good ordinary,
Tec. to She. per th.

Gincer— 124c. to 18e. per tb.

Goat Sxins—Jamaica, 55c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kitt’s, 48c. to 5le., dry flint ; 30c. to 42c., dry salted.

CiRAPE Fruir—Jamaicas, $1°50 to $2°75 per box and $3°50
to $5-00 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, $700 to $7°50 per barrel.

Macr—29e. to 32c. per th.

Nurmrcs—110’s, Sic. to 4c. per tb.

Orances—Jamaica, $2°75 to $3°25 per barrel.

Pimento— 4%c. to 4$c per tb.

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 4°36c. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3°86c. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°61c. per th., duty paid.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lyncu & Co., May 5,

1908; Messrs. T. 8S. Garraway & Co., May 11
1908.

ARROowROoT—St. Vincent, $4°00 to 4°50 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $14:00 to $1500 per 100 tb.
Cocoa-nurs—$14°00 per M. for husked nuts.
Corree—J:amaica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 th.

Hay— $1:25 per 100 th.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $65°00 ; Ohlendorff's dissolved
guano, $55°00; Cotton manure, $42°00; Cacao
manure, $42°00; Sulphate of ammonia, $72:00 to
$75-00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Mo tassr's— Choice, 15c. ; Fancy, 17¢. per gallon.

Onroxs—Madeira, $2°10 to $2°50 per 100 th.

Poratros, MNGiisH—$2°75 per 160 fb.

Pras—Split, $6°50 ; Canada, $3°36 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $6°10 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $400 ; Rangoon,
$3°00 to $3-10 per 100 tb.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $2°30 per L100 th., package included ;
Dark crystals, $2°75; Centvifugals, $2°30 to $2°40
per LOO Tb.

British Guiana.—May 2, 1908, Messrs. Wuirrinc

& Ricnver.

Arrowroor—St. Vincent, $9°50 to $10-00 per barrel.

Baziara—Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c.
per th.

Cacao—Native, 16c. to 18c. per tb.

Cassava—No stock.

Cassava SrarcH—$7'56 per barrel of 196 Th.

Cocoa-Nurs—$12:00 to $16°00 per M.

Corrie— Creole, 12c. to 13c.; Jamaica, 12c. per th.

Duar— $5°50 per bag of 168 tb.

Eppos— S4e. per barrel.

Motasses— Yellow, 19c. ; Dark, no quotations.

Ontons— Madeira, 3c. to 3$¢.; Lisbon, 3c. to 3$e. ; Dutch, 3c.
per ib. :

Pianvains— 20c. to 64c. per bunch.

Poratos,—English, $2°40 to $2°50 per barrel.

Poratros, Sweet—Barbados, $144 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6°25 to $6:40 ; Creole, $5-25 for sood -
Seeta, $6-00 per bag. is :

Sprir PEas—$6:00 to $6°10 per bag (210 Ib.); Lisbon, $4°59.

Tannras—$2'40 per bag.

Yams—White, $240 ; Buck, $2°40 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2-70 to $5:00 ; Yellow, $3-00 to
$310 ; White, $3°60 to $3:70; Molasses, $1-:80 to
$2:00 per 100 tbh. (retail).

Timber—Greenheart, 32c. to 55e. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3"°50 to $5°75 per M.

Corpwoov—$2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

Trinidad,—May 2, 1908.—Messrs. Goxvon, > Grant

«& Co.
Cacao—$15°50 to $16°25 per fanega.
Cocoa-Nuts—$24'00 per M., f.o.b.
Cocoa-nuvt O1—70e. per Imperial gallon, cask included.
Corree—Venezuelan, no quotations.
Copra—$2-40 to $2°65 per 100 th.
Duar—-$4°60 to $4°80 per 2-bushel bag.
Ontons—$2°50 to $3:00 per 100 tb. (retail).
Poratos, ExciisH—$2-00 to $2°25 per 100 tb.
Rice—Yellow, $5°40 to $5°60; White, $5°25to $6-00 per bag.
Serrr Peas—$5-90 to $6°00 per bag. %
Sucak—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°10 per 100 tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

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SS Whe reyes, eee ee

? VII. No. 158. THE SEU et NEWS. May 16, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,
Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL) AGENTS OR DIRECT TO :—
THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS.

London Agency: 15, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C.
1137.] Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

JOURNAL DAGRIGULTURE TROPICALE. | | yy am prams
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ee noticeable at Dominica, Jamaica, St. Kitt’s-Nevis,

PAcE PAGE. \fonserrat, and Barbados, and more recently complaints

Insect Notes :—
Red Spider on Sweet
Potatos : a0 see iO
. 168) Jamaica Karthquake, The 175

Banana Industry in Dutch
Guanine _ . 164
Bananas, Protection of
from Insect Pests

es, Water Supply for ... 174 Market Reports | 3 RR
ack Blight > 16! Milli inikose ae 171
. : ‘ Si MLK, Itutbes Tor... : ‘
Cacao Industry in Java... 175! Ninteesaes ay Girton as
Canadian Cattle and the re a OS esl ia s
West Indies 169) Notes and Comments 168
Coffee Culture in Surinam 167) Pen Manure, Preserva-
Cotton Notes :— GONOL mavees 169
Cotton Growers’ Con- Red Sorrel Fruits,
ference at Barbados 166 Preservation of 164
St. Vincent Central Rice Cultivation in
Cotton Paetory ww ll65 Argentina 169
St. Vincent, Cotton Rubber in Jamaica 171
Exports of . 165; Rubber in New Guinea... 169
Sea Island Cotton Rubber, Viantation, in
Market . 165) UNS ,O77 ease ee melyci
West Indian Cotten at | St. Vincent, Crown
Liverpool ... . 165} Lands in ... 5 16%
Departmental Reports :— Sorghtun Poisoning . 169
Antigua: Botanic Station, Sugar Industry :—
ete., 1906-7 ... 173) Cuban Sugar Crop + 163
Department News ... ... 173) Seedling Canes in
Eddos and Sweet Potatos, | Jamuuca + ab S
Nomenciature of 171) Sugar-cane Plants,
Fruit-preserving Industry, Hvaporation from ... 163
Possibilities of a 164} Sugar Factories, Capacity
Gleanings ... ... 172 of, and Keonomy in
Tusect Notes :- Production G3)
Black Scale, the Parasite Sulphate of Ammonia
of Bee toe case neo! ene) from Peat . 168
Cacao-nut Palm Blight Tobacco Cultivation in
at Lagos... . 70 Hawaii Serie’

Black Blight.
DEAD i
[SM HE presence of ‘ black blight, as it is term-
ed, is more or less in evidence on different
kinds of vegetation in practically all the
aWest Indian islands. It has, however, attracted most
mattention in Grenada, where during recent years it has
=been prevalent on a number of trees and plants. Its
“occurrence, in a more or less intermittent manner, is also

have been received of the spread of black blight at
St. Vineent and St. Lucia.

The unsightly and soot-like appearance of the

leaves and branches of the affected trees which are
covered with the black, velvety mycelium of the fungus:
‘black blight’. It must be
reniembered, however, that the damage done by the
itself the genus

Cupnodium), 1s insignificant, the:

accounts for the name

fungus (which is a_ species of
comparatively
injury to the tree being primarily due to scale insects
with which an attack of black blight is always associate d.
The attacks of the scale insects lower the vitality of the
trees by sucking the juices from the leaves and young
shoots. In cases where the fungus growth has developed
to such an extent as almost to cover the leaves, starch
formation is probably interfered with, as a result of the
exclusion of sunlight; but this is the limit of the action
of the fungus upon the plant, since it is not parasitic 1m
its habit, but occurs in connexion with the scales, as it.
finds nutriment and favourable conditions for growth in
the secretions formed by these insects.

The chief trees on which black blight occurs as
a pest in the West Indies are the orange, lime, mango,
breadfruit, sapodilla, guava, avocado pear, hibiscus,
Castilloa rubber, and coffee. Many other trees are
affected in a minor degree. Fortunately, cacao is not
susceptible to attacks from scales, but in one or two
instances, where the trees were growing under unfavour-
able conditions, black blight has been known to occur
on cacao in Grenada and Trinidad.

Prominent among the scale insects responsible for
the occurrence of black blight may be mentioned the

162

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 30, 1908.

various shield scales (Lecanium spp.), the glassy star
seale (Vinsonia stellifera), the orange mussel scale
(Mytilaspis citricola), the mealy shield scale (Protopul-
vinaria pyriforms), the
CUschnaspis filiformis). In addition there are a great

and black line seale
number of scale insects occurring on various trees ind
plants in the West Indies, some of which have probably

not yet been identified.

It is evident that any measures designed to
prevent or control the spread of black blight must be
directed against the scale insects. These pests are
well known in most parts of the world, and the total
loss caused by their depredations on fruit and vegetable
Broadly
speaking, there are three recognized methods of keep-
ing scale insects in check, and these have been adopted
with more or less success in different countries.

crops reaches an enormous figure annually.

The first method consists in encouraging, and if
necessary, introducing new species of the natural insect
enemies of the scales, of which there are many, both
predaceous and parasitic. Chief among the former are
various species of lady-birds, while the larvae of the iace-
winged flies (Chrysopa spp.) also do good service in
this direction. The parasitic enemies of the scales are
chiefly minute hymenopterous insects. The presence
of these latter is not always easy to recognize, but if on
examination, the common black seale is found to be
pierced with a minute round hole, it is a safe indica-
tion that parasitization has taken place. At-least three
species of scale insects occur in Grenada, which are also
prevalent in California, and which, in the latter country,
are parasitized by the hymenopterous insect Scutellista
cyanea. Reports from California state that the intro-
duction of S. cyanea from South Africa for parasitiza-
tion purposes has been attended with a very gratifying
of success.

measure Attempts are being made to

this valuable insect into Barbados, and if
these efforts are successful there should be a sufficient
number available in a short time for introduction into
the other islands. Where the natural insect enemies

«do not exist locally, however, their introduction and

introduce

acclimatization 1s necessarily a protracted and expensive
business. If the necessary funds were available, in
course of years reasonable hopes might be entertained
the ultimate development of this means of
controlling the scales.

as to

A second method for keeping the scale insects in
check consists in spraying them with some insecticide.
This forms the best method of direct attack in the
West Indies, and one which should be employed when-

ever practicable, and where the cost of the operation is
not prohibitory. - Details as regards the composition
found useful for
spraying purposes by officers of the Imperial Depart-
ment of Agriculture, will be fonnd in Pamphlet No. 7
of the Series issued by the Imperial Department,
entitled ‘Scale Insects of the Antilles’
(Part I), where also the chief scale insects preva-
lent in the West Indies are described and_ figured.

and use of mixtures that have been

Lesser

A knap-sack sprayer will usually be found most
convenient for ordinary estate purposes, more especially

For

trees of 20 to 30 feet high, however, a sprayer such as

in cases where the ground is rough and uneven.
the ‘ Frnitall’ type will be necessary. Trees should be
pruned before spraying and all useless branches lopped
off.
the liquid reaching all parts of the trees,

By this means there will be a better chance of
In dealing
with large trees badly attfected it has been recom-
mended that they should be lopped as closely as
possible, and the cuts tarred over, the whole being
afterwards thoroughly coated with a good lime wash.
Tn connexion with spraying, it is important to remem-
ber that clean cultivation is necessary, and all useless
trees and plants near by that are infested with black
blight should be ent down and burned, since the pest
is likely to spread from such vegetation to cultivated
trees.

In an island so badly infested with black blight as
is the case at Grenada, it is practically impossible
completely to exterminate the scale insects without the
expenditure of a sum of money which is not at present
warranted by the actual amount of damage caused by
Under the circumstances, it is all the more
incumbent upon individnal planters to keep the blight

these pests.

in check on their own estates by care in the exercise
of clean cultivation, and by the use of insecticides
wherever spraying is practicable.

In cases where trees growing along road sides or
on waste lands which are not under proper control are
affected with black bhght, the Government should
under take theduty of looking after and controlling the
pest, and thecost of doing so should be met from public
funds. The first operations should always be started
to windwardof the infested areas, in order to prevent
the spread of scale insects to trees already treated.

In California, the method of fumigating attected
trees, over which a moveable tent has first been erected,
has been adopted with considerable success by many
This device, however, is probably not
suitable for general adoption in the West Indies.

orange growers.

Vou. VII. No. 159.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

163

Seedling Canes in Jamaica.

The Barbados seedling canes B, 208 and B. 147,
and also the Demerara cme DP. 95, are reported to
have given very good results in Jamaica during the
past season, their powers of withstanding drought being
especially noticeable.

The Jamaica correspondent of the Louisiana Planter
refers to these canes in a letter published in the P/anter of
May 2, and states that the owner of one estate who was growing
several good varieties of cane regarded B, 208 as the best of
all on account of the power it had shown in resisting the
severe drought. Another estate owner is quoted as having
expressed the opinion that both B. 208 and B. 147, when
grown for stock food, are altogether superior to native
Jamaica canes.

At Mona estate as the result of three separate experi-
ments, two of ratoons and one of plants, B. 208 grew more luxuri-
antly than any other cane: it also gave the best crushing results
and the richest juice, with an increase of 50 per cent. over the
ordinary estate cane yield. Its superiority as second ratoons,
under conditions of drought, has also been well demonstrated.
It gave an inerease of 45 per cent. in sugar over the Jamaica
White Transparent cane. The cane D. 95 showed up well
under similar conditions. Equally encouraging reports on
the behaviour of these seedlings were obtained from other
estates. At Llandovery, in St. Ann, 3 acres of B. 208
were inentioned as having stood the drought well, while many
of the ordinary estate canes died out entirely

In consequence of the above results many planters are
reported to be planting larger areas of the seedling canes in
question.

Cuban Sugar Crop.

Reports from Cuba continue to speak of the short-
age in the 1907-8 sugar crop, although this deficiency
is not now believed to be so great as was at one time
anticipated. It is stated that neither the cane grow-
ers nor the factory owners will derive much benefit
from the prevailing higher prices sincé the former sold
their canes to the factory at a low contract price at the
beginning of the season, while the factory owners were
in many cases obliged to borrow money from the banks
at a high rate of interest. The following extract from
the report, dated April 26 last, of the Cuban correspon-
dent of the American Sugar Industry and Beet
Sugar Gazette gives some idea of the present situation
in the island :—

One million tons are nowregarded as the extent of the
present. season’s sugar crop, though there are: many who still
maintain that the output will be lower. The different
mills throughout the island are rapidly concluding their
grindings and almost without exception the returns are less
than calculated. The disastrous drought has continued with-
out interruption, and while it has facilitated grinding it has
reduced the available cane. The high prices at which sugar
is now quoted has done much to reconcile all to the shortness

of the crop. Fears are now to be entertained regarding the:
harvest of next year. The drought whic! rediiced the ontput
this year still continues, and the result is very bad upon the new
plantings. A few rains have fallen im vario:s parts of the
island, but they have been of Jittle good to the sugar (districts.
The plantings made before Christmas have already died for
want of moisture in many localities, while plantings of this
spring seem likely to have the same fite. The outlook at this-
time is certainly far worse than it was at the same time last
Had rains come at an opportine time this vear the
harvest would have been far better, despite Jast year’s drought.
The rains did not fall, however, nor has it fallen yet, and for
this reason the prospect is gloomy. The resources of the Cuban
soil are so great, however, that wonders may yet happen if
favourable weather sets in at any time soon.

season.

Capacity of Sugar Factories and Economy in
Production.

The accompanying note on the relationship
between the capacity of sugar factories and the economy
of production is taken trom the Americun Sugar
Industry and Beet Sugur Gazette (May 1908) :—

Since 1900 the tendency has been, in Porto Rico as in
Cuba and Hawaii, to increase the capacity of the plants in
order to secure more economical results. Experience has
shown that there is a limit to the capacity of such plants, at
Jeast in Porto Rico, and that it would pay better to have, for
instance, three centrals of 1,000 tons capacity each, in different
places, than one factory of a capacity of 5,000 tons. The only
saving in a very large factory is on the labour expenses, there-
being no expense for fuel in a well managed plant of any
size, and most of the other items being the same in either
case per ton of cane. The saving in labour could not reach
20c. per ton in the larger factory, and this would be
largely neutralized by the necessity of going much further
for the supply of cane. In fact the actual profit per
ton of cane in the big Porto Rican Centrals has been,
so far, much smaller than the protit in the well situated and
managed factories which have a capacity of no more than
700 to 900 tons.

¢

Evaporation from Sugar-cane Plants.

Some idea of the very large amount of water
which, over any given area, 1s daily taken from the soil
and evaporated into the air by the sugar-cane crop,
may be obtained from the followmg note. which appear-
ed in the Louisiana Planter of March 28 last :—

Professor Z. Kamerling, of the West Java Sugar
Experiment Station, has been determining the amount of water
evaporated by the sugar-cane under different conditions. In
one instance, with well developed canes, the quantity of water
evaporated during twenty-four hours, when the plants were
exposed to the direct rays of the sun only during the after-
noon, averaged from 183 to 292 grammes per plant. In
another instance, a plant of about six weeks’ growth, and
exposed to the sun during the entire day, evaporated 350:
grammes in twenty-four hours. The average result with nine
different plants, five months old, showed an evaporation of

1} litres [1 litre is equal to about 1 pints] of water per

day. It is stated that the factors most generally influencing
this activity of the plant are the distribution of the roots,
the physical condition of the soil, soil moisture content, leaf
temperature and sunlight conditions.

164

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

May 30, 1908.

@

WEST INDIAN MERU iar.

POSSIBILITIES OF A FRUIT-PRESERV-
ING INDUSTRY.

An article in the Jowrnal of the British Guiana
Board of Agriculture draws attention to the abundance
of fruit which prevails in the colony at certain seasons
of the vear, and the possibilities of profit’ which exist
if local enterprise were forthcoming to prepare this
fruit and pat it on the market in the form of a regular
supply of preserves. At present, it appears, little or
nothing is done in this way, despite the existence of
a local market, now supplied by imported preserves.
The mango, guava, Otaheite gooseberry. hog-plum, as
well as the carainbola, cherry, sorrel, and Seville orange
are mentioned as fruits occurring in quantity in
the colony, and which might form the raw material for
a preserving industry. With the experience gained
in catering for the jocal demand, something might
later be done to develop an export trade, At
local exhibitions held in) British) Guiana prizes are
regularly offered for jams and jellies, but this amount
of encouragement has not so far produced any very
marked result. A course of practical demonstration in
the preparation and putting up of preserves at various
centres in the colony might possibly be serviceable in
this direction.

BANANA INDUSTRY IN DUTCH
GUIANA.

From an article ‘Planting News in Surinam’
contributed to the April number of Vropical Life by
Dr. Van Hall, Director of Agriculture in Duteh Guiana,
the accompanying interesting paragraph dealing with
the establishment of the banana industry has been
taken :—

One of the most important steps undertaken by the
‘Government has the establishment of the banana
industry, to try and compensate the colony for the loss
occasioned by the cacao disease, and to afford help in’ carry
ing on the cacao plantations. To bring this about, an
Ordinance was passed to enable the planters to obtain finan
cialf assistance from the Government for carrying on the
cultivation of bananas. The Government advance was at the
rate of “about £30 per hectare [1 hectare = 23
for the first year of planting, and £15 for each follow
ing year, the amount to be refunded from the proceeds
of the crop, By, last April, about a thousand hectares had
been planted, and since then another 500 have probably

been

acres |

been added to this. With so large an area regular ship
ments of substantial dimensions are looked for, and
«a contract has been entered into with the United Fruit

Company to buy all the bunches produced. Their transport
is to be undertaken by four newly built fruit steamers of the
Dutch West Indian Mail line, and the first shipment was
wranged to be made on March 15, 1908. In spite of an
unusually heavy rainfall last year (in April alone about 27
inches were recorded), the industry looks very promising, and
the growth of the plants has been most satisfactory.

| a
PRESERVATION OF RED SORREL
FRUITS.

In the course of an article in the Natal Agri-
cultural Journal entitled “The Roselle or Jamaica
Sorrel’ (Hibiscus subdurifiv), so well known in the
West Indies, the following note is given on the preserva-
tion of the fruits :—

The roselle is well adapted for jam-making, giving
a palatable, easily-kept product if put up in earthenware or
Unfortunately the fruits contain an acid principle
which precludes them being put up as preserves in ordinary
tin-ware, and hence some failures have been experienced in this
respect. For pickles the fruit is well adapted, and it makes
an excellent condiment.

It has been found that the best method of handling the
fruit is to dry it after the removal of the seed pod. The
dried fruit has been kept in jars and tins for two or three
years in good order. The first preparation that is necessary
is the cutting off of the stem of the fruit, and the basal end
of the calyx [the calyx is the red-coloured edible portion] to
where the seed pod is united with the calyx, when a gentle
pressure with the fingers will force out the seed pod. Then
the fruit should be placed in some roomy, airy position (not
necessarily in the sun), in trays or on sheets on the floor,
allowing as much air to pass through and over the fruit as
possible. In a few days all supertluous moisture will have
evaporated, and. the dried article can be packed away in jars.
By this means roselles can be had in good condition all the
year round. All that is needful, when required for use for
jam, tarts, etc. is to take the quantity necessary and pour
over the fruit a little water, when it will absorb the moisture
and resolve itself into apparently fresh fruit. The large
grower has in this method a certain way of keeping such
surplus fruit as may not be in immediate demand, or which,
on account of low ruling prices, he may not wish at the
moment to put on the market. Fruit put up in this form
might be snecessfully exported to the London market,

glass.

Vou.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

165

-<N
)

, a 5
? re. f Bb p
a: ee.

“St e

=

yy

a)
N ap -

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET.

In their report of May 2 last, on'the sales of cotton
from the Sea Islands, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co.,
of Charleston, write :—

The sales for the week consisted of a small planters’ crop
of 15 bales for France. There was some further enquiry for
crops, but at lower prices than factors were willing to accept.

On May 9, Messrs. Frost write :—

The sales for the past week consisted of stained and
tinged cotton, together with a small lot slightly inferior in
class, at prices ranging from 5c, and above. The principal
buying was on account of French spinners, the exports of the
week being 267 bales to Havre. There 1S some enqury for
planters’ crop lots but the prices bid are much below the
present views of factors and planters, and consequently no sales
are reported.

WEST INDIAN COTTON AT
LIVERPOOL.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date of May 11 last, in refer-
ence to the sales of West Indian SeaIsland cotton on
the Liverpool market :—

Since our last report a better business has been done in
West Indian Sea Island Cotton, sales of about 600 bales
having been reported, but late business will increase that
figure to about 1,000 bales. The business has been chietly
in cotton about 144¢., including Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados,
Barbuda, Montserrat. Nevis, St Croix, St. Martin and Virgin
Islands. Several small lots of stains have been sold at from
6d. to 9d. per tb.

Prices are steadier. but we understand that the
buyers are purchasing for stock.

Many planters appear to have ignored the fact that
owing to the combination of most excellent trade conditions
and a short crop from Georgia and Florida, last season’s
prices were quite exceptional, and this season they do not
appreciate the acute trade depression which has followed the
financial panic of October last in New York. All raw
material has suffered in price, and the depression has prob-
ably been most acute in cotton.

All cotton has depreciated enormously; Egyptian has
fallen from 10d. to T4d., and many Egyptian houses have
suspended in consequence.

Orders for yarns have been cancelled wholesale, and
spinners have not had the courage to buy cotton to stock.
It is the worst reaction we have known for many years.

At present prices, or a shade under, we think that West
Indian cotton would be rapidly absorbed in a normal season.

chief

LEE 2G
DS O

SNe
TG ‘

ST. VINCENT CENTRAL COTTON
FACTORY.

The Annual Report (1906-7) on St. Vincent, just

to hand, contains the following note on the Central

Cotton Factory of the island:—

The Central Cotton Crinnery, erected in 1903-4, still
remains under the successful management of the officers of
the Imperial Departinent of Agriculture. The rate charged
for ginning and baling is fixed at 1d. per ftb., and at this
low rate a considerable profit results after paying for labour
and other outgoings. The lint again secured the highest
price in the English market, which fact is in a great measure
due to the care and expert supervision bestowed on the
ginning and preparation of the produce for export.

The disintegrator for crushing cotton seed was not used,
and practically all of the seed produced locally was sent to
Barbados It is much to be regretted that this
should be the case, but it is difficult to see how things can be
altered until ettective oil-extraction machinery has been
erected in the colony.

for sale.

COTTON EXPORTS OF ST. VINCENT.

Mr. W. N. Sands, Agricultural Superintendent
of St. Vincent, has forwarded the following table show-
ing the quantity and value ot the cotton exported from
St. Vincent each year since 1903-4. The figures are
for the period trom May 1 to April 30, but in tke case
of 1907-8 they cover only the period from May 1, 1907,
to March 31, 1908, since the figures for the shipments
of last April are not yet available :—

| g oj ane | =
= A 43 eae 3
| : = | 2s 2.
ic E ous Tat
Lol = | 2 Ss
od mA | 6 aS:
| tN sale |= =
| 1903-4 Not known. 43,392 | 794
1904-5 77,814 3,890 126,178 4,494
| 1905-6 121,174 6,059 ; 138,150 7,674
| 1906-7 532) 9)/) 16:92 205i 63036 18,169
| 1907-8 833 | 29,162 427,819 | 30,787
| oe
——-}} ———_ —
Total 813,453 Tb. (£56,033 998,575 tb. | £61,918 |
| as = = -; -

166

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 30, 1908.

CONFERENCE OF COTTON GROWERS AT BARBADOS.

A Conference of the cotton growers of Barbados
was held on May 15, in the Lecture Hall of the Free
Library, Bridgetown, under the auspices ot the Barba-
dos General Agricultural Society, for the purpose of
enabling planters and others to take stock of the
present situation in regard to the Cotton Industry.
The Hon'ble. Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., was present
with several officers of his Department. The Chair
was occupied by Hon. F. J. Clarke, C.M.G., Speaker of
the House of Assembly and President of the Agri-
cultural Society.

Sir Daniel Morris, in the introductory speech with
which he opened the meeting, expressed his conviction that
the conferences between scientific officers engaged in agri-
cultural work and members of the planting community,
inasmuch as they afforded an opportunity for the mutual
exchange of ideas respecting the treatment of crops on a large
scale, were calculated to be of benefit to all concerned. The
present Conference which had been arranged on his sugges-
tion by the Agricultural Society, was intended to deal with
the present circumstances and prospects of the Cotton Indus-
try. This industry was started in 1903 with only 16 acres
under cultivation. The value of the crop that year was only
a little over £300. Last year the area under cultivation was
5,000 acres, andthe value of the lint and seed reached £76,876.

According to figures supplied by Mr. J. R. Bovell, Agri-
cultural Superintendent of the island, this year the total area
under cultivation in cotton is 6,935 acres and the value of
lint and seed, in spite of low prices, is estimated not to fall
short of £100,000. It is evident that a new industry that
has shown such remarkable progress within so short a time is
deserving of the fullest consideration by those interested in
the welfare of this island.

With a view of placing cotton growers ina fovourable
position for carrying on the industry, a complete little hand-
book (A.B.C. of Cotton Planting) has been placed within the
reach of everyone. Further, the services of the officers of
the Department—the Entomologist and the Mycologist-—as
well as those of Mr. Bovell, are always at hand in
cases of difficulty, therefore no one should be at a_ loss as to
what ought to be done in cases of emergency.

We have already solved a good many problems which
confronted us when starting the industry. For instance, we
are now pretty well agreed that in the black-soil districts of
Barbados, the best time to plant cotton is from the beginning
of July to the middle of August ; whereas, on the higher lands
in the red-soil districts, the best planting season is from the
beginning of August to the middle of September.

In regard to planting distances, there is practically
little to add to what is already stated in the 4.B.C. of
Cotton Planting, p. 15. In a moderately poor soil the distan-
ces recommended are 5 feet between the rows and 20 inches
apart in the rows. In good land or land well manured, the
plants may be set wider apart, say, 6 feet between the
rows with the plants 18 inches apart in the rows.

In regard to the preparation of the land and manuring,
Mr. Bovell and others will offer suggestions based on exper-
ience during the last five years. These I commend to your
favourable consideration.

Seed selection is possibly one of the most important
matters requiring attention just now. The cotton plant is
of so plastic a character, and it is so easy to influence it by

skilful methods of seed selection, that it is within our power
to raise plants suited to almost any condition of soil and
climate, which at.the same time produce exactly the: charac-
ter of lint required by the spinners. It should also be within
our power to produce plants more or less immune to several
of the diseases from which they now suffer. <A striking
example of what is possible to be done in this direction is
that of a planter at Barbados. Last year he shipped 7 bales
of cotton raised originally from a single plant. This cotton
has been pronounced at Liverpool the most serviceable class
West Indies. Itis further stated that
during the last four plantings, it gave heavier yields than any
other variety. This remarkable result is within reach of
everyone who cares to devote close attention to seed selection.

As you are aware, owing to the general depression in
trade, prices are at present lower than at any time during
the past five years. On the other hand, on looking over the
average prices of fine Sea Island cotton during the last twenty
years (published in the Agricultural Vews, Vol. V, p. 279) it
will be observed that ten years ago prices were lower than they
are now, but they gradually improved until last year, they
reached the maximum of +more than 20d. per tb. When
trade improves there is no doubt that the price of Sea Island
cotton will also improve. In any case, at present Sea Island
cotton sells at three times the value of Upland cotton, so if
we are to grow cotton at all, a good, hardy and_ prolific
variety of Sea Island cotton is likely to suit these Colonies
better than any other.

ever produced in the

Professor d’Albuquerque addressed the meeting on
the subject of manuring Sea Island cotton. As stated
in the A.B.C. of Cotton Planting, experiments carried out
under the Imperial Department of Agriculture showed that the
best results were obtained by the application of a mixture
consisting of 300 tb. high grade superphosphate, 40 Ib. good
sulphate of potash, and 100 th. good sulphate of ammonia
per acre. ‘The plots which received the above mixture showed
a profit*of $12°99 per acre. These results are similar to
those obtained from corresponding experiments previously
carried out in theUnited States.

The necessity of keeping up the supply of humus in
the soils of Barbados was then referred to, and it
mentioned that many of the soils of the island, which
are naturally thin, show a humus content of no more than
from 1 to 3 per cent., and this notwithstanding the fact that
cultivation, with its regular return of large
amounts of organic matter to the soil, had been carried out
on these lands for such a long period. The growth of sugar-
cane was undoubtedly the best means of providing the
necessary humus, which was but imperfeetly supplied by
cotton-cake-meal or artificial organic manures, such as tankage,
dried blood, ete. In view of the fact that cotton did not
return anything like so much humus to the soil, planters in
Barbados would be well advised to regard cotton as one
crop in a rotation, of which the sugar-cane
Important part,

In connexion with the use of cotton-cake-meal for manu
rial purposes, it was mentioned that, taking asa basis the
Barbados cutton-cake
(undecorticated), 1,000 Ib, of such asnbstance, applied directly
to the land, would yield about the same amount of nitrogen
as that given by 200 tb. sulphate of ammonia, together with
about 50 tb. phosphate of lime, and potash equal to 30 bb.
sulphate of potash. It was pointed out, however, that the

Was

sugar-cane

formed an

average results of ten analyses of

WOr-= Vill Non 1159)

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 167

most economical method of using cotton-cake-meal was to
feed it to stock. With care, about 60 or 70 per cent. of the
fertilizing constituents could be saved in the manure, and in
that state they were in a much more readily available condi-
tion than in the original cotton-cake-meal.

In conclusion Professor d’Albuquerque made _ brief
reference to the method of disinfecting cotton seed by the use
of a solution of corrosive sublimate. Experiments had
shown that in consequence of the absorption of the corrosive
sublimate by the seed, and also by the wood of the vessel, it
was necessary, in order to ensure satisfactory results, to
prepare the solution only just before it is required, and to use
it for one lot of seed only. :

Mr. J. R. Bovell, Agricultural Superintendent of
Barbados, read a paper in which he dealt with the
preparation of the land for cotton, the sowing and_ cultiva-
tion of the crop, and the methods followed in the cotton
seed selection work carried on in Barbados. In regard to
the selection of land for cotton, Mr. Bovell stated, it would
appear that all parts of the island, with the exception
perhaps of some of the very heavy clay soils in the Scotland
district, were suitable for growing the crop. No hard and
fast rules could be laid down as to the amount of cultivation
required, but it was essential in all cases that the land
should be got into proper tilth some time before the seed is
to be sown. Land that had previously been planted in some
crop such as sweet potatos would naturally not require so
much tillage preparatory to cotton as a. field from which
a crop of second ratoons had recently been reaped. Similarly,
so large a quantity of manure would probably not be needed
by a cotton crop following plant. canes which had been well
manured as where the cotton came after a crop of second
ratoons.

The results that have so far been obtained indicate that

the best time for planting cotton seed in the black-soil
districts of Barbados is from the beginning of June or

middle of July to the middle of August, and in the red-soil
districts of the island from the beginning of August to the
middle of September. Occasionally, cotton planted out of
season has given good results, but only in exceptional cases.
Under no circumstances should more than one plant be
allowed to grow at each hole.

About 6 1b. of seed was mentioned as the quantity
required per acre under the ordinary circumstances of plant-
ing (with distances of 5 feet between the rows, and 20 inches
from plant to plant in the rows, and also when the rows are 6
feet apart, and the plants are at a distance of 18 inches from
each other in the rows). If the seed is of good germinating
power, four seeds should be planted at each hole, about an
inch deep. Later, the plants will be reduced to one at each
hole, the strongest naturally being the one left.

One of the chief points in the after-cultivation of the
crop cousists in keeping the cotton plants free from weeds.
As the growth of the crop advances, this work should be
done by “hand, since in weeding with a hoe there is a danger
of bruising the plants, and red. maggots are frequently found
in such bruises later on.

When the cotton has been gathered it is most important
that the different qualities should be sorted from each other,
and that any bits of leaf, stalks, ete., be removed from the
lint. If necessary the cotton should be whipped to remove
adhering dirt or sand, and it should be sunned for at least
a day, being afterwards bulked for about four to six weeks,
to allow some of the oil in the seeds to be absorbed by the
fibres. This causes them to be silky and lustrous.

Mr. Bovell then dwelt upon the great importance of
seed selection in connexion with Sea Island cotton cultiva-

tion, and gave a detailed account of the methods followed in
the cotton seed selection work carried on at Barbados under the
Imperial Department of Agriculture. The characteristics
of the plant taken into account in the selection work were
the productivity or total yield, the quality of the lint,
resistance of the plant to insect pests and fungoid diseases,
and the habit of the plant. Some two or three years ago,
three plants were selected on a certain estate at Barbados,
and the owner recently shipped to England 7 bales of
cotton, the progeny of one of these plants. Messrs. Wolsten-
holme and Holland, in their report on the shipment, stated
that it was the most serviceable class of cotton that had ever
been received from the West Indies.

A summary of the remaining papers read at the
Conference, together with Sir Daniel Morris’ conclud-
ing address, will be viven in the next issue of the
Agricultural News.

CROWN LANDS IN ST. VINCENT

The following note giving particulars of the grants
of Crown and other lands in St. Vincent made during
1906-7, appears in the Annual Report on the island
for that year :—

The price of ordinary Crown land is £1 per acre for
cash, and £2 if paid in instalments. A certain area is rented
out in small lots at 6s, 3d. an acre. ‘The law governing the
disposition and administration of these lands was consolidated
and simplified during the year under review.

The amount of Crown land proper granted.during 1906-7
was 253 acres, the number of grants issued being fifty-five, as
against forty-seven in the previous year ; while of eruption
Tenis (the latter being the estates acquired from the Eruption
Fund in 1902 for location of refugees, on which, however,
there were numerous tenants found, many of whom have since
acquired their holdings) grants were issued to 131 persons,
of which thirty-four were for small lots and ninety-seven for
house-spots.

The revenue from sales and rental of Crown lands,
not including eruption estates, was £407, as against £444
in the previous year; whilst the revenue from the eruption
lands aggregated £233, as against £208 in the previous

year.

COFFEE CULTURE IN SURINAM.

Dr. Van Hall, Director of Agriculture at Parama-
ribo, in the course of a brief article on present condi-
tions in Dutch Guiana, contributed to Tropical Life
for April last, writes as follows in regard to efforts that
are being made to re-introduce the cultivation of
Surinam coffee into the colony :—

In order to wean the small proprietors of the colony

from being wholly dependent on cacao culture, a large
number of coffee seedlings have been sold to them, so as to

encourage them as much as possible in again taking up the
old Surinam coffee cultivation, so prominent in former years.
The variety is a kind of Coffea arabica, yielding what was
known on the Amsterdam market as the ‘blue bean.’ At
one time this was a very favourite sort, but after the abolition
of slavery it was no longer a paying crop, and so the cultiva-
tion was abandoned. If, however, the small proprietors
continue to persevere with its cultivation in the near future as
well as they have done in the past ten years, then Surinam
coffee will make its appearance on the European
markets.

again

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. May 30, 1908.

’

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulaun &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and 'The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lané, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. Ad.

Agricultural dlews

Vou. VIL SATURDAY. MAY 30, 1908. No. 159.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The prevalence of black blight, usually attendant
upon attacks of scale insects, 1s discussed in the
editorial, where some particulars as to the recognized
methods of controlling the scales wall be found.

The seedling canes B. 208, B. 147 and D. 95 have
shown remarkable drought-resisting powers in Jamaica.
Drought still continues in Cuba, and plantings for next
year’s crop are being interfered with (p. 163).

The first shipment of bananas was recently made
from Dutch Guiana to New, York (p. 164).

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland’s latest report
speaks of an improved condition of Sea Island cotton
market at Liverpool. On page 166 is given the first
part of a report of the proceedings at the conference of
cotton growers lately held at Barbados.

Under Insect Notes (page 170) a brief article gives
remedies for the treatment of the red spider, a pest
which sometimes attacks sweet potatos in the West
Indies. Other interesting notes on the same page deal
with the parasite of the black scale, and a cocoa-nut
palm blight reported from Lagos.

A review of the 1906-7 report on the Botanic
Station, Experiment Plots, and also on Agricultural

fducation in Antigua, appears on page 175. On the
following page some interesting particulars are given as
to the methods adopted in tobacco cultivation in
Hawan.

Protection of Bananas from Insect Pests.

The United States Consul at Brisbane reports
that a regulation has been passed by the Queensland
Department of Agriculture, providing that all bananas
intended for export to Victoria shall be covered with
fine cloth netting for three weeks prior to plucking the
bunch. This has been found by experiment to be an
etfective protection against the Queensland fly, which,
when introduced, works serious ravages in the orchards.
This regulation harmonizes with the Victorian State
regulation, which forbids the importation of bananas
unless they have heen so protected.

oo

Molasses 2s a Stock Food.

The fattening effects of molasses when used as
a stock food are well kuown, and in Great Britain, there
are many proprietary feeding-stutfs on the market of
which molasses is the chief constituent. In Louisiana, itis
reported, the practice of feeding this material to.draught
animals,as a regular portion ef their daily ration,is grow-
ing in favour. From figures collected by an official at
the Louisiana Experiment Station, it appears that
about 10 tb. of molasses per head is the average
quantity fed to the horses and mules. Some green
food, such as pea vines or cane tops, are chopped and
mixed with the mylasses, as well as afew pounds of
some concentrated food. such as cake or corn. It is
always desirable to begin with small amounts of molasses
when this materialbis first. introduced into a ration.

The conclusions drawn from the data colleeted in
Louisiana are certainly in accord with the generally
accepted view that molasses, where it is available at
resonable prices, constitutes a nutritious and easily
digested, as well as economical, constituent of a ration
for draught animals,

rr

Sulphate of Ammonia from Peat.

A method for producing sulphate of ammonia
from peat, known as the Woltereck process, his lately
been patented, and works have been crected in
County Antrim, Ireland, in the neighbourhood of which
there is an abundant supply of the raw material. ‘The
process consists in passing a mixture of air and water
vapour over peat kept at a low grade of heat in specially
devised furnaces. Ainmonia is one of the chief gases
given off, and this is Jed into an acid tower, where it is
absorbed by sulphuric acid, forming sulphate of
ammonia. Acetic acid is another product of the process.
The holders of the patent claim that a yield of sulphate
of ammomia equal to 5 per cent. of the dried peat can
be relied upon, and estimate the cost of production of
the ammoninm sulphate at £5 8s. 3d. per ton. Consid-
ing that there isin Europe alone, an area of bog land,
useless for agricultural purposes, of 136,137,750 acres,
it will be seen that the new process will have ample
scope, and any means of adding to present supplies, and
reducing the cost of nitrogenous fertilizers wall be
welcomed by agriculturists all the world over.

Vout. VII. No. 159.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS, 169

Rubber in New Guinea.

From the particulars contained in a note in the
Bourd of Trade Journal (No. 589) it would appear
that the natural conditions which exist in Papua (New
Guinea) are especially suited for the cultivation of
rubber trees. The territory possesses a large area of
easily accessible virgin forest and other Iand near the
‘coast, and there are tracts of equally good land in the
interior. It is mentioned that in one district there
are cultivated Para rubber trees, three and a half years
old which are 18 inches in circumference at 3 feet above
the ground, and seeding in their fourth year, which gives
evidence of early maturity. ‘hese trees were raised
from sced. Other trees, notably the rubber-producing
Ficus elastica, it is stated, have also shown remark-
able development during four years of growth.

rr +

Canadian Cattle and the West Indies.

As aresult of the interest that has lately been
created on the subject of increased trade between the
West Indies and Canada, the Dominion Government
recently sent Mr. E. B. Elderkin of the Live Stock
branch of the Canadian Department of Agriculture,
to the British West Indies, to enquire into and report
upon the prospects of extending the trade in live stock
between Canada ~and- these colonies. Mr. Elderkin
visited Demerara, ‘Urinidad—where he addressed
a meeting of the Agricultural Society on the subject
of his mission—and Barbados, and also ealled at some
of the Northern Islands.

While the Dominion would naturally reap the
chief benefit from increased trade in this direction,
yet there is no doubt that West Indian stock owners
might with advantage look to the Canadian market for
animals for stud purposes, since the Dominion is so
famous for the excellent qualities of its breeds of live
stock,

Rice Cultivation in Argentina.

An official document giving particulars of the rice-
growing industry of Argentina was lately issued by the
Agricultural Department of the republic. From this
it appears that rice cultivation is on the increase, and
the crop is now grown in six or seven provinces, the
total area devoted to this cereal being nearly 11,000
acres. It is in the province of Tneuman that rice
growing receives most attention, and this province
contains more than half the total acreage under the
crop. The average production of rice per acre is estimated
at about 15 tons (2,640 1b.). The rice-growing land is
comparatively cheap: there is a sufticient rainfall in
the provinces mentioned, while the numerous rivers
afford facilities for irrigation, and mannal labour js
not expensive. Last year the total production of rice
in Argentina amounted to about 13,000 tons. ‘The
quality is somewhat inferior, but it is believed that
great improvement would result if more care were
-shown in the selection of the seed.

Sorghum Poisoning.

The Journal of Agriculture of Victoria contains
an article, contributed by the chief veterinary officer of
the State, on the danger of feeding green sorghum
(also known as Guinea corn and millet) to cattle, and
from the particulars given it would seem that the risk of
poisioning, which is due to prussic acid contained in
the plant, is in an inverse ratio to the vigour of the grow-
ing crop, Since prussic acid is found present 1n increased
quantity in stunted crops and during dry seasons, while
it is almost absent in the case of plants that have grown
quickly on moist land. Second growths, which are
usually inferior in quantity and quality, are also stated
to be more dangerous than first crops. The amount of
prussic acid present in the plant is also largely increased
as the result of heavy dressings of nitrogenous manures.

The prussic acid is present in dangerous amount
only in certaim stages of growth, from five to seven
weeks usually, and gradually disappears shortly after
the blossoming stage when the ears begin to form.
By the time the seed is ripe the poison has completely
disappeared.

Green sorghum should be ted only in small quantity,
and never when in an immature state. If the plant is
put in the sun to dry after cutting, the danger quickly
disappears, since prussic acid is a volatile compound.

An article dealing with the subject of ‘Green
Sorghum Poisoning’ appeared in the West Luadian

Bulletin (Vol. IL], p. 326).

Preservation of Pen Manure.

The losses undergone by farmyard manure (which
in England corresponds to the pen manure of the West
Indies), and various methods of preventing these
losses form the subject of an instructive article in the
Journal of the British Board of Agriculture and
Fisheries (April 1908). The loss from the manure is
chiefly one of nitrogen, which passes off as ammonia.
Several preservative agents have been tried which,
when mixed with the fresh manure, either combine
with the liberated ammonia, thus preventing its
volatilization, or have the effect of reducing the bacterial
action which results in the formation of the ammonia.
Nearly all these agents, however, are reported as being
too costly to be satisfactory. Gypsum (calcium
sulphate) is one of the materials that has been longest
in use in this way, but the quantity required is too
large for the process to be economical, Another draw-
back to the use of this material is that it is liable
to be itself reduced to calcium sulphide by bacterial
action, and this latter compound has an injurious effect
on plant life. Kainit is somewhat more satisfactory in
preventing the volatilization of the ammonia, but it
is stated that experiments carried out in Germany have
shown that the only practical method of reducing the
losses of nitrogen is by placing a layer of old well-rotted
farmyard manure as a basis for the new manure
heap. This always resulted in smaller losses, a result
which is thought to be due to the constant evaporation
of carbon dioxide from the layer of old manure, this
carbon dioxide combining with the free ammonia to
form ammonium carbonate.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 30, 1908

Red Spider on Sweet Potatos.

In a letter to the Imperial Commissioner of Agri-
culture, Dr. Watts. C.M.G., writes that 8 acres of
sweet potatos on an estate in Antigua were seriously
attacked by what seemed to be red spider, and speci-
mens of potato Jeaves with the pest on them were
forwarded for examination.

Dr. Watts states that he learns that such an attack is
very unusual in Antigua and inquires whether it is known in
other places.

On examination of the material received at the Head
Office, it has been found that the surmise as to the nature of
the pest is a correct one. Red spider is present in large
numbers on the leaves and stems.

This is not a rare occurrence in other places, the attacks
being always much worse in very dry weather than during
the rainy season. The following account of the red spider
(Tetranychus telarius) of the sweet potato is taken from the
pamphlet, published by the Imperial Department of Agricul-
ture in 1906, entitled ‘Lectures to Sugar Planters’ :

‘The red spider is not an insect but a near ally of the
trne spiders, and its minute size renders it difficult of observa
tion.

‘Sweet potatos attacked by this pest are easily recognized.
The leaves curl up, turn yellow and drop off. The vines
wither and the plants do not form large tubers. The red
spider may be found in enormous numbers on the leaves of
these plants, and it will spread from one spot, slowly extend-
ing over a whole field. There are two simple remedies for
this pest—spraying with kerosene emulsion, and dusting
with lime and sulphur.’

The spraying could be done with any of the portable
sprayers, such as the ‘Success’ knapsack or the ‘ Autospray,’
and the dusting with lime and sulphur, in equal parts, would
be done in the same way as the dusting to control the leat-
blister mite of cotton.

Severe outbreaks of red spider on sweet potatos have
Barbados during the past few years, and the
prompt application of sulphur and lime tas resulted in
marked improvement of the condition of the potato vines.

oceurred in

The Parasite of the Black Scale.

The parasite of the black scale of cotton (Lecaniwim
nigrum) which has been mentioned in recent numbers
of the Agricultural News (see Vol. VI, pp. 154 and
314) is proving to be very useful im checking the
attack of the insect on cotton in Barbados.
During the past year on several estates it has been
noticed than the black scale has seemed to affect the
cotton less than formerly, although it has been present
in large numbers. been found
that many of the scales have been parasitized.

scale

In such eases it has

The parasite has proved to be a very interesting insect
{t has been studied, through the kindness of Dr. L. O.

Howard, Chief of the Bureau of Entomology, United States
Department of Agriculture, by Mr. Crawford, one of the
assistants at the Bureau of Entomology, who has found that
it is of a new genus and new species. He has given it the
name Zalophothrir mirum. Dr. Howard, writing to the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, states that from its
structure and relationships, it would be expected to be parasi-
tic on the eggs of other insects, perhaps the eges of the cock-
roach, and it is very interesting to find it a parasite of
a scale insect.

The relation of insect host and insect parasite is always
of interest.. Itas not possible to tell how far attacks of the
seale insect will be controlled by the activities of the parasite,
but the more favourable the conditions for the rapid increase
of the scale insect or host, the more favourable will they be
for the development of the parasite, and the greater will be
the proportion of the ‘host destroyed by the parasite.

Another factor comes in, at times, in the form of second
ary parasites. These are not to be regarded as beneficial insects,
though they are parasitic in their habits. They attack the
beneficial parasites and tend to reduce their numbers. It will
be seen how complex this subject is,and how these minute
insects help to maintain the balance of nature.

Up to the present time no secondary parasites of the
black scale have been found, so that it is hoped that the parasite
Zalophothrix mirum will increase with sufficient rapidity to
reduce the black scale to inconsiderable numbers.

A Cocoa-nut Palm Blight at Lagos.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has
recently received from the Under-Secretary of State
for the Colonies a report by Mr. H. N. Thompson,
Conservator of Forests for Lagos, dealing with the
occurrence of a scale insect on cocoa-nut palms in the
Badagry district of that colony.

It is reported that the presence of the pest on the trees
is indicated by the yellow and brown colours assumed by the
leaves as a result of the feeding of enormous numbers of the
scale insects, which are to be found on the under surface of
the leaf and on the fruit. Badly infected trees lose all their
leaves except the apical shoot and one or two of the youngest
leaves, the oldest leaves on the tree being the first attacked.
‘The growth of the tree is often seriously checked, and the
fruit falls off while small and immature.

The attack is at its worst in the wet season, while the
dry days and bright sun of August seem to have an effect in
lessening the severity of the attack.

Other trees badly attacked by this scale insect in Lagos
are the papaw, banana, sweet sop, cashew nut, and mango.
Yams are also badly attacked ; roses are affected to a slight
extent, and in one instance only the oil palm is recorded
as being attacked.

The recommendations for preventing the spread of the
disease and for reducing the severity of the attack include
the burning of all infected parts of the cocoa-nut palm, and
other trees and plants attacked by the same scale insect, and
the preventing of the importation of unhusked cocoa-nuts
from diseased areas unless they have been sterilized by being
thrown into a fire for half a minute or so.

The scale insect’ of the cocoa-nut in the West Indies
is Aspidiotus destructor, and though it may not be the same
as that in Lagos, yet in its manner of attacking the leaf and
fruit it is very similar to it.

Vota VLE No: 1/59: THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

RUBBER iN JAMAICA.
The Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society
for April last contains the following note on rubber-
planting prospects in the island :—

Rubber planting as an industry on Jamaica estates has
only begun of late years, and up.till now there has been no
systematic tapping of trees and keeping, of statistics of yield,
on which commercial calculations of the profitableness or
otherwise of the business might be based.

From the standpoint of a profitable industry there is
a good hope in rubber, especially as, although the trees
require good soil, they can be grown to advantage in many
places, dry or wet, upland or lowland, or in patches. Rubber
planting would not only be of value in creating a new and profit-
-able industry, but would incidentally assist in reafforesting
the more select lands.

In regard to suitable varieties, it has been advised that
Manicoba rubber is best fitted for certain dry parts; Virgen
rubber (Sapium sp.) for certain select parts of the mountains,
and Castilloa and Para for moist lowlands, up to 1,800 feet.
The last-named may also grow up to 2,000 feet, but this
would require test.

PLANTATION RUBBER IN_ 1907.

The following particulars are taken from a review
of the plantation rubber industry during 1907, issued
by Messrs. Lewis & Peat, rubber brokers of London :—

During the year the imports of plantation-grown
rubbers to London have amounted to about 1,100 tons,
against 500 tons during 1906 and 150 tons in 1905, of which
abont 250 tons came from Ceylon and 750 tons from Malaya.
Only comparatively small parcels have so far been sent from
Southern India, Burmah, Mergui, and from Java, Sumatra
and Borneo. We have good reports of the plantations in the
West Indies, Honduras, Nicaragua, and parts of Mexico, but
no Para has been tapped in those countries as yet, and only
small parcels of Castilloa have come to hand. An interesting
parcel, but only of a few hundredweights, of Para from Brazil,
prepared on the Ceylon system, was sold recently at a fraction
less than Eastern lots. This was from old trees, and was
certainly exceptionally strong but very dark in colour. Prices
now show avery serious decline from the high rates ruling
in 1906, This fall has taken place in sympathy with fine
Para from Brazil, and has been caused chiefly by increased
supphes and the financial crisis in America and the conse-
quent temporary closing of many of the factories. At the
opening sale of the year plantation, grown Para stood at 5s. 8d.,
and after touching 5s. 10d. in March fell right away to 3s. Sd.
in November, with one rally of 6d. per Ib. in June. At the
closing sale, No. ] was selling at 3s, 10d. after having touched,
4s. 2d. in the previous auction. The exports of rubber from
Brazil during 1906 amounted to nearly 42,000 tons, against
the previous crop of 58,000 tons.

Very little Castilloa rubber was sold in London during
the year, but shipments are increasing from the West Indies,
Central and South America. The preparation has improved,
and some lots have been very nearly equal to ordinary
plantation biscuits. A few lots from Java and Sumatra have
arrived in a very low heated condition, making them almost
unsaleable. Supplies fron Mexico, which promised a few
years ago to come in large quantities, have. up to now been
very smal] and unimportant, and many large estates that have
been planted for from ten to twelve years so far seem failures,
and we hear of many estates being abandoned in certain
districts.

RULES FOR MILKING.

Some rules worthy of note by milkers appeared
in a recent number of Farm Life, and are given
below, with a few alterations and additions :—

Be careful to draw off all the milk to the last drop,
because the last milk extracted is the richest in cream. [It
may also be added that unless the animal is milked dry on
each occasion, the daily yield tends rapidly to fall off].

Milk at the same time every day.

In milking use all five fingers and not merely the thumb
and fore-finger.

To milk successfully young restive keep one of
the fore feet raised. Never strike the animals or be rough
with them. [The foolishness of being rough will be recog-
nized when it is remembered that the cow herself has control
over the milk-yielding system, and regulates at will the ease
with which the milk is drawn. When subject to fright or
ill-treatment the difficulty of extracting the milk is at once
very much increased, and the full quantity is never obtained
in such cases].

Always keep the hands clean, and also the cow’s udder
and the dairy utensils.

cows,

NOMENCLATURE OF EDDOS AND
SWEET POTATOS.

As a result of the publication in the Agricultural
News (Vol. VI, p. 405) of a list of the eddos and sweet
potatos cultivated at Barbados on land under the care
of Mr. J. R. Bovell, Agricultural Superintendent of the
island, an application for tubers of several varieties
Was received by the Imperial Commissioner from
Mr. O. W. Barrett, of the Bureau of Plant Industry,
U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The following notes on the nomenclature of a few
of the eddos mentioned in the list in gree are
given as the result of suggestions offered by Mr. Barrett,
in reference to varieties Sith which he had _ consider-
able experience while engaged at the Porto Rico
Experiment Station :—

= This) =nseea.
with ‘ Rolliza, as

Cuban
also is

variety and
‘Trinidad

Malanga Blanca.
is probably identical
Yellow.’

Guayamera.—The name ‘ Guayamera’ is a local one, and
the term ‘ Colorado’ (which means ved throughout Spanish
America) is preferable for this variety, which is one that is
easily confused with the ‘ Prieta’ eddo.

Malanga (Bea Cuba).—This should read
Cuba).’

Amarilla and Gris Amarilla.— For the purpose of
avoiding confusion these varieties have been renamed. In
the case of the first, the term ‘Amarilla’ has been dropped in
favour of ‘ Martinica.’ The word ‘ Gris ° has also been
dropped fromthe old name of the second, which is now
known simply as ‘ Amarilla.’

Belembe.—This variety does not produce tubers, but the
leaves when boiled have a better flavour than those of the

*Malanga (via

common eddo.
Taro Japanese.—This eddo is of the dasheen type, but it
appears to be inferior to the West Indian dasheens.
In reference to the list of sweet potatos, Mr. Barrett
suggests that the proper name of the variety known locally
s* Van Ness Red’ is ‘Van Nest Red’ and similarly that the

name ‘ Vineless Beech’ should read ‘ Vineless Bunch.’

THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 30, 1908.

Mr. H. H. Cousins, M.A., has been appointed Director
of Agriculture and Island Chemist of Jamaica, at a salary of
£850 per annum with official residence.

The London Produce Markets Review estimates a
shortage of 530,000 tons of sugar on the cane crop of the
world for 1907-3.

The first shipment of bananas, comprising about 2,500
bunches, was recently made from Dutch Guiana to New
York by the Royal Dutch West India Mail line.

Dr. R. H. Lock, of the University of Cambridge, has
been appointed Assistant Director of the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Peradeniya, Ceylon.

Although it is not yet possible to give complete figures
showing the cotton exports from St. Vincent for 1907-8, the
total crop of the season is estimated at 432,000 tb.

A valuable and well-illustrated series of articles, entitled
“The Manufactare of Sugar from the Sugar-cane,’ 1s now
appearing in the West India Committee Circular. The first
article was published in the Crren/ar of March 3 last.

The Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (March
1908) recommends a mixture of 2 parts lard, | part kerosene,
and | part flowers of sulphur, as being most useful for the
purpose of destroying parasitic insects on sitting hens. The
materials should be made into a paste, and rubbed on those
parts of the hen’s body which are attacked by the insects.

In his address at the opening of the present session of
the Combined Court of British Guiana, the Governor of the
colony referred to the increased activity shown of late in the
collection of balata. While the quantity exported in 1905-6
was 650,000 tb., the shipments for 1907-8 were estimated to
reach at least 950,000. Ib.

The disposal of the present season’s crop of cotton seed
at St. Croix formed the subject of a note in the Agricultural
News of May 2 (Vol. VIT, p. 140). In this connexion we are
authorized by Messrs. H. E. Thorne & Son, Ltd., of Barba-
dos, to state that they will be pleased to purchase cotton seed
froni St. Croix growers who have supplies for disposal.

The prospeets of coffee planting have of late years rapidly
improved in Mexico. Modern methods of curing the beans
have been adopted on all the larger plantations, and it is
estimated that 1907-8 will
50,000,000 Ib. Reports from the coffee districts, received
some months ago, state that there was every prospect of an
excellent crop. (U.S. Consular Reports.)

the coffee exports for reach

A contagious disease affecting mules and horses, and
known as epizootic lymphangitis, is ofticially reported as
having been just discovered among a batch of mules recently
imported into British Guiana from the United States. The
affected animals have isolated, and it is stated that
every precaution is bemg taken to prevent the spread of
the disease.

been

Mr. Jones reports that a plant of Bathkea insiynis,
received in 1905 from the Royal Gardens, Kew, has recently
flowered at the Botanic Station, Dominica. This is a striking
species of the Leguminosae, a native of tropical Africa, and
its flowering at Dominica is an event of some interest. The
petals are long, strap-shaped, and beautifully white, unlike
any other member of the pea family.

The spread of the prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) is
a source of anxiety in South Africa and Australia, but from
particulars given in a recent bulletin of the Bureau of Plant
Industry (U.S. Department of Agriculture) it appears that
the plantis largely grown in Mexico for the sake of its
edible fruits. Different plants vary somewhat in character-
istics, and it is thought that by selection, a good deal might
be done to render the plant more useful for food purposes,

The United States Consul at Valencia, Spain, reports
great depression in the Spanish orange-growing industry.
Growers have been foreed to sell their fruit at prices which,
after deducting packing expenses, freight, etce., leave practi-
cally no profit whatever. It is stated that Jamaica and
Jatta oranges are more popular than Valencias on the British
market, and Spanish oranges are unable to compete with the
more favoured varieties.

A bulletin giving particulars of work with sugar-cane
seedlings at the Harvard Botanical Gardens, Cuba, was lately
issued, and it is stated that the Barbados seedling B. 109
has given good results when crossed with Cuban canes. The
Demerara seedling D, 95 is also reported to have given
excellent results in this way. D. 95, it may be mentioned too,
gained a very high position in trials with sugar-cane seedlings
carried out at the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Experiment
Station.

Many varieties of chillies (Capsicum annuum) are grown
in Roumania. The young plants (raised in seed-beds} are set
out on light soil, in warm positions, at distances of from 10 to
IS inches apart. With the exception of abundant applica-
tions of water (which have a great influence on the yield of
fruit) and occasional hoeings, the crop receives little attention.
The chillies are very popular with the Roumanians; being
eaten in the green state and as salads, as well as cooked, and
as condiments with meat.

In connexion with the various articles on the cultivation
of ground nuts that have lately appeared in the Agricultural
News, it may be mentioned that these nuts and their
products have many uses. In the United States enormous
quantities of ground nuts are used for confectionary purposes.
Ground nut oil is a valuable product and the chief substitute
for olive oil. The best grade is used for culinary purposes,

while lower grades are used in soap- manufacture, for
lubricating and illuminant purposes. The cake left after

the expression of the oil is a valuable stock food.

Vor. VII. No. 159.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

173

ANTIGUA:
EXPERIMENT

REPORTS ON BOLANIC STATION,
PLOTS: \ AND CAGRIOCULLVORAL
1906-7.

EDUCATION,

Rather more than half this report is of a general nature,
being comprised of a historical account of the Botanic
Station, of the experimental work carried out at Antigua,
the development of the various agricultural industries, and
the progress made with agricultural education in the island,
during the years 1898-1907, with the assistance of the
Imperial Department of Agriculture. The report is well
illustrated with photographic : reproductions.

The first Botanic Station at Antigua was established at
Clare Hall in 1889. In 1894, however, the Station was
transferred to Victoria Park, St. John’s, and when the
Imperial Department of Agriculture was organized i in 1898,
the Antigua Botanic Station in common with others in the
West Indies came under its control. At the same time,
Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., (till now Government Analytical
Chemist at Antigua) was appointed Agricultural Chemist for

the Leeward Islands colony. In 1902, Dr. Watts became
Superintendent of Agriculture for the Leeward eee The
present Curator of the Antigua Botanie Station, Mr. J. Jack-

son, Was appointed in 1905.

The most important and successful efforts of the Imper-
ial Department of Agriculture in Antigua have been those
connected with the sugar-cane experiments, and the introdue-
tion of the Sea Island cotton industry. A series of sugar-
cane experiments was started in Antigua in 1889, by the
local Government. Nine years later, on the establishment of
the Imperial Department, experiments on a much more
extensive scale were instituted, and have since been carried
on under practical estate conditions, in several parts of the
island, The value of these varietal tests and manurial_ trials
is fully appreciated by the planting community of the island,
and great interest is shown in the annually published reports
on the work done.

The Sea Island cotton industry of Antigua dates from
1903-4, when an area of about 500 acres was planted, and the
exports of lint amounted to nearly 28,000 tb.

The increasing interest taken in the cultivation is indica-
‘ted by the fact that the shipments of lint were prac tically
doubled each succeeding year from 1903-4 to 1906-7. In the
last named year between 1,800 and 1,900 acres were planted
with cotton. The season was unpropitious, but over 180,000 tb.
of lint were exported, Conditions are not so encouraging at
the present for increase in the cotton area, but it is hoped
that the depression is only temporary.

At the two Experiment Stations at Scott’s Hill and
Skerrett’s, experimental work in connexion with the cultiva-
tion of such crops as sweet potatos, yams, cassava, miaize,
broom corn, and lemon grass, has been in progress for some
years, with the result that considerable information of local
value has been obtained. The experiments dealing with
various points in relation to cotton cultivation are especially
worthy of mention, a)

Other means by which the Imperial Department has
endeavoured to assist the agricultural interests of
Antigua have been the provision of stud animals for the
purpose of improving the breeds of stock, the
ment of periodical visits to diffeyent districts by the Curator
of the Botanie Station for the purpose cf giving advice and
demonstrations to planters and small cultivators, the provision
of facilities for agricultural edueation, and the regular hold-
ing of Agricultural Shows. Under the encouragement it has
received, agricultural teaching’ and school garden work in
connexion with elementary schools have reached a high stage
of development in Antigua. Practically all the schools of
the island possess garden plots, and all elementary school
teachers are now required to be proficient in the elements of
scientific agriculture, and to teach the subject in their schools.
In order to give the same facilities for instruction to the
children of the middle and upper classes of the island, an
Agricultural and Science Master (Mr. A. H. Kirby, B. A.)
was appointed by the Imperial Department of Agriculture
and primarily attached to the Antigua Grammar School
in 1903.

Coming to the work of the year under review, it is
seen that the sum expended in connexion with the Botanic
Station and Experiment plots PLACE to £527 2s. 6d.; the
total receipts for the year were £232 10s, 8d., the receipts
for the sale of plants, ete., bemg £18 lls.

During the year 2,880 plants were distributed from the
Botanic Station, in addition toa large number of cuttings
and seeds of economic plants.

The rainfall in 1906-7 was 58:92 inches. This
23°82 inches in excess of the previous year, and 7°39 inches
more than the average for the five years preceding.

The usual experiments with various food crops, cotton,
green dressings, citrus fruits, ete., were continued at Secott’s
Hill and Skerrett’s. The work done in this way is of a very
practical nature.

The work of the Agricultural and Science Master
followed in general the lines adopted in the previous years,

various

local arrange-

Was

also

at the Antigua Grammar School and at the Girls’ High
School. A series of lectures was given to the students at the

Female Training C lege, and a further course of lectures to
teachers in elementary schools.

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

With the approval of the Right Honourable the
Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Imperial
Commissioner of Agriculture will proceed to the United
Kingdom on duty leave on June 2 next. It is proposed
that Sir Daniel Morris will attend the Sea Island Cotton.
Conference to be held under the auspices of the British
Coiton-growing Association at Manchester from August
5 to August 11, and devote attention to other matters
in which the West Indies may be interested.

Mr. W. N. Sands, Agricultural Superintendent of
St. Vincent, left for England by the R.MS. ‘ Atrato’
on May 19 last, on vacation leave of absence.

Mr. Geo. F. Branch, Agricultural Instructor at
Grenada, returned from England by the R.M.S. ‘ Tagus’
on May 13 last, after six months leave of absence.

Vi4

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

May 30, 1908.

TOBACCO CULTIVATION IN HAWAII.

During the past three or four years extensive experi-
mental work in connexion with the cultivation and
preparation of tobacco has been carried on in Hawaii,
and judging from the results of this work as embodied
in Bulletin 15 of the Hawaiian Agricultural Experi-
ment Station, tobacco cultivation promises to become
one of the staple industries of the territory.

For the cultivation of tobacco a light, porous, well-
drained soil containing a Jarge percentage of humus is
necessary. The great proportion of the soils of Hawaii meet
these requirements. As regards climatic requirements, it is
stated that ideal conditions, from the tobacco grower’s point
of view, exist on the slopes of the higher mountains, where
cloud belts gather daily. The natural shade thus provided
would do away with the necessity for supplying artificial
shade. Under these conditions it would be possible to
produce tobacco yielding a good proportion of leaves suitable
for wrapper purposes. The burn of the Hawaiian tobacco
was reported upon as exceptionally good. Burning qualities
of the tobacco leaf appear to depend upon the texture of the
soil, its percentage of clay, and its water-holding capacity.

In preparing seed-beds for tobacco plants, the workers
at the Experiment Station recommend that the soil should
be sterilized previous to use. In cases where live steam is
not available, a simple device, which may be made use of by
any grower, is described in the pamphlet. It is important
that the soil of the seed-bed should be exceptionally rich,
more particularly in organic matter. It is necessary that the
soil should also be thoroughly cultivated to a fine tilth. The
best results are only obtained when the growth of the plant
is foreed throughout the entire period.

By the erection of a suitable framework over the seed-
beds provision was made by means of which a covering of
muslin may, when necessary, be utilized to shade the young
The seed is thinly scattered over the surface
The necessity for

tobacco plants.
of the seed beds, and lightly raked in.
keeping the soil suitably moist is emphasized.

It is recommended that plants in the seed-bed should
be fully exposed to the air for a week before transplanting so
harden them off. They are best transplanted when
from seven to ten weeks old. The soil of the field should
have undergone good preliminary tilling before the plants
are set out, and the crop is one which needs plenty of manure.

It is pointed out that soil on which tobacco is to be
cultivated should contain abundance of lime, and the most
suitable manures are probably about 2 ewt. of basic slag
together with the same quantity of sulphate of potash, per
acre, sown broadeast and harrowed in, some months before
the plants are set out. Potash should not be applied to
tobacco in the form of potassium chloride, since the chlorine
is detrimental to the burning qualities of the leaf. An
application of nitrogenous fertilizer, one-half of which should
be at once available, e.g., as nitrate of soda, and one-half in
organic form, as dried blood or cotton seed meal, should be
given at the time of transplanting.

Tobacco plants should preferably be transplanted on
cloudy days. In the case of Cuban and Sumatra varieties
they should be set out 25 inches apart in the row. Other
varieties, 24 inches apart in the row. The rows should be
from 42 to 48 inches apart. After-cultivation consists in
weeding and loosening the soil, After the plant is well estab-
lished, however, only light hand-hoeing can be carried on
owing to the danger of damaging the roots of the plant.

The pamphlet contains description and plans of barns
It is estimated that for over

as to

suitable for curing operations.

100 acres of tobacco, 10,000 cubic yards of barn space will be
necessary for curing operations, assuming that the structures
are provided with artificial heat, which, it is recommended,
should be the case. )If no artificial heat is provided, it is
estimated that from 18,000 to 20,000 eubie yards of barn
space will be required for every 100 acres of crop. ‘The
fermenting room should be well constructed with air-proof
and moisture-proof floor and walls absolutely under control
as to heat, moisture, and ventilation. It should also contain
a suitable press for baling the leaves

The plans further provide for a sorting room close
to the fermenting roém. The above buildings are mentioned
as being absolutely hecessary for planters who propose to
take up tobacco cultivation on a commercial scale.

The pamphlet also contains directions as to curing,
sorting, bundling, and fermenting the different kinds of wrap-
per, binder, and filler tobaccos, and gives instructions
for baling, grading, and marketing.

WATER SUPPLY FOR BEES.

The necessity of providing a supply of clean water
for bees is commented upon by a writer in Glean ings
im Bee Culture, and it is pointed’ out that much
valuable time is frequently lost by the bees in having
to Hy long distances in search of water, of which they
require a considerable quantity.. Under these condi-
tions if is obvious that the best returns cannot be
obtained from bee-keeping. Bees, too, are drowned in
large numbers in drinking from pools, or from water
contained it: ordinary vessels, but this continuous loss
may be obviated by placing chips of wood in the water,
on which the bees can alight. The following paragraphs
are taken from the article in question :—

In many places bees can obtain water for themselves with-
out making any long journey, by visiting drinking places of
horses and cattle and also pumps, etc. But in such places
the insects are frequently a great annoyance. Generally, too,
many ave drowned under such conditions. To avoid
this annoyance and loss, it is well worth while to have
a place where the bees may find water at all times.

Such a place should be provided before the bees have
formed the habit of visiting a pump or horse-trough, for that
habit having been once formed, the bees will not, under
ordinary circumstances, pay the slightest attention to any
other drinking place. They may, however, by suitable means,
be enticed away to a new place, if it be only a few feet,
or even a few yards distant. For this purpose, the pump
or horse-trough should be covered up so that the bees cannot
drink from it, and a vessel of water set near by. Next day,
and each day thereatter, the vessel should be moved a little
nearer the hive. After getting a short distance away, it can be
moved 5 or 10 feet each day. Keep the old drinking place
covered up for a few days, and afterward keep water
constantly at the new place, and there should be no more
trouble.

Whatever vessel is used should hold a good supply of
water ; and then if care is taken to refill it before it has been
completely emptied, there is not much danger that it will
often be entirely dry.

The best thing I have ever tried is a tub, or half-barrel,
with cork chips or cork dust’ thrown on the water. Put in
all the chips possible, provided that the bees will have no
difficulty in reaching the water. The bees are just as safe
walking over them as on the ground.

bees

Wore Villice e Nov 159} THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

THE JAMAICA BARTHQUAKE.

A further extract (see Agricultural. News,
Vol. VII, pp. 123, 1389) from Dr. V: ugh un Cornish’s
article ‘ ite Jamaica Earthquake, 1907, which appe: ared
in the Geographical Journal for March last, is given
below. In these paragraphs Dr. Cornish deals “with
the observed effects of the earthquake in parts of the
island outside Kingston :—

I pass on now to describe the distribution of earthquake
damage over the island. I myself closely inspected Kingston,
Lower St. Andrew, and Buff Bay Town. I also examined the
damage to the town of Port Royal, and visited Gordon Town
and Port Antonio, besides paying cursory visits to some other
places. For the estimate of damage to other places embodied
on the map I have relied upon the evidence of others, most
of which I obtained direct from eye-witnesses. I have taken
great pains to sift the evidence, and to compare where possi-
ble the narratives of different persons. The result is
satisfactory than a complete survey of the island would have
been, but it is, at any rate, a much more extensive collection
‘of such data than has hitherto been published.

I received several narratives from persons who, at the
time of the earthquake, were in the mountains between New-
Castle and Gordon Town, and between Silver Hill and Buft
Bay ; also from persons at Gordon Town and near Castleton.
‘Their narratives indicate that the shock in these situations
was quite comparable in intensity to that in Kingston. Particn-
larly striking was the experience of a party of tourists,
who were blocked by a fall of rock on the road leading down
to Butf Bay, and had to spend the night in the mountains.
The after-shocks were numerous, and each was preceded and
accompanied by an appalling noise. The severe landslips
about Newcastle and on the north of Silver Hill are evidence
of as much force as that required to wreck a house, and the
complete wreck of the Gardens House at Gordon Town, of
which I took a photograph, indicates, I think, an intensity
greater than that at Constant Spring or near Papine corner.

The damage at Buff Bay, of which I also show a photo-
graph, was. severe, but the stone buildings do not show
-evidence of having resisted the shock to the same extent as
the brick buile dings of Kingston. They collapsed instead of
being fling to one side, therefore they probably fell at once ;
for if they had resisted during an appreciable time, the walls
would have got up a swing, and then must have been flung
‘either one way or the other.
Bay as about equal to that at Constant Spring, somewhat less
than that at Gordon Town, and considerably less than that in
‘the eastern half of Kingston. The damage to the town of
Port Royal was about the same as that in the less damaged
parts of Kingston.

If we consider the points where buildings fell and where
new landslips were formed on hillsides, we see that they may
almost be included between two straight Ines joining Harbour
Head with Butt Bay Town on the eastern side, and Port
Royal with Enfield on the western side. The general i impres-
sion received at the time was that the earthquake at Kingston

caine from the sea, and the fact recorded by the Port Royal
pilot, Mr. Hunt, that his boat lying by Lime Cay was struck
before Port Royal, and that the shock was followed (in about
-one and a half minutes): by a surface sea-wave from the south-
west, strengthens this idea. Looking at the band of fallen
‘buildings across the island, the idea suggests itself of aseismic
wave coming from beneath the sea rather west of south from
Kingston, om rushing with, scarcely diminished force right
sacross the island, the centre of the wave-front passing close to
the Penitentiary, the full force of the wave being felt in the

far less

I estimate the force at Buff

eastern half of Kingston and in the eastern suburbs.

On the north side of the island a ‘tidal wave’ of
considerable magnitude was observed at Hope Bay, Orange
Bay, Butt Bay, Annotto Bay, Sheerness Bay, Ocho Rios, and
St. Anne’s Bay (that at Port Antonio was quite small), this
phenomenon commencing near Buff Bay on the east, but
extending far to the westward. It may have been produced
by sand-shdes from the edge 6f the submarine land shelf
shown on the map, Which is close inshore all aiong the coast,
and outside of Pick lies water of great depth. “The ‘tidal
Wave’ consisted of a water from the shore,
followed by its return in waves. At Port Maria this is
reported to have occurred a few minutes before the earth-
quake.

Off the south coast the breaking, ‘ bird-caging,’ twisting
and burying of the ‘ Direct’ submarine cable all along the
line from Bull Bay to Yallah’s point, indicate great sand-
shdes along that steep submarine slope, where, moreover,
large quantities of detritus are continually brought down by
the rivers which rise in the Blue Mountains. There is no
cable under the Healthshire hills, and away along the coast
to the west, but the fact of breakage as far Yallah’s
point shows the great effect of the earthquake beneath the
sea far to the east of Kingston on the south coast. The
eastern boundaries of considerable disturbance at sea are

recession of

east as

jouee by a line running from Hope Bay on the north coast

to Yallah’s point on the south, and the western boundaries
from St. Anne’s Bay on the north to Fort Clarence, where

v ‘tidal wave’ was observed, on the south.

CACAO INDUSTRY IN JAVA.

La Chronique Coloniale ot March 8 last discusses
in a lengthy article the condition and progress during
recent years of the cacao industry in Java.

From 1900 to 1905 average crops were obtained,
except in 1902, which was a very bad year, yielding
only a quarter of an ordinary crop. Good returns
were obtained in 1904 and 1905, while 1906 was also
a satisfactory year.

Tt is stated that the cacao have many active
enemies in Java, in the shape of insect pests and fungus
diseases, and the plantations need constant attention. Many
planters, it is reported, have given up cacao growing on this
account. On the other hand, many new men are entering
the industry, and the number of plantations on which cacao
is grown is annually increasing. In 1904 there were 158
plantations ; the number had increased to 162 in 1905, to
168 in 1906, and to 188 in 1907. It would appear, however,
that in the great majority of cases, cacao is a cultivation
subordinate to sugar and not the only, or even the chief, crop
grown.

trees

In 1904 dare exported 977,417 kilograms of cacao
[1 kilogram=2-2 tb.]. In 1905 the shipments increased

1,0 30,094 Tilost and to 1,815,912 kilos. in 1906. The
output has therefore increased almost at the rate of 100 per
cent. during the three years in question. The exports for
the first six months of 1907, 857,306 kilos., were nearly
equal to the total output of L9O4.

Holland naturally furnishes the chief market for cacao
from Java, In 1906, that country imported 1,138,161 kilos.
from the island. The United States in the same year took
375,187 kilos, 211,457 kilos. were shipped to Singapore,
while Great Britain imported 69,983 kilograms.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. May 30, 1908

MARKET. REPORTS.

London,—May 12, 1908, ‘THz West Inpia Con-

MITTEE CincuLar; Messrs. E. A. pr Pass & Co.,
May 1, 1908.

Arrowroot—1ii/. to 22d.

Bartara—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/4 ; block, 1/74 to 1/8 per th.

Brgs’-wax—Good quality, £7 lds. to £7 T7s. 6d. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 75/- to 84/- per ewt.; Grenada, 69/- to

/- per cwt.

CorrrE—Santos, 29s. 9d.: Jamaica, 37/- to 57/- per ewt.

Corra—West Indian, £16 per ton.

Corron-—St. Vincent, 15d. to17d.; Barbados, 15d. to 17 dd;
St. Iitt’s, lad. to 174d.; Montserrat, 15d. to 16 i$.
per Ib.

Frvuit—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Linrs—4/6 to 5/- per box of 200.
PrineE-appLes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grare Fruir—14/- to 16/- per box.
OrancEes—Jamaica, 6/- to 7/- per box.

Fusric—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

Honry—19s. to 34s. per ewt.

Istnciass—West India lump, 1/9 to 1/11 per th.; cake, no
quotations.

Lins Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£12 per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 1/9 to 1s. 10d.
per tb. ; hand- pressed, sis to 4/6 per tb.

Logwoop—£3 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Macr—1/2 to 1/5 per th.

Nurmrecs—66’s to 68’s, Sd. to Sod ; 76's, Gd.; 91’s, dd.:
105’s to 118’s, 44d.; 121’s, 35d - 149's, 32d.

Pimenro—()uiet ; 21 ,/ to 2h.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/3 to 8/-; Demerara, 1/3 to 1/4% per
gallon; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 18/6 to 19/6 per cwt. ;
17s.; Molasses, no quotations.

Muscovado,

New York,—May 1, 1908.—Messrs. Gruuespir, Bros.

& Co.

Cavao—Caracas, l6c. to 20c. ;
Trinidad, Ie. to 16$ce.; Jamaica, 134c. to 13$e. per th.

Cocoa-Nnu ts—Jé umaica, select, $22°00 to $25°00; culls,
no quotations ; Trinidad, $20-00 to $21°00; culls, no
quotations.

CorrrE—Jamaica, good washed, Te. to 114c.; good ordinary,
no quotations.

Gincer— 12sec. to l4e. per tb.

Goat Sxrns—Jamaica, 53c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kitt’s, 48c. to 49e., dry flint per Tb.

GRAPE FrRurr—Jamaicas, $1°75 to $2°50 per box and $3°75
to $4°50 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, $7°50 per barrel.

Macr—29c. to 33c. per tb.

Nurmecs—110's, 10}c. to 104e. per th.

OrnancEs—Jamaica, $2°75 to $3°50 per barrel.

Pimento— de. to 44c. per tb.

Svucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 4°42c. ; Muscovados, 89°, 5:92e. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°67e. per tbh., duty paid.

Grenada, 162c. to 17e. ;

INTER-COLONIAL MARKBTS.

Barbados,—Messrs. Jamrs A. Lyncn & Co., May 19,

1908; Messrs. T. 8. Garraway & Co., May 26,
1908

ArRrowhooT—St. Vincent. $4:00 to $4°50 per 100 tb.
Cacao—Dominica, $14°00 to €15°00 per 100 Tb.
Cocoa-nurs—$14'00 per M. for husked nuts.
Correr—J:naica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 to.
Hax—$1-3s0 per 100 th.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $6500 ; Ohlendortfs dissolved
guano, $55:00; Cotton manure, $42°00; Cacao
manure, $40°00 to $42°00; Sulphate of ammonia,
$72-00 to $75°00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Morassvs—Choice, 15e. ; Fancy, 17c. per gallon.

Ontons— Bermuda loose, 31°21 to $1°69 per 100 th.

Poratros, EnGiisH—$2°30 $3°00 per 160 th.

Pras—Split, $6°50 ; Canada, $526 per bag.

Rice—Demer. ara, $5°25 to $6°10 (180 1b.) ; Patna, $3°50 to
$4-00: Rangoon, $5°00 to $3°19 per 100 tb.

Sareea haired ado, 89°, $1°90 GD $2-00 per 100 th., package
included ; Dark crystals, § $2°50 ; Centrifugals, $2°25 to
$2-60 per 100 Tb.

British Guiana.—May 16, 1908, Messrs. Wuirrinc

& Lrecnrer.

Arrowkoot—St. Vincent, $9°50 to $10-00 per barrel.

Bazara—-Venezuela block, 352c.; Demerara sheet, 48c.
per Tb.

Cacao—Naiive, 16c. to 18¢e. per th.

Cassava—S1 00.

Cassava Srancu—$9-00 per barrel of 196 Tb.

Cocoa-Nurs—$12°00 to $16°00 per M.

Corrre— Creole, 12c. to 13c.; Jamaica, 12c. per tb.

Duar— $550 to $5°60 per bag of 168 th.

Epvpos— $1°20 per barrel.

Mo asses — Yellow, 19c. ; Dark, no quotations.

Ox1oxs— Madeira, 8c. to 3$e.; Lisbon, 3c. to 3he. per th.:
Dutch, no quotations. FS

PLANTAINS— 3be. to 6Ve. per bunch.

Poratos,—English, $2°40 to $2°50 per barrel.

Poraros, Sweert—Barbados, $1°12 to $1-20 per bag.

Ricr—Bullam, $6°25 to $640 ; Creole, $5°50 for good ;
Seeta, $6°00 per bag.

Sprrr PrEas—$6-00 to $6°10 per bag (210 Th.); Lisbon, $4°50.

Tannias— $228 ps bag.

Yams—W hite, $2°64 ; Buck, $2°16 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crvenale! $2-70 to $5°10 ; Yellow, $3-10 to
$3:20 ; White, $3°70 to $5°80; Molasses, $1°80 to
$2-00 per 100 th. (retail).

Timuer—Greenheart, 32c. to 5dc. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3°50 ug $5: 75 per M.

Corpwoov—$2"40 to $2°64 per ton.

Trinidad,—May 16, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, Grant

«& Co.

Cacao—$14°25 to $15'25 per fanega.
Cocoa-nuts—$24°00 per M., f.o. b.

Cocoa-Nnuv O1L—60e. per Imperial g gallon, cask included.
CorrEe— Venezue fan no quotations.

Corra—-$2°25 to $2°40 per 100 tb.

Durat—-$d°00 to $5°10 per 2-bushel bag.

Ontons—$3°00 to 33°50 per 100 tb. (retail).

Poratos, Excrisn—$1-90 to $2-00 per 100 Tb.
Rice—Yellow, $5°40 to $5°60; White, $5°25to $600 per bag.
Sertir PEAs—$5-90 to $600 per bag.

Sucak—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°10 per 100 tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture

FOR

THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN.’ A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

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Volumes IT and III.

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Volumes IY, V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists. Report of Agricultural

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Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2; 3) and 4.

Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; etc., ete.

Price 6d. per number.
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Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the

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Volume VIII. Nos. 1, 2 and 3. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907. List of Representatives ; Presidentia.

Address ;

Fruit, Lime Juice, Rice, Rubber, Tobacco and Live Stock Industries of the West
papers on Agricultural Education and Miscellaneous subjects.

Abstract of Proceedings ; Papers prepared for the Conference. dealing with Sugar, Cacao,

Indies; Also
No. 4. Agricultural Conference, 1908.

List of Representatives, Presidential Address and Abstract of Proceedings.

PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially

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They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work

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(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d.
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
(6) Recipes for cooking Sweet Potatos.
(7) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part I.
(9) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1.
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(13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901.
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivauon. Price 2d.
(17) General Treatment of Wungoid Pests.
(18)-Recipes for. cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d.
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4¢.
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(22) Seale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part II. Price 4d.
(23) Notes on Poultry in the West Indies. Price 4d
(25) Ground Nutsin the West Indies — Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903. Price 4d.
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(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 31.
(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.
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(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d
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(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.
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Price 2d.
Price 4d.

Price 4d.

Price 4d.

(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d.

(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

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(51 Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward

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New and Enlarged Edition.

(a2)
(53)

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The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains

extracts

from otticial correspondence and from progress and

other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in

Agricultural matters throughouc the West Indies.

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local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post free, 2d.

The subscription price, including vostage, is

Qs. 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d. per annum. Vols. I—VI, complete, with title page and index as issued.—Price 4s.
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-

Vot. VII. No. 159. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. May 30, 1908.
THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE
ee AS Ee ec ee

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure
Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure
Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

: a OM
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Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers,

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| of Agricultuie. [161] Factory, Ltd., Barbados.

A FORT NIGHTLY

OF

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF

Vor. VU No: 160:

CONTENTS.

PAGE PAGE.

Africa, East, Experiment | Jainaiea Coffee in South
Stavions inka.) see ee LOO, Africa a dee tear ON
Agricultural Enterprise in eviamvarcarlienamheete he ctunesa LO

Trimidad ... ... ... 180) Mangos and Bananas in
Antigua, Rainfall at... ... 185} Porto Rico ey ea, LOO)
British Guiana, Avri- Market Reports ... ... 192

Notes and Commeuts ... 184
Our Bookshelf : —
ABC and XYZ of Bee
Culltyneipeeeme ss se SD,
Literature of Murcraea... 189
The Building of an Island 189
Plants and Coast Erosion 185
Ktice Report from British

cultural Exports from 184
Cacao Exports from Trini-

Gb!" dos) Tanne oda Beason BugIIN
Cane Juice Analysis at

Nits IRS: Gag oes dog lte!
Cotton Notes :—-

Cotton Growers’ Con-
ference at Barbados 182

Sea Island Cotton (Ghote: — Hoo eacoo exons ae}
Market ... ... ... 181! Rice Industry of British
C. 8. Department of GUIANA vies wee Levi:

Race Meal Ret ess aes, LOt:
Se. Croix, Proposed
670) Experiment Station

. 181 FN cod. 00. eso. fous JUSh)
Sugar Industry :

Sugar-cane Experiments

Agriculture and West

Indian Cotton Indus-

tryse cers

West Indian Cotton
Dominica, Prize Holdings

Scheme at Sastceer a Hels)

Ducks, Indian Runrer ... 187 in PGriowRicor2. | 3.5 79
Education Scheme for Sugar, Deterioration of,
Estate Overseers and on Storage 179

Tobacco Leaves, Harvest-
ing wd Curing .:.. 190
Trinidad, Agricultural
; Education at... ... 185
| Vanilla Production in
Reéuniones.. «-. .»-- 190
. 186 West Indian Products ... 191

MAN ACeTSee Re ee) SY)
Gleaninestaee cence ce LSS
Hurricane Insurance of

Cultivatiors Boge) am Leh)
Insect Notes :--

Insect Pests in Foreign
Lands

tice Industry of British Guiana.

Sf
Dae REQUENT notes and articles in relation to

the rapid extension of rice cultivation in

British Guiana have appeared in
numbers of the Agricultural News (Vol. V, p. 193, and
VI, p: 210).

past

In the year 1900 less than 6,000 acces were under

rice in the colony. In the following year, however, the

AGRICULTURE FOR THE West

BARBADOS, JUNE 13, 1908.

REV LEW ea

THE ; ey YOR:

BOTANICA
GARDEN

INDIES.

Price }d.

area devoted to the crop had increased to 15,685 acres.
This expansion has been continuous since then. In
in 1906-7 it

Owing to the prev-uling good

1905-6 the rice area was 23,853 acres and
reached 26.567 acres.
prices, still further attention was given to the crop in
1907-8. New lands were taken up, and aumerous rice
mills are being crected in those parts of the colony
where the crop is grown. For the present season it
is estimated thut very nearly 30,000 acres of rice were
planted in British Guiana. The cultivation of the crop
is to a large extent carried on by the coolie labourers,
great numbers of whom, 2t the expiration of their term
of indentured labour, obtain small plots of land, and
take up rice growing. ‘The negroes of the colony have

slowly followed the example of the East Indians.

While the yields ordinarily obtained from the crop
in British Guiana vary considerably in different districts,
the average return of paddy, on lands properly irrigated
and drained, works ont at about 28 bags (each of
120 ib:), or 30 ewt., per acre. In a on the
subject read at the West Indian Agricultaral Confer-
Hon. B. Howell

that in certain places, on comparatively new land, he

paper

ence of 1906, the Jones mentioned
had seen as many as 38 bags produced on a single acre,
From the area planted in 1905-6, 23,728 tons of paddy
were produced, while 40,472 tons were yielded by the
increased acreage planted in 1906-7.

The effect of the local production of rice on the
quantities of this cereal iinported into the colony during
recent years has been very marked. In 1899-190, the
quantity of rice imported: into British Guiana was
25,341,210 th. By 1905-6 the imports had decreased to
13,289,573 tb.,and in 1906-7 had fallen to 6,162,476 Ib.
The ofticial returns giving the rice imports for the six

178

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JUNE 13, 1908.

months from April 1 to September 30, 1907, indicate
a still greater rate of decline on comparison with the
corresponding period for the previous year. From April
to September 1906, the quantity of rice bronght into
the colony from foreign sources aggregated 3,609,854 th.,
while for the corresponding period of 1907, the imports
reached only 1,455,865 Ib.

In view of the fact that. there is a Customs duty
-of 35c. per 100 tb. of rice brought into British Guiana,
it is evident that the decline in the imports necessarily
causes a corresponding decrease in the revenue receipts.
It is understood, however, that the intention of the Gov-
ernment of the colony is to give the rice industry a fair
chance of development, before attempting to impose
any tax with the object of compensating the Public
Treasury for the loss sustained on the import duties,
It may be mentioned, too, that this loss is probably not
so great as it may seem, since the rice industry is of
immense value to the colony, and its flourishing condi-
tion is the source of a large measure of public pros-
\perity.

The decline in the imports indicates that the local
demand is being increasingly met by the home-grown
product, but during the past few years British Guiana
has also developed an extensive export trade in rice.
The chief shipments are made to the British West
Indies, and to the French and Duteh Guisnas. Rice
was first exported from the colony in 1902-3, when
shipments were made, amounting to 10,506 th., of the
value of $290:04. In 1904-5, the exports were 61,225,
of the value of $1,709°44, while in 1906-7 they reached
3,474,512 Ib., of the value of $89,078.
to December 1907, the total exports of rice
British Guiana reached 4,180,000 Ib.

From January

from

The chief kind of rice grown in British Guiana is

anative variety known as ‘creole’ rice. Trials are
being carried on in the colony, under the direction of
Professor Harrison, C.M.G., with several imported varie-
ties of rice, chiefly from Ceylon. Seventy-nine varieties
were tried in 1906-7. The native rice came out well
in comparison, but was exceeded, in point of yield,

by six of the imported varieties.

The Ceylon Upland rice, variety No. 6, gave the
highest yield of all the kinds tested (89 bags of paddy
per acre, as against 36 bags yielded by the creole rice).
Ne. 6. and the variety No. 4, also.a Ceylon Upiand rice,
-are mentioned as being suitable for the local trade.
Reports have been published on the results of these
-experiments, Showing the periods of growth of the differ-
-ent kinds, yields in bags of paddy per acre, and their

milling qualities where possible. Seed paddy of the
best varieties, too, is distributed to bona fide rice plant-
planters on application. The planters pay only the
cost of packing and| earriage.

The development of a proper system of irrigation
is necessary in many districts, in order to obtain the
best results with thé rice crop. But, as was pointed out
by the Hon. B. Howell Jones ( West Indian Bulletin,
Vol. VIII, p. 188}, difficulties in this direction can be
largely overcome by care in regard to the season of
planting and the variety chosen. If early ripening
varieties, such as the Carolina Golden Grain, Honduras,
and Dwarf Japan, are planted, the crops will be reaped
one or two months earlier.

Extensive experiments carried out in different
parts of India and Ceylon indicate that the best returns
from the rice crop are always obtained when the seed
1s sown in nursery beds, and seedlings transplanted to
the field when old. This is
the method generally followed in British Guiana, and
trials have also proved that planting carefully selected
single plants at one hole gives better results than are
obtained when two or three seedlings are planted at
a hole.

about five or six weeks

The natural conditions of many parts of British
Guiana are so suitable for rice growing, and the early
stages of the industry have been attended with such
satisfactory results, that, provided a sufficiency of labour
is assured, there is every reason to anticipate that the
cultivation will develop into one of the most stable and
remuncrative industries of the colony. It is unlikely
that its progress will be hampered by want of Jabour,
since the cultivation is so largely carried on by East
Indians, who have a good knowledge of rice growing,
and readily take if up on every available spot of land.
At present, the industry is more handicapped by the
Until these
requisities are supplied, the methods of planting, reap-

want of capital and suitable organization.

ing, and handling the crop must necessarily remain
more or less primitive and wasteful for want of suitable
appliances, and the full measure of success cannot be
attained.

In connexion with the extension of the industry,
it is worthy of nate that an export trade in rice meal,
a by-product in rice production and a valuable feeding-
stuff for cattle, is being developed in British Guiana.
From January to May 1908, 1,050 tons of rice meal
were exported, as compared with 111 tons shipped
during the corresponding period of 1907.

Vou. VII. No. 160.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Sugar-cane Experiments in Porto Rico.

Sugar production forms the chief industry of Porto
Rico, the value of the sugar exports during 1907 reach-
ing $14,738,572. It is confidently anticipated that
the output will continue to increase for several years
yet, and that with superior canes and improved methods
of cultivation, a larger return will be obtained per acre.
The Annual Report (1907) on the Agricultural Experi-
ment Station of the island mentions that work in the
production and trial of seedling canes is in progress,
and that many of these seedlings show a much_ higher
percentage of juice than the ordinary varieties culti-
vated. The following is taken from the section of the
report dealing with sugar-cane work :-—

Owing to the profitable nature of sugar-cane cultivation,
Porto Rican planters employ every means to grow a cane crop
year after year on the same land. As nitrogen is by far
the most expensive element of the fertilizer, and apparently
the one most needed, experiments are being carried out with
a view of demonstrating the feasibility of supplying this
element in the cane fields by the growing of leguminous crops
between the rows. Of the legumes being tested, the cowpea
(Vigna Catjang) and the horse bean (Canavalia ensitormis)
are the most promising, but several years’ experimental work
will be necessary to determine the value of the system of grow-
ing these crops on the same ground with cane. The cowpea will
mature in seventy days, so that a crop can be readily grown
between the rows after planting the canes and again after the
last flowering.

Experiments with distances of planting in cane produe-
tion are being carried on for the purpose of determining the
method that will give the most cane per acre at the least cost
of production. The usual practice in the island is to plant
very close, 5 by 6 feet. The station’s experiments have been
earried on with hill planting at distances of from 5 by 5 teet
up to 10 by 10 feet, and also in continuous rows. For the
first crop the narrow planting has given the heaviest yield.
As only one crop has been harvested from these plots,
figures on the ratoon crops cannot be given, but the
indications are that the differences in yield as between the

wide and narrow plantings on the second crop will
be less than in the case of the plant canes. As the

cane is an intensive crop, it seems advisable to grow as
much as possible each year on the same area, supplying
the drafts on the soil by the application of suitable
fertilizers, and avoid thereby the necessity of leaving the
lands idle for a series of years, for the purpose of recupera-
tion. In proportion to the development above ground the
root system of the cane plant is not extensive, therefore
a very heavy tonnage can be taken from a small area.

Some of the large sugar companies in Porto Rico have put
in steain ploughs which are going to a depth of 8 inches or more.
This is found a very profitable practice, giving large profits
for the cost of the work. After the canes are planted, more
thorough cultivation of the surface should be given than is
usually practised. A great deal of hand labour should be

supplanted by the cultivator for reasons of economy.

In planting cane it is a better practice to open furrows
with the plough, it being less expensive than cutting holes
with spades, as is usually done. Moreover, hy this method
the ground is stirred to a greater depth and a larger surface:
is pulverized. From preliminary experiments at the station,
continuous rows have given larger yields than the same-
number of canes planted in squares. In planting in rows, canes
were stuck in the ground on end, as is the usual custom. The-
Hawaiian system of planting the canes in lines covered entirely
with earth has also been followed. This is a better practice-
where the mole cricket (Secpterdseus didactylus) does not
give too much trouble. Where this insect is prevalent,
however, the young seedlings are liable to be cut off when
they break through the ground. If the canes are planted
entirely below the surface, the young seedlings will doubtless
get more nourishment than when planted on end. Again,
when planted on end, the ants carry off a considerable
amount of the juice of the cutting, and some of it is lost by
drying out and rotting above the ground. From the one
crop of plant canes, the Hawaiian system gave more tonnage
than the similar plots planted in the native fashion, although
by the former method a small portion had to be replanted
because of the ravages of the mole cricket.

Deterioration of Sugars on Storage.

Under ordinary trade conditions sugar is frequent-
ly kept in storage for more or less lengthy periods, and
in these circumstances it is liable to undergo fermentive
changes whereby the amount of sucrose present is.
decreased. This question, in regard to muscovado sugar,
was dealt with by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G, and
Mr. H. A. Tempany, B. Se.,in a paper contributed to the
West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VIL, p. 226. The work of
these two investigators indicated that the fermentation
changes were induced by a micro-organism, which might
be destroyed on sterilization by heating.

Further investigations on this subject have been
lately carried out at the Hawauan Experiment Station,
and the results of the work are embodied in Bulletin 24,
issued by the Station. The following is a summary of
the chief conclusions arrived at :—

In the great majority of cases deterioration im stored
sugar is the result of bacterial activity, but a fall in
polarization sometimes occurs without any evidence of this
being due to bacteria. i

The presence of moisture is necessary for the bacterial
action to take place, but so long as the sugars do not
contain more than | per cent. of moisture, the danger of
bacterial action is small.

Four distinct organisms are often present in Hawaiian
sugars, and one of these was of very frequent occurrence in.
sugars which deteriorated. :

The capacity of sugars for absorbing moisture varies
largely, and this is an impottant factor in determining the
keeping qualities of the sugars. Some evidence exists that
the quantity of moisture absorbed is connected with the
amount of chloride present in the sugar.

In factories where trouble is experienced on account of
the deterioration of sugars, the provision of an interior paper
lining to vessels containing the sugar might be of service in
protecting the contents from the influence of atmospheric
changes.

180

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

June 13, 1908.

VES®

INDIAN

PRO

MANGOS AND BANANAS IN

RICO.

The Annual Report (1907) of the Agricaltural
Experiment Station of Porto Rico is just to hand, and
conmuins an acount of the investigations mM preeress at
the Station, and the rowtine work of the past year.
The reports of the vartous scientific officers, as the
Physiologist. Horticulturist. Entomulogist and Plant
Pathologist, ane Coffee Expert are appended. The
following notes on the progress made during the year
in the production, for export, of mangos and bananas
are taken from the report of the Horticulturist :-—

PORTO

‘Che interest in mango growing is increasing. The
mango tree makes in many ways the ideal permanent wind-
break, so vitally essential to the citrus groves of the island.
Thousands of seeds are being planted, and the demand
for the better imported forms is rapidly increasing.

During the past xear nearly 200 inarches have been
made from the various imported forms, and most of these are
being planted on the station ground where wind-breaks are
needed. Some have been distributed and others will be sent
it is deemed advisable. Various methods of
grafting, budding, and inarching are being given trial, with
more or less promising results. — It desire to find if
possible some rapid, simple way by which the seedlings may be
grafted or budded 7m s/tw with nore certainty of success than
by any of the methods thus far used. Such a method will
do away with much of the present necessary Jabour and
danver of loss, and will give an impetus to what should be
a prominent industry in the ishind.

out as fast as

is our

Shipping trials of mangos were made during the season
to further determine the best methods of packing. handling,
ete., and the carrying qualities of the fruit. These experi
ments were successful so far as keeping qualities are con
cerned, and it’ seems only a matter of time for the mango
to become a valuable factor in onr export trade.

It was found that the best time to pick the fruit for
shipping was when it began to show the faintest colour of
approaching maturity. Fruit packed at this stage arrived: at
its destination in excellent condition and developed a flavour
and quality approaching that found in the fruit ripened. on
the tree.

Experiments were also. made with the mango fruit: for
other purposes. At certain stages of maturity the fruit was
found to make excellent jellies, butters, and sauces, and it is

probable that it may be canned. More work is to be done
along these lines in the coming year.

The banana plantation is showing excellent growth and
a number of the new varieties are now fruiting. These new
types are being described and tested for their economic value.
A number of kinds secured from different seetions, but bear
ing different names, are found to be the same, thus reducing
the number of varieties in the trial greunds. Varieties that
have no merit are discarded.

The chief and vital objection to the growing of bananas
for export has been the fact that the bunches were too small.
In Porto Rico a bunéh with six or eight full hands is consid-
ered Jarge. Whether this characteristic of small bunches is
due to the variety, soil, or cultural methods is yet to be
determined. The quality of the fruit is excellent, and the
number of bunches produced on a given acreage is fairly large,
so that if the size of’ the bunch couid be increased, or more
prolific varieties grown, bananas could well be raised for
export.

AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE IN THE
PITCH LAKE DISTRICT, TRINIDAD.
Some interesting details in regard to the enter-

prise shown by the New Trinidad Lake Asphalt

Company, Limited, in’ the cultivation of yiue-apples,

oranges, cneao, and rubber, im the neighbourhood of the

Pitch Lake. were contained in a letter recently received

by the Tmperial Commissioner of Agriculture from

Mr. Robert: Wrieht, General Agent of the Company.

The following is an extract from Mr. Wright's letter :—
We have abont 30 acres in pine-apples, and last year

canned 25,000 fruits, and expect to can this year in our factory

here at least 40,000. We set out last October 50,000 of Red

Spanish plants and about 1,000 Abbakkas with which we

are experimenting. We have an orange grove consisting

entirely of standard budded varieties, including a large

proportion of Pomelos, amounting at present to about 3,000

trees, some of which are in their third year. We have 2,000°

more in our nursery to set out in the present season,

We. are starting this year to put 1,000 acres of good
land into cacao and rubber at the rate of about 100 acres per
year if possible.

You will see from the above that our interest in West
Indian agriculture is very great, and any assistance that the
Imperial Department can give us will be greatly appreciated.

Vou. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

18f

Messrs. Wolstenholme &

Holland, of Liverpool,
writing under date of May 25 last, report as follows in

reference to the sales of West Indian Sea Island
cotton :—

We are able to report a steadier tone about the market
for West Indian Sea Island cotton, and 1,500 bales» have
been sold since our last report. With, the exception of a few
fancy lots of Barbados and St. Kitt’s, at 16d., and several
small lots of stains at 6d. to 8d., the bulk of the business
has been at 14d. to 15d., comprising cotton from the follow-
ing islands:-—Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Montserrat, Nevis,
St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, and St. Martin.

Holders of Carolina cotton are still anxious to sell, and
would accept lower prices if opportunity offered.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE AND WEST
INDIAN COTTON INDUSTRY.

A memorandum recently issued by the United
States Department of Agriculture in relation to the
Sea Island cotton industry of the States is thus referred
to by the Demerara Chronicle of May 15 last :—

The progress of the West Indian cotton industry, which
promises to prove the salvation of several of the smaller
islands, if not in course of time to become the staple industry
of these colonies, is being followed with keen attention by
the officials of that admirably organized department, the
Board of Agriculture at Washington. In a memorandum
issued by the Department a few weeks ago the American
grower of Sea Island cotton is urged, in view of the progress
of the industry in the West Indies, to recognize that the
prices of his product depend on several factors, and that
quality is more important than quantity. Sea Island cotton
produced in the West Indies, the Department admits, is not
only equal to the average American. product, but competes
with the finest quality of cotton produced in the United States
—-Carolina Sea Island—rather than with the inferior product.
‘The West Indian industry,’ it is added, ‘is new, having been
developed mainly since 1902, and is yet of small proportions.
About 8,000 bales per annum are at present produced ; but
the industry there may grow rapidly. It has already led the
South Carolina planters to organize in refusing to sell seed.’
The moral arrived at is that American planters should make
an organized effort to raise the standard of their product, and
it is pointed out that of the better grades a larger quantity
can be sold than is now produced. Altogether the report is
of a thoroughly encouraging nature to those interested in the
industry in the West Indian colonies.

enevrnes ed

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET.

In their Sea Island cotton report, dated May 16
last, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston,
write :—

The sales during the past week were limited to one crop
lot, of ‘fine’ to ‘fully fine’ quality, sold on private terms for
France. Otherwise the market is very quiet. here is still
some enquiry for cotton of ‘fully fine’ and ‘extra fine’ quali-
ties, but at prices below the views of factors, so that nothing
has resulted.

On May 23, Messrs. Frost write :—

The sales reported reach only 150 bales, but they
amounted absolutely to 350 bales stained and tinged cotton.
The buying was for England, France, and northern mills.
Cotton now in stock is held at 30c. and upwards.

The cotton report of May 16 contains the follow-
ing note in relation to the area planted for the crop of
the coming year :—

The acreage planted with Sea Island cotton in Carolina
is reported to be about the same as last year. As regards
Georgia and Florida, the reports vary very much. In some
sections a very large decrease is reported, ranging from 30
to 50 per cent., while in others a moderate decrease or none
at all is stated to have occurred. It* is impossible to get
reliable estimates as to the actual acreages planted, but from
all we can gather, we would put the decrease of the cotton
area in Georgia and Florida at from 10 to 20 per cent.

RICH REPORT FROM BRITISH
GUIANA.

The latest fortnightly rice report (May 29 last),
issued by Messrs. Sandbach, Parker & Co.,of Georgetown,
contains the following notes on present conditions in
British Guiana :—

Rice planting proceeds steadily, and the area in cultiva-
tion now exceeds that of any previous year. With a little
sunshine during the next few weeks, cultivation will be
further increased, and the young plants established.

Local demand continues brisk, and prices have again
advanced. Shipments to the islands [West Indian] during
the fortnight amount to about 2,200 bags. The shipments,
however, are now gradually falling off, island buyers being
unable to place orders at present prices ruling here.

The local market is bare of cleaned rice, and stocks of
paddy are getting low. We expect to see higher prices before
the autumn crop is ready to be harvested.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. June 13, 1908.

CONFERENCE OF COTTON |

GROWERS AT BARBADOS.

(Continued from last issue of the Ayrieu/tural News.)

Mr, F. A. Stockdale, B.A., F.L.S., Mycologist on
the staff of the Imperial Department of Agriculture,
read a paper on the fungus diseases of cotton and their
treatment.

Cotton in Barbados had suffered but slightly from
fungus diseases during the past two seasons, but constant
watchfulness and ‘prompt application of remedial measures
were necessary.

Anthracnose or ‘ pink spot’ had formerly caused a certain
amount of damage to the cotton crop. Spores of the fungus,
carried on cotton seed, have frequently been the means of
spreading the disease. The disinfection of the cotton seed, by
steeping it for twenty minutes in a solution of 1 part of
corrosive sublimate in 1,000 parts of water (1 0z. of corrosive
sublimate in 7 gallons of water) forms a safe way of destroy-
ing the fungus without injuring the germinating power of the
cotton seed itself.

Mildew is probably the most common: of leaf diseases of
cotton at Barbados, and is the only one which has caused any
considerable damage during the past season, When cotton
plants are attacked by mildew it is observed that the upper
surtaces of the leaves turn reddish-brown in irregular areas,
while the under sides of the diseased leaves become covered
with a white, glistening felt of fungus hyphae. Spores of the
{ungus are produced externally, aud these are washed about
by rain, and also distributed by wind. Mildew imost
frequently makes its appearance on leaves of plants
that have passed their prime, and towards the end of the
season when the cotton plants are in less vigorous growth.
Injured spots on the surface of the leaf form a favourable
opportunity for attack, which probably accounts for the
frequency with which mildew follows an attack of aphides..In
view of the losses of leaves and bolls resulting from attacks
of this fungus, it is evident that the time has arrived when
steps should be taken to prevent the disease from heeoming
a further source of trouble. Experiments as to the best
means of controlling the fungus have been commenced at
Barbados. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture, or dusting with
sulphur and lime, shonld keep mildew in check.

Increasing attention is now being given to spraying as
a means of controlling insect pests, and it is possible that
further experiments may show that various mixtures can be
utilized for spraying purposes which will give effective
results as fungicides as well as insecticides. Bordeaux
mixture and Paris green may be used in combination, and
possibly some material might be mixed with lead arsenate,
which would make it effective as a fungicide, in addition
to its value for insecticide purposes.

The planters of the island were asked to co-operate
with the ofticers of the Department in carrying on trials for
the purpose of ascertaining the most economical method of
combating insect pests, and at the same time of prevent-
ing the appearance or spread of fungus parasites. Attacks of
aphis and bad attacks of mildew not infrequently occur on
the same erop of cotton, and therefore trials shonld be made
to discover some method of treatment equally etfective
against both.

Mr. H. A. Ballon, M.Seé., Entomologist on the staff
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, read
a paper which gave particulars of the insect pests
affecting cotton in Barbados during 1907-8.

The cotton worm was fairly abundant throughout the
season, and several severe attacks were experienced, The
application of Paris green and lime, however, at the rate of
1 part of Paris green td°6 parts of lime, gave good results.
in keeping the worm in check. The occurrence of frequent
showers of rain had at times made repeated applications
necessary, and some planters believe that the large amounts
used have injured the leaves of the cotton plants. Spraying
with lead arsenate is also reported to have been satisfactory
for this purpose. :

It is expected that during the coming season, spraying
will be practised on several estates in Barbados for the
control of the cotton worm. Paris green and lead arsenate
are the insecticides to be used.

Neither the red maggot nor the cutworm has done
much damage at Barbados during the year, but aphis has
been very abundant in certain localities. An effective method
of treatment for attack by cutworm consists in the use. of
a mixture of bran, molasses, and Paris green.

The lady-birds and the Jace-wing fly, though abundant
in most parts of the island ave lacking in others, or at least
are not sufticiently numerous to control the aphis and prevent
damage by their attack. The mixture (Paris green and lime)
used tur the cotton worm has been said to kill, by contact,
the larvae of these beneficial insects. ‘The difference in the
number of lady-birds and lace-wing flies that is evident in
various districts of the island, however, does not lend support
to this statement, since the use of Paris green and lime
is general, and if it killed beneficial insects in one locality
it would do so in all.

Spraying with kerosene emulsion hes been successful in
controlling the cotton aphis in one of the Northern Islands.
This treatment can be carried out at low cost,

One of the most troublesome of the insect pests of cotton
is the hibiscus (or bla¢k) scale. This scale insect attacks not
only-the cotton plants, but even weeds: growing wild in the
fields. Prevention is the best method of treatment in’ the
case of this pest. Estate owners should see that all old
cotton is destroyed some time before the planting of the new
crop. Planters on adjoining estates should, if possible, so
arrange the time of clearing old cotton and planting the new
crop, that there should be no cotton standing on their estates
for a number of weeks. Wild plants, growing in pastures,
gullies, ete., which, harbour this should be
destroyed.

scale insect,

A parasite of the black seale was discovered last year,
which is now doing excellent work towards keeping this
insect in check in Barbados, and the parasite will
probally increase in number. When old cotton is cut or
pulled, it onght to be left in the field for a week or so, in
order to give a greater number of the parasites an opportun-
ity to mature and escape. The white not often
a serious pest, but is very troublesome at times. This insect
also has its parasites, which have been found in Barbados for
the first time withinethe past few days.

scale

seale is

Spraying to control scale insects on cotton plants may
become necessary, but clean, cultural methods, such as the
destruction of old cotton some time before planting the new
crop, the destruction of wild or useless plants harbouring the
scales, and clean weeding in the fields, should prove sufficient,
together with the beneficial work of the parasites mentioned.

Vou. VII. No. 160.

Sir Daniel Morris, in summing up the various
addresses remarked that the Conference had been
a thoroughly successful one, and the results were likely
to be of considerable benefit in regard to further efforts
to establish the cotton industry on successful lines.
Sir Daniel continued :—

I am glad to find in the address made by Professor
@ Albuquerque that he drew special attention to the desirabil-
ity of cotton being regarded as a rotation crop, and that if
possible, canes and cotton should be associated in order that
the large amount of vegetable matter obtained from the leaves
of the canes should be returned to the land so as to main-
tain the supply of humus. This is in accordance with the
best methods adopted in advanced agriculture. At Barbados
where the soil is comparatively shallow, and where it has been
continuously cultivated for more than 200 years, it is now
pretty well established that, cotton alone cannot be grown
continuously on the same land. Another point made by
Professor d’Albuquerque was that in steeping cotton seed in
a solution of corrosive sublimate, owing to the fact that the
seed coat so quickly absorbed the corrosive sublimate, the
same solution should not be used again for disinfecting
a further lot of seed. It is therefore desirable that a fresh
solution should be used for every separate lot of seed. Fuller
particulars in regard to this will shortly be published in the
Agricultural News.

The most important point brought forward by Mr. Bovell
was the necessity for a more general ‘and careful system of
seed selection. I referred to this in my opening remarks, and
I would now reiterate my conviction that the future of the
cotton industry in this island depends on the snecess in rais-
ing special varieties suited to the varying conditions of soil
and climate existing here ; also varieties capable of resisting
diseases. It should need no laboured atguments to show that
the same kind of cotton plant is not likely to suit the
different conditions existing in two parishes such as
St. Philp and St. John. Notwithstanding, I believe that
with proper care and attention, St. Lucy and other leeward
parishes should be capable of producing a good marketable
class of cotton that would pay the cultivator, although it
might not reach the highest standard of excellence in regard
to fineness. here are already twelve estates where seed
selection experiments are being carried on under the direction
of this Department. We are prepared to extend these experi-
ments still further, provided we can obtain a hearty co-opera-
tion of the growers, and our recommendations are carried out
for several seasons consecutively.

J have already referred in my opening remarks to. the
very striking success that has been obtained by one planter as
the result of skilful methods of seed selection This I am elad
to mention is not a solitary instance. Another enterprising
cultivator with nearly 500 acres under cultivation has engaged
the services of a specially trained man te look after his cotton
fields and carefully watch the growth of:the plants, and raise
special varieties to suit local conditions. On the other
hand, Iam sorry to say that there are .a number of people
at present growing cotton who, in» their own interest
as well as in the general interest of the island, ought not to
do so, as they are evidently not prepared to devote the neces-
sary time and attention to the crop, since they allow their fields
to be infested with pests and prove a source of infection to
neighbouring areas. One of the most effective means of pre-
venting the spread of pests, and especially scale insects, is to
uproot all old cotton before the new ¢rop is planted. It
would appear that this practice of keeping old cotton in fields
adjoining young cotton is more prevalent at Barbados than

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 183

in any other part of the West Indies. It would be a source
of great satisfaction to all concerned if it were possible
during the coming season to start the new crop without the
possibility of it being infected with diseases from old cotton
fields.

As regards seed selection, wherever a planter comes across
one or more plants in a field exhibiting qualities of a desirable
character, such as productiveness beyond the average, or
immunity from disease where nearly all the other plants in
the neighbourhood are poor or are badly attacked with disease,
the seed from such plants should be carefully gathered by the
planter himself, sown in'a nursery and watched, in order to
determine whether the special characteristics noticed previous-
ly are continued in the second generation. . By repeating
experiments of this nature over and over again, a local variety
might be established in process of time likely to prove of
great value.

The ‘question: has been asked as to whether there is
a danger of over production in the supply of Sea Island cot-
ton, and this question is one that deserves careful consideration.
The present depression in prices and the difticulty in readily
disposing of Sea Island cotton are due, not to over produc-
tion, but to the widespread depression in trade caused by the
severe financial crisis through which the United States have
recently passed, which has since extended to nearly every
part of the world. Two years ago we were informed that in
the West Indies we could produce up to 20,000 or 30,000
bales of Sea Island cotton without seriously affecting the
market. So far, we have not prodneed, at the outside, more
than 10,000 bales, and if trade had been moderately good,
there is no doubt that prices this yew would have reached, on
an average, ls. 6d. per tb. or possibly iiore.

As you are aware, there is to be an important Conference
held at Manchester in August next, at which there will
be present representative cotton growers from the West Indies.
as well as leading spinners of fine cotton in Lancashire.
This Conference should afford an excellent opportunity for an
exchange of views between growers and spinners, and it may
be possible to obtain an authoritative opinion in regard to the
future demand for Sea island cotton from the West Indies.
We were assured only a little more than twelve months ago
by a prominent Lancashire cotton spinner, who expends
annually two millions sterling in the purchase of Sea Island
cotton, that if we grew a good strong cotton of uniform
length, such a demand would arise as would admit of a large
extension of cotton cultivation in the West Indies without
risk of the supply on an average of years exceeding the
demand. Until we are more fully informed, we are justified
in regarding the present depression as of a temporary
character, and we should not be too readily discouraged. It
is reasonable that we should wait until we have all the
facts before us.

In conclusion I have to express my indebtedness to the
President and the members of the Agricultural Society for
having called together this Conference, and I tender my hearty
thanks to those present for their kindness and courtesy, and
for the deep interest that has been shown in the several
important matters brought forward this afternoon. I would
add that I sincerely hope that the President of the Society, in
his further experience with Sea Island cotton, will attain the
success he so fully deserves. His case is of a somewhat special
character, and I ain not yet sure that the problems involved
are not capable of solution either by a change of locality or by
the evolution of a more hardy variety of Sea Island cotton.

A vote of thanks to Sir Daniel Morris brought the
proceedings to a close.

184

THE ' AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. JuNE 13, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the

Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

ay
Sews
JUNE 13, 1908. No.

Agricultural

VII. SATURDAY,

Vot. 160.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

An account is given in the editorial of the progress
of the rice industry in British Guiana.

Particulars of recent experimental work with the
sugar-cane in Porto Rico will be fond on page 179,
followed by a brief article dealing with the deterioration
of sugar-cane on storage.

A good deal of attention is now being given to
mango production in Porto Rico, and it is hoped to
develop an export trade in this fruit (page 180). An
interesting note on the same page contains particulars
of a fruit-growing enterprise started by the New ‘Trini-

dad Lake Asphalt Company, Ltd.

Under Cotton Notes (pp.181-3) will be found
reports on market prices, ete. as well as the con-
cluding portion of the report of the proceedings at the
Conterence of Cotton Growers lately held at Barbados.

Some interesting notes on insect pests in Hawaii,
California, ete., appear on page 186. The introduction
from Queensland of a hymenopterous parasite, for the
control of the leaf-hopper, is reported to have been
attended with very satisfactory results in Hawaii.

Poultry and duck keepers should be interested in
the article relating to Indian Runner ducks given on
page 187. This is undoubtedly the most suitable
breed of ducks for the West Indies.

Cane Juice Analysis at St. Kitt’s.

With the view ofrenabling planters at St. Kitt’s to
obtain useful information as to the sucrose content of
the juice of the different varieties of cane grown on
their estates, arrangements have been made whereby
managers can have a limited. number of: sanyples of
jiice analysed, free; of charge, at the Government
Laboratory, La Guerite, St. Kitt’s, during the period
that the canes in thebsugar-cane experiments are being
reaped. Mr. F. R. Shepherd, the Agricultural Super-
intendent of the tsland, has sent out a circular letter
inviting managers to forward samples of juice, and
promising a memorandum of results to each planter
who takes advantage of the offer. Interesting infor-
mation as to the yield and richness of juice on ditterent
estates rn the islandshould be elicited as the result of
such analyses.

Rice Meal.

Rice meal forms a valuable by-product in connex-
ion with the rice-growing and milling industries, and it is
evident that an increasing export trade in this article
is being developed in British Guiana, since 1,050 tons
were shipped from the colony during the first five
months of the present year. as compared with 111 tons
shipped in the corresponding period of 1907.

Rice meal forms a very nutritious food for cattle
and milking cows, and its production on a large scale
should be welcomed in acolony where the cattle trade
has of late years shown such increasing development.
An average sample of the meal contains about 10 per
cent. of albuminoids, 7°53 per cent. of oil, and 63:3. per
cent. of carbohydrates. The proportion of carbohy-
drates is high, and therefore, for feeding purposes, the
meal is improved by the addition of a small quantity
of a food rich in albuminous or flesh-forming constit-
uents, such as cotton-seed-meal, or pea or bean meal.

a

Agricultural Exports from British Guiana.

The export returns for British Guiana show that
the amount of sugar shipped from January 1 to the end
of May of the present year, totalled 25,936 tons, as
against 27,039 tons, shipped during the corresponding
period of 1907. The rum trade has also declined, the
exports for the respective periods being 400.861 gallons
and 652,977 gallois—a decrease of 252,116 gallons.
Further, the shipments of molascuit and eattle food
show a decline of 1,006 tons. On the other hand, the
coffee exports have;advanced from 100° tb. to 2,400 tb.
Cacao and rice also.show gratifying improvement. In
regard to rice, while 3,057,399 Tb. were shipped in the
first five months of 1907, the quantity sent abroad
during the corresponding. period of the present. year
amounted to 4,661)334 tb. Rubber exports have in-
creased from 1,672 th. to 3,042 tb., but the ship-
ments of balata show a slight decrease. Owing prinei-
pally to the new trade with’ Trinidad, there has been
a great advance in; the cattle trade, the exports for the
period having increased from 387 to 789.

Vor. VII. No. 160.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

185

Proposed Experiment Station at St. Croix.

Following upon the introduction and development
of the cotton industry at St. Croix,:a desire has arisen
among the cotton and sugar planters of the island for
the establishment of an Agricultural Experiment Sta-
tion in their midst, under™ the guidance of a scientific
and practical man, who should be specially qualified to
promote the interests of the cotton industry, and to
give advice and assistance in regard'to the several pests
affecting cotton. It is thought, tod, that valuable ser-
vice could be rendered to the colony by such an officer
in the institution of a series of sugar-cane experiments.

The establishment of such a station with the
necessary officers, and probably dbranch stations at
St. Thormas and St. John, would naturally be somewhat
costly at the start, but a Conimittee, appointed by the
Colonial Council of St. Croix, is at present enquiring
into the possibilities of realizing the idea.

———__—

Plants and Coast Erosion.

More than one species of grass belonging to the
genus Spartina have proved themselves of great value
for growing on sandy or muddy shores which are
especially subject to erosion, the effect of the grass
being to bind and consolidate the soil, and so prevent
the wearing away of the land. In British Guiana,
according to an article in the Journal of the Board of
Agriculture, Spartina braziliensis has been used with
considerable success for preventing erosion on certain
coast estates in the colony. ‘The grass is planted in
rows 6 feet apart, and 2 feet apart.in the rows. The
plants root firmly, and soon extend to meet each other.
If covered by mud washed over them, they soon grow
through it again. Itis stated that;on the estates in
‘question, mangrove seedlings are planted in the grass
as soon as the latter is firmly established, and these
mangroves ultimately form dense thickets that effectu-
ally prevent further erosion.

ae

Rainfall at Antigua.

Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., has forwarded a table
showing the monthly rainfall returns from seventy
stations at Antigua during 1907. ‘Phe mean rainfall
for the year, from all the stations, Was 43°45 inches.
The station at which the highest fall‘65°40 inches, was
recorded is Wallings (Dam), while Wallings (Hill), and
“Cochranes and Thomas’ came secon and third ‘with
rainfalls of 60°92 and 60°60 inches respectively. The
least rainfall experienced at any station, 26°20 inches,
was recorded at Cocoa-nut Hall, while the next lowest,
32°65 inches, occurred at Collins. September was the
month in which the greatest amount of rain fell, 7:15
inches being recorded as the mean of all the stations
during that "month. The rainfall of October, 6°76 inches,
was the next highest. March, with only 0:55 inches of
rain, was the drie st month, February coming next in this
respect, with 1°84 inches. The average rainfall for the
past thirty-four years has been 45°75 inches, so that the
rainfall for 1907 was 2°30 inches below the average.

Insurance of Cultivations against Hurricane.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has
received a copy of a circular letter sent by Messrs.
Henry, Head.& Co., Insurance Brokers, of London, to
the Leeward Islands, and containing particulars of
premiums payable for insuring buildings, and crops
under cultivation against loss by gales and hurricanes.
This subject was filly discussed in the Agricultural
News (Vol. V, p.. 129).

Premiums for the insurance of cacao and lime
cultivations in the Leeward Islands are at the rate
of 2 per cent. (40s. per cent.). For the insurance
of cocoa-nuts the premium charged is 24 (50s.) per
cent. In the above cases, full value is paid in case
of damage, and when no claim is made at the expira-
tion of the policy, a return of } (5s.) per cent.
is made. here is a special scheme of insurance for
cotton’ during the hurricane months—July, Angnst,
September, and October. The value of the cotton crop
is taken at £10 an acre. and on payment of a premium
of 1 per cent. (2s. per acre), a planter is entitled to
37s. 6d.if his.cotton is damaged in July, 42s. 6d. if it
is damaged in August, 45s. for loss caused by hurricane
in September, and 60s. for loss in October. On_ pay-
ment of a premium of 14 per cent. (3s. per acre)
a planter is entitled to a correspondingly higher rate
of compensation,

eg

Agricultural Education in Trinidad.

Instruction ‘in the principles of agriculture, com-
bined with school garden work, is being carried on in
a large number of the elementary schools of Trinidad
with very promising results. It has been suggested,
however, that in order to secure the best results in
agricultural training for the youths of the colony, the
establishment of a system of compulsory education will
probably be necessary. Under existing conditions, most
boys and girls leave school at abont thirteen or fourteen
years old, justat the time, in fact, when they might enter
upon a course of training in agricultural work with the
greatest advantage to themselves. ‘The uselessness of
attempting to give instruction in agricultural science to
boys before they have reached the aboveage wascommen-
ted upon by Professor Carmody in a recent report on
the work done at the Queen’s Royal College, and the

same thing practically applies to the elementary schools,
where, however, the teaching is more agricultural than
scientific.

The general provision of courses of instruction, such
as will interest and inform the youth of the isiand in the
principles underlying the cultivation of cacao, sugar,
and other crops, 1s a matter of first importance in an
agricultural colony such as Trinidad. The establish-
ment in the island, of one or more Agricultural
Schools similar to those started by the Imperial Depart-
ment of*Agriculture at St. Vincent, St. Lucia, and
Dominica, would be most valuable, and that there
would be snitable openings for the youths trained at the
school is evident from the fact that several lads from the
above schools have found employment on Trinidad
estates.

June 13, 1908.

Insect Pests in Foreign Lands.

Mr. W. W. Froggatt, F.L.S:, Government Entomolo-
gist of New South Wales, started last year on a mission
tor the Governments of New South Wales,.Queensland,
South Australia, and Victoria, to investizate the fruit-
fly and other insect pests, and their natural enemies, in
Europe and America. Mr. Froggatt was in Barbados
in January last, and was an honorary member of the
West Indian Agricultural Conference. The notes given
below are taken from Mr. Froggatt’s Progress Reports,
which have appeared in the Journal of Agriculture
of Victoria under the title ‘Insect Pests in Foreign
Lands’, and may be of interest to the readers of the
Agricultural News. Vhe Jantana scrub (similar to
Wild sage in the West Indies) which is a sericus
nuisance in Hawaii, is attacked by a number of insect
pests, some of which have been introduced into the
Hawaiian Islands for the express purpose of killing it.
Mr. Froggatt states :—

It has been claimed that the lantana is entirely destroyed
in some districts through these insect parasites, but, though
there is no doubt under certain conditions its growth has been
checked and great quantities of the flowers and seed buds des-
troyed, the scrub is not dead and the. bulk of it will
have to be removed when clearing, by mechanical methods.
Quite a number of different insects were propagated on

lantana; e.g., two moths, a leaf mining fly, a gall-
making fly, and a small leaf bug. The latter is one

of the most effective insect enemies of the serub, attacking
the under-surfaces of the leaves and causing them to drop off.
This bug, however, is very closely alhed to the native olive
bag of New South Wales, which destroys the foliage of the
cultivated olive, and we could never allow it to be introduced
into Australia under any conditions. The pest, however, that
in my opinion, after very close observation, has effected the
most destruction to the iantana, and is. still at work, is the
*Maui Blight’ (Orthezra insignis). This is one of the Mealy
Bugs, and is knownas a very destructive pest to the tea plant
and other shrubs in India and the Kast. It must be stated,
however, that the entomologist did not introduce this doubt
ful pest ; it was accidentally introduced cn the island of Maui,
but has been widely spread all over the other islands by the
ranch men, and is attacking other plants and?may be a very
to reckon with in the future. I therefore
strongly advise that under no conditions should we introduce
any of these insects into Australia for the purpose of killing
lantana. Even if they killed every bush, our. conditions of
plant life are so different that it is hard to say where the pest
would stop after the original host plant had died out.’

grave plant pest

Orthezia insignis is fairly common in the West
Indies, but is more conspicuous as a pest: of certain
useful plants than of lantana. Lantana, of which we
have several species, known as sage

te]

and rock Sage,

is not a serious pest in these islands.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

With regard to the leaf-hopper of the sugar-cane,,
and the effect of the introduced parasite, Mr. Froggatt
states :— :

Some years ago, a small leaf-hopper (Perkinsella
succharicida) made its‘appearance as a pest in the cane fields,
and, about the year 1902, swarmed in such numbers—sucking
up the sap, and depositing their eggs both in the leaf stalks
and the cane stems—that the whole fields were black with
fumagine, and througk: the injuries they caused, rust and
fungi damaged the tissues of the stalk. These injuries caused
a great loss in the yield of juice, and Messrs. Perkins and
Koebele came to Australia (whence much cane had been
introduced into Hawaii) to see if they could find the home of
the pest, and its parasites, if there were any. -In the middle
of 1904, they found this pest common in the North Queens-
land Plantations, and also discovered a small hymenopterous-
parasite destroying its:eggs. The infested eggs were sent
in cane stems to Honolulu, and the parasite is now so well
established that the leaf hopper is kept in check. Still
there is a good number of the destructive leaf hoppers to be
found, and it will be interesting to watch later developments.
It seems incredible that the parasites have mastered the
hoppers in such a short space of time as two years,
however carefully they have been spread Ly the entomolo-
gists of the Sugar Planters’ Association. There can be
no guestion about the value of this parasite and another
since introduced from Fiji, but there may be also other
agencies at work in checking leaf hoppers, one of which is
the return of some of the companies to the old method of clean-
ing the cane fields by burning up all rubbish. Harder
stemmed varieties of cane are also not so subject to the
attacks of leaf hoppers in the stem.

In California, Mr. Froggatt visited the different
fruit-growing sections, and he found that the intro-
duced parasite of the Codlin Moth has been of very
little service, if any, to the apple growers.

In the orange (districts 1t was found that scale
insects were more or less kept in check by the native
and introduced predaceous and parasitic insects, but
that up to the present time the control by this means
has not been snfticiently complete to render spraying
and fumigating unnecessary, though without doubt
very large numbers of scale insects are destroyed by
their natural enemies.

In Louisiana it was found that the control of cattle
ticks by a system of pasture rotation was effective.

Mr. Froggatt visited ‘Texas and made a visit to-
Mexico. The account of the trips beyond that country
has not yet been received. The report of Mr. Froggatt’s
visit to Cuba, Jamaica and Barbados should contain
notes of interest to the readers of the Agricultural
News.

Prize Holdings Scheme at Dominica. The
Experiments Committee at, Dominica propose that a Prize-
Holdings Scheme in with cultivation
shall be tried in two districts of the island, and that in
awarding the prizes, the holdings shall be divided into two
The first class, it is proposed, shall consist of hold
ings over | acre, but not exceeding 4 acres, while the second
class shall consist of holdings which shall be less than 1 acre
in extent, but shall include at least 100 The prizes
suggested for award in the first class are £4, £2. 10s., and
£1 respectively, with prizes of half this value for the second
class.

connexion cacao

classes.

trees.

"ion. Vil. No. 160: THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS, 187

Indian Runner Ducks.

Indian Runner ducks have been introduced into
-the West Indies, 2nd wherever they are known, their
great laying powers and hardy constitution cause them
to be regarded with favour. Notes on the character-
istics of tais breed appeared in the Agricultural News,
Violowlr 918, and Vol. V, 190. The following
particulars are taken from the Poultry Journal of
April last :—

Indian Runners have held their own as layers of the
largest number of eggs of any breed for many years, and at
the present time many people kee uy them simply for the
production of eggs on account of the fact that there is a ready
sale for duck eggs in nearly every town and village—as the
popular taste is decide sdly in favour of a freshly laid duck egg
for the breakfast table—this being considered much
in flavour than those laid by fowls.

As table birds the Indian Runners are not profitable
for sale, as their habits are so active—being similar to the
Leghorn fowls in this particular—that) to put on flesh at
a satisfactory rate for marketing is out of the question.

For home consumption their flesh is acceptable, as they
are not troublesome to rear, and since they commence to lay at
such an early age they can always be hatched in December and
January, so that the ducklings make a welcome diversion in
the menu for the family, ani are invariably accepted by
the housewife as the finest ducks going, on. account of being
available when other and larger ducks cannot be had.

When kept on a free range they are splendid foragers,
and during some parts of the year will get the whole of their
living when allowed a good range, as ‘they are very fond of
slugs, worms, frogs, ete. They also do well in contined places,
and we have known many people who have kept them in
small back yarls, where the birls have laid over ten
months out of the twelve. It would, however, take up too
much space to give the number of eggs and the various
reports of those who have proved the value of these birds.

The dneks and drakes should be tightly feathered, very
erect in their carriage, and have along neck and beak, and
differ from all other breeds of ducks in their manner of
locomotion, for instead of waddling they run straight off,
and no doubt that is one reason for their name, as they are
always on the move.

In good specimens the head should be fine and very
flat, more so than that of any other duck, and their eyes are
very near the top of the head. Their beaks are strony and

fairly broad, coming straight down the skull, and they possess
a wedge- shaped head.

Many cross-bred
pure, because the drake,
image upon the progeny so plainly.

are seen their beautiful carriage and
never forgotten.

richer

1 Indian Runner ducks have been sold as
when used for stamps his
When once these ducks
graceful movements are

crossing,

Indian Runner ducks are a very good variety to use tor
crossing purposes to improve the laying qualities of other
bresisr® As a rule, when the Indian Runner is crossed with
Aylesburies or Pekins, the half-bred ducks do not vary } Ib.
in weight from the two latter breeds in their pure
state, ad we have known the introduction of fresh blood tb
cause the young ones to grow even heavier. To some people
this would make 35 per cent. difference above what their
ordinary ducks have ever made.

Although Indian Runners are small, it pays to keep
them only on account of the number of eggs laid. When

they were introduced to the Midland Counties and the South
of E ngland, the poulterers complained of their being so small,
but their FEO is excellent, and very much like that of the
wild duck. Indian Runner duck lings are very hardy, and no
trouble at all to rear.

It seems a mysterious fact that
have been in our country for almost a century and have not
spread before. No doubt they would not have done so now,
had it not been for poultry literature.

such valuable ducks

JAMAICA TEA.

An. account of the methods of tea cultivation,
preparation of the leaves, ete. as practised on the
Ramble estate, Jamaica, was contained in a paper,
contributed by the Hon. H. E. Cox, owner of as ate,
to the West Indian Bulletin, Vol. V DI ps2

The Ramble is the only estate in the West Indies on
which any attempt is made to produce tea on a commercial
scale. It is situated in St. Ann parish,
about 1,600 feet above sea-level.
on which the tea is cultivated, and does well, consists of
a deep red soil, resting on a basis of white limestone. The
average rainfall of the district during the past ten years has
been 82°80 inches, while the average temperature through-
out the year varies between 80-06° and 77°25° F. for the
maximum, and 66°88° and 63°23° F. for the minimum.

A start in the cultivation of the crop was made several
years ago with 250 plants anda packet of seed from Cinchona,
and this strain has been adhered to down to the present time.

At the beginning of 1906, about 100 acres were under
cultivation, (only a part being available for crop), and sinee
then 50 acres more have been planted with seed.

The plants are propagated by means of seed. Cuttings
occasionally strike, but not sufficiently well to be useful.
After-cultivation simply consists in keeping the ground between
the plants as clean as possible. The first return is obtained
when the plants are slightly more than four years old.

The preparation of the leaves for market
requiring care and skill.

The West India Circular of May 12 last,
contains a report and analysis, reproduced from the Lancet,
of a sample of tea from the Ramble estate. The following
is the composition: Moisture, 7°50 per cent.; mineral mat-
ter, 5°50 per cent.; tannin, 8°22 per cent.; and theine, 1°60
per cent. - ‘he report in the Lancet points out that the tannin
is decidedly less than that contained in either China or Indian
tea, the average amount being 10 percent. The theine, how-
ever, occurs also in smaller quantity in Jamaica tea, but this
may not be a disadvantage. The first sales of tea from the
Ramble estate were made in 1903, The plantation suffered
considerably from the drought of last year, which destroyed
about 30 acres of young plants set out the previous year,
besides preventing seed from germinating.

at an elevation of
That portion of the estate

is &@ process

Committee

188

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. May 13, 1908.

‘
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via
ee

Mr. John R. Bovell, F.LS., F.C.S., Agricultural Super-
intendent. of Barbados, left for England on June 2, by
R.M.S. § Trent,’ on six months’ leave of absence.

The whole of the 1907-8 cotton crop of Nevis has now
been gathered, and is estimated to have yielded 160,000. tb.
of lint, as compared with 73,607 Ib. obtained in 1906-7.

Seed, specially selected from cotton grown at Stirling
Plantation, Barbados, can now be obtained, at 12e. per tb.,
from the Barbados Co-operative Cotton Factory, Limited.

The exports of rubber from Brazil in 1907 amonnted to
36,459 tons, of which the United States took 16,811 tons,
Great Britain 14,553 tons, France 2,506 tons, and Germany
2? 3031 tons.

From January 1 to the end of May of the present year,
171,489 tb. of balata were shipped from British Guiana, as
compared with 175,576 Ib. exported during the corresponding
period of 1907,

By kind permission of the Hon. F. J. Clarke, C.M.G., the
Attorney, a ploughing match and show of stock and sugar will
be held at Poole Plantation, St. John, on June 24, under the
auspices of the Barbados Agricultural Society.

Tn Natal the cultivation of the sugar-cane is carried on
over an area of about 45,000 acres, and affords employment
to some 200 Europeans and nearly 10,000 Indians and
natives, (Lnternational Sugar Journal, May 1908.)

The amount of produce exported from Barbados, from
the commencement of the crop season up to May 25 last,
reached 14,531 of sugar and 34,035 puncheons of
taolasses, as compared with 16,556 tons of sugar and 40,759

tons

puncheons of molasses for the corresponding period last year,

Tea from Java is reported as having much improyed in
quality and manufacture during recent years, and the best
suimples are now quite equal to the finest Indian and Ceylon
tea. Java tea is exported chiefly to the United Kingdom,
Russia, and Germany. (British Consular Report.)

The quantity of plantation rubber exported from the
Federated Malay States during the months of January and
February 1908, was 468,595 tb., compared with 270,652 Ib.
exported during the corresponding period of 1907, This
represents an increase of 73 per cent.

Samples of lemon grass oil prepared at the Government
Laboratory, Barbados, have recently been forwarded by the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture to dealers in London
for examination and report. The grass was grown at Barba
dos from seed imported from Cochin.

In Porto Rico the Barbados Cherry. (Ala/pighia glabray
is proving of considerable merit for making jellies. The tree
bears several crops a year ;-those at the Agricultural Experi-
ment Station are reported as having so far borne one heavy
and two light crops each season. (rperiment Station Report,
1907.)

The Agricultural Instructor of Nevis, writing at the end
of April, reported that*all old cotton plants on estates in the
island were being pulled up and burnt. It was hoped to
attempt earlier planting of cotton seed this year (in May
and June, if possible) ; but, owing to lack of rain, prepara-
tion of the land was difficult with manual labour.

Professor Harrison, C.M.G., in a-recent letter to the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, reports that the
various rubber trees planted at the Experiment Station and
on the farms in the North-Western District are doing very
well, and showing rapid growth. About 120,000 trees have
been planted during the past two or three years.

A heifer imported into St. Vincent from Nova Scotia
in September 1907, when only twenty-two months old, gave
birth toa bull calf at the Agricultural School, in May last.
It is not usually considered advisable to breed at such an early
age, but the heifer is now doing well and yielding nearly 34
gallons of milk per day, and promises to develop into
a valuable animal,

Praedial larceny, has been very prevalent in Jamaica of
late, and nearly all the Branch Agricultural Societies in
the island have passed strong resolutions urging the amend-
ment of the law on the subject. In regard to the frequency
of theft by children, it is asked that attendance at school be
made compulsory, on the-grotind «thatseducation would be one
of the surest remedies for the practice.

Particulars contained in an article in the Aew Bulletin
(No. 3, 1908) indicate that increasing attention is being
given to banana cultivation in Egypt. The most important
kind grown is the Chinese or Canary Islands banana (usa
Cavendishiv). On good soil the plants may occupy the
ground for six years. The cultivation is reported as being
very lucrative.

Messrs. Macfarlane, Junior & Co., of St. Lucia, not long
ago issued a circular letter to planters and others in the
colony, stating their intention to start the cultivation of Sea
Island an extensive on the Balembouche
estate, and also to erect a ginnery at Castries. They invite
the co-operation and support of other planters in St. Lucia.
Messrs. Macfarlane have engaged Mr. W. E. Stephens, a well
known cotton planter of St. Vincent, as manager of their new

cotton on scale

enterprise.

The Agricultuyal Ledger (No. 5, 1907) deals with the
seeds and oil of the Mexican poppy (Arye MONE NL ricana), which
is a common weed in the West Indies, belonging to the order
Papaveraceae. The plant is well known by its yellow flowers,
prickly leaves with. white veins, and the yellow juice that
The seeds contain about
36 per cent. of oil which is much used in medicine in India. It
is applied as a liniment, and also serves as an emetic and an
aperient. The oil is further used for mixing paints, and for
burning in the lamps of Indian temples. It is, however, not
suitable for food purposes,

exudes when the plant is broken,

IViOle Wille eNOS AGO!

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 189

LITERATURE OF FURCRALA
SUS OF THE KNOWN SPECIES:
Reprinted from the Bighteenth Annual Report of the Missourd
Botanic Garden.

WITH A SYNOP-
By J. R. Drummond.

This reprint of an interesting scientific paper forms an
epitome of the present knowledge regarding the genus
Fureraca, and was prepared in connexion with an investiga-
tion on the subject, at Kew, in 1906, by Mr. Drummond.
The pamphlet is illustrated, and contains particulars of the
species of Murcraca and Agave found in the West Indies.

ABC AND XVZ OF BEE
and E.R.Root. Published by the
Ohio, ULS.A. Price 31°50 post free.

The popularity and value of this well-known bee
book is evidenced by the fact that the present issue forms the
thirteenth edition, and brings the number of copies printed
up to 116,000. While the first edition comprised only some
200 pages, continual and additions necessi-
tated by more extensive knowledge on the subject, have so
increased the matter that the present issue contains 576
double-colomn pages. The work, as its title implies, forms a
veritable encyclopaedia of everything relating to bees and
bee-keeping, hives, honey, honey-plants, ete., and since it has
been cowjnled from information collected al! over the world,
bee keepers, in whatever climate they ave situated, will find
it _a valuable handbook. The alphabetical arrangement
adopted with the various articles, facilitates ready reference
to any particular point connected with! the industry, but since
such an arrangement is not the most suitable for consultation
by persons about to start bee-keeping, beginners are, on page
1, referred to a list of articles which form a first course of
reading on the subject. The book is abundantly illustrated,
photographs representing various processes and phases of the
work of bee-keeping appearing on almost every page.

It may be of interest to note that the book includes
several articles contributed by Mr. W. kK. Morrison, author
of ‘ Bee-keeping in the West Indies ’,, which was published
as No, 9 in the Pamphlet Series issued by the Imperial
Department of Agriculture. {

CULTURE. By A.1.
AT. Root Co., Medina,

revisions

THE BUILDING OF AN ISLAND. By John T,
Quin, F.R.G.S., late Inspector of Schools in the Danish West
Indies. Published by the Author at Christiansted, St. Croix.

In this volume of 106 pages, the author has given +

a very readable history of the geological structure — of

Sf ignite ah : : ; : i
St. Croix. The book is written in a simple style, the use of
technical expressions being avoided as far as possible.
Further, it is rendered more useful by the inclusion of maps
and representations of typical fossils, together with reproduc-
tions of photographs of various features which illustrate the
geology of the island.

Two rock formations are apparent in the structure of
St. Croix. Of these, the -earlier is a Secondary indurated
clay laid down in the Cretaceous age. This formation
is known locally as ‘blue beach’ rock, and it oceupies
the eastern, the greater part of the northern, and the
whole of the north-western portions of the island. Since
the deposition of the clay, however, it has undergone
a considerable amount of metamorphism as the result of heat
and pressure.. The second formation consists of Tertiary
marls and limestones of the Miocene age. It overlies the
older rocks to a thickness of at least 600 feet in the central,
south-central, and south-western parts of the island.

Throughout the book it is shown how the conclusions
arrived at are deduced from direct observation of the rocks
of the island. Towards the end the author deals with the
relationship of the geology of St. Croix to that of other West
Indian Islands, and finally its relationship to geology in
general.

EDUCATION SCHEME FOR ESTATE
OVERSEERS AND MANAGERS.

It will be remembered (Agricultural News, Vol.
VII, p. 54), that at the Agricultural Conference held
at Barbados in January last, the question of the educa-
tional qualifications of overseers and managers on
estates in the West Indies came v» for discussion, and
it was suggested that something might be done,
through the Imperial Department of Agriculture, to
organize a scheme of reading for young men wishing to
qualify for such positions on estates, to be followed by
examination for certificates of proficiency.

The Barbados Agricultural Society some time ayo
appointed a Special Committee to consider the subject, and to
draw up a scheme of working. At the monthly meeting of the
Society, held on Friday, May 29 last, the report of this Com-
mittee was presented. The report is in the shape of a scheme,
published under the auspices of the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, providing for a course of reading and examina-
tion in practical agriculture, the details of which were
explained to the members of the Society by Sir Daniel
Morris. It is proposed to hold examinations periodically at
various centres in the West Indies at which candidates will
have the opportunity of submitting themselves and obtaining
certificates of competency. The examinations will be three
in number—(1) Preliminary, in the general principles of
agriculture ; (2) Intermediate, in regard to insect pests and
fungi; (3) Final, embracing fuller knowledge of special
crops, estate management and control, diseases of plants, ete.
Candidates will have about six or eight months in which to
prepare themselves by reading the text-books suggested, and
in addition to the written work there will be an oral examina-
tion, for the purposes of which it is hoped to secure the
services of the most experienced planters in the various
colonies.

In recommending the scheme to the approval of
the Society, Sir Daniel said it was one which was calculated
to be of great benefit to the whole island, and hoped that
it would be the means of eventually securing to young jen
engaged in agriculture, who proved they were worthy, greater
remuneration and increased comfort in their daily life. The
adoption of the scheme was moved by Mr. A. Cameron,
seconded by Mr. W. D. Shepherd, and carried unanimously.
On the motion of Mr. J. R. Bovell it was decided to ask
Sir Daniel Morris to draw up a cireular-letter to be sent to
the various planters in the island with a copy of the scheme.

190

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. June 13, 1908.

HARVESTING AND CURING TOBACCO

LEAVES.
Tobacco is a standard crop in Jamaica, and
experiments in its cultivation and curing have
been in progress for some time in ‘Trinidad and

St. Kitt’s-Nevis. Trials of the tobacco plant have also
oceasionally been made in other of the West Indian
Isiands, and from reports received it would appear that
while suitable soil and other conditions for the crop are
to be found in several localities, there 1s great need for
further knowledge and improved methods in the
processes of harvesting, curing, and fermentation of the
leaves. The following notes on harvesting and curing
(to be followed by particulars relating to fermentation
in the next issue) are taken from Bulletin No. 15
of the Hawanan Agricultural Station ‘ Cultivation of
Tobacco in Hawaii,’ which was reviewed in the last
number of the Agricultural News :—

There is no hard and fast rule to indicate when the tobacco
leaf is ripe. It is largely a matter of judgement to be
determined by long practice and experience The harvesting
of the crop requires a great deal of skill, knowledge, and
judgement. It is better to harvest under ripe than over ripe.

As the leaves are removed from the plant they should be
placed in baskets or other light receptacles and taken without
delay to the stringing room, where each grade should be kept
separate and roughly assorted to length. The fresh leaf
should never be piled in deep piles, as it heats very rapidly,
and such heating has a tendency to turn the leaf black. It
does not harm the leaf to wilt, but it must not be allowed to
heat. Having reached the stringing room, and having been
roughly assorted to length, from fifty to sixty leaves are strung
with a straight needle and cotton thread, back to back and
front to front, about an inch apart. A string of leaves when
completed is ready to be put on the pole for curing.

The tobacco is now ready to be placed upon the racks in
the curing barn. A barn of the type here recommended should
be filled from the bottom upward, so that the green tobacco is
always on the top, and never below that which is partially
cured, The air is essentially humid in the tobacco barn,
and it is detrimental to have an ascending current of wet air
passing through the tobacco which is partially cured. The
poles should be placed at an average distance of about
9 inches apart on the hanging rails, so that the leaves will
not touch, It is very important that the leaves should not
touch while hanging.

The cure depends upon the exclusion of light, thorough
ventilation, and perfect control of temperature and humidity.

The object of curing is to produce a yellowing in the
leaf by prolonging the death of the green cells in’ the leaf.
The yellow colonr is essential. Without it the leaf cures
If the leaf dries too rapidly, and yellowing does not
The whole curing process is a delicate
one, requiring constant vigilance. The control of tempera-
ture, ventilation, and humidity are a matter of practice
which will have to be determined in each locality. In general,
the temperature should remain low until the leaf has wilted,
and should never be allowed to go so high as to set the green
colour in the leaf. The temperature should exceed humidity
from 10° to 15°. If the degree of humidity approaches
nearer to that of the temperature, pole rot, stem rot, whire
vein, moulds, and other maladies of the curing barn can
not be kept out.

As soon as the web of the leaf has passed from the
yellow into the brown, the temperature should be greatly
increased in order to dry out the stem and veins. . The heat

black.
occur, it cures green.

‘oreat, but are at present largely undeveloped.

does not injure the leaf after the colour is once set. As soon
as the veins are dry, or as soon as the green colouring has
disappeared in them, the leaf is eured and is ready for
removal. With artificial heat the curing process may be
finished in twelve to fourteen days. Without heat it will
require twenty-four to twenty-eight days. The tobacco is now
ready to be taken down, assorted, and bundled for fermentation.

The Hawaiian ‘tobacco is grown without the
provision of artificial shade, but the best tobacco
districts are on the slopes of the higher mountains,
where cloud-belts gather daily, thus providing natural
shade conditions.

JAMAICA COFFEE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

The following is an extract from a letter received
by the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture from
Mr. A. L. Sclater, of Helvetia, South Melsetter, Rhode-
sia, dated March 10 last :—

Some three or four years ago I had some correspondence
with you as to the best country from which to get cotfee seed
for planting here, and you recommended me to get seed from
Jamaica. Ican only tell you how pleased I am at the
result of my enquiries, as now I have several acres of beauti-
ful trees bearing a very good crop. The oldest trees are four
years old in August, next, and should average 4-5 tb. of
coffee per tree all round.

VANILLA PRODUCTION IN REUNION.

The British Consul in the French colony of
Réunion, in his most recent report, gives the follow-
ing note on the production of vanilla :—

The total production of vanilla in Réunion amounted to
about 55 metric tons [1 metric ton= 2,200 tb.] as against
30 tons in the previous year. The average price was 40 fr.
[1 france = 10d. approx.] per kilo., (£1 12s, per 2-2 Ib.) as
against 28 fr. (£1 2s. 6d.) during 1906. This great rise in the
price of vanilla has naturally had a good effect on the small
planters, who were practically on the verge of bankruptcy in
1906. It is to be hoped that the price can be maintained ;
but there is perhaps some danger of an over production in
the world’s supply, and that the price of the commodity will
continue to vary greatly in proportion as to whether cyclones
or droughts destroy a part of the world’s crop or not.

EXPERIMENT STATIONS IN EAST
AFRICA.

The Experiment Station Record (U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture) for March last contains the
following note :—

The Portuguese Government has authorized the establish-
ment of a series of Experiment Stations in the State of East
Africa or Mozambique. This region covers nearly 300,000
square miles on the east coast, directly opposite Madagascar,
and has a population of about 2,000,000. Although under the

jurisdiction of Portugal, it is in large part controlled by

Its resources are believed to be very
MirstOs We
Barrett, formerly Entomologist and Plant Pathologist of the
Porto Rico Station, [and who was recently temporarily
employed in ‘Trinidad on work dealing with the insect pests
and fungoid diseases affecting cacao in that island] has
accepted a two-year appointment to organize the Stations.

British syndicates,

Vou. VII.

No. 160.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 191

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.

Mr. J. R Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the follow-
ing report on the London drug and spice market during
the month of April :—

The position of the Spice and Drug markets during the
month of April may be described as having been abnormally
dull, which condition has been partly attributed in some
quarters to the unusually cold and wintry weather experi-
enced throughout the month, added to the intervention of
the Easter holidays ; but the most serious cause seems to be
the general scareity of money, and-in this connexion the
Pharmaceutical Journal makes the following comment :
‘We appear now to be feeling the after effects of the
enormous amount of money which was unavoidably lost to
the world during the Boer and Russo-Japanese wars, to which
must be added the immense loss of capital through the
earthquakes in America and the West Indies.’

In the matter of West Indian products the following
are the chief items :—

GINGER,

At the spice auction on April 1, the offerings of Jamaica
amounted to 238 packages, of which 20 were disposed of at
the following rates : Fair bright, 78s., ordinary small dark,
52s. per ewt. Privately, it was stated, that a good business
had been effected in fine quality at 85s.to 86s.,and for medimin
at 60s. to 65s, A week later Jamaica was slow of sale, 70 bar-
rels and 46 bags being offered and bought in at from 60s. to
80s. for good washed. Some 220 packages of Calicut were
offered, but there was very little demand, 10 bags only finding
purchasers. At the auction on the Ld5th, 28 barrels of dull
washed Jamaica were sold at 63s. 6d. per ewt. At the last
sale on the 29th, Jamaica was in fair supply, some 240 pack-
ages being offered, of which, however,-only 10 sold at from
52s. to 60s, for good ordinary to dull washed. Some
360 packages of Cochin and Calicut were also offered and
3 sold. Bold selected ent Cochin was bought in at 90s.,
bold native cut at from 55s. to 60s., and good brown washed
Calicut at 45s. per ewt.

NUTMEGS, AND

MACE, PIMENTO,

At the spice sale on April 8, over 300 packages of
West Indian nutmegs were offered and disposed of at
advanced prices on previous rates, but no further quotations
have been made during the rest of the month. Mace
remained steady throughout the month. At the last spice
sale on the 29th, some 16 packages of West Indian were
offered and sold at the following rates: fair to good red,
1s. 3d. to Is. 4d., and broken at 1s. 1d: per tb. The offerings
of Penang, Java, and Macassar were bought in at the follow-
ing rates: 1s. 7d. to 1s. 8d. per tb. for dull Penang, 2s. for
good Java, and ls. ld. for wild Macassar. Pimento has
occupied a very quiet position during the month. At the
first auction only a few bags were sold at 23d. per tb. for
fair, but some 60 bags of siftings were’ disposed of without
reserve at from 14d. to 1}d. per Ib. On the Sth, 143 bags
were offered and all were bought in, and at the last auction
on the 29th, out of 590 bags offered, only 40 were sold at
21d. to 24d. per bb. .
ARROWROOT,

At the spice auction on April 1, 247 barrels of
St. Vincent were brought forward, 57 of which were sold with-
out reserve, realizing from 2d. to 24d. per lb. for fair manu-

facturing ; and at the last sale on the 29th, out of the

189 barrels of St. Vincent offered, 90 were disposed of at the
following reduced rates: 12d. to 2d. for fair manufacturing.
Natal, of which 20 cases were offered, was all bought in
at 43d. per Tb.

SARSAPARILLA.

At the first drug sale, sarsaparilla was in good demand,
all the offerings being disposed of. Grey Jamaica was
represented by 15 bales, which sold at the following rates :
1s. 2d. to 2s. per Ib. for part coarse and dark to fair fibrous.
Of 36 bales of Lima-Jamaica, the following prices were
obtained : 7 bales of coarse to fair, slightly roughish, fetched
Is. 6d. to 1s. 77. per tb.; 8 other bales Is. 5d., and 21 bales at
from ls. 4d. to ls. 6d. for sound, and ls. to ls. 3d. for
damaged. Five bales of native Jamaica were disposed of at
ls. for dull red, and for fair bright red and yellow, 1s. 1d. to
ls. 2d., and 1s. 3d. for good red. Two bales of fair red, but
oil-damaged, realized 10d. to 1s. 1d. per tb., and 1s. to Is. 2d.
per tb. was paid for 10 bales of Guayaquil. Towards the end
of the month small sales of grey Jamaica were made at
2s. ld. to 2s. 2d. per tb., and it was announced that further
large consignments of genuine grey Jamaica and Lima-
Jamaica would be offered at the first auction in May.

LIME JUICE,

KOLA, TAMARINDS, ETC.

At the beginning of the month it was reported that
lime juice was arriving more freely from the West Indies
than hitherto. Fair raw realized 1s. 3d. per gallon. A week
later 1s. dd. to ls. 5d. was asked for good flavoured raw
West Indian. At the auction on the 8th, 15 bags of dark
kola were offered and disposed of at 2d. per lb. At the
same sale, new Barbados tamarinds were sold at 19s. per
ewt., duty paid. A fortnight later new West Indian were
reported to be arriving freely, amounting, it was said, to
388 barrels from Antigua, and 75 barrels from Barbados.
During the month musk seed from Jaya was offered at 3d. to
31d. per tb., but it was stated that the cultivation was not
remunerative at the present prices, in consequence of which
the imports have practically ceased.

CACAO EXPORTS FROM TRINIDAD.

The following particulars in relation to the
exports of cacao from Trinidad during the early months
of the present year were given in the Proceedings of
the Agricultural Socvety of Trinidad and Tobago
(April 1908) :—

The exports of Trinidad cacao for the quarter ending
March 31, 1908, were 19,967,706 tb., as against 11,265,856 Th.
for the corresponding period of 1907. In the list of countries
importing Trinidad cacao, France takes the leading position,
with 10,884,160 Ib. the United States which purchased
5,779,872 tb., coming second. The United Kingdom, which
took 2,384,592 Ib. comes third, while Holland imported
442.288 Ib. of Trinidad cacao. Only 123,872 tb. are scheduled
as having been exported to Canada, but this figure is no
indication of the trade, as the cacao business of the Dominion
is almost entirely done through New York. In connexion
with the important business in cacao with the United States,
it seems strange that the market price of the article there
should not appear in the West Indian public telegrams. ‘This
is more observable when it is noted that regular New York
sugar quotations are furnished.

Shipments of Trinidad cacao during April last were
3,591,084 Ib., of which 2,951,084 lb. went to the United
States, 915,320 tb. to France, and 496,533 tb. to the United
Kingdom.

192

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Jung 13, 1908-

MARKET “REPORTS.

London,— May 26, 1908, ‘THe Wesr Inpta_ Com-
MITTEE CrrcuLar; Messrs. E. A. DE Pass & Co.,
May 15, 1908; Messrs. Krarron, Pierr & Co.,
May 26, 1908.

Arrowroot—l1ii. to 2fd.

Batara—Sheet, 2/3 to 2/4 ; block, 1/74 to 1/8 per th.

Brgs’-Wax—Good quality, £7 10s. to £7 12s. 6d. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 67/- to 85/- per ewt.; Grenada, 61/- to
67/- per cwt.

Correr—Santus, 29s. 73d.; Jamaica, 37/-

Corpra—West Indian, £16 per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, 15d. to 17d.; Barbados, 15d. to 171d.:
St. Kitt’s, 15d. to 17}d.; Montserrat, 15d. to 164d.
per Ib. 7

FRruit—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 5/- per bunch.
Limes—4/6 to 5/- per box of 200.
Ping-appLes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grape Fruir—6/- to 10/- per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 6/- to 7/- per box.

Fusric—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton,

Gincer —51/- to 80/

HonEy—20s. to 33s. per cwt.

Istncuass—West India lump, 1/7
11d. to 1/- per tb.

Live Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£13 10s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 1/10 to
1s. 11d. per th. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per th.

Locwoon—#3 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Mace—No quotations.

Nurmecs—66's to 68’s, Sd. to 8hd.; 76’s, 6d.; 91's, dd.;
105’s to 118’s, 44d.; 121’s, 34d.; 149’s

Pimento—Quiet ; 2hd. to 24d.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/3 to 8/-; Demerara, 1/6 per gallon ;

Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 18/6 to 19/6 per ewt. ; Muscovado,

15s. 7d.; Molasses, no quotations.

to 52/- per ewt.

to 2/3 per tb.; cake,

, od.

New York,—May 2%, 1908.—Messrs. GitLespre, Bros.

& Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 133c. to 15¢e. ; Grenada, 1l3c. to Lhe. ;
Trinidad, 13c. to 16c.; Jamaica, 114c. to 12c. per Ib.

Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $22°00 to $25°00; culls,
no quotations ; Trinidad, $18°50 ; culls, $10°50 per M.

Correr—Jamaica, good washed, 9c. to 11e.; good ordinary,
Te. to &4e.

Gincrr— 12hc. to 14e. per tb.

Goat Sxrns—Jamaiea, 50c.; St. Thomas, St.
Kitt’s, 45c. to 48c., dry flint per th.

Cirape Frurtr—Jamaicas, $2°25 to $2°70 per box and $450
to $6°00 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, $7°50 per barrel.

Macrn—29c. to 33c. per tb.

Nurmecs—110’s, LO}c. to 104e. per th.

OranaEs—Jamaica, $1°70 to $3:00 per barrel.

Pinenro— 4c. to 4$c. per tb.

Suear—Centrifugals, 96°, 4:42c. ; Muscovados, 89", 3°86e. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°G1e. per th., duty paid.

Croix, St.

British Guiana,—May 16,

Trinidad,—May 30,

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lyncu & Co., June 2,
1908 : Messrs. T. S.
1908

Garraway & Co., June 9,

ARRowroot—St. Vincent. $4:00 to $4°50 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $14°00 to $15°00 per 100 Tb.

Cocoa-Nurs—$14°00 per M. for husked nuts.
Correr—Jamaica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 tb.

Hay— $1°40 to $1°50 per 100 tb.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $62°00 to $65°00 ; Ohlendorff's
dissolved guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42-00 ;
Cacao manure, $42°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $72°00
to $75°00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67°00 per ton.

Monasses—Choice, 19¢. ; Fancy, 21e. per gallon.

Onions— Bermuda loose, $1°21 to $1°75 per 100 th.

Poraros, Ene itsn-—$2-00 to $3-00 per 160 Tb.

Pras—Split, $6°40 ; Canada, $3°26 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $5°85 to $6°10 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°80 ;
Rangoon, $3°00 to $3°10 per 100 th

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $2°00 per 100 th., package in-
cluded; Dark erystals, $2°50; Centrifugals, $2°35 to
$2°75 per 100 tb. i

1908, Messrs. WtETING

& RICHTER.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $9°50 to $10°00 per barrel.

Baxara—-Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet,
per Ib.

Cacao—Native, 1Gc. to 18c. per fb.

Cassava—80c.

Cassava SrarcH—$9°00 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocoa-NutTS—$12:00:+0 $16°00 per M.

CorrrE— Creole, 12c. to 15c.; Jamaica, 12c. per th.

Duat— $5°75 to 6-00 per bag of 168 tb.

Eppos— 96e° per barrel.

Mo tasses— Yellow, 19c. ; Dark, no quotations.

Onrons—Madeira, 3c. to 8$c.; Lisbon, 3c. to 3he. per th.;
Dutch, no quotations. ‘1

PLanvarns—40c. to 60e. per bunch.

Poratros,—English, $3°00 to $3°50 per barrel.

Poratos, SwEetT—Barbados, $1°32 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6°40 ; Creole, $5°75 for good ;
$6°00 per bag.

Sprir Peas—$6°00 to $6°10 per bag (210 Th.); Lisbon, $4°50.

Tannras—$1°68 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°00 ; Buck, $2°64 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°70 to $300 ; Yellow, $3°50 to
$310; White, $3:70 to $3°80; Molasses, $2:00 to
$2-60 per 100 th. (retail).

TimpeER—Greenheuart, 32c. to 5dc. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3°50 to 85°75 per M.

Corpwoop —$2°40 to $2°64 per ton.

48c.

Seeta,

1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT

& Co.

Cacao—$13:00 to $14°00 per fanega.
Cocoa-nuts—$22°00 per M., f.o.b.

Cocoa-nutT O1.—60e. per Imperial gallon, cask included.
Corrre—Venezuelan, no quotations.

Copra—$2°50 to $2°75 per 100 fb.

Duat—-$5°00 to $5°15 per 2-bushel bag.

Ontons—81°75 to $1°90 per 100 tb. (retail).

Poraros, Encuisn—$1°75 to $1°90 per 100 Tb.
Rice—Yellow, $5:40 to $5°60; White, $5°25 to $600 per bag,
Spriv Peas—$5°90 to $6-00 per bag.

SuGak— American crushed, $5:00 to $5°10 per 100 tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
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PAMPHLET SERIBS.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the iniormation contained in them is especially
adapted to West Indian conditions. They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work
on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circul ction. The following list gives particulars
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(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d. (84) Notes_on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d.
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised. (35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

Price 4d. (36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(9) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d. (38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.
(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1. (39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5.
Price 2d. Price 4d.
(13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901. Price 4d. (40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d. 1903-5. Price 6d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d. (41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivation. Price 2d. (42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
(17) General Treatment of Fungoid Pests. Price 4d. Islands, 1904-5. Price 4d.
(18) Recipes for cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d. (43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d. Stuff on West Indian Plantations. Price 2d.

(20) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1901-2. (44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
Price 2d. 1904-6. Price 6d.

(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part II. Price 4d. (45) A. B. C. ef Cotton Planting. New and Enlarged Edition.

(23) Notes on Poultry in the West Indies. Price 4d Price 6d.

(25) Ground Nuts in the West Indies Price 2d. (46) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1905-6.

(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903, Price 4d. Price 4.

(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-8. (47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Price 2d. Islands, 1905-6. Price 4d.

(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d. (49) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados

(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d. 1905-7. Price 6d.

(30) Manurial Experiments with Sugai-cane in the Leeward (59) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1906-7.
Islands, 1902-3. Price 4d. Price 4c.

(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d. (61 Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward

(32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904. Price 4d. Islands, 1906-7. Price 4. ; ea :

(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4. (52) Hints for School Gardens, Revised Edition. Price 4:/.
Price 4d. (53) A. B. C. of Lime Cultivation. Price 4d.

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The ‘Agricultural News’ contains extracts from official correspondence and from progress and
other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in
Agricultural matters throughouc the West Indies. k :

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Vou. VII. No. 160. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. Junt 13, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

ao Ave aaa ae

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Su Sugar-cane and general use

Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure
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Ohljendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,

Potash Salts,

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WEST INDIAN BULLETIN

(Vol. VIII, no. 4).

Containing an account of the West Indian
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Representatives, Presidential Address, Abstract of
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number also contains Title Page. Index and
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Prepared by
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of Agr:culture. [161] Factory, Ltd., Barbados.

- A
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7, 44 }

A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW neue
IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. Re"

Vor, Vol Now 161: BARBADOS, JUNE 27, 1908. Price Id.

CONTENTS. The first point dealt with is the manner of ascer-

= taining and stating the efticiency of the work done by

PAGE. PaGE. amiuilin crushing canes. It is shown that the state-
Cacao, Fermentation of ... 205} Java, Minor Agricultural p : i pe Onue Dae
? ae ; =| : ig ie ment of the percentage of juice expressed from the e:
Cacao, Grafting of ... ... 197 | Industries of ... ... 201 - ; ie oA percentase Pees ; ad ‘ Re:
Chicks, the Feeding of ... 203) Market Reports — . 208 1s not satisfactory, because canes, at different times and

Cocoa-nuts in Porto Rico... 196) Molasses for Farm Stock 200

: epee Sepeae || Ps ; in different localities contain ditferent quantities of
Coffee Growing in Hawaii 206 Notes aud Comments ... 200 1

Corn Culture in the United Our Bookshelf :— juice, hence a percentage which may represent good
Mat ace or The Case for Ao: 205 5 . S.C 4 z
States... .-. +. 199) The Case for the Goat... 205 work under some conditions may correspond with bad

Cotton Notes :—- The Prineiples of Aeri- os ‘

SemGroneCaltounlieois: culture... ... ... 205. Work under others. The statement of the amount of
lation in... ... ... 198) Le Cacaoyer au Congo _ sugar remaining in the megass is also regarded as

St. Vincent Cotton Crop 198 Hiancalsigees scan een 20D ‘ oe : a : rE :

Senuleland @outon Pond Mud, Utilization of 202 Unsatisfactory owing to the varying amount of sugar
Market... ... ... 198 Rats aud their Destruc- _ present in different canes.

West Indian Cotton ... 198 | THOWOE eee acces een , : : 4

Cowpeas ... 06. we eee 206) Rubber Extraction from A suggestion by Mr. Lely (Chemist to the Antigua
ee Hes Sinall Trees 20 ete mba

Dominica, Rainfall at ... 201] mall Trees... ... 201 Gentral Factory) to calculate the amount. of juice *

Rubber in Jaya ... ... 207 ict ; C 4 : aoe

Fruit Decay, ‘ Pre-cooling’ Sugar-cane Mills, Obser- remaining in the megass in proportion to the fibre,

sa Preventive of... 200) vations on the work , and to state this in terms corresponding to 100 parts

Fruit Preserved in Brine 199 of SME, cae nee LOD an i St ee f

Benne yg Sugar Industry of fibre, is accepted as the most satisfactory method of

ALGAMINGS Wecap asanessse ee 2! a a ~ : ; 2 : a2

Goneulilles Ounniiierand a oe eC He expressing the efficiency of the mill work. This factor

Ms Sie oar ee cee WRGUNION Mesa) ot ooo LOL : = ae ieee :
Quality of... -.-.-- 199) «aranurial Experiments permits of the comparison of mills working under the

Insect Notes :- eee: - : 5 : 5

Grasshoppers, Puisoned with Sugar-cane m _ most diverse conditions, as regards the quality of the
TERE Bae ae BiG) the Leeward Islands 195 sits : on Ne
Bab tOt eet cnet eas O02 ane aie oe ace cane or juice, or the character of the mills. Similarly,
Sleepime Sickness and its Pearse Or Sarge :
Descantion oo2) _ Guiana... ... -. 195 a single mill in a muscovado sugar works can, on this
~~ | Tobacco, Fermentation of 203 ee: - . -

Jamaica, Plant Importa einen Ce eaial principle, be directly compared with a modern mill

(HKOPU TNO! oe © aos nono PAUL0) Science Lecture at... 201 using mnaceration.

Considering the work done at the Gunthorpe’s
Observations on the workof Sugar- Factory from this point of view, it was found. that in
1907.the sucrose remaining in the megass corresponded

cabe Mills and Deduetions to SO+ parts of first mill juice per 100 parts of fibre. In
to be drawn therefrom the 1906 working, 1082. parts of first mill juice per

100 parts of fibre were left in the megass. The amount
Swear of maceration water used was 21'1 per cent. in 1907,
S NDER the above title Dr. Francis Watts, and 9:1 percent. m 1906. Figures obtained from Java,
C.M.G..has contributed to the West Indian * The juice is assumed to have the same sucrose content as

) // t \ l. » waged: a lene = F ~_ the juice from the first mill, where multiple crushing 1 emp. yea,
Se HeUlln (ORES D: oe ngthy Bere Hence the expression ‘ lirst mill juice per 100 of fibre is

of which we here give the main points. frequeutly made use of im this paper.

NS

194

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JUNE 27, 1908;

and relating to the work of ninety-six mills during the
season of 1906, show that, on the average, the first mill
juice remaining in the megass amounted to no more
than 62:7 per 100 parts of fibre, the average quantity
In the
work of five Government sugar mills in Queensland
during 1906, the mill juice left in the megass varied
from 53°4 to 943 per 100 parts of fibre. In the first
case 35‘0 per cent. of maceration water was used, and
in the second case, only 10°9 per cent.

of maceration water used being 14 per cent.

These figures afford an immediate and direct
means of comparing the efficiency of the work in
different parts of the world under diverse conditions.
From this, the improvement effected in 1907 in the
work done at Gunthorpe’s, Antigua, can be measured,
and the general efficiency of the mill can be compared
with others. In this manner its work is found to be
somewhat less perfect than the average work done in
Java, and it is also less perfect than the work of three
-of the Queensland mills, but better than two.

As Gunthorpe’s mill lost 80°4 parts of juice per
100 parts of fibre, while the Java mills lost 62°7, a dif-
-ference of 17-7, and as the average canes dealt with at
Antigua contained 15 per cent. of fibre, it follows that
‘Gunthorpe’s mill will be required to give 29 parts more
juice per 100 of cane to ensure its work being up to
the Java average.

Attempts were made to ascertain the efhciency of
3endal’s mill, where there is a cane shredder followed
by a three-roller mill, and also to ascertain the efficiency
of single mills in muscovado works.

Considerable difficulty was experienced in obtain-
‘ing representative figures from muscovado works, for it
~was found that the work of the very
‘greatly according to the manner in which the canes

mills varied
are fed to the mill, and as work of an experimental
mature usually attracted particular attention, the work
done at the time when samples of megass were being
taken was usually far better than the average work of

tthe mills day by day.

At Bendal’s the result of a number of trials showed
that the megass contained from 120 to 140 parts of
juice per 100 of fibre, and averaged 151.

The figures

irregular, ranging from 113 to 174, and the opinion

from the museavado estates were

is expressed that most of the figures are below what

may be expected on average work, day by day,

The view is strongly held that analyses of sam-
ples of cane fail to give correct ideas as to the average

composition of the canes dealt with throughout the
season by a factory. It is shown that good results can
be calculated from the analyses of the juice and of the
megass, and it is claimed that these represent much
more accurately the composition of the canes than can
be ascertained by analyses of samples of the latter.

Working with the figures available for Gunthorpe’s
Factory, it is shown that the canes during the three last
seasons have contained :—

1905. 1906. 1907.
Sucrose per 100 parts of cane 15°25 1413 1439
Fibre ee LE TGA) THs

The amonnt of juice in the canes and in the
sugars during the three seasons was as follows:

1905. 1906. 1907.
Average juice per 100 parts | YWR aya GWE
ane 806 803 796
Average juice expressed \ He: “th ee
by the mills CO Se aeie
Average juice left in megass eesseay IUGILY IE:

Figures are put forward to show that the megass
from mills where maceration is employed contains
a certain amount of water in excess of the normal
amount proper to dry crushed megass, and it is calenla-
ted that at Gunthorpe’s this amount is equal approxi-
mately to 5 per cent. of the weight of the megass. In
caleulating the composition of the cane, as given
above, allowance is made for this, (but alternative
calculations are also given wherein this correction is not
made).

Attention is directed to the existence in the cane
of ‘water other than juice, and a conventional method
is adopted for ascertaining the composition of the so-
called ‘average’ jnice and of estimating the amount
which is present in the cane.

One point which appears to be clearly brought
out is that the average canes dealt with at Gunthorpe’s,
Antigua, taking into account all the canes that are
erushed, contain a large proportion of fibre (15 per
cent.), and a relatively small quantity of juice (SO per
cent.). Yetit is noted, from figures given in an appendix
to the paper, that 1 ton of 96 crystals was made from
9:62 tons of cane, taking the average of the work of

the season 1907.

It would be extremely interesting and useful if
similar information could be compiled in respect to the
canes and the sugar industry of other West Indian

Islands.

Mord Vililgy eNion 16i

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

195

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Seedling Canes in British Guiana.

At a recent meeting of the British Guiana Board
of Avricalture, Professor J.B. Harnison, C.M.G.,
submitted a return containing particulars of the area
that had been planted with seedling canes in the
colony for 1908-9.

Professor Harrison stated that returns had been received
in reference to every estate in the colony. There were
thirty-eight plantations which were growing new varieties of
sugar-cane in British Guiana, the areas ranging from 2 to
6,320 acres on the different estates, In the whole colony
there were 32,698 acres of new canes under cultivation; 20,872
in Demerara, 8,544 in Berbice, and 3,282 in Esseqnebo. At
the time the Board started work, the area under seedling
canes was about 4,000 acres. In 1906-7 this had increased
to 21,000 acres, and in the season 1907-8 it reached 28,000
acres.

In reference to the new varieties most largely planted,

there were 9,849 acres of D. 109 under cultivation : the
seedling D. 625 was planted on 9,662 acres, B. 208 on 5,258

acres, D. 145 on 3,282 acres, and B. 147 on
Smaller areas of many other varieties were also under cultiva-
tion. Of the total area under seedling canes, 2!
or over 77 per cent., were planted with varieties raised in the
Botanic Gardens at British Guiana, while 7,198 acres, or 22
per cent. of the whole area, were planted: with Barbados
seedlings.

1,652 acres.

DOO acres,

Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the
Leeward Islands.

Pamphlet 51 in the series issued by the Imperial
Department of Agriculture contains the results of the
manurial experiments with sugar-cane carried on in
Antigua and St. Kitt’s during 1906-7.

In consequence of the conclusive results that have been
obtaimed in the experiments with plant canes, carried on
during the previous six years, these have now been discon-
tinued, and two series of experiments with ratoon canes,
known as the ‘Old Series’ and the ‘New Series’ respectively,
are now 1n pre STeSS.

The old series of experiments has been carried on for
seven years, each experiment having been repeated thirty-
seven times, and very fairly concordant results have been
obtained. In this series, dressings of manure similar to
those applied to the ratoons were, in the case of each plot,
given to the plant canes preceding the ratoons. The experi-
ments show fairly conclusively that nitrogen is the manurial
constituent of the greatest value to ratoon canes, and that
the requirements of the crop will be met by the use of from
2 to 2} ewt. of sulphate of ammonia per acre, or of 21 to
3% ewt. of nitrate of soda, given in one application. It
appears that potash is doubtfully remunerative, and if
used, the quantity need not exceed 20 Ib. of potash (40 Ib. of
sulphate of potash) per acre, The application of phosphates
was not attended with economical results.

These conclusions presuppose that when the land was
prepared for plant canes it was adequately manuréd with

about 20 tons of good pen manure per acre, or its equivalent,
and are applicable to the average conditions of soil and
climate obtaining in the Leeward Islands,

In the new series of experiments with ratoon canes,
the artificial manures are applied to ratoons following
plant canes that received no artificial manures. For the year
1906-7, vemunerative returns were obtained only in the case
of four experiments out of the thirty-three. The best result
was that given by the plot which received 60 tb. of nitrogen
as nitrate of soda (equal to abeut 380 tb. of nitrate). The
experiments in this new series have only been in progress for
three seasons, and the results have been to a certain extent
interfered with by drought. Generally speaking, the applica
tion of the manures in this series has not proved remunera-
tive, but it will be necessary to continue the experiments
for a few years longer before any definite conclusions can be
drawn from the results.

Sugar Industry in Java.

The British Consul at Java reports that the year
1907 was a highly favourable one for the sugar industry
and that cane growers obtained very satisfactory returns.

The area planted with sugar-cane in Java for the 1907
crop was greater than usual, being 281,750 acres, as com-
pared with 260,810 acres planted for the 1906 crop. As the
result of congenial weather conditions and favourable rainfall,
however, the sugar return peracre proved to be the highest
yet obtained in the island. The total crop reached 1,144,383
tons, as against 1,046,691 tons yielded in 1906, while the
average rettun per acre was 4:06 tons, compared with 4:01
tons obtained in 1906, The number of mills working in the
island, both in 1906 and in 1907, was 176.

The Consul states that the chief factors which, under
the propitious weather conditions, helped to bring about this
satisfactory state of affairs were the continuation of scientific
systematic cultivation, the careful selection of the cane based
on the experience of past years, and the rational and frequent
application of fertilizers, together with the closest attention
to the prevention of root disease of the cane.

The Experiment Stations of the island are continuing
to do good work in producing new varieties of cane which
not only give an increased yield of sugar, but are also more
impervious to the root disease.

The trade returns of Java show an increase of over
200,000 tons in the sugar exports for 1907, as compared
with the shipments for 1906. The exports to the United
States increased from 192,178 tons in 1906 to 309,449 tons
in 1907, while the sugar sent to British India advanced from
111,527 tons in 1906 to 311,569 tons in 1907. The United
Kingdom took 12,261 tons of sugar from Java in 1907, as
compared with only 4,123 tons in 1906. On the other hand,
shipments to Australia, and to various European countries,
show a considerable decline.

On account of excessive rainfall during the early grow-
ing period of the canes, it is stated that the 1908 crop
is expected to be later and less productive than that of 1907.

An example of the assistance afforded to the farming
community of the United States by the Government Depart-
ment of Agriculture is mentioned in a recent British Consular
Report. Less than ten years ago the Department spent
about £2,000 on the introduction into the country of the
cultivation of durum wheat. This variety of wheat is
especially suitable for growing in districts where the rainfall
is slight. At the present time the annual value of the durum
wheat crop of the States is about £6,000,000,

106

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWs

WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

GUAVA JELLY.

The fact that guava fruits decay so readily on
reaching a stage of ripeness renders their shipment on
a commercial scale to outside countries almost
impossible, The culture of the guava, however, need
not be the less remunerative on this account, since
well-prepared guava jelly finds such a ready market in
all countries where it is once known, that its produc-
tion may well become a substantial source of profit.
This question is referred to in the course of an article
‘Some Opportunities in Subtropical Fruit Growing,
that appeared in the Yearbook of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, 1905, aud which contains the toliowing
account of the methods employed in Florida in the
preparation of jelly and other guava conserves :—

The guavas are picked up every morning and taken to the
factory, where they are weighéd, and later sorted to remove any
bad fruits that may have been delivered. The guavas are turned
into a boiler for preliminary cooking, after which the juice
is filtered through a heavy, coarse fabric, which prevents any
of the pulp from passing through. The juice is afterwards
bottled or put into jars, sterilized by means of heat, sealed, and
kept in these vessels until the jelly is wanted on the market.
The quantity desired is then taken from the containers, sugar
is added, and the juice is boiled long enough to give the
proper colour, when it is placed in the jelly containers and
sent to the market. The faney product is put up in glass
jars, sealed and labelled properly, while the cheaper grades
are placed in paper boxes, in which form the jelly is sold as
cheap as 20c. per Ib. retail.

In addition to guava jelly, another product is sometimes
made that resembles the jelly in firmness, but which might be
briefly deseribed as jellied marmalade. This preparation is
known by several names, as guava cheese, guava paste, ete.
It is
wrapped in oiled paper. The formulas for making it are very
mumerous, but in general it is composed of the best of the
guava pulp, containing sufficient juice to cause it to become
firm like jelly when properly cooked with the requisite amount
of sugar. In addition to jelly and cheese, wine and
vinegar are also made from the guava, both of which are said
to be excellent

Canned

moulded in various cubical or oblong shapes and

guavas are rarely seen outside of the guava
belt, lut they make a fine appearance and are delicious. To
prepare them for canning, the firm, ripe fruits are chosen,
pare Land quartered, and then treated like any other fruit.
The more fastidious housekeepers choose the thick-meated

guavas, and in addition to paring the fruits, they also remove
the seeds. The fruit that has become too ripe to make good

jelly, or is not firm enough for canning, may still be used for

marmalade. For immediate table use, sliced guavas with
sugar and cream make an excellent dessert.

The Montserrat Preserving Industry Company,
whose products were referred to in the Agricultural
News, Vol. VII, p. 52, make a specialty of guava
conserves in different forms.

COCOA-NUTS IN PORTO RICO.

It is believed that there are good prospects of
profit in connexion with the cocoa-nut industry of
Porto Rico, aud the report of the Experiment Station of
the island (1907) states that cocoa-nut plantations
are increasing in number, while in addition a good deal
of general planting of cocoa-nut trees is also beng done.
The accompanying notes are taken from the report :—

Efforts have been made by officers at the Experiment
Station to obtain data in regard to the number of
fruits a tree will bear during the year. Though many
countings have been made, the variation has been found to
be so great that as yet it is impossible to give any accurate
figures. Trees have many as
225 nuts at one time, anda crop of from 125 to 150 nuts
has been found very common in the section where the cocoa-
nut trees appear to flourish best. Most authors reporting on
this subject give an average of 120 to 125 nuts for the
whole year, but from data gathered here it would seem as
though there is a higher average in the better cocoa-nut
sections of Porto Rico.

Cultivation, fertilization, and seed are found
to have an important influence on the rapidity of develop-
ment of a cocoanut plantation, as well as on its productive

ness.

some

been observed bearing as

selection

From data obtained it can be strongly recommended to
they look carefully to the
physical condition of their soil, the selection of their seed,
and the cultivation and fertilization of the trees. By paying
attention to these points they may gain from one to three
years in the development of the plantations.

Thus far none of the dreaded cocoa-nut have
been observed or reported. ‘There are some minor diseases
present in the groves, but they are almost entirely due to
neglect of the trees and are not tobe feared by the careful
grower.

those starting new groves that

diseases

Vor wil Now 161

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 197,

THE GRAFTING OF CACAO.

The propagation of cacao by the method of graft-
ing was tried in Jamaica some years ago. Approach
grafting of cacao has also been practised in Dominica
for the past few years with the most promising results,
and similar trials have been made in Trinidad, and more
recently at St. Lucia. A paper read at the West
Indian Agricultural Conference of 1907 by Mr. Joseph
Jones, Curator of the Dominica Botanic Station, on
this subject, appeared in the West Indian Bulletin,
Vol. VIIL, p. 187, and was reprinted in the Agricultwral
News, Vol. VII, p. 85.

The advantages that would be obtained by the use of
grafting methods in the prepagation of cacao as compared
with the raising of young plants from seed are similar to
those that have resulted in the case of the mango. Owing to

DoMINIca

APPROACH AT

Fic. 3. Grarrinc Cacao BY

BoraNnic STATION.

cross-fertilization, few seedlings are like the parent plant, and
hence it is that seed from a tree which shows excellent bearing
and disease-resisting qualities cannot be relied upon to pro-
duce young plants as good as the parent tree, A cacao tree
produced by a vegetative method of reproduction such as
grafting, however, necessarily resembles the parent in all its

characteristics, and the best types may therefore be selected
for reproductive purposes, with every assurance that they will
be perpetuated.

A field of grafted cacao plants would naturally cost more
at the start than a field of seedling plants, but provided that
the former are grafted from prolific and disease-resisting
parent trees, the additional cost would be more than recovered
iy the increased returns obtained per acre. A quicker return,
too, would probably be obtained, since grafted plants
should fruit earlier than seedlings. If fields were restricted
to plants of one selected strain, the beans would all require
the same degree of fermentation, and this operation would
consequently be simplified. Another effect which, it is
believed, would result from the adoption of grafting methods
in the propagation of cacao is that the grafting may tend to
dwarf the plants, This would be an advantage in islands
which sutfer much from windy weather.

in the work done at the Dominica Botanic
Station, Alligator cacao (Lheobroma pentagona)
has been worked on Forastero stocks, and a num-
ber of plants of an excellent type of Forastero
have also been grafted on hardy Calabacillo
stocks. The method followed is indicated in the
accompanying illustration, (Fig. 3) and was
described in the Agricultural Mews of March
21 last. A tree of good type is selected, and
rough stages are erected round it at varying
heights in such positions as to obtain a maxi-
mum of young shoots which have already been
grown in nurseries in bamboo pots. The pots
are placed on the stage, young shoots of the
cacao trees, which are of the same age and thick-
ness as the stocks, are carefully denuded of
their leaves at the point where they are to
be fitted to the stock, a portion of the bark is
removed with a sharp knife from both scion
and stock, and the two are carefully bound
together with garden tying.

A small piece of bark is cut from the stem
of the scion below the graft so as to make it
more dependent on the stock and to hasten
its union. The average time required for the
process of grafting cacao may be placed at about
ten weeks. Over 200 grafted plants were in
1906-7 obtained from two cacao trees of selected
type in the Dominica Botanic Garden.

A photographic illustration will be
given in the next issue of the Agricultural
News of a grafted cacao tree at Dominica,
which at two anda half years old (when
the photograph was taken) was bearing
a crop of sixty pods of cacao.

Timber Trade of British Guiana.

The British Guiana correspondent of the
West India Committee Circular reports that the
lumber industry of the colony is coming in for
a good deal of attention just now, owing to the increasing
price of imported American timbers. A complete sawing
plant has just been imported for the North-West district,
two mills are at work on the Corentyne coast, and others
are being erected elsewhere. The Berbice steam saw-mill
has recently secured an order from a well known London firm
of furniture manufacturers for 1,000,000 feet of crabwood
(Carapa guianensis), the local mahogany, a wood which is
hard and durable and takes a fine polish,

198

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JuNE 27, .1908.

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET.

In their report, dated May 30 last, on the sales of

cotton from the Sea Islands, Messrs. Henry W. Frost
& Co., of Charleston, write :—

The sates for the past week consisted of 100 bales of
‘fully fine ’ quality, at 50c., and two planters’ crops at 32e.
to 35¢., making 156 bales in all. The buying was for
England and France.

~ The unsold stock consists of about 100 bales of odd
bags, classing ‘tine ’ to‘ fully fine” and 100 bales ‘fully fine,’
which are held for 30c. The balance are planters’ crops,
held at 32c. and upwards. Although the factors are anxious
to sell they continne to hold firmly for the above prices.

On June 6, Messrs, Frost report :—

The sales this of 70 bales odd
classing from ‘ stained ° to ‘ fine,’ at various prices, the buy-
ing being for England ; otherwise the market is quiet and

week consisted bags,

unchanged.

The market report of May 30 contains the follow-
ing note in relation to crop prospects for the coming
season :—

The weather has been generally favourable in all three
States—Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and the crop has
made fair progress.

ST. VINCENT COTTON CROP.

The St. Vincent Times reports that the: harvest=
ing of the cotton crop of the island was completed early
in June. During the season the Central Cotton Factory
has ginned 774 bales. Last year the output of the
factory was 700 bales. The total cotton crop of the
island (Sea Island and Marie Galante) is estimated to
be of the value of £30,787.

For the season 1907-8, the area planted with Sea Island
cotton was 3,200 acres, or rather more than twice the aere
age (1,535) planted in 1906-7. The yield of lint obtained
per acre in the past season, however, was but 1351b ,as compared
with 175 Ib. per acre obtained in 1906-7. Mr. W. N. Sands,
the Agricultural Superintendent of St. Vincent, considers
that this reduced yield is due to several co-operating causes,
chief them being: the exceptionally wet weather
experienced in December, the planting of poor or shallow
lands, failure to apply sufficient manure to lands already
cropped tor two or three seasons, planting too early or too
late in the season, insufficient labour to pick the crop, and
attacks of the black scale insect and leaf-blister mite.

Sea Island cotton cultivation was taken up on a fairly
large scale in some of the Grenadine islands, notably at
Bequia, Mustique and Balliceaux. The returns were very

among

peter
porte
re

satisfactory. In other islets such as Union, Canouan, and
Mayreau, the Marie Galante variety is still grown. In the
Grenadines generally, wherever there is a good depth of soil,
Sea Island cotton can be grown to advantage.

The selection and disinfection of seed, both for export
and for local use, was undertaken by the Imperial Department
of Agriculture in readiness for the planting season. Well-
grown seed was charged at cost price only. A total amount
of 17,4511b. of seed was treated in this way.

Cotton plant selection experiments were continued during
the season on three-estatés viz. Argyle,-Concord and Mont-
The seed from the selected plants of the previous year
having beer sown in nurseries,
On each estate the seed-cotton produced was very even in
character, of good quality, and trne to the type originally

selected.

rose.

the work was much easier.

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland. of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date June 9, with reference to
the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton on the
Liverpool market :—

A fair business has been done in West Indian Sea Island
cotton since our last report,. and about 700 to S00 bales
have been sold atsteady prices.

A very large proportion of the sales consist of stained cot-
ton, at Gd. to 9d. per Ib., the remainder being chiefly St. Kitts,
Barbados, Antigua, Montserrat, and St. Croix, at prices
ranging from ldd. to 15d., with a few extra lots at 151d. to
16d. 2

Holders of Carolina cotton are offering from America
at easier prices without finding buyers.

COTTON LEGISLATION IN ST. CROIX.

In order to prevent, as far as possible, the spread
of scale insects, leaf-blister mite, 2nd other pests of the
cotton plant, an Ordinance has lately been passed in
St. Croix which makes it compulsory for growers to
pull up and burn their cotton plants as soon as the
second picking of the crop has taken place.

The Colonial Council of St. Croix will each year appoint
a commission of five cotton growers, whose duty it will be
to supervise the carrying out of the Ordinance.

In the case of growers who may neglect to clear. their
cotton fields as prescribed, the Commission will fix a time
within which the ‘clearing must be done by the cultivator,
and if the latter still refuses to carry ont the law, the work
will be done under the supervision of the Commission, the
cost of the operation being charged to the cotton grower,

Vor: VIL. «No. 161. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

199

FRUIT PRESERVED IN BRINE.

The latest Report of the British Consul at Naples
contains the following note on the eeport trade in
cherries preserved in brine :—

A new agricultural product, which has reached very
important proportions as an export, consists of cherries
preserved in the following manner. They are first placed in
the fumes of sulphur and then packed in easks with very
strong brine. The chief place of export is to the United
States where, as they pay no duty, they compete with the
home-grown fruit. On arrival the fruit is;sorted out, the
best being sold for the purpose of flavouring some of the
various stimulants which, under different names, form the
specialty of American bars, the second best are preserved in
brandy‘in the usual’ way, and the remainder are used for the
general purposes of confectionery. The extraordinary expan-
sion of the see may be judged by the following figures :
1904, £2,783 ; 1906, £14,584 ; 1907, £30,125. The figures
for 1905 are ner available, as the export of cherries was in
that year not placed under a separate head in the returns,
but it will be observed that the increase in 1907 over 1906
was more than 100 per cent.

A brief article appeared in the Agricultural News
(Vol. VI, p. 186) on a somewhat similar method of
preserving citrons, which is adopted in Greece.

QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF GOATS’
MILK.

A chapter in a recently published book ‘The Case
for the Goat’ (a brief review of which appears on page
205 of the present issue) deals with the quantity and
quality of the milk that goat keepers: may expect from
their stock. In regard to the qnestion of quantity, the
following particulars as to the yields given by one or
two individual animals may be of interest :—

The Secretary of the Goat Society has himself supervised
the weighing and measuring of the yield of a Swiss goat at
Great Waltham. He found the daily average, from Septem-
ber 1 to September 4 inclusive, to be 10 Ib. 5 0z., or more
than a gallon per day, This animal had been in milk for
more than five months. Its yield is, of course, more than
customary, but there are plenty of goats in Great Britain
which give 5 gallons a week, and thousands yielding a quan-
tity only slightly smaller. Undoubtedly, the average milk
y ields in England have risen largely during the past few years,
As far back as 1899, however, a herd of five goats, kept by
Mr. C. A. Gates, of Guildford, produced in a year over 3 tons
of milk. The daily average per goat for ninetmonths was over
5 pints. It may be mentioned, too, that the American Milch
Goat Association will not adinit to its register a goat giving
less than a quart per day. As an especially noteworthy in-
stance of the milk-yielding capacity of the ‘ poor man’s cow
the author of ‘La Chevre states that he knew of an Alpine
goat which, when newly kidded and as a result of a remarkable
appetite and special feeding, gave 8 litres [about 7 quarts]
daily for three weeks.

In composition the milk of the goat is richer than
that of the cow. A statement of analysis, taken from

a standard book, shows that an average sample of

goat’s milk contains 429 per cent. albuminoids, 4:78
per cent. fat, and 446 milk sugar, as against 3°55 per
cent. albuminoids, 369 per cent. of fat. and 4.88 per
cent. of milk sugar coutained in cow’s milk,

CULTURE IN THE UNITED
STATES.

The United States Department of Agriculture has
inaugurated a method of assisting farmers in the South-
ern States by what is known as the Farmers’ Co-opera-
tive Demonstration Work. This system is one by
which the established principles of successful agri-
culture are demonstrated directly to the farmers on
their own farms by trained and practical officers of the
Departinent. The co-operating farmers undertake to
work a portion of their land strictly in accordance with
the instructions of one of these ofticers, the latter
visiting the farm at periodic intervals to see that the
instructik ns are carried out, and to give any necessary
advice or help. Farmers’ Bulletin 319, which gives
an account of this work, states that up to February 1908,
no less than 12,000 of these ‘demonstration farms’
were under supervision.

Improved methods of cultivation of the maize crop
form one of the lines of work taken up by the organi-
OS as the following extracts frem the pamphlet, will
show :-

CORN

Corn is the main grain food grown for farm stock, and
can be successfully raised in most portions of the South. Any
considerable inerease in its annual production would have
a marked effect upon the value of the unnsed lands for graz-
ing purposes and would perceptibly increase the income of the
farms. Notwithstanding this, its cultivation has been singu-
larly neglected until the average yield per acre has fallen
below the profit ine in many States. Even at the high
value per bushel allowed, the corn crop in many of the
Southern States does not pay a living wage ora fair rent
value for the land.

There is abundant poof that large and profitable crops
of corn can be produced in the South by the use of the best
seed and improved methods. The planting of low-grade
seed in a shallow and impoverished seed bed is responsible
in the main for deficient yields and quality. However, to
secure the best results other reforms must be made, such as
better drainage, adjustment of distances between the
rows, and between the stalks in the rows, to meet the require-
ments of soil and climate, intensive cultivation of the crop,
and the use of cowpeas in the corn.

The Farmers’ Co-operative Demonstration Work includes
instruction along all of these lines, and the results have been
most encouraging. Our investigations show that not even
1 per cent. of the lands in the South planted to corn are
ploughed deeply enough at breaking, that they haye not
sufficient humus, and that they are not given the proper til-
lage to produce the best crop. Seed is so generally defective
that only about one-third of so-called good seed is suitable for
planting if maximum yields are expected. Along these
practical lines we are conducting co-operative demonstrations,
with the object of increasing the corn crop in the South Atlan-
ticand Gulf States at least threefold per acre without additional
cost. A system of seed selection for improving the quality,
and increasing the yield, and methods of storage for the
preservation of vitality, is outlined, detailed instructions
being given on application.

The object of the average farmer in planting corn is to
secure the largest crop of good corn possible under the condi-
tions. The selection of the seed is very important.

For the best results corn should be selected in the field
in the same way as the Japanese select their rice seed before
the harvest.

200

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the

Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and 'The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list. of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

| Agricultural Aews

VoL VIL SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1908. No. 161.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

A method of expressing the efficiency of sugar-
cane mills, in terms of the amount of sucrose remain-
ing in the megass per 100 parts of fibre, is discussed in
the editorial, and the work of the Antigua Central
Factory compared with that of mills in other countries,

The area under seedling canes in British Guiana
continues to extend each season. The manurial experi-
ments (1906-7) with sugar-cane in the Leeward Islands
indicate that nitrogen is the constituent of greatest
value to ratoon canes. The year 1907 was, a highly
favourable one for the sugar industry in Java (page
195).

An account of the methods followed, in the guava-
growing districts of Florida, in the preparation of jelly
and other conserves of guava, will be found on page
196.

The method of grafting cacao by approach, as
practised at the Dominica Botanic Station, is described
and illustrated in an interesting article on page
197.

Cotton Notes (page 198) include market reports,
together with a résumé of the crop conditions and
results in St. Vincent, during the past season. The
destruction of cotton plants, after the picking of the
second crop, has been made compulsory in St. Croix,
in the hope of preventing the spread ef insect pests.

Plant Importation into Jamaica.

In order to protect the coffee plantations of Jamaica
against the possible introduction of the leaf disease
(Hemileia vastatrix),a law was passed in 1887 prohibit-
ing the inportation into the island of any seeds or
plants from Natal, South India, Ceylon, Mauritius, Java,
and Fiji

On the recommendation of the various agricultural
bodies of Jamaica, and the Imperial Commissioner of
Agriculture, however, this prohibition has recently been
withdrawn, since it is now generally agreed that there
no longer exists danger of infection to the coffee planta-
tions, and a demand has arisen in Jamaica for a supply
of Para rubber seeds which can best be obtained from
Ceylon. ,

All plants and seeds brought into the island, how-
ever, have to be fumigated at the expense of the
importer.

OO
Molasses for Farm Stock.

Results of investigations as to the value of molasses
as a food for stock are contained in Bulletin 778, lately
issued by the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment
Station. The point emphasized in the conclusions
drawn from this work is that it is uneconomical to feed
a ration containing an unduly high proportion of
molasses, since the excess of carbohydrates contained
in the molasses tends to reduce the digestibility of the
other constituents of the ration. The same result has
been noticed in experiments carried out at other
stations. Molasses is best given in combination with
some fodder food, such as hay, and together with
a certain amount of an albuminous food, as cotton-
cake meal or pea meal; 2 or 3 Tb. of molasses per day
are recommended as a suitable allowance for cows and
horses. In the Massachusetts experiments the molasses
proved a valuable condiment, and induced the animals
to eat inferior and unpalatable fodder which otherwise
they wonld have refused.

on- ~
‘ Pre-cooling’ as a Preventive of Fruit Decay.

Fruit growers in California have, in the past, suf-
fered great loss through the decay of their produce
while in transit to markets in the Eastern States. Some
three years ago the United States Department of Agni-
culture appointed an expert to make a thorough study
of the causes ‘of the trouble, with the view to devising
aremedy. It was found that the loss was greatest in
the hot season, and that fruit picked and packed at
a very high temperature frequently travelied 1,000
miles on the journey before the ice with which it was
packed had lowered the temperature to a degree below
that at which it was possible for decay to take place.
By that time, naturally, much of the riper fruit was
already spoiled.

In order to cool the itruit before starting there-
fore, a method has been devised for exhausting the air
in the car before loading, and replacing it by air made
cool by passing over ice. By this system of ‘ pre-cooling,’
a carload of fruitcan, at a very small cost and in a few
hours, be reduced to a temperature at which there is no
danger of decay. Cooling plants are being installed
at the chief California railway stations,

Vom VII. No. 161.

THE AGRICULTURAL. NEWS.

201

Rainfall at Dominica.

According to the statement of rainfall returns for
Dominica during 1907, the highest rainfall for the year
was recorded at Lancashire Station, this being 247:59
inches. ‘he station recording the second highest rain-
fall was Glean Manioc, which received 227°25 inches.
Batalie received the least amount of rain—40°26 inches,
Macoucherie coming next in this respect with
5426 inches. September was the month in which the
maximum rainfall was registered at most stations, but
July, August, and December were also wet months.
The highest monthly figure recorded, however, was
45°35 inches of rain, experienced at Castle Bruce in

November. February and March were the driest
months. ‘Che mean rainfall of Dominica for the whole

year, based on the returns from thirty-three stations,
was 10851 inches, this being 20 inches less than that
registered in 1906.

Sugar Industry in Reunion.

The sugar crop of Réunion, for the year 1907
reached 37,500 metric tons [1 metric ton=2,200 1b.],
of which 17,685 tons had been exported up to the end
of November last. The net price obtained by the
planter varied from 17s. 6d. to 18s. 4d. per 220 Th. of
sugar. In common with many other cane-growing
countries, Réunion suffered much from drought towards
the end of 1907, and this is expected to reduce the
yield from the present season’s crop.

In his latest report, the British Consul at Réunion
refers to the bad organization that exists in connexion
with the sugar industry of the island, which is carried
on with out-of-date machinery, and largely by the aid
of capital borrowed, at a high rate of interest, on the
security of the coming crop. With improved conditions,
the Consul expresses his opinion that cane sugar
cultivation in Réunion would become a remunerative
industry.

Se ee
Rubber Extraction from Small Trees.

The Secretary of the West India Committee has
forwarded to the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture
a copy of a letter received py him from Dr. W. A. Dyes,
of Manchester, dealing with the extraction of rubber
from very young trees andrubber-yielding bushes,

Dr. Dyes states that by a method of extraction
lately invented, it is possible to obtain rubber of a high
degree of purity from small trees and bushes, the latex
of which conéains no more than 12 to 15 per cent. of
rubber. He further mentions that one factory has already
been established on the continent, which is working
successfully by this system, the necessary rubber plants
being imported from Mexico and Africa,

Dr. Dyes is anxious to receive from the West Indies,
samples of plants (small trees or bushes,) containing
from 10 to 15 per cent. of rubber.

If planters who are interested in this matter, and
who are able to obtain a supply of plants such as
are required, will communicate with the Imperial
Commissioner of Agriculture, Barbados, arrangements
could be made to forward samples (of from 5 to 10 tb,
in weight) for purposes of experiment by Dr, Dyes.

Agricultural Science Lectures at Trinidad.

In further reference to the subject of Agricultural
education at Trinidad (Agricultural News, Vol. VII,
p. 185) it may be mentioned that a cirenlar has been
received from. the Education Department of that
colony containing details of a course of lectures on
agricultural science that are being given at the Port-
of-Spain Training School, and repeated at the San
Fernando Training School. The course consists of
thirty-six lectures, each of one hour’s duration, and one
lecture will be. given weekly at each centre. The
subjects treated in the first twelve lectures include the
soil and its formation, the structure and function of the
different plant members, e.g., stems, leaves, etc.: fruits,
seeds, and their dispersal; the processes of absorption
and assimilation, as well as an elementary study of
fungi, and the diseases of cacao and the sugar-cane.

In the second term the lecturer will devote atten-
tion to the preparation of potting soil and vegetable beds,
seed sowing and treatment of seedlings, propagation
by cuttings, grafting, budding, ete, manuring and
mulching, as well as the elementary study of insects,
and the preparation of insecticides and fungicides.

The final twelve lectures will deal with the forma-
tion and maintenance of a school garden and herbarium,
the principles and practice of pruning, draining,
tillage, ete, and also further instruction in regard to
insects and fungi.

There is to be an examination on the work done
at the end of each twelve lectures.

ee ee
Minor Agricultural Industries of Java.

Apart from sugar, the chief agricultural products
of Java are tea, coffee, tobacco, cinchona bark, copra,
and rice. The latest report of the British Consul in
the island shows that the tea industry is in a prosper-
ous condition, the exports of this commodity increasing
annually. The shipments were 27,517,615 tb. in 1906,
and reached 29,286,402 tb. in 1907. Larger areas have
of late been planted with tea, and the cost of produe-
tion is low, since labour is so cheap. The average
quality of the Java product is said to be not quite so
good as that of China or Indian tea. but some grades
compare very favourably with tea grown in the latter
countries.

Both Arabian and Liberian coffee are grown in
Java, the former in much larger quantity than the
latter. The crop has tended to decline during the past
three years, but the estimate for the crop of 1908
indicates a large increase in the output. About 19,000
tons of coffee were exported during 1907.

Weather conditions had an unfavourable effect on
the rice and tobacco crops of 1907, the yields, in the
ease of both crops, being diminished in quantity and
quality. Rice is usually grown in Java in regular
rotation with the sugar-cane, but it is stated that
during recent years the area under rice culture has
annually declined, and the land is being used for other
produce. 5

The exports of cinchona bark were 8,540 tons
in 1907, as against 6,565 tons shipped in 1906.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JunE 27, 1908.

INSECT. NOTES.

Poisoned Bait for Grasshoppers.

Circular No. 84 of the Bureau of Entomology ot the
US. Department of Agriculture consists of an account,
written in popular language, of the life-history and
habits of two species of grasshoppers (Melancplus
differentialis and M. bivittatus) that are responsible
for a large amount of devastation in alfalfa fields in the
States,as well as of methods for the destruction of these

ests.

Although alfalfa is not a crop of great importance
im the West Indies, grasshoppers are often troublesome
aud sometimes serious pests. Readers of the Ag7y-
cultural News may be interested in one of the remedies
given in the above-mentioned circular under the
heading of ‘ Poisoned Baits? :—

What has come to be known as the ‘Criddle mixture’ is
wiving most satisfactory results in dealing with grasshoppers
on the ranches of both the United States and Canada. ‘The
mixture is composed of half a barrel of fresh horse droppings

f=)

in which is mixed a pound each of salt and Paris green. If
the horse droppings are not fresh the salt is dissolved in water
and mixed with the manure and poison.” “When this mixture
is scattered freely about where the grasshoppers are abundant
they seem to be attracted to it, for they devour it readily and
are poisoned thereby. Dr. James Fletcher, Entomologist for
the Dominion of Canada, cites an instance where this mix
ture had been scattered freely around the edges of a field,
and states that this particular field stood out asa green patch
in a brown plain, as it was situated in the midst of fields
where nothing had been done to destroy the grasshoppers.
This ‘Criddle mixture’ now seems preferable to the poisoned
bran remedy that has given, and still continues to give,
beneticial results, for it is less expensive than the latter and
less likely to poison other animal life.

Sleeping Sickness and Its Prevention.

The French Colonial Minister has the
distribution, throughout French Africa, of a document
drawn up by the TInspector-General’ of the colonial
the

caused

measures to be
employed for the prevention of sleeping sickness. The
following summary of the contents of this
document (taken from the London Times of May 22)
may be of interest, since it refers to a tropical disease
which has of late attracted a good deal of attention :

sanitary service setting forth

concise

The species of the tse-tse tly known as Glossina palpalis
is perhaps the only one capable of transmitting the disease.
Still, until more is known on the subject, there is reason to
regard all stinging insects as suspicious.

The first symptoms of the disease are a fever on which
quinine has no effect, a swelling of the glands of the neck
and jaw, blotches on the skin, and severe pain following the

The sleep

slightest blow or even a pinching of the skin.

from which the disease takes its name seldom occurs before
the final stage of the malady, patients at first mostly suffer-
ing from sleeplessness. There is no danger of such a patient
communicating the disease to others except where the district
is infested by stinging flies.

The means of averting the disease are—first, to avoid
the marshy places favoared by the insect ; secondly, the
destruction of-the fly itself ; thirdly, the protection of healthy
as well as infected persons from the sting ; fourthly, to
prevent the introduction of diseased persons into villages
that have escaped infection ; and fifthly, to transfer infected
villages to distriets-where the tse-tse fly does not exist. For
the destruction of the fly it is necessary to cut down the
brushwood for about 500 metres from the water and to
deprive the insect of its usual food—namely, the blood of
vertebrates, without which it cannot live for longer than
three days. The brushwood should be cut down, or better
still, burnt down at night, when the fly does not sting. The
chrysalis dies when exposed to the sun, even under five
centimetres of earth. Europeans should make their camps
and houses at a distance from rivers and streams, and
separate from those of the natives, who should be warned to
draw their supplies of water only at night, when the fly
is inactive. The houses should be closed with wire gratings.
Infected persons should be isolated and treated with injec-
tions of atoxyl, a preparation of arsenic which causes the
disappearance of the parasites from the blood, at least for
a time. ‘These injections exercise a tonic effect upon the
patient. In general it is not necessary to inject more than
50 centigrammes of atoxyl in small doses frequently repeated.

UTILIZATION OF POND MUD.
Ponds frequently occur in corners of fields on
estates, and when these are being cleared ont, the mud
taken from the bottom can frequently be utilized with
advantage, although the composition of the sediment
will naturally depend upon the character of the
surrounding soil and the nature of the pond.

The composition of one or two samples of mud from
ponds in England, together with notes as to the uses of the
material, were given in an article that appeared in a late
number of the Journal of the Board of Agriculture of Great
Britain. A sample taken from a pond at Kew contained
$5715 per cent. of moisture, 0-439 per cent. of nitrogen,
0-27 per cent. of phosphoric acid, 12°04 per cent. of lime,
together with magnesia and other alkalies, equal to 0°97 per
cent. A specimen of pond mud from Nottinghamshire con-
tained 78 81 per cent. of moisture, 0°862 per cent. of nitrogen,
0°32 per cent. of phosphoric acid, and 7-79 per cent. of lime.

Where a pond is situated at the lower end of a field, it
is likely to reecive, after rain, surface washings which may
On the other hand, if
the pond is one formed by springs, the sediment may be of
little or no value.

At Kew the pond mud is used for general gardening
purposes, and as a mulch for beds, Lorders, and trees. It has
Before
use, the water should be allowed to drain away, and the mud
broken up.

It is pointed out that the effect of such material is as
much of a mechanieal as of a chemical nature, and if used on
land of a lighter or drier texture, would assist in improving
its physical condition, On heavy land it probably would not

possess considerable manurial value.

also given Fool results as a top dressing for grass.

be so successfu

Vor Vile No. 161.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

203

POULTRY NOTES.

The Feeding of Chickens.

At the Dominica Agricultural School, by the help
of a Cyphers 120-egy incubator, and a brooder, the
keeping of poultry and the raising of chickens, though
at present carried on in an experimental way, have yet
become a source of profit. ‘The breeds kept are Barred
Plymouth Rocks, Butf Orpingtons, White Leghorns, and
Indian Games, together with crosses. For five weeks
after hatching. the chickens are kept in. the brooder,
which is heated for the first three weeks. |The follow-
ing particulars as to the method of feeding found most
suitable in rearing the chickens, are given in the report
(1906-7) on the Agricultural School :—

All food supplied to the chicks during the five weeks
while in the brooder was scattered among the litter, so as to
cause the birds to scratch for their food. This is beyond doubt
one of the most essential points to be observed in’ successful
rearing, as it causes the chick to take a fair amount of
exercise in obtaining its food, which tends to keep the young
bird in a healthy condition. During the time the chicks oceu-
pied the brooder, fresh green food was supplied twice a day.
This consisted of spinach, alfafa, and cabbage leaves, the whole
of which was passed through a closely set clover cutter, and
thoroughly mixed up previous to being fed.

After the first three weeks, it is better to supply the
green food whole by suspending it within easy reach of the
chicks. Dry food should be given four or five times each day.

A little and often’ should be the rule; if the chicks are fed
but twice a day it causes them to stuff their crops and
become lazy. Such birds seldom survive the twelfth week. On
the other hand, if a little food is supplied about every three
hours, the chicks are kept in constant exercise.

Incorrect feeding is usually the cause of mortality
among chicks, this gei erally resulting from diarrhoea, or from
the birds bee oming crop- bound,

The following dietary can be fully recommended: The
first two weeks, bread should be given. The egg
should be boiled until it is quite hard, and the whole of it—-
yolk, white and shell—-minced and thorouguly mixed with
stale bread. This may be given the first thing in the morn-
ing, and the last thing at night. During the day,
oatmeal should be given (raw) every three hours.

From the time the chicks are two days old, a limited
amount of animal food should always be given. This may he
supplied in the form of wood-ants, maggots, worms, ete. In
the event of these being unobtainable, minced raw meat, scraps
and ground bone should be given. During the third, fourth,
and “filth weeks, brown rice may be substituted for the ege

egg and

Cearse

and bread, this being.fed alternately with the oatmeal. After
this time, any of the following: foods may be given : finely

ground corn, ground oats, barley, buckwheat, ete.,or cornmeal

mixed with hot water and made into-a crumbly mass, so that»

when thrown to the birds it falls apart
supply of grit must always be obtainable ;
is an excellent material,

easily. A
broken oyster shell

gC Yaya |

FERMENTATION OF TOBACCO.

The particulars given below on the fermentation
of tobacco leaves, are taken from Bulletin 15 of the
Hawaiian Agricultural Experiment Station, a pam phlet
issued to show the possibilities of tobacco growing on
a commercial scale in Hawaii, and also to give informa-
tion as to the best methods of carrying out the various
operstions connected with the preparation of the crop.
They form a continuation of the notes on harvesting
and curing the leaves that 1ppeared in the last issue of
the Agricultural News. After curing has taken place,
the tobacco should be sorted into lots of thick, thin,
and medium leaves respectively. The different grades
are then tied up into bunches containing from fifty to
a hundred leaves, and in order to undergo the process
of fermentation, these bunches are piled up into heaps
on the floor of the room specially provided for the
purpose.

The fermentation should follow immediately after the
grading and sorting process, as the tobacco is then in the
best condition. A much better fermentation can be secured
immediately than after a delay of weeks or months. The
tobacco is taken from the sorting room to the fermenting
room. If the tobacco is in proper condition when it is
placed in the pile —that is, if the leaf contains 20 to 25 per
cent. of moisture —a rise in temperature will begin at once.
The heap of fermenting tobacco leaves should he covered
over with a tarpaulin or rubber blanket, excluding ali air
and retaining all moisture. No weight should be applied.
When the building of the fermeating heap has been finished,
the temperature of the room should be heated to from 85° to
95°, and should be kept at that figure until the pile of

fermenting tobacco reaches the same degree of heat.
As the temperature in the pile of tobacco increases

above $0°, the air teniperature should be permitted

to remain about 10° lower than the increasing tem-
perature of the jpile. The higher the temperatures in

the fermenting pile the darker the colour of the finish-
ed leaf. Under no circumstances must the temperature of
the fermenting tobacco be permitted to rise above 136° F.
As soon as the temperature in the middle of the pile, which is
the hottest, reaches 100° F., the pile should be torn down
and re-arranged on the floor near by. “The leaves that
previously formed the bottom. sides, and tops are placed in
the centre of the new pile, while the leaves that were in the
centre of the first heap, become the outside, bottom, and top
of the second pile. This should be continued
throughout the various re-arrangements of the pile. An
important point is to maintain a constant degree of humidity
in the fermenting room. ‘The air in the fermenting room
should never be permitted to become dry, but should always
show from 85° to 90° of humidity, irrespective of the
temperature.

In the first stages of fermentation, large quantities of
ammonia are set free, and there is a considerable evolution of
ammonia throughout the whole fermentation process. As
soon as the fermentation is complete, the tobacco is ready for
the final sorting.

A second fermentation takes place in the bale. It is
a slower one and the temperatures do not rise very bixh, but it
seems to be quite important in fixing character in the leaf.
This second fermentation mellows the tobaceo and tends to
improve the aroma. The bales should be placed in the ware-
house for at least six months before selling. The
should be clean, dry, and cool, and no other goods stored with
the tobacco.

pre CVSS

warchouse

204

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JUNE 27,

The british Guiana Board of Agriculture has granted
a sum of $1,340 in support of country agricultural shows in
the colony, during the coming year.

During 1907-8, rubber plants to the number of 47,000
were sold by the Botanical Department of British Guiana.
The amount realized from the sale was $1,487.

Four pedigree male goats are offered for sale at the Agri-
cultural School, Domiriea. Full particulars ean be obtained
on application to the Orticer-in-Charge of the School.

The number of banana stems exported from Jamaica
during 1907-8 was 15,847,590. Of these the United States
took 14,505,911 while 1,239,500
shipped to the United Kingdom.

bunches, bunches

were

As the result of examination at St. Kitt’s. Grammar
School, four Agricultural Scholarships, of the Imperial Depart-
of Agriculture, have awarded to E,
Kt. Perkins, KE. Arnold, and J. Fletcher, respectively.

ment been Berridge,

The production of copra in Java has varied immensely
of late years In 1907, the output reached 68,000 tons, one
of the largest crops.on record ; but owing to excessive rains the
quality was not satisfactory, and there was a great. fall in
price during the year. (British Consular Report.)

An Ayshire bull anda Devonshire bull have lately been
imported into St. Lneia from Canada by the Agricultural
Society of the island. The are described as fine
and well-bred and in splendid condition, and will be retained
for service in the colony.

animals

The Jamaica Board of Agriculture at a recent meeting
passed unanimously a resolution, expressing the appreciation
felt by the members for the long and valuable services of
the Hon. W.-lawcett, B.Se., as Director of Gardens and
Plantations during the past twenty-one years, and as a mem-
ber of the Board of Agriculture since its formation.

Messrs. Sandbach, Parker & Co's rice report, dated
June 12, states that the season’s rice crop of British Guiana
is now well established, and with suitable weather there is
prospect of excellent returns. Planting is still in
progress in some districts, and the weather conditions, so far,
have been most favourable,

LOOL |

The British Government has decided to establish a Bureau
for the collection and distribution of information with regard
to sleeping sickness. One-fourth of the cost will be borne
by the Soudan Government. The duties of the Director of
the Bureau will for the present be undertaken by Dr. A. G.
Bagshawe, of the Uganda Medical Staff. (London Times.)

According. to the Jamaica Daily Telegraph, about
three-fourths of the tobacco crep of the island had been har-
vested by the first week of May. It was stated that the por-
tion of the crop still remaining in the field was in danger of
being lost, owing to dry weather. The Telegraph also
states that there has been over-production of tobacco in
Jamaica during the past year.

The Hon. E. J. Cameron, Administrator of St. Vincent,
has written to the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture,
expressing the thanks of the Government of the island for
a collection of diagrams of plants and animals, as well as
framed pictures of Their Majesties the King and Queen,
lately presented to the St. Vincent Agricultural School by
Sir Daniel Morris.

Considerable efforts are now being made in Brazil to
develop the cultivation of various kinds of fruits. The
grape vine is largely grown, and several growers have lately
visited Italy in order to acquire a knowledge of the best
methods of treatment. Increasing attention is also being
given to the production of bananas, oranges, and figs. There
is reported to be a promising future for the establishment of
canning factories, and also for the production of wine.

A) French? agricultural » journal contains“ an article on
a method of preserving eges which is being practised in Italy,
and which consists of covering the eggs with a coating of lard,
so as to stop the pores of the shell and prevent the entrance
of air, the eggs being afterwards packed in shavings, care
being taken that they shall not touch each other. The pack-
ing room must be as dry as possible. It is stated that eggs
treated in this manner when quite fresh have kept in perfect
condition for a year.

The returns for 1907 show a slight increase in the pine-
apple exports from the Azores to Hamburgh and London.
While in 1906, 402,870 pines were shipped to London, the
number sent in 1907 reached 413,208. The number export-
ed to Hamburgh was 878,617 in 1906, and 893,450 in 1907,
The freight from the Azores to London is 2s. 3d. per case,
and to Hamburgh 3s. 3d. A case contains from
nine to twelve pine-apples, and it is stated that a price of from
Is. ld. to 1s. dd. per fruit was realized. (British Consular
Report. )

per Case,

The Moniteur Official du Commerce (Paris) reports that
deposits of potash salts have recently been discovered near
Soultz in Alsace, extending through a district covering about
78 square miles. A superior deposit of the salts (which are
estimated to contain from 30 to 43 per cent. of chloride of
potash) 1 metre in thickness, and an inferior deposit 5
metres in thickness, have been found at a depth of from 500
to 700 metres It is stated that the first factory for turn-
ing out the salts has been established, and that shafts are
being sunk.

Seeds of Musa Gillet? obtained from the Botanic Gardens
of the Congo Free State, were in 1905 distributed by the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture to a number of the
West Indian Botanic Stations. banana
indigenous to the Congo district, and is described as a very
handsome plant. In reply to enquiries recently made at the
Stations to which the seed was sent, it was in all
cases stated that this seed showed very poor germinating
power, At one or two Stations a few plants were raised, but
these soon died out. A single plant, however, is reported as
being in existence at the Grenada Botanic Station,

This is a species of

Botanic

Vor. VII. No. 161.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

205

PRINCIPLES OF

de Weever,

THE
Peter M.
School, British Guiana
Ltd., Georgetown.

AGRICULTURE. By
Master at the Government Industrial
Published by the ‘Argosy Company

Now that increasing attention is being given to teaching
agricultural science in the elementary schools of the West
Indies and British Guiana, there naturally arises a demand
on the part of the teachers fora handbook indicating the
lines on which the subject should be taught. The above
book, it is stated by the author in the preface, was written
with the object of meeting this need so far as the elementary
school teachers of British Guiana are concerned. It should
certainly prove useful for the purpose, since it contains,
within the compass of 87 pages, a large amount of elementary
information on soils, their formation,and the methods of treat-
ment (draining, lining, manuring, ete.) which improve their
agricultural value, plant life and growth, the proximate
constituents of plants and animals, ete. The latter part of the
book deals with practical demonstration work before the class,
and contains notes on a number of experiments which illus-
trate the principles conveyed in the lessons.

LE CACAOYER
C. Chalot and M. Lue.
Rue Jacob, Paris.

The output of cacao from the French Congo has shown
a continuous increase during the past ten years. In 1896 the
exports were 5,143 kilograms [1] kilograra = 2-2 Ib.]; three years
later the shipments had advanced to 23,249 kilos., and in 1902
they reached 58,398 kilos., while in 1904 the total cacao exports
were 91,092 kilos.

On account of the increasing importance of the industry,
and in order to give useful and reliable information as to
the best methods of cultivation, preparation of the produce, ete.,
to those engaged in cacao culture, the above book of sixty pages
has been written by two officials connected with the Depart-
ment of Agriculture of French Congo.

The book gives an account of the different varieties of
cacao, with their comparative values, and discusses the most
suitable conditions of soil and climate, methods of raising
and planting young seedlings, the question of shelter, both
from sun and wind, and the later treatment of the plantation,
pruning, raising young trees, etc. Finally, directions are
given as to harvesting, fermenting, drying, and shipping the
crop. The book is illustrated with reproductions of photo-
graphs and with diagrams.

AU CONGO FRANCAIS. By
Published by Augustin Challamel, 1?

THE CASE FOR THE GOAT. By * Home Counties.’
‘Published by George Routledge & Sons, Limited, London.
Price 3s. 6d.

This book, it is stated in the introduction, has been
written in the hope of removing some of the ignorance and
prejudice that exist in the minds of many in regard to the
goat, and with the object of spreading a better knowledge of

the valuable milk-yielding properties of these useful and
cheaply-kept animals. Interesting data is given as to the
amount of milk yielded by goats, while it is pointed out that
this milk is not only much richer, but also more digestible
than cow’s mills, and therefore more suitable as a food for
children. The management and feeding of goats, and the
relative milking value of the different breeds are also discuss-
ed in the book. A lengthy appendix contains the answers,
furnished by experienced goat keepers, to twenty-four
questions on the subject of goat keeping, addressed to them
by the author. In reply to the query as to the best breeds of
goat for milking purposes, the Togge uburg and the Anglo-
Nubian are mentioned in practically all cases. Most goat
keepers state their opinion that a yield of about 2 quarts of
nulk per day should be expected from a nanny with her
second kid, and this amount should be kept up for several
months.

The book is abundantly illustrated with photographs of
representative animals of the various breeds.

THE FERMENTATION OF CACAO.

Considerable difference of opinion still exists as to
the process involved in the fermentation of cacao, as
well as the purpose and necessity of the operation. It
is now generally believed, however, that yeast cells play
an import ant part in bringing about the fermentation,
Most probably, too, bacteria and enzymes also assist in
the process. This subject is discussed in detail in the
course of a lengthy article that appears in the Annual
Report (1907) of the Porto Rico Agricultural Experi-
went Station. The following summary embodies the
conclusions arrived at by the author (Mr. Oscar Loew,
Physiologist at the Station) on the ee —

The fermentation process itself is due in the first
to the presence and action of yeast cells,
rapidly in the saccharine juice oozing from the pulped cacao,
and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Bacteria, which
develop rapidly after a certain time, also participate, and by
their action, the alcohol formed by the yeast is converted by
oxidation either wholly or parti: ully, into acetic acid. These
processes cause a rise of temperature and the death of the
cells of seed and slime tissue, whereupon the juice of the
slime tissue, more or less altered, collects at the bottom of
the receptacles, together with the acetic acid produced.

The chief object of the fermentation is to shrink the
slime tissue or pulp attached to the testa of the seed, allowing
the remnants either to be washed away as is done in C eylon,
or dried upon the seed, forming an irregular brown film upon
the testa. As the result of diminishing the amount of slime
tissue present, the drying of the seed is much facilitated. The
loosening of the adhesion between the seed and the testa, and
the hardening of the testa are claimed as further effects of
fermentation.

place
which multiply

The fermentation has also an indiveet influence on
changes going on within the seed, iuasumeh as by the

temperatures produced (104° F. to 122° I.) the cells of the
seeds are killed, thus liberating the oxidizing enzymes, whieh
cause the formation of the brown colour, by oxidation of the
tannin of the seed. This brown colouration is increased
during the drying process, and finally by the roasting.

The taste of the raw cacao bean is not only altered by
the partial oxidation of tannin during the fermentation or
sun-drying of the seed, but also by products of roasting.
The action of oxidizing enzymes, as well as the final roasting
process, play a part in the development of the aroma,

206

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

JUNE 27,

COWPEAS.

The cultivation of cowpeas in the Southern States
ot America has largely increased of late years, and since
the value of the crop, not only for the production of
forage and pasturage, but also as a means of soil
improvement, is becoming more aud more recognized,
there will, no doubt, be further extensions in the area
devoted to the crop. ‘The price of cowpea seed. how-
ever, has of late advanced very considerably, and until
the supply of seed becomes more plentiful, growers are
somewhat handicapped.

Farmers Bulletin 31S, lately issued by the United
States Department of Agriculture, deals with the whole
question of cowpea culture, the best varieties, and the
different methods of utilizing the produce. The crop is des-
cribed as the legume which has proved of the most value for
use in rotation with cotton and sugar in the Southern States,
and as one which can be depended on to succeed on practically
all types of soil. Its growth, too, provides an excellent
means of increasing the production of live stock, which
is very essential in securing the maximum returns in any
system of agriculture.

In some parts of the States cowpeas are often reaped
and made into hay, which is fully as valuable as red clover
hay. More frequently, however, the produce is used for
forage or fed as pasturage, and it is for these purposes, as
well as for the enrichment of the soil, that the crop can be
recommended for extensive cultivation in the West
Indies,

more

If it is intended to utilize the crop as fodder, the cow-
peas may either be grown alone, or as a mixture with sorghum
or maize, etc. The latter serve to support the cowpea vines,
and as the result of their inclusion, there 1s an Increased
yield of produce. The amount of seed required per acre is
1 bushel of cowpeas, mixed with from $ to 1 bushel of maize
or sorghum seed. When cowpeas are grown alone, about 2
bushels of seed per acre are required.

A cowpea crop is sometimes used for pasturage purposes,
although this method of utilization is not the most economi
cal. The best time to begin pasturing is when the first pods
are ripe. Ina feeding trial at the Alabama Agricultural
Experiment Station, it was found that pigs fed on corm alone
gained 0°36 Ib, daily, while pigs on cowpea pasture and corn
gained 0°97 Ib. daily, at the same time consuming 36 per cent.
less corn for each pound of gain.

Particulars are given in the pamphlet ef feeding trials
with this crop carried out at several Agricultural Stations in
the States, and although in all the cases mentioned the
produce was fed as hay, and not as green forage, the results
bear ample evidence to the high feeding value of the cowpea
vines. If a fair amount of peas is present the
value 1s

nutritive
Under these
circumstances it is stated that cowpea hay, fed alone, forms
a satisfactory ration for working stock, as well as for cattle,
sheep, and even hogs. Planters in the sugar-cane districts of
Louisiana claim that and mules stand hot weather
better when fed on cowpea hay than when fed on grass hay
and corn. When compared with an equal weight of wheat
bran as a constitnent in the ration of mules, cowpea hay
proved a superior food, as well as being cheaper in cost.

As a result of the property, possessed by cowpeas in
common with other leguminous crops, of being able
wp nitrogen from the air by means of the bacteria which live
in the nodules on the roots, the growth of the crop forms an
excellent means of soil enrichment. The physical condition

of course considerably increased.

horses

to take:

of the soil is also largely improved as a result of the addition

of the large amount of humus formed by the decay of the
roots. Although it is only in special cases that it is advis-
able to utilize cowpeas as green manure, yet on very poor, ”
sandy land, or on stiff, heavy clay soils in bad mechanical

condition, a crop of cowpeas ploughed under will give mark-
edly beneficial results. Cowpeas are largely grown in rotation

with cotton in the Southern States, and also with the sugar-
cane in Louisiana. Ina system of cropping in general use

among cotton planters, the land is, for three years in succession

planted with cotton, the fourth year in corn and cowpeas,

and then in cotton again for three years. The Alabama Agri-

cultural Experiment Station reports an increase of yield in

one case of 696 Tb. of seed-cotton to the acre, or 85 per cent.,

as the result of ploughing under a crop of cowpea vines on

land which had been in cotton in the previous season.

Practically the same plan of rotation is reported as
being followed in the sugar-cane districts of Louisiana.
Three crops of cane are taken off the land, and the fourth
year, it is planted to cowpeas, or to corn and cowpeas. The
working stock are fed almost exclusively on pea-vine hay or
are grazed on cowpeas in the field.

There are a large number of different varieties of cow-
peas grown, but only afew of these are extensively cultivated.
For forage purposes the most desirable varieties are those which
have a fairly upright habit, grow toa large size, hold their leaves
well, and produce an abundance of pods. The most valuable
kinds are the Whippoorwill (also known as Running Speckled,
Bunch Speckled or Shinney), the Unknown or Wonderful, the
New Era, and the Iron. The crop is one which takes
a period of two months or slightly more, to reach maturity.
For forage purposes, the produce would be available in rather
less time.

COFFEE GROWING IN HAWAIL.

Now that Brazil is producing coffee on such an
enormous scale; the cultivation of the crop in other
countries is necessarily becoming less remunerative, and
probably this fact accounts for the falling-off in the
exports of coffee from Hawan, mentioned in the follow-
ing note taken from the report, for 1906-7, of the British
Consul at Honolulu :—

The centre of the coffee-raising industry of the territory
is situated on the island of Hawaii, though the crop is
also grown on Mani and Oahu. The total output of the
islands has been estimated at about 3,000,000 tb., of which
four-fifths come from the districts of Kona on the southern
side of Hawaii. ~ Coffee is grown in the Kona district at
elevations ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 feet, the temperature
averaging from 55° F.to 90°F, After two years’ growth of the
plants a crop of from 5 to 12 bags per acre of cleaned coffee
can usnally be obtained. After three years’ growth, at the
end of which time the trees are fully matured, the yield is
from 8 to 20 bags. Coffee ripens in Hawaii between tae
months of September and January, and there are two prinei-
pal pickings. \fter the processes of pulping and milling, the
higher grades are picked over by hand, and all discoloured
and defective beans removed. The coffee is then packed in
100-Ib, bags, and is ready for shipment. The export of the
product has shown a steady falling-otf during the past few
years. For the fiseal year ending June 30, 1907, the value
of the coffee exports from Hawaii was £28,940, which is, how-
ever, little nore than half the value of the exports of the
preceding year,

Vou. VI. No. 161. THE AGRIC

ULTURAL

NEWS.

bo
oO
o>

RATS AND THEIR DESTRUCTION.

In all parts of the world the rat is regarded by
agriculturists as one of the most destructive pests
attacking their crops. ‘the part played. by the rat in
disseminating various diseases, notably bubonic plague,
which is spread through the agency of tleas from “the
body of the rat,is now well known, and furnishes
a further reason why no measure that may assist
towards the ultimate extermination of the pest should
be neglected.

In view of the attention now being given to the
question of rat destruction in these colonies, as a result
of the appearance of bubonic plague at Venezuela and
Trinidad, the following extracts from a pamphlet
(Farmers Bulletin 297) issued by the United States
Department of Agriculture, are worthy of note. Other
extracts from the pamphlet wili be given in the next
number of the Agricultural News -—

Introduced into America about the year 1775 the brown
rat [this is also the species that exists in the West Indies] has
supplanted and nearly exterminated its less robust relative,
the black rat, and despite the incessant warfare of man has
extended its range and steadily increased in numbers. Its
dominance is due to its great fecundity and its ability to adapt
itself to all sorts of conditions. It breeds three or four times
a year and produces from six to twelve, and even more young at
a litter. Young females breed when only four or five months
old. The species is practically omnivorous, feeding upon all
kinds of animal and vegetable matter. It makes its home in
the open field, the hedge row, and the river bank, as well
asin stone walls, piers, and all kinds of buildings. It destroys
grains when newly planted, while growing, and in the shock,
stack, mow, crib granary, mill elevator, or ship’s hold, and
also in the bin and feed trough. It invades store and ware-

house and destroys fur, laces, silks, carpets, leather goods,
and groceries. It attacks fruits, vegetables, and meats in the

markets, and destroys by pollution ten times as much as it
actually eats. It carries disease germs from house to house,
and bubonic plague from city to city ; it destroys the farmers’
pigs, eggs, and young poultry, and damages foundations,
floors, doors, and furnishings of dwellings.

Poisoning is the method most generally adopted for the
destruction of rats, and one of the cheapest and most effec-
tive poisons is barium carbonate, or barytes. This mineral
has the advantage of being without taste or smell ; and, in
the small quantities used for poisoning rats and mice, is harm-
Jess to larger animals. Its action on rodents is slow, but
reasonably sure, and it has the further advantage that the
animals before dying, if exit be possible, usually leave the
premises in search of water. Its employment in houses,
therefore, is rarely followed by the annoying odour which
attends the use of the more virulent poisons.

The poison may be given in the form of a dough made of
one-fifth barytes and fonr-fifths meal, but a more convenient
bait is ordinary oatmeal, with abont one-eighth of its bulk of
barytes, mixed with water into a stiff dough, or the barytes
may be spread upon bread and butter or moistened toast. If
a single application of the poison fails to drive all rats from
the premises, it should be repeated with a change of bait.

Strychnine is a more virulent poison, but its action is so
rapid that the animals often die upon the premises, a circum-
stance which prohibits its use im occupied dwellings. Else-
where strychnine may be employed with great success. Dry
strychnine crystals may be inserted in small pieces of raw
meat, Vienna sausage, or toasted cheese, and these placed in

the rat runs ; or oatmeal may be wetted with a strychnine
syrup, and small quantities laid ont in the same way.

Strychnine syrup is prepared as follows :—Dissolve
} oz. of strychnia sulphate in a pint of boiling water ;
add a pint of thick sugar syrup, and stir thoroughly. A smaller
quantity of the poison may be prepared with a proportional
quantity of water. In preparing the bait it is necessary that
all the oatmeal should be moistened with syrup. Wheat is
the most convenient alternative bait. It should be soaked
over night in the strychnine syrup.

The two poisons most commonly used for rats and mice
are arsenic and phosphorus, nearly all commercial prepara-
tions containing one or the other as a basis. While experi-
ments prove that rats have great powers of resistance to
arsenic, it may sometimes be used advantageously as an
alternative poison. Preparations of phosphorus sold by drug-
are often too weak to be effective ; and home made
mixtures, when of sufticient strength, are dangerous,
may carry the baits into walls or crannies and thus cause
fires. For these and other reasons the Biological Survey
does not recommend preparations containing phosphorus.

For poisoning rats in buildings and yards occupied hy
poultry, the following method is recommended : Two
wooden boxes should be used, one considerably larger than
the other, and each having two or more holes in the sides,
large enough to admit rats. The poisoned bait should be
placed on the bottom and near the middle of the larger box,
and the smaller box should then be inverted over it. Nats
thus have free access to the bait, but fowls are excluded.

gists

as rats

RUBBER IN JAVA.

The particulars given in the latest report of the
British Consul at Java indicate that a good deal of
attention is being given to rubber planting in the
island, and that a considerable amount of British
capital is invested in the industry. The accompanying
extracts are taken from the report

Considerable interest continues to be evinced in the
cultivation of rubber-producing trees throughout the Dutch
East Indies, and the suitability of the climate and_ soil,
coupled with undoubted labour advantages which Java
possesses over most other tropical countries, has resulted in
a steadily increasing trend of European capital towards
rubber enterprises in “this country.

According to statisties lately compiled, the capital of
British companies interested in rubber in the Dutch East
Indies, but domiciled in the United Kingdom, amounted to
nearly £1,500,000. This, however, does not include the
numerous companies formed during the last few years, also
with British capital, but domiciled in Java, which may he
estimated at another £250,000.

The first congress of rubber planters was held in October
last, at which it was resolved to institute an Experimental
Station with nurseries, which should prove of valuable
assistance to rubber planters. The area at present under
cultivation is estimated at some 58,000 acres in Java, 25,000
acres in Sumatra, and 7,000 acres in Borneo, of which most
of the older rubber and nearly all that is in bearing (say
one-half of the whole acreage) must be ews elastica, as the
cultivation of the Para variety dates only from 1905 onwards.

At present, therefore, exports are still inconsiderable,
but in the course of a few years the Dutch East Indies
should prove an important factor in the rubber markets of
Europe,

208

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

JUNE 27, 1908

London,—Jine 9,

MARKET REPORTS.

1908, ‘THe West Inpra_ Com-
MITTEE CrrcuLar ; Messrs. E. A. DE Pass & Co.,
May 29, 1908: Messrs. Kearton, Piper & Co.,
May 26, 1908.

ARRowROOT—2i. to 24d.

Batata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/4 8 block, 1/73 to 1/8 per th.

Bees’-wax—Good quality, £7 17s. 6d. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 68/- to 69/- per ewt.; Grenada, 60/- to
65/- per cwt.

CoFFEE—Santos, 29s. ; Jamaica, 37/- to 57/- per ewt.

Corra—West Indian, £16 10s. per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, 15d. to 16d.; Barbados, 14d. to 15d.;
St. Kitt’s, 14d. to 15d.; Montserrat, 14d. to 15d.
per lb.

FRuIT—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limes—4/6 to 5/- per box of 200.
PrInE-aPppLEes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/6 each.
Grape Frurr—14/- to 16/- per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 6/- to 7/- per box.

Fusric—£3 10s, to £4 10s. per ton,

GinceR—51/- to 80/

Honry—20s. to 32s. Gd. per ewt.

Istncnass—West India lump, 1/9 to 1/11 per th.; cake,
no quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£12 10s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 2/-
per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per Tb.

Locwoop—£3 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Macr—lIs. 1d. to 1s. 2d. per tb.

NurmEecs—66’s to 68's, Sd. to 8hd.; 76's, Gd.; 91’s, dd.;
105’s to 118’s, And. ; 121’s, 34d.; 149’s, 33d.

Pimenro—Quiet ; 24d. to 24d.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/- to 3/3; Demerara, 1/6 to 1/73 per

gallon; Trinidad, no quotations. ~

Sucar—Crystals, 18/6 to 19/6 per ewt.; Muscovado,
16s. 24d.; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6.

New York,—Jine 12, 1908.—Messrs. Ginuespir, Bros.

& Co.

Cavao—Caracas, 3c. to 15ce. ; Grenada, 12}c. to Ide. :
Trinidad, 12}c. to 144e.; Jamaica, 11 $c. to 13he. per tb.

Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $20:00 to $22-00; culls,
$14-00 to 815-00; Trinidad, $20-00 ;eulls, $1400 per M.

Corrre—Jamaica, good washed, 9c. to 1le.
Tie. to Sjye.

Gincer— 12hke. to l7e. per tb.

Goar Sxins—Jamaica, 50c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kitt’s, dde. to 47c., dry flint, per th.

Grapré Fruir—Jamaicas, $3°00 to $4°50 per box and $5:00
to $800 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, $7°50 per barrel.

Macrn—19c. to 3le. per tb.

Nurmecs—110's, 8fc. per th.

Onances—Jamaiea, $1°70 to $3:00 per barrel.

Pimento—. 4ge. to 43c. per tb.

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 4°40c. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3 90e. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°65c. per th., duty paid.

; good ordinary,

British Guiana,—June 13, 1908,

Trinidad,—June

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. James A. Lyncn & Co., June 16,

1908 ; Messrs. T. S. Garraway & Co., June 28,
1908

ARROWROOT—St. Vincent, $4°00 to $4°10 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $14°00 to $15-00 per 100 th.
Cocoa-Nurs—$14°00 per M. for husked nuts.
Corrre—Jamaica, $9°50 to $8°50 per 100 th.

Hay—$1-65 per 100 tb.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $62°60 to $65°00 ; Ohlendorff’s
dissolved guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42-00;
Cacao manure, $42°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $72:00
to $75°00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Motasses—Choice, 19c. ; Fancy, 21c. per gallon.

Ontons— Bermuda loose, $1°21 to $1°50 per 100 te.

Poratos, EnGrisH—$2-00 to $2°75 per 160 th.

Pras—Split, $6°40 ; Canada, $3°10 to $3°26 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $570 (180 th.) ; Patna, $3-80 ; Rangoon,
$300 to $3-10 per 100 tb.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $2°05 per 100 th., package in-
cluded; Dark crystals, $2°50; Centrifugals, $2°35 to
$2°75 per 100 th.

WIETING
Messrs. Sandbach,

Messrs.

& Ricwrer; June 13, 1908;

Packer & Co.

ARRowRooT—St. Vincent, $9°50 to $10°00 per barrel.

Baxiara—-Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c
per Ib.

Cacao—Native, l6c. to 18c. per tb.

Cassava—80e.

Cassava SrarcH—$9°00 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocoa-Nuts—$12:00 to $16°00 per M.

CorrEe—Creole, 12c. to 15c.; Jamaica, 12c. per tb.

Duat— $5°75 to $6-00 per bag of 168 Th.

Eppos— $1°28 per barrel.

Motasses— Yellow, 19c. ; Dark, no quotations.

Ontons—Madeira, 3e.; Lisbon, 25e. to 8e.
per Ib.

Prianvrarns— 20c. to 60c. per bunch.

Poratos,—English, $2°80 to $3:00 per barrel.

Poratros, Swket—Barbados, $1°44 per bas

Rice—Ballam, $6°30 to $640; Creole, $5°75 for good ;
Seeta, $600 per bag.

Sperir PEas—$6-00 to $6°L0 per bag (210 tb.); Lisbon, $4°50.

Tannias—-$1°'92 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $2°88 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°80 to $5-00 ; Yellow, $3-50;
White, $3°70 to $5°80; Molasses, $2:00 to $2-10
per 100 tb. (retail).

Timper—Greenheart, 32c. to 55c. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$35'50 to $5°75 per M.

Corpwoon—$2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

; Dutch, 3e.

13, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, Grant

& Co.
Cacao—$13°25 to $14°25 per fanega.
Cocoa-Nuvs—$22°00 per M., f.0.b.
Cocoa-nuvr Or.—60e. per Imperial gallon, cask included,
Corrre— Venezuelan, 9c. to 9}c. per ib.
Copra—$2°50 to $2°75 per 100, th.
Duat—-$5°00 to $5°15 per 2-bushel bag.
Ontons—$1°75 to 31°90 per 100 th. (retail).
Poraros, ExcrisH—$1°40 to $1°50 per 100 Tb.
Ricr—Yellow, $5°40 to 35°60; White, $5°25to $600 per bag.
Speriv Pras—$5°'85 to $6-00 per bag.
SueGak—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°10 per 100 fb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

——

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PAMPHLET SERIES.

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Vor; Vil No: 16ir THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. June 27, 1908.

THE BEST -MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

| JASE AEH

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,

Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.
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A KFGRTENIGHTLY REVIEW

OF THE
RO
4 z " mn = :
(IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WES! INDIES. § o-
Vou. VII. No. 162. BARBADOS, JULY 11, 1908. Price ld,
CONTENTS. Department of Agriculture, to establish a recognized
——- standard of proficiency among overseers and managers
PAGE , Pace. of estates, by the institution of courses of reading on
Beet Conese ie oe eerie ahaa pi practical and theoretical agriculture, which should
AZUL CONUS) et don Somer hel Uj e at1o

British Guiana... 2
Market Reports ... ... 2:
Notes and Comments 2
213) Oranges, Curing and

Packing of es seo, BAG

Sritish Honduras, Indus-
trial School Needed for 215
Cacao, Grafted, at
Dominica ee
Cacao, Principal Fungus

Diseases of... ... ... 221) Peasant Holdings in
Cocoa-nut, Diseases of in Jamaica of 215
Travancore... ... ... 219 | Peasant Proprietors in
Cotton Notes :— CiPein Acs. wesc vase, LO
Cotton, Experiments | Ploughing Match at
With in St., Kitt’s ... 214 Burkitlosteen, sas case lis
Sea Island Cotton Prickly Pear as Food for
Market 5.2 Set ried Stock ice RRC eee
West Indian Cotton -.. 214)! Rats, Destruction of .... 223
aa

Rice Cropin British Guiana 2%
Rice Produetion in

Courses of Reading and
Examination in Practi-

eal Agriculture inte, SOD United States.... ... 223
Formic Acid and Rubber Sea-weed asa Manure ... 222
Latex Coagulation ... 217) Sorghum Poisoning 216

Gleanings ... ... ... ... 220) Sugar Industry

Grape Fruit Cultivation . . 212 Demerara Seedlings in

Guayule Rubber an BAG Louisiana .. Bap tiace es

Insect Notes :— Pessou_Cane Harvester,
Haidbacks, Streneth of 218 the ke are lel

Sugar Production in
Mexico, Conditions

Names of Insects,
RGvISION VOL Wess) cee els

Jamaica Fruit Trade, and @oOstvoie ss) sas0 20
Revival of ...° ... ... 216! West Indian Bulletin ... 217

Courses of Reading and Examina-
tion in Practical Agriculture.

us T the West Indian Agricultural Confer-

>)
<i

ox the
brought forward by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., that
something might be done, through the Imperial

present year a Suggestion Was

FR, ence held at Barbados in January of

afterwards be followed by examination for certificates
of proficiency (see Agricultu raul News, Vol. VII, p 34),
It was pointed out that such courses, which should deal
with general agricultural principles, and also have
special reference to the cultivation of local crops, should
be the means of assisting overseers and others to take
a more intelligent interest in their work.

Further, the establishment of means for im-
proved edneation and more extensive knowledge on
matters relating to their work for those engaged in
practical agricultural operations should form an impor-
tant means of assisting the agricultural industries of
these islands, the management of which will, m course
of time, rest so largely in the hands of men of the class
indicated. It should also materially improve the pros-
pects of these men.

The proposals made by Dr. Watts were received
with a great deal of interest by the representatives
attending the Agricultural Conference. Since then
they have been unanimously approved by the Agri-
cultural Societies of Barbados, Antigua, and St. Kitt’s,

A scheme of reading courses in practical and
scientific agriculture, together with a syllabus of
examinations for certificates of competency has there-
fore been prepared, full particulars of which are given
in a leaflet that has just been issued by the Imper-
ial Department of Agriculture for distribution throughs

out these colonies.

210

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Jury 1], 1908.

It is proposed that there shall be three examinations,
Preliminary, Intermediate, and Final respectively, and
that, in every case, the examination shall be partly
written and partly oral. In order to ensure that these
tests shall be thoroughly practical in their nature, the
oral portion of the examination will, it is hoped, in the
case of Barbados at least, be conducted by experienced
attorneys and managers, 1.e., men who are thoroughly
conversant with the practice of agriculture.

The Preliminary examination will deal with the
elementary principles underlying agricultural practice,
and will consist of questions on soils, their classifica-
tion and physical properties, cultural operations, drain-
age, the elements of plant and animal physiology, ete.
Candidates who have gone through the course provided
in Agricultural Science at Harrison College, Barbados,
and kave obtained the Certificate of Proficiency, as well
as those who have passed the Cambridge Senior
examination in this subject, will -be. excused the
Preliminary, and may proceed at once on leaving
school to read for the Intermediate examination,
which they will be allowed to take after one year’s
experience on estates. Except under unusual cireum-
stances, the syllabus requires that other candidates
shall have been engaged in practical agricultural pur-
suits for at least one year, previous to the Preliminary
examination,

The first Preliminary examination will be held
during 1909, and will be followed shortly afterwards,
by the first Intermediate examination, open to those
who have successfully passed, or have been excused, the
Preliminary.
of getting through both the Preliminary and the
Intermediate examinations in one year.

The Intermediate examination deals more espe-
cially with the cultivation of the chief crops produced in
the West Indies, i.e., sugar (with optional questions on
rum), cotton, limes, cacao, bananas, rice, and provision
crops. Candidates may select any two or more of the
above crops, with the cultivation of which they are most
familiar, and the questions'set will deal with the prepara-
tion of the soil, manuring, planting, and after-cultivation
of the crops, as well as the reaping or gathering, and the
preparation of the produce for shipment. A knowledge
of the insect pes

sand fungoid diseases affecting crops

in the West Indies, and of the best methods of. treat- .

ment will also be required from those presenting them-
selves for the Intermediate examination. All persons

sitting for the Intermediate, including those who may

Candidates will have a chance, therefore...

have been excused the Preliminary, must have had
practical experience for at least one year in the cultiva-
tion of the crops for proficiency in which they offer
themselves for examination.

The Final examination will in the main, relate to
the same subjects as the Preliminary and the Inter-
mediate. <A fuller and more extensive knowledge will,
however, be required, and, in addition, candidates will
be’ expected to be conversant with all questions atfect-
ing estate administration and management, such as
estate book-keeping, the cost of performing various
agricultural operations, the management of land, crops,
and animals, as well us of the labourers employed on
the estate,

The first Final examination will be held in 1910,
a year after the! first Intermediate. It is intended
that these examinations be repeated yearly,so that while
in 1909, Preliminary and Intermediate examinations
only will be held, in 1910 and subsequent years,
Preliminary, Intermediate, and Final examinations will
be carried on.

As the result of these examinations, certificates
signed by the examiners will be issued to successful
candidates by the Imperial Commissioner of Agricul-
ture. They will be divided into classes (first, second,
and third) and will be endorsed with a statement of
the subjects in which the candidates have shown them-
selves proficient. It is intended that the possession of
a first class Final certificate shall be a guarantee that
the holder is thoroughly capable of controlling an
estate on which the crops are cultivated for which his

certificate was granted.

No candidate will be allowed to obtain a certificate
who has not thoroughly satistied the examiners in both
the oral and the written parts of the examination, and
there is therefore areal necessity on the part of
candidates to be thoroughly familiar with the details of
ordinary estate work and routine, since it will not be
possible to obtain a certificate merely on the basis of
book-work.

In the leatlet referred to, full particulars are given
of the books and other publications suitable for use in
preparation. for the include
a number of publications issued by the Imperiat
Department ot Agriculture, which will be supplied to
candidates free of charge.

examinations. These

Other books recommended
may, of course, be obtained through local booksellers,

Vor. VII. No. 162: THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 211

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Demerara Seedlings in Louisiana.

The Demerara sugar-cane seedlings D.74 and
D.95 have been grown by many Louisiana planters for
some years past, and that they are giving favourable
results is evident from the fact that the area devoted
to their cultivation promises steadily to increase.

The question of the value of these seedlings to planters
in Louisiana is discussed in a short article in the Sugar
Planters’ Jownal of May 23 last. The weather conditions
in the State during the earlier “part of last season did not
suit these canes, and D.74 gave too spindly a growth, while
1.95 promised good results only on the very best soils: For
a time, therefore, it is stated, there was a prejudice against
these seedlings, and some planters curtailed the area devoted
to them in the plantings of last autumn. At the reapings,
however, which took place mainly in December, the Demerara
canes yielded surprisingly well, the tonnage per acre being
equal to that of the native varieties, while the harvesting
process was easier, and the return of sucrose higher in the
case of the seedlings.

The superior sugar content of the seedlings, it is stated,
is becoming more generally recognized in Louisiana, and on
this account some factory owners are willing to pay for them
a price 5 per cent. higher than that offered for native canes.
It appears, however, that D.74 and 1.95 grow more slowly,
and mature later than the standard varieties of cane usually
grown in Louisiana, but in view of the satisfactory ultimate
yields given by the former, this is a small disadvantage.

Conditions and Cost of Sugar Production
in Mexico.

The cultivation of the sugar-cane is on the increase
in Mexico, and a good deal of foreign capital, largely
from the United States, is invested in the industry.
The output of cane sugar in the republic, for the year
1907, was 115,000 tons. Particulars relating to the
Mexican sugar industry have been published in past
numbers of the Agricultural News (Vol. VI, p- 259,
and Vol. VII, p. 99). The following additional details

as to price of land suitable for cane cultivation, cost of

preparation, production of sugar, etc., are taken from
the latest published report of the U.S. Consul at
Mexico City, who states that they are furnished in
response to numerous enquiries for information on the
subject :—

Lands in a virgin state, suitable for the growing of
sugar-cane, and situated in the tropical portions of the coun-
try—that is, in the States of Ae racruz, Chiapas, and Tobasco
range in price from $1 to $3 per acre.. In the Tampico
section of the State of Tamaulipas, one finds such lands
higher in price, the influx of Americans having had the effect
of increasing the value of the property.

Regarding the cost of clearing, cleaning, and planting
lands suitable for cane cultivation, from $27°38 to $32°37
per acre is a fair estimate. This includes the clearing and
burning of timber and planting of cane, also the cultivation
of the cane for the first crop. This cost refers to lands which
may be located in the States of Veracruz, C hiapas, Tobasco,
and Campeche--that is, the hot lands, where vegetation
is exceptionally rank. After the first crop is obtained the
expense is, of course, reduced accordingly.

If modern machinery is employed, and the plant worked
under the supervision of an experienced and competent man-

ager, with cane yielding a density of 9° to 102° Beaumé,
from 200 tb. to 210 tb. of white sugar are obtained from

1 ton of cane.

The cost of producing white sugar in Mexico after the
land has been prepared, Le., planting cane, cultivation,
cutting, conveying to mill, crushing, and boiling juice,
paying all salaries, taxes, interest on capital, ete.,—in fact,
including every expense on the plantation—is from $30°88 to
$44°82 per ton of SE according to the wages for labour,
These range from 25c. to 38c. per day ; in some instances,
perhaps a little less.

Under present conditions it is said that cane can be
delivered at the mill for about $2 per ton ; produced under
general administration or by contract, about $3 per ton.

The Pessou Cane Harvester.

At a meeting, held in May last, of the Louisiana
Sugar Planters’ Association, the merits of a new cane-
cutting machine, known as the Pessou cane harvester,
came up for discussion.

During the last reaping season, it is stated, this harvester
underwent, several practical estate trials, with satisfactory

results. The cane reaped by the mac thine in the chief of
these trials was the Demerara seedling D. 74, of which

4 acres were cut, and laid out in rows, in four and a half hours.
Four mules were used to draw the machine, and three men
were employed in the work. This represents a reaping power
of from 120 to 200 tons of cane per day of ten hours,

The machine is built entirely of iron and steel. It is
mounted on four wheels, two of which run on either side of
the row of canes to be cut. The revolving knives may be
raised or lowered to any level required, and one of the chief
advantages urged in favour of the harvester is that by its
means the canes may be cut much lower than by hand

labour. This, of course, results in a superior return being
obtained. It is claimed that the experiments so far carried

out have demonstrated that the weight of cane cut per acre

by the machine is 2 tons greater than that reaped by hand

labour, while the yield of sucrose obtained represents a gain ~
of 453 Ib. per acre, as compared with the return given

under ordinary cane-cutting methods. This is equivalent

to an additional 5 per cent. in the average crop yield. Figures

relating to estate work done last season by the harvester

are given in support of the above claim.

It was remarked, in relation to the experiments carried
out, that the use of the machine had no bad etfect on the
stools of cane, and the resulting ratoons show no signs
of damage whatever. Alternate rows were cut by the
machine and hand labour respectively, and there is little
ditference to be observed in the condition of the ratoon erop
following, and now under cultivation.

One of the speakers who had had experience with the
Pessou harvester expressed his conviction that the machine
was of practical design and construction, and that in the
hands of an intelligent man, it could be worked with great
benefit and saving to planters.

Probably the harvester will require certain modifications
before it is thoroughly adapted to practical estate use, but if
developed, and put on the market at a reasonable price,
such a machine would, of course, result in an enormous sav-
ing of labour on large estates. This should especially
recommend it to the consideration. of planters in British
Guiana.

THE AGRICULTURAL’ NEWS

Jury 11, 1908.’

WEST “INDIAN “FRUITS:

GRAPE-FRUIT CULTIVATION.
The cultivation of the grape-fruit, with fuller
details as to the most valnable varieties, forms the
subject of an article in the May number cf the Cuba

Review. The question is naturally discussed from the
point of view ot the Cuban grower, but some of the
points mentioned are worthy of note by growers in the
British West Indies.

Owing to the prolificacy and Jong life of ‘the trees, as
well as the excellent keeping qualities of the fruit, growers
should get a better return from grape-fruit than from oranges,
and tree for tree a grape-fruit plantation should yield more
boxes of frnit than an orange plantation.

Grapefruit trees are more vigorous growers than orange
trees, and they require an abundant supply of plant food in
order to give the best returns. Artificial
profitably be applied on a larger scale than in the case ot
other citrus fruits. It is recommended that grape-fruit trees
be planted about 50 feet apart, or forty-eight trees per ‘ere.
Sour orange and rough Jemon stocks are to be ‘preferred for

fertilizers’ can

grafting purposes, the former for moist, well-drained lands,
and the latter for drier localities. Plantings should not. be
confined variety. ‘Two kinds at least should “he
planted, and if the time offruiting of one kind is a. little
later than the other, the period during which a return may
be obtained is extended.

While the erop be marketed early, the
grape-frnit will hang on the tree for months, if needful, and
the quality of the fruit
with time. Since ti
the American marke
Cuban growers ar late-maturing varieties,
which will be available in February, March, and April, when
they will have the moaopoly of the market.

The number of vi
Dunean and Mars!
\ loy

toa single

orange must
.in the case of most varieties, proves

nils of the Florida crop is placed on
in November, December, and January,

advised'to grow

teties recommended is not great,
The Dunean

ous grower, very prolific, and

Seedling being the chief.

tree 1s spreading VIS

arecular bearer li bears large-sized fruit, which matures
late, and has an exéellent favour. Marsh Seedling resembles
the Dunean in its habit Of growth. It also is a good
bearer, the it heing excellent quality and ripening
late

Other varieties mentioned are Triumph, Walters, and
Hall’s Silver Cluster. ‘The first-named is a vigorous, upright
grower and proiuces very heavy crops which mature early.
The fruit, however, is Hable’ to deteriorate if left on the tree
too long. Owing to the large number of fruits produced,

too, the crop shonld be thinned, so as to allow the remaining
portion to develop to full size.

Growers are atlvised to cultivate only the larger-truited
varieties since the fruit finds a more ready and remunerative
market, and also entails less expense in picking, packing and
marketing. Only the thin-skinned, smooth, bright, juiey
fruit should be exported.

<

LIME CULTIVATION IN BRITISH
GUIANA.

Efforts have for some time been 1n pregress, to ex-
tend the cultivation of limes in British’ Guiana, and
the possibilities of the industry are beginning to be
generally recognized in the colony. It is stated,
ever,in the Demerara Argosy, that more planting
would be done iffseedlings could be provided by the
Department of Science and Agriculture ata somey
lower price than that which is at present charged, viz.
5150 per LOO.

It is pointed out that in Dominica lime plants are
obtainable at 1s. per 100, and at this price the seedlings are
withinsthe reach of practically everyone. No doubt when
sufficient time has elapsed for a more plentiful supply of
seedlings to become available in British Guiana the price
will be proportionately reduced, and, as was the case in
Dominica, the Govermment-will probably find it worth while
to supply plants at.a cheap rate in order to encourage plant-
ing. Planters, toop may find it worth while to start small
nurseries of their on, and raise seedlings.

The chief planting in British Guiana has been done by
the Demerara DeyeJopment Company, which has a plantation
of about2,000 seedling limes at Agatash, near Bartica. The
company, too, is prepared to purchase limes from other

] =
how-

growers at 60c. per barrel. It has, at present, a temporary
factory at Anrora,fbut the ultimate intention is to erect
a permanent factor¥ in the vicinity of La Penitence; with

n $nitable cistricts elsewhere.
held at various
people in lime cultivation
One of these ti \nna Regina, and an address on
the methods of lime enlture, and the prospects of the industry,
was delivered by Mr. Robert Ward, Agricultural Assistant ,
Agriculture. Those
attending the meeting passed a resolution at the close in
which they expressed their intention to start the planting of
limes.

branch factorie

Meetings bavetof late been centres of

British Guiana interest th

c ph wee al

under the Departiitent ef Science and

Von. Vil; Noi 162:

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 213

GRAFTED CACAO AT DOMINICA.

Cacao growers will be interested in the illustration
(Fig. 4) which appears on this page, and which has been
reproduced from a photograph of » grafted cacao tree
growing at the Dominica Botanic Station.

The photograph was taken on March 25, 1908, when the
tree was two years six and a half months old, having been
planted on September 11, 1905. In a letter accompanying the
photographs sent, Mr. Jones, the Curator of the Gardens, states
that this cacao tree is 9 feet high, and measures 9 feet
through the spread of the branches at 3 feet from the ground.

Fic. 4. Grarrep Cacao Tres av Dominica, 2) Years Ox.

At the time the photograph was taken, the tree was bearing
a crop of sixty pods, thirty of which are shown in the picture.
Other grafted plants growing in the vicinity, and of about
the same age, are bearing crops of from thirty to forty pods
each. The cacao tree represented is of the Alligator variety
(Theobroma pentagona) grafted on a Forastero stock.
otis = - oT
Graftings have also been made of Forastero cacao on Cala-

bacillo stocks. Mr. Jones states that these young trees try
to produce fruit before they are two years old, but at the
Station it is the practice to cut off the young pods, since it is
not advisable to allow them to fruit so early.

A picture of the above tree, at eighteen months old,
appeared in the Report, for 1906-7, of the Dominica Botanic
Station, so that persons possessing a copy of this report may,
on comparison, gather some idea of the growth made by the
tree since the earlier photograph was taken.

CURING OF LEMONS.

The curing of lemons formed the subject of an
interesting article that appeared in
a late number of the Agricultural
Journal of the Cape of Good Hope.
That this process greatly improves
the condition of the fruit.is evident
from a comparison of a cured with
an uncured Jemon. The one has
a nice fine skin, and is full of juice,
while the other is hard and thick-
skinned, and the juice is extracted
only with difficulty.

The object in lemon is to
reduce the thickness and the
toughness of the peel, and at the same
time to increase the relative proportion of
juice in the fruit. A result of the
keeping properties of

curing
increase

sa

process, too, the
the lemons are
times when prices are unsatisfactory, the
fruit may be kept over until the market
conditions show improvement.

Lemons that are to be cured
be picked just as they are beginning to
turn ripe, and when about 23 inches in
diameter. If allowed to hang until quite
ripe they do not keep so well. Lemon
growers in California regularly cure their
produce before placing it on the market.
After the fruit has been gathered, washed,
and graded according to colour, it is
allowed to stand for a few days, and
then packed in paper-lined boxes. These
cases are then stacked in blocks
of four so as to allow a circulation of
air around each case, A_ tightly-fitting
tent-like covering of canvas is placed over
the stacks, and this may be raised when
necessary, to regulate the temperature, or
to allow the escape of moisture. The
lemons may be left under the covering
until they are thin-skinned and_ pliable,
but it is advisable to place them on the
market before the skin shows any signs
of hardening. In California the covering
tent is usually so arranged as to have
suticient room in one. corner for a kerosene stove with two
or three large burners. By means of this stove and the use
of a galvanized iron tank about 3 feet in length and 2 feet
wide, partially filled with water, and placed above the
burners, it is possible to raise the temperature of the tent to
90° F., and to keep it at this point for one or two weeks, or
until the fruit is brought to that pale straw colour which is
so much appreciated on the market and therefore so desir-
It is then graded, packed, and marketed.

much increased, and, at

should

be mxes Or

able.

214

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Jury 1151908:

is
ah

be yy
“ a di by vANY

‘

PD

WEST INDIAN COTTON ON THE LIVER-
POOL MARKET.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, on June 22 last, in reference to the
sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Since our last report holidays have rather interfered
with the market.

About 170 bales West Indian Sea Islands have been sold
at fairly steady prices. The sales include about 50 bales
St. Croix, 20 Anguilla, and 30 St. Kitt’s, at 143d. to 15bd.,
the remaining 70 bales being stains at 63d. to Old. .

Spinners are only likely to buy from hand to mouth
until more is known about the American Sea Island growing
crop.

SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET.

In their report, dated June 13 last, Messrs.
Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, give the follow-
ing particulars in reference to the condition of the Sea
Island cotton market :—

There were no sales during the past week, and the
condition of the market remains unchanged.

The unsold stock consists of 100 bales odd bags, of
‘fine’? to ‘fully fine’ quality, held at 30c., 100 bales Beau-
forts [cotton produced in the neighbourhood. of. Beaufort in
North Carolina] of ‘fully fine’ quality, held at 30c., and the
balance planters’ crop lots, held at 32¢., and upwards.

On June 20, Messrs. Frost write :

The sales this week consisted of 10 bales of ‘ extra fine ’
quality, on account of a Northern mill ; otherwise the market
remains quiet and unchanged.

The unsold stock remains the same as last week,

In regard to the coming crop, the weather has been
favourable, and from all reports it appears that the crop
is making good progress, and that the outlook just now
is promising. It must not be overlooked, however, that the
acreage in Georgia has been reduced very much.

EXPERIMENTS WITH COTTON IN
Si Kiri s:

Mr. F. R. Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent
of St. Kitt’s-Nevis, has forwarded the following notes
on various experiments carried out with Sea Island
cotton in St. Kitt’s during the season 1907-8 :—

In continuation of the work done in the previous three
years, manurial and other experiments with cotton have been
carried out at La Guerite during 1907-8,

The manurial experiments have been conducted on the
same plots, and on similar lines, as in the three previous years,
according to the scheme published in the Agricu/tural News,
Vol. Il, p. 237. Asin previous years these trials go to
prove that under the conditions existing at La Guerite, the
action of artificial or other manures has not been remunerative,
as the returns from the no-manure plot have been equal
to those from the manured plots, The successful growing
of cotton seems» more dependent upon-good - cultivation and
proper tilth than upon the application of manure.

The manurial experiments were carried out in triplicate,
the cotton in the first set of experiments being planted im
June ; in the second series, it was planted in August, and in
the third series, in September. The influence of the time
of planting upon the yield of seed-cotton obtained, is shown in
the following table. For purposes of comparison the returns
for the two previous years are also included :-

Seed-cot- | Seed-cot-| Seed-cot- |

Date of ton per ton per | ton per
nl + ate oO |
Experiments. Planting acre. acre. acre.
anting,
iP | tb. tb. tb.

1905-6. 1906-7. | 1907-8.

Series 1. Jie. 1,247 1,444 1,245 |
Series 2. | August. lele3 33 1,205 1377 |
Series 3. | September. | 152 350 475 }

The conditions of soil cultivation, manuring, ete., were
the same in each series, but the later-sown cotton has proved
a failure in every case, and it is evident that the best return
may be expected from cotton planted in June.

Experiments in planting cotton at
were also continued on

different distances
L-acre of land on which cotton has
been planted for four seasons without any kind of manure or
green dressing. The seed was planted at distances of 4 x 2
feet, 4x3 feet. and 4x4 feet respectively. The plot in
which the plants were 4x 2 feet apart yielded at the rate of
1,434 tb. of seed-cotton per acre; in the 4x3 feet plot, the
yield of seed-cotton was at the rate of 1,380 tb., and the
third plot (4.x 4 feet) gave a return equal to 1,248 Ib. of
seed-cotton per acre.

Experiments to compare the effect of planting on the
cane bank with planting on the * centres,’ two plants at each
‘centre,’ showed that. the returns were the same in each
case, viz., at the rate of 1,000 Ib, of seed-cotton per acre.

The total area under experiment at La Guerite was 63
acres, and from this was shipped 1,883 Ib. of lint. The first
half of this has been sold at 1s. 6d. per Ib., while the remain-
ing portion is yet unsol

ViorniLion Nox 162% THE

AGRICULTURAL

1

NEWS. 21

PEASANT HOLDINGS IN JAMAICA.

In their report on the Prize Holdings Competition
tor the present year among peasant “cultivators in
St. Mary’s parish, Jamaica, the adjudicators state that
they were much pleased with the efforts put forward
to win the prizes by the majority of cultivators, and
that really wonderful improvements had been effected
on some holdings since the competition was started.

The report also mentions that the cffects of the past
drought are still very evident throughout St. Mary’s parish,
and crops are recovering bnt slowly. Cacao promises a good
crop for the coming season, more especially from the younger
trees.

The following paragraphs come at the end of the
report :—

We observed great improvement since the last competiv
tion in the homes of peasantry, in forking, trenching and prun-
ing cacao, and especially in timing the fruit for the spring
market. There is, however, plenty of leeway to make up in
cacao cultivation, and more especially in curing the produce.

A point that is noticeable throughout the parish is the
great waste of vegetable matter which might be utihzed in
feeding live stock. People with 10 acres of land buy milk
because ‘ they have nowhere to feed a cow.’ A similar state
of things exists in regard to pigs. We have no hesitation in
saying that, where there is one cow kept im St. Mary to-day,
there ‘might be fifty, and where there is one pig kept there
might be a hundred.

PEASANT PROPRIETORS IN GRENADA.

A Commission was appointed in March 1907, by his
Excellency the Governor of the Windward Islands, to in-
vestigate ‘certain matters reli ating to the peasant pro-
prietors of Grenada. more espec ially the arrangements
and conditions made by them with the dealers for the
sale of their cacao.

From the report of the Commission, lately published in
the Grenada Official Gazette, it would scarcely appear that the
peasantry of the island are ina flonrishing condition, although
this, to a great extent, seems to be due to bad management of
the holdings’on the part of the proprietors. It is reported
that there has been a yearly diminution in the output of
produce from the holdings, and the Commissioners give it as
théir opinion that if the soil had been moderately well tilled
and nourished, there would not have been such a
in the produce returns. 5

Tt was clearly established, too, that the peasant proprie-
tors of the island do not cultivate the amount of ground
provisions that was produced by their forefathers, and for
this want of exertion on their part in their own interest, the
Commission felt that the small holders were
blameworthy. j

This indicates that these peasant holders scarcely realize
their responsibilities as landed proprietors, and that, without
supervision, the condition of the land deteriorates under their
management. The report mentions, too, that there is a strong
tendency among the peasants, so soon as they acquire land, of
however small an area, to depend solely for the support of
themselves and their family, on the produce thereof.

The following are among the recommendations made by
the Commission, with the object of bringing about some im-
provement in the condition of the peasant proprietary class :—

That more experimental plots be established, particularly
in the districts of Concord, Grand Roy, and Mon Plaisir,

somewhat

falling- ft

and that the ‘Prize Holdings’ competitions be maintained,
especially in these districts, for some years.

That depéts be established in suitable districts,
all cacao could be sold by public auction.

That some public notification of the local market rate
of cacao be regularly exhibited in conspicuous places in the
various districts.

That a Governinent Land Bank be established for the
assistance of, the peasants in the cultivation and improvement
of their holdings.

where

BAY OIL.

The production of bay oil is on the decline in
Dominica, and Messrs. Schimmel & Co., in their semi-
annual report, dated April 1908, attribute this to the
more remunerative nature of lime oil production. The
following is taken from Messrs. Schimmel’s report:—

The purchase of bay oil, which is carried out on our
behalf by our New York branch, in Dominica, West Indies,
is becoming more and more difficult, and for the last consign-
ments of bay leaves, an advance of about 20 per cent. in the
prices had to be agreed upon... The cause of this is probably

owing, in chief, to the fact that recently more attention has
been paid in Dominica to the production of lime, oil, which

is said to give much better results.

The steps taken by us to discover other districts in
which bay oil is produced have been only partially successful,
so that for the present the scarcity of the material is likely
to continue. This scarcity has, during the past few months,
resulted in an advance of the price.

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL NEEDED FOR
BRITISH HONDURAS.

The Belize Colonial Guardian draws attention
to the large number of juvenile offenders committed to
prison in British Honduras during 1907, chiefly for theft,
and comments on the need of an Industrial School in
the colony, where such youths could be kept under
supervision for two or three years, and at the same
time receive training in the cultivation of various agri-
cutural crops.

In a colony whose future prospects depend lmaet entire-
ly upon the production of agricultural produce, an Industrial
School should necessarily be a school where agriculture is the
chief subject taught, and such an institution should prove
of the greatest value as a centre for the spread of improved cul-
tural methods, and a starting ground for the cultivation of
the new crops. |

At present the great need of British Honduras appears
to be the introduction of new and permanent cultivations such
as cacao, nutmegs, rubber, etc., and the extension of the area
under cocoa-nuts, sugar, vanilla, and other crops. Such devel-
opment necessarily means the investment of capital and is
unlikely to be brought about ‘by peasant cultivators working
alone.

An Experiment Farm worked in connexion with the sug-
gested Industrial School, might go far to demonstrate that
such crops as the above could be profitably raised in British
Honduras; and if so, it would serve a useful purpose in attract-

ing immigrants to the colony.; The establishment of an
Industrial School, and its maintenance during the early period

but at thd
selfs

of its existence, would necessarily, be expensive,
end cof a few years, it should become, to a large extent,
supporting.

216

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Juny. 11; 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well: as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the

Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for. Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 38 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

y JULY 11, 1908. No. 162.

Vor. VII. SATURDAY,

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

Particulars are given in the editorial of the
proposed scheme of reading courses and examinations
on agricultural work which the Imperial Department
of Agriculture hopes to institute for the benefit of
overseers and sub-managers on West Indian estates.

Interesting notes on the conditions and cost of
sugar production in Mexico, and on a new machine for
reaping canes which was tried in Louisiana last season,
appear on page 211.

Grape-fruit cultivation is extending in Cuba. The
varieties most recommended are Dunean and Marsh

Seedling (page 212).

Cacao growers will be interested in the brief
article, with illustration, to be found on page 213,
dealing with the remarkable yield of a young
grafted cacao tree at Dominica,

Cotton Notes (page 214) include particulars of

various experiments with Sea Island cotton conducted
at St. Kitt’s during the past season, as well as reports
on market prices.

A report lately issued by the Mycologist to the
Government of India indicates the existence of a root
disease of cocoa-nut palms in ‘Travancore, similar to
that which is causing so much loss in Trinidad _planta-
tions (page 219). On page 221 will be found the first
part of an article dealing with the diseases of cacao.

Sorghum Poisoning.

With reference to the remarks on the poisoning
properties of sorghum at certain stages of its growth,
which were quoted trom a foreign,journal in the Agri-
cultural News of May 30 last (Vol. VII, p. 169), it
may be mentioned that prussic acid does not occur in
the free state in the growing plant, but is yielded by
a glucoside present, when the latter compound is acted
upon by an enzyme or ferment also occurring in certain
parts of the plant. The amount of glucoside present, and
therefore the possible amount of prussic acid that may
be formed, diminishes as the plant approaches maturity.

Earlier experiments appeared to indicate that on
drying the sorghum in the sun, the plant lost its
possibly poisonous properties. Later experiments,
however, carried out at Melbourne, and in the Jabora-
tory of the Government of India, have shown
definitely that this is not the case, and that the
glucoside present 1s unchanged by sun-drying.

Revival of Jamaica Fruit Trade.

The tables attached to the report, for the year
1907, of the British Vice-Consul at Charleston, South
Carolina, show that there has been of late a marked
revival of fruit importations from Jamaica and other
British West Indian Islands. It is stated that during
the year about fifty small cargos of Jamaica fruit were
delivered at Charleston. The value of the bananas
received in this way reached $347,489, of the cocoa-nuts
$11,992, and of the oranges $5,523.

Five or six years ago a considerable fruit business
was carried on between Jamaica and Charleston, but
after the hurricane of August 1908, which destroyed so
many trees in Jamaica, the trade fell away, and the
steamers were withdrawn. Its re-establishment, there-
fore, should be a matter of gratification to the fruit
growers of Jamaica.

Curing and Packing of Oranges.

Investigations carried out by officers of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture as to the most suitable
methods of transport of oranges from California to the
Kastern States of America have been in progress for
a considerable time, and the recently issued Bulletin
720 of the Bureau of Plant Industry gives a full account
of «ll the work done.

It is mentioned that in California, as in many
other orange-exporting countries, it was the common
practice to allow the oranges to stand for a time before
packing, with the object of curing or wilting the skin.
It was believed that if the fruit were packed in a fresh
condition, wilting would occur in the box, and the
contents would arrive at the journey’s end in a loose,
and possibly damaged condition. Comparative tests
made to ascertain the ettect of the preliminary curing
showed, however, that except in the early part of the
season, the fruit can be packed quite as successfully
when the curing is omitted. The skin of the immature
fruit is hard, and’ wilting undoubtedly facilitates the
packing process. Later in the season when the fruit
Is ripe, curing had little influence, since at that stage
the skin is naturally pliable,

Vot.; VII. No. 162.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

217

Ploughing Match at Barbados.

A ploughing match and show of stock and sugar
was held at Poole Plantation, St. John; Barbados, on
June 24 last. Prizes were offered for ridge ploughing,
flat ploughing, and for open and close subsoil plough-
ing, and there were also competitions among labourers
for prizes for cane-hole digging and forking. A number
of teams competed in the ridge and subsoil ploughing,
and some good work was done. There was only one
entry for flat ploughing, however, and no competition
took place. In the cane-hole digging and forking
classes there was a fair number of competitors, more
especially in the latter, and the work was done
quickly and efficiently. Both the cane-hole diggers and
the furkers were allowed two hours to complete not less
than sixty cane-holes, these holes to be 2 feet square
and 6 inches deep.

There was a good show of estate animals present,
the cattle and the mules being in excellent condition.
An object of considerable interest to the visitors was
a water buffalo from Society estate. Prizes were
awarded also for unworked cattle, bulls, cows, horses,
sheep, goats, and swine. The samples of sugar sent in
were small in number, and there was no competition
for syrup.

The majority of the planters in the neighbour-
hood attended the show, and a number also came from
a distance. Lord Basil Blackwood, the Acting Governor
of Barbados, was present, and in the afternoon distri-

buted the prizes to the successful competitors.
a ‘

Formic Acid and Rubber Latex Coagulation.

Acetic acid, either alone, or in combination with
alcoholic cresote, is extensively employed in the East,
as a coagulant of rubber latex, but the superior quali-
ties of formic acid as a coagulating agent of Para
rubber latex are urged by a writer ina late number
of the India-rubber Journal. Formic acid is much
stronger than acetic, and particulars are given of
experiments which show that it is correspondingly
more active in its coagulating action upon the latex.
As a result the amount of formic acid that is needed
to coagulate a given amount of rubber latex is less
than half the amount of acetic acid that would be
required. ‘The use of the former is therefore evidently
more economical.

Formic acid possesses antiseptic properties, and it
is claimed that its use for coagulating purposes exercises
a preservative influence upon the raw moist rubber
prepared by its means. It would appear, indeed,
that in this connexion, formic acid combines the
properties of acetic acid and creosote, and could there-
fore be employed with especial advantage in the
preparation of moist block rubber.

In the experiments referred to, it was found that
for general purposes the use of larger volumes of the
more dilute formic acid gave better results than were
obtained when-small quantities ‘of the acid of greater
strength were employed. The most rapid and complete
coagulation, resulting in a product of standard quality,
was obtained when to each 500.c.c. of latex were added
20 to 25 cc. of a 5 per cent. solution..of formic acid.

Guayule Rubber.

The Guayule shrub (Parthenium argentatum) is
a rubber-yielding: plant that is found widely spread in
the drier part of Northern Mexico. A note on the
properties of this plant was given in the Agricultural
News, Vol. V, p. 413, while a lengthy article discussing
its possible economic value appeared in the Kew Bulle-
tin, 1907, No.7. ‘The Guayule plant is one of very slow
growth, and contains little rubber until eight years old,
whereas ten years may be considered as the time
required for a plantation to become fit for profitable
working.

Some time ago it was suggested that this rubber
might possibly be of commercial value in some parts
of Antigua, and through the courtesy of his Excellency
the British Minister at Mexico City, the Imperial
Commissioner of Agriculture has been enabled to
obtain a supply of seeds of the plant. These seeds
have been distributed to several of the Botanic Stations,
so thatit will be possible later to obtain some idea of
its value for planting in the West Indies.

ee

West Indian Bulletin.

A previous number of the West Indian Bulletii
(Vol. VIII, No 4) contained an abstract of the proceed-
ings of the Agricultural Conference held at Barbados
in January last. In a number just issued (Vol. IX,
No. 1), five of the principal papers read at the Con-
ference are published in full, together with summaries
of the discussions upon each. ‘These all relate to the
sugar industry.

The first paper—‘ Varieties of Sugar-cane and
Manurial Experiments in British Guiana, is by Professor
Harrison, C.M.G., and gives an account of the progress
of the experimental work with sugar-cane that has
been carried on in British Guiana for several years
past. Tables are included which show the extension
that has taken place of late years in the area under
cultivation with new varieties of sugar-cane. For the
present season the area devoted to these new varieties
reaches 32,061 acres. The results of Professor Harrison’s
investigations on the composition of soil waters from
land under sugar-cane cultivation in British Guiana, and
the conclusions arrived at, are of considerable interest.

The most striking and interesting points in the
seedling cane and manurial experiments carried on at
Barbados during the season 1906-7, are dealt with in
a paper by Professor d’Albuquerque. Fuller details of
this work are given in Pamphlet 49 of the series issued
by the Imperial Department of Agriculture.

Ina third paper, by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G.,
the latest results obtained in the sugar-cane experi-
ments in the Leeward Islands are presented.

This number of the Bulletin also contains two
further papers by Dr. Watts: ‘The Central Sugar
Factory at ‘Antigua, a summary of the contents of
which appeared in the Agricultural News of March
21 last (Vol. VII, p. 81), and Observations,on the
Work of Sugar-cane Mills, which was summarized in
the editorial of the last issue of the Agricultural

News (Vol. VII, p. 193).

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Juty 11, 1908.

INSECT NOTES.

Strength of Hardbacks.

In anarticle on Hardbacks (see Agricultural News,
Vol. IV, p. 42), a series of experiments was described
in which trials were made of the strength of individuals
of this species (Ligyrius tumulosus). As a result ot
these trials, it was found that a hardback, harnessed
with a piece of thread toa card, was able to draw
a load weighing 15°43 times its own weight.

In a second test, a hardback placed under an inverted
glass dish was able to push a load 141 times its own weight.

In a third trial, a hardback was able to move a load equal
to 400 times its own weight. In this trial the insect was
placed under a small metal box which was so shallow
that it rested directly on the beetle, and the load was partly
carried and partly dragged.

In a trial more recently made, it was found that
the figures already published gave no adequate idea of the
real strength of this small insect. A beetle weighing 0°352
grammes was placed under a glass paper weight which had
a hollow on the under side. The thickness of the beetle’s
body was greater than the depth of the hollow in the glass,
so that when one end of. the paper weight rested heavily
on the insect the other end rested on the table. As the
insect showed its abillty to move the paper-weight, additional
weights were added until a load of 518°6 grammes was moved.
This load was actually moved forward, not twisted about, so
that the whole bulk must be considered to have been moved.

The proportion of weight of insect (0°352 grammes), to
the weight of load, 518°6 grammes, is found to be 1 to about
1,475. In other words, the hardback moved a load 1,473
times its own weight. This is a record of remarkable strength.
This great ‘strength has | probably been developed in these
insects to meet the requirements of their habits of life. The
hardback grub lives in the soil and after pupation in the earth
the adult finds it necessary to force its way to the surface,
and to accomplish this requires the exertion of a great amount
of strength.

Revision of Names of Scale Insects.

Aun article on the popular names of insects
appeared in the Agricultural News for April 8, 1905
(see Vol. IV, p. 106), in which it was pointed out that
the common names vary in different localities, but the
scientific or technical names were constant in all coun-
tries. It happens, however, from time to time that
changes are necessary in the technical names of insects,
but these changes should always be based on careful
stndy and should be in accordance with certain fixed
rules.

A short time ago a! Catalogue of the Coccidae of the

World was published by Mrs, Fernald of Amherst, Mass.,’ in
which many changes wert» made in the technical names of
this extremely important “roup of insects. These changes in

IF

nomenclature have come about in support of the law of
priority, which is that the first-published technical name
given to any insect shall stand as the name of the species,
provided the publication of the name is accompanied by
a description sufticiently complete, so that other entomolo-
gists can identify insects of the species by means of the
description,

It will readily be seen from this that revisions in the
nomenclature of any groups of insects will be necessary from
time to time in the natural order of events. . The earliest
published accounts of any species may be overlooked until
some specialist makes a complete study of the literature of
the group on which he may be working, and establishes the
first published -recognizable description. Again, it may
happen that workers in different parts of the world may
describe the same insect at nearly the same time, and that in
this way more than one name may come to be known for the
same species. In both these ways confusion is brought about,
and it becomes necessary to have a day of reckoning and to do
away with duplication of names.

It happens also that certain workers are given to break-
ing up groups of insects, and others to combining groups,
and this also brings about other changes in names. In cases
like these, however, it sometimes happens that alteration
is made when sit is not necessary, so that it is well to
be cautious in adopting such changes. The names used in
the Catalogue already mentioned have been very generally
adopted, and as* they are those that appear in nearly all
entomological and agricultural papers to designate these
insects, it is suggested that they be adopted for-use in the
West Indies, and a list is given herewith of a few of the best
known of the scale insects in these islands, with the names
under which they were formerly Known, the revised names,
and the common names.

Under this revised scheme the mussel scale
(Maytilaspis citvicola) is now known as Lepidosaphes heckvi,

orange

the cotton shicld seale (Lecantuwm nigrum) as Saissetia nigra,
the mango shield scale (Lecantum mang7terae) as Coceus
mangiferae, the common mealy bug (Daectylopius ecitri) as
Pseudococeus citri, the cotton white scale (Chionaspis minor)
as Hemichionaspis minor, and the black line scale (Jschnaspes

filitormis) as [schnaspis longirostris,

In future publications of the Insperial Department ot
Agriculture when any reference is made to insects whose
technical names have lately been altered, the old name, printed
in Roman type, will accompany the new, until the new has
become so well. known that it is no longer considered
necessary. Thusthe orange mussel scale (Lepidosaphes beekit
| Mytilaspis citricola]) indicates that Lepidosaphes heckit has
replaced Mytilaspis citricola,

Other examples are the common mealy bug (Pseudococeus
| Dactylopius] e7t77) indicating that Pseudococeus has replaced
Dactylopius, and the black line scale (/sehnaspis longirostris
| filiformis]) indicating that /onyirostris has replaced fi/7/formis.

2

An Order-in-Council recently made in Grenada, enacts
that no animal arriving at the island from St, Vincent shall
be allowed to land: unless it is accompanied by a certificate
from the Government Veterinary Surgeon of St. Vincent,
testifying that theranimal has been kept in quarantine for at
least fourteen days immediately before shipment, and that
it has undergoneyetticient vaccination during the previous
twelve months. Further, the fodder provided for the animal
on board must not have come from an area infected with
anthrax,

Wor. = aVilin eNios 162)

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. JEG

DISEASES OF COCOA-NUTS IN TRAVANCORE.

Considerable interest has, of late, been taken in
the diseases of cocoa-nut palms. The Mycologist'
(Mr. F. A. Stockdale B.A., F.L.S) on the staff of this
Department has carefully studied the fungus diseases
prevalent in Trinidad and British Guiana.

His report on a visit to Trinidad was given in
abstract in the Ayricultural News, Vol. VI, p. 75,
and attention was called to (1) root disease, (2) leaf
disease, and (3) bud rot. The root disease was found
to be the most serious and was causing considerable
loss in some districts.

The following extracts taken from a report by
Dr. E. J. Butler, Imperial Mycologist for the Govern-
ment of India, in which he describes a root disease of
cocoa-nut palms in Travancore caused by afungus similar
to that found by Mr. Stockdale to be associated with
the root disease in Trinidad, are full of interest :—

Asa general rule the first indication that a cocoa-nut
palm is attacked is the opening out of the outer leaves from
the head. The leaf stalk becomes slightly flaccid and the
weight of the leaf causes the whole to droop. Then the ends
of the pinnae or leaflets at the extremity of the leaf become
flaccid and hang down almost vertically. This is accompanied
by a loss of colour; the drooping and discoloration of the
leaflets then extend gradually backwards to the whole leaf.
Later on, the tips of the leaflets turn yellow and dry up,
followed gradually by the entire leaf, which eventually hangs
down withered from the crown. One after another, or many
together, all the leaves are similarly affected. Intermediate
conditions are common; young trees often have a large
proportion of leaves healthy with only a few yellowed, others
have all the leaves equally discoloured and drooping at the
tips of the leaflets, before any dry up.

After the leaves, the most extensive. alterations are
found in the roots of diseased palms,

Each main root of a palm gives off numbers of white
lateral roots, which again give off others. Except in advanced
cases of disease, the main roots of a diseased tree will be
found for the most part unaltered. A large proportion of
the lateral roots are however rotted, and, in some cases, this
rot extends back into the main roots and even into the base
of the stem.

Lateral roots affected by the rot mentioned above are
invaded by a parasitic fungus, which enters from the soil and
develops the minute threads of which its body is e« ymposed in
and between the cells of the cortex. When a root becomes
invaded by this parasite the cortical cells are-killed as soon as
the thread of the fungus reaches them. They quickly turn
brown and collapse. This is especially marked in the large
thin-walled cells of the inner layers. At a later stage the
whole root appears blackened and shrunken as a result of the
death of a large. number of its cells; it can evidently no
longer perform its work of taking in food, and decomposition
rapidly sets in, The threads of the parasite /are of two kinds
The older ones are deep brown and comparatively large.
From them arise finer colourless branches. | All are divided
into segments by transverse walls. In older stages masses
of these brown threads become crowded together and divide
frequently, so that a brown patch of fungus tissue is formed.
In this at a still later stage, spore capsules are developed

under the rind and these burst out to open on the surtace of
the root and discharge spores.

The spores are rather large, egg-shaped bodies, colour-
less and single when young, but divided into two cells and
deep brown when older. It is a species of the genus
Botryodiplodia, of which several parasitic members are known.

Quite recently Mr. F. A. Stockdale, Mycologist to the
Imperial Department of Agriculture, West Indies, has
described a similar and perhaps identical species as the cause
of a cocoanut disease in Trinidad. The symptoms of
this disease are on the whole similar to those described above,
and it appears to be possible that both are really the same.
There is no absolute experimental proof that the Botryodi-
plodia is the cause of the disease either in Travancore or in
Trinidad. It is not even certain that the two are identical,
as the scientific description of the latter has not yet been
published. So far as can be gathered from Mr. Stockdale’s
report, the spores of his fungus were not found actually on the
cocoanut roots, but only on the leaf petioles, though he
attributes the death of the roots to a fungus found in them
and apparently agreeing with that on the petioles. In
Travancore, the Botryodiplodia was only found on roots and
was obtained from diseased roots of areca as well as cocoa-nut |
palms. Spores were not found on roots actually in the soil
but developed on diseased roots after these had been dug up
and kept for some time. Only the early stages of formation
of the spore capsules were found in freshly dug roots, The
brown threads within the roots were found in these cases to
communicate with the spore capsules, both immature and
ripe, and there is no doubt that the threads in diseased roots
belong to the Botryodiplodia. Scientitie proof that this
fungus is the cause of the disease can only be obtained by
inoculating the roots of healthy palms with a culture of the
fungus and thereby producing disease.

The intensity of the disease differs greatly in different
localities. It spreads most rapidly and is most severe in the
low-lying, badly drained lands. The spread has probably oceur-
ed from one or a few centres, which were early attacked,
and every evidence tends to prove that the disease is infec-
tious. The spread of the fungus takes place in the soil.
Cultivation hinders it, owing to the disturbance and conse-
quent aeration of the upper layers of soil, and improved
drainage is to be recommended.

The remedial measures suggested consist of : (1) the
destroying of all diseased material and so preventing
infection of healthy palms, (2) the experimental trial of
ordinary manures, sapplemented by ammonium sulphate, lime,
sulphur, and sulphate of iron, (5) improving the general
health and vigour of the trees by high cultivation, (4) search
for disease-resistant varieties, and (5). the prohibition of living
plants and of roots (said to be used for fuel by metal
workers and also as medicine) from disease infected areas.

Preliminary inoculation experiments conducted
by Mr. Stockdale in the laboratories of the Imperial
Department with the species of Botryodiplodia found at
Trinidad, and subsequently also received from British
Guiana, would indicate that this fungus is parasitic in
habit, and may infect healthy roots of cocoa-nut palms.
It is hoped, at a later date, to duplicate these experi-
ments and then to issue a brief report on the results
obtained,

220

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Juty 11, 1908-

-. Saw
GLEANINGS.
The cultivation of camphor trees now extends over an
area of 900 acres in Ceylon. The area would be still larger
but for the scarcity of seedling camphor trees. (JVessrs.
Schiminel d& Cows Report, April 1908.)
Mr. George Fraser has been appointed Acting Agri-
cultural Instructor at St. Vincent, in place of Mr. Thomas

Osment, who has been transferred to the appointment of
Warden of the Leeward Coast of the island.

It is stated in the Demerara Chronicle that the rice
planters of the Corentyne coast of Berbice number over 1,300,
and it is estimated that the total number of labourers
engaged in rice planting in the colony reaches about 3,600.

The report dealing with the work of the Usine St. Marie,
Martinique, states that during the season 1906-7, this factory
handled 44,565

ton was paid.

tons of cane, for which a price of 85°12 per

The canes gave a return of 8-40 per cent. of

sugar.

The Port-of- Spain Gazette mentions that large areas of
Crown lands have of late been taken up in the Napa-
rima Ward Union district. Since the commencement of the
financial, year (April 1 last) 2,000 acres have been applied
for—an average of over 650 acres per month.

From the beginning of the season up to July 2 last,
21,883 tons of sugar and 42,837 puncheons of molasses have
with 23,752
tons of sugar and 54,520 puncheons of molasses, shipped dur

been exported from Barbados, as compared

ing the corresponding period of 1907.

Reports from British Guiana are to the etfect that more
attention 1s being paid to cocoa-nut cultivation, and there 1s
a steady increase in the exports. Dealers complain, however,
that the nuts are too frequently delivered before they are
fully ripe, and as a result the price obtained is lower than
that commanded by nuts from Trinidad and Jamaica.

Bulletin No. 92 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment
Station deals with the cultivation, manuring and utilization
of sorghum. Certain varieties are shown to have given from
6 to as high as 19 tons of green forage per acre, or if allowed
to mature, they have yielded from 500 to over 2,100 Ib. of
grain per acre.

Mor the year ending June 30, 1907, home-grown farm
produce, having a total value which reached the enormous
figure of $1,055,000,000 was exported from the United
States. This represents an increase of $79,000,000. as com
pared with the figures of the previous year. The value of
the cotton exports was $482,000,000.

Owing to the re-annexation of five estates by the
Government of St. Lucia, a further area of 900 acres has now
been added to the Crown lands of the island. These lands
are on sale in lots of 5 acres or upwards, at £1 an acre,
payable in four pr more instalments.

Sea Island cotton is grown on a small scale in some
districts of Porto Rico. The latest report on the Agricultural
Experiment Station states, however, that the cotton area does
not show signs of increase, and that it is difficult to interest
planters in the cultivation of the crop.

Welcome showers of rain were experienced in St. Vincent
about the middle of June, and cotton planters immediately
started preparing their land tor the coming season’s crop. It
is reported that notwithstanding the present drop in the
price of cotton, the acreage planted will not be less than that
of last year. Growers can obtain selected cotton seed at the
Central Factory at 5e. per tb.

An additional sum of $10,000 (being part of a grant
received from the United States) will next year be spent
on agricultural education and experiment work in Porto
Rico. The greater portion will be spent on the erection
of buildings, the development of the Experiment Station,
and in starting new lines of work. (Porto Rico
May 28, 1908.)

Tim és,

Half the sugar-cane area of India is situated in the
United Provinces, but owing to the deficient rainfall experi-
enced during the past year, the crop return in these Provinces
has been unsatisfactory. Only 916,316 tons were yielded
from an area of 1,481,737 acres, this being a decrease of
27 per cent., compared with last year’s crop. India will
therefore need increased sugar imports this year.

An article in the Cuba Review draws attention to the:
fact that owing to rapid exploitation, the supply of red cedar
(Cedrela odorata) will soon be exhausted in Cuba, unless
steps are taken to plant this tree on a much larger scale than
is being done at The red cedar is a hardy, quick-
vrowing tree, aid will produce good timber on very poor
soil. It is from the wood of this tree that the boxes for
Cuban cigars are made.

present.

The Jow nal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (May
last) mentions that the Society has obtained a small supply
of Bengal beans’ for distribution within the island. This
bean is used for green dressings, and in the experiments
with leguminous crops conducted at Barbados in 1900 it
gave the best return out of thirty kinds of plants tried. The
Bengal bean grows like the Velvet bean, and gives almost
as profuse a vegetation, It is adaptable,
a greater variety of soils,

however, to

Figures are given in the latest report of the Secretary
of the United States Department of Agriculture in’ relation
to the rapid growth of the beet sugar industry of the
republic during the last twenty years. In 1887, the out-
put of beet sugar was about 560 tons; in 1891, the quantity
was 6,000 tons; in 1893, it was 22,344 tons; by 1897 it had
reached 45,246 tons, and. two years later, 81,729 tons. In
1901, the output had advanced to 184,606 tons, in 1903, to
240,604 tons, in 1906, to 483,000 tons, and in 1907, it
reached 500,000 tons.

Vox. VII. No.: 162.

THE AGRICULTURAL

THE PRINCIPAL FUNGUS DISEASES OF CACAO.

Under the above title a leatlet giving in simple
language particolars of the occurrence, symptoms, and
methods of tteatinent ofthe'chief fngus diseases attect-
ing eacao in the West Indies, has just been issued by
the Imperial Department of Agriculture. More detaal-
ed information may be found in the paper read by the
Mycologist “before the last West Indian Agricultural
Conference. and shortly to be published in “the West
Indian Bulletin, Vol. Xe, No: 2.

The first portion of the leaflet is here re printed,
ahd the concluding portion will be Bes in the next
issue of the Agricultural News

CANKER,

Oceurrence.—All cacao-growing cistricts.

Symptous.—The best time to look for canker would
appear to be in the dry season immediately after a shower of
rain. The brownish-coloured bark of the cankered areas
does not dry as quickly as the unatfected portions of the bark,
and the limits of atfected portions may generally easily be
ascertained. If several of these spots are car efully wate a
until quite dry, a keen observer may notice that the bark ¢
cankered areas presents a peculiar dry brownish appearance.
Subsequently these spots split or erack, and'allow a brownish-
red gummy fluid to ooze out. When this gum dries, it gives

a dark rusty appearance to the bark. This is known as the
‘bleeding © stage and the disease is now well established.

Every effort should therefore be made to detect the disease,
if possible, before the bleeding stage makes its appearance.

In Dominica, cacao plants are often noticed that produce
on them a very large number of flowers which never set fruit,
and what is known as the ‘ flowering’ disease is observed.
This in Dominica may be taken to be one of the first symptoms
of canker, for it has been shown that such trees always
eventually develop the disease.

Tf a cut is made into a ‘canker’ spot with a knife, it is
found that the bark is dark claret in colour, and is moist and
soft to the touch. The canker, as indicated by this discolora-
tion, may spread round the stem or branch, or may extend in
all directions. The discoloration extends to the wood of the
tree, and it has frequently been noticed that the darkening
of the wood may extend for some distance nnder what appears
to be healthy bark. ;

When the rains set in, small pustules make their appear-
ance and white, yellow, or red spores may be found. They can
readily be distributed by wind or rain, and when they gain
entrance to a wound they may set wp disease.

Canker may affect a branch or a stem, and frequently
several spots may be noticed on the same jtree. When these
diseased areas become numerous, the leaves become small and
assume a yellowis shhue. Branches frequently die off through
having become ‘ringed,’ and not uneommonly whole trees,
partic ularly when the diseased area’ is ne zy the surface of the

ground, are killed. ‘

Canker is generally to be noticed more frequently among
old trees, for trees are generally
numerous.

Spread, =

wounds on such the more
Canker is caused by several fungi (Vectra,
Calonectria, etc.) that have been .shown to be ‘wound
parasites. The fee vase. makes its entrance into a brane or
stem through a wound. :

Remedies.—The best time for canker work is during the
dry season, but the disease should be constantly looked for
and when the canker spots are detected, the diseased bark

NEWS Pay b

igee eS

and wood should be cut out with a sharp praning knife. The
wound should be thoroughly treated with tar, or with a mix-

ture of resin oil and manjak. After a tree has been treated,
it should be marked by a ring of white-wash or white paint
around one of the branches in’ order that it may be kept

under careful supervision. The diseased portions that have
beev cut out should be collected ant bummed. They should
not be allowed to remain on the round at the foot of the
tree. All dead trees or branches should be cut out, removed
and burned. All-treated trees should be inspected periodically,
and further careful search for canker spots made. It is advis-
able that the knives used for cutting out canker should not be
used for pruning, and they should be disinfected before they are
putaside. As the fungi that are associated with canker are

wound parasites, care must be taken with all wounds. Cuts
made in pruning or while picking the crop should be tarred

A joimtof bamboo may bea convenient form to carry tar
This may be
has

over,
when pruning operations are being carried on.
carried in the left, hand, and after a branch or sucker
been removed, tar can immediately be applied.
Experience has shown that the above remedial measures

have proved successful, for estates, on which carefully con-
ducted measures against canker have been earried on, have

given increased crops and the number of cases of canker ‘has
been very large reduced.

DIE-BACK,

islands ;
St. Vincent.
commences in the

common in
Grenada, and

Occurrence.—This disease is some

it ocenrs in St. Lucia, Dominica;

Syniptoms.—The disease younger

twigs and spreads from ,these to’ the larger branches. The
trees on which the younger twigs have been killed, present

what is known as a ‘stagheaded ’
these dying twigs is. cut lengthways by a knife,

appearance.. If one of
it will be

seen that the end of the twig is black and is quite dead, and
there oceurs a brownish-coloured dying zone before the living

tissues of the branch ave reached. © There is no sharp line of
demarcation between dead and living tissues, as 1s noticed
when twigs are killed by exposure to wind, ete. This inter-
mediate zone of dying tissue makes it possible to readily
detect the die-back disease.

In the rainy season, or even after a good shower, if these
diseased twigs are closely examined, thexe will a noticed
small black pustules breaking through the bark, from which
a black dust—the spores of the fungus—may be obtained.

Spread.- The fungus (Diplodia ecacaoicola) that causes
this disease is a facultative parasite and can live on dead cacao
The spores are spread by means of wind and_ rain.
connexion between attacks of this disease

wood
There is also some
and caeao ‘ thrips.’

Remedics.—Vhix disease does, Inot reac lily attack trees in
a vigorous condition of growth. Every effort should, there-
fore, be given to thorough cultivation, all diseased branches
and twigs should be eut out and burned, and all wounds thus
made should be fe!lowed by an application of coal tar or some
similar substance. Tt has been Gemonstrated in St. Lucia
that this disease can be entirely eradicated from an estate by
high cultivation, manuring, and attention to careful pruning.
Pen mantives and mulchings should be applied, and all weeds
should be earefwly buried.

The husks or shells of all cacao pods should be buried
with lime, for it has been shown that heaps of old pods lying
unburied about a’ plantation serve-as centres of infection for
the spread of the fungus that catises this disease,

to
iS)

i

THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. JuLy 11, 1908.

PRICKLY PEAR AS FOOD FOR STOCK.

The United States Department of Agriculture has
given considerable attention to the matter of utilizing
various species of Opuntia and other cacti as food for
stock. Although in most countries where these plants
grow they are regarded as intruders, and worse than
useless, yet 1t is evident that they may be of much
value to stock owners in times of drought, when little
other succulent stock food is available. Much may be
done by selection, too, to propagate the more spineless
varieties, which can be utilized as stock food, without
the preparation that is needed with the ordinary kinds,
in order to render the spines inocuous. Since prickly
pears occur in such abtindance in the West Indies, the
tollowing note from the report (1907) of the Secretary
of the United States Department of Agriculture may
be of interest :—

As a special investigation the Office of Farm Manage-
ment has made a study of the prickly pear asa farm crop
during the year. Conservative estimates based upon actual
feeding tests and upon yields obtained from cultivated fields
show that 1 acre of cultivated pear will furnish rough fodder
for one cow the year round. An average production of
nearly 23 tons of green food per acre per annum has been
grown upon the experimental grounds near San Antonio, Texas,
during the past three years. The native growth has been
used as stock feed for many years, but its cultivation was
never attempted until three years ago. The response to ecul-
tivation has been remarkable, eight times as much forage
having been produced upon cultivated ground as upon uneul-
tivated ground. When it is considered that the crop econo-
mizes labour, that a plantation is good indefinitely when once
established, that it can be fed in a succulent condition every
day of the year, that it i<relished hy nearly all farm stock,
and that it is extremely resistant to drought, it is clear that
this crop must become an important adjunct to the live-stock
industry of the south-west.

SEA-WEED AS A MANURE.

At the Conferencé of cotton growers which was
held at Barbados in May last, reference was made to the
question of utilizing sea-weed as a manure. ‘This
material is in most countries used for manurial purposes
by agriculturists whose land is near the sea-coast,
although the Jarge content of water (65 to 80 per cent.
in the fresh state) makes transport an expensive item
tor those living any distance inland. Sea-weed is used
on a very large scale. by farmers in many of the
coast States of America: and a bulletin of the United
States Department of Agriculture mentions that in
Rhode Island, the annual value of the manure from
this source has been estimated to be as high as $65,000.

Sea-weeds of different kinds naturally differ in their
content of fertilizing constituents. Some of them contain
a relatively high proportion of nitrogen, and others of potash,
but as a general rnle they are deficient in phosphoric acid.

In a publication issued by the Department of Agri-
culture of the Dominion of Canada, an analysis is given of
sea-weed from the Canadian coast. “This contained 27:93
per cent. of organie matter (including 0°468 nitrogen), 0-108
phosphoric acid, and 2-025 potash. In other words the amount
of fertilizing constituents present was at the rate of 9°36 bb.
of nitrogen, 2°18 lb. of phosphoric acid, and 40°5 Ib. of

potash per ton. This must be considered a valuable manure
on account of the large amount of potash and nitrogen con-
tained, more particularly the former. For general agricultural
purposes, however, and in order to make it a complete
fertilizer it might, with profit, be sapplemented by bone
meal, which would supply phosphoric acid.. As a green
manure, the application of sea-weed would add largely to the
humus in the soil, and undoubtedly improve the tilth or
mechanical condition of the latter, more especially on very
heavy or very light lands. It may be applied at the rate of
20 or 30 tons per acre.

If the sea-weed is spread in thin layers on the shore,
and allowed to dry for a day or two, it may with economy
be carted much longer distances than when in the perfectly
fresh state.

When sea-weed is burnt, the nitrogen is lost, but the
potash and phosphoric acid remain behind in the ash.
Analysis of the ash of the Canadian sea-weed showed that it
contained 1°27 per cent. of phosphoric acid, and 23°61 per
cent. of potash, together with 7°69 per cent. of lime. The
proportion of potash is considerably higher than that in
ordinary wood ashes, usually valued on account of their
content of this fertilizing constituent.

In the case!of land at some distance from the shore,
therefore, which it is thought, would especially benefit by the
application of potash, it would probably be found economical
to forego the orgdnic matter, and reduce the sea-weed to ash,
a ton of which, ‘on the basis of the above analysis, would
contain over 500 tb. of potash, andabout 28 tb. of phosphoric acid.

In reference to the use of sea-weed by estate owners in
the West Indies, - Professor d’Albuquerque mentioned, at the
Cotton Growers’ Conference above referred to, that a sample
of West Indian sea-weed, partially dried in the sun, analysed
by him contained 49°5 per cent. organic matter, 0°78 per
cent. nitrogen, 0°37 per cent. phosphoric acid, and 0°36 per
cent. potash. The manurial value of this material, according
to the scale of ithe Barbados Agricultural Society, would
work ont at about $3 per ton.

BRAZILIAN COFFEE.

The Brazilian coffee industry is nan unsatisfactory
condition as a result of the enormous over-production
which took place last year. The cultivation is carried
on chietly in the State of Sao Paulo, and the Govern-
ment of that State has lately organized a board of four
members, known'as the ‘Administrative Board of the
Coffee Propaganda Department,’ to assist growers, as far
as possible, to méet the present situation in the cottee
industry. ‘The following are the principal functions
assigned to this board :—

To study the conditions of the coffee markets, and to
lay before the Secretary of Agriculture such proposals as the
board may consider advisable for the stimulation of consump-
tion, either by developing existing markets, or creating new
ones. To be constamtly studying every possible measure that
may have an influence in increasing the consumption of coffee,
and to devise means whereby the advantages of using coffee
may become more widely known.

To organize travelling exhibitions whieh shall visit -the
principal coffee markets under the direction of a member of the
board, to show the various products of the State of Sao Paulo,
and to exhibit cinematograph views illustrative of the develop-
ment and civilization, the agriculture and the industries of
the State.

V

Vou. VII. No. 162. THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 223

THE DESTRUCTION OF RATS.

The question of rat destruction by traps and other
means 1s discussed in the following extraets from Farm-

ers Bulletin 297, of the United States Department of

Agriculture, which furm » continuation df the. particu-
lars given in the last number of the Agricultural News,
in reference to the destruction of these pests by various
poisons :—

Trapping, if persistently followed, is one of the most
effective methods of destroying rats. The ugproved modern
traps with a wire fall, which is released by a baited trigger
and driven by a coiled spring, have marked advantages over
the old forms, and many of them may be used at the same
time. ‘These traps, sometimes called guillotine traps, are of
many designs, but the more simply constructed are to be
preferred. Probably those made entirely of metal are the
best, as they are less likely to absorb and retain odours.

Ti illustration of the effectiveness of traps, it may be
related that a year or two agoa large department. store in
Washington experienced heavy losses of gloves, lace curtains,
and other merchandise from rat depredations. For several
months the damage amounted to from $10;to $30. nightly.
After many unsuccessful attempts to abate the nuisance the
managers were advised to try the improved, traps. As a result
136 rats were killed during the first twenty nights, when the
losses practically ceased, and the method hasjbeen continued
in the store ever since with satisfactory results.

Guillotine traps should be baited with small pieces of
bacon, sausage or cheese. The trigger wire should be bent
inward to bring the bait into proper position to permit the
fall to strike the rat in the neck. )

Other excellent baits for rats are oatmeal; toasted bread
(buttered), and sunflower or pumpkin seeds. When seed,
grain or meal is used with the guillotine trap, it may be
placed on the trigger plate, or the trigger wire may be bent
outward and the bait sprinkled under it.

Wire cage traps (French) are also useful for catching
rats, but in the long run the kinds recommended above are
much more effective.” While trapping is ‘in progress, all
other articles of food should be removed from the neighbour-
hood of the trap, and the bait should be changed often.
Rats are very suspicious, and baits and straps should be
handled as Jittle as possible. Increased success may be
secured both in trapping and poisoning if the rats are fed for
a night or two with the kinds of food to be used for bait.

When attack is made upon rats by; means of dogs,
a ferret is often very useful for the purpose of driving the
rats out of burrows and other hiding places so that the ‘dogs
can capture them. An experienced person having the help of
dogs and ferrets trained to work togethér is often very
successful in destroying the pests.

In the rice fields of the far East the natives build
numerous piles of brush and rice straw and leave them for
several days until many rats have taken shelter in them
A portable ‘bamboo enclosure several feet high is then set up
around each pile in succession, and the straly and brush are
thrown out over the top while and men kill the trap-
ped rodents. Large numbers are killed j in this way, and the
plan, with modifications, may be utilized ih other parts of
the world with satisfactory results. A wire netting of fine
mesh may be used for the enclosure. .

dogs

Nats may be destroyed in their burrows in the fields
and in ditches, by the use of carbon bisulphide. A wad of
cotton or other absorbent material is saturated with the
liquid and pushed into the burrow, the opening being packed

with soil to prevent escape of the gas. All animals in the
burrow are asphyxiated. Fumigation in buildings is not so
effective, as the gas cannot readily be confined.

By the persistent use of traps, occasional resort to
poison, and the exercise of forethought i in the construction of
estate buildings so as to minimize the opportunities for
harbourage, farmers and others may prevent the greater
part of the loss and annoyance they now experience from rat
depredations. The same statement applies in great measure
to city and village conditions, Hence co-operation in the
warfare on rats is particularly important and cannot be too
strongly urged.

BRITISH GUIANA RICE CROP.

The fortnightly report of Messrs. Sandbach, Parker,
and Co., of Georgetown, dated June 26 last, contains
the following notes on the present conditions, and pros-
pects of the rice cultivation in British Guiana :—

The weather during the fortnight has been showery, and
suitable for growing crops. The young cultivation looks well,
and with a continuance of favourable weather, there should
be an excellent crop this: year. The area in cultivation is much
larger than last or any previous year.

Local demand continues — brisk,
unaltered,

Shipments to the islands during the fortnight amount to
only 160 bags, and contracts are nearly all completed. No
fresh sales to the islands have been reported this fortnight.

The local market is somewhat better supplied with
cleaned rice, as a good many mills have been doing a little
work with paddy from the ‘short crop, but this has not
affected prices.

We quote to-day, f.o.b. Demerara, per
6d. to 24s.; per bay of 164 tb. 21s,
good export quality rice.

and prices remain

bag of 180 Ib.
104d. te

gro ss, 238)

s. 44d

’

RICE PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED
STATES.

The following notes deal with the rice crop of the
United’ States for the year*1907, and are taken from
the latest report of the Secretary of Agriculture :—

Rice is the twelfth crop in point of value this year, and
in both quantity and value the crop is a record one. The
preliminary estimate is a production of 21,412,000 bushels
of rough rice, or 963,540,000 Ib.—an amount a little above
the great crop of 1904, and 98 per cent. above thé average
crop of the previous three years. This year’s crop is worth
$19,500,000 to the farmers, or 36 per cent. above the three-

year average.

The exports in the fiscal year following the crop year
1904 were 75,000,000 tb. of cleaned rice, 4,000,000 Tb.
in 1906, va 2,448,000 tb. in 1907. The imports of
rice, less the foreign and home-produced exports were about
64,000,000 Tb. yearly from 1900 to 1903, and about
62,000,000 Ib. in 1904. After the ,crop of 1904, the tide

turned, and in 1905 there were net, exports amounting te
41,000,000 Ib. followed the next year by net imports of
43,000,000 Ib., and in 1907 of 61,000,000 Ib. The only year
before 1907 when the prodiietton was greater than the
consumption was 1904, and the prodnetion in 1907 is vreater
than in that year. The Department of Agriculture has been
helping the rice grower to get better varieties from the
Orient, which will change imports into exports.

224

THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Jun, Ie 90S:

London,—Jine 23, 1908,

New York,—June

MARKE®” REPORTS:

Inpta Com-
DE Pass & Co.,
Prprr & Co.,

‘THe West?
MITTEE CrrcuLar: Messrs. E. A.
June 12, 1908: Messrs. KEARTON,
June 23, 1908

Arrowroor—24}d. to Sid.

Batata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/4 ; block, 1/74 to 1/8 per th.
Bres’-wax—Good quality, £7 17s. 6d. to_£8 bee ewt.
Cacao—Trinidad, 63/- to 80/- per ewt.; Grenada, 59/- to

65,/- per cwt.
CorrEE—Santos, 28s. ; Jamaica, 48/- to 52/- per ewt.
Corra—West Indian, £16 10s. per ton.
Corron-—St. Vincent, 15d. to 16d.; Barbados, 143d. to 153d. ;

Strbctbiss 143d. to 1dsd.; Montsenmnts 14d, to 15d.
per Ib.
Fruit—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 5/- per bunch.
Limes—4/6 to 5/- per box of 200,
Prine-apeLes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/- each.
Grave Frourr—l2/- to 14/- per box.
Ornances—Jamaica, 11/- to 12/- per box.

Fustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

GinGeER—D1 - to 80/-

Honry—20s. to 32s. per cwt.

Istnenass— West Teidia lump,
1idd. per th,

Lime Juice—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£12 10s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 2/-
per th. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per tb.

esas 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Mace—Is. Ii. to 1s.

16s—66's to 68's, Sd. to 8hd.; 70's, Gd; 91's, dd.;

4}d.; 121’s, 3hd.; 149’s, 32d.

Pimenvo—Quiet; 24d. to 2h,

Rum—Jamaica, 3/- to 8/-; Demerara,

gallon; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals,~ 15/6 to 19/6 per ewt. ;
15/114 ; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6.

1/10 to 2/1 per tb.; cake,

Qi. per Tb.

1/6 to 1/7 per

Muscovado,

26, 1908.—Messrs. GILLESPIE, Bros.

& Co.

Cavao—Caracas, Loc. to 14hc. ; Grenada, 12hc. to 13}e. ;
Trinidad, 12ic. to I4e.; Jamaica, Llc. to 13c. per tb.
Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $23°00 ; culls., $14°50; Trini-
$2200; culls, $14°00 per M.
Jamaica, good washed, 9e. to 11e.;
yc. Lo sje.
Gincer— 103c. to 14e. per tb.
Goat Sxins—Jaimaica, 50. ; Thomas, St.
Kitt’s, d6ec. to 47e¢., dry flint, per th.
Grave Frurr—Jamaicas, $3-00 to $4°50 per hox and $3:00
to $8:00 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, 86°50 per barrel.

Mace—1%e. to Sle. per th.

Nupares—110's, 9c. per th.

Orances—dJamaica, 81°70 to $3-00 per barrel.

Pimento— 4} ce. per th.

Sucar—Centrifugals 96° , 4°40c.
Molasses, 89°, 3°65c, per th., duty paid.

LOK vcd ordinary,

Croix, St.

Barbados,— Messrs.

Trinidad,—June 27, #908.—Messrs.

; Muscovados, 89°, 3 90c. ;

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

James A.
Messrs. T. S.

Lyncw & Co., June 30,

1908 ; July 4,

1908.

GARRBAWAY &

AKROWROOT—St. Vincent, $4°00 to $4°10 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $14°00 to $15°00 per 100 tb.
Cocoa-Nurs—$18'00 per M. for husked nuts.
CorreE—Jamaica, €8°50 to $10°50 per 100 th.
Hay—$1°65 per 100 th.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $62°60 to $65°00 ; Ohlendortff s
dissolved guano, $55°00; Cotton manure, $42-00;
Cacao manure, $42°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $72-00
to $75°00 ; Sulphate of potash, $67-00 per ton.

Motasses—Choice, 19e. ; Fancy, 21c. perv gallon.

Oxtons— Bermuda loose, $1°10 to $1°20 per 100 Th.

Poraros, ENGLtisH—$3°00 per 160 tb.

Peas—Split,. $6°25 ; Canada, $3°26 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $6°15 (180 tb.) ; Patna. $3°80 ;
$3-00 per 100 tb.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $2°05 per Low th.,
cluded; Dark crystals, $2°50 ;

2°75 per 100 th.

> «
; Rangoon,

package in-
Centrifugals, $2°35 to

27, 1908, Messrs. WHIETING

& RICHTER.

Arrowroor—St. Vincent, $9°50 to $L0-00 per barrel.
Banara—-Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c.
per tb.
Cacao—Naiiye, 6c. to 18c. per tb.
Cassava—80c.
Cassava SrarcH—$9-00 per barrel of 196 Th.
$12-00 to $16-00 per M.
CorrEeE—Creole, 12c. to 13c.; Jamaica, 12c.
Duat— $d°90 to $6°00 per bag of 168 th.
Eppos— We. per barrel.
Monasses— Yellow, 234e. ; Dark, 1
Ontons—Madeira, 2fc.; Lisbon, 2hc.
per th.
PrLanrarss—36e. to 60c. per bunch.
Poraros,—English, $2°60 to $2°75 per barrel.
Poraros, Sweet—Barbados, $1°68 per bag.
Rice—Ballain, $6°40; Creole, $5°75 for good;
$600 per bag. .
Sriiv Peas—$6°25 to $6°50 per bag (210 Ib. ); Lisbon, $450 +
Tannras—$1 44 per Be
Yams—White, $2°16 ; was. $460 per bag.
Sucar—Dark crystals,. $2°50 to $5:00 ; Yellow, $3°25 ;
to $3°50 ; White, $3°70 to $3°80; Molasses, $2-00
to $2°10 per 100 tbh. (retail).
TimpeER—Greenheart, 32c. to 5dc. per cubic foot.
WALLABA SHINGLES—$3'60 to $5°75 per M.
Cornpwoov—$2"40 to $2°64 per ton.

per fb.

210 quotations.
to 3c. ; Dutch, 3c.

Seeta,

Gorpon, GRANT

& Co.

Cacao—$13°25 to $14°25 per fanega.
Cocoa-nuts—$20°00. per M., f.o.b.

Cocoa-nov Or—60c, per Imperial gallon, cask included.
Corrre—Venezuelan, 9c. to 9}c. per ib.

Copra—$2°50 to $2°75 per 100 tb.

Duat—-$4°90 to $5:00 per 2-bushel bag.

Ontons—$1°75 to $1°90 per 100 Th. (retail).

Poratos, Exeuish—$1°40 to $1°50 per 100 tb.

Rick— Yellow, $5°40 to $5°65 ; White, $4°90 to $575 per bag.
Serrv Pras—$5'85 to $600 per bag.

Sucak—American erushed, $5°00 to $510 per 106 fb.

: THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

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PAMPHLET SERIES.

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(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d.
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413) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901,
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(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.
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Price 2d.
Price 4d.

Price 4d.

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(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

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(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.

(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

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(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
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1904-6. Price 6d.

(45) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. New and Enlarged Hdition.
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(50) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1906-7-
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(51 Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward

Islands, 1906-7. Price 4d.
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(52)
(63)F AG Bs Cr

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The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains

extracts

from oiticial correspondence and from progress and

other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in

Agricultural matters throughous the West Indies.

The ‘Agricultural News’ is printed in time to he distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the

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THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

= ALTER

Vou. VII. No. 162. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS Juty 1], 1908.

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

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ny THE
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A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW

OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WeST

Vor. Vill No} 163: BARBADOS,
CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAGE,
Agricultural Conference Mango, the Alfoos ... 233
Picture ves eee vee 232) Manila Hemp at Trinidad 233
46 rs P40
Cacao at Trinidad ss. 200 Me arkcet Been a
: c Stic uc Notes and Comments 232
Cacao, Manurial Experi- 5 3 5 aie
: Orange Production in
ments with at Paleeti 922
90K AIESWNMCWece secs ee SOU,
Dominica ... .- 225 Se ae
Our Bookshelf :
Cacao, Principal Fungus N eimn ee OF
oas | Nature Teaching ... ... 235
Diseases of Bae oa

Praedial Larceny at
Jamaica

Pine-apple Canning
Industry in the
Hawaiian Islands ... 228

Mineral

Cacao Production in ‘Bri izil 2
Canadian Exhibitions, 1908 A
Colonial Fruit Show, West

Indian Products at ... 228
Cotton Notes :

Cotton Conference at San Domingo,

Antigua... 230 Wealthoi=.. ... °.. 233
Cotton Conference in School Gardens at Barba-
England Arig Pahor 30 dos aie 239
Cotton Ginnery Plant, ‘8“'-+-) Science Notes :-
Arrival of at St. Lucia 230, Roots of Plants, a Toxic
West Indian Cotton ... 230 Substance Excreted
Department News ... ... 229 by themes. <5 w. 200
Dominica Limes... ... ... 232 Sugar Industry :
Dry Land Cultiv: tion in Cane Juices from
Madras 931 St. Katt’s Estates,
Gleanings ToS S, Sct aOO: Analysis of ... ... 226
Insect Notes : Sugar-cane Lands,
Lepidoptera 254 Molasses as a Ferti-
Lemon Grass Oil Froth IVASe iWoye’ \ soae Vong. Bon eV
Barbados 233 | Tobacco Growing at

Limes, Spineless aril St. Vincent sie
Ordinary West Indian Products...

ae Ea periments with Cacao
at Dominica.

\ HE results of the manurial experiments
with cacao that have now been in
progress for many years at Dominica,

Porn at the Botanic Station and in country districts,
are well worthy of study by planters, since they demon-

strate beyond a doubt the remunerative returns

INDIES.

Price ld.

JULY 25, 1908.

obtained by judicious applications of manure to cacao
plantations.
important

Attention may here be drawn to the most
the
further particulars of which will be found in a paper by
Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., that appears in the West
Indian Bulletin, Vol. 1X, p. 138.

and interesting features in results,

have
1900,
cacao plots under observation. Of

Station
the year

the
been carried out on uniform lines since

The manurial experiments at
and there are five
these, one has been regularly manured each year with
an application of 4 cwt. of basic phosphate and 14 ewt.
of sulphate of potash per acre:a second plot has been
annually treated with 4 cwt. of dried blood per acre,
and a third has received a complete manure, composed
of + cwt
potash, and 4 cwt. of dried blood per acre.

. of basic phosphate, 14 cwt. of sulphate of
The

plot has been annuaily mulched with grass and leaves,

fourth

while the fifth has received no manure whatever.

The

recordec

returns obtained, which have been

1902-3,

crop

1 since clearly indicate the value of

manures to cacao plantations. This may easily bi seen
from a comparison of the returns yielded by the several
1906-7

nak
g lhe
use of dried blood : a (plot 3), which is primarily

ld of

manured plots during the five years ending

with the return given by the unmanured plot.

a nitrogenous manure, resulted in an increased yie

187 tb. of dry cured cacao per acre per annum, as
compared with the unmanured plot. Ifthe dry cacao
is valued at the moderate figure of 6d. per tb., the net
profit obtained as the result of the application of the

dried blood, after deducting the cost of the manure,
works out at 57s. Gd. per acre.
The use of phosphate and potash on the first plot

has given an increased yield which, on the

crop

226

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Jury 25, 1908.

average of the past five years, is equal to 219 Ib. of
cured cacao per acre per annum over and above that
given by the unmanured plot. The net return obtain-
ed from manuring (after deducting the cost of the
mannre) is, on the above basis, equal to 64s. 3d. per
acre,

The combination of the organic and the mineral
manures, i.e., dried blood, phosphates and potash, on
the third plot, has shown an increased yield of 374 th.
of dried cacao per acre per annum, and a net monetary
profit of 105s. 9d.

The highest return of all, however, was, it 1s
interesting to note, given by the plot that was mulched
with grass and leaves. In this case the average gain
for the past five years in dry cacao per acre per annum
over the unmanured plot reached 402 tb. When the
cost of the manure has been deducted, there remains
a sum of 141s., representing the net profit derived from
the mulching treatment.

The results obtained in 1906-7 indicate, however,
that the average figures for the past five years do not
fully represent the gain derived from mulching in
cacao plantations, and it would appear that the benefits
resulting from this method of treatment are cumulative.
During the season 1906-7 the mulched plot yielded
648 Th. of dry cured cacao in excess of the unmanured
plot, which, on the basis already mentioned, represents
a net profit of 264s.

Further it is pointed out by Dr. Watts that when
the general health and growth of the trees on the plots
that the
individual trees on the mulched plot are much _ finer

are taken into account, 1t is at once seen

and better developed than those which received the
The the
mulching treatment is moist, friable, full of humus,

mineral manures. soil which has received

and in a better condition generally, as compared with
the plots. twas that
mulched plot is well covered by trees planted at the

other also significant the

rate of 108 per acre, while the plot receiving no manure
requires 178 trees per acre, or nearly 70 per cent. more,
The trees on the plot receiving phosphate, potash, and

dried blood come next to those on the mulched plot

Although the

as regards general health and condition
Whit

SE S have

results, 1618S pointed ov

dressings of leaves ant civen such excellent

that in many cases it will

probably be well to supplement mulching with moderat

nd phospl ate

applications of nitrogen a |

Che experiments carried out in the country at

Pieard show beyond doubt that manures are beneficial

in the establishment of young cacao plantations. The-
use of pen manure bronght about the best returns,
and the trees on the plots receiving this treatment
were more healthy and vigorous than on other plots.
Dried blood and bone meal were also especially benefi-
cial, both in increasing the yield of cacao and in improv-
ing the condition of the trees, while considerably
increased returns, as compared with the no-manure plot,
were given by the trees to which basic phosphate and
ammonia, both separately and in combination, were.
applied. The trees on the plots manured with phos-
phate and potash, both separately and in combination,
are described as being poor in fohage and lacking
vigorous growth.

On one set of plots at Picard the utilization as.
green dressings of the weeds growing under the young
cacao trees has proved of great value in maintaining
and improving the condition of the soil. The weeds
are allowed to grow until they reach a moderate size,
when they are either cut down and spread as a mulch,
or forked in.

One of the chief conclusions that may already be
deduced from the results obtained in these experiments
is the importance of keeping up and increasing the
supply of humus in the soil. For this reason, manures
supplying organic matter, and especially pen manure,
are particularly desirable. Nitrogenous manures are
essential for cacao, as without nitrogen the trees lack
vigour: this constituent should preferably be given in
a slowly available form, e.g., as dried blood or cotton-
seed meal. Phosphatic manures increase the crop, but
should not be used without nitrogen. As regards pot-
ash, this constituent is probably not urgently required
as a manure for cacao in Dominici.

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Analysis of Cane Juices from St. Kitt’s
Estates.

In reference to the note on cane juice analysis at
St. Kitt’s that appeared in a recent number of the
Agricultural News, Vol. VII, p. 184, the following:
further particulars on the subject have been received
from Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G. :

In the I
respecting the character or efficiency — of
St. Kitt’s. In view of the present
being the question of the substitution of the
Central Factory system for the older muscovado method, it
has matter of that definite
information on this,subject should, if possible, be acquired,

past little or no information has been available
muscovado estate
working in interest at
shown in

become a some importance

Vou. VII. No. 163. THE

When Mr. H. A. Tempany, B.Se, was in St. Kitt’s
«during April and May last, in connexion with the reaping
-of the sugar-cane experiments there, an effort was made to
organize a plan for obtaining the desired information.
A cirewiar was‘issned by Mr. Shepherd, Agricultural Superin-
tendent of St. Kitt’s, acting in conjuction with Mr. Tempany,
inviting the co-operation of planters in this project. In the
circular the desired object was stated, and directions were
given for taking average samples of juice for analysis.

In all some eight estates responded to the invitation
and sent samples “of juice to the laboratory for analysis;
these samples were representative of the average composition
of the juice passing into the works during one week.

The juices were analysed and a memorandum of the
results was forwarded ly Mr. Tempany ‘to the senders. In
this memorandum were given the composition of the juice, the
number of gallons that would be required to make 1] ton of
muscovado sugar, and the total weight of sugar that should
have been made during the week, under satisfactor y working
conditions, together with any other points worthy of note.

It was found that the sucrose content of the various
juices examined, ranged from 1°58 to 1-91 tb. per gallon, the
purities from 86 to 89, and the glucose ratios from 1°6 to
65. On the whole, the juices showed a tendency towards
unripeness, a result, in all probability, attributable to the
unsuitable weather conditions experienced during the preced-
ing growing season.

Molasses as a Fertilizer for Sugar-cane Lands.

The following paper on the value of molasses as
a fertilizer for sugar-cane lands has been sent to the
Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture by Mr. W. P.
Ebbels, of Mapore, Mauritius, and is. of special inter-
est in connexion with the article ‘The Nitrogen Cycle

and Soil Organisms’ which appeared in ‘the West
Indian Bulletin, Vol. VIII, p. 94. The molasses
which has been utilized in this way is that resulting

from the vacuum-pan process of sugar making in
central factories, and not muscovado molasses :—

Molasses has for a long time been looked upon as
a valuable fertilizer for sugar-cane lands in Mauritius. © On
the basis of five analyses, the results of which are given in
the Annual Report of the Station Agronomique, for 1897,
it would eee that Mauritius molasses contains from 6:27
to 9°37 tbh. of nitrogen, from 25:14 to 26°62 tb. of potash,
and from 0: ae to 0°88 Ib. of phosphor icacid per 100 gallons.
The report further states: ‘All the planters who use
molasses as manure are satisfied with the results obtained,
and it is astonishing that the practice is not more general.’

The method of applying molasses varies. In some cases
about a litre is poured into each cane hole where the euttings
are to be planted two or three months later. A second
method is to apply it on the surface between the cane rows,
which are about 5 feet apart. A third method is to make
a mixture composed of scum cake from the filter presses,
ashes from the megass furnaces, and molasses ; about half
a kilo. is put into each cane hole at the time of planting,
or in some cases, it is applied direct avound the cane stool
instead of farmyard or chemical manure.

It always seemed, however, that the results claimed for
the use of molasses as a fertilizer exceeded what could
teasonably be expected from the plant food shown by analysis

AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 227

to be present in it, and on reading a paper ‘The N
Cycle and Soil Organisms’ by Mr. 8. F. Ashby, B.Se.,
appeared in the West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VIII, No. 1, it
occurred to me that if the soil organism Azotobacter
chroococeum, described in the course of this paper, existed in
the soil here, it might, through the energy derived from the
oxidation of the sugar contained in the molasses, be enabled
to fix a much larger amount of atmospheric nitrogen in the
soil than it would do under natural conditions. This would
account for the excellent results said to have been obtained.
I therefore got our chemist, M. L. Fauque to go into the
matter, and the result of our investigations seems to point te
this being the case.

Nitrogen

w Hain

The first thing was to ascertain if the particular organism
existed in the soil here. Proceeding in the manner indicated
we found an organism which appeared to answer the descrip-
tion, except that it did not take up the iodine stain well,

although it took up aniline blue with great intensity. How-
ever, as nitrogen was found to have been fixed in a fairly

pure culture of this bacterium, it was clear that if we had not
got the organism described, we had an allied variety possess-
ing the same powers for the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen.

In 1903, having a large quantity of molasses which we

were unable to dispose of in any other way, some of it was

mixed with the waste water from the factory and run on
a part of a field then under beans. This field was planted
with cane the following year and the part which received. the
molasses has always given a better yield than the rest of the
field which received none. Last month samples of the soil
from both parts of the field were taken for analysis, aud the
sample from the part to which molasses had been applied four
anda half years before was found to contain 5°72 parts of nitro-
gen per 1,000 of dry soil, while that from the part which had
not received molasses contained only 3°36 per 1,000. Cultures
started with these showed the presence oi the
Azotobacter organism in large numbers, and as_ the field has
received the same treatment from end to end, there is no
reason to suppose that the larger: amount of nitrogen in the
portion of the field treated with molasses is due to anything
but the molasses and the work of this

soils

organism,

With the object of establishing the connexion between
the organism and the sugar of the a quantity of
soilin which the organism existed, taken, and after
thorough mixing, two samples of 500 grammes each were
weighed out for experimental purposes. Into one of these
a solution containing 10 grammes of sugar was introduced and
thoroughly mixed with it. Sufficient distilled water, free
from ammonia, was mixed with the other sample to bring
them both to about the same degree of moisture, and the two

molasses,

Was

samples were kept under exactly similar conditions, in
shallow dishes lightly covered with sheets of paper so as to
exclude the light. Both samples were analysed fourteen

days later, when the sample into which the sugar had been
introduced was found to contain 4:07 parts of nitrogen per
1,000 of dry soil, and the other 5°91. Twenty-tive days
later they were again analysed when the sample which had
received the sugar showed 4°55 parts of nitrogen per 1,000
of dry soil, and the other 5°92 parts of nitrogen.

It would be very interesting if these results could be check-
ed, as they seem to indicate that molasses is a very valuable
fertilizer for soils which contain the Azotobacter
but it is only by properly conducted experimental work that
the proper quantity to use and the best method of applying
it can be determined. It would appear, however, to be
necessary to spread the molasses over as large an area as
possible and to work it into the upper layer of soil.

ch FOOCOCCUNL,

TBE AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

=

PINE-APPLE CANNING INDUSTRY IN
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

The raising of fruit for export to California and
the mainland generally is rapidly becoming an impor-
tant industry in the Hawaiian Islands. Returns relat-
ing to the trade of the Territory show that the value
of the exports of fruits and nuts during 1906-7 increased
by nearly £20,000 as compared with those of the
previous year, and this advance is mainly accounted for
by the increased shipments of canned pine-apples. The
following notes on the progress of the pine canning
industry of the territory are extracted from the latest
report of the British Consul at Honolulu :—

Pine-apples were first grown in the Hawaiian Islands in
1890, near Pearl Harbour, with the object of shipping the
green fruit to the mainland, Owing to the unsatisfactory
steamer service, however, the project was not a success, and
it was not until 1899 that the systematic raising of pine-
apples was begun at Wahiawa. The summer of 1901
the starting of the enterprise on a large scale by the Hawaiian
Pine-apple Company, and two years later this company pro
duced 1,800 cases of canned pine apples. (The standard case
contains 24:cans, vach of which are 43 inches high by 4 inches
in diameter.) The company’s output continued to grow
steadily, being 8,500 in 1904, 25,000 cases in 1905, 36,000
1907.

saw

cases in 1906, and 103,000 cases in

In the last-named year the canning factory was removed
to Honolulu, where already large extensions are being made
to meet the requirements of the increasing demand for the
company’s products, The pine-apples are brought by rail from
Wahiawa in uncovered boxes, packed on open cars, to the
factory. Throughout the
processes of peeling, sheing, packing in cans, ete., the fruit is
by the human hand ; all the
employed in those departments wearing india-rubber cloves.
The yrup put into the
throughout the preparation of the goods every care is taken
of the hichest
named

company’s siding alongside the

never touched working people
made from refined sugar, and

cans 1

to provide an articli

in addition o th

quality. There are now,

above company, seven others

engaged in the ind try, 1 total ou put of the islands in
1907 having been 190,000 cases, valued at £120,000. The
estimated output for 1908 is 350,000 eases, of a value of
£220,000 The n ket for the coods s almost entirely
in the United States. as the high cost of labour militates
against iccessful competition with the Singapore canned

pine-apple Some however, been made

to the |

all sl Ipments have,
owing to their superior favour,

nited Kingdom, and,

WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

have met with a favourable reception in spite of the fact that
the Hawaiian article is double the price of the Singapore one,

WEST INDIAN PRODUCE AT THE
COLONIAL FRUIT SHOW.

The Royal Horticultural Society held a show of
Colonial fruit and other produce in London on June 11
and 12 last. A prominent feature in the exhibition
was the magnificent display of limes sent by the
Permanent Exhibition Committee of Dominica, to
wnich a silver-gilt Knightian medal was awarded.
Many individual exhibits were also sent from Dominica,
and among these, that of the Dominica Fruit Growers’
Association was adjudged the best, and was awarded
a silver Banksian medal. bronze Banksian medals being
awarded to the Hon. J. Cox-Fillan and Mr. A, D.
Riviere.

The gold medal of the Royal Horticultural Society was
given to the West Indian Produce Association for their
splendid collection of West Indian commodities, which included
fresh fruit, preserves, cigars, jippi-jappa hats, ete.

The management of the exhibits sent in from Dominica
was undertaken by*the West India Committee, and the
illustration which appeared in the West India Committee
Circular of June 23 last testifies to the skill and taste shown
in displaying the produce in an attractive manner. In-order
to give visitors an!*opportunity of testing the merits of
Dominiea limes, a ‘considerable quantity of the fruit was
distributed among those present, and lime squashes were also
dispensed.

The fruit remaming over at the close of the exhibition
was utilized with ‘the object of making this product more
widely known, and néarly a hundred packages were despatched
to notable persons, and to hospitals and other institutions.
West Indian limes fare becoming more widely known in
England every year,‘andas pointed out by the West Indian
Committee Circular, the British market can take any quantity
of produce from these colonies, provided it is well prepared
and put up, and that a constant supply can be maintained.

The next Colonial Fruit Show will be held in London on
November 26 and 27, and since really fine collections of
West Indian produce will be available at that time, it is hoped
that the Permanent 2Exhibition Committees throughout the
islands will make an effort to be well represented at the
exhibition.

Vou. VII. No. 163.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SPINELESS LIMES AND ORDINARY
LIMES.

An article on the characteristics of the spineless
variety of lime as compared with the ordinary kind
appeared in the Agricultural News, Vol. VII, p. 84,
and it was there mentioned that fuller particulars on
the subject, together with data as to the relative purity
and richness in citric acid of the juice of the two
varieties were included in the Report for 1906-7 of the
Dominica Botanic Station,

Spineless limes are believed to have originated on the
Shawford estate, Dominica, where, in the year 1891, a lime
tree was noticed from which the usual spines were absent.
‘Care was taken to produce seedlings from this interesting
tree, and about 75 per cent. of the plants proved themselves
to be spineless. The young trees fruited well, although the
limes yielded were smaller in size than those from the
-ordinary variety. Apart from the absence of spines, this
lime is characterized by the. smallness of the leaves, an erect
habit of growth, a smooth, thin skin, a greater richness of
juice, and the presence of but a small number of seeds as
compared with the ordinary variety.

Orpinary Lime TREE,

Figs .5:

The accompanying illustrations (Figs. 5 and 6) show
-the different habits of growth of the two kinds of limes.
Fig. 5 represents an ordinary variety possessing spines. In
Fig. 6 appears a spineless lime, and the more erect and less
-spreading habit of growth of this variety in comparison with
that of the ordinary kind is well shown. It should be men-
tioned that this upright character is more marked in the

earlier stages of growth of the trees, and that as the latter
grow older and bear fruit, the branches tend to bend down-
wards, thus altering materially the appearence of the trees.
The photographs from which the blocks for these illustrations
have been prepared were forwarded by Mr. Joseph Jones,
Curator of the Botanic Station, Dominica. They represent
trees growing on the Bath estate in that island.

SPINELESS Live Tree av Dominica.

Fire. 6.

There are now over 20,000 trees, or about 100 acres, of
the spineless variety of lime growing in Dominica, and infor-
mation, based upon observations made on large field plots
should soon be forthcoming. In 1906-7, the number of plants
of this variety sent out from the Rotanie Station reached
10,087. Mr. Jones reports that the demand for plants con-
tinued steady throughout 1907-8. ‘There is little doubt that
the absence of spines from the tree is i: character to be
appreciated, and one which should facilitate the gathering of
the fruit.

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

Mr. Joseph Jones, Curator of the Botanic Station,
Dominica, left for England on July 15, by the
R.M.S..‘Thames,’ on three months’ vacation leave of
absence.

Mr. Alleyne G. Howell, Chief Clerk at the Head
Office of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, also
sailed for England by the ‘Thames’ on six months’
leave.

230

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JuLy 25, 1908.

i rr 2 VAM BUS

aensan

Seorts
WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Planters will be glad to note by the accompany-
ing letter from Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, dated
July 6, that an improved condition of affairs has
lately prevailed on the Liverpool Sea Island cotton
market :—

Since our last report a good business has been done in
West Indian Sea Island cotton, and about 780 bales have
been sold at steady prices.

The enquiry has been mostly confined to the better
medium grades at 14d. to 15d., very little having been sold
above the latter figure. A fair quantity of stains have been
sold at 7d. to 8d. per tbh. The sales include Anguilla, 15d.;
Antigua, 15d.; Barbados, 143d. to 153d.; Montserrat, 15d.
to 153d.; Nevis, 144d.; St. Croix 14d. to 14}d.; St Kitt’s
143d. to 153d.; and St Martin, 14d. to 15d.

ARRIVAL OF COTTON GINNERY
PLANT AT ST. LUCIA.

The Voice of St. Lucia, of July 4, contained the
accompanying note :—

A complete Cotton Ginnery, with oil engine and all
accessories has been received from Oldham, England, by
Messrs. Macfarlane, Junior & Co., of St. Lucia. The building
to contain the plant will be set up in Castries between the
new Public Works Yard and the Riverside Cemetery, facing
the Castries river, and work on this is to commence at once.
It is intended that everything shall be ready for taking off
the cotton crop to be picked in the carly months of 1909.

lhe establishment of this ginnery should certainly
be a stimulus to cotton-planting operations in the
island, and it is greatly to be hoped that the industry
and this new venture of Messrs. Macfarlane, Junior
& Co., will meet with the success deserved.

COTTON CONFERENCE IN ENGLAND.

The Conference of cotton growers and spinners
which has been arranged under the auspices of the
British Cotton-growing Association will be opened at
Manchester on Angust 5, and, as remarked by the
West India Committee Circular, should prove useful
in giving cotton growers some insight into the present
position and prospects of the market for Sea Island
cotton.

Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., will attend the Confer-
ence, and the West Indian delegates who have been nominated
by the Agricultural Societies include :— Barbados : Hon. For-
ster M. Alleyne, Dr. C. E. Gooding, Mr. Alistair Cameron,

Mr: 'T. W. B. O'Neal; and Mr. J. R.
Hon. Conrad J. Simmons, Mr. Alexander Smith, Mr. Duncan
MacDonald, Mr. H. Hayward, and Mr. W.N. Sands ; Antigua:
Hon. E. St. John Branch, Hon. J. J. Camacho, Mr. R. Bry-

Bovell; St. Vincent z

son, Mr. E. T. Cole, Mr. F. Holborow, Mr. A. M. Lee,
Mr. J. W. A. Maginley, and Mr .J. Dew; and Montserrat :
Mr. J. T. Allen, and Mr. 8. W. Howes.

COTTON CONFERENCE AT ANTIGUA.

A Conference of cotton growers was held at the
Agricultural and Commercial Society Room, Antigua,
on June 15 last, for the purpose of considering the
position and prospects of the cotton industry in the
island. Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., presided, and the
mecting was largely attended.

Dr. Watts in the course of bis address referred to the
fact that the market for Sea Island cotton was at present
somewhat depressed, which had resulted in the production of
a tendency towards the reduction of the area under cotton
cultivation. The low prices, however, were not due to over-
production, and the markets were undoubtedly improving
and sales were being more readily effected. There was no
danger of over-production of Sea Island cotton in the West
Indies at present. Moreover, he reminded those present that,
in 1905, when the cotton industry was started, it was
estimated that the price likely to be obtained for -their
product was about Ls. to 1s, 2d. per tb., and on this basis the
remunerative character, or otherwise, of the industry had been
calculated. It was evident, therefore, that it was too early
to complain when market prices were still at 14d. to 15d.
pec Ib.

The past season had undoubtedly been unfavourable to
cotton growers in Antigua ; weather conditions were unpro-
pitious, and in addition, a new and serious insect pest which
caused the flower-bud-dropping disease had been noticed
for the first time. The severity of attack from this insect
was probably due to the peculiar seasonal conditions, and with
more favourable weather it was believed that its ravages
would be largely reduced. Mr. H. A. Ballou, M.Se., Entomo-
logist to the Imperial Department of Agriculture, had to
a large extent worked out the life-history of the fly causing
the flower-bud-dropping disease, and suggested a number of
remedial measures for the control of the insect during the
coming season. Chief among these was the application of
* Vaporite’ to the soil, which would probably -destroy the fly
in the pupal stage, which takes place in the ground.

The cotton worm still caused trouble but this could be
readily held in check by the use of Paris green and lime.
As for the leaf-blister mite, it had been shown that this
could be controlled by timely hand picking of diseased leaves,
and by the application of sulphur and lime to infected’ plants. .

8061 ‘SDONSYSSNOD TWVYNLINDIYOY NVIGNI LSSM

"Vou Vil No: 163. ‘THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 22

os

‘ Planters in Antigua were experiencing difficulties: owing
to the present scarcity and unreliability of the labour supply,
but Dr. Watts pointed out that these difficulties were being
met and overcome by the introduction of labow-saving tillage
‘implements.

It was very important that the cultivation of cotton
should be maintained on sugar estates in Antigua, since,
owing to the prevalence of root disease of the sugar-cane, the
introduction of the cotton crop into the rotation gave infected
cane fields an opportunity of recovering from the disease.

In the past, some planters had shown a tendency to
plant larger areas of cotton than-they could properly super-
vise. The cotton crop was one which needed special care and
attention, and in order to produce the best results, not more
than 50 acres of cotton should be placed under the care of
one man, who should be able to devote his whole time and
attention to this area.

The importance of seed selection was then dwelt upon by
the speaker, and it was mentioned that the Antigua Cotton
Factory Company and others would supply suitable selected
seed for planting at the same rates as in past years.

Planters who could give time and attention to the matter,
however, were strongly advised to do their own seed selection,
and to raise their crops from seed selected on the estate in
the previous year.

Finally, Dr. Watts expressed the opinion that the kind of
cotton which it was desirable to secure was a cotton of moder-
ate length combined with strength ; he believed it was better
to sacrifice length than strength.

A vote of thanks to Dr. Watts for his address was carried
unanimously at the close of the meeting.

CANADIAN EXHIBITIONS, 1908.

Barbados and St. Lucia Exhibits.

An editorial article that appeared in the Agri-
cultural News of May 16 last (Vol. VII, p. 145) gave
full particulars of the Canadian Exhibitions to be held
in 1908, together with detailed information as to the
steps that should be taken by Permanent Exhibition
Commiitees and others in the West Indies in collecting,
packing, and forwarding exhibits from these colonies.

Since the Toronto and’ Halifax Exhibicions for 1908
will be in progress at the same time, it will not be possible,
as on previous occasions, for exhibits thet have been on view
at Toronts to be afterwards shown at Halifax, and therefore,
since sufficient funds are not available for sending two sets of
exhibits, the West Indies will this year be represented at
Toronto only.

The Exhibition at Toronto opens en August 29,
closes on September 14.

As pointed out in the article referred to, the latest
steamer that can take exhibits from the West Indies
will be the ‘Dahomé’ leaving Barbados on July 26;
St. Vincent, July 26 ; St. Lucia, July 27 ; Dominica, July 28 ;
Montserrat, July 28 : Antigua, July 29 and St. Kitt’s on July
31. It may be worth while to mention, however, that the
‘Ocamo’, which leaves British Guiana on August 1, and is
due at Halifax on August 20, will accept fresh fruit intended
for exhibition from Dominica and other islands. The ‘Ocamo’
will call at the several islands, in each case twelve days later
than the *Dahomé,’ e.g. it will be due at Dominica on
August 9.

Recognizing the value of these éxhibitions as a means of
making the natitre and quality of West Indian produce more

and

earth, Sea Island seed-cotton,

widely known in Canada, the Permanent Exhibition Commit-
tee of Barbados despatched a large collection of samples of
the products of the island to Toronto, by the C.L.S. ‘Oruro,’
on July 13. The samples sent included white, yellow, and dark
crystal sugar ; centrifugalled and ordinary muscovado sugar,
syrup, * Prime,’.‘ Fancy,’ erystal sugar, and muscovado sugar
molasses ; rum, falernum, bitters, manjak,green tar, in fusorial
cotton lint, and Circassian
beans. The total number of exhibits sent from Barbados
was eighty-six. A handbook of Barbados, issued in connexion
with Canadian Exhibitions in previous years, has been

brought up to date, and a new edition published for distribu-

tion to persons visiting the West Indian Court at Toronto.
This contains a list of the exhibits sent, together with the
names of the persons forwarding them.

The Agricultural Society of the island have undertaken
the responsibility of collecting and despatching exhibits frona
St. Lucia, and the following is a list of the products which

it is intended to forward: cacao (about 10 1b.), sugar
(various grades of usine, 10 1b.), molasses, rum, molascuit,

uutmegs and mace (1 quart of each), cassaya starch and meal
(2 quarts), copra, kola nuts, musk seeds, Cassia Fistula,
a full assortment of guava and other native jellies and
marmalades, logwood, pimento sticks, samples of native
woods, honey and wax, oranges, Pere Louis and grafted
mangos, limes and lime juice, and bananas.

DRY LAND CULTIVATION IN MADRAS.

In countries and districts where there is a limited
rainfall, agricultural operations have to be carried out
so as to ensure the conservation of soil moisture, and to
reduce evaporation to a minimum, This question is dealt
with, in special reference to the conditions prevailing in
Madras, in an article in the Agricultural Journal of
India (Vol. IL, part 1).

The physical condition of the soil is an important factor
in determining the amount of rain-water that will be absorbed,
and it is of the greatest importance that the land should be
in a fit state to receive and retain the rain when it comes.
A hard-baked surface cannot absorb much water, therefore
cultural operations should precede the rain.

The retention of soil moisture is greatly helped by
surface cultivation, which provides a mulching of dry loose
earth, and thus reduces the raising of moisture to the surface
by capillary action, and its evaporation. Deep cultivation
and a firm soil assist in keeping the soil particles together,
and thus cause a more even distribution of moisture through-
out the soil,

In the cultivation of the heavy lands in the dry districts
of Madras, the soil is ploughed, to the depth of a foot or
more, in the dry season. As the result of this operation, the
earth is broken up into huge, dry clods, and left exposed to
the air. After the first rains, the soil is broken down by
a heavy bullock hoe, which produces a fine, firm condition of
the land, and brings any larger clods to the surface, which are
broken down by subsequent rains. Cotton is usually grown
on land of the above type, and with the arrival of the second
rain, the seed is sown by drill.

Frequent hoeings, both by draught implements and by
hand, form the principal feature of the after-cultivation, the
object being to remove all weeds, and so prevent the trans-
piration of moisture by their means, and to maintain the
surface mulch: of loose soil. These hoeings: usually take
place after rain has fallen, when the soil tends to cake on
the surface.

bo
eo
bo

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Juty 25, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
Specimens. for naming, should be addressed to the

Commissioner, Imperial. Department of Agriculture,
Barbados,

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

f

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulan &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C.. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d. 3

A

Agricultural dews

Vor. VIL SATURDAY. JULY 25, No.

163.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The remunerative returns that may be obtained
by judicious applications of manures to cacao planta-
tions is evident from the results of experiments carried
out at Dominica under the auspices of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture, an account of which is
given in the editorial of the present issue.

Molasses has long been used as a fertilizer for
sugar-cane lands in Mauritius. Apart from the plant
food constituents contained in the molasses, it is
possible that this material influences the soil fertility
by serving as a source of energy to the nitrogen-
assimilating organisms present (page 227).

Brief articles on the pine-apple canning industry
of the Hawaiian Islands, which has during the past few
years undergone rapid development, and on West
Indian Produce at the Colonial Fruit Show will be
found on page 228, and on’ the following page appears
a note, with illustrations, dealing with the comparative
characteristics of spineless and ordinary limes.

It is satisfactory to note that the condition of the
Sea Island cotton market is somewhat improved, and
much more cotton has been sold. A Cotton Growers’
Conference was held at Antigua, in which the condition
and prospects of the industry in the island were
discussed (page 225).

Samples of produce for the Toronto Exhibition
have been forwarded from Barbados and St. Lucia
{page 231).

Agricultural Conference Picture.

‘With this number of the Agricultural News is
issued, as a loose supplement, a full-page reproduction
ofa photograph of the delegates to’ the West Indian
Agricultural Conference, held at Barbados from Janu-
ary 14 to 21 last. The photograph was taken during
the course of an ordinary sitting of the Conference at:
the Mutual Life Assurance Buildings, Bridgetown.
Most of the delegates are included in the picture, but-
it is to be regretted that a few members of the Con-
ference were absent from the room at the time, being
engaged on Committee or other business. If desired,
this illustration ean be bound up with the complete
volume of the Agricultural News at the end of the year.

En
Dominica Limes. =

The Dominica Guardian reports considerable
shipments of green limes from the island. Nearly
4,000 barrels were exported early in June in one ship-
ment: on June 14 the ‘ Korona’ took 1,500 barrels of
green limes for’New York, and on June 2 another
cargo of 3,200 barrels was despatched. At present the
price of limes and lime products is distinctly low as
compared with that prevailing a year ago, but the
tendency is again evidently in an upward direction,
and prices are higher than a month or two since.

On account of the drought that has been experi-
enced at Dominica, the first lime crop will probably be
a poor one, but with an improvement in the weather
conditions, a good second crop may be expected. The
success attained by the exhibits of Dominica limes at:
the Colonial Fruit show, held in London last month,
was very gratifying, although, owing probably to the
drought, the fruit was reported upon as being inferior
in quality to that sent to the two previous shows.

The Permanent Exhibition Committee of the
island have decided to be represented at the Toronto
National Exhibition, and since they are confining their
efforts to the organization of an exhibit of limes and
lime products, a really fine display should be made.

a
Tobacco Growing at St. Vincent.

Experiments in tobacco growing have for some
years been carried,out by Mr. Charles Duncan, of Sion
Hill, St. Vincent, who has produced tobacco and cigars
that have been awarded diplomas at various exhibitions
within the colony.: Since it is desirable that the pos-
sibilities of tobacco, growing in the island should be
given a careful trial, the Secretary of State, on the
recommendation of the Imperial Commissioner of Agri-
culture, has approved of a grant of £15 being made to
Mr. Dunean, to aid, in these experiments, and more
especially to assist towards the erection of a tobacco-
curing house.

It is intended in the first instance to grow at least:
1 acre of tobacco, and the curing-house, designed on
the Jamaica model, is in course of erection. It has been
arranged that the Superintendent of Agriculture, and
other officers of the Agricultural Department shall visit
the work from time to time, and keep in touch with its.
progress, and Mr. Duncan will also supply samples of
the cured tobacco to the Agricultura! Department.

Vot. VII. No. 163.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 233

(

Barbados Lemon Grass Oil.
A report has been received from London on
samples of lemon grass oil prepared at the Government
Laboratory, Barbados, from grass grown in the island.

The report, which is by the chief chemist to the
London Essence Company, speaks very favourably of
the oil, and the statement of analysis shows that the
high citral content (88 per cent.) and freedom from
resinous matter should enable the Barbados product to
compete very favourably with oil from other sources.

“The price of lemon grass oil for the past six
months has been stationary at 24d. per oz. which
is rather low, the normal price being about 3:/. per oz.
In 1906 the price reached 9d. per oz. It is believed
that notwithstanding present low prices, the production
of this oil in suitable localities in the West Indies
would prove remunerative.

oo OO

Mineral Wealth of San Domingo.

~The British Consul at San Domingo draws atten-
tion to the enormous mineral wealth which exists
in the republic, but which under present conditions it
is impossible to exploit, owing to the searcity of labour
and the absence of means of inland communication.
Alluvial gold showing a high degree of purity is found
in several districts, and veins of auriferous quartz exist
all along the central mountain chain. Copper comes
next in importance, on account of the large quantities
in which it is known to occur in several provinces.
Some mines that are being worked are said to yield the
very high percentage of from 30 to 35 per cent. of pure
copper. Iron is also found in immense quantities in
ditferent sections of the country, ocenrring .both as
magnetic oxide of iron and in the form of iron pyrites.
Valuable deposits of coal both anthragite and lignite,
have also been ,discovered. Other minerals known to
exist in the republic include manganese, petroleum,
mercury tin, and salt. :

Se

Orange Production in Palestine.

Orange cultivation is largely on the increase in
Palestine, the headquarters of the industry being on the
plain of Sharon, and producers are anxious to find an
output for their fruit on the markets of Great: britain.
The oranges grown are of the Jaffa variety and are
reported as being of high quality. Ten years ago
only 290,000 cases were exported: the total has now
risen to 630,000 cases, and it is anticipated that within
a very few years the output will reach 1,000,000 cases.
Each case contains from 120 to 150 oranges, according
to the size of the fruit; the weight of the case is 80 Ib.
Growers are at present in the habit of selling their
fruit to agents ata price of about 2s. 43d. per case ;
the cost of packing 1s estimated at about 1s. 2d., and,
taking into account the freight cost to Laverpool (1s. 3d.
per case), it will be seen that anything obtained over
and above 4s. 94d. per case on the Liverpool market
represents the agent's profit. The trees begin to yield
at the end of the fifth year; in the sixth year it is esti-
mated that the returns balance the expenditure, and
thereafter profitable returns may be expected

The Alfoos Mango.

The London Times of June 19 last contained
a note on the excellent qualities of the East Indian
mango known as the ‘Alfoos’ or ‘Alphonso.’ This
variety is stated to be so popular in Bombay that the
fruits command a price of from 4d. to 6d. each in the
open market. Attempts made to get this mango upon
the English market in quantity have so far failed,
owing to the decay of the) fruit during shipment.
During recent years grafts of the Alfoos mango have
been imported into Florida, and the fruit growers of
that State are reported to have given close attention
to its cultivation, since it is recognized that on account
of its high quality it would command the best prices.
Producers claim that in a short time they will be able
to export the fruit in quantity to the London market,
and this may be possible, in view of the shorter voyage
entailed as compared with that from Bombay.

Manila Hemp at Trinidad.

The fibre known as Manila hemp is produced from
the plant Musa fextilis, a native of the Philippines,
and «a near relative of the banana. Seeds and plants
of M. tertilis were a few years agoimported into Trini-
dad by the Botanic Department, and a plot is now
growing at the St. Clair Gardens.

Samples of the fibre from these plants have
recently been submitted to the Imperial Institute,
London, for examination, and the report issued was
published in the Trinidad Official Gazette of July 2.
In this report, the fibre is described as well cleaned,
white, and possessing a good lustre. Its strength was
good, though not so great as that grown in the Philip-
pines. The length of staple was 5 feet. The commer-
cial value of the samples was placed at £30 per ton,
with ‘fair current’ Manila hemp at £25 per ton, and it
was remarked that fibre of the quality of the specimen
would be saleable in any quantity.

rn 6 tee

Praedial Larceny at Jamaica.

A Bill dealing with praedial larceny in Jamaica is
about to be introduced into the Legislative Council of
the colony, and at a recent meeting of the Agricultural
Society, the Governor gave some indication of the main
provisions of this Bill, It is proposed that any per-
sons found with agricultural produce, and who cannot
give a Satisfactory account of how it came into their
possession, may be hable to arrest on suspicion, and the
onus of proving their ownership to the article challen-
ged rests on the suspected, person. Further, it.
provides that, besides the police, other authorized
persons, such as magistrates, district constables, persons
nominated by branch Agricultural Societies, and others:
appointed as special constables shall have the right to
arrest persons whom they have reason to suspect. It
will be seen that the proposed enactments are very
stringent in nature, but praedial larceny has largely
increased in Jamaica of late, and demands drastic
treatment.

THE ‘AGRICULTURAL ‘NEWS.

“Juty 25, 1908.

INSEOT NOTES.

Lepidoptera.

The order Lepidoptera includes those insects known
as moths and butterflies, of which so many species exist
in the West Indies. They may be distinguished from
all other insects by the flattened scales which cover
the surfaces of their wings. The arrangement of the
scales, which is like that of shingles on the roof of
a house, may be seen, in the case of the larger speci-
mens, with the aid of a pocket lens, or magnifier. The
Lepidoptera undergo complete metamorphosis, passing
through all the stages of (1) egg, (2) larva or cater-
pillar, (8) pupa, cocoon, or chrysalis, and (4) imago or
adult insect.

The mouth parts of the larvae of Lepidoptera are
adapted for biting, while in the adult insects they are so
modified as to form a proboscis or tube by means of which
liquid food is sucked up. In many eases the adults of these
insects do no feeding whatever, the whole of the food
required throughout the life eycle being taken in by the

caterpillar, in whose bv «ly is stored upa food reserve sufticient
to provide energy for transformation through the pupal
stage, and also for the processes of reproduction. In other
species, however, the adults feed vigorously, sucking the
nectar of flowers, and even puncturing ripe fruits to suck the
juice, and sometimes becoming, in this way, the cause of
a considerable amount of damage.

The popular division of the insects of this order into
moths and butterflies is based on the structure of the antennae,
or ‘ feelers.’ In the butterflies the antennae are knobbed or
club-shaped : that is, they are slender near the head, and at the
end they are distinctly swollen. The butterflies, too, generally
hold their wings vertically above the body when at rest, and
the pupa is a ‘ehrysalis’” The moths~have antennae of
various shapes, buttheseare never distinctly knobbed ; the wings
arenot held erect when at rest, and the pupa is generally enclosed
in a cocoon of silk which, by the way, is often very scanty.

The order Lepidoptera-includes some of the most trouble-
some pests attacking our crops. Among them may be men-
tioned the cotton worm (Alabama [Aletia] argillacea), the
smaller cotton worm (A/etia luridula), the moth borer of the

sugar-cane (Diatraca sacchavalis), the com ear worm (La-
phygua trugiperda), the boll worm (//eliothis obsoleta

jarmigera]), the cutworm '(Prodenia ornithagalli), the potato
worm (Protoparce cingulata).

These all belong te the popular division known as
moths, and to the moths, also belong the following, which,
however, do not attack crops directly: clothes moth, of
which we have, perhaps, more than one species, grain moths,
bee moths, ete.

The frangipanni hawk moth (Pseudosphine tetrio) is
a large grey and white moth which is sometimes attracted to
the lights i in houses. The larva of this moth, which feeds on
the leaves of the frangipanni (P/umeria) and yellow bell
flower (A//amanda), is perhaps the largest caterpillar in the
Lesser Antilles, and is more abundant in some of the other
colonies than in Barbados,

The larger moth ier (Castina licus), a South American

form that occhrs As far north as Trinidad, is a very large

insect ; the larva is a borer in the stems of sugar-cane and
bananas. cohol =

‘The arrowroot worm (Calpodes ethlius), at times becomes
a pest from the severity of its attacks on arrowroot, and it is
frequently a nuisance from its habit of attacking the leaves
of canna. :

For the most. part, the butterflies are not such serious
pests to agriculture as the moths. The arrowroot worm,
however, should be included among the butterflies, and there
is in British Guiana-a butterfly, (Brqssolis sophorae), the larva

of which attacks the leaves’ of the cocoa-nut palm ; and in
Dominica, Montserrat, St. Kitt’s and Nevis, there occurs
a butterfly which attacks ripe fruit. This latter species

(Didonia biblis) is a South America form. The larva has
not yet been reported to be a pest in these islands, but the
buttertly feeds on ripe mangos, oranges, tangerines, etc.,
inserting the proboscis into the flesh of the fruit and suc king
the juice. Any fruit punctured in this way falls to the
ground, and several reports have been received of the loss of
ul the fruit on a tree in a very few days. Didonia biblis is
a very pretty insect ; the wings are glossy black, and on the
outer margin of the hind pair there is a row of bright red
spots.

The remedies to be used in the control of the Lepidop-
tera must of course. be suited to their habits. The larvae of
all the species of this group have biting mouth parts ; conse-
quently any arsenical poison (such as Paris green) would be
efficient if it could be placed within the reach of the cater-
pillar while feeding. This method is followed in treating the
cotton worm, and others which feed on the leaves of plants.
In the case of those insects which have the boring habit, such
as the moth borer of the sugar-cane, it is necessary to cut out
the part with the insect in it ; while in the case of cut worms,
the poisoned bait, distributed so that it is easily found by the
caterpillars, must be used.

For the protection of ripe fruit from the attacks of the
butterfly it would be necessary to the trees with
mosquito net, or other light cover.

cover

CACAO PRODUCTICN IN BRAZIL.

Now that over-production has put a check on the
coffee industry of Brazil, increasing attention is being
given to cacao ¢ TR Aatiaans in the republic. Last year
the produc tion of this latter crop reached nearly 22,400
tons. The United States Consul at Rio Janeiro fur-
nishes the following information :—

In spite of temporary set-backs now and then, due to
special causes, the production of cacao in Brazil seems to be
growing at a satisfactory rate, the increasing exports of the
product forming one of the promising features of the Brazil-
ian agricultural and trade situation. The of the
State of Para in his last message speaks of the industry as
being in the most flourishing condition, and the immense
inerease in the world’s demand seems to be greater than the
increase in the world’s production. At present Brazil leads
in the world’s production and the United States in the world’s
consumption.

The productive capacity of cacao in Brazil is almost
limitless. In Paya and Bahia the cultivation of the crop is
being placed upon a scientific basis and it is probable that the
next few seasons will show an immense increase in Brazil’s
output,

Governor

Vou. Vit. No: 163:

THE. AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

235.

SHEL

NATURE TEACHING. By Francis Watts, C.M.G., D.Sc.,
ete. Issued under the Authority of the Commissioner of Agri-
culture for the West Indics. Second Edition, Price 2s.
tecognizing the importance of training the younger
generation in the West Indies to take an intelligent interest
in agricultural pursuits and in a knowledge of the principles
underlying the ordinary tillage and cultural operations, efforts
were made, early in the history of the Imperial Department
of Agriculture to encourage and facilitate the establishment
of a system of agricultural teaching in the Elementary and
Secondary schools of these colonies. In. order to qualify
elementary school teachers to give the right kind of instrue-
tion, courses of lectures on the subject, including practical
demonstration work, were, in many islands, provided for
them, while by the offer of scholarships and by provision for
the services of lecturers, much has been done to extend
agricultural teaching in the Secondary Schools of the West
Indies. Further, in order that a thoroughly suitable text-
book, well adapted to West Indian conditions, might be
available to teachers, the first edition of Dr. Francis Watts’
‘Nature Teaching’ was prepared and issued in 1901,

Of late years it is gratifying to note that the teaching of
Agricultural Science has been gaining in popularity among
school managers and teachers in these colonies, and since in
large numbers of cases the working of school gardens is being
carried on in conjunction with the lessons given by the
teacher, the practical side of the subject is kept well to the
front. Under these circumstances the appearance of a revised
and enlarged edition of ‘Nature Teaching’ (of which an
English edition, modified to suit British conditions, was
issued in 1903), should be especially welcomed.

The book extends to 240 pages, and is written in a very
clear and interesting style throughout. The information
given has been well selected, while its arrangement and
presentation are such as to give the maximum amount of
assistance to the teacher. In the course of the nine chapters
into which the book is divided, the subjects of plant life and
growth, the soil, its composition and the various conditions
influencing its fertility, manures, insect life, ete., are treated
at considerable length, and in a manner Well calenlated to
arouse the interest of the pupils. The first section of the
book deals with the seed, its parts, and conditions for germina-
tion, and this is followed by chapters which treat, in order, of
the root and its uses ; the stem and its structure, with ilus-
trated descriptions of the methods of grafting and budding ;
leaves, their structure and uses, water in plants, the relation
of plants to the atmosphere, and the food of plants ; the soil,
its composition, water in soils, etc.; manures and their use,
nitrogenous manures, mineral manures, leguminous plants and
nitrogen, etc.; flowers and fruits, uses of the different parts of
a flower, insects and flowers, dispersal of seeds, variation in
seedlings, etc.; weeds ; and finally the last ehapter deals with
insect life, and gives an account of the life-history of one or
two representative insects, with notes on general methods of
treatment for those that are destructive to growing crops.

The importance of practical demonstration work in teach-
ing agricultural science is kept well in view, and at the close
of each chapter is given a series of exercises and experiments
which illustrates the principles discussed. Some of the experi-
ments described are such as c§n° best be. carried out. in
school garden plots, but when these are not available, it
is shown that a good deal can be done by means of boxes and
pots alone. F

The book is illustrated, and at the close a glossary of the
scientific terms employed, ‘together with several appendices
have been added. The latter deal with the habits of plants,
classification of leaves, fruits, etc., and-have been inserted in
order to make the book as complete as possible for the
purposes of reference.

There is no doubt that pupils who have been carefully
euided through the course of work contained in Dr. Watts’
book will not only have had their powers of observation
developed and strengthened, and have learned to take an
active and intelligent interest in plant and insect life, but
they will also have gained a clear understanding of the various
factors which influence the growth and health of agricultural
crops, and acquired a fair amount of elementary scientific
knowledge that may serve as a sound basis for future study,

CACAO AT TRINIDAD.

The United States Consul at Trinidad has sent in
the following report on the cacao crop of the colony
during last season :—

The cacao crop of Trinidad for the year 1907 was
a very full one. Official figures show an export of
41,038,204 tb., an increase over the previous year of
12,409,660 Ib. These shipments were valued at approxi-
mately $8,900,000. Of this amount, however, the sum of
$1,300,000 is to be credited to Venezuelan cacao, which was
brought here in small boats from ‘that country to be prepared
and shipped to foreign markets. Of the 251,755 bags of cacao
shipped from Trinidad, 114,749 went to New York; 154,611
to Europe (principally France); and 2,388 bags to Canada.
Considering the high prices that the produce has realized, it
is a very gratifying crop. For the month of January,
46,159 bags were exported, which is very nearly treble the
output for January of the previous year.

The present outlook fora large crop during 1908 is
encouraging. Considerable interest has been manifested
here, in the past year, by both. the government and the
cacao planters in making a strong effort to eradicate the
fungus diseases and insect pests affecting the cacao trees.
The planters are giving more attention to the treatment of
the soil, cover crops, shade, wind belts, pruning, ete., and
endeavouring not only to maintain the high market
position which Trinidad cacao has,enjoyed for some years, but
to improve it.

—————

The Demerara Argosy in a lengthy editorial article
draws attention to the increasing depletion of the accessible
forest resources of the colony, as the result of indiscriminate
and reckless tree felling by Indians and others. With the
provision of transport facilities new sources of timber could
be reached in the interior, but in the meantime, it is urged
that more stringent regulatiens, controlling the felling of
timber and the planting of young trees should be made, and
enforced by the aid of officers appointed to carry them out

236

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

JuLy 25, 1908-

GLEANINGS.
A quantity of Castilled aabbet seed is now ready for

distribution at’ the Dominica’ Botanie Station, and planters
in the island can obtain supplies free on application.

Six hundred Para rubber plants (Hevea braziliensis),
growing in bamboo pots, are on sale at the Botanic Station,
Dominica. Price 3d. per plant. Application should be made
to Curator, Botanie Station.

The Tobago correspondent of the West India Committes
Circular reports that several planters in the island are
taking up tobacco culture in the hope of developing a profit-
able industry.

The shipment of bananas taken from Surinam by the
Royal Dutch Mail Company’s steamer ‘ Saramacea ’ on May
30 last, comprised 873 bunches of nine hands, 1,361 bunches
of eight hands, 15397 of (Demerara
Argosy.)

and seven hands.

Mr. J. H. Hart, FLL.S., retired from the post of Superin-
tendent of the Botanical Department, Trinidad, on June 30
last, after twenty-two years’ service in the colony. Mr. Frank
Evans, who was Mr. Hart’s chief assistant, has been appointed
Acting Superintendent for the present.

The British Consul at Progreso, Mexico, reports that the
exportation of logwood continues on a fair seale from
Yucatan. The logwood is, however, more difficult to obtain
than formerly, since the cuttings are further inland. During
1907 the quantity shipped from Yueatan reached 3,201,167
kilograms [1 kilo. = 2-2 Ib.}.

In Florida and other of the Southern States of America
interest in mango growing has lately been stimulated by the
introduction of fine-flavoured varieties of the fruit from the
Kast Indies. The 1907 report of the U.S. Secretary for
Agriculture states that many landowners are planting out
orchards of these lately introduced kinds.

Trials made fr the past to grow leguminous green crops
under cacao in Trinidad and Grenada, with the object of
enriching the soil in nitrogen, have so far failed, since the
plants did not flourish mder the heavy shade of the cacao
trees. It has been pointed out that this may possibly be due
to lack of proper nitrogen-assimilating bacteria in the soil,
and an effort is now being made by Mr. R. D. Anstead, B.A,,
Agricultural Superintendent:of Grenada, to decide this ques
tioh by carrying out experiments in growing ¢owpeas, which
have ‘been dnoculated ‘with suitable organisms, beneath the
shade of the caeao trees.

In reference tothe note on the plant Musa Gilletii,
(a native of the Congo Free State), which appeared. in the
Agricultural News of June 27 last, it may be mentioned that
a single jlant of this species was raised at the St. Vincent
Botanic Station, from the seed received from the Imperial
Commissioner of Agriculture, and is now growing well in the
grounds of the Agricultural School.

The fortnightly rice report dated July 10, of Messrs.
Sandback, Parker, & Co., Georgetown, states that the light
showers of rain that had lately fallen were most favourable
to the young crop, which continues to look well, and good
returns are anticipated. Shipments to the West Indian
Islands during the fortnight ending July 10, amounted to
1,200 bags of rice.

The President of Venezuela has recently issued a decree
prohibiting the cutting down of rubber trees in the districts
of Rio Negro and El Caura. Rubber must be extracted by
means of incisions. Balata trees may be cut down in certain
seasons, provided two new trees are planted. for each one
destroyed, but the cuttmg of trees under eight years is for-
bidden, unless they are fully developed.

Experiments in cotton growing are in progress in Portu-
guese East Africa, and interesting results have been obtained.
In one case, an acre of land on the Umbeluze river, about
20 miles from Lourengo Marques, yielded (nine months
after planting) 463 tb. of cotton and 1,384 Ib. of seed. The
variety is not stated, but the lint, unpressed and somewhat
discoloured, was sold in the United Kingdom at 7d. per Ib.
The export of copra from Zanzibar in 1907 was not so

as in 1906, being 143,163 ewt. as compared with
157,445 ewt. in the previous year. The value, however—-
£157,633 —was the highest on record. The price on the
local market averaged 5s, 8d. per 35 lb. in January, and rose
March.
decline to 4s. 3d. in

large

to 6s. 3d. in From that time there was a gradual

December. (British Consular Report.)

The number of bales of cotton imported into the United
Kingdom during the week ended May 21, 1908, was 16,110
(including 194 bales British West Indian and 774 bales
British West African). The number imported from January
1 of the present year down to May 21 was 1,877,843 bales
(ineluding 5,737 bales British West Indian and 3,405 bales
British West African).

Refreshing showers of rain fell at Barbados during the first
and second weeks of July, and the cane crop, which was very
backward as the result of the dry weather experienced in
June, has considerably improved in appearance. More rain is
sadly needed, however, or it would seem that only a short
crop of sugar can be expected. Green fodder and_ provisions
are at present scarce in the island and command high prices.

June was a very dry month. in British Guiana, the
average rainfall recorded being only 6°81 inches. This was
less than half the fall that took place in May, viz., 16°33

inches. The shortage was fairly general throughout the
three counties, the only stations at which much higher
figures were recorded being Canal Polder, West Bank,

Demerara, with 15 inches of rain, and Springlands and
Skeldon in Berbice, with 11°49 and 10°24 inches respectively.
For the six months ending June 30. last, the ayerage total
rainfall of British Guiana was 47°91 inches, while the fall for
the corresponding six months of 1907 reached 88-63 parts.

WVOLSIVEL NOs 163:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 237

THE PRINCIPAL FUNGUS DISEASES OF CACAO,

In continuation from the last issue of the Agri-
cultural News, the latter portion of the leaflet dealing
with fungus diseases of cacao, recently issued by the
Imperial Department of Agriculture, is reprinted
below :—

PINK DISEASE.

Occurrence. —The pink disease was first noticed in certain
localities of Dominceia, but it has subsequently been found on
some estates in St. Lucia.

Symptoms.—The smaller branches of cacao trees frequently
become covered with a pinkish incrustation. This spreads
all over the surface of the bark, which eventually cracks and
splits and peels off. Sometimes the fungus penetrates deeper
into the tissues of the branch. Then the branches die.

Spread.—The fungus (Corticium Cilaco-fuscum) that
causes this disease is only noticeable in the rainy season, but
the cracked bark showing where the branches have been
attacked is easily recognized during the drier portion of the
year.

Remedies.—This fungus may be destroyed by washing
the affected branches witha lime-sulphur yes This may be
made by mixing 74 tb. of slaked lime with 24 Ib. of flowers of
sulphur, with “10 gallons of water, and Bailing until the
mixture turns orange in colour, This when cold should then
be well rubbed on to the affected parts.

THREAD BLIGHTS.

Occurrence.—St.
and British Guiana.

Symptoms.—The fungi appear as sterile threads or
strands of various colours, running irregularly up and down
on the branches and stems, and closely adpressed to the bark.
They generally spread upwards over all the younger twigs
and buds, and then, not infrequently, pass to the leaves, and
appear on their under surfaces in the form of a network of
fine filaments. Small branches from these fungus threads
penetrate through the bark into the deeper tissues—thus
causing the death of the attacked portions of the trees.
Similar branches penetrate into the interior of affected leaves
and into the tissues of buds, and therefore. leaves and buds
may be killed out.

Remedies.—Vhorough and constant pruning, and the
burning of all diseased material appear to have kept these
diseases in check in St. Lucia. They may still be found in
damp, shaded portions of some estates, but can readily be
kept from spreading. Applications of lme-sulphur wash to
the fungal threads is also recommended, when heavy pruning
cannot satisfactorily be done.

Lucia, Dominica, Trinidad,

Tobago,

ROOT DISKASE.
Occurrence.—Dominica, Grenada, St, Lucia.
Symptoms.—Trees affected with root disease present

a sickly appearance. The leaves are small and of a yellowish

hue. The branches begin to die from the tips, the leaves

wilting and frequently hanging for some time on them.

If the roots of a diseased tree are laid ‘bare it will be seen
that many of the roots look black and are dead. If the bark is
peeled off from these roots, a white web. of fungus threads
will be found between the bark and the wood. This is
a typical sign of the disease. It is always to be observed in
the larger diseased roots, but cannot always;be noticed in the
younger ones. When the fungus has invaded all the roots,
or has circled the stem just below.the level of the ground,
the tree dies, Ls

Spread. —The-fungus that ¢auses this disease is known
to attack other plants, such as pois- -doux, bread-fruit, bread.
nut, avocado pear, ete., and not @ifrequently has an attack of
cacao trees been traced by the ve of the fungus under-
ground from one of these trees Mhat-has died or is dying.

Remedies.—Al\l| dead pois-ddaix, 1 bread-fruit, cacao trees
ete., should be removed, and theiroots extracted and burned.
When an area of cacao is observed to be attected, it should be
isolated from the remainder of the field by digging a trench
about 2 feet deep and 18 inches wide around it—eare being
taken to include everyone of the unhealthy trees in this
circumscribed area and to throw the earth from the trench
into the part cut off. This encircling trench should be
connected with the drainage system.

All the trees in this affected area must now be examined
carefully. The most badly diseased ones should be taken out
and burned—roots and everything ; others less badly affected
should have their roots laid bare and the soil removed as far
as possible. The diseased roots should be cut off and the
diseased portions removed from the soi]. A good application
of lime should then be given in the hole that has been made
around the tree, while laying bare the roots.

The whole of the affected circle should then be thorough-
ly forked and a good application of quick lime at the rate of
about 10 Ib. per tree should be broadcasted. After a time
applications of pen manure and mulchings should be given,
and in the following, year another application of lime at the

rate of about 3 to 4 Ib. per tree should be made. After the
first general thorough forking of the affected circle, it is advis-
able that further forking should not be given for some years
unless the trees are falling back, the land being kept in good
tilth by heavy mulchings. Forking always causes wounds to-
the roots, and if the “fungus is present in the soil, this
operation is the means of spreading the disease.

BROWN POD.

Occurrence.—In all cacao-producing districts.

Symptoms.—It commences asa brown, almost circular
spot, usually at either end of the pods or along one of the
grooves on the cacao pods. The decay spreads rapidly
throughout the whole pod, its surface becoming brownish-
black in colour all over. The podiis usually soft and rotten,
and all the beans are destroyed.

Spread.—This disease is caused by Diplodia cacaorcola,
and spreads by means of spores that break through the sur-
face of badly diseased pods.

Remedies. —This disease may readily be kept in check by
collecting all diseased pods and, together with nll husks and
shells, burying them with lime jn trenches or pits. An
epidemic of this disease could be checked by spraying all the
pods on the trees of a plantation with Bordeaux mixture,
after the diseased ones have been removed.

BLACK

Symptoms.—The attacked pods tum black and are
subsequently covered with the white mycelium of the fungus,
from which are given off large numbers of spores. These are
carried by wind and rain to other pods, which they quickly
attack.

Remedies.—-The

POD,

fungus that causes this disease ‘is
Phytophthora omnivora. The same remedies as recommended
for brown pod should be applied. These have’ proved to be
quite effective. A reduction in shide might be practised in
some localities, for too moist and shaded an atmosphere
favours the growth of the fungus.

Ww
rc)
roa)

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Juty 25, 1908:

SCIENCE NOTES.

A Toxic Substance Excreted by the Roots of Plants.

A short note giving descriptions of investigations
into a toxie substance excreted by the roots of a variety
of plants has recently been published by Mr. F.
Fletcher, M.A., B.Sc., Depnty Director of Agriculture,
Bombay, as No. 3 ot Vol. II, Botanical Series, of the
Memoirs of the Department of Agriculture in India.
It has frequently been suggested that plants
excrete (from their roots) some materia) that is no longer
of use to them or that are by-products of the
process of metabolism. | Further it has been held that
it is possible that such substances may be injurious
to the kinds of vegetation by which they are excreted.

Observations made by Mr. Fletcher some years ago
(while in Egypt) lead to the conclusion that certain phe-
nomena shown by crops growing in the field could only be
explained by the theory of excretion. This was especially
the ease with cotton crops in which a grass was allowed to
grow as a weed. Poor crops were often observed, and experi-
ments showed that neither lack of water or manures, nor
faulty aeration was the cause of the poor growth.

Observations in the field were subsequently resumed in
India, and these tended very materially to strengthen the
view that substances injurious to other plants were excreted
by the roots of certain common crops. ‘This was especially
the case with sorghum.

Plots of various crops were grown side by side at the
Surat Experiment Station, each plot being sown by means of
a drill in such a way that the rows were 2 feet apart, and were
parallel in all the plots. Further, several plots were left fal-
Jow, as it -was found that plants growing on the border of
a fallow gave a return teu times as great as that yielded by
others in the centre of the plot.
were sown in alternate rows in the same plot.

Also, cotton and sorghum

Observations were then made on the following points :
(1) The yield of the row of each crop bordering
on fallow.

2) The yield of the row of each crop bordering on
a plot bearing another crop.

(3) The yield of a vow of each crop in the centre
of a plot bearing only that crop.

(4) he yield of a row of cotton when grown with
a row of sorghum on each side (at a distance
of 2 feet).

(5) The yield of the row of sorghum when grown
with a cotton on side (at
a distance’ of 2 feet).

Under the particular conditions of soil and climate under
which the experiments were conducted, the following con-
clusions were arrived at, as the result of these observations :—

(1) All plants excrete substances which are toxic both
to themselves and to other species.

(2) The quantity of material excreted by the different
crops varies when reckoned per unit area of a field sown iu
the ordinary way.

(3) The sensitiveness of crops to the same quantity of
the excreted substance varies with the variety of the crop.

(4) The substance excreted by all crops is probably
identical.

In the experiment where cotton and sorghum were grown
in alternate rows, very interesting results were obtained.
The experiments were made on } acre plots, on land, the crop

row of each

and manurial record of which had been known for the
previous nine years. The sorghum yielded much better after
cotton than after sorghum and the converse also appeared
to be the case ; that is, cotton yielded less after cotton
than after sorghum, so that the whole results obtained would
appear to be an example of the benefits of 10tation.

A large number of water cultures with different plants
were carried out at the Dharwar Experiment Station, and
solutions of the excreta from their roots were obtained.
Seedlings placed with their roots im these solutions soon
withered, and the data given show that all the plants under
experiment withered in the same order in the different solu-
tions. All did worst in the excretory solution from Cicer
arietinum, followed in order by sesamum (Sesanvum indicum),
wheat, cotton, cajanus, and sorghum. The fact of this
regularity appears to favour the view put forward that the
substances excreted by various plants are identical, and that
the solutions used differ only in concentration and not in kind.

Preliminary chemical tests of the toxic substance
excreted by the plants have been made and tend to prove that
it is an alkaloid, and that the substances excreted by different
crops are apparently identical. The absence of sufficient
literature for reference has rendered it, as yet, impossible to
compare its reactions with those obtained with any of the
known alkaloids. The amount of substance given out by the
roots is not inconsiderable.

The toxic substance is precipitated by most of the
mineral manures in common use. This suggests the manner
in which many manures may possibly act towards increasing
crop yields, and indicates that the supply of so many units
of some fertilizing substance may not be the last word in
correctly interpreting the effects of manures. Further, the
precipitation of the substance by tannic acid raises many
interesting points in connexion with the manurial value of
leaves of different varieties of trees both as manure and as
mulch. In this connexion, the author of this note states that
in spice gardens and rice fields in Canara, leaves (containing
tannic acid) are Systematically used as manure, and that the
cultivator’s opinion as to the manurial value of the leaves of
any variety of treéuppeared to correspond with the amount
of tannic acid which analysis showed to be contained in these
That it the ash constituents of these leaves
which produce the manurial effect is obvious from the fact
that if the leaves’ be burnt and the ashes applied to peppers—
one of the spices to which the leaf manure is applied—the
pepper plants are killed. Similarly, neither irrigation nor
farmyard manure serves the purpose of the leaves, The
latter, therefore, serve neither for the storage and regulation
of water nor as a supply of nitrogen.

leaves. is not

The isolation of this toxic substance in solution,
and the experimental proof of its presence and ettects
in the case of a large number of plants, are of consider-
able interest, and constitute another advance in scientific
agriculture. Further experiments with other plants,
and in different parts of the world will be locked for
with interest. The ettect of the result of this inquiry
on the question of rotation of crops is obvious. Each
crop, through the excretion of this toxic substance,
fouls the soil for a crop of the same variety, whose roots
will occupy the same layer of soil as the previous crop
more than for a crop whose roots spread in another layer?

Vout. VII. No. 163.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 239

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.

Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has- forwarded - the
following report on the London drug and spice market
during the month of May :—

The condition of the market throughout the month of
May was characterized by its general dullness, and though
a month had elapsed since the previous drug sale the
demands at the first drug auction on May 7 were exceedingly
slow and without interest. In the matter of products aftect-
ing the West Indies the following are the chief items :—

GINGER.

At the first auction of the month Jamaica was not
represented, but some 500 bags of new crop Cochin and
Calicut were offered and bought in. In the following week,
however, a very large offering of Jamaica was made, amount-
ing to 1,180 packages, of which 350 were disposed of at the
sale and afterwards, at steady rates, common fetching from
5ds. to 56s. and good ordinary to middling 60s, 6d. to 67s.
Fair medinm to bold phamp washed Cochin realized at the
same sale 57s. Some African was also offered and bought
in at 25s. to 26s, per ewt. On the 20th, Jamaica was again
brought forward in large quantity, some 700 packages being
offered. ‘The demand, however, was slow, but at the auction
and afterwards some 500 packages were disposed of at the
following rates : good 76s. to 8O0s., fair to good common,
56s, to 62s. 6d., and common 51s. These prices were a general

decline of from Is. to 2s. on previous rates. There was
a fair supply of Cochin and Calicut at this sale, but only
80 bags were disposed of ; rough Calicut fetched 34s., and

shed Cochin was bought in at from 37s. to 38s. Jamaica
was again in good supply at the last sale on the 27th, over
900 packages being brought forward, 600 of which found
buyers at the sale and afterwards. The quotations were—
good to fine washed from 80s. to 87s., beld 72s., dull washed
62s, to 65s., small to good common 454s. to 60s., and very
common 51s. to 52s

NULMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO.

At the first spice sale some 299 packages of nutmegs
were offered and disposed of at irregular rates. A week later
125 packages of West Indian were offered and about 100 sold
at steady rates. No quotations were made later. About
72 packages of West Indian mace were brought forward at
the first spice auction and disposed of at the following rates :—
1s. 4d. to 1s. 5d. for good pale and reddish, 1s. 2d. to 1s. 4d
for fair to good red, and 10d. to 1s. 3d. for ordinary broken
to good pale. Very slight changes occurred in these prices
at Tater periods of the month. Pimento at. the first auction

was very slow of sale: 183 bags were offered and all were
bought in at 24d. to 22d. per th. On the 20th, 510 bags
were offered il 300 sold, barely fair to fair Rerching: 23d. to

At the last sale, 235 bags were offered and

24d. to 2bd. per I Ib.

24d.
in at from

all bought

ARROW ROOT.

At the beginning of the month there was no demand foi
this article, the whole of the offerings at ) first sale being
bought in. At the second auction on the 1sth, 98 barrels of

St. Vincent were sold without reserve at from 12d. to 2d.

for ordinary to fair manufacturing. A week later there was
a slight advance in prices, 38 barrels being sold out of

70 offered, at lid. to 24d. for the same
20 boxes of good Natal were also offered
bought in at 43d. per tb. The latest

quality. About
at this sale and
quotations for the

4

month for ordinary to fair manufacturing St. Vincent were
2d. to 24d. per tb.

SARSAPARILLA.

Prices of this drug have remained steady throughout the
month for nearly all descriptions. Grey Jamaica still remains
exceedingly scarce. At the first drug sale on the 7th,
20 packages of grey Jamaica were offered and all were sold ;
13 bales fetched 2s, to 2s. 1d. sper tb. One shilling and
seven pence to 2s. was paid for Water-damaged. Ten bales
of native Jamaica fetched 1s. ld. to 1s. 2d. per tb. for fair
red, ls. for ordinary yellow, and 9d. for sea-damaged, Some
bales of pale yellow to dull red sold at 1s. to Is. 1d.

KOLA, TAMARINDS, LIME JUICE, ETC,

Eighty packages of kola were offered at the first sale, and
52 sold. They consisted of West African from St. Thome,
which sold at 13d. per Ib. Fair dried West Indian and
Ceylon realized from 13d. to 1? per Ib. Tamarinds have
appeared during the month from both India and the West
Indies, At the first sale, 32 barrels of new crop Barbados
were sold at 15s. per ewt. in bond, another 6 barrels
of Nevis being also disposed of at the same price. The
following week, 5 casks of fair Caleutta were also sold
without reserve at Ils. 6d. per ecwt., and at the last
sale 44 packages of Barbados were disposed of at 13s. to 14s.
per ewt. in bond. Of lime juice, 3 hogsheads of good pale
raw West Indian were offered at the first auction and realized
is. 2d. per gallon, while for 7 puncheons of similar quality
ls. 3d. was paid. Two cases of West Indian distilled oil of
lime were sold at the first auction at ls. 10d. per tb. At the
close of the month Is. 10d. to 2s were the quotations for this
quality oil of lime. West Indian distilled orange oil, of
which 1 case was offered at the beginning of the month,
fetched 5s. per th. A large quantity of cashew nuts, the
source of which was not stated, were offered about the
middle of the month and 5 bags described as ‘husky’ were
sold without reserve at 24s. per cwt.

SCHOOL GARDENS AT BARBADOS.
The latest report (1907) of the Inspectors of
Elementary Schools, Barbados, contains the following
reference to school garden work in the colony :—

We have made little progress under the head of Agri-
cultural Instruction, and we are not likely to make much

until the Legislature allots a special grant for the subject.
We have, however, not retrograded. About the same number
of schools took up the subject as in the year before, and the
number of passes is about the same. Some of the school
gardens that were satisfactory than others have been
given up, but the work in the better gardens has improved.
At the Applewhaite’s local show in December last, the
exhibits numbered 122, and were, distinctly better than at
There is a great difficulty in obtaining

less

any previous show.

land for school gardens in this island, and even sites for
school buildings cannot easily be procured.

yur opinion is that model school gardens might be
started in suitable localities where the pupils from neigh-
bouring schools would receive instruction on one afternoon in

If their work could be supervised by an officer
Imperial Department of Agriculture
This plan has been adopted in
Government,
Department

every week,
with the
SUCCESS would be assured.
British Guiana, and the cost is defrayed by the
while the gardens are under the control of the
of Science and Agriculture.

connected

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

* Juty 26, 1908:

MARKET’ REPORTS.

London,— July 7, 1908, ‘THe West Inpta Com-

MITTEE CrrcuLAR; Messrs. KEarvon, Piper & Co.,

July 7, 1908.

Arrowroot—2}d. per Tb.

Batata—Sheet, 2/- to 2/4 ; block, no quotations.

Bres’-wax—Good quality, £7 17s. 6d. to £8 per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 63/- to 75/- per ewt.; Grenada, 54/- to
58/- per cwt.

CorrrE—Santos, 29s. per ewt.; Jamaica, no quotations.

Corra—West Indian, £17 per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, 14d. to 15d.; Barbados, 14d. to 15d.;
St. Kitt’s, Idd. to 15d.; Montserrat, 14d. to 15d.
per lb.

Frvuir—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 5/- per bunch,
Lives—Unsaleable.

Pine-appLes—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/- each.
Grare Fruirr—1l2/- to 14/- per box.
OrancEs—Jamaica, 11/- to 12/- per box.

Fustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

GiIncer—Quiet.

Honry—2Us. to 32s. per cwt.

Isinciass—West India lump, 1/6 to 2/1 per lb.; cake,
no quotations.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£13 10s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 2/1
to 2/2 per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per th.

Locwoon—£3 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, uo quotations.

Mace—(uiet ; no quotaticns.

Nurmecs—(Quiet.

Pimenro—Quiet ; 2hd. to 2)d.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/- to 8/-; Demerara, 1/6 to 1/74 per

eallon ; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 18/6 to 19/6 per ewt.; Muscovado,
16/24 ; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6,

New York,—June 26, 1908.—Messrs. Giniuspie, Bros.

& Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 13c. to 14$c. ; Grenada, 12sc. to 13#c. ;
Trinidad, 124c. to 14c.; Jamaica, lle. to 13e. per Tb.
Cocoa-Nuts—Jamaica, select, $23°00 ; culls., $14°50; Trini-
dad, $22:00; culls, $14°00 per M.

Corree—Jamaica, good washed, 9c. to 11¢.; good ordinary,
Tie. to Sie. mi

GInceR— 10}c. to Ide. per tb.

Goat Skiss—Jamaica, 50c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St.
Kitt’s; d6c. to 47c., dry flint, per Th.

Grave Frov—Jamaicas, 3°00 to $450 per box and $5:00
to S800 per barrel.

Limes—Dominica, $6°50 per barrel.

Macr 19e. to Ble. per tb.

Noutrmecs—110's, 9c. per th.

(rances—Jamaica, $1°70 to $3-00 per barrel.

VPimento— 4}c. per tb

SuGar—Centrifugals, 96°, 4°40c. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3 90c. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°65c, per tb., duty paid.

l
5)
>
»

INTER-COLONIAL MARKBTS.

Barbados,—Messrs. Leacock & Co., July 20, 1908;

Messrs. ~T. §. Garraway & Co.,. July 21,
1908

ARROWROOT—St. Vincent, $4:00 to $4°10 per 100 tb.
Cacao—Dominica, $14°00 to $15°00 per 100 Tb,
Cocoa-Nurs—$16°00 per M. for husked nuts.
Corrre—Jamaica, €8°50 to $9°00 per 100 tb.

Hay— $1°65 per 100 tb.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, 65°00 ; Ohlendortf's dissolved
guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00 ; Cacao manure,
$48-00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $75°00; Sulphate of
potash, $67-°00 per ton.

Morasses—No quotations.

Onrons—Strings, $2°00 to $2°25 per 100 th.

Poraros, EnGiisH—$3-00 per 160 bb.

PeEas—Split, $6°60 ; Canada, $3°25 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $5°96 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°80 ; Rangoon,
$3°00 per 100 tb.

Sucar—Museovado, 89°, $2°05 per 100 tb., package in-
cluded; Dark crystals, $2°50; Centrifugals, $2°35 to
$2°75 per 100 th.

British Guiana,—GerorcerowN CuampBer or Con-

MERCE FORTNIGHTLY MARKET Reporr, July 10,
1908.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $9°50 per barrel.

Baxara—-Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c.
per Ib.

Cacao—Native, 138c. to 18c. per tb.

Cassava—d0e.

C ava SrarcH—$9°00 per bacrel of L96 Tb.

Cocoa-NutTs—$16'00 per M.

Corree—Creole, 12c. to 13c.; Jamaica, 12c. per th.

Duat— $6:00 per bag of 168 tb,

Eppos— 0c. per barrel.

Monassres— Yellow, 234c¢

Onrons—Madeira, 25
per tb.

Pranvrains—36e. to 60c. per bunch.

s,—English, $2°60 to $2°75 per barrel.

Poratros, Swert—Barbados, $1°68 per bag.

Rick—Ballain, $6°40; Creole, $5°60 to $5-°75 for good ;
Seeta, $6°00 per bag.

Spire Peas—$6°25 per bag (210 Tb.); Lisbon, $4°50.

Tannras—$1'44 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $4°60 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°75; Yellow, $3°50 ; White,

.; Dark, no quotations.

.; Lisbon, 2$c. to 3c. ; Dutch, 3c.

$3°80 to $400; Molasses. $2°25 per 100 tb. (retail).
Timper—Greenheart, 32c. to 5dc. per cubic four.
WALLABA SHINGLES 50 to $a°50 per M.
Corpwoop—$2"40 to $2°64 per ton.

Trinidad,—July 11, 1908.—Messrs. Gorvon, Grant

& Co.
Cacao—$11°75 to $1300 per fanega.
Cocoa-Nuts—$20°00 per M., f.o.b.
Cocoa-NuT O1—d8e. per Imperial gallon, cask included.
Corree—Venezuelan, no quotations.
Copra—-$2°50 to $2°75 per 100 tb.
Duat—-$4°90 to $5°00 per 2-bushel bag.
Ontons—81°75 to $1°80 per 100 th. (retail).
Poraros, ExerisH—$1°40 to $1°50 per 100 Th.
Ricr— Yellow, $5°40 to $5°65; White, $4°90 to $5°75 per bag.
Sprrv Preas—$5°85 to $6-00 per bag.
Sucar—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°10 per 100 tb.

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IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES

Vou. VIL No. 164. BARBADOS,
CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAGE.
Agricultural Conference Poultry Keeping in the
Picture oie ase) snes West Indies ... ees
Banana Growing in Mexico 249 Ele ENO a aye
= oN ee awall bed fees) eel ao
Banana Industry in Canary AIS Fe sal ON
Islands Des pe eee ally nega Seer
; j ‘1 aps tubber Exhibits from
Botanical Expedition to Dominic: 248
Jamaica sect bese 1,20a Cee params SORT PRET Pinan are
Rubber, Guayule, in
Cacao from British INVEXICOMMN A | tee, 00s 249
Honduras ... ... «2. 251) Rubber, Lnproved Process
Cotton Notes : for Preparation of ... 254
Cotton Market in Sea Rubber in Southern
Islands Bree gen ie 2246 INTEC. “Seq sdke sae easy!
St. Lott’sand Montserrat; SchoolGardensin England 247
Manurial Experiments Science Notes :
with Cotton at ... 0... 246) Carbon Bisulphide, Kffect
West Indian Cotton ... 246 on Soil Fertility... 251
West Indian Cotton on Sugar Industry :
the Liverpool Market 246) Antigua and St. Kitt’s,
Gleanings . see nee nee 252 vane ie: :. 949
Grenada, Prize-holdings Giioai Indtctee~ Best. 4
Competition at... 0... 247 Neer one Benya eeuy 1D ,
Germanys... <2. -..- 248
Honey Production in Sugar Industry in
Californive ss. cae. se et0 Hawaiian Islands ... 242
Insect Notes : Sugar-refining Industry
Coleoptera... ... ... 250 IN apANyees Gass) ces edo
Tace Bark Tree of Sweet Potatos... ee nee LOD
Jamaica a Tobacco Experiments in
Market Reports... the Bahamas 253

West Indies.

:]

r
ita)

OULTRY keeping isan industry carried on

= by agriculturists in all parts of the world,
nN and one which should possess good possibi-
XN

* lities of profit in rural districts in the tropics, where,
f

since it is not always possible to obtain a daily supply
of fresh meat, the poultry yard has to be relied upon

AUGUST 8, 1908. Price ld,

to supply a considerable proportion of the animal food

required by all classes of the community.

The profitable nature of poultry raising depends
very much upon the amount of care and attention
which the birds receive, and for this reason the most
satisfactory results are usually obtained by agri-
culturists on a small scale, who possess or rent no
more than a few acres of land, and carry out themselves
all the details of work connected with the manage-
ment of their holding. Thus it is seen that the ponltry
industry is most prominent in those countries where
small holders predominate, 1e., im France, Denmark,

Italy, and latterly in Ireland.

Fowls are kept very generally by people of all
classes in the West Indies, although it cannot be said
that much systematic attention is given to their
breeding and management. A flock frequently
consists of mongrel birds, of inferior utilitarian charac-
ter, which are allowed to stray where they will, and
pick up food where trey can. Hens are often kept
after they have reached an age when they are no longer
profitable layers, and nothing is done to prevent

repeated in-breeding,

Bearing these facts in mind, the Imperial Depart-
ment of Agriculture has in the past made considerable
ettorts to improve local breeds of poultry. To this end
in many of the West Indian Islands birds of improved
breed have been imported and eggs from them
distributed. With the object of providing further
assistance to poultry raisers, a pamphlet (No. 23)
entitled ‘ Notes on Poultry in the West Indies,’ was in
1903 issued by tie Department. This pamphlet, which
was prepared by Mr. John Barclay of Jamaica, who has
had considerable personal experience in connexion with

242

THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aucustr 8, 1908.

the subject, contains full and practical details in regard
to the selection, rearing, and feeding of poultry and the
treatment of diseases, exactly suited to West Indian
conditions.

The number of breeds of poultry is legion, and
since the great majority of these originated in temper-
ate where they naturally best,
a considerable amount of discrimination is necessary to
select those breeds which shall be most satisfactory in
the tropics.
into (1) table breeds, (2) laying breeds, and (3) ‘ general

climates, flourish

The different varieties may be divided

purpose ’ fowls.
the Dorking, and the English Game stand pre-eminent
bo} fo}

For table purposes the Indian Game,

among breeds, being large and Heshy, and with meat of

excellent quality. At shows of table poultry in Eng-
land, the chief prizes are usually awarded to birds
which are the product of a cross between the Dorking
and one of the Game breeds. In Jamaica the Tndian
Game 1s a favourite bird among pen-keepers, and it. is
pointed out by Mr. Barclay that it is more snitable to
The

Dorking is suitable for dry localities in the West Indies

the climate than any other breed of table bird.

where there is plenty of shade and a good run, but the
birds have not been so suecessful in Jamaica as the
Game breeds. The hens of the three breeds mentioned

are all poor layers but good sitters.

As laying breeds the Leghorns and Minoreas are
undoubtedly the best, and the former is probably the
most profitable variety of hen that can be kept in the
West Indies.
possesses the record for number of eggs laid by any

It is hardy, active, a good forager, and

breed. The Leghorn, too, appears to thrive equally well
both in wet end exposed localities, and also in hot as
in dry districts, in confinement and at Jarge, Minorcas
are also excellent layers of large eggs. They thrive in
warm sheltered places and give very profitable returns,
but will not stand exposure so well as the Leghorns.
The Buff Orpington is another breed possessing good
laying properties, and the birds have lately gained
much in favour in the West Indies.

Of the general purpose or ‘all-round’ breeds of

fowls, the best known and most. satisfactory are the
Plymouth Rock, the Buff Orpington, and the
Wyandotte. The Buff ( ypington is an excellent table

fowl, and, as mentioned above, yields a good number of

eggs. The Plymouth Rock and Wyandotte origini-
ated in the United States, where they were produced
table With the
smaller laying breeds, and by careful selection of the

by crossing heavy Asiatic breeds

most suitable among the offspring. They are good

general utility fowls, the hens are satisfactory layers,
yood sitters, and make excellent mothers.

The most economical method of feeding hens is
a subject deserving a good deal of consideration. In
the West Indies the birds are fed almost entirely on
maize, which is cheap and abundant, and provided the
hens get plenty of liberty, and are not fed too heavily,
Like most West
Indian grown poultry foods (rice, Guinea corn, yams,

this substance is fairly satisfactory.

sweet potatos, tannias), however, maize possesses an
excess of starch, and is deficient in nitrogenous (or
flesh-forming) constituents. A common result of teed-
ing too much maize or other starchy food is that the
birds become over-fat and numbers die from apoplexy
or other diseases, brought on by this condition. By
the addition of a certain proportion of pigeon or other
peas, cocoa-nut, or meat scraps, to the maize, the
provision of the necessary nitrogenous constituents is
ensured, and such a complete or ‘ balanced ’ food meets
Soft

food such as a mixture of various meals, should be

all the requirements of the animal organism.

given to fowls in the morning, and hard food. as
a mixture of corn and pigeon-peas (the latter roughly
ground or broken), be fed in the evening. The propor-
tion of corn to peas should be two parts of the former
to one of the latter.

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Sugar Industry in the Hawaiian Islands.

The Sugar Planters’ Association of Hawaii reports
that the 1907 sugar crop of the Hawaiian Islands
amounted to 440,017 short tons (1 short ton = 2,000 tb.),
which is the lirgest on record. Of this quantity the
island of Hawaii produced 143,891 tons, Oahn 119,273
tons, Maui 104.772 tons, and Kauai 72.081 tons.

The exports of raw sugar in 1907 show a large increase
both in quantity and value over the shipments of 1906. In
1906 the total quantity exported was 518,108 tons, valued
at £4,768,161, whereas, in 1907, the raw sugar exports from
Hawaii reached the total of 359,039 tons, valued at
£5,372,000, an increase of 40,931 tons in quantity and
£603,839 in value. With the exception of a small quantity
dealt with in mills on the, islands, the whole of the sugar
produced is shipped to San Francisco for refining.

The exports of refined sugar from Hawaii show a decline
during last year. In 1906 the value of the refined. sugar
exported amounted to £330,925, but in 1907 it dropped to
£166,599,

The sugar industry has developed very rapidly in the
Hawaiian Islands during the past’ twenty-five years. In

Vor. VIL ~ No. 164.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 245

1882 the crop is reported to have been 57,000 short tons,
while the possible output of the islands was estimated at
about 84,000 short tons, or less than one-fifth of the crop
yield of the past year.

The sugar planters of Hawaii have formed an association,
which at its own expense maintains an Experiment Station,
with a stiff of scientific officers. A valuable series of experi-
ments, designed to assist the sugar industry, is in progress at

the station. These include trials of seedling and other
varieties of cane, manurial experiments, the breeding of
parasites to control such pests as the cane borer and cane-

leaf hopper, and the investigation of fungus diseases affecting
the plants.

Varieties of Cane Planted at Antigua and
Kitt’s.

_ The first part of the report on the Sugar-cane
Experiments curried out in the Leeward Islands during
1906-7 contains an appendix dealing with the pr esent
position as regards the planting of new varieties of
sugar-cane at Antigua and St. Kitt’s.

In Antigua, prior to 1895, practically only the Bourbon
cane was grown. by that year the serious ravages of cane
diseases, principally rind fungus (Zrichosphaeria sacchar’),
necessitated search for varieties of cane of greater disease-
resisting character, and as a result the Bourbon was almost
entirely replaced by the White Transparent. Since the latter
became the standard cane in Antigua, the experimental
introduction of newer and improved ‘varieties of sugar-cane
has still continued, and a considerable area in the island
is now planted with seedling canes.

A tabular statement is given in the appendix mentioned,
which shows the acreages planted with different varieties of
canes on sixty-four estates in Antigua for the crops of 1907
and 1908, while as regards the crop of 1908, returns are
also provided from eleven additional estates, the total
seventy-five estates practically comprising the whole island

In the crop of 1907, on sixty-four ites, there were
8,879} acres reaped. Of this area 6,787 acres were White
Transparent and 190 acres only of Bourbon. There were,
therefore. 1,902} acres of other varieties, or 21-4 per
cent. of the area of these sixty-four estates. On the same
estates for the crop of 1908, there were reaped 8,6114 acres
of canes. Of these 6,3455 acres were White Transparent
and 138 acres Bourbon. The new varieties, therefore,
occupy 2,128} acres, or 24°] per cent. The reduction of 268
acres in the acreage planted in 1908 on the above estates as
compared with the acres age of 1907.is, it is stated, probably
traceable to labour diftculties.

Taking into account the eleven additional estates above
mentioned, ain gives the total planted area on the seventy-
five estates for the c crop of 1908, as 9,811 acres of land. Of
this, 7,092} acres are planted in White Transparent canes
and 140 acres in Bourbon. Uh te, therefore, 2,578
acres planted in new varieties, or 26°2 per cent. of the total

planting. The new canes most Pach: planted at Antigna
are B.147, Sealy Seedling, B.208, and D.95. The areas

planted with canes B.109 ‘and B.306— are being decreased,
since it is stated that both these canes come under suspicion
as regards their freedom from disease.

Reliable records of field results on a large seale with
different varieties of cane on Antigua estates are not easy
to obtain, but some particulars that have been collected are
included in the appendix referred to. The figures given show
that D,95 has given very satisfactory results on several estates,

the yields of cane recorded ranging from 31-3 tons to 42
tons per acre. The few returns obtainable relating to B. 147
show that it yielded from 19°3 to 29-2 tons as plant canes, and
19°6 tons as ratoons ; in two cases recorded B.208 has given
26°35 and 29-4 tons per acre respectively, Sealy Seedling
from 18-4 to 2 tons, while in regard to White Trans-
parent, tor which a much larger number of returns were
obtainable, yields of from 20 to 35-2 tons per acre are
recorded, :

A return has also been compiled, and i sincluded in the
report, giving the areas under each variety of cane on forty-
thiee estates at St. WKitt’s, representing practically the
entire area at present under cultivation in that island, and
comprising 7,506 acres. The White Transparent cane is planted
on 2,i71 acres, while the area planted with Bourbon cane is
no more than 21 acres. There are, therefore, no less than
5,314 acres, or 71 per cent. of the whole, under cultivation
with new varieties of sugar-cane at St. Kitt’s.

‘the relatively larger proportion of the total area at
St. Kitt’s that is planted. with seedling canes, as compared
with Antigua, is noticeable. It is explained that the
Jamaica variety of the White Transparent cane introduced
into St. Nitt’s ten years ago with the object of replacing the
disease siricken Bourbon, did not show the same immunity to
disease in the island which it had shown elsewhere. It was
therefore at once necessary to find some other aud more
disease-resistant cane, and the one which appeared best to
meet the needs of the St. Kitt’s planters was the seedling
B. 147. For several years, therefore, B. 147 and the
White Transparent have been the two chief varieties planted
in the island, and the areas occupied by these two canes for
the crop of 1908 were 2,708 and 2,171 acres respectively.

B. 208 also is now largely planted at St. Kitt’s, no less
than 2,101 acres being under cultivation with this cane for
the crop of 1908. The results of the sugar-cane experiments
conducted by the Imperial Department of Agriculture show
that B. 208 is admirably suited to the soil and climatic
conditions which exist at St. Kitt’s. Sea Island cotton is
grown at St Kitt’s as a catch ae between two cane crops,
and it is desirable, for the successful working of this system
of cultivation, that the variety of cane grown should posses:
a short cycle of growth, and mature early. In these
respects B. 208 is superior to B. 147, and it is pointed out
that the introduction of cotton cultivation into the island has
therefore probably had an influence in extending the area
planted with the cane B. 208.

Sugar-refining Industry in Japan.

The sugar-refining industry showed signs of rapid
development i in Japan some three or four years ago, and in
1906 the value of the refined sugar exported to China and
Corea exceeded £1,000,000 sterling. In 1907, however,
owing to strong competition by factories at Hong-Kong, the
value of the sugar exported from Japan to China feil to
£172,000.

The latest British Consular Report on the trade of

Japan, however, speaks of the sugar industry of the country as
a highly promising one, provided it gets a fair chance of
dey elopment. The raw sugar for the 1 refining factories is at
present imported chiefly from Java, the Philippine Islands, and
Germany, but it is hoped that in time Formosa will be able

to supply Japan’s requirements for this commodity. In 1906
Formosa produced 77,000 tons of raw sugar; in 1907 the

weather was unfavourable, and

than 62,000 tons.

the output was little more

TBE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

Aucusr 8, 1908.

ix
RRS

WEST INDIAN. FRUIT.

BANANA INDUSTRY IN THE CANARY
ISLANDS.

Official returns relating to the exports of bananas
from the Canary Islands during the past year show that
there has been a slight falling off in the shipments as
compared with 1906. The number of crates exported
in 1907 were 2.391,297. as compared with 2,476,044.
in the previous year. This decline does nat
indicate that there is any permanent
production.

however,
decrease In

It is reported by the British Consul at the Canaries
that the quality of the bananas from. those islands has lately
shown signs of degeneration, aud this is stated to be due to
the number of years that the land has been under the same
cultivation, and to the deficient system of manuring practised.
Ripe-rot caused by (Gloeosporium musaruney Was last year
evident in the case of large numbers of bunches.

Owing to steady emigration from the Canaries to Cuba,
the fruit business of the islands is suffering much from want
of labour. The profits of the banana industry are also. stated
to have been diminished by the increased cost of irrigation,
and as the result of the keen competition exercised by the
Jamaica fruit on the British market.

In regard to the destination of the banana shipments,
the great bulk, 2,119,684 crates, went to the United King-
dom. his quantity is, however, less by 165,000. crates
than the British imports of Canary Islands bananas in 1906.
On the other hand, the exports to several European countries
show a considerable increase, Germany took 168,098 crates
of bananas, France 77,510 crates, and Spain 26,005. crates.

The British Consul the belief that with
increased facilities for shipment to Continental ports, the
shipments of bananas in that direction would largely increase.
It is evident that the French and German people
ing a taste for the fruit, and that

expresses

are acquir
With the provision of
a better system of shipment and distribution, a largely
extended market for the banana will be found. ;

A considerable proportion of the bananas shipped to
Marseilles is re-exported to Egypt, where, it is stated, the
fruit finds a ready sale, despite the high price at which it is
retailed,

The steamship companies engaged in the

‘

transport
trade recently combined, with one exception, to increase the
freight charges from the Canaries to Great Britain.

At the beginning of 1907, the cost of transport to
London was Is. 3d. per crate, plus 10 per cent. of the value,

Towards the end of the year this was raised to 1s. 3d. per erate,
plus 10 per cent. The rate to Liverpool was reduced to
6d. per crate, but afterwards advanced to ls. This increase
of freight charges has caused a good deal of dissatisfaction
among producers, and rates will possibly be again reduced.

THE ROSELLE OR RED SORRBL.

Considerable attention has, during the past few
years, in the Hawanan Islands been given to the
cultivation and utilization of the red sorrel (Hibiscus
subdaritia), so well known in the West Indies. The
piant has been grown at the Hawaiian Agrioaltural
Experiment Station, and the fruits made into jams
and jellies. The following details are given in the
report for 1907 on the work of the station, as to
methods of cultivation of the plant :—

In Honolulu it
in boxes or seed beds towards the end of February or early in
March, and to transplant to the open field when the plants
have attained a height of 6 or 8 Seed planted
before this date has produced plants which have borne
prematurely and have not produced the main crop earlier
than those from the seed planted later. The plants should
about 3 to 4 feet apart in the row, and the rows
If the soil is good and moisture
abundant, 4 by 6 feet will not be too great a distance.

The the not,
richest, but good soil will yield corresponding]
A small amount of after-cultivation will be
order to keep the soil well tilled and supplied with moisture.

The yields in the experiment conducted at the station
would average from 6,000 to 7,000_ th per acre with a very

The cost of picking these fruits
would to $c. If produced in- sufticient
supply to a regular article on the market, they
would probably command a price of te. per Ib. Allowing $e.
for the cost of gathering and Je. for packing materials, there
would remain 3e. per lb. as the value of the fruit on the
plants. Taking the yield at 6,000 lb., this would represent
a value of S180 per acre for the erop in the field.

Messrs. Pickford & Black report that from January 1 to
Jnne 50 of the present year they shipped over 35,000 barrels
of flour from Canada to the West Indies and British Guiana,
as compared with 20,000 barrels shipped in the first six
months of 1907. (Maritime Merchant, July 9, 1908.)

is best to plant the seeds of the roselle

inches.

stand
from 4 to 6 feet apart.

the

good results.

soil for roselle need however, be

necessary in

moderate use of water,

be from Je.

per lb.

become

Vom Vill, No: 164:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

245

HONEY PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA.

Bee keeping 1s an important industry in California
as may be judged from the fact that in a good season

as much as 9,000,000 Ib. or 4.500 tons of honey are
produced. Southern California furnishes the largest
contribution, the San Joaquin valley coming next. ‘The

British Consul at San Francisco, in his latest report,
gives the following interesting particulars in regard
to the methods followed by the Californian apiarists :—

Most bee-keepers in California consider 100 to 300 hives
sufficient for any one farm, The honey gathering is usually
from April to September, depending upon the weather and
the length of the blooming period of the bee forage. The
extracting season commences in May or June and is usually
about six or eight weeks in duration. Much of the Califor
nian product consists of the famous mountain sage honey
which is said to be the mildest flavoured honey in the world.
In the northern part of California bees gather their
from the flowers of the carpet grass and the eucalyptus ; in
the central counties from alfafa and orange blossoms, white,
black, and purple sage, samach and wild buck-wheat.

The method of honey extracting is interesting. Details
vary in different apiaries, but in one called the model apiary
the process is as follows: With a hand car or small truck
the apiarist stops beside a laden hive ; this hive is of two
stories, sometimes three. With a thin-bladed knite he loosens
one edge of the lid, which the bees always glue fast, and
thrusts the mouth of the smoker beneath it. With quick
pressure of the bellows he sends the smoke into the chamber
and the bees huiry below to avoid suffocation. He lifts the
combs and brushes away the stupetied bees. If the honey is
capped over, or partially so, he puts the combs into wooden-
handled baskets made for the purpose, and when he has
a load the car is pushed to the extracting house.

Well-tilled comb hives weigh from 8 to 12 Ib., according
to thickness of the comb and the specific gravity of the
honey. Inside the extracting house is a deep tin-tlined
uncapping box occupying nearly one whole side of the room,
and in this box the frames are suspended until wanted.
Uncapping is largely done by women. The frame containing
the comb is balanced on one edge of the uncapping box and
the operator with a long knife dexterously slices off a thin
sheet of wax, thus destroying the cell seals. As the combs
are uncapped they are placed in the baskets of the extractor,
which are reversible, and the honey is thrown out by
centrifugal force. From the bottom of the extractor runs
a 3-inch pipe on a gentle incline to @ tank outside the extract-
ing house. This tank will hold several thousand pounds of

stores

honey. Across the opening of the pipe where it leaves the
extractor is fastened a section of wire netting with rather

coarse meshes to keep pieces of comb or refuse from passing
into it.

In the top of the receiving tank is suspended a white
flannel bag 2 feet in length, in the upper part of which is
run an iron hoop some | foot 3 inches in diameter, and which
just fits the opening in the tank; this further strains the
honey. The honey is then drawn into tin cans, holding from

12 to 60 tb. each.~

RICH CULTIVATION IN HAWAIL

Rice is the agricultural product of second impor-
tance in Hawau, coming next to sugar—althongh far
below it—in magnitude and value. The rice area
extends over more than 1,000 acres, and is carried on
chiefly by small proprietors and holders. The largest
plantations are not more than 100 acres in extent, and
the rentals of rice lands are high, ranging from S10 to
$50 peracre per annum, ine inding fag provision of
facilities fur water supply. The fact that remunera-
tive returns can be obtained after payment of the above
rentals indicates the profitable nature of the industry,

Careful and continuous cultivation is practised, and the
crop yielk ls obtained in Hawaii compare favourably with those
given in other rice-growing countries of the world. Two crops
a year are usually grown on the same land, thus occupying
the ground continuously, especially when slow-maturing
varieties are grown. The usual practice followed is to propa-
gate the seedlings in seed-beds, from which the entire crop is
transplanted by hand.

The average annual yield (two crops) on good lands in
favourable localities 1s 6,000 Ib. of paddy per acre, while
8,000 Ib. or more is not uncommon. At present prices, which
are exceptionally good, an acre will produce a crop valued at

from $100 to $200. The estimated annual value of the
Hawaiian rice crop in a favourable year is approximately

2500,000,

In the year 1906, a series of experiments dealing with
rice cultivation was started at the Hawaiian Agricultural
Experiment Station. These experiments, which deal with
the fertilizer requirements of the rice plant and of rice soils,
the development of superior strains of rice of the old varie-
ties, selection of new varieties, a comparison of the yields
obtained from broadcasted, drilled, and transplanted rice
respectively, ete., were continued during 1907, and an account
of the progress of the work is included in the report for 1907
of the Experiment Station. The land on which the trials are
being carried out has been under rice culture for a number
of years, and although it has received no fertilizer for several
seasons, yet it has invariably yielded crops approximating
to 3,000 tb. of paddy per acre per harvest.

One of the most interesting of the experiments, and one
which gave a definite result was that undertaken to test the
relative value, for Hawaiian conditions, of two distinct
methods of planting, viz., the direct sowing of seed, as practised
in the Southern United States, and the Eastern method of
transplanting, which, as already mentioned, is generally
adopted in Hawaii. Seed was broadcasted at the rate of 50 Ib.
an acre, and another lot of the same stock of seed was drilled
in rows at the same rate per acre. When well established
the seedlings were thinned out to a stand of approximately
200,000 plants per aere, thus conferming as closely as
possible with the number of transplanted plants per acre,
One adjacent plot was set out with seedlings twenty days
old at transplanting, and a second plot with seedlings thirty-
five days old at transplanting. By far the best return of all,
viz., 4,205 lb. of paddy and 4,024 Ib. of straw per acre, was
given by the plot planted with the seedlings twenty days old
at transplanting. The cash value of the paddy return per
acre from this plot was $105°12. The plot planted with the
older seedlings, and that on which the seed was drilled gave
returns very nearly equal, but about $56 less in value than
the return from the best plot. The plot on which the seed
was broadcasted gave a return of slightly less value than the
plot which was drilled.

246

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aveusr 8, 1908.

Wyse z
WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows under date July 20, with reference
to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton on the
Liverpool market :— ‘

Since our last report, about 190 bales of West Indian Sea
Island cotton have been sold, which include small quantities
of Barbados and St. Kitt’s at 15d. to 153d., St. Croix,
Antigua, and St. Martins at 4d. to 15d., together with
about 50 bales stains at 6d. to Td., and 25 bales slightly
stained at Ls.

Prices are steady, but factors are aot free buyers,
pending the developments of the American crop.

COTTON MARKET IN THE SEA ISLANDS.
Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, 1
their fortnightly report on the American Sea Island
cotton market, dated July 11 last, write as follows :—
There has been a limited demand during the past fort-
night for cotton for export to France, resulting in the sale of
77 bales, including 30 bales of ‘fully fine’ quality, sold at 30c.
Apart from this the market remains quiet and unchanged.
The factors and planters continue to hold the crop lots
very firmly at 32c. and upwards, having decided to carry
them over into the next crop if they fail to sell at their
asking prices, hoping that there may be some improvement
in the fine trade, which will admit of the spinners paying
better prices.
In reference to the coming crop, Messrs. Frost
write :
We have had good reports from all sections, and so far
as we can learn, the crop is making favourable progress.

MANURIAL EXPERIMENTS WITH
COLION (AT (Si. KIL STAND
MONTSERRAT.

A report for the year 1907-8 on the manurial
experiments with cotton that have been in progress at
St. Kitt’s and Montserrat since 1904 has been received
from Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G. Complete details of
the scheme of manuring that is being followed in these
experiments were given in the Agricultural News
(Vol. III, p. 237), and sammaries of the annual reports
for 1904-5, 1905-6, and 1906-7 were published in
Vol. LV, p. 268: Vol. V, p. 231, and in Vol. VI, p. 198.

The series of trials is a very comprehensive one, there
being as many as thirty-eight distinct experiments. Further,
all the experiments have been repeated three times every
year, the seed in the first instance being sown in June, in the

LOH! NOTES

MENU cad

second instance in August, and in the third instance in
September or October, At St. Kitt’s, the experiments have
now been conducted for four years on the same individual
plots ; i.e., every plot in the series has received a similar
application of manure each season since 1904. The Mont-
serrat experiments differed from those carried out at St. Kitt’s,
in that they were not conducted on plots which had previously
received similar manures.

As in previous seasons, the application of artificial
manures seems to have had little influence on the yield of
cotton. For example, in the first series of experiments at
St. Kitt’s, i.e., the cotton planted in Jnne, an average return
of 1,165 Ib. of seed-cotton per acre was obtained from the
unmanured plots, a plot dressed with a complete artificial man-
ure, containing nitrogen, potash, and phosphates, yielded at the
rate of 1,172 tb. per aere, while the plot which had been
given ordinary pen manure yielded sced-cotton at the rate of
1,242 Ib. per acre.

In the case of the experiments with July-planted cotton,
the unmanured plot gave 1,480 tb. of seed-cotton per acre,
the plot which had received a complete dressing of artificials
yielded at the rate of only 1,352 Ib. of seed-cotton, while the
plot which had been dressed with pen manure gave a crop Gt
seed-cotton at the rate of 1,572 Ib. per acre. Returns of
a similar nature were obtained in the manurial trials carried
out at Montserrat.

From the above returns, it is evident that an expenditure
on artificial manures for the cotton crop is not justified
in St. Kitt’s or Montserrat, when the crop is grown under
conditions similar to those which governed the experiments.

The general results of the experiments have shown that
factors other than the application of artificial manures exert
the most marked influence on the yield of eotton obtained.
The crop requires that the land shall be in good condition,
and it is the experience of planters that this condition is best
served by the use of manures of the farm-yard type, or by
green dressings.

Under the circumstances prevailing in the Leeward
Islands, the crop return obtained with Sea Island cotton is
evidently influenced more by the time of planting than by
manuring with artificials. The variations in the yields
obtained as the results of planting in June, in August, and in
September or October respectively, were shown in the tabular
statement given in the course of an. article dealing with
the cotton experiments at St. Kitt’s that appeared in
the Agricultural Vews ot July 11 last (Vol. VII, p. 214).

The return of seed-cotton obtained from. the
September-sown area—475 tb. per acre and the fact that
still lower yields were given each year in the past, appear
certainly to indicate that sowing in this month is too late
for cotton planters in St. Kitt’s.

low

Von, Vil. No. 164.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 247

SCHOOL GARDENS IN ENGLAND

Vhe question of school gardens, and the methods
of working them so that they shall be of the greatest
value for the purposes of instruction, is discussed i
a thoughtful article that appeared in the Cacti
Chronicle of June 6 last. It is evident that in some
parts of cee a as in certain of the West Indian
Islands, the full development of school garden work: is
hindered by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient and
suitable land. y

In the following extracts from the above-mention-
ed article the advantages of the system of working in
which each pupil cultivates a. se parate plot
compared with those resulting from the cultivation in
common by the pupils of a larger area. on which it ts
possible toc ury out more exter nsive enltural opera-
tions :-—

are

Broadly speaking, there are two systems of school garden
work in general use in’ England, and they sprang from the
opinions ea two clever and pherecehie practical gardeners,
Mr. John Wright, V.M.H., who bas hade mae of the work in
Surrey from its inception, and the late Mr. Robert Cock, in
Staffordshire, these two counties having been pioneers of
gardening as applied to teaching in element ary day schools,
Much work i is now being done in all the different counties,
but it is largely based upon the experience that was gained
at the outset in Surrey and Staffordshire.

In Surrey, reliance is placed upon the individual plot
system in w hich each scholar is assigned a piece of ground vary-
ing in extent from half a rod to a ‘Tod, and very “occasionally
slightly more ; in Statfordshire the communal plot is adopted,
on which all the pupils work together. The former system
may fairly be expected to bring forth better individual
results, for each boy proves his own merit by the results
which he achieves. In the common plot the individuality
of the pupil is nerged into the whole, and it is dittcult, if
not impossible, to separate the keen and clever workers from
the idlers, of whom there are specimens in every school ;
the large plot, however, has the advantage of allowing of
superior instruction being given as to how an allotment or
a cottage garden would be actually cropped and managed,
with a view to the production of the utmost amount of vege-
tables from the area at command. Rotations are not now
regarded as of the same importance as they were some years
ago, but it is desirable that pupils should be given a knowl-
edge of the clief rotations, and the advantages consequent
upon their use, as in certain circumstances their adoption is
lperative, and it is quite evident that these can never be as
well and clearly shown onan area of half a rod ora rodas they

can on 20 or 30 rods. The balance might appear to be in
favour of the large plot, but something must be debited

against it on the score of loss of individuality, coupled with
the fact that the spirit of emulation or competition hardly
enters into the matter at all. This is a matter deserving of
consideration, as a boy will usually strive much more strenu-
ously and persistently when he sees that his neighbour
is getting ahead of him in regard to the appearance of his
ground and his plants.

The question arises as to whether it would not be
possible to adopt a middle course between these two extremes
and so té combine the best points of hoth. This might mean
that each pupil should be provided with a small plot — half
a rod would amply suttice in this case, though as a general
rule it is rather too small—and that in addition there would
have to be one large plot, say of 12 reds, on which the class

would work in common. If it were practicable, this system
might perhaps be expected to produce the most satisfactory
results, for the individuality of the scholars would be retained
in its entirety, while the communal working would be
advantageous in conveying instruction as to the actual
cultivation of a garden. The larger plot would be cropped
just as if it were in the hands of an rallstenest holder, and
close account would be kept of the approximate value of the
vegetables grown to set ane ae cost of production in
manure, seeds, tools, ete.

The chief objection to the universal adoption of the
combined system lies in the fact that it would involve the
utilization of more land. This is indeed a serious point, and
one which, in many cases might prove insurmountable, for
it is often difficult to find sufficient space to put down
U6 plots of each } rod in acre.

PRIZE-HOLDINGS COMPETITION AT
GRENADA.

Reports on the results of the prize-holc dings scheme
in the parishes of St. John and St. David, Grenada,
during the past year, have becn received, and testify to
the beneficial influence of these competitions, as shown
In improved cultivation of the holdings of those peas-
ants who took part. It will be remembered that in
these competitions prizes are awarded in three classes
to small cacao enltivators. Holdings eligible for the
first class must consist of not more than 5 acres and not
less than 3 acres of cacao: for the second class, not over
83 acres and not Jess than 2 acres, while holdings
included in the third class must not be over 2 acres in
extent.

In the parish of St. John, for the year 1907, there were
nine entries in Class I; fourteen in Class II, and thirty-seven
in Class III. Three prizes were awarded to cultivators in
Class I, and six prizes were allotted in each of the two remain-

ing classes.

In St. David’s parish the prize-holdings scheme was
started for the first time in 1907, but notwithstanding this,
there were six entries in Class I, six in Class II, and fourteen
in Class II]. Three prizes were awarded in Class I, four in
Class I, and seven in Class IIT. In both parishes the competi-
tion among those taking part was very keen, as evidenced by
the closely approximating totals of marks gained by the
several prize-winners. The maximum number of marks that
could be gained by any cultivator was forty-five, and it is
satisfactory to note that in St. John’s parish one-half the
competitors, and in St. David's two-thirds obtained a total of
forty marks and over.

“In their reports, the judges expressed strongly their opin-
ion as to the excellent results brought about among the small
cultivators of the two parishes, by the prize-holdings scheme,
and recommended that every effort should be made to continue
its working for five consecutive years.

The following note-occurs in the report on the competi-
tion in St. John’s ‘parish : ©The work done in these holdings
has been excellent, and we consider that the prize-holdings
scheme is encouraging not only better tillage, but also
a greater amount of intelligent agricultural work among the
small proprietors in the parish generally. In this year’s
competition—the second in the parish —the scheme has proved
a much greater success than in 1906, both in the increased
number of competitors, and in the improved quality of work
done.’

248

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aveust 8, 1908,

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,

Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and 'The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s, 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural News

VoL. VIL SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1908. No. 164.

‘NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The editorial discusses the breeds of poultry most
suitable for West Indian conditions.

Interesting particulars in regard to the areas
planted with ditferent varieties of cane at Antigua and
St. Kitt’s will be found on page 243.

A brief article on the banana industry in the
Canary Islands is given on pave 244,

Rice is a crop of great importance in Hawaii and
an interesting series of experiments in relation to
its cultivation is in progress at the Experiment
Station of the Hawaiian Islands (page 245).

The results of manurial experiments with Sea
Tsland cotton, carried out during the past season at
St. Kitt’s and Montserrat, are summarized on page
246,

The prize-holdings scheme at Grenada is evidently
doing good work among the small cultivators of the
island (page 247).

Under ‘Insect Notes’ (page 250) will be found an
article on the coleoptera or bettles, with special refer-
ence to members of this family found in the West Indies,

The effect of carbon bisulphide on soil fertility
forms the subject of an interesting article on page 251.

Agricultural Conference Picture.

With reference to the reproduction of the photo-
graph of the West Indian Agricultural Conference,
1908, that was presented as a loose supplement with
the last number of the Agricultural News (No. 163), 16
should have been mentioned that the photograph was
taken by Mr.C. Barentzen, of Bridgetown, Barbados, who
possesses the copyright.

—_ EP

Rubber Exhibits from Dominica.

Through the agency of the Permanent Exhibition
Committee of Dominica, 2 number of exhibits, the
produce of the island, have been prepared and des-
patched to London for display at the International
Rubber Exhibition to be held during September next.
With the exception of two bottles of latex from
St. Aroment estate, all the specimens sent are the
produce of trees growing at the Botanic Station, and
were prepared by Mr. Joseph Jones, the Curator. Very
few of the rubber trees growing on estates in Dominica
have yet reached the age for tapping, hence it is not
possible to send ona large exhibit of plantation rubber.
It 1s hoped that the samples prepared at the station
may prove of good quality, and serve to draw attention
to the possibilities of rubber cultivation in Dominiea.
The exhibitvinelude jars containing flowers, fruits, and
seeds of Puntuimic elastiea, as well as jars containing
seeds and fruits of Castillow elastica. There were also
sent bottles of latex from Hevea brasiliensis, Castilloa
elastica, Fieus clastica, Manihot Glaziovii, and Ficus
Vogelis, together with biscuits of Para, Castilloa and
Fieus rubbers.

EE >

Beet Sugar Industry in Germany.

A tabular statement presenting full particulars of
the beet sugar imdustry of Germany, and its variations
during the past few years, is included in the Jatest
British Consular Report on the trade of Berlin. From
the figures given it is seen that there has been a small
but consistent decline each vear since 1901-2 in the
number of sugar factories at work. In 1901-2 there
were 395 sugar factories in operation ; the number fell to
384 in 1903-4, to 376 in 1905-6, and to 369 in 1906-7.
There is a tendency also for the area under sugar beet
cultivation to decrease. In 1901-2 the area under
sugar beet was 478,749 hectares [Ll hectare =24 acres
approx.] 2 1t fell to 427,644 hectares in 1902-3, and to
416,714 in 1904-5. In 1905-6, however, it increased
to 471,742 hectares, but in 1906-7 tell again to
446,963 hectares. The yield of beets per hectare has
varied from 242 to 334 metric tons, while the average
yield of sugar per metric ton [2,200 lb.] of beet has
been about 819 tb. Owing to improvement in technical
methods of treatment, only 6S Tb. of beet are now
required to produce 1 1b. of sugar. The total quantity
of sugar produced’ was 2.182.561 metric tons in 1901-2,
1.822.491 tons in 1903-4, 2,814,779 metric tons in
1905-6, and 2.124326 metric tons in 1906-7. It is
stated that low prices account for the late falling off in
the area cultivated.

Vor. VIT. No. 164.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 249

Banana Growing in Mexico.

The climatic conditions of southern Mexico are
admirably suited to banana cultivation, while the
various streams and small rivers that occur provide
facilities for transportation of the fruit to the coast.
Under these circumstances the Mexican banana indus-
try is becoming more important each year.

The cost of land in the republic suitable for the
cultivation is from S10 to $15 per acre, and it is stated
that the cost of clearing and making ready for planting
amounts to an additional $40 to-$50 per acre.

In growing bananas on the commercial scale,
about 200 hills are allowed per and there are
four suckers to each aT It is arranged, however,
that these suckers are in different stages of deve lop-
ment, the eldest ued fruit, and Te youngest just
come forth from the ground.

acre,

In an article dealing with the whole question of
banana growing in Mexien that auppes ared in a recent
number iii Tropical America, there is given a tabular
statement showing the average yield Sha net profit:
obtained per acre by growers of the fruit in the chief
banana-producing countries. According to this, a yie
of 290 bunches per acre, giving a net profit of 468:75
may be expected in Mexico, Honduras comes sec on
with a return of SGG'84 per acre, while in’ Jamaica the
net profit from banana growing as placed at $5897 per
acre.

Soreness dliia dlconieeeenne
Botanical Expedition to Jamaica.

Dr. N. L. Britton, Director-in-Chief of the N VAY
York Botanical Gardens, accompanied by Mrs. Britton
and Dr. Arthur Hollick, spent the month of March and

the greater part of April last mm Jamaien, on a visit of

botanical investigation. In the May number of the
Journal of the Gardens of which he is Director,
Dr. Britton gives an account of the districts visited,
and mentions the chief plants of interest that were
observed on the expedition.

The total number of specimens collected
gated 4000, and Dr. Britton states ou behalf ot the
party that the work added materially to their knowl-
edge of the West Indian flora, and to its representa-
tion at the New York Botanical Gardens.

aggre-

Tt was during this expedition tht a primitive
type of cotton was found growing wild over a consider-
able area between Portland Point and Rocky Point in
the south of the island (see Agricultural News,
Vol. VII, p. 150). As previously mentioned, seeds of
this cotton were forwarded to the United States
Department of Agriculture, and they will be grown in
comparison with Pisce cottons in the acelimatization
‘and breeding experiments carried on, by the Depart-
ment.

Other districts visited by the party in search of
specimens were the Salt Pond, Hills, Great Goat Island,
Blnetields, Savanna-la-Mar. Negril, the Great Morass
of W Petnicieland. Dolphin Head, Montego Bay, Run-
away Bay, Bog Walk, and ‘Fern Gully,’

Guayule Rubber in Mexico.

In futher reference to the Guayule rubber shrub
(Parthenium argentatum), it may be mentioned that
recent British Consular reports from Mexico state that,
owing to rapid exploitation, the supply of plants has of
late bec some very scarce. Remote districts are now
being searched tor the plant, and all the Guayule f found
1s deliv ered under contract to the Continental Rubber
Company of Mexico. The total quantity of the shrub
that is now in existence in the republic is estimated at
400,090 tons, and practically the whole of this has been
bought up at from £2 10s.to £7 10s. per ton. The
purchases at the lower figure were made before land-
owners became aware of the scarcity of the plant, or
realized that the slow rate of growth made it impossible
for the supply to keep un ch the demand under

existing circumstances. It is feared that with the
consumption of the existing supply the Mexican
Guayule industry will go into deeay.
i SEE
West Indian Bulletin.
The second number of Volume IX of the Wesé

Indian Bulletin has been issued in quick succession to
part 1, and in it a further series of papers read at the
Agricultural Conterence of January last is reprinted, to-
gether with summaries of the discussions that followed.
A short article on * Cane Farming at Trinidad’ by
Professor Carmody, F.LC,, supplements the particulars
given ina previous paper by the same author ( West
[Indian Bulletin, Vol. VL), while the series of articles
on the * Polarimetric Determination of Sucrose ’ by
Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., and H. A. Tempany, B.Se., is
completed in the present number, The paper on * Root
Disease of the Sugar-cane,’ contributed by Mr. F. A.
Stockdale, B.A., F.L.8., was summarized in the Ayri-
cultural News, Vol. VIL, p. 65. A farther paper deal-
ing with the sugar industry is that by Hon. F. J. Clarke,

C.M.G., on the. * ES CETERNE nt and Working of the

Bush Industry Agricultural Bank at Barbados?
Following atter sugar, the cacao industry next

received attention at the Agricultural Conference, and

a series of papers dealing with various phases of cacao
cultivation is reprinted in the number of the Wesé¢
Indian Bulletin under review. ‘These include reports
on the results of recent experiments with cacao at
Dominica (contributed by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G.,

and Mr. Joseph Jones), at Grenade (by Mr. R. D. Anste: ad,
B.A.), at St. Lucia (oy Mr. J. C. Movre), and at’ British
Guiana (by Professor J. B. Harrison, C.M.G.), and there
are two papers by Mr. J. H. Hart, F.LS., late Super-
intendent vf the Royal Botanic Gardens, Trinidad,
dealing with the ‘Characters of Criollo Cacao’ and with
‘The Improvement of Cacao in the West Indies,’
The Fungus Diseases of Cacao and
Sanitation of Cacao Ore shards’ are disc Tae by Mr. F. A.
Stockdale, B.A., F.L.S., while Mr. H. Ballou, M.Se.,

Bam unibutes a pape ron the subject of Tivips on Cacao,’

The number closes with a brief paper, by Dr. Francis
Watts and Mr. Joseph Jones, on ‘Experiments with
Citrate of Lime and Concentrated Lime Juice.

respectively.

INSECT NOTES.

Coleoptera.

The Coleoptera or beetles are distinguished from
other insects by having the first pair of wings much
thickened or hardened, forming covers for the mem-
branous second pair, which are used for flight. he
thickened pair are known as elytra, or wing covers,
and they generally meet in a straight line down the
middle of the back, while the membranous pair, called
the true wings are folded beneath. The mouth parts
of both larval and adult beetles are adapted for biting,
and many species are injurious in both these stages.

The larvae of beetles are generally called erubs. They
a ” > .

Kia. 7. Grup or HARDBACK.

sometimes have three pairs of welldeveloped legsand sometimes
are without feet and legs. Beetles vary greatly in their habits,
certain of them being among the most serious agricultural
and household pests, while others are highly beneficial.

The Coleoptera are divided into two principal groups, the
true beetles (Coleoptera genuina) and. the weevils (Rhyncho-
phora). ‘The essential difference between these two groups is
that the weevils have the front of the head prolonged into
aw bill or snout, at the extremity of which the mouth parts
are situated, while with the true beetles this develop-
ment is absent. The true beetles are further divided into
several groups, according to stretiure and habits, which for
convenience may be named as follows: carnivorous beetles,
club-horned beetles, saw-horned beetles, blade-horned beetles,
plant-eating beetles, and lady-irds. ‘The carnivorous beetles
include the tiger beetles, the ground beetles, and the preda-
ceous water beetles. One of the groitnd beetles (Calosoma
calidum) has been reported from St. Vincent and Barbuda as
an active enemy of the cotton worm.

In the club-horned beetles the antennae are swollen to
from a club or knob at tie end. This group includes the
large black water scavenger beetle (//ydrophilus ater) which
ocew's in pools of standing water in the West Indies, It is
the largest of the water beetles, and may be seen frequently
coming to the surface of the water, and again diving to the
bottom.

The saw-horned beetles are so named because the
ments of the antennae resemble in appearance the teeth of
asaw. In this group are to be found the metallic wood
borers, a few species of which oecur in the West Indies. The

seg-

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. Aucust 8, 1908.
larvae are borers in the bark and wood of living trees. The

click beetles and the fire-tlies also belong to this group.

The click beetles (Elateridae) are elongate insects having
a peculiar structure by means of which they are able, if placed
on their backs, to throw themselves several inches into the air.
The larvae which are known as wireworms, live in the ground,
feeding on roots and seeds, or in decaying wood. The most
noticeable West Indian member of this family is the large
fire-tly ‘La Belle’ (Pyrophorus noctilucus), of Dominica, St.
Lucia, and other islands. Attempts have been made to
introduce this insect into islands in which it is not naturally
found, but it would be pyell to bear in mind in making such
attempts that the larvae are liable to become pests to agri-
culture if the species is established in any island in which
there is very little uncultivated or bush land.

The fire-fly family (Lampyridae), to which the small fire-
flies belong is fairly well represented in the West Indies. The
common fire-fly of the Lesser Antilles is Asp/dosomum ignitune.
The larvae of this family generally feed on soft-bodied insects,
slugs, etc., and the adults of most species are said to be
carnivorous also,

The blade-horned beetles (Lamel/icornia) are so called
because on the terminal segments of the antennae there are
flattened projections (lamellac). This group includes some of
the largest beetles known, and some which have most
peculiar appearances from the remarkable development of
iwandibles or projections from the head or thorax.

The Hercules beetles (Dynastes hercules) is remarkable
for its great size and for the enormous projecting horns, one
of which arises from the*prothorax, and the other from the
head. These insects are found in the mountainous and
wooded islands in the West Indies and in South America.
Tothis group also belongs the common hardback (Ligyrus
tumnudlosus), Which occurs so frequently in houses at night,
being attracted by the lights. The larva of the hardback
is a white grub, and may be found in cultivated fields
and gardens.

The larva of borer of
bananas and plantains, and has occasioned some loss in St.
Lucia by attacking newly planted suckers,

Tomarus Iituberculatus is a

The plant-eating beetles may be divided into three
principal families: the leaf-beetles (Chrysomelidae), the peu
and bean weevils (Bruchidae), and the long-horned beetles
(Cerambycidae). The leaf-beetles are represented in the
West Indies by a considerable number of small insects, mostly
small in size, which eat holes in the leaves of plants. The
tobacco flea beetle (Epitrix parvula) occurs commonly on
tobacco and other plants, and another flea beetle is often to be
seen on the sweet potato, The tortoise beetle (Coptocycla)
which also occurs on sweet potato leaves,
isa very beautiful insect. with its opales-
cent colouring. The pea and bean weevils
are well known in the West Indies, and
peas and beans stored for food or for seed
are often found to be riddled with small
round holes caused by these insects.

Fumigating with carbon bisulphide
or immersing for two minutes in water
heated to 140° F. will kill the beetles.
Bruchus chinensis and B. quadvimaculatus are the common
forms in the West Indies. ‘ Weeviled’ are unfit for
food, and should not be used for seed purposes.

The long-horned beetles include a large number of tree
borers or bark borers which occur in the West Indies.
They are distinguished by’ the extreme length of their slender
antennae, ?

Fria. 8 Torrotst
Brerie.

peas

Yorn. VII. No. 164. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. DE

or
_

SCIENCE NOTES.

Effect of Carbon Bisulphide on Soil Fertility.

The researches of the past few years in soil
bacteriology have produced information ot the greatest
interest to agriculturists. Everyone has come to
recognize the rdle that is accorded to micro- organic life
in the soil in the nutrition of higher plants, but it has
yet to be demonstrated what are the relative impor-
tance of the physical, chemical, and bacteriological
factors in soil fertility. Euough has been ace omplished,
however, to indicate that tlie biological processes are
of equi il importance with chemical, and physical
processes in the soil, and therefore deserve equal con-
sidertien in studies of soil fertility. Our knowledge
of soil-bacteriological processes lias gained much from
the investigations of the effect of carbon bisulphide on
soil fertility, and, therefore, the following abstract from
Bulletin No. 194 of the Office of Experiment Stations,
United States Depurtment of Agriculture, will be of
interest :—

In 1894 it was observed that the application of carbon
bisulphide increased the crop-producing power of the soil,
and it was shown that grape- sick soils in Germany could
frequently be rejuvenated by the use of this substance. ‘The
exact mauner of its action was imperfectly understood until
it was demonstrated that it exerted yeertain influences upon
the bacteria in the soil. It had been found that under normal
conditions there is a certain equilibrium between the various
groups of soil bacteria, and later it was shown that when
carbon bisulpbide was applied to the soil, its bacterial intabi-
tants were injured. The amount of injury varies with chang-
ing conditions of temperature, moisture, and amount of
carbon bisulphide applied, as well as the duration of
its action. ‘The different bacterial species are depressed

in their development in varying degrees, but this
depression disappears after a certain interval, and is

followed by a very rapid development. The general equili-
brium amongst the different soil bacteria is thus destroyed,
and the new development may follow along certain channels,
resulting not only in an increase in number of soil bacteria,
but also an alnormal predominance of certain
The new conditions thus established for a time favour
a more ready utilization of the stores of soil nitrogen,
and also the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by certain
bacterial species. It is for this reason that the application
of carbon bisulphide is followed after a time by a very
decided increase in crop yields as Compared with the corres-
ponding yields for soils not treated. It has further been
demonstrated that treated with carbon bisulphide
showed not only an increase in their total nitrogen content,
but also that this increase was the result of the more vigorous
growth of the nitrogen-fixing Azotvbacter species.

species.

souls

This action of cvrbon bisulphide may possibly
assist us, partially atleast, fo understand the peculiar
effects that have been noticed when green manuring
has been practised with mustard, rye, and other non-
leguminons crops. It has been noted frequently that
crops of several non- leguminous plants: when ploughed-
in in the green state, have been followed, on nitrogen-
poor soils, by greatly increased crops. Particular
interest amongst scientific agriculturists has been
awakened in England in certain experiments with

mustard as green dressings, and the results obtained
are being closely followed.

Drs. Voorhees and Lipman in their Bulletin
allude to experiments with this plant as follows :—

So striking were the benefits in some instances from
green manuring with mustard that it was proposed in some
quarters to include mustard among the ‘nitrogen gatherers’
rather than among the ‘nitrogen consumers.’ The first
communication of Hellriegel and Wilfarth on the nitrogen-
fixation by legumes, made twenty years and the
stimulated researen in ‘this field that followed their work, soon
furnished conclusive proof that mustard is incapable of
utilizing atmospheric nitrogen for its growth. But, as
Heinze points out, there may have been more or less justitica-
tion for this belief, so far as the indirect influence of mustard
is concerned. It would seem that at times the action of
mustard is not unlike that of carbon bisulphide in affecting
the bacterial flora of the soil, and it really appears from facts
already known that the green mustard substance in the soil
retards the development of the acid-forming species of
bacteria and the growth of the nitrogen-fixing
Azotohacter

ago,

encourages
species. :
Other plants, such «s buckwheat, rye, ete., have
given similar results as mustard, and it is possible that
similar effects may be produced on the bacterial flora of
the soil. he question of the use of non-leguminons
plants for green dressings has frequently been brought
forward in several West Indian Islands, and it is hoped
that experimental evidence as to their value may soon
be forthcoming, while-the question of a possibility of
i‘ bacterial weeding, by which harmful bacteria may
be reduced in numbers, and beneficial ones stimulated,
is worthy of consideration. The etfect that the toxic
substance excreted from the roots of plants (see Ayri-
cultural News, Vol. ee p. 288) may have upon the
bacteria in the soil, or how far green dressings may
neutralize its action, Wes yet to be investigated.

CACAO FROM BRITISH HONDURAS.

The following note on a sample of cacao received
from British Honduras appears in the Bulletin of the
Iimper ial Institute, Vol. VI, No. 1:—

The sample of cacao from British Honduras was received
at the Imperial Institute from the Colonial Office in 1907.

The sample weighed 30 tb., and consisted of fairly large,
phunp, well-fermented beans, which possessed a good ‘break ’
and were free from mouldiness, Its taste was mild and not
excessively bitter.

The quality was similar to that of the best grades of
Trinidad cacao which reach the English market, and a firm of
brokers to whom it was submitted stated that it would meet
with a ready sale in this country. Tt was valued in London
at from 110s. to 111s. per ewt., in bags, subject to the usual
conditions, at a tirae when the finer grades of Trinidad cacao
were quoted at 110s. to 112s. per ewt.

Ss

The enormous value of the sisal hemp industry to
Yucatan planters is well known. During the year 1907, the
hemp exported reached 100,773,946 kilograms, valued at
$24,874,318. The quantity shipped is somewhat greater
than the exports of the previous year, but owing to a ‘fall in
price, the return obtained was considerably less “than that of
1906. (British Consular Report.)

52 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aucusr 8, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

Tobacco cultivation in Ireland is making progress. The
production has increased from 7,353 th. in 1906-7 to 68,612 tb,
in 1907-8,

Two experiment plots of Sea Island cotton have been
laid out on the Balembouche estate, St. Lucia, and persons
residing in the neighbourhood, and all who may think of
taking up cotton growing in the island, are invited to inspect

these plots. ( Vorce of St. Lucia.)

The Ayshire Bull ‘Gipsy Star of Bellevue’ stands for
service at the Agricultural School, Union, St. Lucia. Fee 2s.
per service. Stock-owners in St. Lucia may be reminded
that the Ayshire breed of cows stands in the very first rank
as milk producers, while the animals also possess good beef-
producing capacity.

From the beginning of the season up to July 30 last,
there were exported from Berbados 28,313 tons of sugar and
47,474 puncheons of molasses, as compared with 27,769 tons
of sugar and 59,021 punchecns of molasses, shipped during
the corresponding period of 1907.

At a recent meeting of the Steward Town branch of the
Jamaica Agricultural Society, it was stated that a penny bank,
started in connexion with the branch in March last, had made
very good progress, and already £28 had been deposited.
(Jamaica Telegraph, July 2, 1908.)

The pure-bred Ayrshire bull ‘Duke of Truro II, four
years old, and now stationed at the Stock Farm, Agricultural
School, St. Vincent, is ottered for sale. ‘The purchaser must
enter into an agreement to keep the animal at St. Vincent for
a period of at least two years, and not to charge more than 4s.
per service. Offers will be received by the Acting Agricultural
Superintendent, St. Vincent.

In the tobacco experiments carried out in Hawaii
during 1907 about 34 acres were under cultivation, and a
crop of 3,000 tb. of the cured leaf-was secured from this
area. The best tobacco grown was the Sumatra, although
the Cuban grades are also reported to have been of excellent
quality. About 7 bales of the tobacco were distributed
in small quantities to dealers in the United States and Europe.

The fact that the Cuban sugar crop of 1908 was short
by about 500,000 tons, while the young canes planted for
the crop of 1909 have suffered considerably from the same
cause, has brought up the question of the possibility of
irrigation on the sugar lands of the island, The Low/s/ana
Planter recently stated that various measures for the
Luprovement of agricultural conditions, including schemes of
irrigation, are under consideration by the Administration of
Cuba.

The rice shipmert from Cochin-China (French) for the
year 1907 amounted to 1,026,500 tons, this being an increase
of 451,200 tons as compared with the exports of the previous
year. In addition, 153,677 tons of broken rice and rice flour
were shipped during 1907. Rather more than half the
exports were shipped to China.

rice

The exports of fruit from Jamaica to New York showed
a healthy increase during 1907. The bulk of the Jamaica
banana crop goes to the States, the exports to that country
during 1907 having reached 1,254,000 stems. Shipments
of oranges to the Statesy however, declined considerably, the
crop being mainly sent to the United Kingdom and to Canada.

A large increase in the quantity of ground nuts usually
imported into Marseilles took place in 1907. The quantity
imported from Coromandel alone reached 1,585,000 bags,
and prices obtained by producers kept at a satisfactory figure.
Ground-nut oil is largely used for soap making in the south
of France, where, for this purpose, it is preferred to cotton-
seed oil. (British Consular Report.)

Prospects for the autumn rice crop in British Guiana
still remain good, according to recent reports, and with a
continuance of suitable weather a record crop is anticipated,
although the harvest is likely to be later than last year. Rice
shipments from British Guiana to the West Indian Islands
for the forcnignt ending July 24 last amounted to 1,400 bags.

By an amendment recently made to the Customs Tariff
of St. Kitt’s-Nevis, it is provided that insecticides and
fungicides which are certified by the Superintendent of Agri-
culture as being suitable for agricultural use, are to be
admitted into the presidency duty free. The same Ordinance
also provides that cotton seed, whether whole or crushed
into meal, is also to be admitted free of duty.

In his report on the fruit industry during 1907, the Brit-
ish Consul at Malaga (Spain) states that the yield of lemons
was a poor one, the total crop amounting to about 100,000
cases, of which 40,000 cases were shipped to Great Britain.
The prices received varied from 8s to 17s. (average price 10s.
6d.) per case, the grower paying freight. Bitter oranges are
exported to Great Britain, via Seville, a return of about 10s.
per case being obtained, but complaints were made that the
market during 1907 was not a good one.

With the object of conveying useful information
concerning the various phases of cotton cultivation, the
Georgia State College some months ago organized a ten days’
course of instruction for cotton growers from all parts of the

State. The number who took advantage of this course was
104. Lectures on cultivation, manuring, treatment of

fungoid and insect pests, seed selection, and ginning and baling
the produce were given each morning, and these
supplemented by practical work in the afterncon,

were

The infestation of clover and alfalfa crops by the para-
sitic plant ‘dodder’ and the'severe loss caused thereby thie migh-
out many parts of the United States have demanded special
attention from the Department of Agriculture during the
past year. Of late years the presence of dodder has been more
noticeable in| many countries, and the International Seed
Control Congress held at Hamburg towards the end of 1906
pointed out to the governments represented, the necessity of
taking steps to exterminate the pest. The dodder is a species
of Cuscuta, and a near relative of the ‘Love Vine’ of the West
Indies.

Vor. VII. No. 164.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

253

SWEET POTATOS.

Under the above title a very useful and interest-
ing pamphlet (Furmers’ Bulletin 324) has lately been
issued by the United States Department of Agriculture.
It contains a good deal of information as to the climatic
and soil conditions needed by the sweet potato crop,
the fertilizers that are
preparing the land and setting out the plants, after-
cultivation. harvesting of the produce,ditfereut varieties,
ete., as well as details in relation to storing the crop,
which, however, do not apply to West Indian conditions.

Sweet potatos thrive best on a moderately fertile, sandy
loam, which does not contain an excess of organic matter.
Farmers in the Southern States of Ameriea put a special
value on the crop because it is one that can be grown upon
soils which are too poor for the production of the majority of
farm crops.

Good drainage is essential for the suecessful cultivation
of sweet potatos. When the soil is too loose the potatos
tend to be long and irregular in shape. For this reason it is
not advisable to plongh more deeply than 6 or 8 inches: in
preparing the land, since the best-shaped potatos are produ-
ced in a fairly loose surface soil overlying a firm subsoil.

Abundant application of organic fertilizers has been
found to stimulate the growth of the potato vines at the
expense of the roots. It is not advisable therefore to apply
heavy dressings of pen manure directly to the crop. Snch
dressings should, in preference, be ploughed into the soil
with the crop of the previous season. As a general rule
sweet potatos will pay for judicious mannring with artificial
fertilizers. It is recommended that a mixed fertilizer suitable
for use on most sweet potato lands should contain from 3 to 6
per cent. of nitrogen, 6 or 7 per cent. of phosphoric acid,
and & to 10 per cent. of potash. Such a mixture as the
following would meet the above requirements ; 200 tb. of high-
grade sulphate of ammonia, 200 tb. of dried blood, 1,200. tb.
of superphosphate, and 400 tb. of high-grade muriate of
potash. Experience has indicated the necessity of having
an abundant supply of potash in order to secure the best
return with the sweet potato crop. In manurial experi-
ments with the crop, the liberal application of potash has
resulted in an increased yield of from 40 to 60 per cent.
When large quantities of artificial manure are given, it is
better to distribute the fertilizer at least ten days before
planting and thoroughly to incorporate it with the soil, than
to apply it in the row at the time the crop is being planted.

In the West Indies sweet potatos are regularly propa-
gated by vine cuttings and this inethod is also followed in the
Gulf States of America. In other States the crop is raised
from * seed’ potatos, which are in. some eases cut in’ several
pieces, and planted in the row where the plants are to mature,
or more frequently, allowed to sprout and grow for some time
in the soil, and the vines so produced, taken and divided
into cuttings from which the next.cyop is obtained. Propa-
gation by vine cuttings is, of course, as a general rule, cheaper
and more convenient, but the results of experiments have
shown that it is advisable occasionally to have recourse
to planting ‘seed’ potatos, since the crop certainly tends'to fall
off in yield when reproduced from vine cuttings only, year
after year in succession.

Small potatos only need be used for planting purposes,
or for the production of vine cuttings. They should, however,
be uniform in size, and of the shape desired in the following
crop.

Land that is best suited for sweet potato growing is
easy to cultivate, and thorough preparation of the soil will be

most suitable; methods of

repaid by increased return, and greater ease in handling the
crop later. Sweet potatos can well be grown in a_ rotation
which includes cotton and a green forage crop, such as cow-
peas, beans, woolly pyrol) ete.

In many parts of the Southern States sweet potatos are
grown on land in the level condition, which has not been raised
into hills. The vine cuttings or young plants are set out
about 24 to 30 inches apart each way, so that from 7,000 to
11,000 plants are required per acre. Where the crop is
grown on ridges, or hills, it is enstomary to have the ridges,
from 36 to 42 inches apart, from centre to centre, and to
place the plants 14 to 18 inches apart in the rows. It is
always well to plant the crop when the conditions are most
suitable to a quick start into growth, either just before a rain,
or as soon afterwards as the land can be worked, since the
sweet potato plant is one which responds readily to a moist
condition of the soil.

After-cultivation of the crop consists chietly in hoeing
for the purpose of maintaining a mulch of loose surface soil,
and for keeping down weeds. This surface cultivation should
receive attention, more especially when the soil is drying
after showers of rain, since at that time the upper layer tends
to cake,

The varieties of sweet potatos recommended to planters
in the above-mentioned pamphlet are few in number. They
include Southern Queen, Pumpkin Yam, Georgia, Florida,
and Red Bermuda, and the Jersey group, i.e, Big-Stem
Jersey, Yellow Jersey, and Red Jersey. The Jersey potatos are

drier and more mealy than the other varieties mentioned.

TOBACCO EXPERIMENTS IN THE
BAHAMAS.

The accompanying notes on experiments in tobacco
cultivation in the Bahamas appear in the Annual
Report (1907) of the Board of Agriculture of those
islands :—

Experiments in the production of cigar leaf tobacco from
Cuban seed have been continued during the year. Seed was
sown on August 28, 1906, plants set ont from October onward,
moulded from December 10, and the first ripe plants eut on
January 31, 1907. The dried tobacco was bulked for fermenta-
tion on May 30, taken down and rebulked on June 11,
and stripped and rebulkedion July 8. The temperature in the
pile rose to 120° F.

The area grown under tobacco was } acre, aid the erop
resulted in a yield of 340 Ib. cured tobacco. There has been
a decided improvement in the quality of the tobacco grown
in this experiment. The improvement of the quality of the
Bahama leaf has called the attention of capitalists to the
possibilities of this crop in the colony.

The cost of cultivation, curing and stripping
£8 9s. 6d.

Samples of tobaceo grown and cured at the station
have been submitted to leading leaf dealers and experts in
Mngland and America for their opinion. On their reports,
which are favourable, the Board feels justified, if funds were
available, in conducting. further work upon a considerably

Was

larger scale.

~The growing of tobacco has not been taken up so readily
by the farmers, because of the lack of knowledge of the
proper methods in cultivating, harvesting, and curing the
crop. A special ‘ sulletin > on the tobaeco industry was
published and distributed free in the tobacec “growing districts
in the Out Islands. This bulletin contained full information
on soi] planting, cultivation, harvesting and curing.

bo
or
rs

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aueust 8, 1908.

RUBBER IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA.

The report on the Forest Adminstration of South-
ern Nigeria, for the year 1906, has just come to hand,
and the particulars given in reference to the collection,
preparation, and export of rubber show that this indus-
try is of great importance in the Protectorate. The
rubber is all obtained from wild forest trees and creeping
vines, the chief sources being Funtwmia elastica,
Landolphia owariensis, and Clitandra clastica.

The total output of rubber for 1906 amounted to 5,434,
279 tb. valded locally at £307,077, as compared with
3,109,707 lb. of rubber, valued at £249,043, which was
shipped in the previous year. These figures include the exports
of Northern Nigeria.

Experience of the past few years with trees of Puntuinia
clastica indicates that this plant possesses nuch less recupera-
tive power after tapping than is shown by Para rubber trees.

The most satisfactory methods for
trees are stated to be the simple ‘half-herring-bone’, or the
simple ‘V’ method, applied very lightly. It is reported
that the Assistant Conservator of Forests carried out some
tapping experiments with the spiral method, and procured
a larger yield of latex than has so far been obtained by other
systems, but it has yet to be ascertained whether such treat-
ment has a depressing effect on the growth of the trees.
Although the total quantity of Funtumia rubber ex xported
from the Protectorate is very considerable, the actual yield
obtained from each tree is small, and varies from 2 oz. to
5 oz. per tapping.

tapping Funtumia

Dry Funtumia rubber contains, on the average,
cent. by weight of pure caoutchouc, and the
abont 60 per cent. by weight, of dry rubber. In the prepara-
tion of the rubber in Southern Nigeria, the latex is, in
general, either allowed to coagulate spontaneously, by expos-
ing it to the air in shallow vessels, after dilution with water,
or it is coagulated by heat, applied directly to the latex,
or indirectly, by placing a vessel filled with the fluid in boil-

ing water. Aleohol and acetic acid are also sometimes used
as coagulating agents.

80. per
latex yields

After coagulation has occurred, the lumps of rubber are
washed, and pressed into the form of biscuits. If then prop-
erly dried in an atmosphere containing smoke, the biscuits
acquire a rich brown colour, and the best qualities command
a price not much less than Para on the London market. It
is stated that samples of Funatumia rubber prepared by officers
of the Forest Department were valued in Hurope at 4s. 8d.
per tb. at a time when fine Para rubber was selling at 5s, 2d.
per bb.

The vine Landolphia owariensis is of rather slow growth,
but the latex contains a very large proportion of rubber, and
over 90 per cent. of the dry rubber consists of pure caoutchoue,
The annual yield

from a large vine varies from }_ to
= Ib. of rubber, The latex of Landolphia is frequently

coagulated by treatment with hot smoke,
mentioned above are also used.
a price of about 2d. per tb,
Funtumia rubber.
Efforts are

Forest

while the methods
Landolphia rubber fetches
less than that obtained for
being made by officers connected with the
Administration to introduce more skilled and careful
methods of preparing the rubber, and as improved methods of
treatment become general, higher prices will no doubt be
obtained.

Para and Castilloa rubber trees have also been obtained
and planted at the Botanic Stations both of the Western and of

the Central Province. Onaccount of unsuitable climatic condi-
tions, the trees are not flourishing in the Western Province,
while in the Central Province the Castilloa trees ‘are reported
to have suffered severely from attack by a boring insect,
Para trees, however, have done well at the Botanic Gardens
of the Central Province.

Mr. J. H.. Hart zepens (West Indian Bulletin,
Vol. VII, p. 198) that Funtumin elastica is being
largely nite in -Trinidad. During 1906 many
thousands of seeds were sold, and plants to the number
of 50,000 were distributed from the Botanic Station.
Mr. Hart also mentions that rubber can be obtained
from this tree at an earlier age than in the case of any
other rubber-yielding tree.

IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE
PREPARATION OF RUBBER.

A patent for an improved process in the manu-
facture of rubber, and referring primarily to rubber
obtained from Castilloa latex, has lately been taken
out by Dr. Pehr Olsson-Setter (in partnership with
another}. Particulars of the invention, together with
illustrations of apparatus suitable for carrying out the
preparation of rubber by this improved process, appear
in the Zndia-rubber Journal of May 4 last. The
following is taken from the description given :—

According to this invention the latex—whieh is first
treated with formalin or other preservative to prevent prema-
ture coagulation—-is poured into the tank
preferably with about an equal volume of water.
strained in a centrifugal or other apparatus to separate the
latex from the bark, sand and other mechanical impurities,
these being intercepted by a canvas or other screen. The
strained material is then passed to a coagulating tank, which
is conveniently steam-heated and provided with a worm or
other conveyor. In this tank the latex is raised to the
required temperature, which should not exceed 115° F.,
a small quantity of a suitable rubber preservative, such, for
instance, as an alcoholic solution of creosote, salicyelic acid
or carbolic acid, being addtd. In some instances, as, for
example, when the latex is obtained froin old trees, it is
desirable at this stage to intermix with the material a coagu-
lant, such, for example, as acetic acid, tannic acid, formic acid
or cream of tartar, in sufficient quantity to obtain a neutral
reaction of the latex.

From the

and diluted
It is then

coagulating tank the partially coagulated

latex is passed into ‘creaming’ or settling vats or tanks,
where it is allowed to stand, in order that the latex may

separate from the motherliquor owing to the difference in
their specific gravities. This separation may take place in
about two hours and the mother-liquor or the main portion of
it is then drawn off from .the bottom of the tanks and the
latex washed by a stream of water which is passed upward
from the bottom of the tank, whence it is received in
suitable receptacle.

The freshly coagulated rubber is then conveyed on a slid-
ing table to washing rolls, which may be of the ordinary
diamond-eut type, and rolled into corrugated strips. These
strips are dried under vacuum until, say, only 6 or 7 per
cent. of the moisture remains, when they are folded and
pressed, preferably in a press which presses the rubber into
blocks. Whilst still under pressure the rubber is submitted
to a further drying processy and is then ready for packing
and shipment.

any

Vout. VII. No. 164. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 255

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.

Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the
following report on the London drug and spice market
during the month of June :—

The condition of the spice and drug markets during the
month of Jane has changed but very slightly, if at all, since
our report for May. Any improvement at this season was
searcely to be expected, inasmuch as with the close of the
half-year and the approach of the: long summer holidays,
buyers ave not anxious to go beyond) their immediate wants.
No one article has attracted any special attention during the
month, except perhaps, grey Jamaica sarsaparilla, the seareity
cof which continues. It may be mentioned too, that the price
of dragons-blood has increased to almost double the figure
reached a year or two ago. As might be expected in the
summer season when there is an increase in the consumption
of cooling drinks, citric and tartaric acids, and lemon and lime
juices were in demand. The following are the details of the
articles chiefly atfecting the West liidies :

GINGER,

The month began weil with this article. At the first
spice auction as many as 1,000 packages Jamaica were ottered
and some 400 packages changed hands, either at the sale or
afterwards, at the following prices : SGs.to 98s. for fine, 75s. to
83s. for fair to good, 68s. 6d. to 73s. for low middling to midd-
ling, 60s. to 66s. for common to good common, and 56s, to 58s,
for small mixed ratoon. A fortnight later about 900
packages were offered and about 150 sold at steady rates,
good fetching 80s. per ewt. At this sale some 300 packages
of Cochin and Calient were offered and bought in. On the
24th, Jamaien was represented by about 700 packages, of
whieh only 70 were disposed of at slightly easier rates, fair
bright realizing 75s., and ordinary to good ordinary from
58s. to 65s. per ewt. There was also a good supply of Cochin
and Calicut, all of which was bought in at from 90s, to 95s.
for good bold selected, and 37s. for small washed rough
Cochin ; some 30 packages of fair Timed Japan were bought
in at 29s. per ewt.

NUTMEGS,

At the first sale on June 3, West Indian nutmegs
were in good supply ; about 400 packages were sold, the
small and medium sizes realizing }d. and 4d. per tb. lower,
and the larger sizes }¢. to 1d. per lb. advance on previous
fates. At the last auction on the 24th, 165 packages West
Tndian were offered, and the bulk sold at steady rates. Mace
has waintained a steady position during the month, the
quotations being from 1s. Id. to 1s. 3d. for ordinary to fair,
ls. 4d. for pale, and 9d. to 11d. for broken. Pimento at the
first auction realized, for 80 bags of: fair, from 21d. to 24d.
per tb. A fortnight later some 360 bags of similar quality
were offered and bought in at 24. per Ib.

MACE AND PIMENTO,

ARROW ROOT.

This article has occupied very little attention during the
month. On the 17th, 535 bags of good manufacturing
St. Vincent were all bought in at 23d. to 34d. per tb., and

pete tN gt a >
on the 24th, 28 barrels of fair manufacturing were bought
in at 24/7. per Ib.
SARSAPARILLA.
At the first drug auction on the 4th no grey Jamaica

was forthcoming. Five bales. of native Jamaica fetched

ls. 1d. to ls. 2d. per tb. for fair red, 24 bales of Lima-
Jamaica, ordinary rough, part dark to fair rolls, sold at from
ls. 3d. to 1s. 6d., and 9 bales of Lima-Jamaica and Guaya-
quil characters mixed realized 1s. 4d. to 1s 6d. per Th. On
the 18th, 33 bales of grey Jamaica were offered, all of which
were disposed of; 11 bales of good, part slightly dark,
fetched 2s. per Ib. A further 21 bales, slightly rough, also
sold for 2s. For fair slightly coarse 1s. 10d., very coarse
and part dark 1s. 9d., and mixed Is. Sd. Nineteen bales of
native Jamaica were also offered and sold at the following
prices : fair to good red Is. 1d. to Is. 2d., dull red and yellow
mixed Is., and common mixed 11d. per Ib.

KOLA, CASSTA FISTULA, LIME JUICE, TAMARINDS, ETC.

At the beginning of the month 50 packages of fair
dark West Indian kolas were offered and all bought in at 2d.
per Ib. On the 17th, 1 bag was offered and sold at 13d.
per Ib. for fair dried Jamaica. On the 4th of the month
11 bags of good long mostly fresh Cassia Fistula pods, from
Dominica, sold at 17s. per ewt. A fortnight later a consign-
ment of 23 bags of good bold Dominica pods realized from
17s. to 18s. per ewt. On the 4th, some 24 hogsheads of
raw West Indian lime juice were offered, 17 of waich were
sold privately ; 1s. 3d. per gallon was paid for 7 puncheons
of good pale. At the same auction a case of West Indian
distilled oi! of lime found a buyer at 2s. Td. per Ib. West
Indian tamarinds were reported at the beginning of the
month to be arriving in fair quantities and realizing from
lds. 9d. to 15s. per ewt. Later in the month the prices for

good West Indian had risen from 14s. to 16s., while East

Indian were reported to ke scarce.

LACE-BARK TREE OF JAMAICA.

The lace-bark tree of Jamaica (Lagetta lintearia)
forms the subject of a short article in the June number
of the Journal of the New York Botanic Gardens,
while the peculiar and interesting character of the
inner bark, to which the tree owes its name, is well
shown in the illustrations accompanying the article.

The lace-bark tree, which belongs to the Thymelaeaceae,
is found in the central and western parts of Jamaica, and
is also said to occur in Hayti. In its native wilds it attains
a height of from 20 to 30 fect. Its ovate leaves are of
a shining light-green colour, and are very attractive mm appear-
ance. The flowers are fleshy, of a creamy white colour, and
are borne in long slender spike-like racemes.

The tree has long been an object of interest on account
of the lace-like character of the inner bark, which is made
up of fibres arranged in several layers that may be stretched
apart into a loose fabrie” In former times people employed
this bark in making caps, rafts, bonnets, ete., and now, in
Jamaica, the fibre is used in the manufacture of various
fancy articles, such as doyleys, Jamp-shades, fans, as well as
in making viding-whips. _ It is stated too, that the Spaniards
formerly utilized the bark in the preparation of rope.

In 1793 specimens of the lace-bark tree were first sent
to Kew Gardens from Jamaica. These died, however, and
it was not until 1844 that another attempt was made in this
direction. Several young plants introduced in that year
flourished, and one produced flowers and fruit a few years
later. It is mentioned in the Journal
that a specimen of the tree has lately flowered for the first
timeat the New Yerk Botanic Gardens.

above-mentioned

bo

fon)

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Avcusr 8, 1908.

MARKET REPORTS.

London,—July 7, 1908, ‘Tae West Inpta Com

MITTEE CrrcuLar ; Messrs. Kearton, Piper & Co.,
July 21, 1908; Messrs. E. A. DE Pass & Co,
July 10, 1908.

ArRowrooT—2}/. per th.

Batata—Sheet, 2/- to 2/4; block, 1/7} to 1/8.

Bres’-wax—Good quality, £7 10s. to £7 Los. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 63/- to 75/- per ewt.; Grenada, 54/- to
58/- per cwt.

CorrEE—Santos, 29s. per ewt.; Jamaica, no quotations.

Corpra—West Indian, £17 per ton.

Corron-—St. Vincent, 14d. to 15d.; Barbados, 14d. to 15d. ;
St. Kitt’s, 14d. to 15d.; Montserrat, 14d. to dd.
per Ib.

Frouir—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limrs—Unsaleable.

PINE-APPLES—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/- each.
Grave Frurr—s/- to 12/- per box.
Oxnances—Jamaica, 9/- to 13/- per box.

Fusric—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

Gincer —Quiet.

Honry—17s. to 27s. Gd. per ewt.

Istncrass—West India lump, 10/- to 2/- per tb.; cake,
Lid. per hh.

Line Juice—Raw, 1/1 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£13 10s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 2/1
to 2/2 per th. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4/6 per tb.

Locwoop—£3 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Mace— (Quiet ; no quotaticns.

Nurmecs—()uiet.

Pimenro— (Quiet ; 24d. to 2}.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/- to 8/-; Demerara, 1/6 to 1/74 per

gallon; Trinidad, no quotations. 7

Sucar—Crystals, 18/6 to 19/6 per cwt.; Muscovado,

16/24 ; Molasses, 14/- to 14/6.

New York,—/July 10, 1908.—Messrs. GiLLesprr, Bros.

& Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 14}c. to 14}c. ; Grenada, 12c. to 12. :
Trinidad, 124c. to 13c.; Jamaica, 9$c. to 11e. per th.
Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $25°00 to $27°00: culls,
$14-50 ; Trinidad, $24°00 to $26°00; culls, $14°00 to

$1500 per M.

Correr—Jamaica, ordinary, 7}¢. ; good ordinary, 7 fe. to 84e.
per th.

Gincer— 10fe. to ie. per tb.

Goat Skins—Antivua and Barbados, dry flint, from 48c.
to 49c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46c. to
47c., dry flint, per Tb

Grave Frurr—California, $1°50 to $2°50 per box.

Liunes—$4°50 per barrel. Market over-stocked.

Macr— 29¢e. to 30c. per th.

. sGs—110's, 9%c. per th.

s—California, $1°50 per box.

Pimenro—. 4}c. per th

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 4°39¢e. to $442; Muscovados,
89°, 3°92c. ; Molasses, 89°, 3°67c. per th., duty paid.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. Leacock & Co., August 1, 19085

Messrs. T. S. Gsrraway & Co., August 4,
1908

ARROWROOT—St. Vincent, $3°90 to $4:00 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $14°00 to $15°00 per 100 Th.
Cocoa-Nurs—$16°00 per M. for husked nuts.
CorrrE—Jamaica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 th.
Hay—$1°40 to $1°65 per 100 th.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $65°00 ; Ohlendorffs dissolved
guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00 ; Cacao manure,
$48-00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $75°00; Sulphate of
potash, $67-UU per ton, —

Motrassrs—No quotations.

Onsons—Strings, $2-07 per 100 th.

Poraros, ENGLisH—$3°'00 to $3°50 per 160 tb.

Peas—Split, $6°60 ; Canada, $5°15 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, $5°46 to $5°96 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°80 ;
Rangoon, $3-00 per 100 tb.

Sucar—Muscovado, 89°, $2°05 per 100 tb., package in-
cluded; Dark crystals, $2°50 ; Centrifugals, $2°35 to
$2-°75 per 100 th.

British Guiana,—Messrs. Sanppacu, Parker & Co,

July 18, 1908.

ArRowroot—St. Vincent, no quotations.

Bavara—-Venezuela block, no quotations, ;
sheet. 52c. to 54c. per tb.

Cacao—Native, I4c. to 15c. per th.

Cassava—80Uc.

Cassava SvarcH—$7°‘56 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocoa-Nurs—$22°00 per M.

Corrre— Creole, 10c. to 1le.; Jamaica, no quotations.

Duat— $6-00 per bag of 168 tb.

Eppos— 90e. per barrel.

MotassEes— Yellow, 24c. ; Dark, 22c. to 24c.

Oxtoxs— Madeira, 2fc.; Lisbon, 2c. to 3c. per f.; Dutch,
no quotations.

Pranvaiss—No quotations.

Poraros,—English, $2°60 to $2°75 per barrel.

Poraros, Swent—Barbados, $1°68 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6 30 to $6°40; Creole, $5°30 to $5°60 for
good ; Se no quotations.

Sprrv Peas—$6°25 per bag (210 lb.); Lisbon, $4°59.

Tannras— $144 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $4°60 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $3°24; Yellow, $3°82 ; White,
$4°80 to $488; Molasses, $2°25 per 100 th. (retail),

Timuer—Greenheart, 48c. to S8Uc. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3'24 to $6 00 per M.

Corpwoop —$2°40 to 82°52 per ton.

Demerara

Trinidad,—July 25, °1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, Grant

& Co.

Cacao—$13°25 to $14-00 per fanega.

Cocoa-NuIsS—No quotations.

Cocoa-Nut Om—58c. per Imperial gallon, cask included.
Correr—Venezuelan, 8hc. to 9e. per ib.

Corra— $2°60 to $2°80 per 100 th.

Duat—-$4°75 to $4°85 per 2-bushel bag.

Ontons—$1°50 to $1°60 per 100 Th. (retail).

Poratos, Exciist—$1°40 to $1°50 per 100 Th.
Ricr—Yellow, $5°40 to $5°75; White, $4:90to $575 per bag.
Sprirv Peas—$5°85 to $6-00 per bag.

Sucak—American ereshed, $5°00 to $5°L0 per 100 th.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN. A Quarterly Scientific Journal.
Volume I. No. 1 out of print. Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price 1s. each. Post free, 1s. 2d
Volumes II, III, IV, V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists. Report of

Agricultural Conference, 1905, (Vols. V and VI). Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.

Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Papers on general subjects: Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the
Sugar-cane by Selection: and Hybridization ; ete., etc. Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.
Volume VIII. Nos, 1, 2.and 3. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907; abstract of Proceedings and Reprint

of Papers. No. 4. Agricultural Conference, 1908 ; Presidential Address and Abstract of Proceedings.
Price 6d. each number. Post free, 8d.
Volume IX. Nos. 1 and 2. Reprint of Papers read at Agricultural Conference, 1908, with summaries of discussions

following. Price 6d. Post free, 8d.

PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially
adapted to West Indian conditions, They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work
On sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulation. The following list gives particulars
of all the pamphlets which are still available. The missing numbers are out of print and can no longer be supplied :—

(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d. (35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
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(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1.
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(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
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(18) Recipes for cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d.
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.
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(25) Ground Nuts in the West Indies _ Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903, Price 4d.
(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.
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(28) Barbados and Porte Rico Molasses. Price 3d.
(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.
(30) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d.
(32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904. Price 4d.
(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.
Price 4d.
(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies.

Price 4d.

Price 4d.

Price 4d.

Price 2d.

(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.

(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

(39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5,
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(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

(42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
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(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
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(45) A. B. C. cf Cotton Planting.
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Ap Ae

Vor, Ville Nos 165:
CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAGE.
Banana Growing in Cuba... 260) Rice Cultivation in
Barbados Lemon Grass Oil 265 British Guiana n2 20%
British Guiana, Praedial Rubber Exhibition, The
Larceny in... 264 Coming . 263

Cocoa-nut Oil, Purification Rubber Production in

Oise otei eee seh ee Dil Ceylon, Cost. of . 263
‘ SNe eens
eaten pe British 265) st Kitt’s Tobacco,
C ton Conraren ren Favourable Reporton 261
Encland ; 262 San Domingo, Agri-
Gottenguithe Sea Ielands 269 cultural Industries of 265
1 Spe ee | ae |) Sapodilla ree 56) oon 4a)
Cotton Land, Legumn- ‘ sr
inousl Oops aS 969 | Sea Island Cotton Cultiva-
; abe os iG tion 550 STOR ane el
West an Cott: 262] « : : .
ooh Winchne (Cohacoye “| Sugar Imports into India 264

Cowpeas and other Soil-

3 -, Sugar Industry :
renovating Crops... 271) ~.2 J

‘Diamond’ Cane Crusher

Education, Agricultural : Pelee (ase ors)
Agricultural Schools, ‘ a eho
“Pp x yet Sugar Industry in Vera
Reports on... . 269 ye : e
- ‘ : CLUZE Er) 1 es OD,
Reading Courses in male e : : se
> : . Vrinidad Sugar Crop ... 259
Practical Agriculture, : : ‘
‘ 5 Sweet Potatos, Cassava,
Books Recommended . ny)
- abe and Maize as Food
for . 207 : =
~ : aa for Hougs ... wae 2EO
Gleanings 2)268)|) ee cp ateenanity f.. OF
oa » ef er] re Ss sey )
Insect Notes MAS: a aes
Coleoptera ... 266 Trinidad, Agricultural
Jamaica Rum =... ... ..- 261 Showsatysea. os . 264
Lime Market in New York 263) Uganda, Agricultural
Market Reports... p60 2473) Progress in 42 200
Notes and Comments . 264 Wind-breaks for Orange
Palms, Wax-excreting . 261! Groves in Porto Rico 263

Sea Island Cotton Cultivation.

HA Island cotton planting has been in active
progress in many parts of the West Indian

Islands for several weeks, but large areas

are yet to be planted, and the present is an opportune
time for again drawing the attention of planters to
points in connexion with the cultivation which they
will do well to observe.

BARBADOS, AUGUST 22, 1908.

>.

SN

ee ocGS:
afl ite J. er Poe me
po. ey a>

AN
A““FORYTNIGHTLY REVIEW

OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE West INDIES.

Price ld.

In regard to the season for planting cotton in the
West Indies, experience has shown that the most satis-
factory results are obtained from areas that have been
planted during the period from the beginning of June
to the end of September. Within the men-
tioned, the planter must depend on local experience to
guide him as to the most suitable date for sowing his
seed, but the soil should be got into a good state of
cultivation so that advantage may be taken of early

limits

showers of rain to start planting operations.

In the case of planters who may have had com-
paratively small experience in growing Sea Island
cotton, the labour supply and the question of suitable
soil will first need attention. It should be remembered
that for the gathering of cotton an
labour, more especially of women and children, is
As regards soil, although cotton has been

abundance of

essential.
grown on practically every type of land, itis now
generally recognized that the best results are obtained
trom fairly light loams, capable of being easily worked.
It is important that cotton land, more especially if of
a heavy nature, should be efticiently drained, since it has.
been noticed that where the soil is retentive of mois-
ture and the rainfall is high, the cotton produced has
a tendency to become weak and wasty. On the other
hand, even with a high rainfall, the cotton does not
characteristics if the soil 1s of a

porous.

show these

nature.

Thorough and careful preparation of the land is
most essential for success with the cotton crop, and
is one of the chief factors in determining the ultimate
yield, as well as the quality of the lint.

The land should be ploughed or forked and the
surface soil well pulverized, some time before sowing

td
or
ror)

THE

takes place. The most successful cotton planters have
found that improved results are obtained when the soil
is allowed to mellow, or ‘cool out’, tor a short time

before planting.

The growth of cotton is attended with the loss of
a considerable amount of organic matter to the soil,
and it is essential that this should be replaced if good
crops are to be produced. Where cotton forms the
main crop of the estate, and is grown year after year
on the same land, pen manure dug into the soil, and
applied at the rate of about half the quantity usually
given to sugar-cane, forms an excellent mode of supply-
ing the humus lost. Another method is by growing
cowpeas, or some other leguminous crop, and turning it
into the soil. On sugar estates, however, where cotton
is but a subsidiary crop, the pen manure supplied to
the canes is sufficient also to meet the demands of the
cotton. As regards artificial manures, their use in
connexion with Sea Island cotton has not been attended
with profitable returns at Montserrat or St. Kitt’s
(see Agricultural News, Vol. VII, p. 246). In experi-
ments with cotton carried out at Barbados the best results
were obtained from the application of 300 tb. high grade
superphosphate, 40 tb. good sulphate of potash, and
100 th. good sulphate of ammonia, per acre.

In regard to the amount of cotton seed required
for sowing, 1t has frequently been pointed out in the
publications of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
that 6 tb. of seed per acre is a very suitable quantity
under ordinary circumstances of planting. On sugar-
cane land, the seed is usually sown at distances of
5 feet in the rows, and 20 inches from plant to plant in
the rows, or the rows may be 6 feet apart with
a distance of 18 inches between the plants.

It is a good plan to sow four seeds at each hole,
about an inch deep. Later, chree of the plants may be
removed, the strongest only being left. It is recom-
mended that not more than one plant be allowed to
grow at each hole

The importance of selecting a good strain of seed
for planting has been repeatedly urged by the Imperial
Department of Agriculture, since the character of the
seed has great intluence upon the crop return obtained,
and especially upon the quality of the lint. In the
early stages of the cotton industry in the West Indies,
cotton seed was selected, disinfected, and put on sale,
by Officers of the Department.
their own selection work, and selected and disinfected
seed can be obtained from the cotton factories at Barba-
dos, St Vincent, and Antigua. Planters should at
least assure themselves that the seed planted by them

Many planters now do

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aveusr 22, 1908.

is of good origin,’i.e., from plants which in the past
season produced lint of the best quality.

Disinfection of the seed is carried out by immer-
sion ina solution of corrosive sublimate made up by
dissolving 1 oz. of corrosive sublimate in 7 gallons of
water. One gallon of this solution is sufficient to disin-
fect about 6 Tb. of cotton seed, which should be soaked
for twenty minutes, then removed, immersed in pure
water for ten minutes, taken out and allowed to drain,
and then spread out in a thin layer in the shade to dry,
After this the seed is ready for planting. It is recom-
mended that cotton seed should be treated only just
before it is to be sown.

The young cotton plants should receive careful
attention during the early stages of growth. The sur-
face soil should be worked by hand implements with
the double purpose of preventing it from becoming
hard and baked, and of keeping it free from weeds,
Constant watchfulness will have to be exercised for
the first signs of insect pests as soon as the cotton
plants are up. The cotton worm and the cut-worm are
the An eftective
method of treatment for attack by cut-worm is by

st lestructive among these pests.

the use of poisoned bait, consisting of a mixture of bran,
molasses, and Paris green.

The cotton worm is well known to growers of Sea
Island cotton in most of the West Indian Islands, and
has already put in an appearance on one or two estates
at Barbados where early planting took place. Supplies
of Paris green and lime should be obtained, and on the
first appearance of the worm the plants should be
dusted with the mixture at the rate of 1 th. of Paris
green to 6 tb, of lime. In the past, this has been shown
to be the most effective method of controlling the pest.
During the coming season, in Barbados, at least, it
is expected that extensive trials in the use of spraying
machines will be made for applying insecticides in
cotton fields.

The comparative value of spraying and dusting
methods in the application of Paris green will be
of considerable results
obtained by the use of arsenate of lead, which ean be

a matter interest, and the
applied only as a spray, will also be watched with

interest.

The with
arsenate of lead indicate that this material will prove an

trials made last season on one estate
efticient insecticide, and that its adhesive qualities will
render it more resistant than Paris green to the wash-
ing of the heavy rains. ‘This. it is hoped, may result in

a saving by reducing the number of applications.

Wor. Vil. No: 165: THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. QE

Ot
S

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Trividad’s Sugar Crop.

A tabular statement giving particulars of the
total sugar crop return of Trimidad for the season
1907-8, the tonnage of canes reaped from lands culti-
vated by estates’ proprietors, the amount of sugar
manufactured fron: these canes, the quantity grown by
cane farmers and disposed of to various factories, the
money valne of the peasant-grown canes, and the
number of East Indian and West Indian cane farmers
respectively, was lately published as Society Paper
No. 327 of the Agricultural Society of Trimidad and
Tobago.

According to this statement, the total ontput of sugar
in Trinidad for the 1908 21910 was 48,933 tons of various
grades. This yield is nearly 2,000 tons short of the crop of
1907, but in the course of a enecliy review lately appearing
in the Port-of-Spain Gazette, and dealing with this subject,
it is mentioned that this shortage is more than accounted for
by the fact that the estates and Usine of Mr. Norman
Lamont: M.P., in South Naparima, from which 2,245 tons of
sugar were exported in 1907, were not worked in 1908.
The southern part of the island, 1e., Naparima and Savanna
Grande, continues to be fore Ns in sugar production, having

turned ont 27,325 tons, or 56°2 per cent. of the total crop,

as against 21,299 tons in the northern districts. The total
amount of sugar produced from estate-grown canes was

36,340 tons, which was yielded by 380,334 tons of canes.

In the 1907-8 season, the farmers’ canes grown and sold,
amounted to 139,422 tons, and yielded 12,593 tons of sugar,
whilein 1906-7 thequantity of canesreached 169,709 tons. Last
year, however, 18,545 tons were purchased for Mr. Lamont’s
factory ; but allowing tor this, it will be seen that the returns
still show a falling-off of nearly 12,000 tons of farmer-grown
cane in Trinidad during the past season. The shorter crop
is attributed by the Port-of-Spain Gazette to the unfavour-
able ‘ growing 1907, rather’ than to a
in the area under cultivation. Indeed the opinion is expressed
that there has been an increase in the acreage rented by the
peasantry for sugar-cane cultivation. This area is estimated
to be from 12,000 to 14,000 acres, and tke total annual rental
paid by the farmers to be about $8,750 sterling.

The cane farmers were paid $303,631 for their 139,422
tons of cane, a price which works out at 32°15 per ton. It
is mentioned, however, that the canes cost the estates’
proprietors an additional 32c. per ton for weighing and
loading, and for hauling to the factory, ete. The cost
of hauling the canes sometimes amounts to 24c¢. per ton.
Tt is stated that, in those districts where it has been
adopted, the sliding scale of payment for farmers’ canes,
with a minimum price of 2-04 per ton, has been found very
sitisfactory. The highest price paid was $240 per ton.

Cane farming was started in the southern provinces
of Trinidad much earlier than in the northern, but advances
have been made in the northern districts, and now 23°3 per
cent.of the canes grown in the north are produced by farmers,
while in the south the proportion of farmer-grown cane is
28°6 per cent.

In the returns, the number of cane farmers engaged in
the industry during 1907-8 is given as 11,541, of which
5,922 are East Indians and 5,619 West Indians. In 1906-7
there were 12,334 cane farmers, 6,577 of these being Kast
Indians, and 5,777 West Indians.

season of decrease

Sugar Industry in Vera Cruz.

The State of Vera Cruz is probably the richest
in natural resources of any in the republic of Mexico.
The soil in many districts is extremely fertile, and
excellent crops of tobacco, sugar-cane, vanilla, maize,
fibre plants, aud fruits are grown.

Tn a report on the industries of the State, the British
Consul states that the number of sugar plantations in
existence is 164. Only about fifteen of these, however, ‘are
equipped with modern machinery for grinding, refining, ete.
Six plantations have a light railway laid down for the more
expeditions handling of the crop. In several cases the larger
plantations belong to foreigners, and a considerable amount
of foreign capital, chiefly from the United States, is invested
in the industry.

The fertility of the soil is such that the average yield of
cane per acre is said to be from 40 to 60 tons, and replanting
takes place only about once in seven years. The cane grows
ee and on crushing, yields a juice of density racn
9 to 115° Beaumeé.

Por thes year 1907, the cane crop of Vera Cruz yielded
17,500 tons of and 60,000 gallons of rum. The
sugar exports showed a decline in 1905, and still more in
1907. This was partly caused by low prices obtained abroad,
and partly by increasing home consumption.

The British Consul comments on the great progress that
has taken place in connexion with the sugar industry of Vera
Cruz of late years. Advanced methods of planting and
harvesting are being introduced, and modern mills and
refineries erected, while the ola plantations are also being
improved, and new machinery substituted for the old. f

Most of the sugar mac hinery imported is of American
manufacture, although British-made machinery has
reputation.

sugar

1 good

t=)

‘Diamond’ Cane Crusher Roller.

The International Sugar Journal for July
contains an account, with illustration, of a patent sugar
mill roller of new type, known as the ‘ Diamond’ patent
roller, and invented by a Glasgow engineer.

‘The ‘Diamond’ roller replaces the usual top roller in
a first crushing mill, and its functions are similar to those of
a Krajewski crusher. The surface of the roller is very much
corrugated, and owing to this form, it takes a very strong
grip of the canes as they enter the mill, and thus a uniform
feed is ensured. The inventor claims that the roller so
thoroughly splits and breaks up the canes as they pass
through the mill that an increased percentage of juice is
extracted, while the crushed canes are in the best condition
for the absorption of maceration water, and for the easy
extraction of juice by the second mill. Further, it is said that
the ‘ Diamond’ roller not only increases the extracting power
of the mill, but that it does so with about two-thirds of the-
power required with ordinary rollers.

This roller has been in use for twe sugar
estates in several parts of the world, and more especially in
Java, where it is stated that it has given satisfactory results.
On estates with milling plants which include Krajewski
crushers, it has in many cases, when the plant is working at
its full capacity, been found advantageous to fit a ‘ Diamond °
roller into the first crushing mill. <A special design of roller
is also made for fitting in the second mills of triple crushing
plants,

seasons on

260

TBE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

Auausr 22, 1908

q

WEST .ANDIAN FRUIT,

BANANA GROWING IN CUBA.
Althoagh banana growing is a more staple. indus-
try in some of the British West India Islands than in
Cuba, yet a few hints on the subject, from an article that
appeared in the Cuba Review tor June last, are worth
bringing before the notice of planters in these islands.

It is pointed out that the banana delights in a rich,
moist, deep soil, that has an abundance of vegetable matter
in it. Congenial temperature and rainfall conditions are
even more important to the banana plant than suitable soil,
and to do its best, and to produce large bunches of fine
fruit the whole year round, it must have a liberal
regular supply of water. If its requirements as to moisture
and temperature are concerned, it is well known that the
banana will give fairly good results even on a poor soil.

The best time for planting the suckers is during the
rainy season, from June to October, and stress is laid upon the
importance of having the soil well tilled and prepared before
hand. The land should be ploughed or hoed to a depth ot
at least 9 and harrowed until the
soil is in a fine and mellow condition. Suckers from
2 to 4 feet high and with large well-developed bulbs
should be selected for planting and set out at distances of
about 14 or 15 feet each To give the plants a good
chance ot early development it is well to dig the holes about
and 30 inches in diameter. If the
soil is dry, the suckers should be liberally watered at
the start. When the plants are well established, hoeing or
ploughing between the rows, for the purpose of maintaining

and

inches, afterwards

Way.

30. inches deep,

a surface mulch and keeping down weeds, is practised by
many planters, and always attended with beneficial results.
The banana grower in Cuba is recommended, in cases where
the soil is poor, to sow cowpeas between the rows of banana
plants, at the beginning of the rainy season, and to plough
in the crop later on when the peas begin to ripen. In
districts the small, the cultivation of
cowpeas, in the way indicated, might ted to rob the bananas
of the soil moisture they require, but under more favourable

where rainfall is

circumstances the practice would be as beneficial in Jamaica
or Barbados as in Cuba.

The operation of pruning is very necessary and important
In connexion with banana growing. Suckers that are not
intended to bear fruit should be removed when not
than 1 foot to 2 feet high, and only two, or at the most three,
stalks left to each plant. These should be at different stages
of development, one being fully matured, while the other
is only half-grown. Banana growers are well aware that if
left. without pruning, there would be too great a number of

more

suckers, and the bunches of fruit would be small and poor.

The first bunches of fruit are produced in about eighteen
months from setting out the plants, while the subsidiary
suckers fruit when:from twelve to sixteen months old.

The apple baaana, which possesses an acid flavour (see
Agricultural News, Vol. V, p. 404) is largely grown in Cuba
for local consumption, while the plantain is also cultivated
and used for cooking purposes.

The average crop of bananas yielded in Cuba, after the
plantation has come into full bearing, 1s stated to vary from
200 to 680 bunches per acre per annum. The average price
obtained is from 15c¢. to 20c. per bunch, according to size of
bunch and season of the year.

'

THE SAPODILLA TREE.

The Sapodilla tree (Achras Sapota) is called the
naseberry in Jamaica, and is a native of Mexico and
other parts of Central America, where it is known as
the * Zapote Chico, and is much valued on account of
its different products.

The tree grows from 25 to 30 feet in height. It is very
plentiful in some districts of Mexico, and its wood gives
a most valuable timber. The wood of the sapodilla tree is of
a clear, deep, reddish-brown colour, very hard, but fairly
easy to work until thoroughly seasoned, when only the finest
edged tools have any effect on its surface. The grain is of
such density that the wood sinks when placed in water. The
British Consul at Vera Cruz mentions that door frames, and
other interior work in houses, known to be over a century
old, made from the wood of the ‘ Zapote, are as good to-day
as when first placed in position.

Experiments in the use of the timber in port construe-
tion, for forming supports under sea-water, show that it is
extremely valuable for this purpose, since, notwithstanding
the influence of the water and the mud, the timber appears
practically indestructible. In Central America, the milky

juice yielded by the tree on tapping the bark, is evaporated,

forms the chicle gum of commerce. The* business of
producing this chicle has become a large and prosperous one

and

in Mexico, the amount exported in the past year being over
2,200 valued at than $2,000,000 (Mexican
currency). There is also an increasing output of chicle from
British Honduras. This product is chietly shipped to the
United States, where it is used as the basis of chewing gum.

The sapodilla fruit is said to be much appreciated in
America, and it stands shipment well. The trees are readily
propagated by budding.

tons, more

‘Vou. VII. No. 165.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 26%

JAMAICA RUM,

The Jamaicr rum industry, and run: production in
other West Indian colontes and in Demerara received
attention at a late sitting of the Whisky Commission,
held at Westminster Palace Hotel, London,

Sir Daniel Morris, Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture,
gave evidence, and handed in a number of official and semi-
otticial papers on the subject. Among these were included
reports on Jamaica rum by Mr H. H. Cousins, M.A., Director
of Agriculture at Jamaica.

In reference to the subject of ‘spurious’ or ‘artificial’ rams
imported from Hamburg to England, and which are of a highly
flavoured nature, the Imperial Commissioner expressed his
belief that this flavouring was due to the use of
which there was undoubtedly a large trade for the purpose,
and not to admixture with a proportion of highly flavoured
Jamaica rums.

Sir Daniel’s attention was drawn to a French book lately
published, entitled Le Rhum et sa Fabrication, in which
various statements were made which were calculated to damage
the reputation of Jamaica rum, but he pointed out that the
information published by Mr. Cousins, ind now before the
Comission, was sufficient to refute these statements. The
Imperial Commissioner was quite satisfied that in Jamaica
no doctoring of rum took place, except the process of colour-
ing the product. The maturing of rum was a natural process,
and at the present time they were producing rum vith the
object of obtaining early maturity. In two or three years it
was hoped that Mr. Cousins would be able to put the industry
on such a footing that its value to the island would be enor-
mously increased. ‘The conditions in Jamaica were such that
no other country would be able to produce rum of exactly
the same quality.

essences, 10

FAVOURABLE REPORT ON ST. KITTS

TOBACCO.

Samples of sun-grown Havana tobacco, as well
as Virginian leaf, grown and cured at La Guerite,
St. Kitt’s, under the supervision of Mr. F. R. Shepherd,
Agricultural Superintendent, were recently submitted
by the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture to
Mr. F. V. Chalmers, the tobaceo expert in London, and
while the report received points out one or two
defects 11 the tobacco, it is, on the whole, distinctly
encouraging to those interested in the possible estab-
lishment of a tobacco industry at St. Kitt’s.

Mr. Chalmers writes :—

The leaves of the Havana tobaceo are too thick for
‘cigar manufacture, but with an improvement in the burning
quality, the product should prove marketable as a pipe
tobacco. I am disposed to think that the poorness of the
soil (with lack of potash) and imperfect fermentation are the
principal causes for bad burning qualities and lack of aroma.
I hope these two points will receive careful attention, and
that the experiments will be continued. There is plenty of
room in the world for more, and espec cially good, tobacco,

With regard to the samples of Virginia for warded, Thke
the appearance of the tobacco. In order to compete with
Virginia tobacco, from a colour point of view, the product
aml be yellow or nearly so. With other competent persons
I have smoked some of the sample of Virginia both in pipes
and in cigarette form, and find a trace of sweetness and
aroma which I expected, and which is no doubt due to soil

and chmatie influences.
smoking tobacco.

Mr. Chalmers further mentions that he
a portion of the Virginia tobacco grown at St.

It is a most pleasant and cool

submitted
Kitt’s to

the Admiralty, and he is willing to recommend that, so large
a quantity as 25,000 tb. should, if available, be annually

purchased at a cost (including freight) of 63d. per tb., tor the
purposes of a tobacco mixture for the British Navy. This,
it is stated, is the minimum amount that would be reqttired,
and with an improvement in the quality of the product, the
demand would considerably increase. Should this recom-
mendation of Mr. Chalmers come into effect, the result would
be a great stimulus to tobacco growing at St. Nitt’s, and
possibly in other parts of the West Indies.

It will be remembered (see Agricultural News,
Vol. V, p. 364) that some two years ago, on the recom-
mendation of the same expert, the use of Jamaica
tobacco, as an ingredient in a mixture with Virgiman
tobacco, was given a trial in the British Navy, anid was
favourably reported upon.

WAX-EXCRETING PALMS.

Among the most interesting members of the palm
family are one or two species which excrete wax and
deposit it on their Jeaves or on the stems. Probably
the best known of these 1s the Carnauba palm of Brazil
(Copernicus cerifera), while a second has latterly
become known as the wax palm of Colombia (Ceroxrylon
undicolu). An articie dealing with these palms and the
commercial uses to which the wax excreted by them
inay be put, appeared in a recent number of the
Gardeners Chronicle. It was mentioned in the Agri-
cultural News (Vol. VI, p. 375) that specimens of the
Carnauba palm exist in the Botanie Gardens in British
Guiana, and seeds from these have been distributed to
the Botanic Stations thronghout the West Indies.

In the forests of Pernambuco and Bahia the Carnauba
palm is found in great number. The tree grows to a height
of 40 feet and measures about 1 foot in diameter at its base.
The wax is excreted and deposited on the under side of the
leaves, and the collection of this product has of late years
become an important industry.

The wax is either scraped from the leaves on the tree, or
the leaves themselves are gathered from the tree and the wax
is afterwards removed. Since the product so obtained is in an
impure state, and contains a large admixture of resin and
other materials, it is melted, the impurities are removed by
skimming, and the wax is run into moulds to harden.

Carmanba wax was, until recently, used in the manufac-
ture of candles and also as a basis for such articles as boot
polishes. The discovery of the fact that this wax was of
special value for the purpose of making phonograph and grama-
phone records, led immediately to a greater demand for the
product and also to a large increase in its value. About
2,000 tons of the wax are annually exported from Brazil, and
its value is placed at anything from £100 to £200 per ton.

The wax palm of Colombia exeretes wax which is depos-
ited not on the leaves, but on the trunk of the tree, and is
treyuently found between the scars left on the trunk by the
petioles of the leaves, in deposits so thick that it can be
removed in flakes. The average annual yield of one tree
is said to be about 25 tb. . At present there is but a local
demand for the wax, and it is used by the people of Colombia
for making candles.

THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Lo
lo

AuGust

2, 1908.

So MATUUI BU

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date July 31, with reference to
the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton on the
Liverpool market:—

Since our last report, there has been no demand for
West Indian Sea Island cotton until yesterday, when 140
bales were sold at from 14d. to 15d., at fairly steady prices,
comprising Barbados, Antigua, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s and
St. Vincent.

COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS.

Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Cv., of Charleston, in
their Sea Island cotton report of July 25 last, state
that during the fortnight previous to that date, the
demand for Sea Island cotton was limited and resulted
in the sale of only 61 bales at 35c., for export to France.

Factors are holding odd bags and asking prices of 30ec.
tor cotton of ‘ fully fine ’ quality, and 32c. for planters’ crop
lots. It is believed, however, that they would make some
concessions in order to sell.

In reference to the crop prospects for the coming
season, Messrs. Frost write :—

The crops on the islands around Charleston have had fay
ourable weather wp to this time,and have been reported as very
promising, but they are much in need of rain at this moment,
whilst the advices from Beaufort are that they have had too
much rain, and that the outlook is rot good, with a prospect
of the crop falling short of the return of last year.

COTTON CONFERENCE IN ENGLAND.

The Conference arranged between the West Indian
cotton growers and Manchester spinners was held in the
Council Room of the British Cotton-growing Associa-
tion, at Manchester, from August 5 to 11, under the
presidency of Sir Alfred Jones, K.C.M.G. The West
Indian delegates, whose names were given in the Agit-
cultural News of July 25 last, were in attendance, and
there were present in addition, Mv. Conrad Watson
from Jamaica, and the Hon. H. L. Thornton and
Mr. Daniel Morris, jun., as representatives of Tobago.

As will have been seen from the public telegrams the
highly interesting — character.
Mr. Emmott, Deputy Speaker, welcomed the delegates on
behalf of the House of Commons, and expressed the interest
felt by the House in British cotton growing. Colonel
Seely, Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, said that
whatever could be done by the Colonial Office to help the

proceedings were of a

system of co-operation between West Indian cotton growers
and Manchester spinners would be done. Sir Damiel Morris
gave an address describing the progress of the cotton industry
in the West Indies. Sir Alfred Jones regretted that, so far,
Jamaica had not done so well as the other islands, and on
behalf of his company, he offered to carry Jamaica cotton to:
England free of charge for one year.

A resolution was adopted on the motion of Mr. Hutton,
Chairman of the British Cotton-growing Association, urging
the Government to place the Imperial Department of
Agriculture for the West Indies on a permanent basis.

A report of the proceedings of the Conference
appear in the next number of the Agricu/tural Vers.

will

LEGUMINOUS CROPS FOR COTTON
io LAND:

In the West Indies Sea Island cotton is chiefly
grown as a subsidiary crop to sugar-cane and not as
a main crop.

In the Sea Islands, and in Carolina and
Georgia, where Sea Island cotton is grown at all, it usually
forms the most important and profitable crop in the rotation.
Under these conditions, the chief points needing
attention by the cotton farmer is the best means of maintain
ing the fertility oi the land for cotton cultivation.

Artificial manures are frequently applied, but in /armers’
Bulletin 30.2 of the United States Department of Agriculture
‘Sea Island Cotton,’ it is stated that one of the chief factors
for keeping the land in good condition is the adoption
of a rotation in which leguminous crops. are prominent.
Cowpeas, velvet beans, and peanuts, all of which have been
reconmended for cultivation in the West Indies, are the chief
crops of this kind grown, being found to give excellent
results on the light soils most suitable for Sea island cotton,
and the rotation frequently extends over no more than two
years, cotton being planted In one season, and a mixture of

however,

one of

corn and cowpeas the second year.

On the whole, it is stated, the cowpea (Miyna Catjany)
is the most popular and widely-grown leguminous crop for
growth on Sea Island cotton land. The peculiar advantages
of this crop are that the plant is well adapted to poor land,
it is easy to cultivate, and the produce is valuable as food
for man and stock. The Iron cowpea is specially recommend
ed for growth in connexion with cotton.

The velvet bean (Anca utilis) is
another crop which constitutes a valuable source of humus,
and adds a large amount of nitrogen to the soil on which it
is grown. This plant grows very vigorously, and its vines
afford excellent fodder for stock. The plant, too, is immune

to most diseases.

prure 2S, Var.

Vion. Vil. No: 165. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 263

NEW YORK LIME MARKET.

Lime growers in Dominica who may be thinking
of making shipments of their frit to New York would
do well to note the accompanyii paragraph from the
Market Report of Messrs. Gillespie, Bros. & Co., dated
July 24 last :—

The lime market continues heavily over-stocked, and
while there is a little business doing it is of such a small
character that it has no marked effect as to reducing supplies.
A further hindrance to any improvement that might. be antici-
pated is the extra large crop of Florida limes that has been
experienced. ‘This has fully supplied the Southern markets,
and receivers of the fruit are practically accepting any bids
they can get. Under these conditions we must again advise
shippers to refrain from forwarding further lots, and to-day’s
nominal quotation is from 33°75 to 34°50 per barrel.

WIND-BREAKS FOR ORANGE GROVES
IN PORTO RICO.

Orange cultivation is an industry of considerable
promise in Porto Rico, and numbers of plantations are
now being set out. A pest which is causing a good
.deal of trouble in the citrus groves 1s the orange mussel
scale (Lepidosaphes hechii [ Mytilaspis cltric ola), and
the 1907 Report of the Agricultural xperument Station
of the island mentions th: it eXperiments are in progress
to determine the best methods of dealing with these
insects, Spraying with kerosene has given fiirly
satisfactory results. It is stated, too, that Porto Rican
planters now recognize that wind-breaks on the wind-
ward side of citrus groves play an iportant part in
checking the spread of the scales. The following
notes on this point are taken from the report :—

Wind-breaks are divided into two classes — permanent
and temporary. Permanent wind-breaks ave generally planted
on the outer the groves, while temporary wind-
breaks are planted between the rows of trees. ‘There are
several plants which grow very quickly, and afford good
temporary wind protection, namely: bananas, sugar-cane,
pigeon peas, and the China berry or Barbados lilace (Melia
Azedarach). YVemporary wind-breaks should not remain be-
tween the rows more than three years, and in the case of
bananas a furrow should be ploughed on each side, thus
preventing the roots from sapping the soilaround the orange trees.

For permanent wind-breaks at the present time the
mango seems to be the best, but in setting out the young
trees they should be headed as low as possible. Bamboo is
also being planted, and if the cuttings are set out during the
rainy season they start much quicker. These should be
planted close together, so as to form a hedge.

When brush land is being cleared for planting, it is
advisable to leave a strip of uncut timber 20 feet wide every
300 to 400 feet. The results obtained from wind-breaks are
very marked, certain groves which were wind-swept and were
not growing at all having been brought into excellent condi-
tion. In almost every grove on the island marked improve-
ments have been observed as the result of planting wind-
breaks. In certain areas there may be found trees producing
from | to 2 boxes of fruit, while trees not more than 50 to
70 feet away, and of the same age as the former, but with-
out wind protection are frequently noticeable, which, from
their development, might not be more than a year old. On
the latter the branches are blown to one side and covered
with scale. Trees protected from the wind require less spray-
ing, and the fruit is free from scars.

borders of

THE COMING RUBBER EXHIBITION.

The International Rubber Exhibition that is to be
held at the Olympia, London. from September 14 to
26 next, 18 an important event in connexion with
a tropical agricultural industry that has of late years
become annually of greater magnitude in many parts
of the world. In the Agric Mira News ot March
21 last (Vol. VII, p. 21) fall details were given of the

arrangements then ee in connexion with the
Exhibition, and a later note (Vol. VII, p. 153) gave
further particulars. The* following note, from the

Lndia-rubber World of July 1 last, will give some idea
of the scope of the Exhibition :-—

Visitors to the Rubber Exhibition may be prepared to
see rmnbber plants growing, in every stage from the earliest,
together with sections of mature rubber trees and photo-
graphs of entire trees. Demonstrations will be given of all the
methods of tapping rubber trees that have been devised to
date, and specimens of tapping instruments will be on view.
The various practices adopted in coagulating rubber will be
shown, and specimens of crude rubber in all known forms,
whether ‘ plantation ’ or ‘ wild’ will be exhibited. In other
departments of the Exhibition, visitors will be able to see
a demonstration of modern factory processes for the conversion
of crude rubber into finished products, and an array of
manufactured goods into which rubber The rubber
manulacturer will there have an opportunity to study in all
its phases the development of the raw materials ; the producer
of rubber will be able tosee what the manufacturer wauts in
the way of raw materials, and by what steps his produce is
turned into articles of commercial utility.

enters.

COST OF RUBBER PRODUCTION IN
CEYLON.

Phe editor of the Jndia-rubber Journal has

latterly been making a tour in Ceylon and the East

Indies, for the purpose of visiting rubber estates in
that part of the world. In reference to the cost of rubber
production in Ceylon he writes :—

IT visited several rubber properties in the island possess-
ing a large number of Para rubber trees of different ages but
most of which had reached the tapping stage In practically
every instance the managers stated that they were able to
produce rubber at a profit when the market price was 3s. per Ib.

The cost of production varies considerably in Ceylon,
especially when the trees are of different ages. On one well-
known estate the rubber during 1907 was delivered f.o0.b. in
Colombo at Is, 1d. per tb, On the same property it was
estimated that, in the future, when all the trees on the estate
had reached the tapping age, the cost would be reduced to 9d.
per tb. On another property, the cost of producing rubber,
when dealing with young trees only, was 1s. 2d. per tb., and
when the rubber was obtained from old trees alone this cost
was no more than 8d. per tb. The estate is a large one, and
the management hopes later to reduce the cost of production,
including freight to London, to from 9d. to 10d. per Ib. of
rubber.

On yet another property, where the average daily wage
paid to the coolies was 6d. per day, rubber was being produ-
ced from young trees and exported to London, the cost,
including freight and London charges, reaching 2s, per tb.
The manager was of opinion that this cost would be reduced
to Is. 4d. per tb. as the trees matured.

THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aveust 22, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the

Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulan &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural dlews

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The editorial deals with the chief points that
should receive careful attention in the
Sea Island Cotton in the West Indies.

A review of the cane crop return of Trinidad for
the past season, both from estates and from the lands
of cane farmers, is given on page 259,

The methods followed in the cultivation of bananas
by the best plantersin Cuba are described on page
260.

A favourable report on the quality of tobacco
produced at St. Kitt’s has been received from an expert
in London, who is willing to recommend the purchase
of a large quantity of the tobacco, if available, for use
in the British Navy (p. 261).

Cotton Notes (page 262) include market reports,
a note on the Cotton Conference at Manchester, and
a brief article on the cultivation of leguminous crops
on cotton land,

The concluding portion of Mr. Ballou’s article
dealing with the Coleoptera or beetles is given on
page 266.

A list of books recommended for the use of car di-
dates, who propose to enter for the courses of reacing
and examination in Practical Agriculture, of \hieh
details were lately published by the Imperial De part-
ment of Agriculture, will be found on page 267.

cultivation of

Sugar Imports into India.

India produces far more cane sugar than any other
single country inthe world, but notwithstanding this,
the annual crop falls far short of the amonnt needed to
supply the home'demand, and during 1907-8 no less
than 559.000 tons of sugar, valued at £6,151,000, were
imported into India.

Java is the principal source of supply, and in the
past year furnished 63 per cent. of the sugar imports,
while Mauritius provided a further 28 per cent. During
the past four years the imports of sugar from Java and
Mauritius into India have increased from 197,650 tons
to 427,550 tons. In the same period the supplies of
beet sugar from “Europe, drawn almost entirely from
Austria and Germany, have fallen from 85,800 tons to-
39,700 tons.

Praedial Larceny in British Guiana.

Praedial larceny, or the theft of growing agri-
enltural crops, 1s giving a great deal of trouble in
varions parts of the West Indies—notably in Jamaica
and British Guiana. Steps are being taken in Jamaica
to deal in a drastic way with the evil, and an amend-
ment to the Summary Conviction Offences Ordinance
of 1898 is abont to be introduced into the Court of
Policy of British Guiana for a similar purpose.

According to this amendment any person who
steals or destroys, or attempts to steal or destroy, any
cacao, cocoa-nuts, coffee, bananas, yams, sweet potatos,
ete. shall be hable to a penalty of not less than $25,
or imprisonment, for one month, and not more than
4250, or imprisonment for three months.

Further, in addition to the above penalties, it
is provided that im parts of the colony where praedial
larceny 1s at any time especially prevalent, the Governor-
in-Council may declare these to be ‘ proclaimed
districts, and offenders within these districts are liable
also to be whipped
Agricultural Shows at Trinidad.

The report lately presented by a Select Committee
of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad appointed to
coasider the question of agricultural shows in the
colony, should be encouraging to those who have
advocated the extension of Peasant Proprietors’ and
School Shows.

In the past the Agricultural Society has devoted
the sum of $250 per annum to be awarded in prizes at
the local exhibitions. This sam has been administered
under the auspices of the Education Department of
the colony, and with very approved results. Owing to
the interest taken in these local shows the Select
Committee recommend that the amount of the Agri-
cultural Society’s Grant be increased to $1,000 for the
five shows to be held respectively at Port-of-Spain,
Arima, Princes’ Town, San Fernando and Scarborough.
It is also advised that the exhibitions should take place
in January or February.

At these exhibitions prizes will be given not only
for fruit, vegetables and live stock, but awards will also
be made to cane farmers, and for well-kept cottage
vegetable and flower gardens,

VoL, VII. No. 165.

THE AGRICULTURAL

wn

NEWS. 26!

Agricultural Progress in Uganda.

The chief agricultural products of Uganda in the
near future will apparently be cotton, rubber, cacao,
coffee, ground nuts, and chillies. In the annual Colonial
Report (1906-7) details are given in relation to the
production of the above articles, which show that satis-
factory progress is being made.

Cotton cultivation is extending rapidly in the
Protectorate, and will probably become the most
important industry. In 1905-6, only 48 tons of cotton
were exported, but in, 1906-7 the shipments rose to
175 tons, while some hundreds of tons of unginned
cotton were still in store at the end of the year

Rubber to the amount of 73,191 1b., having a value
of £9,759 was exported in 1906-7. This represents an
increase of about 40 per cent. compared with the
exports of 1905-6.

Cacao trees grow well at the Botanic Gardens,
and beans sent to the Imperial Institute have been
very favourably reported on. Cacao does not yet figure
in the exports, but it is expected that in the future it
will become a prominent source of revenue.

Cottee plantations exist on a fairly large scale, but
only 110 ewt. of coffee were exported in 1906-7. This
is to a certain extent explained by a large local demand.

Ground nuts to the amount of 2.425 ewt. were
exported during the year, while the quantity of chillies
shipped was 29,370 ewt.

OED ee
British Cotton Cultivation.

Abstracts of a series of reports prepared by
Professor Wyndham Dunstan, F.R.S., on cotton enlti-
vation in parts of the British Empire, other than India
and Egypt, have been issued as a Parliamentary paper
(Colonial Reports.—Miscellaneous Series, No 50).

The main portion of British-grown cotton is pro-
duced in East and West Africa. The cotton exports
trom the Sudan were valued at £235,000 in 1905 and
£45,000 in 1906. The rate of development in Uganda is
even more reinarkable, cotton to the value of £11,400
being shipped in 1906-7, as compared with £1,089 in
the previous year, Considerably increased shipments
are also reported from Seirra Leone, the Gold Coast,
and Lagos in West Africa. From the last-named place
cotton to the extent of 2.440.000 th., valued at £40,000
was exported in 1906, as compared with 1.281,000 Ib.
in 1905. In Lagos, it is stated, there are large areas of
land suitable for cotton growing, but transport difficnl-
ties are a hindrance to extended cultivation.

The reports relating to South Africa show that
Rhodesia and the Transvaal are capable of yielding
cottons of excellent quality. As with New Gninea,
and certain parts of the Australian colonies, however,
where there are extensive areas the soil and climate of
which are snitable for cotton growing, labour and trans-
port difficulties are likely to give considerable trouble.
Considerable attention 1s given in the report to
the development of the Sea Island cotton industry of
the West Indies. In 1905 the exports of cotton and
cotton seed from these colonies were valued at £63,000:
in 1906 at more than £90,000, and for the year 1907
at £232,570.

Barbados Lemor Grass Oil.

In further reference to Barbados lemon grass oil,
concerning which a note appeared in the Agricultural
News of July 25 last, it may be mentioned that
Messrs. Schimmel & Co.,)the well-known chemists of
Leipzig, have reported very favourably on the quality
of asample recently submitted to them, which they
describe as being especially valuable on account of its
high percentage (90) of citral, and its good solubility.

Messrs. Schimmel & Co. point ont, however, that
the price of this product is still on tne decline—and now
stands at about 1}d. per oz., as compared with a_ price
of 8d. per oz. two years ago, when the question of its
cultivation was first taken up in the West Indies. In
view of this report, therefore, it would seem that for
the present, there is no inducement for extending the
cultivation of lemon grass in these colonies.

=

Agricultural Industries of San Domingo.

The agricultural methods practised in the repub-
lic of San Domingo are not of the most up-to-date
description, but it is stated in the report, tor 1907, of
the British Consul, that there has been an improvement
during the past two or three years.

The staple agricultural products of the republic
are cacao, sugar, tobacco, bananas, and coffee. Cacao,
tor the cultivation of which there are extensive areas
suitable in every respect in San Domingo, took the
premier place among the exports in 1907, the quantity
shipped being 9,983 tons. This is somewhat less than
the amount exported in 1905 and 1906, but it is esti-
mated that a protracted drought reduced the cacao
yield by about 4.500 tons. The average price obtained
($13:°35 per 100 tb.) in the past year was almost double
that of 1905 and 1906, and this has enconraged
planters to extend the cacao acreage. Practically the
whole of the exports went to Germany, the United
States, and France.

Owing to low. prices the year 1907 was not
a favonrable one for sugar growers in San Domingo.
In 1905, the sugar exports were 52,986 tons, having
a value of $3,292,470, whereas in the past year, although
the shipments were 54,100 tons, the value fell to
$2,099,679.

The tobacco industry is in a flourishing condition,
the exports for 1907—9,734 tons—being about 100 per
cent. greater than in 1905. The price obtained for this
product has shown a similarly satisfactory increase
during the past two years. Germany takes practically
the whole of the tobacco produced in San Domingo.

The banana trade of the republic is entirely in the
hands of the United Fruit Company who own extensive
plantations near Puerto Plata. The exports in 1907
reached 640,000 bunches, being much the same as in
the two previons years. The price paid for the fruit:
was 2s. 1d. per bunch.

Coftee was shipped during the year to the extent
of 3,376,970 th., France being the chief purchaser.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Aucusr 22, 1908.

INSECT NOTES.

Coleoptera.
(Concluded from the last issue of the Agricultural News.)

The long-horned beetles cause a considerable amount of
injury to the trees they attack, and they are always more
abundant on trees which are not in the most vigorous con-
dition of growth and have not the same powers of resistance
as ordinary trees. Trees suffering from lack of drainage, or
from lack of fertility in the soil, or even from drought in
some are sufficiently checked in their growth — to
be more readily attacked by this class of pest.

The lime-tree bark borer (Leptostylus praemorsus) and
the cacao beetle (Stezrastoma depressum) are well known.

The lady-bird beetles (Coccinellidae) are very valuable

cases,

assistants in helping to control the attacks of certain insects

<
¥

spe

Fie. 9.
injurious to plants, such as plant lice (Aphidae), scale insects
{Coccidae), and other small sucking insects.

These lady-birds are predaceous in both the larval and
adult stages, and one or more kinds may be seen on almost
any plant infested with the insects on which they prey. The
most common form in the West Indies is the red lady-bird
(Cycloneda The spotted lady-bird — (Megilla

maculata) is also common, and there are several species

I

Cacao BRETLE AND GRUB.

SANguined).

Fie. 10

sanguinea (Cc).

Lapy-pirps. («) Megilla maculata. (4) Cycloneda

(All enlarged).
which though abundant and most useful are generally over
looked on account of their small size and plain colouring.
These small lady-birds (Seymnus spp.) are frequently not
more than Te inch in length, and they are dark-brown, black
or steel-blue in colour.

The weevils (Rhynchophora) include in their number
some extremely troublesome pests to field crops, fruits and
stored grains, ete. The weevil borer of the sugar-cane
(Sphenophorus sericeus), and the root borer of the sugar
cane) Diaprepes abbreviatus) ave well known in many sugar-
growing localities. The palm weevil (2hynchophorus palma-
rum), one of the very large weevils, occurs in Trinidad,
Dominiea, and: Grenada.

The sweet potato weevil (Cryptorhynchus batatae) has

Lady-bird eggs.

been very abundant during the past two or three seasons.
In the Leeward Islands this insect is known as ‘ Jacobs,’ and
in Barbados as ‘Searabee.’ Although a very small insect, about
linch in length, it is a great pest, and when the attack on
a sweet potato field is general and severe, the entire crop 1s
lost. The larvae live in the potatos, tunnelling them through
and through as they are getting ripe, and animals refuse
to eat roots that are much tunnelled, in consequence of the
most disagreeable taste and odour that are imparted to them
by the weevils. ‘The sweet potato borer of Jamaica and the
Southern States is another weevil (Cylas formicarius) which
is slightly larger and anore elongate than the Scarabee. The
golden weevil (Diaprepes spenglers) oceurs in St. Vincent and
is known as a pest on orange and other citrus trees in Porto
Rico. The fiddler beetle (Praepodes vittatus) is an active
enemy of orange trees at Jamaica and has been reported as
attacking cacao. The rice weevil (Ca¢andra oryzae) is of com-
mon occurrence, feeding on stored rice, corn, and grain of all
kinds.

The remedies to be used in controlling beetles which
occur as pests must of necessity be varied according to the
habits of each species or group. Although they have mouth
parts suited for biting, they cannot in all eases be controlled
by the use of stomach poisons. Sometimes this is because
the habits of the insects make it impossible to put poison
within their reach, and in other cases because they do not
respond readily to the effect of poison. This is especially
true of many of the weevils which feed on the leaves of plants.
Tt has been found that these insects frequently continue to
feed on leaves that have been sprayed or dusted, and that
they are not killed quickly enough by the poison to prevent
considerable injury being done to the plants.

- Root borers and other beetle larvae that live in the
ground can sometimes be checked by adopting a rotation
of crops, or by deep ploughing or forking. Borers in_ trees
may be dug out with a sharp knife, or they may be killed by
probing into their burrows with a wire. It is sometimes
possible to prevent such insects from getting into the trees
by coating the trunks with a thick lime-wash. Root
borers, and other beetle larvae in the ground, bark and wood
borers, grain beetles, pea weevils, ete., can be killed by the use

Fie. 12. Wervit Borer or

Fig. 11.

Roor Borer or

SUGAR-CANE,
of carbon bisulphide provided there is a suitable opportunity of
applying it. The leaf-eating beetles may be controlled by the
use of Paris green and lime, or other arsenical poisons, apphed
as a dust or spray. Poison bait, made of bran and molasses
to which poison is added, is sometimes useful in combating
beetle grubs in the soil. This poison bait is used in the same
way as already recommended for the cut-worm.

Clean agricultural methods, especially the clearing up of
dead and decaying wood, which may contain the eggs or larvae
of boring insects, and the removal of weeds, which may serve
as breeding places for insects, as well as prompt treatment
at the first appearance of any of the beetle pests, will often
check a severe outbreak, and thus prevent damage to trees,
crops, and stored products,

SUGAR-CANE.

Vou. Vil. No. 165. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

267,

READING COURSES IN PRACTICAL
AGRICULTURE.

List of Books Recommended for Candidates.

Details were given in a recent number of the
Agricultural News (Vol. VII, p.209) of courses ot
reading and examination in practical agricalture, which
the Imperial Department of Agriculture proposes to
establish in the West Indies for the benefit of overseers
and sub-manaagers of estates. Below is given a list of
books recommended for use by candidates in preparing
for these examinations :—

‘Elements of Agriculture,’ by W. Fream (Published by
J. Murray), 2s. 6d.

‘Catechism of Agricultural -Chemistry,’ by
(published by Blackwood & Sons), Is.

‘Chemistry of the Garden,’ by H. H. Cousins (Published
by Maemillan), Is.

‘The Soil,’ by A. D.
ayy Od.

©Nature Teaching,’ Imperial Department of Agriculture,
2s. 6d.

‘Lectures to Sugar Planters,’ Imperial Department of
Agriculture, Is.

‘Sugar and the Sugar-Cane,’ by Noel Deerr (Published
by N. Rodger, Altrincham, Manchester), 7s. Gd.

‘Introductory Mannal for Sugar Growers,’ by Dr. Francis
Watts (Published by Longmans, Green & Co.), 3s. 6d.

‘Cacao,’ by J. H. Hart (Published by Davidson & Todd,
Trinidad), 3s.

‘Cacae, its cultivation, botany, chemistry, and diseases,’
by Herbert Wright (Published by Ferguson, Colombo
and London), 7s. 6d.

‘Tropical Agriculture,’ by
Macmillan),. 6s.

*Pamphlets published by the Imperial Department of
Aeviculture *:—

Jonnson

Hall (Published by J. Murray),

Nicholls (Published by

No. 5. ‘General treatment of insect pests,’ 4d.

No. 7. ‘Seale insects of the Lesser Antilles,’ Part I, 4<.

No. 22. ‘Scale insects of the Lesser Antilles,’ Part iI,
4d.

No. 17. ‘General treatment of fungoid pests,’ 4d.

‘Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane,’
4d.

No. 45. ‘A BC of Cotton Planting,’ 6d.

No. 53. ‘A BC of Lime Cultivation,’ 4d.

Candidates should in all cases provide themselves
with the books given in the above list. The pamphlets,
etc., issued by the Imperial Department of Agriculture
which are recommended, and also the Agricultural
News will be supplied free of charge on application.
Registered candidates at Barbados will be furnished,
free of charge, with copies of the annual reports (in
pamphlet form) on the Barbados sugar-cane experi-
ments, while reports, also in pamphlet form, on the
sugar-cane experiments at Antigua, and St. Kitt’s, will
be forwarded tree to candidates in the Leeward Islands.

The books already mentioned’ form a list by no
means exhaustive, and for further information, or for
purposes of reference, candidates may in addition,
consult any of the following volumes :—

No. 29.

‘The First Book of Farming,’ by Goodrich (Published

by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York).

‘The soil,’ by S. W. Fletcher (Published hy Constable,

London). Price 8s. 6d.

‘The Chemistry of the Farm,’ by KR.
(Published by Vinton & Co.), 2s. 6d.

‘ Agricultural Physics,’ by King.

‘Manures and Manuring,’ by C. M. Aikman (Published
by Blackwood, Edinburgh).

The Farmers’ Bulletins of the U.S. Department of Agri-
enlture. (To be obtained from the Superintendent of
Documents, Washington ; 5c. each and postage).

The West Indian Bulletin, the Quarterly Scientific
Journal of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
for the West Indies.

The Reports of the West Indian Experiment Stations.

Warrington

‘Cane Sugar and the process of its Manufacture in
Java’, by H. C. Prinsen Geerligs (Published by
N. Rodger). Price 5s.

‘The Cotton Plant ;’ Bulletin No. 33. Office of Experi-
ment Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

‘Sea Island Cotton ;’? Farmers’ Bulletin No
U.S. Department of Agriculture.

302 ;

RICE CULTIVATION IN BRITISH
GUIANA.

Certain phases of the rice industry of British
Guiana are commented on as follows by the Demerara
Chronicle of July 24 last :—

Within afew weeks rice planting on the East Coast
will have been completed. Although the acreage under
cultivation has greatly inereased this year, all the lands
intended for cultivation could not be cultivated owing to the
searcity of rice seedlings. This scarcity is due to the fact
that the seedlings have not come up to expectations, and
farmers can Jearn a valuable lesson from this experience.
First, they must select the very best of seed, ason the
seedlings depends to a very great extent the success or
failure of the When the seedlings are strong, not
only do they grow with more vigour and mature earlier than
when they are weak, but they are also able to resist floods
and absence of water far better than the weak seedlings, the
greater portion of which only result in successful crops
when the weather and irrigation conditions are very favour-
able to their growth. Another that too many
seedlings must not be put into one hole and that the plants
must be placed at reasonable distances apart. One of the
reasons for this mistake in planting 1s, that many rice farmers
believe that the more plants they put imto a hole the greater
yield is obtained. This belief is a fatal mistake and is
a very fruitful cause of the production of blighted rice. The
crop this year will be reaped better than that of last year,
but notwithstanding that, if rains continue till August, the
quality of the rice can be depended upon, The price of
paddy this year may be higher than prices last year. The
sole reason for this anticipation is, that a great quantity of
the paddy that will be obtained is already pledged for loans
obtained to assist the planters in their cultivation. At
present paddy can scarcely be obtained on the Coast and
rice is selling at some parts as high as 32c. per gallon. This
searcity of paddy and consequent rise of rice wil! continue
and will be greatly intensified as time goes on, until the
arrival of the harvesting season of the crop.

crops.

lesson is,

268

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aucusr 22, 1908.

GLEANINGS,

The shipments of cacao made from Grenada during the
period from March 21 to June 30 of the present year were
15,458 bags.

The Agricultural Society of St. Lucia recently imported
Sea Island cotton seed to the value of £10 for the purpose of
gratuitous distribution among the peasantry of the island.

There is a vacancy at, the Agricultural School,
St. Vincent, for an Assistant Master. The salary attached
to the appointment is £45 per annum, with free quarters.

The English thoroughbred stalhon horse ‘ Bean IT,’ now
standing for service at the Stock Farm Agricultural School,
St. Vincent, will not be available for service this year after
September 30 next. (St. Vincent Offiecal Gazette.)

The first tapping of cultivated rubber trees in
southern part of ‘Trinidad took place on August 1.
Pointe-a-Pierre district,
Bart. (Port-of-Spain

the
The trees
in question were on an estate in
belonging to Sir Edward Tennant,
Gazette.)

The total amount of Trinidad cacao shipped during July
Jast was 3,227,724 tb. Of this, the United States took
slightly more than half, viz., 1,735,738 tb; France took
685,848 tb., and the United Kingdom 335,853 Ib.
varied from 62s. to 64s. per ewt., during the month.

Prices

Mr. John Weatherhead, late of Bay estate, Barbados, has
been appointed manager of the Balembouche estate, St. Lucia,
and Mr. J. G. Salmon, deputy manager. It will be
remembered that the Balembouche estate is the property of
Messrs. Macfarlane, Junior & Co., on which they are starting
the cultivation of Sea Island cottom in St. Lueia.

The growing of sisal hemp is reported to be a promising
industry in the Hawaiian Islands. At present about &60
acres are under cultivation. Between 300 and 400
were to be cut during 1907, with the prospect of harvesting
60U acres in the present year. The whole of the output is
shipped to San Franciseo, (British Consular Report.)

acres

Kour trios of Indian Runner ducks, strong, healthy and
of good laying strain, have been obtained from England by
the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, with the object
of extending the breed in St. Vincent and St. Lucia, and later
on in other islands. It will be remembered that Indian Runner
ducks have proved of special value in those parts of the
West Indies where they have been already introduced. An
article on the characteristics of the breed appeared in the
Agricultural News, Vol. VI, p. 187.

In addition to the’articles mentioned in the Agricultural
News of July 25 last (Vol. VIL, p. 231) as being about to be
forwarded from St. Lueia. to the International
Exhibition at Toronto, several barrels of cocoa-nuts and of
green limes for gratuitous distribution, together with decora-
tive plants and grasses, were despatched by the C.L.S.
*Ocamo on August 8.

Canadian

Owing to the low price of nutmegs, it has been thought
advisable in many cases in Grenada to cut out nutmeg trees
in cultivations where they occur growing in connexion with
eacao, and especially to weed out trees yielding small nuts or
A suggestion has lately been brought forward
that growers might pessibly start a small but remunerative
industry by utilizig the outer husk of the nutmeg in the
preparation of preserves.

p OK Cre } Ss.

The report for 1906-7 on the Basse Pointe Central
Factory, Martinique, Shows that during the season the factory
handled 16,000 metric tons of sugarcane. ‘This was paid
for by the factory at 8°163 franes [1 frane =about 9hd.] per
ton. The factory sold its sugar in France at 24°30 franes
(very approximately £1) and made a net gain of $1-06 per
ton of cane bought. he capital of this factory is $140,000,
and the reserve fund $46,660,

The Annual Report (1906-7) on Uganda mentions that
rubber planting is extending in the Protectorate, and is being
taken up by the natives. Para trees two and a half years
old have attained a, height of very nearly 22 feet with
a girth of 8 inches at 3 feet above ground, while Castilloa
trees, two and three quarter years old, are 12 feet high, and
17 inches in circumference at 3 feet above ground. One
Para tree, five and ia half years 30 feet in
height, and 173 inches in girth.

old measured

Messrs. Sandbach, Parker & Co., of Demerara, report on
August 7 that the rain which fell at the end of July and
beginning of August was somewhat too heavy for very young
rice plants but beneficial to fields in a later stage of ‘cultiva
tion. Conditions are however still satisfactory for the
coming crop. There were no shipments of rice to the West
Indian Islands during the fortnight previous to August 7,and
there is very little cleaned rice on the British Guiana market,

The exports of rubber from Spanish Honduras have
value of late This rubber is
produced from trees of wild growth, since little or no planting
has been done. In 1906-7 the quantity shipped was 44,2Su
Ib., as compared with 46,346 Ib. in 1905-6. Lhe decline is
stated to be due to the fact that large numbers of trees have
been ruined by continuous tapping. Honduras rubber
commanded a price of about 4s. per Ib. in New York towards

been of considerable years.

the end of 1906, but its value fell to 2s. 7d. per th. in
1907. (British Consular Report.)
Extensive areas of alkaline soils exist in the northern

part of which

Egypt, are, however, being gradually
reclaimed by washing and drainage. Sodium chloride

frequently forms the bulk of the salts present in those
often the first planted on the
reclaimed lands, and is said to be superior to most plants
in its power to withstand alkali, The presence of a moderate
amount of salt in the soil is generally regarded by growers
in Egypt as beneficial to the cotton crop. — It is said to check
the tendency to excessive growth, to hasten ripening, and to
improve the length, strength, and colour of the fibre.

soils. Cotton is crop

Vou. VII. No. 165.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 269

AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS.

The following are the general reports of the exami-
ner, Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., F.L.S., on the result of
the half-yearly examination of the Agricultural Schools
under the charge of this Department, for the period
ended June last -—

ST. VINCENT.

Twenty pupils sat for the examination. Five took
papers set for the senior class, eleven .those set for the Junior
class, and there were four new boys.

The work throughout the school is now much more
uniform, the lower boys having been improved. Robin is
top of the seniors with 71°3 per cent. of the total marks.
Samuel is top of the juniors with 66°6 per cent. In
this class the progress made by Learmond is marked, for
he has been but a short residence at the school. Wallace
has also done well. O. Haynes is top of the new boys
with 62°5 per cent. As the working for the year according
to the present syllabus commences with the next term,
1 would suggest that T. Samuel, F. Frederick, and ©. Arrin-
dell be promoted to the senior class. Wallace has not yet
been in residence for a sufficiently long period to be well
grounded in the work and to receive promotion.

The science subjects are generally satisfactory and
several of the answers sent in were creditable to the school.
Agriculture and Botany have, on the whole, slightly improved,
but Chemistry is still weak. This last subject has not been
satisfactory for nearly two years. Some improvement was
-shown at the last examination, but this has not been main-
tained. I would recommend that during the whole of the
next year this subject should receive careful attention and
that extra instruction be given to the pupils.

In the general subjects some improvement has been
made in Geography, and the Composition and Dictation
papers were fairly satisfactory. Continued attention should
be given to G jeography, and it is necessary that improvement
should be made in Arithmetic. In the last examination it
was noted that many careless blunders were made in working
out answers in Arithmetic, but they were more frequent at
this examination.

The results of the examination of the new boys indicated
what materia] has to be worked on at the school, and it will
be interesting to watch carefully their progress through their
course of instruction.

ST. LUCIA.

Seventeen pupils sent in papers for examination. Eight
took those for the senior class, seven those for the juniors,
and there were two new boys. Papers from five candidates
for admission into the school were also submitted.

Gabriel is ae of the seniors with 63:1 per cent. of the
total marks ; E. Joseph top of the juniors with 59°2 per cent.,
while Auguste and Moise are the best of the candidates. It
is observed that Clovis, Welch, Daniel, Arrindell, St. Prix,
and Clement have been doing the work of the senior class
during the past half-year. As, however, the working for the
year, according to the present syllabus, commences with next
term, I would recommend that they all be allowed to continue
with the work of the senior class, and I would advise that
E. Joseph, who has made good progress, be promoted from
the juniors. None of the other juniors should be allowed to
proceed with the senior work ; but they should continue to be
grounded in the elements of the principles of agriculture.

The science subjects in the senior class show slight

junior class,

improvement, and they should receive further careful atten-
tion. Chemistry is still weak, and better drawings of
specimens in Botany should be insisted upon. The Arith-
metic is only fair, although lea sire has been made in the
neatness of the working. Geography, Tam pleased to note,
has slightly improved, but further attention should be devoted
to this subject. }

The junior class, with the exception of E. Joseph, sent
in only moderately fair ankwers. All the. science subjects
should receive careful attention, and the boys should be
thoroughly instructed in thé elementary knowledge required
of them. They should not be advanced too rapidly, and care
should be taken to ascertain that they thoroughly understand
the parts of the subjects taught them before other portions
are dealt with. The general school subjects should also be
carefully looked after, particularly Arithmetic and Geography,
and attention should be given to writing and neatness.

The new boys were fair, while Auguste and Moise are the
best of the candidates.

DOMINICA,

Seventeen boys sent in papers for examination ; nine
in the junior class and eight were new boys.

The work throughout the school has shown some
improvement. The science subjects, however, have made
but slight improvement during the last six months, and

therefore they should now receive careful attention. The
separate reports on the different subjects should be
consulted and every effort made for improvement. Some

of the boys have a fair knowledge of the elements, but
I am of opinion that it would be advisable for the resident
Master-in-Charge at the beginning of next term, to endeavour
to ascertain how far the general principles of agricultural
science are thoroughly known by the different pupils. Then,
the essential points—particularly where any difficulties are
experienced—could be plainly set forward and an attempt
made to build upon the foundations that have already been
laid. It would be most desirable that no attempt should
be made to cram the boys, but that the elements should
be insisted upon. Every effort should be directed towards
inducing the boys to take an intelligent interest in the
different operations in the field and to apply the knowledge
taught them in the schoolroom in practice. Further,
as the working for the year, according to the present
syllabus, commences with the next term, I would suggest
that only Carbon and Lachevotier be allowed to proceed
with the work prescribed for a senior class. The remainder
of the boys should repeat the work prescribed for the
with which also the new boys will proceed.
It might be found that such a large junior class could with
advantage be divided into two divisions—an upper and
r that the new boys and the poorer of the
present juniors should not keep back the more advanced
the pupils.

The general school subjects have shown some improye-
ment. The Arithmetic was satisfactory, but continued atten-
tion should be given to the neatness of working out the
answers. Marked improvement has been made in Geography
and with further attention this subject may soon be quite
good. The Composition and Dictation were fair. The writ-
ing and neatness were, on the whole, fairly satisfactory, but
the spelling in the majority of cases is very weak. Attention
should be given to this point.

Some of the new boys appear to be promising, but it
must be urged that they should not be advanced too rapidly.
Only elementary ideas in science subjects should be given
them at present, and every effort shonld be made to improve
the general school subjects.

270 THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

Avucusr 22, 1908.

USES OF SWEET POTATOS.

Sweet potatos form such a staple article of human
diet in the West Indies that their cultivation for this
purpose alone offers sufficient profit to growers, and
the question of raising the crop for utilization in other
directions has scarcely been considered. The following
notes on other uses of sweet (potatos, chiefly in com-
pounding stock foods, may be of interest. They are
taken from Marmers’ Bulletin 324 of the United States
Department of Agriculture, a portion of the contents
of which was summarized in the last issue of the Agri-
cultural News, under the heading ‘Sweet Potatos’ :—

The uses of the sweet potato as a table vegetable are too
important and too well known to require more than brief
mention in a publication of this character. In preparing
them for the table they may be baked, boiled, fried, or
braised, ;

A number of attempts have, been made to build up an
industry for the production and sale of dessicated sweet
potatos and sweet-potato flour. ;There is doubtless a great
field for this class of goods, especially for export and for ship
supplies.

The vines of the sweet potato when properly cured make
a medium grade of hay for feeding to cattle and sheep. In
the green state the vines arejeaten by sheep, cattle and
hogs, but their feeding value is comparatively small. The
potatos are fairly well adapted to feeding to animals, although
their nutritive value is quite low, and they require the addi-
tion of cotton-seed meal or grain to make a balanced
ration. On farms where sweet potatos are grown extensively,
the culls are fed to hogs, together with one-third or one-half
ration of corn.

By employing one of the! heavy-yielding varieties of
sweet potatos, such as the Southern Queen or the Bermuda
Red, and drying and pulverizing them, a splendid stock food
may be produced, especially when sufficient grain is added to
form a balanced ration.

The principal uses of sweet potatos are, however, for the
table, and the demand for this purpose is rapidly increasing.

From the fact that by the aid of commercial fertilizer
alone sweet potatos can be grown on comparatively poor land,
and largely by the use of labour-saving machinery, this crop
may ina great measure solve the problem of how to occupy
the ‘worn out’ cotton and tobacco lands of the South,
especially if employed in a rotation including corn, peanuts,
and grass. By the perfection of some means by which sweet
potatos could be dried and converted into a condensed stock
food on the farm, they would, in conjunction with corn,
peanuts, and a little hay, serve to keep the stock on southern
farms in good condition during the winter.

When removed from the ground the
contains about 7] per cent. of water, 1°5 per cent. of protein,
25 per cent. of carbohydrates, and 0°35 per cent. of fat.
It will be noted that both the protein and fat of the sweet
potato are comparatively low, and in order to form a satisfac-
tory ration it is necessary to mix the sweet potatos with some
material rich in constituents. The analysis of
peanuts shows that the protein and fat are both quite high,
and by combining the latter with sweet potatos at the rate of
1 bushel of peannts ground in the shells, to 3— bushels. of
sweet potatos, a splendid stock food is produced. Three
bushels of sweet potatos are nearly equal to 1 bushel of corn
in feeding value, but in order to make them satisfactory as
a stock food it is, as already pointed out, necessary to add
peanuts, cotton-seed meal or grain.

sweet potato

those two

The starch andJsugar content of sweet potatos varies
considerably in different varieties, but as a rule they contain
about 16 per cent. of starch and 4 per cent. of sugar, making
a total of 20 per cent. of alecohol-producing material. It is
possible thi ut sweet potatos will become one of the chief
sources of denatured ‘alcohol in the United States, but at
present the methods of manufacture have not been sufficiently
perfected to warrant their use for this purpose on
community basis. Gt

a farm or

SWEET POTATOS, CASSAVA, AND
MAIZE AS FOOD FOR HOGS
Some feeding experiments to test the comparative
values of sweet potatos and cassava as pig
lately been carried: out at the Florida Agricultural
Station, and are reported upon in Bulletin 90, issued
by the Station.

In the first test two lots of three pigs were taken. The
first lot was given a ration composed of equal quantities of
sweet potatos and ‘shorts, while the second Jot was fed with
a mixture, consisting half of cassava roots and half of shorts
The weight of sweet potatos in the first ration was equal to
the weight of cassava in the second. The test was carried
out for twenty-eight days.

foods h ave

With the sweet potato ration the average
head of the pigs was 1°85 tb., while the lot
cassava ration gained: 1:24 tb. per head per day.

The insufticiency of such starchy foods as sweet potatos
and cassava to meet all the requirements of growing animals
is emphasized by the results of a second test. In this four
lots of young pigs in a lean condition were taken, and fed for
forty-two days. The first lot received a daily ration of sweet
potatos, the second of cassava, the third was fed ona mixture,
in equal parts, of the two materials, while the fourth lot was
fed on corn only.

laily gain per
fed with the

At the close of the experiment period it was found that
the corm-fed lot showed an average daily gain per head of
0°357 Ib., while the animals fed with the sweet potato and

cassava rations had actually lost weight. When this

second experiment was repe: ated with larger pigs, the animals
fed on corn gained an average weight of 1152 Ib. per head
per day. On sweet potatos alone there was a gain of 0°505 tb.
per head per day, on cassava 0°233 Tb., and on sweet potatos
and cassava together 0-179 Tb.

The different results obtained in these two latter experi-
ments are explained by the fact that growing animals require
a vation containing a higher proportion of nitrogenous
constituents and mineral matter than is needed by animals
that have completed the growing stage. In the latter case
no more nitrogen and mineral matter is required than an
amount sutlicient to replace the daily waste, and the animal is
able to put on weight with the aid of a food consisting very
largely of starchy or carbonaceous material.

It may be mentioned that 1 th. of corn (maize) contains
very nearly as much starchy matter, and more than twice the
quantity of nitrogenous constituents, as 3 1b. sweet potatos.
In a previous number of the Ayieu/tural News (Vol. ITT,
p. 550), in discussing the value of sweet potatos as a stock
food, it was pointed out that the addition of } tb. of cotton-seed-
meal, or 1 tb. of cowpeas, to every 10 Ib. “of sweet ‘potatos
aaa an amount of nitrogenous material sufficient to bring
the standard of the mixture, as regards this constituent, up
to that existing in maize.

Vou. VII.

No. 165. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 2

=~
—

PURIFICATION OF COCOA-NUT OIL.
The preparation of cocoa-nut oil forms a valuable
industry both in Trinidad and Jamaica, and various
notes and brief articles in relation to
preparation, etc., have appeared in past numbers of the
Agricultural News (see Vols. II, p. 270; IV, p. 6).
After purification, the oil is suitable for use in

a variety of ways (such as the preparation of articles of

food, as margarine) for which it would not be available
in its crude state. The following article dealing with
the best methods of purifying cocoa-nut oil appeared in
the Philippine Journal of Science for February
last :-—

Cocoa-nut oil, as it is expressed from copra, which
has been dried in the sun or by artificial heat, always
contains a quantity of impurities—organic colouring matter,
albuminoid bodies and a certain characteristic odour,
all of which are objectionable for particular purposes
for which the oil is otherwise well suited. While it is
quite possible to produce a pure oil directly from the
nuts, if special precaution is taken in curing the latter, the
demand for highly refined oil does not seem to warrant the
introduction of modern mechanical methods of desiccation at
the present time. Hence processes for the production of pure
cocoanut oil depend on some subsequent chemical treat-
ment of the commercially expressed oil itself. Clarification
by filtration, subsidence, or heating with or without the
addition of coagulants, is simple and economical of application
and, as generally practised, removes all of the suspended
foreign matter and most of the soluble impurities, producing
a perfectly clear, light, amber oil of sufficient purity
for soap manufacture, but it falls short of being completely
free from odour and colour. Therefore, further refining
constitutes the only known means of producing an odour-
less and colourless product suitable for alimental or cosmetic
purposes. The removal of the last traces of odour and
colour from cocoa-nut oil presents many difficulties in the
way of subsequent clarification and risk of loss of oil, and the
methods of procedure are necessarily limited to the use of
such chemical reagents as are harmless or are themselves
easily removable. In general, refining processes may be con-
veniently divided into (1) acid and (2) alkaline treatments.
The former has not proved applicable for the production of
oils for edible, cosmetic, or lubricating purposes, because of
the poisonous nature and otherwise harmful action of mineral
acids. The alkaline process makes use of the hydrates or car-
bonates of potash or soda, ammonia, caustic lime or magnesia,
with or without the aid of heat. In purifying cocoa-nut oil by
means of alkalies, only the minimum quantity necessary for the
purpose of neutralizing the free acids present should be used.
This amount can be determined accurately by testing the
acidity of a small sample of the oil to be refined. If alkali is
added in excess, and heating also takes place, then the oil
itself suffers partial decomposition. Care must also be taken
to prevent the formation of an emulsion on adding the alkali
solution to the oil, and for this purpose experiments must be
carried out to ascertain the concentration of the caustic soda
solution which is least likely to bring about the emulsifying
effect.

Ordinary commercial grades of cocoa-nut oil collected
on the Manila market contain from | to 10 per cent. of . free
fatty acids calculated as oleic acid, and these percentages
require approximately 0°15 to 15 parts respectively, of
caustic soda per 100 parts of oil. The caustic soda may be
added to the oil either in the solid state with subsequent

methods of

addition of water, or better, in the form of a caustic lquor
previously prepared. The stronger the caustic liquor used
the tendency to emulsion formation and the
more rapid and complete the action, if proper mechanical
devices for thoroughly mixing a strong solution with the oil
are used. If, after the addition of the caustic, the oil is
gradually heated to the boiling point of water, the soap
separates ina granular condition and is easily removed by
filtration or subsidence. The oil may now be steamed and
washed with hot water untilit is perfectly clear and neutral,
and if the above treatment with caustic liquor and the
subsequent steaming, are properly conducted, the resulting oil
will be found perfectly free from the well defined odour of the
original oil, and to possess the bland, fatty odour of pure
melted lard.

Cocoa-nut oil is also considerably lightened in colour by
the above treatment, but in no sense can it be considered as
a colourless oil. To remove the last traces of colouring
matter from a vegetable oil is much more difficult than the
destruction of the rancid odour, and in order to accomplish this
completely, it is necessary to subject the refined oil to some
mild bleaching action which does not introduce harmful
ingredients which would be difficult of subsequent removal.
Of the many well-known methods of bleaching proposed for
general use, the use of hydrogen peroxide seems to be most
favourable in this regard, as it is easy of application, and at
its present price is not prohibitive. Sufticient dilute alkali
should be added to neutralize any mineral acid it may
contain, and a slight excess of alkali favours the action
of the hydrogen peroxide, at the same time having no
saponifying action. Next in order of suit- ability is a dilute

less the

solution of chloride of lime shghtly acidified with acetic
acid. If the addition of acid and the temperature of the

bleaching are carefully controlled, the chance of injury to
the oil by free chlorine isa minimum, and the result is a pure
water-white product.

COWPEAS AND OTHER SOIL-RENOVAT-
ING CROPS.

Farmers’ Bulletin 319 of the United States
Department of Agriculture contains the following note
on the value of cowpeas and other leguminous crops,
not only on account of the actual yield obtained, but
also through the soil-renovating influence of these
crops :—

Corn requires a strong, well-tilled soil, and upon thin
land, deteriorated by bad management, the yield obtained
soon drops below a remunerative average. Such lands will,
however, profitably produce other crops of great value for the
sustenance of farm stock, and, in addition, the growing of
these crops will provide an excellent means of soil renovation.
Lands that are now producing 10 bushels of corn per acre
will, with much less labour, produce 1} tons of cowpea hay
per acre, equal in nutritive value to 31 bushels of corn; or
they will yield 1} tons of peanut hay per acre, equal in
nutritive value to 253 bushels of corn, and in addition a pea-
nut crop of 25 bushels per acre may be secured.

On rich lands that under good culture will produce 40
or more bushels of corn per acre, satisfactory results can be
secured by planting cowpeas between the rows of corn.
Even rich alluvial soils, estimated to yield 40 bushels of corn
per acre, if sown to alfalfa, frequently produce 5 tons of hay
per acre in a season, equal in feeding value to 1052 bushels
of corn. In addition, sach crops as cowpeas, peanuts, and
alfalfa rapidly enrich the soil, and leave it in excellent mechani-
cal condition for the ensuing year.

bo

bo

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Aveust 22; 1908

MARKET REPORTS.

London,— August 4, 1908, ‘Tae West Inprta Com-

MITTEE CIRCULAR

ARRowRooT—(Quiet : no quotations,

Batara—Sheet, 2/- to 2/4 ; block, 1/73 to 1/8.

Bees’-wax—Good quality, £7 10s. to £7 15s. per cwt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 59/- to 74/- per ewt.; Grenada, 50/- to
59/- per cwt.

CorrEE—Santus, 26s. per ewt.; Jamaica, no quotations.
Corra—West Indian, £17 to £17 5s. per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, 14d. to 15d.; Barbados, 14d. to 15d. ;
St. Kitt’s, 14d. to 15d.; Montserrat, 14d. to ldd.
per lb.

Froiv—

Bananas—Jdamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Lr1es—Unsaleable.

Pine-apeLeEs—St. Michael, 2/3 to 4/- each.
Grave Frourr—8/- to 12/- per box
Orxancus—Jamaica, 9/- to 13/- per box.

Kustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

Gincer —Quiet.

Honty—l7s. to 27s. 6d. per cwt.

Isuscnass—West India lump, 10/- to 2/- per Ib.; cake,
11d. per te.

Lime Juice—Raw, 1/2 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£13 10s. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil, 2/5
per tb. ; hand-pressed, 4/6 to 4/7 per tb.

Loawoop—£3 10s. to £4 5s. per ten; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Mace—(Quiet ; no quotations.

Nurmecs—(uiet.

Pimento— Quiet ; 24d. to 24d.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/- to 8/-; Demerara, 2/4 to 2/7 per

gallon; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sugar —Crystals, 15/9 to 16/9 per cwt.; Muscovado,
16/21 ; Molasses, no quotations.

New York,-—July 24, 1908.—Messrs, GitLespre, Bros.

& Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 12kc. to 14c. ; Grenada, 12c. to 138bhe. ;
Trinidad, 124c. to 14c.; Jamaica, 10c. to 12c. per th.
Cocoa-nuts—Jamaica, select, $24°00 to $25°00: culls, no
quotations ; Trinidad, $22-00 to $2400; culls, $13°00

to $1400 per M.

CorreE—Jamaica, ordinary, 7}¢.; good ordinary, 7 fe. to 84e.
per th.

Gincer— 10}c. to 14c. per th.

Goat Skins—Antigua and Barbados, dry flint, from 48c.
to 49c.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46c. to
47c., dry flint, per th.

Gravké Frore—California, no quotations.

Limes—$3°75 to $4°50 per barrel. Market over-stocked.

Macrn— No quotations.

Nurmecs—110's, 9c. per th.

Orances—California, no quotations.

Pimentro— 4hc. to 4fe. per th.

Sucar—UCentrifugals, 96°, 4°25c. Muscovados, 89°, 3°7dc. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°50c. per fb., duty paid.

Trinidad,—August &, 1908.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,—Messrs. Leacock & Co., August 17, 1908;

Messrs. T. S. Garraway & Co., August 18,
1908

ARRowRooT—St. Vincent, $4:00 to $4°10 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica, $15°00 per 100 tb.
Cocoa-Nurs—$16°00 per M. for husked nuts.
CoFrEE—Jamaica, $8°50 to $10°50 per 100 tb.
Hay—$1°50 per 100 tb.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $65°00 ; Ohlendorff's dissolved
guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00 ; Cacao manure,.
$48°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $75°00; Sulphate of
potash, $67-00 per ton.

Moxasses—No quotations.

Ontons—Strings, $2°27 per 100 Th.

Poratos, ENGiisH—$3'40 to $5°50 per 160 th.

Pras—Split, $6°25 ; Canada, $3°25 per bag.

Rrce—Demerara, $5746 to $5°96 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°80 ;
Rangoon, $3°00 per 100 th.

Sucarn—Muscovado, 89°, $2°05 per 100 Tb., package in-
cluded; Dark crystals, $2°50; Centrifugals, $2°35 to
$2°75 per 100 th.

British Guiana.—Messrs. Wrerine & Ricurer, August 8,

1908; GrorGerowN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:
FortNnicHTty Marker Report, August 7, 1908.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $9°50 per 200 th.

Bazara—Venezuela block, no quotations; Demerara
sheet, 48c. per. tb.

Cacao—Native, Lc. to 18c. per tb.

Cassava—6e.

Cassava SrarcH—$9'00 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocoa-nuts—$12°00 to $16°00 per M.

Corree—Creole, 12c. to 13c.; Jamaica, no quotations.

Duat— $6:00 per bag of 168 th.

Eppos— 84e. to $1°08 per barrel.

Motassrs— Yellow, no quotations; Dark, no quotations.

On1ons—Madeira, 3$c. per th.; Lisbon, no quotations ;
Dutch, 24c. per Th.

Pranvains—l6c. to 36c. per bunch.

Poraros,—English, $1°90 per barrel.

Poratos, SwEET—Barbados, $1°80 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6°40 ; Creole, $5°50 to $5°60 for good ;
Seeta, $6-00.

Spriiv Pras—$6'25 per bag (219 Tb.); Lisbon, $4°50,

Tanni1as—$1°20 to $1°32 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $2°40 per bay.

Suear—Dark crystals, $2°50 to $2°75 ; Yellow, $3:40;
White, $3-T0 to $4°60; Molasses, $2°25 per 100 th.
(retail).

TimbeR—Greenheart, 32c. to 55¢c. per cubic foot.

WaALLARA SHINGLES—$3°50 to $5°75 per M.

Corpwoop—$2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT
& Co.

Cacao—$12°75 to $15°50 per fanega,.

Cocoa-xuts—No quotations.

Cocoasnut Orn—5de. per Imperial gallon, cask included,

Corret—Venezuelan, 8$e. to 9c. per tb.

Copra—-$2°75 to $2°90 per 100 th.

Duat—-$4°70 to $4°80 per 2-bushel bag.

Ontons—$1°50 to $1°60 per 100 th. (retail).

Poraros, EncuisH—$1°d50 to $1°60 per 100 Tb.

Rice— Yellow, $5°40 to $5°75; White, $4°75to $5'85 per bage-

Seri PrEas—$5°85 to $600 per bag.

SuGak—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°10 per 100 tb.

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Vou. VII. No. 165

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Auveustr 22, 1908.

THE BEST. MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

= ARE -

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use

Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

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JUST ISSUED.

NATURE TEAGHING.

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Prepared by Dr. FRANCIS WATTS, CLG, F.C.

Published by the Imper rial peo eee of

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DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS SELECTED COTTON SKED

J U N T I q N U E D. Seed specially selected from Cotton grown at ‘Stirling

Plantation’ to be obtained from

| THE BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE COTTON FACTORY |
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OF Book your orders early as the quantity |
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L | Vi E 6 U L if | V A Af | H) N The following extract is taken from Messrs. Wolsten-
| ° holme & Holland’s Report on the cotton :

| **We have formed a very high opinion of this lot, as it
| Price 4, Fost tree, 5d. is the most serviceable class of ¢ otton we hay e seen produced

in the West Indies. ¥

~ AGRICULTURE |
HINTS FOR JOURNAL D AGRICULTURE TROPICALE.

) SCHOOL GARDENS, [ese Us" Scar ee rca

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(REVISED EDITION.) PARIS: M. Vilbouchevitch,
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The above pamphlets may be obtained Agents ; Lundon, W. Diwson & Sons, Ltd., Bream’s

| through any of the Agents for the sale of] Buildings, E.C. ; Yew York, G. E. Stechert, 9, East 16th.
the publications of the Imperial Department | Street ; 7inidad, D. A. Majani: Cuba, Solloso

of Agriculture. Louis Coicou, Port-au-Prince.

| ied a. ae uw , fro on lh sian Oa

: Tayti,

A FORTNIGHTLY —

OF

THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST

INDIES.

VoL. Vues Nor 166. BARBADOS,
CONTENTS.
PAGE. Pace
Balata, Increasing Yield of 280! Gleanings... ... ... ... 284

Banana Industry in Insect Notes :

Surmam ... ... ... 276) Insectson Cacao at
British Guiana, Prison Mrimidad sey ass) ee Se
Parusin... 279| Jumping Seeds ... ... 282
Cacao, Fungus Disen SES ee 273) Market ite ports see) OO

Notes macli@onmiicnte 1. ZOU
Pine-apple Industry m

Cacao Trees, Dressing for
> Cuts on arate e282,

Cacao Trees, Guaft ed, (ueens!and : > 29
Return from . 277 Pulaue Maguey of Me NICO,
Canmphor Cultivation im Dich 2225s, Re 28?

Ceylon Boba cone nore) : re 6
Gs: ile J ui Dy The 281 Rubber from Trnidad ... 286
aD Te ous heen aaa Rubber Plinting in Samoa 281
Se oe mg Rubber Production in

Samoa. . caer abetted Ceylon 286
: : a oe r ee RE te 2
Coffee ah Porto, Rico Sieve 251 Rubber Seeds, Packing of 283
Colonial Fruit Show... ... 276 =

Rubber Trees. Tap) vine of,

Cotton Cultivation in Cuba 281 mml@oylone 0, bts 21. 285

Cotton Notes :
Cotton in the Sea Islands 278
Cotton Planting

Soil Bacteria and Nitrogen
Assimilation ... ... 283

Machines ... . ... 278) Soil Moisture and Humus 279
West Indian Cotton ... 278 | Sugar Industry :
Cotton-seed Meal fed to Hawaiian Sugar-cane

lores hse, boc eee olohh Estates, Labour and
Departments al Re sports : Iericationlon ees) +. 200

Trinidad : Botanical Seedling Canes D. 74 and
Department, 1907-8 285 D. 95 in Louisiana... 275
Trinidad : Government Sugar Industry in Eeypt 275
Analyst's report, Trinidad, Trade of... ... 280
1907-8... ... ... ... 285 | Zapupe Fibre Plant bobs eae)

Diseases of Cacao.

™ Ee fungus diseases of cacao have received
Ry considerable attention of late

=t West Indies. When it isremembered that

cacao Comes second in importance to sugar among West

years in the

Indian products, and that the exports tor 1907-8 were
valued at £2,000,000, the
every possible measure to eradicate the various diseases

over necessity of taking

Price ld.

SEPTEMBER 5, 1908.

that threaten to reduce the value of the industry is at

once apparent.

At the West Indian Agricultural Conference held
January last, the whole question of
fungus West Indies, ete...
together with the methods that should be adopted in the

at Barbados in
diseases on cacao in the
management and santtation of cacao orchards, so as to-
prevent the occurrence of diseases, was dealt with in
a paper read by Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., F.LS.,
Mycologist on the staff of the Imperial Department of
Agriculture. This paper has been published in the
West Indian Bulletin (Vol. 1X, No.2), and it has also-
been issued in booklet form, as No. 54 in the Pamphlet

Series of the Department (price 4c, post free 5d.)

the most destructive
among the parasitic in the
West Indies, and these have been carefully investigated.

Canker and root disease are

diseases atfecting cacao
Die-back, brown pod rot, and black pod rot have also
received considerable attention, and there are at pres-

ent several! other diseases under investigation.

Canker is a branch or stem disease, which occurs.
more frequently among old trees than among young
ones. It may be caused by several fungi that have
been shown to be wound parasites. The
noticed from the change in appear-
affected spots. The best time to
areas would appear to be

of rain, for the

existence of
the disease may be
ance of the bark at

look for these in the dry

season, immediately after a shower
affected areas do not dry as quickly as

When the disease

vrevish-brown
the wnattected portions of the bark.
is fully established the bark presents a deep claret
colouration ou being cut, and is moist and soft to the
The outermost layers of wood are also affected.

through the bark of a tree.

touch.

spreads rapidly

Canker

274 THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. SepremBer 5, 1908.

Branches frequently die through having become ‘ringed,
while not uncommonly whole trees are killed, especially
when the diseased area is near the surface of the
ground.

Jn plantations where canker has become established,
remedial measures should be thoroughly carried out.
Dend trees and all dead branches should be removed
and burned. Where canker spots exist on branches and
stems, the diseased bark and wood should be cut away
with a sharp knife, and afterwards burned. It 1s
important that all the wounds thus caused, and all other
wounds on cacao trees in the neighbourhood should be
cleaned and thoroughly dressed with tar, or some
other similar fungus-proof dressing.

Root disease attacks the roots of cacao trees, as
well as of pois doux, bread-fruit, bread nut, avocado
pear, ete. If allowed to run its course unchecked, the
disease causes the death of the affected trees. As in
the case of canker, all trees in the cacao plantation that
have died of the disease should be removed and burned,
and special care should be taken to extract every portion
of the roots.

When an area of cacao is seen to be attected,
a circumscribing trench should be dug to isolate 1t from
the remainder of the field. The most badly diseased trees
should be removed, all the roots being dug out. In the
case ot other trees less badly attected, the roots should be
laid bare by the removal of the soil, and all diseased
roots be cut out and burned. Lime should then be
applied around the roots of the tree, and after the soil
has been replaced, and the whole of the infected area
well forked, a good application of quick lime should be
The health of the trees
will be promoted by dressings of pen manure, and by
mulchings given some time later, and in the follow-
ing year a seeond application of lime, in about half the
quantity, should be given.

broadcasted over the land.

The susceptibility of bread-fruit, bread nut and
other trees to attacks of the fungus responsible for root
disease of cacao would suggest that these trees should
All
such trees, in old established orchards, which show any
signs of disease should be taken out and burned, and
when any are cut down care should be taken to extract
and destroy all the roots.

be excluded from all new plantations of cacao,

Several other fungus diseases are dealt with, and
methods of treatment indicated. Among these diseasus
may be mentioned those known as die-back, Lasiodiplo-
dia, pink disease, witch broom, brown rot and black rot
of pods, scabby pod, ete. Die-back has been noticeable

particularly in St. Lucia, but it can be practically
eradicated by high - cultivation, manuring, suitable
pruning, ete. ‘Pink disease’ is known in Dominica
and has also been noticed in St. Lucia. It does not
appear to be serious in itself, but since its presence
causes cracks in the branches of affected trees, by
which the spores of other fungi may gain entrance, it
may easily be the forerunner of more serious diseases.

Both the brown rot and the black rot of pods have
been responsible fora good deal of damage among
cacao plantations in various islands. Brown rot is due
to the fungus—Diplodia cacaoicola—which
causes the die-back The gather-
ing of diseased pods, together with the collection of
husks and shells, and their subsequent burial with
lime, is a measure that should receive first attention on
the appearance of either brown or black rot, since

same

disease of the stem.

experience has shown that this is a valuable means of
checking the disease.

During the past ten years much useful work has
been done in the West Indies in investigating the
fungus diseases of cacao, and the best methods of treat-
ment. In this, the successive Mycologists attached to
the Imperial Department of Agriculture have been
largely instramental, while officers of the Department
stationed in the several cacao-growing islands have also
Recently Mr. O. W. Barrett
of the United States Department of Agriculture was
specially engaged by the Government of Trinidad for
a period of five months studying the fungus diseases

given useful assistance.

affecting cacao in that colony, and he has issued several
reports. With the fuller knowledge of the subject,
acquired as the result of the above work, it may be
stated that practically all the different fungus diseases
of cacao are amenable to treatment, and by the adoption
of proper methods may rapidly be reduced toa minimum,

The attention of planters is particularly drawn to
the latter section of the pamphlet which deals with the
Sanitation of Cacao Orchards, since in it they will find
a good deal of matter well worthy of their considera-
tion. ‘Che importance of thorough and careful cultiva-
tion as a means of warding off diseases is emphasized,
and it is pointed out that expenditure on_ tillage,
drainage, and judicious manuring is repaid by the
improved condition of the trees, and by the increased
yield. Various cultural and other operations, such
as pruning, the treatment of wounds, protection
from wind, provision of shade, etc. are also brietly
discussed in so far as they may have an influence in
maintaining the health of the trees and in preventing
the appearance and spread of disease.

VoL. VII. | No. 166.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 275

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Seedling Canes D. 74 and D.95 in Louisiana.

It is well known that the Demerara seedlings
D. 74 and D.95 have been cultivated for several years
by many different planters in Louisiana, and varying
reports as to the returns obtained from these canes are
occasionally published.

Of the two seedlings, D. 74 it appears, has of late gained
much in favour at the expense of D. 95. This is so much the
case that the. Sugar Planters’ Journal of August 15 contains
a brief article, comparing the two canes, and drawing: atten-
tion to the merits of D. 95, which during the past season has
been grown on only a very limited. scale. The objection
which, it is stated, is being urged against this latter cane
by many planters is that it requires richer land and more
heavy manuring for a given return, than are needed by D. 74.

_ With regard to D. 74, on the other hand, it is pointed
out that some planters have of late complained that it does
not grow thickly enough to shade the soil well, with the result
that grasses and other weeds give much trouble between the
rows. On account of the brittle nature of the cane, too, there
is a danger of loss from breaking off the tops of stalks if
weeding implements are passed between the rows after the
canes have attained a certain height.

. On behalf of D. 95, it is urged that no such complaint
as this can be made against it, since it possesses the advantages
that it shades the soil well, it is not brittle and liable to
break at the top, but is well fitted to withstand wind and
storm. In a crop report from Plaquemines, which appears
in another part of the /Jowrna/, the manager of a large planta-
tion is reported as having said that of the two Demerara
seedlings he was inclined to favour D.95 as an all-round cane,
on account of the above advantages; and because it gave
better returns on land deficient in drainage.

Labour and Irrigation on Hawaiian Sugar-
cane Estates.

Reports from the Hawatian Islands all testify to
the fact that the cane crop season of 1907-8 has been
a very prosperousone. The crop yields actually obtain-
ed have exceeded the estimates, and prices have
continued satisfactory through the season. The most
recent estimates place the entire sugar crop of the
islands at about 500,000 tons, as compared with
390,000 tons in 1906-7.

The Hawaiian correspondent of the American Sugar
Industry and Beet Sugar Gazette states that the question of
the best method of dealing with labourers on the sugar planta-
tions is receiving a good deal of attention in Hawaii. The
actual rate of remuneration which the labourers are to receive
does not form the question under debate, but it is the
manner in which this wage or remuneration shall be paid, so
as to be most satisfactory to the labourers themselves, and
also result in the most effective cultivation and best returns
to plantations, which is under experimental consideration.

As far as the white labourers are concerned a good deal has
been done to make it possible for them to secure homesteads
of their own, with a small amount of tillage land attached, so
that they will be able to add to their income, or provide part
of the provisions required for their family from their own
gardens, while working on the plantations for money wages.
On one large plantation about seventy families have each been
enabled to secure about 5 acres of land from the Government,

and these small areas are utilized for the cultivation of pine-
apples. A pine-apple cannery has been built, and the
pine-apples raised by these small cultivators are purchased at
a given rate.

Other plantations have started an arrangement under
which a certain specitied area of Jand is given to a group of
labourers to be cultivated with sugar-cane, the plantations
buying the cane at maturity ona sliding scale of prices
varying with the price of sugar. The figure paid for the
labourers’ canes varies. trom $2°50 when the price of
sugar on the New York Market is 3c. per tb. to $3°50 per
ton when sugar in New York is selling at 4c. per bb.

Irrigation is carried out on a considerable scale on the
sugarcane Jands of the Hawaiian Islands, more especially in
Maw. In this latter island, various irrigation works which
were previously under the direction of different authorities
have recently been brought under the control of one corpora-
tion. This arrangement should result in less wastage and
more efficiency, and should assist towards the further develop-
ment of the sugar-cane industry of the island.

Sugar Industry in Egypt.

A large amount of general and statistical informa-
tion as to the growth of the sugar industry in Egypt,
and its present financial condition is contained in
a report lately issued by the United States Consul at
Cairo.

Sugar-cane cultivation began in Egypt in 1850, the cane
having been brought from Jamaica. The manufacture of
sugar, however, was not started until 1855. Cotton was at
a low price at the time, and this gave a considerable impetus
to sugar-cane cultivation, For some years the sugar industry
was in the hands of a Government Commission, which erected
a number of factories.

The Egyptian sugar trade is now principally monopolised
by a French company known as the Société Générale des
Sucreries. At the start—in 1905—the operations of this
company did not flourish, partly owing to the fact that the
high price obtained for cotton was instrumental in reducing
the sugar-cane acreage. During 1906 the area devoted to
sugar-cane cultivation fell off to the extent of 50 per cent.
In that year the Société Générale des Sucréries was re-organ-
ized, and is now in a more favourable position. It practically
has the whole sugar industry of Egypt in its hands, although
only four factories are now working. These factories not
only manufacture, but also refine the sugar.

In 1905-6 the company dealt with 684,608 tons of cane,
and turned out 63,634 tons of raw, and 46,619 tons of refined
sugar. In 1906-7 the quantity of canes handled fell to
414,877 tons, from which 41,509 tons of raw, and 31,144
tons of refined sugar were turned out. The average sacrose
content of the Egyptian canes was 12°34 in 1905-6, and
12°70 in 1906-7. The cost of manufacture is stated to:
have been 45:00 per 220 tb, in 1905-6 and 35-04 in 1906-7,
the advance being due to the increased price of raw sugar,
and to higher cost of labour.

All the sugar exported from Egypt is in the refined
state. In 1906 refined sugar to the value of $215,995 was
shipped, but in 1907, the value of the exports fell to
$185,355. This decline is stated to be due to increased
domestic consumption. The quantity of sugar produced
in Egypt, however, is far from being sufficient to supply the
local demand, since in 1907 the imports of this article
reached 23,500 tons, valued at $1,389,534. By far the
greater quantity of these consist of beet sugar, imported from
Austria.

Eros
276

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

5, 1908.

SEPTEMBER

WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

BANANA INDUSTRY IN SURINAM.

As the result of an agreement contracted some two years
the Government of Dutch and the
planters of that colony on the one hand, and the United
Fruit Company on the other, a banana industry has been
started in the colony, and increasing shipments of fruit have
been made during the past five months.

Under the above agreement the planters of Surinam
agreed to plant, in 1907, an area of 2,470 acres with bananas,
and by the end of 1909, to increase this area to -at least
7,410 acres. The Government of the colony undertook to
advance the funds which were necessary to assist In starting
the industry, this money to be repaid in instalments as the
plantations came into bearing. It has been estimated that
the total sum required from the Government for the purpose
of planting and bringing into cultivation of the 7,410 acres
mentioned, will amount to very nearly £150,000, or approxi
mately £20 per acre.

For every 20,000 bunches of bananas produced, the
United Fruit Company undertook on its part, to send a boat
to Dutch Gniana, to fetch away the produce.

Arrangements have been made for the importation of
coolies from India to provide the necessary additional labour
required by this new industry, and a smal! tax is to be
placed upon the proceeds of the banana plantations in’ order
to meet the expense of this importation.

The industry has every promise of suecess in the future,
but one or two ditticulties that have presented themselves so
far ave dealt with in an article appearing in a late number ot
It is explained that
that the
banana plantations would, in the great majority of cases, be

ago between Giana

the Journal aa Agriculture Tropicale
when the scheme was started it was understood
nade on cacao estates of the colony, where they would form
a subsidiary cultivation, Many large cacao planters, how
ever, found themselves unable to give time and attention to
bananas as well, and hence large plantations have been started
The result has
been that the initial expenses connected with the start of
the industry have been heavier-thanswas expected, and the
return of the must
delayed.

A second difficulty is connected with the expense of
transport of the bananas from the plantations to the steamers.
The banana areas lie chiefly along the-Surmam river, and
it is estimated that the construction
a wharf, the provision of lighters, oarsmen, etc., would entail
a cost of £4 per acre per annum, if each estate undertook to
convey its own produce to the Alternative

ideas that have been put forward are that a light railway

which are devoted to banana culture only.

Government advances necessarily be

and maintenance of

steamers.

the

might be constructed along the valley of Surinam
river, or that the United Fruit Company should provide
a common service of lighters towards which all the estates
would contribute. The latter is the more fayoured suggestion,
since the construetion of a railway would necessarily entail
another heavy initial expense on the developing industry,

THE COMING COLONIAL FRUIT SHOW.

Attention is drawn to the letter given below, which
has been received from Mr. A. E. Aspinall, the Secre-
tary to the West India Committee, in relation to the
show of colonial-grown fruit and vegetables that will be
held at Westminster at the end of November next.
The i favourable the West
Indies are concerned, since at that time of the year,
fine collections of produce will be available in these
islands, and it is greatly hoped that a general effort
will be made by the Permanent Exhibition Committees
of the several colonies to co-operate with Mr. Aspinall,
and that London will be
enabled to see really creditable displays of fruit and
vegetables from the West Indies.

season is one so far as

dealers and consumers in

Mr. Aspinall writes :—

‘Will you permit me to availmyself of the columns of the
Agricultural News for the purpose of calling the attention of
the Exhibition Committees in the West
Indies to the Colonial Fruit Show to be held at the Royal
Horticultural Hall, Westminster, on November 26 and 27
Trinidad Montserrat have already decided to
participate, and we hope on this occasion to make a really

various Permanent

next, and
characteristic display of West Indian fruits, preserves, etc.
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company have kindly consent-
ed to carry exhibits ‘freight free, and the only expenditure
will be that
Southampton or Avonmouth, as the case may be, and .inciden-

for staging the exhibits, carriage of fruit from

tal expenses.

‘It is very important that we should know as soon as
possible which of the colonies decide to take part in this
exhibition, and T trust you will help our efforts to arrange for
an exhibit which will do full credit to our West
Colonies

Indian

‘In conclusion, I would remind the Permanent Exhibition
Committees that the exhibits should be addressed to me at
the Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster, and be accompa-
nied with a complete list, together with suitable matter for
publication in leaflet form,’

Vout. VII. No. 166.

THE AGRICULTURAL

bo
-~1
|

NEWS.

RETURN FROM GRAFTED CACAO
TREES.

In further reference to the subject of grafted cacao
at Dominica, concerning which one or two short articles
and illustrations have lately been given in the Agri-
cultural News (see Vol. VII, pp. 197, 213), the accom-
panying illustration (Fig. 13), prepared from a photo-

Fie. 13. Cacao Pops rrom Grarrep TREES 23 Yrars OLp.

graph forwarded by Mr. Joseph Jones, Curator of the
Dominica Botanic Station, should be of interest. The
picture represents the first gathering of pods from seven
grafted Alligator cacao (Theobroma pentagona) trees
growing at the Station. At the time of picking the pods,
the trees were two years and nine months old. When
those had been gathered there still remained on the
seven trees a total of 134 pods, or an average of nine-
teen pods per tree, which ripened in the course of
a few weeks following.

FEEDING COTTON-SEED MBAI,
TO HOGS.

In a booklet (No. 4% Pampniet Series) issued
some two years ago by the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, the question of the use of cotton-seed and
cotten-ecake meal as a feeding-stuff on West Indian
estates was dealt with. The principles of rational feed-
ing—based upona knowledge of the requirements of
the animal body, and the chemical constituents of food-
stuffs—were explained, and several rations, suitable for
mules and oxen, and which contained cotton-seed or
cotton-cake meal, mixed in due proportion with other
foods, were indicated.

As a food tor hogs cotton-seed meal has not been
regarded with favour in the past. This is due to the fact
that if fed in any but small quantity, the health of the

animals has suffered, and when an excess of the meal has been
continuously given, it has, not infrequently, resulted in the
death of the pigs.

The question of rations for hogs in which cotton-seed
meal shall be included is discussed in a lengthy article appear-
ing in a late number of the Southern Planter. Recent
experimental work dealing with the subject is reviewed and
the conclusion arrived at is that although much has still to be
Jearned on the question, yet it is
evident that, if given in small quan-
tity only, and mixed with much larger
proportions of other food-stuffs, such
as corn, cotton-seed meal forms a valu-
able addition to the list of foods
available for pig fattening in countries
where cotton seed is produced.

Maize is the chief hog food in
many countries, but, as is pointed out
in the above-mentioned article, this is
an unsatisfactory food when used alone,
owing to the excessive proportion it
contains of starchy material, and the
small proportions both of albuminoids
or flesh-forming constituents, and of
mineral constituents which enter so
largely into the building of bone, and
are therefore necessary for young and
growing animals.

In some feeding trials carried out
in the United States and referred to:
in the article mentioned, some young
pigs fed on corn alone made only 8°2 Ih.
of gain per bushel of corn consumed.
When a due proportion of a food rich
in albuminous matter, such as skim milk, bran, or linseed
meal was added, slightly over 20 1b. of live weight was
put on per bushel of corn consumed.

Cotton-seed meal contains a very much smaller quantity
of carbohydrates than maize, weight for weight, but contains
about twice as much digestible albuminoid matter. Recent
experiments tend to show that the bad results which have
frequently followed the use of this material with hogs are in
all probability due to feeding in too large a quantity, or feed-
ing continuously for too long a time.

For animals which are being fattened it would seem
advisable that not more than one-fifth of the ration given
should consist of cotton-seed meal. This amount should not:
be given continuously for more than fifty days, and at the end
of that time, the proportion of the meal might advisably be
reduced to one-eighth of the total ration. Experiments carried
out in Arkansas showed that small hogs of 50 Ib. weight
might advantageously receive } Tb. of cotton-seed meal per
day ; animals between 50 and 75 tb. could be given 4 bb.;
between 75 and 100 tb., = tb., while 4 tb, of meal per head
per day could be given to animals weighing over 100 tb.
These quantities were fed to the animals daily for from
156 to 186 days with good results. In some cases the pigs
were fed during this period on a ration containing over } Ib.
of cotton-seed meal per head per day, but it is stated that
this quantity is probably rather more than can be given
regularly with safety.

The amounts of cotton-seed meal mentioned are small,
but the nutritive value of a ration consisting chiefly of maize
meal is much improved by the inclusion of even this small
quantity of an albuminous material.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SEPTEMBER 5,

AF MMU

i

WEST INDIAN COTTON ON THE
LIVERPOOL MARKET.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool
write as follows, ander date of August 17 last, with
reference to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton
en the Liverpoo] market :—

There has been a moderate enquiry for West Indian Sea
Island cotton since our last report. This has resulted in the
sales of about 130 bales, comprising Barbados, St. Ivitt’s,
St. Croix, and St. Martin, principally at 14d. to 15d., with
a few bales at 16d. It will be seen, therefore, that prices
are without change.

COTTON PLANTING MACHINES.

The following article dealing with the use of
machines in planting Sea Island cotton has been
contributed by Mr. Thomas Thornton, A.R.C.S., late
Travelling Inspector in connexion with Cotton Investi-
gations under the Imperial Department of Agri-
culture :—

The introduction of machinery to take the place of hand
labour and to cheapen the cost of production is occurring
as rapidly in connexion with agriculture as with other indus-
tries, and it is important that agriculturists should make
themselves acquainted with the latest labour-saving imple-
ments on the market.

Growers of Sea Island cotton in the West Indies have to
compete with producers in the Southern States of America,
where a large part of the planting and cultivation work is
carried out by means of machinery which saves both labour
Labonr, it is true, is not so costly in the West
Indies as in the States, but complaints are heard in many of

and expense.

the islands that labour is searee, while in cases where there is
no lack of men, the labourers are frequently unreliable and
the work is done in an unsatisfactory manner,

Cotton far, In
been planted almost exclusively by hand, but at the present
several simple machines on the market for
carrying out this work.

The land is of course prepared in the same manner
whether the cotton is planted by means of the machine or
by hand, but nevertheless the planting machine is one of the
most useful implements that could be procured for a cotton
estate, and well repays the investment made. The
may also be used for planting other seeds, such as maize or

and other seeds have, so these colomies

time there are

machine

sorghum, as well as cotton,

Sometime ago I imported for use on my estate in Tobago
a cotton and corn planter (Averys’ ‘Sod Planter’ ), and
since one or two slight alterations have been made, this machine

has given eyery satisfaction. It is light in draught, so that

a pony can draw it with-ease, and by its means as much as
8 acres of land can be planted per day.

The machine is provided with an ‘opener,’ which fits
into the ground, and makes the furrow in which the seed
is planted. By suitable means, too, the seed is dropped from
the machine, in proper amount, into this small furrow, while
by means of two large spoon-like arrangements, passing near
the surface of the ground, the mould 1s drawn over the seed
in the furrow. Behind these there is a broad wheel with
a concave rim Which presses down the mould over the seeds.

The machine does excellent work when the soil is im
a dry condition. After rain, however, when the soil is in
a sticky condition, the Wnplement is apt to become clogged.
The opening through which the seed passes to the ground
becomes choked up with mould, which prevents the seed
from passing through. ‘This, however, can be remedied, and
experience has shown that if the ‘ opener” be removed, and
replaced by a pointed shovel, and the press wheel at the back
be also taken away, the machine works well, even in a sticky
place and immediately after a shower.

Besides the ‘Sod Planter,’ the firm of B. F. Avery & Sons
make a second machine,» known as the ‘ Uncle Sam’ cotton
and corn planter, which is almost identical with the ‘Sod
Planter,’ have
made.

In such islands as St. Vineent and St.
Planter’ would do good work ; but in
Montserrat and Tobago, the ‘ Uncle
probably be found most satisfactory.

These machines plant in straight rows only, or as straight
as a horse can be enided. Cotton seed can be planted in
drill, the quantity of seed dropped being
regulated by a thin feed slide. If the seed is delinted, it may
be planted with corn plates, which drop the seed at regular
intervals, three or four seeds being planted at each hole. The
depth at which the seeds are planted can also be accurately
adjusted.

The price of these planting machines in America is 512
each.

when the alterations mentioned above been
Kitt’s, the *Sod
Barbados, Antigua,
Sam’ planter will

a continuous

Cotton in the Sea Islands. Messrs. Henry Frost & Co.,
of Charleston, writing on August 8 last, state that the market
for cotton from the Sea Islands was dull and with no demand.
The stock in hand consisted of about 100. bales, chietly ot
‘Fully Fine? quality, for* which planters were asking 30c.
per tb.

With regard to the crop of the coming season, the much
needed rain had oceurred around Charleston, and in that
district prospects are favourable. From Beaufort the reports
received are not so good, and the outlook in that section is
not so promising. Reports still speak of a reduetion in the
acreage under Sea Island cotton,

Vou. VII. No. 166.

PRISON FARMS IN BRITISH GUIANA.

A farm is worked in connexion with most of the
prisons in British Guiana, and this not only assists in
making the institutions self- supporting by providing
PeMUneratiTe labour for the prisoners, but should
further serve a useful purpose in training the men
concerned to a knowledge of agricultural wor rk according
to the best methods. The following particulars in
regard to the farm worked in connexion i with the Snddie
prison are from a late number of the Demerara
Argosy —

Early in 1906, a farm of 25 acres was started at the
Suddie prison in order to find employment for the prisoners.
A large amount of work had to be done before the land was
clear and ready for the spade of the cultivator.

Plantains and sweet potatos were planted, but, on the
advice of Professor Harrison, Director of Science aad Agri-
culture, who has stated that the greater part of the land i
not suitable-for plantains, it-has.been decided to go in Minor i-
pally for rice and potatos. The question of a water supply,
so essential for the rice crop, at one time threatened to
put an obstacle in the way of this project, but this has been
overcome by improving and extending for a considerable
distance a trench which now leads to a sand reef. A series
of small reservoirs has been made, and from these a constant
supply of water is obtained, the treach serving to carry it to
the rice beds, which can be flooded at will, and also, by an
ingenious contrivance of stop-offs, acting as a drainage trench.
Besides rice, cassava, sweet potatos and ochros are grown here,
and in the course of a month or two,every bit of the 25 acres
forming the farm will be under cultiyation. As showing the
progress made, it may be stated that during the half- year
ending November last, 1,972 tb. of sweet potatos were
obtained from the f farm, but during the six months ending
May, the crop amounted to no less than 8,600 Ib. So it was
with the other articles. The cassava crop ‘during the last six
months came to 2,037 tb., against 553 Tb. in the ‘preceding SIX
months. Last half-year 113 bags of paddy were disposed of
and there were 120 bags on aie while in the preceding
period 116 bags were sok id and 75 rem: uined on hand.

SOIL MOISTURE AND HUMUS.

Dealing with methods of improving the condition
of land in a low state of fertilitv, Farmers’ Bulletin
245 of the United States Department of Agriculture,
entitled ‘The Renovation ot Worn-out Soils, has the
following passage on the importance of maintaining
a proper supply of humus in the soil :-—

In producing sutticient grass to yield a ton of dry hay
on an acre of land, a quantity of water approximating to
500 tons is withdrawn from the soi-by the grass. In order
to supply this enormous quantity the land must not only be
in condition to absorb and hold water well, but it must be
porous enough to permit water to pass freely through the
soil. The presence of large quantities of dec ‘aying organic
matter (humus) adds enormously to the water- holding
capacity of the soil. One ton of humus will absorb 2. tons
of water and give it up readily to growing crops. Not only
that, but the shrinkage of the particles of decaying organic
matter and the consequent loosening of soil grains keep the
soil open and porous.

Furthermore, humus of good quality is exceedingly rich
in both nitrogen and mineral plant food. The maintenance of

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 279

fertility may almost be said to consist in keeping the soil
well supplied with humus. The first step in renovating
worn-out soils is to give them an abundant supply of humus
of good quality. Perhaps the best source of humus is stable
manure containing both the liquid and the soil excrement,
especially when the stock are fed rich on nitrogenous foods.
Even a poor quality of barnyard manure, which has had
much of the plant food leached out of it, has considerable
value because of the humus it makes.

Another cheap and valuable source of humus, but one
which must be used with judgement, is the use of green crops
grown to be ploughed under as manure. The legumes such
as cowpeas, woolly pyrol, Bengal beans, and velvet beans are
especially valuable for this purpose, because of the nitrogen
they contain ; but other crops, such as rye, and even corn
sown thickly may sometimes be made to supply large quanti-
ties of humus of fair quality

’

COCOA-NUT PLANTING IN SAMOA.

Copra forms by far the most important article of
export from the Samoan Islands at present, althouga
the shipments of 1907 (5,400 tons, valued at £77 981)
fell far below those of the previous year. The price of
the product, too, fell from £17 per ton in 1906 to £12 in
1907. Notwithstanding this, the British Consul atSamoa
states that owners of land suitable for cocoa-nut cultiva-
tion are paying increasing attention to the industry,
and the Government of tne islands have for some years
past required that each Samoan family shall plant at
least fifty cocoa-nuts yearly on their land.

The fullowing notes are taken from the
report of the British Consul at Samoa :—

latest

It is recommended that the holes in which the cocoa-nuts
are to be planted should be about 2 feet deep and correspond.
ingly wide, and that they should be filled with a mixture of
good soil and compost, ashes, a little salt, and, in cases where
the soil lacks lime, some coral sand. The nuts should be
covered with at least 3 or 4 inches of soil and not be closer
together than 33 feet, or abont forty to the acre, or in the
immediate neighbourhood of the sea they may be 30 feet
apart.

The crucial point is for the trees to have light and air
on all sides, otherwise they will not bear well. Where forest
trees are left standing in their neighbourhood, the growth of
the evcoa-nut palms is much retarded and the yield lessened,
and when even orange and other fruit trees overgrow and
overshadow them, they do not thrive. According to the
experience of some planters, trees growing one or two miles.
from the sea have a much smaller yield than those growing
close to it, although this may not everywhere be the case.

It is stated by the authority mentioned above that the
upward growth of the cocoa-nut palm in Samoa appears to be
slower than in the coral islands of the South Seas, and
especially New Guinea. But in place of this it appears. to:
attain a greater age in Samoa, with unaltered yield. I was
shown palins by one of the oldest planters in Samoa, which
were still in full bearing, although they were reputed to be
eighty years ola. Such trees may certainly attain an age of
a hundred years. The crowns of the palms im Samoa appear
to me to be richer in leaves and much more compact than those
of several parts of Kaiser Wilhelmsland.

The full grown cocoa-nut plant is a bad neighbour to
other plants, as its root system is uncommonly strong.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. SEPTEMBER 5, 1908

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the

Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayvents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulan &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News :
post free 2d.
Qei 2d:

Price 1d. per number,
Annual subscription payable to Agents,
Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural

Vou. VII. SATURDAY, SEPTEMB SER

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

Mews

1908. No. 166.

The editorial of the present issue discusses the
chief fungus diseases affecting cacao in the West Indies,
and gives some hints as to remedial treatment.

Information with regard to the position of the
sugar industry in Hawaii ‘and i in Egypt, and to condi-
tions which influence its progress in these countries,
will be found on page 275.

A Colonial Fruit Show is to be held in London in
November next, in which it is hoped the West Indies
will participate (page 276).

A brief note, with illustration, appearing on page
277, and relating to the return that has been obtained
from grafted cacao trees at Dominica,
interest to cacao planters.

The attention of cotton planters is drawn to the
article on cotton-planting machines that will be found
on page 278,

Some interesting observations with regard to the
occurrences of certain insects on cacao trees at
dad, together with a note on Jumping
recorded under Insect Notes (page 282).

Trini-
seeds, are

The chief conditions a avour: able to the development
of nitrogen-assimilating bacteria in the soil are dealt
with in an article appearing on page 283.

should be of

Increasing yield of Balata.
The output of balata (the produce of Mimusops

- globosa) has shown a steady increase in British and

Dutch Guiana, and in Venezuela — for
past.

In 1887 —twenty years ago—British Guiana
exported 80,942 Ib. of balata and Dutch Guiana 1,093 tb.,
while there were then no exports from Venezuela. Ten
years later there were 332.262 tb. exported from British
Guiana, 434,000 th. from Dutch Guiana, and 165,000 tb.
from Venezuela. The increase in the output during
the past six or seven years has been more noticeable in
Venezuela and British Guiana than in Dutch Guiana.
British Guiana in 1903 shipped 743,553 tb., and in
1907, 987,225 tb. In the last-named year Venezuela
exported 3,203,141 tbh. and Dutch Guiana 765,120 tb.
So far balata has only been shipped in trivial quantity
from French Guiana, although the tree which produces
it is found growing in quantity in the colony.

———E— =
Zapupe Fibre Plant.
An article dealing with the rapid extension that
hi as of late years taken place in the cultivation of the
‘zapupe ’ fibre plant in Mexico was given in the Agri-
cultural News of April 18 last (page 125). Within
a period of two or three years after the cultivation had
started, no less than 4,000 or 5,000 acres were devoted
to the growth of the fibre plants, and the industry is
reported to be a remarkably remunerative one.

The specific identity of the ‘zapupe’ has not yet
been established, but so fir it has been considered to
be a species of Ayave. In the course of an article con-
tributed to the Vropenpflanzer of April last, however,
Dr. Endlicher states that his observations lead him to
believe that, as in the case of ‘ixtle, the ‘ zapupe ’ fibre
is probably produced from more than one species of
plant, and it seems likely that the chief plant from
which it is obtained belongs to the natural order
Bromeliaceae, and is not a species of Agave.

many years

OED + a
Trade of Trinidad.

One or two notes from the large mass of statistical
information published in the Annual Report (1907-8)
of the Collector of Customs for Trinidad may be of
interest. The value of the produce exported from the

colony during the year amounted to £2,612,801, an
increase of £ i 056,757 as compared with 1906-7, and of
£890,896 over the export returns of 1905-6.

The total quantity of cacao shipped from the
island during the year was 58,704,352 tb. valued at
£2,114,276, as compared with 33,129,152 tb., of the
value of £972,169, shipped in 1906-7. Of the above
quantity, 49,730,576 tb. were the produce of the
colony. Sugar was exported during the year to the
quantity of 46,720 tons, valued at £521,051, as
compared with 45,004 tons of a value of £430,182
shipped in 1906-7.

The returns show a noteworthy increase in the
exports of local produce to Canada. In the case of
sugar this increase amounted to £46,665, of cacao to
£10,560, and of molasses to £3,845, compared with
the figures of the previous year.

Vou. VII. No. 166.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 281

Cotton Cultivation in Cuba.

Since 1903, cotton cultivation has been tried in
an experimental way by several planters in Cuba, and
the soil and climatic conditions which exist in many
parts of the island have been found to be eminently
suited to the crop. Sea Island cotton is reported to
have done excellently well, and one or two Upland
varieties (Excelsior, King, Sunflower, and Russell) have
also given good results,

The cotton crop in Cuba is, however, subject to the
ravages of the cotton boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis)
which is responsible for such enormous destruction
every year in the United States, and this has been
a chief cause in preventing the possible development of
the industry. Fortunately the boll weevil has not been

known to occur in the British West Indies.

Coffee in Porto Rico.

Coffee production in past. years formed the
premier industry of Porto Rico, but owing to the rapid
advances that have of late been made in the output of
sugar and tobacco, and also on account of the fact that
coffee is not accorded that preference on the United
States market which is given to the other two products,
the cotfee industry of the island bas diminished in
importance,

It is estimated that there are now some 16,000
coffee plantations, of various sizes, in existence in Porto
Rico. These are all situated in the mountainous
districts and comprise a total area of about 19,000
acres.

During the year 1907 over 38,000,000 th. of coffee. of
a total value of £934,295, were exported from the
island, of which only 185,959 th. went to the United
States.

a

Rubber Planting in Samoa.

Rubber planting has of late begun to receive
attention in the German colony of Samoa, of which
copra has been the chief agricultural product in the
past, while cacao production is also a developing
industry. ;

According to the British Consul at Samoa there
are three large rubber plantations now in existence in
the islands, the largest of which extends to several
thousand acres. The remaining two estates are each
about 450 acres in extent, and are partly planted in
mixed cultivations of rubber and cacao and partly in
rubber alone. Para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) is by
far the chief variety planted.

Para rubber plants have been imported from
Ceylon, and one importation of 100,000 plants was
a complete success as regards the subsequent growth
of the plants. The Para rubber trees are planted
abont 15 feet apart each way, and since this tree is
liable to destruction by storms on account of its super-
ficial rooting system, it is proposed to protect the
plantations with wind-breaks of Ficus elastica trees,
which, owing to their thick and spreading crown of
foliage and strong root system, are well adapted for this
purpose.

Pine-apple Industry in Queensland.

Reports from Queensland state that pine-apple
cultivation and the subsequent canning of the fruit form
a very profitable industry in the colony. he pine-
apple acreage is increasing annually, and many trials
were made in the hope of establishing an export trade
in the fresh fruit to London and other markets.
Various modes of treatment were adopted, but in spite
of every precaution, the results were unsatisfactory,
since it was found on arrival in London that the
flavour of the pines had been lost, and on exposure to
the air the fruit became flaccid and rotten.

Last year it was estimated that the number of
pine-apples produced in Queensland amounted to
650,000 dozen, and since this greatly exceeds. the
demand—not only of Queensland, but also of the other
Australian states as well—for the fresh fruit, canning
factories have lately been started to deal with the sur-
plus, and these promise to become very profitable to
the proprietors. The canneries are hoping in the first
case to secure the whole of the Australian markets, and
they have also begun an export trade to the United
Kingdom.

The Candle-nut Tree.

The candle-nut tree (Aleurites triloba) forms the
subject of a paper in the Agricultural Ledger of India,
No. 4, 1907. This tree, which belongs to the natural
order Euphorbiaceae, is not uncommon in the West
Indies, and in Jamaica is known as_ the ‘country
walnut.’ The countries in which it is found growing in
largest quantity, however, are Java, Sumatra, the
Moluccas, and South Pacific Islands. It has also been
naturalized in many parts of India, and in Madagascar.

The fruit of the candle-nut tree is about the size
of asmall orange, and usually contains two heart-
shaped seeds enclosed within hard shells. The seeds
are interesting on account or the fact that they contain
about 60 to 66 per cent. of a useful oil, which has
a considerable market value. The candle-nut has
received its name from the fact that the kernel burns
like a candle when a light is applied to it, and in the
South Pacifie Islands the kernels are threaded on reeds
anc used as torches.

Of the 60 per cent. of oi] contained in the seeds,
about 55 per cent. is capable of being readily extracted
on acommercial scale. This proportion is very high
when compared with other oil-bearing seeds and nuts.
Castor oil beans yield no more than 40 to 45 per cent.
of oil. The oil expressed from the nuts is known as
Bankul oil or artists’ oil. It is a drying oil and is used
in the arts for the same purpose as linseed oil, viz., in
the manufacture of oil-colours, lacquers, and varnishes,
and also for soap making. The cake from which the
oil has been expressed may be used as a cattle food or
a manure.

Sampies of candle-nuts have been submitted to
brokers in London, who stated that the /ernels should
meet witha ready sale at £12 to £13 per ton.

bo
ao
to

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

1908.

SEPTEMBER 5,

INSECT NOTES.

The Trinidad Bulletin of Miscellaneous Informa-
tion for July 190% contains various short notes dealing
with observations on several insect pests of cacao,
and on a small weevil which inhabits the flower-bud of
a certain tree that has now been identified. The
accompanying notes, which appear in small type, have
been extracted :—

CACAO

On one of the trees at St. Clair a pod was found which
appeared to be rotting from the base as if attacked by
‘brown rot.’ Examination proved that the pod was attacked
by the larvae of the common cacao beetle (Stedrastoma
depressum), and that it was feeding principally upon the
sweet pulp of the interior. The pod was secured and’ placed
under observation. It was noted that the larvae, after destroy-
ing the pulp, attacked the seeds, which had begun sprouting,
and devoured more than 75 per cent. of the number in the
pod. The larvae ultimately developed into the imago form
which enabled the insects to be determined.

As at times insects change their habits, and from one
food take up another, it is seen what a serious matter it
would be, if pods were generally attacked by the beetle, and
planters should be most careful to keep the pests under
control by every means in their power.

The cacao beetle i's well known as a borer in the
wood and bark of cacao trees, but does not appear to
have been previously reported as attacking the pods.
va and adult—was figured in the last
issue of the Ayricultural News, p. 266.

A BAG-WORM ON

BEETLE ATTACKS PODS.

CACAO,

One of these curious insects is reported as occurring on

cacao at Trinidad, but it is not stated that any serious
damage has been done. ‘The bag-worms belong to the
Lepidoptera. Although a moth, the adult female is wingless,

and lives in the bag or covering during the whole life. The
male is provided with wings. In the Antilles acacia
trees are frequently seen on which are several of these large
bags. At Montserrat the citrus trees at the Botanic Station
have been attacked by bag-worms from time to time. These
insects are not often numerous, and can generally be con-
trolled by hand picking or the use of Paris green.

Lesser

A BEETLE DESTRUCTIVE TO THE CACAO TREE.

A beetle which had previously been referred to in
the Bulletin is in this number mentioned as having
been identified at the United States Department of

Agric vulture as Kethoca quadricornis, Oliver, of the
family ¢ Jerambycidae, sub-family Lamiinae. Tn writ-
ing to Mr. Hart on the subject, Dr. L. O. Howard,

C hief of the Bureau of Entomology, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, states :

The genus is closely allied to our own twig-girdlers of the
genus Oneidercs, and the girdled twig you send plainly indi-
cates that Hethoca does not ditfer in habits from our common
Oncideres cingulatus which is so often referred to in the
literature of economic entomology. There is apparently
nothing recorded as to the earlier stages or life history of
KBethoca. La Cordaire, in his Genera des Coleopteres, states that
the species is by no means common in the collections, but the
insect occurs from Peru to the Guianas. According to the same
authority the colour of the species is variable, and greenish

specimens are occasionally met with. The male of 2. guadri-
cornis is very remarkable by having four horn-like projectures:
on the head.

In St. Lucia and St. Vincent another twig-girdler
(Oncideres amputator) occurs which is reported to
frequently attack the cacao shade tree known as Pois.
doux (Jinga lauriinag), and also sometimes to attack cacao.
This insect was dealt with in the Agricultural News for
May 20, 1905 (see Vol. IV, p. 155), where an account
was given of the work of girdling twigs supposed to be
attributable to the Hercules beetle.

In the case of the twig-girdling beetles such as.
Oncideres and Eethoea the females gnaw the wood of
the twig to make the cut, and before the twig falls an
egg is deposited in it. In this way the larva, on hatch-
ing in the wood -of the twig, finds itself surrounded
with dead or de scaylng matter which it utilizes as food
material.

JUMPING SEEDS.

In a note on the so-called ‘ jumping seeds, ’ it is.
mentioned that these again made their appearance in
the Botanic Gardens on March 27 last. hey were
observed on the ‘ Roble’ tree (Plautymiscium plutysta-
chyum, Benth.). ‘ Jumping seeds’ are not seeds at all,
but are a portion of the plant inhabited by a small
weevil or snout beetle. They have a seed-like appear-
ance, and gained their name on account of the fact that
they are sometimés seen to spring a considerable
distance trom the ground into the air. This is, of course,
due to the presence of the living beetle.

The manner in which the insects get into the
tissues of the plant.is explained in the following quota-
tion from the Bulletin : —

It has now been observed that the larvae of the
beetles enter the unopened flower-bud, and after eating out
its interior, change into the pupa form, using the calyx of

the flower-bud as « protective case durmg the dormant
period. As they fall.from the trees, the larva is apparently

full-grown, and abont to assume the pupa form, and can at
this time jump as much as 4 inches from the ground. The
insect is as yet undetermined, but evidently belongs to the
snouted beetles or weevils (Rhyncophora), perhaps to the
family Curculionidae.

The insect is an interesting one, seeing that it takes
possession of a ready-made vegetable covering in which to
undergo its transformation to the i imago form.’

Dressing for Cuts on Cacao Trees.

The Agricultural Superintendent of Grenada at an Agri-
cultural Meeting latelycheld in the island stated that trials.
by Mr. Malins Smith at Diamond estate, Grenada, and
by other cacao proprietors, with a mixture of resin oil and tar,
in the proportion of one part of tay to four parts of oil, for
application as an antiseptic dressing for cuts and wounds on
trees have given satisfactory results. Resin oil
is a good dressing for wounds and was recommended by
Mr. O. W. Barrett, when visiting Trinidad. It is, however,
colourless and, therefore, it is ditticult to see which wounds.
have been treated and which have not. The admixture of
a little tar colours the oil, and by this means the objection is
removed. Further trials with resin oil, as against tar, might
be made in other cacao-producing districts in these islands,

made

Cacao

Vout. VII. No. 166.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 283

SOIL BACTERIA AND NITROGEN
ASSIMILATION.
Reference has frequently been made in the Ayrv-
cultural News to the great value of leguminous crops

(i.e., crops belonging to the natural order Leguminosae »

of which the pea is a well-known example) to the
planter. his value is largely owing to the fact that
a soil on which such a crop has been grown is, under
favourable circumstances, enriched with mitrogen,
through the medium of the soil bacteria which live in
tubercules. frequently noticeable on the roots of the
leguminous plants. These bacteria find nourishment
in the juices supplied by the plant, and through the
energy supplied by this means, are able to assimilate
or fix nitrogen directly from the atmosphere. The
nitrogen so fixed is in part appropriated by the plant
and built up into its tissues, but a good propertion
remains behind in the roots on the removal of the
green portion of the crop, and largely increases the
stock of nitrogen in the soil which is available for the
following crop. In experiments.carried out in the
United States it has been estimated that as much as
122 th. of nitrogen, equivalent to about 800 th. of nitrate
of soda, is, under favourable conditions, taken from the
air and added to each acre of soil, as the result of grow-
ing a leguminous crop.

Tn addition to the organisms associated principally with
the roots of Jeguminons crops, there is another class of soil
bacteria that can also fix atmospheric nitrogen. These are
not associated with any particular crop, and are able to obtain
the carbohydrate material necessary for their existence and
activities from the humus or decaying vegetable matter in
the soil. These independent forms of soil bacteria are widely
distributed, and in warm, well-aerated soils, containing abun-
dance of humus and mineral matter they fix a considerable
amount of atmospheric nitrogen. An examination of the soil
of two fields at the Rothamsted Experiment Siation, England,
which had been allowed to run wild for many years, showed
an accumulation of nitrogen equal to 280 Ib. of nitrate of
soda per acre per annum in a field poorly supplied with lime,
and to 600 Ib. of nitrate of soda per acre perannum in a field
well supplied with lime. Bacteriological tests showed that
the nitrogen-fixing bacteria were present in much larger quan-
tity in the second case.

In view of the expensive nature of nitrogenous manures
such as nitrate of soda, and sulphate of ammonia, the planter
will readily perceive the value of an agency by which this
costly element is derived directly from the air, and a useful
crop of green fodder grown on the soil at the same time.

The soi] conditions which the bacteria in ques-
tion (and also other bacteria whose work in tke soil
consists in breaking down complex organic matter, and
bringing it toa form in which the contained nitrogen is
directly available as plant food) find most suitable for
the exercise of their activities, are therefore well worthy
of attention, and the followiug notes, taken from an
abstract, lately appearing in the Lowisiana Planter,
of a German pamphlet which discusses the Sources and
Uses of Nitrogenous Manures, relate to these points
among others :—

Of the various constituents of commercial fertilizers

nitrogen is undoubtedly the most expensive. Not a little skill
and intelligence are required on the partvof the agriculturist for

placing before the growing crops a proper supply of nitrogen
food in a manner both economical and efticient. The growing
cost of nitrate of soda, the increasing production of sulphate
of ammonia, the more or less snecessful attempts to manutae-
ture nitrogenous materials out of the nitrogen gas in the air
and finally, the various systems of green manuring and
tillage are all factors to be reckoned with. The work of soit
bacteria is another important factor, and the gain of nitro-
gen compounds in the soil through the agency of these
organisms is very important. A better knowledge of these
bacteria must prove of great benefit to every agriculturist,
since such knowledge will enable him to utilize them to the
best advantage in providing nitrogen for his crops.

Among the conditions which must be met in order to
render the soil a suitable medium for the rapid and vigorous
growth of nitrogen-gathering bacteria are those of moisture,
humus, and mineral salts. It may further be added that
« sufficient amount of lime must be present for the soil to be
alkaline in reaction, since the bacteria cannot flourish in an
acid medium. Bacterial life soon comes to a standstill in
soils deficient in moisture, Similarly, bacteria as living
things must have food, and this they find in great part in the
humus. Hence hunms is important not only as a source of
food to bacteria, but also in creating conditions favourable for
their development, since the greater the amount of humus, the
greater the amount of moisture in the soil, and the greater
the amount of moisture, the more rapid the growth of the
bacteria. We should remember likewise, that bacteria are
after all only minute plants, and as such they need a supply
of available lime, phosphoric acid, and potash. Soils poor in
these constituents are unsuited for the proper development
of bacterial life, and therefore are unsuited for the vigorous
growth of crops.

The need of large quaatities of mineral plant food is
particularly prominent in the case of leguminous crops, crops
which form a partnership with bacteria in their roots, and
become enabled thereby to draw lavishly on the vast store of
nitrogen gas in the air. Crops of cowpeas, Bengal beans,
velvet beans, woolly pyrol, alfalfa, clovers, etc. thus create
a supply of nitrogen not only for themselves, but also for the
non-leguminous crops which follow and feed on their decay-
ing remains. It should be remembered however, that mn
this process of nitrogen accumulation by legumes, large
amounts of lime, phosphoric acid and potash are used up ;
hence the best results in the utilization of atmospheric nitro-
gen by leguminous crops can be secured only when ample
provision is made for the supply of the mineral ingredients
of plant food. Repeated experiments have demonstrated
that under favourable conditions leguminous crops may con-
tain 100 to 200 Ib. of nitrogen per acre, most of it derived
from the air. It is thus evident that with an abundance of
lime, phosphoric acid, and potash, the accumulation of
atmospheric nitrogen by legumes is only governed by climatic
conditions, and by the numbers and vigour of the bacteria m
the root nodules.

Packing Rubber Seeds. It is stated in the
Indiarubber Journal that favourable results have been
obtained at the Singapore Botanic Gardens by packing
Para rubber seeds for export in burnt rice husks. The
residue from the burnt husks consists of _ finely-divided
charcoal, which is sprinkled with. water before the seeds are
packed in it. Kerosene tins are utilized for packing the seeds,
and it isstated that after a journey occupying four months, 60
per cent. of the seeds despatched in this way germinated
snecesstully.

484

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SepremBer 5, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

Experiments in the growth of different varieties of
cabbage were carried out at the Botanie Gardens, British
Guiana, during 1907-8. The Annual Report tor the season
mentions that the ‘Jersey Wakefield’ variety again gave the
best results, as in 1906-7, and produced cabbages almost as
good in flavour as if grown in England.

Applications have been sent in to the huperial Depart
ment of Agriculture by seven estate overseers at Barbados,
and by about the same number at Antigua, who are anxious
to enter for the courses of reading and examination for over-
seers and sub-managers, of which particulars have been given
in recent numbers of the Agricultural News (see Vol. VII,
p- 209).

cultivators which may possibly be
found to be suitable for use in connexion with cotton cultiva
tion have the Jmperial Department of
Agriculture for experimental purposes. They are now being
tried on cotton estates at Barbados, and it is hoped later to
make trials with fields in
other islands.

One or two hand

been received by

the implements in cotton

From the commencement of the season up to August
27 last, there were exported from Barbados 29,247 tons of
sugar and 48,947 puncheons of molasses, as compared with
32,635 tons of sugar and 61,245 puncheons of molasses,

shipped during the corresponding period of last year.

Dr. H. A. Alford Nicholls has written to the Dominica
press pointing out that the Italian Government are about to
impose a duty on lemon products exported from the country.
It is anticipated that as a result the price of citrate of lime
will be increased on the English market by about 3d. per Ib.

The area under cocoa-nut palms in Ceylon reaches about
680,000 acres, chietly in gardens and plantations owned by
natives, ‘lea comes next in importance as regards the area
planted, viz., 390,000 acres. There are 34,000 acres under
cacao, and about 120,000 acres planted with rubber. The
rubber plantations are owned almost entirely by Europeans.

The large proportion of foreign proprietors owning land
in Cuba is evident from figures lately published in’ the
Louisiana Planter. Of the properties actually producing
sugar, 36 are stated to belong to Americans, 76 to Europeans
and only 74 to Cubans.

Judging by the number of factories
therefore, over 50

per cent. to outsiders, and these
properties are believed to be much more valuable than those
belonging to Cubans. Of the large sugar crop of 1907-
1,428,000 tons-—the American factories produced 30 per cent.,
the European 35 per cent., and the Cuban 35 per cent,

belong

An Agricultural Show will be held at St. Vincent in
January next under the auspices of the Imperial Department
of Agriculture and the Agricultural and Commercial
Society of the island. Prizes will be awarded for cotton,
cacao, arrowroot, sugar, rum, starches, coffee, fruit, vegetables,
and live stock.

The trade returns of Trinidad for 1907-8 show that the
import of cacao into the island (for subsequent re-export)
increased by 2,762,825 Ib. compared with 1906-7. The
greater part of this amount came from Venezuela. The
rice imports showed an inerease in value of about £1,300,
although the quantity imported was less by 1,205,057 tb.,
probably owing to local production.

The number of bales of cotton imported into Great
Britain for the week ending July 23 last was 25,002 (includ-
ing 33 bales British West Indian). The bales imported
from January 1 to July 23 of the present year numbered
2,193,151 (including 7,282 bales British West Indian, and
5,456 bales British West African).

A small export tax of 3c. per 1,000 Ib, of sugar shipped
abroad has been imposed in Trinidad, and took effect as from
July I last. The object of the tax is to assist in providing
funds for the re-organized Agricultural Department of the
island. With an average sugar crop, the sum raised by
this means will amount to about £700. — (Port-of-Spain
(razette.)

A large number of exhibits have been forwarded to the
Toronto International Exhibition from British Guiana.
These include samples of rice paddy and of cleaned rice,
Liberian and Arabian coftee, cacao, kola nuts, sugar, molasses,
rum, fruit pickles, plantains — flour,
timber, rubber, and tobacco.

preserves, isinglass,

A more than usually large area was planted with maize at
Barbados for the present season. The crop is in good condi-
tion, but has of late suffered much through lack of rain.
A small amount has ripened, and already been reaped, but in
other cases, owing to the scarcity of green fodder, small
cultivators have found it remunerative to cut the crop before
it has reached maturity, and to sell it for forage purposes.

The Governor of the Windward Islands has approved of
the sum of £50 being allocated for the purpose of making
prize awards to small cacao growers in the parishes of
St. David and St. Patrick, Grenada, for excellence of
cultivation in the year 1908-9. On account of the zeal and
interest shown in the Prize-holding scheme held last year in
the parish of St. John, a further sum of £25 has been set
apart for again holding a competition in the parish this year.

The sugarcane crop in the south of Porto Rico suffered
considerably from drought during 1907, and in order to deal
with this subject, a sum of money has been voted in the
Legislative Assembly of the island for the purpose of carrying
out investigations to ascertain if artificial irrigation is possible.
Suggestions have been made that beneficial results would
follow if some of the small rivers that rise in the centre of
the island, and flow to the north, were diverted to
a southerly direction. It is also recommended that reservoirs
should be built, in which water could be stored during the
rainy season, for distribution in time of drought.

now

“Von. VII. No. 166.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. IST

TRINIDAD: ANNUAL “REPORLY ON THE
BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT, 1907-8. By J. 4. Hart,

F.L.S, Superintendent.

Mr. Hart’s report gives a record of the work done during

the year at the Experimental Station, St. Clair ; the Botanic
Station, Tobago ; River estate, and at Government House

‘Gardens,

The total EEO AUUUNS for the year on the Debeuinen:
was £5,521 12s. 53d. The large sum of £2,468 Is. 5hd.,
however, was ene by the “sale of produce, seeds and
plants. By far the chief source of revenue was the cacao
sold from the Government plantation, River estate, which
yielded £2,041 17s. 34d. It will be seen, therefore, that the
net cost of the Department was £3,053 11s.

During the year a tetal of £2,789 plants were distri-
buted from the St. Clair nurseries, which i is considerably less
than that of last year. The number of cacao plants sent out
was 11,614 ; rubber plants were distributed to the number of
10,960, while the cane cuttings sent from the station were
8,560. In addition about 60,000 seeds were also distributed.
The plants in stock at the end of the year numbered 180,080.

Experiments in the cultivation of tobacco, fruits, sugar-

-cane, rubbers, fibre plants, cotton, and cacao were continued
-during the year at St. Clair. Special attention has been paid
to citrus fruits, and an interesting acquisition to the gardens
to which reference is made in the report is a seedless pomelow.

It is mentioned that there has been a smaller demand
for rubber plants during the past year than in 1906-7, and
this is probably aceounted for by the fall im the price of
rubber that has taken place. The rubbers at the Station
include three species of //evea, Funtumia elastica, and
F. Africana, Castilloa elastica, Landolphia Kirkis, Manthot
Glazion?, and Odontadenia The last named is
a native Trinidad variety from which a good sample of
rubber has been produced.

Specioxa.

The remnnerative results obtained from the cacao planta-
tion at River estate have already been mentioned. All the
-eacao produced was sold in the local market and realized an
average price of $19°30 per 110 Ib.

Asum of £52 18s. 6d. was obtained from the sale of
banana plants from the nursery at River estate. The soil
-of the nursery, however, appears unsuitable for bananas, and
since a number of private growers are also now selling plants,
it is proposed to discontinue the nursery.

At the Tobago Botanic Station, the total receipt from
the sale of plants, etc., was £27 7s. 6d., this being £36 below
the sum received in the previous year. ,-Altogether,--13,483
plants were sent out.

Experimental plots of Sea Island cotton were planted in
July and August. Those planted in the former month did
the best, although the dry weather somewhat spoilt the
return. The lint produced was of good quality, and further
-experiments in cotton cultivation are to be carried out in the
present year.

TRINIDAD: ANNUAL REPORT OF THE GCOY-
ERNWVENT ANALYST, 1907-8. By Professor P.

Cai ody,

PALO INA Oasys

Professor Carmody’s report gives an account of the
analytical and educational work carried on at the Govern-
ment Laboratory, Trinidad, during the year, ‘The total
nuinber of samples analysed -1,211—shows:a decrease of
OS yas compared witlr © 1906-7. These samples are
classitied as follows: revenue samples, 463 ; criminal cases,
103 ; sanitary, 290 ; agricultural and indu il, 99; miscel-

laneous, 138 ; unofficial, 118.

The samples classed as ‘sanitary’ consisted for the
part of food and drugs, milk —of which 189
analysed —being the article receiving most attention in this
section.

Last year it was reported that there was a very satis-
factory decline evident in the practice of adulteration of milk
in Trinidad, the number of adulterated samples being |ut
10-7 per cent. of the total analysed. This was the lowest
percentage of adulteration known in the island during

Carmody’s experience of seventeen years. As
for a time, fewer samples of milk were taken for
analysis. ‘This has evidently led to a renewal of the practice
of adulteration, since, durmg 1907-8, 24:3 per of the
samples of milk taken were found to be watered. With the
object of checking the practice, Professor Carmody recom-
mends the rigorous application of the Board of Health’s
regulations as to the non-renewal of a milk-seller’s licence on
being convicted of watering his milk.

The educational work carried on at the Government
Laboratory consisted of courses of instruction in Agricultural
Science, and in Theoretical and Practical Chemistry.
Students from the Royal and St. Mary’s. Colleges, as well as
Elementary School teachers attended for instruction, the total
number being 119. Water culture experiments, as well as
ea nts in the growth of plants in pots and on plots of
land were carried out for ame of practical demonstration
in connexion with the lectures given in Agricultural Science.

Pupils were prepared for the Cambridge University
exiumination in Agricultural Science, and of the thirty-three
students entered from Trinidad, fourteen passed the examina-
tion.

10st
samples were

Professor

a result,

cent.

Professor Carmody expresses his appreciation of the
excellence of the Cambridge syllabus in this subject, but at
the same time he states his conviction that the course is too
comprehensive to enable students with the limited amount of
time available to those at the Government Laboratory,
‘Trinidad, to prepare for the examination in one year, and he
suggests that the time of preparation allowed should be
Increased,

TAPPING RUBBER TREES IN CEYLON.

The methods of tapping Para that are
being practised on various estates in Ceylon, are discussed im
the course of an article which appeared in the Judian- Rubber
Journal of May 18.

The half-herring-bone system of tapping appeared to be
the most popular one. Results published some time age
showed that although that system gave the minimum yield
in a short period a time, yet it was one which ultimately
gave a large yield per tree without entailing undue waste of
bark.

In the case of most estates the earliest period at which
operations were started was when the trees had
20 inches at a yard from the ground.

trees

rubber

tapping )
a elreumference of

286

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

5, 1908.

SEPTEMBER

RUBBER FROM TRINIDAD.

Various samples of rubber, etc, have been
forwarded to London from Triaidad for display at the
International Rubber Exhibition that is to be held at the
Olympia, from September 14 to 26. A pamphlet pre-
pared by Mr. Edgar Tripp, Hon. Secretary of the Trini-
dad Permanent Exhibition Committee, for distribution
at the show, contains the following introductory notes
with reference to rubber production in the colony :—

The rubber industry of Trinidad and Tobago is practi-
cally in its infancy, but promises vigorous and healthy growth,
Ten years ago rubber, as an economic plant, was unknown
in the colony. ‘To-day it is bemg grown, either as the sole
crop, or as an auxiliary to other cultivations, on some fifty plan-
tations, and bids fair to form in the future no inconsiderable
item in the exports of the island.

Samples sent for analysis to the Imperial Institute,
London, have been favourably reported on, and there seems
no reason to donbt that the soil and climate of Trinidad are
admirably adapted for rubber production.

Initial shipments, amounting altogether to about 1,000 1b.,
the first product of the earlier planted estates, were made
during the year ended Mareh 31, 1907. During the year
ended March 31,1908, the quantity exported rose to 4,444 tb.,
and in view of the area now rapidly arriving at the stage
of production, there should be a considerable increase in the
near future.

RUBBER PRODUCTION IN CEYLON.
The Ceylon Government has prepared, for the use
of the Emigrants’ Information Office, an account of the

position and prospects of the rubber industry in the
colony
As is well known, the cultivation of rubber-yielding

plants has attracted a good deal of attention in Ceylon of
late years, and it is now estimated that there are from
125,000 to 150,000 acres under rubber, Para being by far
the chief variety grown, while Castilloa, Ceara, and Landol-
phia are also being planted. Little attention was paid to
rubber in Ceylon until about seven or eight years ago. In
1901 no more than 2,500 acres were planted ; by the year
1904, the rubber area had extended to 11,000 acres; ¢ early in
1905 it had reached 25,000 acres, and as stated above,
125,000 acres had been planted by the middle of 1907,
There has been a similarly rapid development in the rubber
planting industry in the Federated Malay States, while very
large extensions of the rubber area have lately been made in
India, Burma, Java, and Borneo.

The official report states that the
safely commence tapping his rubber trees when they are six
years old. Only a small return is obtained, at first, of course.
The yield increases annually, however, and each tree may be
expected to give from 1 to 2 Ib. of prepared rubber per
annum. About 150 trees may be allowed to grow per acre,
so that according to the monetary return
of from £22 10s. to annum may be
expected. ,

The cost of Crown land in’ Ceylon ranges from £1 5s.
to as much as £4 per acre, and land which is readily access
ible, and suitable for rubber planting, is becoming searce. An
expenditure of from £20 to £30 is required in order to clear,
plant, and bring an acre of rubber to the producing stage
in six or seven years. Inthe official report, the
rubber production is estimated at about Ls, per tb.

Ceylon planter can

above estimate, a

£45 per acre per

cost of

This is

rather a low figure in the case of young trees, but on large
plantations, and as the trees mature, experienced men have
estimated that rubber can not only be prepared, but aiso
delivered in London, at less than 1s. per Ib. It will be seen,
therefore, that thongh the price of rubber may drop to 3s.,
or even 2s. 6d. pero tb., there should still remain a hand-
some margin of profit.

The rubber exports from Ceylon are naturally showing
a continuous increase. While no more than 2,792 Ib. were
shipped in 1898, the quantity rose to 77,212 tb. in 1904, to
168,547 Ib. in 1905,° 327,000 tb. in 1906, and to over
650,000 Ib. (or 300 tons) in 1907. Seeing that the world’s
production of rubber amounts to 65,000 tons per annum, it
will be seen that neither Ceylon’s contribution, nor that of
the Mederated Malay States, which is equal to about 600
tons of plantation rubber per annum, goes far to increase
the danger of over-production.

CAMPHOR CULTIVATION IN CEYLON.

Camphor cultivation has been receiving attention
in Ceylon for some years past, and in an article which
appeared in the Trepical Ayriculturist for April last
the progress that has been made is discussed.

Experiments made at the Hakgala Botanic Gardens
demonstrated that the camphor trade would probably flourish
under the climatic conditions prevailing in Ceylon. Several
planters became intersted, and since then a large number of
plants have been regularly raised from imported seeds and
from cuttings. and distributed to planters in different parts of
the island.

At the present time a good number of estates are found
with well established areas planted with camphor. These
are chiefly situated pt elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 feet.
Camphor is found to pe suited to ravines, or hillsides exposed
to the wind, where searcely anything else will succeed. It
does not flourish at an altitude less than 2,000 feet. Apart
from the monetary value of the product, the camphor tree
is well adapted for shading roadsides, and forming wind-
belts for tea and other small-growing crops. The tree is ever-
green, and is naturally dense and bushy, and furnished with
branches to the base. If unpruned it grows to a height of
40 feet or more. In the method of cultivation adopted,
however, the plants are cut back and kept at a height of
{ or 5 feet.

The article in the Tropical Agricul/turist is illustrated
by a photograph of a plantation five years old, the plants
ot which were raised from seed imported from Japan.
The seedlings have been planted ont at a distance of 8 feet
by 4 feet apart, in land at an elevation of about 4,500 feet.
The trees were allowed to grow till they reached an average

height of 16 feet, when they were cut back to a height of
{ feet. The prunings obtained yielded about 60 Ib. of

camphor to the acre. After an interval of five months the
were again clipped, and a yield of about 50 Ib. of
camphor per acre was obtained, — Experience has since shown
that the trees should not be allowed to run up to 16 feet, but
should be topped back when about three and a half years old.
The bushes may be clipped at least three or four times a year.

Clippings obtained from Hakgala Gardens about six
years ago yielded upon distillation at the rate of 0°75 to 1 per
cent. of camphor, and from 27 to 34 per cent. of camphor oil.
It has been estimated that, on an average, 14 Ib. of clippings
per annum can be obtamed from each bush, Assuming that
the trees are planted S feet by t feet apart, which would give
1,360 trees to the acre, this would work out at a return of
about 190 tb. of camphor per acre.

trees

Vout. VII. No. 166.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 287

THE ‘PULQUE MAGUEY’ OF MEXICO.

Under the title ‘The Century Plant and some
other Plants of the Dry Country, . Professor William
Trelease, of the Missouri Botanic Gardens contributed
a highly interesting paper to the Popular Science
Monthly of March 1907, dealing: with the various
Agaves found in Mexico and their characteristics and
uses. This paper includes a lengthy account of Agave
atrovirens, or the ‘pulaue maguey’ from which the
national alcoholic drink of Mexico is produced. The
details given below as to the methods followed in) the
manufacture of pulque, and the extent of the trade in
this product are extracted from Dr. Trelease’s article —

South of the City of Mexico, centreing about the little
town of Apam, the species of Agave is almost exclusively the
dark-green giant A. atrovirens, though,-as with extensively
cultivated plants elsewhere, it is grown in numerous horti-
cultnral varieties which look much alike to the botanist, but
are distinguished by the planter. Over thirty such forms
are said to be planted in the plains of Apam,

As one passes to the colder regions of the north or
descends from the tableland into the hot country, still other
and different looking species of the same type replace
A. atrovirens, which, however, far outnumbers and surpasses
them all in its aggregate importance. hese plantations of
A. atrovirens ave the basis of the pulque industry of
Mexico—at once a large item in its agricultural wealth and
one of the greatest curses of its labouring population.

The present traftic in pulque is la‘ge. Something over
5,000,000 barrels of it are used in the Mexican republic every
year, of which quantity about half is consumed in the
capital city, and much of the remainder in Puebla and the
other large cities of the central platein Cheap as it is
(for it sells for from one to 3c. of ‘Mexican money for
a large glass) its aggregate value amounts to several million
dollars per year. Special trains are rin into the city of
Mexico every morning for its delivery, ds is done with the
milk supply of American cities. In the’ Apam district, the
plantations are chiefly found on the large haciendas or estates.

The * pulque maguey ’ is a large plant, and its rosette of
thick leaves, though appearing to lie next the ground, is
really spaced along a stout trunk as large asa small barrel.
‘The whole, charged with sap, weighs several tons. Tf left to
tself, as it is in gardens on the Riviera where it is called
A. Salmiana, like the century plant Agave americana it
produces a gigantic scape, topped with a-candelabrum. of
flowers, when somewhere in the neighbourhood of fifteen
years old. This is never permitted on the large plantations,
for the plant possesses its maximum value when it has
reached vegetative maturity and the scape is about to develop.
At the critical moment, known from the appearance of the
central bud, this is cut out anda shallow cavity is made in
the crown of the trunk, which is covered by a stone, pieces
of maguey leaves, or other protection. | Into the cavity so
formed the sap exudes. It is removed two or three times
aday, the surface being scraped and’ the cavity slightly
enlarged each time, until at last nothing but a thin shell of
the trunk remains, the leaves meantimé having given up
their content of fluid and dried to their hard framework—as
happens naturally during the flowering period of all the
larger Agaves, when the reserve of sap is drawn into the
rapidly growing scape and flowers.

For a period of three months or more a good plant
yields a gallon or two of sap daily, and its total value may be
not far from $i0 on an ayerage, from which it will be seen

that a large maguey plantation represents a considerable
item in the assets of a landed proprietor of the plains of
Apam.

The fluid which collects in the hollowed trnnk of a eut
maguey plant, and is gathered in the manner described, is
called ‘agua miel’, or honey-water, becanse of its sweetness :
9 or 10 per cent. of its weight is sugar, and this furnishes
the basis for the alcoholic fermentation which is the chief
factor in its conversion into pulque. The ‘agua miel’ of the
Apam district is thin, clear, and colourless, and possesses
a rather pleasant taste.

The fermentation practices in pulque making are still
mostly primitive. I have had a Mexican gentleman tell me
that although when the agua miel was gathered and fermented
with due cleanliness he considered it a delicious drink, he
would not think of touching pulque as offered, for instance, at
the railway station in Apam. The vats used in the fermentation
are of ox-hide stretched on frames, and they are usually
3 or + feet wide, and nearly as deep. Fermentation is begnn
by the introduction of a starter or ‘mother of pulque,’ obtained
by preliminary fermentation, and is carried on either without,
or at most with little, artificial control of temperature, ard
under conditions of positive or negative cleanliness which
differ with the various haciendas.

When marketed, the pulque is a white, decidedly viscous
uid containing about 8 per cent. of alcohol ; fermentation
has not been solely alcoholic, however, and its flavour is in
part due to changes wrought by bacteria of several kinds
which are introduced with the starter in company with the
yeast. Continuation of the action of these collateral ferments
causes the beverage to spoil ina day or two under ordinary
conditions,

Where the maguey, though capable of cultivation, yields
a lesser or inferior product, agua miel is often more appreciat-
ed in its unfermented state. As hawked around the streets
of Monterey, for instance, in porous earthenware receptacles,
it is a cool, yellowish fluid, that is very refreshing on a hot
day, and the hmpid, yellowish, cidery, foamy product of. its
fermentation in the north is frequently more to the taste of
the foreigner than the white, viscous, odoriferous pulque of
the Apam distriet—which alone pleases the adept.

Considerable medicinal virtue has been claimed for
pulque, and some efforts have been made to specially prepare,
bottle, and pasteurize it for medicinal or even table use; but,
except in the region of its production, where it is the common
beverage, the bulk of it is used as an intoxicant, pure and
sunple. From it is also produced a rather small quantity of
distilled liquor—‘ mezeal de pulque.’

Mezcal is a term applied comprehensively to the liquor
obtained by distillation from the fermented juices of agaves.
Four or five million gallons of it a year are produced, and
its value may amount to some $2,000,000. The centre for
the manufacture of this beverage is to the west of Guadala-
java, and the town of Tequila, situated there, has given its
name to the higher grade of liquor, which is clear, smoky,
rather smooth, and with a characteristic essential flavour ; it
usually contains forty or fifty per cent. of alcohol, and like
pulque, possesses certain medicinal properties.

Mezcal is sold cheaply. It is to be found everywhere
and contributes largely to the demoralization of the native
labourers, who often drink it to excess.

To supply the distilleries at Tequila, a considerable
acreage is planted to mezcal agaves. Those chiefly used for
the purpose belong to a well-marked, narrow-leaved species
which a few years ago received the appropriate and_ distine-
tive name dA. Tequilana.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SEPTEMBER 5, 1908.

MARKET ‘REPORTS.

London,— August 18, 1908, ‘THe West Inpta Com-

MITTEE CircuLtar; Messrs. EK. A. De Pass & Co.,
July 24, 1908; Messrs. Iearton, Piper & Co.,
August 17, 1908.

ARkKOWROOT— (Quiet > no quotations.

Batata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/4; block, 1/73 to 1/8.

Bees’-wax—Good quality, £7 7s. 67. to £7 12s. Gd. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 59/- to 74,- per ewt.; Grenada, 51/- to
59/- per cwt.

CorrEE—Santus, 25s. /. per ewt.; Jamaica, no quotations.

Corra—West Indian, £16 to £16 10s. per ton.

Corron-—St. Vincent, 14d. to 15d.; Barbados, 14d. to 1dd.:
St. Kitt’s, 14d. to 15ed.; Montserrat, 14d. to 1377,
per lb.

Fruit—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4/6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limres— Very slow sale, 2.6 to 3/- per box,
Pine-apeLes—St. Michael, 1/5 to 5/- eaeh.
Grave Fruir—7/- to 9/- per box.
Orances—Jamaica, 8/6 to 9/- per box,
Fusric—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.
Gincer — Very slow of sale.

Honey—19)s. to 27s. per cwt.

Isincnass—West India lump, 1/9 to 2/4 per lb.; cake,
10d. per th.

Live Jurce—Raw, 1/2 to 1/4 per gallon; concentrated,
£14 7s. Gd. per cask of 108 gallons; Distilled oil,g2/4
to 2/5 per th. ; hand-pressed, 4/5 to 4/6 per ib.

Locwoon—£3 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£28 10s. per ton.

Mace— Quiet ; no quotations.

Nurmecs—()uiet.

Pimenro—()uiet.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/3 to 8/-; Demerara, 2/4 to 2/7 per

vallon; Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar —Crystals, 15/9 to 16/9 per cw. ; Muscovado,
15/10; Molasses, no quotations.

New York,—-\neust 7, 1908.—Messrs. Ginnesrre, Bros.

é& Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 12}c. to 148c.; Grenada, 3c. to 13he. ;
Trinidad, 13jc. to 13¢e.; Jamaica, 10$e. to 1c. per Ib.

Cocoa-Nuts—Jamaica, select, $22°00 to $24°00: culls, no
quotations + Trinidad, $21-°00 to $22-00; eulls, $13°50
to $1400 per M.

CorrekE— Jamaica, ordinary, T4¢.; good ordinary, 73e. to Ske.
per th. i

Giscer— Wife. to l4e. per th.

Goat Skins—Antivua and Barbados, dry fint, from 48e.

to 49%¢.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46¢. to
AT Cc. pel th , dry flint.
Geavk Frorve—California, no quotations
Limes—$35°25 to $400 per barvel. Market over-stocked,
Macr— 28e. to Sle. per Ih
Nurmecs—L10's, Ye. per th.

» California, ne quotations.
tro—de. to 4he. per th.

‘ 96°, 4°12c. Muscovados, 89°, 3:40c. ;
82c. per th., duty paid.

Barbados,

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Messrs. James A. Lyncu & Co., August 24,
1908 ; Messrs. T. 8. Garraway & Co., August 31,
1908.

ArRowroot—St. Vincent, $4°00 to $4°50 per 100 th.
Cacao—St. Vincent, $14°00 to $15-00 per 100 tb.
Cocoa-nvis—$16°00 per M. for husked nuts.
Corree—Jamaica, $8°50 to $1050 per 100 th

Hay—$1-°20 to $1°25 per 100 th.

Manures—-Nitrate of soda, $62°00 ; Ohlendorff’s dissolved -
guano, $55°00 ; Cotton inanure, $42°00 ; Cacao manure,
$42°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $75-00; Sulphate of
potash, $67-00 per ton.

Motassres—No quotations.

Onxtons—Strings, $2°25 to $2°27 per 100 th.

Poratos—Teneriffe, $2°60 to $3°50 per 160 th.

Peas—Split, $6°55 ; Canada, $3°30 per bag.

Rice—Demerara, 35°46 to $5°90 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3-8) :-
Rangoon, $300 per 100 ib.

Sucar—No quotations.

British Guiana,— Messrs. Wierinc & Ricurer, August 22,

1908; GrorcErowN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
FortniGHtLy Marker Rerorr, August 21, 1908.

ARRrownoot—St. Vincent, $950 to $1000 per 200 th.

Bavara—Venezuela block, S2e.; Demerara sheet, 48c.
pee tb.

Cacao —Native, Ie. to 18c. per th.

Cassava—b0e. to 6c.

Cassava Srarcu—$9°00 per barvel of 196 th.

Covoa-Nuts—$12-00 to $1600 per M.

Corree— Creole, 12e. to 13c.; Jamaica, 12. per ib.

Du at— $5°50 to $5°60 per bag of 168 th.

Epvos— 6c. to $1°08 per barrel.

Mo assks— Yellow, no quotations; Dark, no quotations.

Ox1oxs—Madeira, 3c. per tb.; Lisbon, no quotations :-
Dutch, 2ke. per th.

PuLanratys—12e. to 3c. per bunch.

Poratos, English—No quotations.

Poraros, Sweet—Barbados, $1°92 per ba.

Rick—Ballain, $6 25 ; Creole, $9°50 to 35°60 for good ;
Seeta, $6-00.

Setre Pras—$6°75 per bag (210 Ib.); Lisbon, $459.

Tanntas— $108 to $1°52 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $2°16 to $3-00 per bag.

Suear—Dark crystals, $2°30 to $2°55 ; Yellow, $3-50>
White, $3-70 to $4°G0 ; Molasses, 82°10 to $2-2
100 th. (retail).

Timerr—Greenheart, 32c. to ddc. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3°60 to $5°75 per M.

—— Conpwoop —$2°40 to $2°64 per ton.

) per-

Trinidad,— Angust 22, 1908.—Messrs. Goxnos, Geant

& Co,
Cacao —$13-00 to $1350 per fanewa.
Cocoa-NuTS—No quotations,
Cocoa-xer Orr—60e. per Tntverial wllon, cask included.
Corrrr—-Venezuelan, She. per ih.
Corra— $2°85 to $3-00 per 100 th.
DiaL—-$4'70 to $4°80 per 2-bushel-bag.
ONTONS—S$1L°50 to 1°60 per 100 th. (retail).
Poratos, English—$2°00 to $2°25 per 100 Ib.
Ricre—Yellow, $5°40 to $5°75; White, $475 to $985 per bag.
Seriv Pras—$5°85 to $6-00 per bag.
SuGak—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°10 per 100 tb,

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN. A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

Volume I. No. 1 out of print. Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price 1s. each. Post free, 1s. 2d

Volumes IT, IIT, 1V, V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists. Report of
Agricultural Conference, 1905, (Vols. V and VI). Price 6d. per number. Post free, Sd.

Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Papers on general subjects: Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the
Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; etc., etc. Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.

Volume VIII. Nos. 1, 2 and 3. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907; abstract of Proceedings and Reprint
ot Papers. No. 4. Agricultural Conference, 1908 ; Presidential Address and Abstract of Proceedings.
Price 6d. each number. Post free, 8d. ¢

Volume IX. Nos. 1 and 2. Reprint of Papers read at Agricultural Conference, 1908, with summaries of discussions
following. Price 6d. Post free, 8d.
PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially
adapted to West Indian conditions. They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work
on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulation. The following list gives particulars
of all the pamphlets which are still available. The missing numbers are out of print and can no longer be supplied :—

(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d. (85) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.

(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
(7) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part I.
(9) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1.
Price 2d.
(13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901.
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivation. Price 2d.
(17) General Treatment of Fungvid Pests. Price 4d.
(18) Recipes for cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d.
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.
(20) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1901-2.
Price 2d.

Price 4d.

Price 4d.

(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part II. Price 4d.
(25) Ground Nuts in the West Indies Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903, Price 4d.

(27) Seedling and otlrer Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.

(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1903-4. Price 4d.

(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.

(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

(39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5.
Price 4d.

(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1903-5. Price 6d.

(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

(42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1904-5. Price 4d.

(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
Stuff on West Indian Plantations. Price 2d.

(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1904-6. Price 6d.

(45) A. B. C. ef Cotton Planting.
Price 6d.

(46) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Yslands, 1905-6.
Price 4d.

New and Enlarged Edition.

(47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1905-6. Price 4d.

(49) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados
1905-7. Price 6d.

Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1906-7,
Price 4d.

Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1906-7. Price 4d.

Price 2d.
(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d.
(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.
(30) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1902-3. Price 4d.
(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d.
(32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904. Price 4d, (51

(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.
Price 4d. A. B. C. of Lime Cultivation. Price 4d.

(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d. Price 4.
The above will be supplied post free for an additional charge of 4d. for the pamphlets marked 2d., 1d. for those
marked 4d., and 14d. for Nos. 40, 41, 44, 45, and 49.

The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains extracts from official correspondence and from and
other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in
Agricultural matters throughoue the West Indies.

The ‘Agricultural News’ is printed in time to he distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the
local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post free, 2d. The subscription price, including postage, 1s
Qs. 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d. per annum. Owing to certain numbers being out of print, only Vols. TV and V can
be supplied complete, with title page and index as issued. Price 4s. Post free, 5s. Only a few copies available. Ad? applice-
tions for copies are to be addressed to the Agents, not to the Department.

(50)

(53)
(54) Fungus Diseases of Cacao,

pre ISTESS

Agents.

The following have been appointed Agents for ica of the publications of the Department :—

London: Messrs. Dutau & Co., 37, Soho Square, W. City Agents: Tae West Inpra ComMiTrEex, 15, Seething
Lane, London, FE. C.—Barbados: Messrs. BowEn & Sons, Bridgetown.—Jamaica: THE EpucaTionaL SupPPLy
‘Company, 16, King St., Kingston.—British Guiana: ‘Daily Chronicle’ Office, Georgetown.—T'rinidad : Messrs. Mutr-
Marsnaty & Co., Port-of-Spain.— Tobago: Mr, C. L. PLaGEMANN, Scarborough.—G'renada: Messrs. F. Marrast & Cc.,
‘The Stores,’ St. George.— St. Vincent: Mr. Srantey Topp, Agricultural School.—St. Lucia: Mr. E, Buck ree, Botanic Station.
—Dominica: Messrs. C. F. Duverney & Co., Market St., Roseau.—dntigua: Mr. S. D. Matone, St. John’s,—
St, Kit’s: Taw Piste anp Bock Suppry Acency, Basseterre.—Vevis; Mr. 8. D. Mauone, Charlestown,

Vou. VII. No. 166. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 5, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

= TASER

SEPTEMBER

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorif’s
Ohlendorff’s

Special Cocoa Manure
Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,
Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high- class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS Oh DIRECT TO :—

THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS.
London Agency: 15, Leadenhall London, H.C.
Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

Street,

JUST ISSUED. | THE

ae |
NATURE TEACHING: WEST INDIA COMMITTEE CIRCULAR |
(Second and Enlarged Edition.) i
A Text-book bas ed ip i the General Principles s of ¢ | (Published for tnightly).
Agriculture, specially prepared for general use in the THE OFFICIAL OR GaN i
Secondary Schools of the West Indies and as a guide for { |
Teachers in Elementary Schools in preparing and arrang- | OF
ing lessons on the Hlements of Agriculture.
Prepared by Dr. FRANCIS WATTS, CALG.) FAC. THE WEST INDIA & ‘AL OMMITTEE
Published by the Imperial Department of -| (Estab: cirga 1760. Incorporated by Royal Charter
pemCuES | Price 2s. Post free, 2s. 34d Aug: Fs Tue)
=SS== SSS i Edited by ALGERNON BE. ASPINALL.
WEST INDIAN BULLETIN Containing a Review of the ice ork of the West India Com-
mittee, Notes on West Indian Affairs, Statistics as to
Cacao, Sugar, Molasses and Rum, Coffee, Cotton, |!
(Vol. IX, No. 2). Nutmegs, Mace, Pimento, Ginger, Arrowroot, Lime
Juice, etc., etc

Containing papers read at the West Indian Agricultural Con- | the Mail St
ference, 1908, in relation to the Sugar and Cacao Industries, viz

Cane Farming at Trinidad, Root Disease of Sugar-cane, Polarimet.
ric Determination of Sucrose ; Results of recent exper! iments with
Cacao at Dominica, Grenada, St. Lueia, and British Guiana, Fungus
Diseases of Cacao, Thrips on Cacao, ete.

To be obtained of all Agents for the sale
of the Department's publications.
each number ; post free, 8:/.

Price 6:/.

eh

To others, Snbseription £1 1s. per annum,
Single Copies ls,

«

Published at—
THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE ROOMS,
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To Members Vree of charge.
)

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Printed at Office of Agricultural Reporter, 4, High Street, Bridgetown, Ba~baidos.

Mol Will Nos Oval SATURDAY, SEPTEMBSR 19, 1908. [One penny.

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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Paris Green! Paris Green!

Warranted and Guaranteed Strictly Pure, and to be of |

the Standard of Purity required by, and made in
conformity with, the requirements of

THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

}
|

The only sure and effective insecticide and destroyer of the cotton worm, caterpillars, and other pests.
Guaranteed to be absclutely pure by the inanufacturers. Used extensively throughout the British West Indies, and sold

by all high-class merchants and dealers. Consumers are cautioned against worthless substitutes, and should always see

that the packages bear the name of the manufacturers :—

MORRIS HERRMANN & CO,
NEW YORK Gs

Makers of

PARIS GREEN
ARSENATE OF LEAD

BURDEAUX MIXTURE,

WORKS ;
Newark, N.J., U.S.A.
[178]

DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS
JUST ISSUED.

SELECTED COTTON SKKED

Seed specially selected from Cotton grown at ‘Stirling
Plantation’ to he obtained from

== ; THE BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE COTTON FACTORY —
Le epic. LIMITED.
Or

LIME CULTIVATION.

Price 4d. Post free, 5d.

Price 12 cents per pound.

Book your orders early as the quantity |
is limited.

The following extract is taken from Messrs. Wolsten-
holne & Holland’s Report on the cotton

““We have formed a very high opinion of this lot, as it
is the most serviceable class of cotton we have seen produced
in the West Indies.”’

JOURNAL D'AGRICULTURE TROPICALE.

A Monthly Illustrated Review, published in French,
dealing with all matters connected with Tropical
Agriculture.

PARIS:

HINTS ROR =.
SCHOOL GARDENS.

(REVISED EDITION.)

M. Vilbouchevitch,
10, rue Delambre.

Price 4d. Post free, 5d.

The above pamphlets may be obtained
through any of the Agents for the sale of
| the publications of the Imperial Department
of Agriculture.

eat ihe soll

Subseription price; 20 franes per annum.

Agents : London, W. Dawson & Sons, Ltd., Bream’s
Buildings, E.C. ; Vew York, G. E. Stechert, 9, East 16th.
Street ; Zrinidad, D. A. Majani; Cuba, Solloso ; Hayti,
Louis Coicou, Port-au-Prince.

A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW

OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Wore Vili Now (672 BARBADOS,
CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAGE.
Annatto, Production and | Fruit Growing in Jamaica 292
Uses of ws see «ee 297, Ginger Production in
Barbados Industrial School, Jamaica . 296
Agricultural Work at 301) Gleanings... ... . BOO
Barbados Ploughing Match, Dominica Limes at
Interesting Animals at 298 Canadian Exhibitions — 297
British Guiana, Exports Lead Arsenate as an
from Bah ol ee TEE Insecticide . 289
Sritish Guiana Rice Crop... Live Stock Insurance 2
Cacao in Samoa... .. 299 Mango Growing in Cuba 292
Camphor Production, Market Reports . B04
Increasing... ... ... 301) Notes and Comments . 296
Citronella OU... 22... 302) Palin Treesand Their Uses 298

Personal Note... .. . 293
293 Plantation Rubber,
Preparation of...
Rubber from Trinidad ...
Sugar Industry :
Sugar-cane, Enzymes of
tlie% ages vince el
Sugar Production in Java 291
Water Problem in Agri-

Cofttee Preparation and
Shipment
Cotton Notes :
Cotton in the Sea Islands 294
Cotton Notes from
St. Kitt’s 2 . 294
Lancashire Cotton Con-
ference and Lnperial
Department of Agri-

: 298
297

culture wis: .. 294 culture, The . . 295
West Indian Cotton . 294 West Indian Products ... 303

Cotton-seed Meal Fed to Young Cotton and Old
. 296 \ . 297

Hogs

Cotton

Lead Arsenate as an Insecticide.

ee . °
‘4 URING the present cotton-growing season

lead arsenate will be tried on several

2 estates in Barbados as an insecticide in
combating the cotton worm. For the past five years
Paris green has been the standard material for this
purpose, and all other insecticides have been compared
with it, in judging their value. It has been almost

universally applied in a dry condition, mixed with air-

SEPTEMBER 19, 1908. Price ld.

slaked lime in the proportion of 1 th. to 6 tb. of lime,
although many other proportions have been tried.

Paris green has been used with good results in the
fight against the cotton worm, but there are certain
disadvantages connected with the use of this material.
It is in the hope of getting an equally effective insecti-
cide, and at the same time of doing away with some of
the disadvantages attendant on the employment of
Paris green, that lead arsenate is being tried this year.
The hope that this insecticide will prove satisfactory for
the purpose is strengthened by the results of rather
Barbados

extensive trials carried out on one estate at

last season.

The advantages attending the use of Paris green
are that itis quick in its action, easy of application,
and cheap in cost. It may be applied ina dry form
to the cotton plant by means of very simple apparatus.
The disadvantages connected with the use of this
material are, that when applied as a dust, it is easily
that
burns. or

when large

the
leaves of the cotton plant, and that it sometimes hasan

washed off by showers of rain;

amounts are used, it often scorches
irritating effect on the skin of the labourers, which
frequently makes them unwilling to do the work of
dusting. This is a serious matter when the attacks of
the cotton worm are so severe that it is necessary to
apply Paris green immediately. Much may be done
to obviate this last difficulty by care on the part of the
overseers to ensure that the labourers keep a distance
of several raws.from each. other in the field, and on the
part of the labourers themselves to keep as much as

possible to windward of the poison they are applying.

Lead arsenate was first used as an insecticide by
the Gypsy Moth Committee in Massachusetts. It had

290

been found that when Paris green’ was used as a spray
at ordinary strength (1 tb. to 100 gallons of water), the
gypsy moth caterpillars were not killed, and when the
strength of the mixture was increased, the foliage of
the trees was injured.
replaced Paris green in this work as soon as it was
found that when the arsenate was used at ordinary
strength the cat: pillars were killed, and that whatever
the strength at » .ich it was applied, it did not injure
the fohage on which it was sprayed.

Lead’ arsenate completely

There are several advantages to be expected from
the use of lead arsenate in combating the cotton
worm. The fact that, as already stated, this substance
does not injure the foliage of plants is of considerable
Lead arsenate also has a very great
power of adhesion to the leaves of plants, and this is
one of the greatest inducements to its use. It will be
found that after the lapse of two or three hours of sun-
shine from the time of application, only a very little
of the arsenate would be washed from the leaves by
a really heavy shower.

importance.

On the other hand, there are certain features that
are likely to seem disadvantageous when considered
from the point of view of the planter. In the first
place, lead arsenate, up to the present time, has been
sold only in the form of a heavy paste, and can be
applied only asa spray. This necessitates the purchase
of machines, in place of the bags and tin dusters, which
have been used for the application of dry Paris green.
Secondly, lead arsenate is much slower in action than
Paris green. his is likely to be a disadvantage which
will be severely felt unless a very sharp look-out is
kept for the first appearance of the cotton worm. In
past seasons it has happened frequently that the
cotton worm has not been noticed until many of the
caterpillars were full-grown.
cotton grower well knows, it is very difficult to prevent

In such a case, as every

damage to plants even by the most prompt application
of Paris green.

Tt will probably be found best to spray at regular
intervals to ensure that a sufficient amount of poison is
always on the plant, and especially to ensure that the
young leaves are protected as they develope.

The form of sprayer most in favour with the cotton
planters of Barbados is the ‘Auto-Spray, which is a com-
pressed air sprayer. That is, the air is pumped into
the tank until sufficient pressure is obtained, and the
spray mixture is forced through the nozzle until the air
pressure is entirely reduced. By careful trial, the
amount of spray material in the cylinder and the amount

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. SepreMBer 19, 1908.

of pressure may be so adjusted, that one pumping will
serve to force out all the spray mixture.

In this connexion, another disadvantage in the use
of lead arsenate is likely to be noticed. This material is
very heavy, and a considerable amount of agitation is
necessary to prevent the poison from settling to the
bottom of the sprayer and thus producing an unequal
distribution. Whether it will be possible to get the
labourers to agitate the mixture sufticiently by shaking
the sprayer as they walk, so that the poison may be
equally distributed throughout the entire operation
of spraying, remains to be seen. The fact, however,
that good results in the use of lead arsenate have
already been obtained at Barbados, would seem to indi-
cate that this is not an insurmountable obstacle.

One of the points of comparison between dusting
andspraying has reference to the weights of the materials
used. In dusting with Paris green and lime at the rate of
one to six, it will be seen that in applying each pound of
the poison, a total of 7 th. of material has to be handled by
the labourers, while in spraying at the rate of 1 th. of
lead arsenate to 100 gallons of water, the material used
will have a total weight of nearly 1,000 tb. These
figures may be taken to represent the amounts used
per acre per application.

In addition to this, the value and weight of the
respective apparatus used in the application of the
spray and of the dust are to be taken into considera-
tion. The cloth bag used in the application of Paris
green costs only a few cents and has very little weight,
while each sprayer weighs several pounds, and repre-
sents an initial cost of several dollars.

Paris green usually costs slightly more per pound
than lead arsenate, but since it is customary to use
a little more of the than of Paris
green, the difference in the first cost of the
materials is very small.

latter substance
two
If, however, the lead arsenate
proves, as is expected, to be much more adhesive than
Paris green, the saving of several applications, and the
more continuous protection to the plants, due to the
lasting properties of the lead arsenate, may make this
a much cheaper insecticide in the long run.

It may be added that during the present season
one firm of manufacturing chemists in the United States
has succeeded in producing a good grade ot lead arsen-
ate in a dry powdered form. This has been tried by
the Crop Pest Commission of the State of Louisiana in
certain of their experiments and the results are very
promising. A small quantity of this material will be
imported by the Imperial Department of Agriculture
for trial.

Vout. VII. No. 167.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

291

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Sugar Production in Java.

A statistical article dealing with sugar production
in’ Java was lately contributed to the Louisiana Plan-
ter by Dr. H.C. Prinsen Geerligs, Director of the
Agr icultural Experiment Stations in the island.

In 1898 the sugar-cane area of Java was 198,500" acres.
To-day it is 285,28 9 acres. The number of sugar estates,
however, which was 188 ten years ago, has fallen to 177 at the
present time. This is owing to the prevalent tendeiney for
the amalgamation of small estates, and to the development
of the central factory system. The sugar industry is very
profitable in the island, and many estate owners are anxious
to purchase more land, but this’ cannot be done without
permission from the Government, who will not permit exten-
sion of the sugar-cane area unless it can without
prejudice to the requirements of the native rice-growing
population. On the other hand, many estates on which
indigo was formerly cultivated have latterly become sugar
plantations.

The output of sugar has rapidly advanced with the
extension in the cane acreage. The total yield of sugar ten
years ago was 725,030 tons, while the 1907 crop reached
1,210,197 tons. During the same period the average yield of
sugar-cane per acre advanced from 34°6 tons to 38°75 tons.
Yields of sugar ranging from 49 tons to 5°7 tons per acre
have been obtained on the best astates in the island each
year since 1898

be done

Enzymes of the Sugar-cane.

Enzymes are chemical compounds usnally known as
unor marized or soluble ferments, in contradistinction to
the yeasts, bacteria, etc., which are referred to as organi-
zed fterments. ‘These enzymes occur naturally in
various parts of the tissue of plants, being secreted by
the protoplasm, and they are associated with various vital
processes of the plant, especially those of nutrition, They
have the power, when in contact with certain substances,
of causing these substances te decompose into simpler
compounds, Diastase is one of the best known among
the enzymes. It occurs in leaves, bucls, and in seeds,
and possesses the power of converting insoluble starch
into maltose, which is a soluble sugar, Reserve food
material is frequently stored up by plants in seeds
and tubers in the form of starch, as in maize and potatos,
and the function of the diastase present in the seed or
tuber is to convert the starch into a soluble form, so that
in this state it 1s available for the needs of the embryo
plant produced from the seed or tuber,

The following notes on enzymes present in the
sugar-cane are taken from Bulletin 9/ of the Louisiana
Agricultural Experiment Station, “The Chemistry of
the Sugar-cane and its products in Louisiana’ :—

Enzymes, or soluble ferments, although present in
exceedingly small amounts in the sugar-cane, play a very
important role in the physiological processes of the plant, and
require more than a passing mention. If the green tops of
a sugar-cane be well macerated, the juice expressed and
treated with an antiseptic agent, such as chloroform or thymol,

‘jn order to prevent fermentation by yeasts or bacteria, it will
be found that the sucrose content of the juice undergoes

a gradual diminution, though no traces of micro-organic life
are evident, and that simultaneously with this decrease in suc-
rose, the content of reducing sugars, i.e., of glucose and fructose
increases. This is a well-inarked instance of the activity of the
enzyme or soluble ferment ¢nvertase, which is present in the leaf
of the cane. This enzyme occurs almost universally through-
out the vegetable kingdom, especially in the green or growing
parts of the plants. Invertase has a very practical industrial

bearing outside of its physiological importance. The
gradual falling off in sucrose Gontent of a sugar-cane which

has been cut and kept for any- length of time is due very
largely to the spontaneous inversion (or conversion into glucose
and fructose) of the sucrose, caused by this ferment. If the
green tops of the cane are removed at the time of cutting, the
loss of sucrose is much less evident. This can easily be seen by
reference to the experiments carried on at Audubon Park in
1895, in which several lots of cane were cut and laid up,
and one-half of each lot had the tops removed, while the tops
were left in the case of the other half. Otherwise, all the
conditions were the same, and at the end of the month the
tops of the second half of the canes in each lot were removed.
In the first lot, the canes, the green tops of which nad been
removed a month before analy sis of the juice took place,
showed a sucrose content of 13°3 per cent., and a glucose
content of 1°25 per cent. The second half of the canes of
this lot, which had been cut and kept for a month with the
cane tops remaining on, contained at the end of the month
but 12-1 per cent. of sucrose (a decrease of 1°2 per cent.),
while the percentage of glucose reached 1°85 per cent.

In a second test the percentage of sucrose preseat at the
end of the month, in canes laid up with the tops remaining on,
was 11°S, as compared with 13:7 per cent. in the other half
of the lot, where the growing tops had been removed at the
beginning of the month, W hile the sucrose content had
decreased from 13:7 to 11:8 per cent. where the cane tops had
been left on, the percentage of glucose increased considerably, as
is evident from the fact that while only 1-0 per cent. of glucose
Was present in the canes the tops of which had been removed,
the percentage of glucose was 1:85 where the tops remained
on. It will be seen therefore, that the inverting enzyme occurs
in chief part in the growing tops of the cane. Inversion of
the sucrose results im an increase in the glucose content,
though this inerease is not proportional to the loss of suerose
content. This discrepancy is probably due to the destruction
of the glucose as the result of respiration in the leaf. The
experiments show conclusively that the vital processes of the
cane even after it has been cut. It must not be
forgotten that there is also a slow inversion of sucrose in
canes that are cnt and laid up with the green tops removed.

A marked peculiarity of sugar-cane juice, as of all
vegetable juices, is the rapid darkening in colour which takes

LOO
go on,

place after expression, This darkening is much more
evident within the body of the cane, especially in the region

of the eyes and growing parts, and when its tissues are laid
the air. We have here an evidence of another
enzyme. This belongs to the class of oxydases, or ferments whose
activity results in oxidation of the substances with which
they are brought into contact. The intense blue colouration
which the tissues and juices of plants take on when treated
with tincture of guaiacum (a resin from the Lignum-vitae
tree) is ascribed to an oxydase or oxidizing ferment. The
decomposing action which plant extracts exercise upon hydro-
gen peroxide has been similarly explained. Juice from
sterilized canes show none of these reactions, on account
of the destruction of the enzyme by the high temperature to
which it has been submitted.

open to

9YO9

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1908.

WEST INDIANSERUID.

IN CUBA.

The mango grows in a wild state throughout the
island of Cuba, and since this fruit is one that com-
mands a high price on the American market, some
attention has of late been given to its commercial
cultivation with the object of developing

MANGO GROWING

a g an export
trade in the future.

The soil and climatie conditions required by the
mango, the methods of propagation, planting, and tend-
ing the tree, picking and packing the’ fruit, ete., are
discussed in an article which appeared in the July
number of the Cuba Review, and a summary of the
chief points dealt with may be of interest.

The mango does not appear particular as to the soil on
which it grows. Vigorous trees are sometimes seen growing
‘on very poor land, but the return obtained is of course much
by the application of fertilizers in’ such a
Good drainage of the soil is important, for the mango tree
will thrive in the Dry
weather is required during the blossoming and fruit-setting
period, but after the fruit is set and during the ripening
period, abundance of moisture is essential. The climatic and
conditions of Cuba, it is stated, are well adapted to
successful mango cultivation.

The method of inarching or grafting by approach is the
most suitable method of propagation of the mango. For this
purpose seedlings are raised from seeds planted in pots. Well

increased

Case,

not presence of stagnant water.

soil

grown plants of about two years old are ready for inarching.
The process of union will take from eight to ten weeks
to complete and during this period the seedlings require
frequent watering and constant attention. Many seedlings
may, of course, be grafted at one time from one parent tree.
When the union is complete, the branch of the parent tree is
the grafted
plant is then removed and placed for three or four weeks
in a shady place, sheltered from wind. At the end of this
time it is ready for transplanting in the field.

In a mango orchard, a distance of at least 30 feet each
way should be allowed from tree to tree : 30 feet by 40 feet
or even 40 by 40 feet is not too close. i
setting out the young grafted plants, holes must be dug
which should be fairly deep and broad. ‘These should then
be filled in around with good. surface soil, and the plant
finally set in at the same depth as before transplanting, the
earth being tightly pressed around,

At present, of course, mangos are not shipped on any
large scale, but the fact that the fruit may be exported to

completely severed, and pot containing the

For the purpose of

Europe in good condition has been proved by a few ship-
ments made from Jamaica to England, and from Martinique
to Paris. For successful shipment to distant countries, how-
ever, great care is needed for gathering and packing, since
the slightest bruise or injury soon shows itself on the fruits.

The mangos should be picked when fully grown but
before the softening, which is characteristic of the ripening
Stage, sets in. Care should be taken to pick the fruit in the
dry condition, and only just before it is to be placed on board
the steamer, Each frait should be wrapped in. soft, fresh,
clean wrapping paper such as is used for oranges.

The crates in which the fruits are packed should be
shallow and not too large. They should be substantially
made of thin wood, and undue pressure in packing should be
avoided. Some fine grass may with advantage be placed in
the bottom of the crate in which the fruits are despatched.

At the close of the article in question, reference is made
to one or two of the best varieties of mangos grown in Cuba,
to which it is thought that attention might most profitably
be given, and which are therefore recommended for grafting
These include the Apple mango, the Philippine
mango, a variety known as the ‘ Mulgoba ’ imported from
the United States, the ‘Alphonse’ or ‘ Alfoos,’? and No XI.

purpe SES.

FRUIT GROWING IN JAMAICA.

Some interesting details in regard to what is evidently
a prosperous fruit-growing concern in Jamaica were lately
published in the Jamatea Times. The property referred to
is the Hartlands plantation, consisting of some 2,300 aeres of
rich, level, clayey land, which is under irrigation. Pines
and bananas were grown for a time on part of the planta-
tion, but neither of «these crops gave satisfactory returns,
Ordinary pen work out
on a considerable scale on the estate and large numbers
of cattle are reared. Citrus fruit cultivation
some six or years however, and
to be a very profitable undertaking. About 120 acres have
been planted with oranges, and 75 acres with grape fruit. The
fruit trees are planted 22 yards apart and there are now over
15,000 trees on. the property. Trenches have been dug across
the beds by means of which the orange trees are irrigated
when water is required. The fruit gathering~season begins

and were abandoned. is carried
Was started

seven promises

ago,

in September, and there is always a ready market for the
grape fruit. During the year 1907-8, there were exported
from the plantation 4,000 12,000
boxes of grape fruit.

boxes of oranges, and

Vou. VII. No. 167.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS, 293

INTERESTING ANIMALS AT THE
BARBADOS PLOUGHING MATCH.

The accompanying illustrations represent two inter-
esting animals which were on view at the Ploughing
Match and Show of Stock held at Poole plantation on
June 24 last (see Agricultural News of July 11,
page 217).

The Zebu bull (Fig. 14) isethe property of Dr. C. E.

Fie. 14. Prize Zesu Butt at BARBADOS.

Gooding, Stirling plantation, and was awarded a first prize at
the above show. ‘This animal is about-+five years old, and
was purchased from Trinidad, being bred from parents reared
at the Government Stock Farm of that island. He is stated
to be quiet, and to work steadily in plough or cart.

The Water Buffalo (ig. 15), which was an object of

3UFFALO AT

JARBADOS.

Fic. 15. WATER
considerable interest at the Ploughing Match, was exhibited
from Society estate. This animal is about five years old, and
Was purchased from Surinam three years ago.

The water buffalo is valuable on account of its great
hardiness and strength, and the hardness of its hoofs as
compared with the ordinary estate cattle is an additional
point in its favour. Two water buffalos are equal to four
ordinary oxen for working purposes. These animals are not
particular as to diet, and will readily consume any food
given them. On this account they are easily kept in good
condition.

There are but four water butfalos in Barbados, all of these
having been brought from Surinam at the same time.

Acknowledgements are due to Mrs. T. H. Bindley,of
Codrington College, who kindly supplied the photo-
graphs of the two animals, from which blocks for the
above pictures were prepared.

COFFEE PREPARATION AND SHIPMENT.

Messrs. Major & Field, a well-known firm of
London brokers, have lately issued a leaflet containing
directions to coffee growers as to the methods which
should be followed in the preparation of their produce
for shipment, if this is to command the best price on
the market.

Growers are recommended to prepare their coffee by
what is known as the West Indian method, and to ship it in
‘parchment’ form. Uniformity of appearance and colour
are highly prized by buyers, and to ensure these character-
isties only berries of uniform ripeness should be gathered at
one time. Pulping should follow immediately after gather-
ing, and the coffee is then fermented and washed. During
the washing process the beans should be stirred, and all
light and imperfect beans, as well as leaves, sticks, ete.,
which rise to the surface, should be removed.

After washing, the beans must be carefully and
thoroughly dried, and the manner in which this operation is
carried out largely determines the market value of the prod-
uct. The coffee is now in the ‘ parchment form,’ and when
drying is completed, should be shipped without loss of time.

It is claimed that growers derive many advantages by
forwarding their produce as ‘parchment’ coftee, to be husked in
London. The parchment covering acts as a protection to the
bean in transit and preserves its colour. Further, planters
are enabled to market their produce earlier than if they
waited to husk it themselves, which means selling before the
market is glutted,

Brokers recommend that coffee for transport to England
should be packed in stout Hessian bags, about 36 inches
long by 30 inches wide. These bags will contain about 104 tb.
of parchment coffee.

PERSONAL NOTE.

Mr. C. W. Jemmett, late of the Wye Agricultural
College, Kent, who has been appointed Govern-
ment Entomologist for Southern Nigeria, arrived at
Barbados from England on September 14, and will be
temporarily attached to the scientific staff of the
Imperial Department of Agriculture. Mr. Jemmett
will probably remain in the West Indies for several
months, and during this time will be engaged in
making himself acquainted, as far as possible, with the
circumstances and conditions of tropical agriculture
and entomology before proceeding to take up his duties
in Nigeria.

294

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. SrppremMBer 19, 1908.

WEST INDIAN COTTON ON

LIVERPOOL MARKET.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool

write as follows under date of August 31 last, in refer-

ence to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton on
the Liverpool market :—

THE

Since our last report a moderate amount of business has
been done in West Indian Sea:Island descriptions, but confined
almost entirely to extra fine cotton and stains.

The sales include Barbados at 14$d., St. Vincent at 17d.
to 22d., the latter figure representing a few bales of very
special quality, and stains at 3d..to 8d.

The fine shipping trade continues very dull, and spinners
are quite indifferent about buying.

COTTON NOTES FROM ST. KITTS.

Mr. F. R. Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent
of St. Kitt’s-Nevis, has forwarded the following notes
in regard to the present season’s cotton crop in the
presidency :—

The cotton prospects for the coming season at St. Witt’s
are at present very hopeful. It is estimated that the area
planted is much the same as last year, viz., about 2,000 acres.
In practically all cases selected local seed was planted. The
young crop in all parts of the island looks healthy, and shows
a vigorous growth. So far, no signs of disease have been
observed and the cotton worm has made an appearance in
only a few places. On one estate, where the crop was
planted early, some cotton has already been picked. This
however, is an exceptional case, and at the date of writing
(September 4), speaking generally, the crop is at the stage
of boll formation.

Attention may be drawn to the important influence of
cultivation on the growth and development of the cotton
plants. About three weeks ago the Agricultural Superin
tendent noticed a small field of cotton where the plants were
affected with aphis and looked as if they wanted manure.
The land was free from weeds, but the soil was in a hard
«condition at the surface. It was at first suggested that the
plants should be sprayed with kerosene emulsion in order to
destroy the aphis, and that a quick-acting manure such as
nitrate of soda should afterwards be applied.

It was decided, however, to try the effect of cultivation
on the plants. ‘To this purpose a good stirring of the soil
was begun ; the land was kept loose with a hoe, a constant
mulch of loose soil being provided in this way, and the result
has been that at the end of three weeks the plants have
regained a normal healthy condition, and quite lost their, sickly
appearance,

COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS.

Writing nearly a month ago (August 22), Messrs.
Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, reported that
the condition of the American Sea Island cotton
market was still dull and unchanged. Sales were slow
and factors were holding cotton of ‘fully fine’ quality
at 30c. per th., and planters’ crop lots at from 32c. to
40c¢. per Ib.

As regards the coming crop, reports from the Sea Islands
are now less promising than they were a short time ago.
This is on account of the fact that the plants have taken on
a second growth, which imperils the top bolls. The impres-
sion now is that the crop will not equal that of last year.

In Florida the cotton crop is reported to be generally
backward. From Georgia reports are favourable except in
counties around Savannah. The reduction in the
cotton area in this latter State is estimated at from 15 to
20 per cent.

Messrs. W. W. Gordon & Co., of Savannah, have sent
out enquiries to about 150 correspondents in the Sea Island
cotton belt, with regard to the present condition of the cTOp.
The greater number of the replies received up to August 20 last
stated that the weather experienced during the previous
month had been unfavourable, and that the condition of the
cotton crop might best be described as fair. The bolls were
opening somewhat earlier than last season, and the promise
of crop It was evident, however,
that the return would be somewhat lessened by the shedding
of bolls,

some

was about the average.

THE LANCASHIRE COTTON CONFER-

ENCE AND THE IMPERIAL
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

As already mentioned in the Agricultural News,
a resolution was passed at the late Cotton Conference
held in Lancashire, urging His Majesty's Government
to establish the Imperial Department of Agriculture
for the West Indies upon a permanent basis, and
expressing the opinion that with a continuance of the
support so far atforded by Imperial funds, the opera-
tions of the Department might with advantage be
extended so as to provide facilities for education and
research work in connexion with tropical agriculture.

The following is the full text ofthe resolution :—

This Conference is of opinion that the rapid and satisfae-
tory progress of the West Indian cotton-growing industry is
largely due to the valyable assistance rendered by the Imperial
Department of Agriculture, under the direction of Sir Daniel

Vor. VIE No. 167. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 29

On

Morris, K.C.M.G., and therefore strongly urges on His
Majesty’s Government the increasing, and indeed vital,
importance of taking immediate steps to establish this
Department on a permanent basis, both in the interests of
the cotton industry, and for the fostering and safe-guarding
of tropical agriculture generally, not only in the West Indies,
but throughout the whole of the Empire. This Conference is
further of opinion that the operations of the Department
may with advantage be extended in the general scope and
value of its, work, and more particularly in the opportunities
it can furnish for edueation in tropical agriculture, and
would strongly urge that the existing grants from Imperial
funds should not in any way be reduced.

This Conference would further venture to impress on His
Majesty’s Government that the future prosperity of the
whole Empire is largely dependent on the development of
cotton and other raw materials and agricultural products,
and that it is essential that there should be a permanent
central department for the purpose of investigation, expert
ment, instruction, and education, and for the co-ordination,
collection, and dissemination of information, which work
must be consistently and continuously carried on ; and that
to ensure unity of purpose in the conduct of such a Depart-
ment the foundation of it must be on an Imperial basis. It
is further resolved that copies of this resolution be sent
to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for the Colonies,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the President of the Board
of Trade, the President of the Board of Agriculture, and
also to the principal Chambers of Commerce and other
associations.

In a letter accompanying copies of the resolution
sent out, Mr. J. Arthur Hutton, Chairman of the
British Cotton-growing Association, draws attention to
the facts that British tropical colonies are dependent
on the development of agriculture, and that it is
principally by such development that their prosperity
and purchasing power can be increased. This prosper-
ity would not be limited to the colonies concerned, but
would result also in considerable benefit to manufac-
turers and wage earners in Great Britain as well.

THE WATER PROBLEM IN
AGRICULTURE.

Under the above heading there appeared in Nature
of August 6 last, an interesting review of several
papers that have lately been published in various
journals dealing with the question of the conservation
of the water supply on agricultural lands. This
is a question which is worthy of attention in all
countries, and is one of pressing importance in districts
where the rainfall is frequently deficient during the
growing season of the chief crops cultivated. The follow-
ing extracts are given from the article in question :—

The increasing use of artificial manures and of improved
tillage implements has rendered possible an increase in the
amount of produce obtained from a given area of land, and
attention has during the past few years been directed to
another factor, viz., the water supply, which at present limits
crop production in a number of cases. The amount of water
actually transpired through the crop depends on too many
circumstances to be stated with precision, but it may be
roughly estimated at 300 tb. or more forevery pound of dry
matter produced, so that if 2 tons of dry matter are produced

per acre, at least 600 tons of water, equal to 6 inches of rain,
will be used in transpiration, quite apart from what is lost
by evaporation, percolation, ete. A crop of this size is by no
means excessive ; indeed, in some types of intense cultivation
three times as much produce would be aimed at.

In order that a large proportion of the rain-water should
remain near the surface of the soil within reach of the plant
roots, it is obviously necessary to reduce loss by per-
colation and evaporation. | The practical man in dry districts
has succeeded in evolving methods which go some way to doing
this. The methods and implements used by the Madras cultiva-
tors are described by Mr. H. C. Sampson in the Agricultural
Journal of India. In some districts, recourse is had to deep
ploughing with a heavy plough, followed by a lighter plough,
and then when the crop is up the land is hoed. In other
districts the plough is the only tillage implement used. But in
practically all cases the plan is to stir the surface of the soil
after a rain, and to keep the top soil loose during the growth
of the crop. The methods adopted in the arid regions of the
United States include deep ploughing, followed by harrowing,
so as to get the soil into a fine state. Harrowing is, as a rule,
repeated after each rain. When the crop is up the surface
soil is frequently stirred. It seems definitely established that
when the top layer of soil is in a loose condition it retains
water better than if it is compact, but the loose condition
must be maintained by constant stirring.

The gain in water content may probably be ascribed to
decreased evaporation, for water evaporates less freely from
loose than from compact soil. The explanation usually given
is that the movement of water in soils (apart from the
gravitational flow) is a surface-tension effect similar to the
rise of water in capillary tubes, and is therefore facilitated
when the spaces between the particles are diminished, and
impeded when the spaces are kept large. Frequent stirring
of the soil, which prevents it from becoming compact, reduces
the capillary movement of water to the surface, and conse-
quently lessens the evaporation.

One of the papers dealt with in the article
appearing in Nature is entitled ‘The Loss of Water
from Soil during Dry Weather, by Dr. J. W. Leather,
of the Agricultural Experiment Station, Pusa, Bengal.
Dr. Leather’s paper contains an interesting series of
determinations of the water content in a soil at Pusa,
taken to a depth of 7 feet, at varying dates during
the dry season. It is shown that the water content of
a cubie foot of soil at the surface fell from 18°97 tb. on
September 19 to 10-41 tb. on June 15 in the following
year. On the other hand, the water content in a
cubic foot, taken at a depth of 7 feet below the surface
fell only from 26:42 tbh. to 24:00 th. during the same
period. The occurrence of occasional showers of rain
during this time appears to have affected only the water
content of the soil at the surface. Taken as a whole,
the chief point indicated by Dr. Leather’s figures,
is that the rate of loss diminishes as the depth increases.

The report for 1907-8 of the Government Analyst of
British Guiana states, that 973 samples of milk were ofticially
analysed during the year. Of these, 135, or 15°9 per cent.,
were found to be adulterated. This represents a very satis-
factory decline in the practice of adulteration, the figure being
lower than any previously recorded, Last year the percentage
of adulterated samples was 1671 per cent., and in the previous
year 17°4 per cent.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to’ the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and 'The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the eover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,

post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Aaricultural Sews

Vou. VII. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1908. No. 167.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

Lead arsenate will be tried on several estates at
Barbados this year as an insecticide against the cotton
worm. The advantages and disadvantages attendant
upon the use of this material, as compared with Paris
green, are discussed in the editorial.

An interesting article, dealing with the enzymes,
or soluble fermentative agents present in the growing
sugar-cane, appears on page 291.

Notes on the propagation and cultivation of the
mango, a fruit to which inereasing attention is being
given in Cuba, will be found on page 292.

Jllustrations of two interesting animals that were
on view at the Barbados ploughing match are given on
page 293.

The cotton prospects for the coming season at
St. Kitt’s are stated to be good. Reports from the
Sea Islands and Florida describe the crop as being
fair in condition (page 294). The full text of the
resolution passed at the Lancashire Cotton Conference
re the Imperial Department of Agriculture is reproduced
on the same page.

Attention is drawn to two articles on pp. 298-9,
dealing respectively with Palm Trees and Their Uses,
and with Cacao Cultivation in Samoa.

An account of the agricultural work carried on in
connexion with the Barbados Industrial School during
the season 1907-8 appears on page 301.

Feeding Cotton-seed Meal to Hogs.

In further reference to the question of feeding
cotton-seed meal to hogs, concerning which an article
appeared in the last issue of the Agricultural News,
and in view of past experience at Barbados and in other
West Indian Islands, 1t has been thought advisable to
give a word of warning on the subject.

The experiments referred to in the previous article,
in which small quantities of cotton-seed meal, mixed
with maize meal and other foods, were fed to pigs tor
varying periods, withont apparent harm, were carefully
conducted at American Agricultural Experiment
Stations, by scientific officials, who themselves super-
vised the preparation of the mixture of foods.

No reports have yet been received as to the
successful repetition of the experiments in ordinary
estate practice, and if any stuck-owner in the West
Indies should think/ot making a trial in feeding cotton-
seed meal to his hogs, this should not be left to the
management of the man who usually feeds the animals,
but should be carefully carried out under the super-
vision of an overseer, who should personally see that
the small quantities of cotton-seed meal mentioned are
not exceeded.

Itis probable, however, that on the majority of
estates in the West Indfes, a sufficient number of profit-
able uses for cotton seed and cotton--seed meal will
always be found, apart from feeding it to hogs—a use
which, unless conducted with the greatest caution,
is bound to be attended with rsik to the animals con-
cerned.

Ginger Production in Jamaica.

Although ginger is now produced in considerable
quantity in) China and other parts of Asia, the
Jamaica product sull holds a good place on the market,
and is justly appreciated on account of its superior
quality.

The ginger crop of Jamaica is grown chiefly in the
southern portion of the island, and is mainly produced
by peasant cultivators The plant is propagated by
setting out cuttings or divisions of the rhizomes or
underground stems, care being taken that each cutting
planted shall possess at least one bud. In cultivating
the crop it 1s Uunportant that the ground should be
well tilled, and that a suitable manuring be given.
March and April are the best months for planung in
Jamaica ; the crop blossoms in September, and is ready
for gathering in the following January or February.
In forking or digging the rhizomes, or ‘hands’ as they
are termed, from the ground, care must be taken not to
injure or bruise then) in any way.

The fibrous roots, and adhering earth and other
matter, are removed from the ‘hands, which are
scalded for some minutes in boiling water, and after-
wards dried in the sun, when they become the ginger
of commerce.

The Jamaica ginger crop of 1907-8 was a short one
on account of drought. About 1,400,000 th. were
exported from the island, of which the United States
took approximately 650,000 tb., and Great Britain
600,000 tb. The balance was shipped to Canada.

Vor. Ville Nos, 167:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Production and Uses of Annatto.

Annatto is the orange-red colouring matter which
occurs as a layer of pulp on the outside of the seeds of
Bixva orellana; a small tree native to Central and
South America, and now cultivated on a commercial
scale both in the West and East Indies.

’ This product is largely used in many countries to
impart a yellow colour to such articles of food as
butter, margarine, and cheese. It was formerly used
for dyeing silks, but is now little empioyed for this
purpose.

The annatto plant is largely grown in Jamaica,
more especially by small holders. The exports of this
product from the island have largely inereased of late
years. In 1882, the shipments were 147,000 tb., while
in 1905-6 they reached 457,248 th. Owing to the
drought of 1906-7, the Jamaica crop was much enrtailed,
and the exports fell to 290,573 th., of which 204,730 th.
went to the United States.

Annatto seeds may be first collected when the
plants are about eighteen months old, but a full crop
will not be obtained within three or ‘four years from
the time of sowing. Growers sometimes prepare the
dye themselves by treatment of the seeds with hot
water, and subsequent evaporation of the liquid, the
dye being exported in the form of a paste. In most
cases, however, the seeds themselves are shipped abroad,
and the dye is prepared in Europe or America. At
present the average price of annatto seed is about
Ad. per Th.

Dominica Limes at the Canadian Exhibitions.

Particulars have been given in recent issues of
the Agricultural News of the samples of produce and
other articles that have been forwarded to the Toronto
National Exhibition by Barbados, St. Lucia, and
British Guiana. Dominica is also taking part in the
exhibition, but it was considered advisable, by the
Permanent Exhibition Committee, to limit the articles
sent, to limes and lime products only, and to concen-
trate all efforts on making a really good collection in
this line.

The produce was forwarded to Toronto from
Dominica on July 27, by the C.L.S. ‘Dahomé, and
comprised 14 boxes and 1 barrel of green limes,
16 bottles of raw, and 5 bottles of concentrated lime
juice, 3 bottles of citrate of lime, 4 bottles of distilled
lime oil, 1 bottle of otto of limes, and 1 bottle of hand-
pressed lime oil. Bundles of cocoa-nut leaves and a case
of Rosean plumes were sent at the same time to
serve as decorative material in arranging the exhibits.

Eight large crates of green limes were also for-
warded by the ‘ Oruro’ on September 1, for display at
the Ottawa Exhibition, which will be held this month.

Fruit for exhibition was supplied by the owners of

the St. Aroment, Hillsborough, Geneva, Lisdara, Ever-
ton, Clark Hall, Bath, Wall House, Ancastor Park,
Canefield, and Castle Comfort estates, and the Dominica
Fruit Growers’ Association, while the Botanic Station
and Agricultural School also contributed.

Young Cotton and Old Cotton.

The Imperial Department of Agriculture has
always recommended to planters that old cotton plants
from the crop of the previous year, should be entirely
cleared from the estate before the young crop is sown.
By this means the danger of infection to the young
plants with scale insects and other pests from the old
cotton is removed. ‘The wisdom of this course has been °
abundantly proved by experience. In St. Croix a law
has been passed which makes it compulsory for growers
to pull up and burn their cotton plants as soon as the
second picking has taken place. Legislation of a similar
nature has been under consideration in the Leeward
Islands but up to the present no law has been passed
on the subject.

In spite of the above considerations, old cotton is
sometimes noticed at Barbados and in other islands,
growing side by side with the young seedling crop. The
former is retained for the sake of the third picking,
and in many cases, no doubt. the monetary returns
obtained seem, for the time, to justify the practice.
Planters should, however, consider whether the profit
so gained is not balanced by the risk to which the
young cotton on the estate is exposed, especially when
it is considered that the lint from the third picking is
usually, if not always, much inferior in quality. The
practice has undoubtedly in some cases, resulted in the
destruction of at least a portion of the growing crop.

oo

Rubber from Trinidad.

A collection of rubbers prepared in Trinidad from
trees growing on lands belonging to the Botanical
Department, or on private estates, was forwarded some
time ago to the Imperial Institute, London for exami-
nation and valuation, and the report on these samples
is published in the latest issue of the Bulletin of the
Institute (Vol. VI, No. 2).

Para rubber, the product of two trees just over
30 years old, was forwarded in biscuit, ball, and scrap
form. The biscuits were reported on as well-prepared,
and were valued at from 4s. 11d. to 5s. 1d. per th. at
a time when Para biscuits from the East commanded
a price of from 5s. 1d. to 5s. 73d. per Th.

Twelve samples of Castilloa rubber, in block, sheet,
and scrap forms, from trees of varying ages, were
forwarded, The chief point noticeable from a considera-
tion of the results of analysis of these rubbers is the
large amounts of resin present, which considerably
depreciated the value of the product. Two samples
(block), the produce of trees 74 years old, contained
37 and 52 per cent., respectively, of resin. Another
sample, possessing good physical properties, and from
a tree 17 years old, contained 23 per cent. of resin.
This proportion is much higher than that usually
recorded for Castilloa rubber from mature trees. The
values placed upon the sheet Castilloa rubbers sent
varied from 2s. to 4s. 6d. per tb, the highest figure
being obtained for rubber the product of trees only
six years old. The samples of scrap Castilloa rubber
sent’ were estimated to be worth from 2s. ld. to 3s
per Ib.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1908.

PALM TREES AND THEIR USES.

The great value of ditferent species of palms to
dwellers in the tropics is well known, and the special
uses which different members of this family serve are
discussed in the May number of Tropical America.

The variety of palm which first receives attention is the
cocoa-nut (Cocos nucifera), probably the commonest and
most useful of all the palms. As is well known, this tree
Hourishes best on sandy sea-beaches, and this no doubt
accounts for its wide distribution, since the cocoa-nuts falling
from the tree into the sea have been carried long distances
and finally washed up on beaches, where they have germin-
ated. The young seedling grows readily, and its roots soon
get a firm hold on the soil.

The stem of the cocoa-nut palm is very strong and tough,
and is composed of closely interwoven fibres in a hard and
almost horny outer bark. The tree commences to bloom
when from three to ten years old ; it comes into full bearing
at about eleven or twelve years old, and yields continually
until from 80 to 100 years of age.

Every part of the cocoa-nut tree is made to serve some
useful purpose. The trunk is used for posts, fences, and in
building houses, the leaves forma thatch for houses, and
bedding for horses and cattle, while door-mats, coarse cloth,
etc., are manufactured from the fibre of the husk. Cocoa-
nut milk is a very refreshing drink, «nd the dried meat of the
nut forms the copra of commerce, while the expressed oil is
valuable for cooking purposes as well as for soap manufacture.
Further, when fermented and distilled, the sap of the cocoa-
nut tree furnishes the alcoholic drink known in the East as
“arrack.’

The Royal palm (Oreodora regia) is probably the most
graceful and beautiful of all the members of the family. The
full-grown tree sometimes reaches 80 or even 100 feet in
height.

The cabbage palm (Oreodoxra oleracea) is nearly allied to
the Royal palm, and from it is obtained the ‘mountain cab-
bage.’ This consists of the héart portion of the crown before
the young leaves composing it have unfolded. — Its removal
causes the death of the tree. As in the case of the cocoa-nut
palm, the trunks of the Royal and cabbage palms are used for
building dwellings, while the leaves are employed for thatch-
ing the roofs. The fruit of these palms consists of bunches
of small purple or dark-green berries, which are much used
in making preserves and pickles.

Other useful species which resemble the Royal palms,
and are related to them, are the trees known in St. Vincent
and Dominica as ‘gru-gru’ and ‘ maho’ respectively. As
with the Royal and cabbage palms, the trunks of these latter
varieties are used for building purposes, while from the leaves
of the maho palm, waterproof baskets are woven by the Caribs,
and they are also utilized in the manufacture of sieves through
which cassava meal is grated.

Another class of palm of which the Talipot (Corypha
umbraculirera) is the largestand most remarkable, is stout
and bushy in appearance, while the leaves are large and fan-
shaped. The common palm-leaf fans are made from the
foliage of these trees and in many parts of the West Indies,
notably in Porto Rico and San Domingo, the leaves are
manufactured into hats, baskets, bags, trays, etc. The leaves
of the Talipot palm on attaining maturity, which does not
occur until the tree is about thirty years old, are 8 or 10
feet long by 12 or 14 feet in width.

The date-palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is another most
useful member of the palm family. It is a native of Africa

)

and south-west Asia, but has been introduced into Tropical
America and the West Indies. A date palm at the Dominica
Botanic Station yielded fruit of very good quality last season.

From the ivory palm of Colombia (Phytelephas macro-
carpa) (see Agricultural News, Vol. VII, p. 58), the vegetable
ivory of commerce is obtained. When young the seeds or
nuts are filled with a milky fluid that Jater hardens into-
a firm, fine-grained albuminous substance, which for many
purposes has all the requirements of animal ivory.

PREPARATION OF PLANTATION
RUBBER.

In consequence of the uncertainty which still
exists as to the best methods of preparing plantation
rubber for the market, an abstract of a circular on the
subject issned some time ago by Messrs. Lewis & Peat,
rubber brokers of London, may not be without interest.

Messrs. Lewis & Peat state that they have lately received
consignments of rubber biscuits from Ceylon and other coun-
tries in a heated and sticky condition. This may be due in some
part to the fact that the latex was taken from very young
trees, but is more often owing to defective preparation, more
especialiy the extraction of too much moisture. Bacteria are
frequently the direct cause of bringing about an unsatis-
factory state in prepared rubber.

It is pointed out that the smoked rubber from Brazil,
prepared in the same manner as has been practised for the
past fifty years, still continues to be the best quality on the
market, on account of its elasticity and durability. These
qualities are thought to be due to the process of fumigation
with smoke from nuts of various tropical trees which the
latex undergoes in preparation. The fumes have an anti-
septic action on the rubber, and prevent the development of
bacteria which are, in many cases, responsible for the
deterioration of the product. The fumes of such antiseptic
agents as creosote, corrosive sublimate, ete., may be used in
preparing the rubber, with undoubtedly beneficial results on
the character of the latter.

It has been mentioned that the extraction of too much
moisture tends to bring about deterioration in rubber, and
this is more especially seen in connexion with the elasticity
of the product, which is much reduced. It is noticed
that rubber of this character becomes soft and sticky if left
shut up for some time, or if it is exposed to a high tempera-
ture.

also

On the other hand, if an excess of water remains in the
rubber decay is liable to take place, and fumigation of the
product is recommended.

To ensure good results, planters are advised by Messrs.
Lewis & Peat to treat thetr rubber with an antiseptic agent,
either by adding a small amount of the latter material direct
to the latex, or to submit the latex to the fumes of the:
disinfecting agent. It is also recommended that rubber
be prepared in the form of thin sheets rather than in blocks
or biscuits.

It is stated that acting under the above advice, smoked’
rubber from several Ceylon estates has been sent to England,
but it is not yet known whether this product has commanded
a higher price than that prepared without the use of antiseptic:
agents. Since the adoption of the fumigation process would
cause a small amount of extra expense and labour, the
majority of planters are waiting to see the results of these
first trials before they themselves take it up.

Son. pile » Not -16/7.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

299

CACAO IN SAMOA.

That the cacao produced in the German colony of
Samoa is of excellent quality is proved by the fact that
at the-end-of 1907 it commanded a price of 110s. per
ewt. on the London market. Thetwo varieties of
cacao cultivated are the Forastero ‘and the Criollo,
but the good reputation of the Samoan product is
stated to be due to the Criollo. In‘his lacest report
the British Consul at Upolu discusses at considerable
length the question of cacao cultivation in the Samoan
islands, and gives much interesting information in
regard to the characteristics of the two varieties grown
These particulars, the Consul mentions, were largely
obtained by him from articles written on the subject
by Dr. P. Preuss, and which appeared.in the Tropenp-
flanzer. The following extracts are quoted :—

the fourth
when the

Cacao trees in Samoa begin to bear after
year and mature about the seventh or eighth year,
yield should be 6 cwt. yearly per acre.

Dr. Preuss has no doubt that the real home of Samoan
cacao is Venezuela. and that the- Venezuelan Criollo has
certainly undergone changes in the course of time in Java,
Ceylon, and Samoa. The husks are mostly rougher and
more bulky at the point, and the beans are smaller and
shorter. The colour of the nibs has mostly become white,
whilst in Venezuela, at least with the red-shelled fruit, it is
mostly whitish violet. The principal difference, however,
between Samoan and Venezuelan Criollo is in the taste and
aroma. In this no cacao in the world can equal the pure
Venezuelan Criollo. In Ceylon and Java these two properties
influencing the value of have gone back. Samoan
has lost some of its but~ when really well

CaCaO

cacao aroma,
prepared is, he says, ‘the nearest to Venezuelan Criollo in
taste.’

The beans of the Samoan Criollo are of the same shape
as those of the same variety in Ceylon and Java, but,
according to Dr. Preuss, there appears to be a difference in
the colour of the nibs in a fresh state, the colour of Samoan
Criollo being ordinarily pure white—not violet-coloured as in
Ceylon or Java.

The colour of properly prepared and dried Samoan
cacao beans is glossy brown witha reddish tint. When
whitish brown spots are found, as also in Java, it reduces the
valne of the product.

The taste of well prepared Samoan cacao is mild, but at
the same time vigorous. The aroma is fine although not
very strong. Dr. Preuss states that the Trinidad Forastero
variety was introduced into Samoa from Ceylon. As regards
the two varieties (Criollo and Forastero) one is easily distin-
guished from the other by the difference in the hardness of
the sbell. Criollo can be cut through smoothly and easily.
Forastero, except where it is a cross with the former, has
a very hard she}l which it is very difficult to cut with a knife.
The former, too, will be identified by the white colour of its
nibs.

Samoan Forastero is undoubtedly superior to Trinidad
Forastero because its beans are fuller, its break looser and
its taste milder. It will become still more superior when
Samoan planters have come up to the Trinidad planters in the
culture of the tree and the preparation of the product. At
times Forastero fetches very good prices, and mixed with
Criollo it occasionally fetches as much as pure Criollo.

Although the difference in price between the two kinds
is not very great so far, one must consider that up to
the present, fancy prices have been paid for Samoan eacao

since the quantities offered have been very small. As soon as
large quantities are put on the market it is certain that the
buyers will make a sharper, distinction between the two
qualities, and that Criollo will then be valued considerably
higher than formerly. When the market is unsteady Criollo
will not suffer as much as Forastero.

The Criollo variety can only be successfully cultivated
in very fertile soil—virgin forest soil is to be preferred.
Forastero will flourish and yield good crops on less fertile
On other grounds, Forastero is favoured by its greater
vitality, stronger growth, greater productiveness, less demand
for shade, easier cultivation (and some say its greater resistance
to disease, though this is disputed). The only thing in
favour of Criollo is the excellence and superiority of its
fruit.

A planting distance for Criollo of 13 feet hy 13 feet,
or at the farthest of 13 by 144 feet, is proper. That gives
250 or 220 trees to the acre. .Forastero should be planted
16% by 164 feet. On very good soil two trees may be
planted in one hole; it increases the yield considerably.
This holds good for both Criollo and Forastero.

All the planters in Samoa appear so far to be tolerably
well satisfied with cacao returns, but like everything else
the crop requires careful attention in order to give the best

soils.

returns. Large plantations, if well managed, and not
crippled by want of labour, ought certainly to do well

and return good dividends. The same thing applies to
those small plantations from 20 acres upwards where
the owner lives and personally directs them, but when
the estate is too small to afford the payment of a proper
manager, and the owner himself, having more important
things to attend to elsewhere, cannot live on the land, failure
is sure to follow. Cacao cultivation requires perhaps more
personal attention by the planter or manager than any other
tropical product, not merely to bring the trees to maturity,
but to look after them and crop them when they can bear
fruit.

EXPORTS FROM BRITISH GUIANA.

The trade returns of British Guiana for the period
from January 1 to September 2 of the present year
contain several items worthy of note.

There has been a small falling offin the shipments of
sugar and sugar products as compared with the correspond-
ing period of ‘last year. The sugar shipped in the first eight
months of 1907 reached 46,555 tons, while for the same period
of 1908 the quantity exported was 45,9532 tons. Rum
exports fell from 1,036,844 gallons in the first eight months
of 1907 to 958,133 gallons in 1908.

On the other hand there have been some noteworthy
advances. For instance, from the beginning of 1908 up to
September 2, 1,750 tons of rice meal “have been exported as
compared with 144 tons for the same period of 1907. Citrate
of lime shipments have increased from 380 tb. to 1,235 Ib.,
and the exports of cacao from 57,845 Tb. to 90,026 Ib.

The figures relating to the exports of shingles from the
colony are very satisfactory, no less than 2,258,950 having
been shipped up to September 2 of the present year, as
against 1,115,900 in the same period of 1907. Rice, rubber
and cattle, too, all show increases this year in the quantities
exported up to date. Rice shipments have advanced from
4,370,134 Ib. in the first eight months of 1907 to 5,858,454 Ib.
in the same period of 1908. The rubber shipped has increased
from 3,032 Ib. to 4,531 Ib., while the exports of cattle have
been 833 head for he e ight months of 1907, and 1,051 head
up to date in the present year.

300

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SepremBer 19, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

A new ship intended for the Jamaica banana trade, and
capable of transporting 60,000 bunches of bananas, is being
built at Glasgow for Messrs. Elders & Fyffes, Ltd.

The Department of Science and Agriculture of British
Guiana distributed 7,000 tb. of seed-paddy of good varieties,
free of charge, to bona fide cultivators of rice in the colony,
during the period from October l, 1907, to March 31, 1908.

There were shipped from Trinidad by the R.M.S. ‘Tagus,’
which left for Southampton on September 7, 314 bags of
copra, 41 bags of cacao, 400 bags of cocoanuts, and 3,252
bunches of bananas, all the produce of the island.

Reports from St. Croix state that cotton enltivations in
the island are looking very promising. Planters are evidently
giving a good deal of attention to the erop, since the fields
are reported to be free from weeds, the soil well cultivated,
and the cotton plants in a vigorous condition.

Kighteen samples of rubber and balata have been for-
warded from British Guiana to the International Rubber
Exhibition that is being held this month in London. The
rubber is for the most part from trees of the native Supinm
Jenmani species, and has been sent in biscuit, ball, and block
forms.

The correspondent of the British Board of Trade at
Durban, Natal, reports that a factory for the manufacture of
starch from sweet potatos has been erected near that city.
This factory is capable of a daily output of 3 tons of starch
from 12 tons of sweet potatos. The pulp remaining is fed
to cattle.

In order to advertise Dominica limes in England, the
Permanent Exhibition Committee of the island are forward
ing by the Royal Mail steamers each fortnight, a crate of
green limes, consigned to Mr. A, E. Aspinall, Secretary of the
West India will distribute the fruit in
suitable quarters. \ sum of £15 has also been forwarded to
Mr. Aspinall, to be spent in advertising the fruit.

Committee, who

Bee-keeping is carried on with great success at the
Industrial School, Onderneeming, British Guiana. During
the year 1907-8, the amount of honey extracted from eleven
hives was 1,147 Ib., as compared with 1,075 tb. yielded
vy the same hives in 1906-7. The honey was sold for
S177-76, and as the expenses: are small, the industry is
remunerative.

The coffee exports from Brazil for 1907 exceeded those
for 1906 by some 1,714,372 bags, or in value by £902,840,
the actnal figures “being 15,680,172 valued at
£28,559,063, as compared with 13,965,800 bags, valued at
£27,615,883, in 1906.

bags,

The sugar-cane crop of Madeira for the year 1907 was
the largest on record. It represented a sugar yield of 45,000
tons, having a value of £170,000, as against 33,000 tons, with
a value of £125,000, produced in 1906. The amount of
sugar actually produced in 1907 however, was only 21,000
tons, the remainder of the canes being utilized in the
manufacture of cane brandy. (British Consular Report.):

Experiments carried out by the Director of Agriculture,
Madagascar, to test the most favourable position in which
cocoa-nuts should be planted in order to ensure germination,
showed that the best results were obtained when the nuts
were planted horizontally, or with the pointed end turned
slightly downwards. The most unsuccessful results were
given when the nuts were planted vertically with the points
either upwards or downwards.

Cane planting for the 1909-10 crop is now in progress
on Trinidad sugar estates, and the Port-of-Spain Gazette
reports that a considerable area was completed during the
fortnight ending September 5. In certain parts of the south,
estate owners complain of the difficulty of finding sufticient
labour for their estates, and in these districts, as in British
Guiana, the labour difficulty is in large part attributed to the
increased attention given to rice growing by the East Indians.

The soil and climate of the French colony of the Society
Islands are eminently suited to the production of vanilla of
high grade, and in 1907 this product was exported to the
value of £28,257, as compared with £21,659 in the previous
year. Very little attention is given to the industry, however,
and the vines grown are of an inferior variety. The curing
process is carried out chiefly by Chinese shop-keepers, who
export the produce to San Francisco.

A Departmental Committee appointed to enquire into
the condition of agricultural education in England and Wales
has lately issued its report. One of the sections of this
report draws attention to the fact that for the proper
development of British tropical and sub-tropical colonies,
a munber of agricultural experts are required, and it is pointed
out that the establishment of a Readership or Lectureship in
Tropical Agriculture at one or more of the British Universi-
ties would greatly aid in the provision of suitable men.

Notice has been given by the Royal Mail Steam Packet
Company that it intends to remove the coasting steamer
‘Yare’ from Dominica, since the vessel does not pay working
expenses. At a late meeting of the Dominica Agricultural and
Commercial Society the opinion was strongly expressed that
the removal of the steamer would be a great set-back to many
industries and enterprises lately started in the island, and
a resolution was unanimously passed, urging the Government
to increase the subsidy at present given, if necessary, in order
to ensure the running ofa passenger and cargo steamer along.
the coasts of the island.

Vor. VII. No. 167.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

301

AGRICULTURAL WORK AT THE
BARBADOS INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.

A detailed account of the agricultural work carried
-on 1n connexion with the Tuan School at’ Barba-
dos, appears,in the report for 1907-8 of that institution.

Two plantations are worked by the boys at the school,
Dodds and Summervale respectively. ~The area planted in
sugar-canes at Dodds estate for the crop of 1908 was

23) hacres- The crop reaped in 1907 gaye an average return,
the canes reaped representing a yield of nearly 2 tons of
sugar per acre. At this plantation, where the school is
situated, the greater portion of the land planted in sugar-cane
is given over for the purpose of experiments with different

varieties of cane, and manurial trials, carried on under the
direction of the Imperial Department of Agriculture. At

Summervale plantation the area planted in canes for the erop
of 1908 is 30} acres. In 1907 the average crop of canes
reaped was 22 tons per acre. This represents a return of
-a little under 2 tons of sugar per acre.

In 1907 for the first time canes were sold from the
Industrial School plantation to a neighbouring factory instead
-of being worked up on the estate. It has been arranged
that the price paid for the canes shall vary with the market
price of sugar. The buyer agrees to pay 11s. per ton of
cane when the price of dark crystals i is $1°85 per 100 Jb. in
the local market, and when it takes 11 tons of cane to make
1 ton of dark crystal sugar. The cost of delivering the canes
from the plantation to the factory was shared by the seller
and the buyer.

During the 1907 season the price realized per ton of
-eanes was 13s., approximately. ‘This was considered satis-
factory, as the canes were somewhat under average in quality,
and also in view of the fact that at the time the price of dark

crystal sugar ranged between $1°97 and $2°30 per 100 Ib.
Since the price obtained for the canes sold in this way

depends in chief part upon the amount of sucrose yielded,
it is evident that the provision of superior erushing machinery
at the factory, which would ensure higher extraction, would
result in a higher price being paid to the grower.

At Dodds estate in 1907 about 3 acres were planted
in Sea Island cotton. The yield obtained was not a high one,
but the lint commanded a satisfactory price. At Summer-
vale plantation about 30 acres of cotton were reaped in 1907,
and the price of about £13 per acre was obtained for the
lint. Most of the seed was fed to the oxen. Although the
crop was grown under unfavourable weather conditions, and
was Sev erely attacked by pests of various kinds, the result
was still financially remunerative. Attention is drawn in the
report to the fact that there has been a deterioration in the
amount of seed-cotton yielded per acre each year since 1905.
While the average figure in the later year was about 1,100 tb.,
in 1906 it was about 915 tbh., and in 1907 only 590 Ib. This
suggests a probable deterioration in the seed, and emphasizes
the importance of selecting and growing only the very best
seed, with a view to improving both the quality and the
quantity of the lint.

A fairly large area of provision crops, such as sweet
potatos and yams, were grown at the school. Twenty-four
acres of sweet potatos planted i in 1906 realized £7 16s. per
acre. A slightly smaller acreage was planted in 1907. The
crop suffered from attack by the larvae of the potato beetle,
which undoubtedly caused a shortage in the return. About

~ 9 acres of yams were also planted, the value of the return
being about £9 per acre, as compared with £12 per acre in
1906. The Superintendent of the Industrial School remarks

that the yam crop is one that deserves more attention than is
generally paid to it in Barbados.

During the year the system was continued of allotting to
the boys small garden plots for cultivation during their play
hours. The results that have been obtained are si tisfactory,
and the boys usually earn small sums of pocke: movey from
the vegetables grown on these plots and afterwards soid.. These

vegetables include eschalotts, beans, ground nuts, melons,
etc,
Some labour-saving implements have been obtained

during the season reported on, since the boys were unable
themselves to carry out all the work on the plantations. The
implements purchased are 2 seed planters, | potato digger,
and 3 mould board ploughs, at a total cost of £13 8s. 4d.
These implements have not been on trial for a long period,
but it may be said that the 2 seed planters have so tar proved
entirely satisfactory. One isa miniature plough with seed
box, and can be drawn by a mule or donkey. It cuts the furrow
and drops and covers the seed, all at the same time. This
implement, which was obtained as a second-hand one from
Messrs. H. E. Thorne & Son, Ltd., planted practically the
whole of the cotton crop at Summervale plantation, and not
only saved labour, but it was pleasing to see the regular spring
of the seed: two boys were employed in working it when drawn
by a mule. The other seed planter has also been a snecess
for planting cotton. This isa smal! machine which will, if
properly handled, plant cotton more effectively and cheaper
than is usually done on plantations.

The potato digger is being made good use of and saves
labour considerably where, as is the case here, potatos have
to be dug for consumption at the institution.

The mould board ploughs have also been used in making
furrows for turning in green dressing and farmyard manure,
and in this way they save manual labour.

It is hoped with implements of this sort, not only to try
and improve the methods of cultivation, but also to cheapen
the cost, and at the same time to turn the labour of the boys
to better account, and reduce expenditure in hired labour.

INCREASING CAMPHOR PRODUCTION.

A considerable amount of iuterest has of late been
shown in camphor cultivation by planters in certain british
colonies, and the latest issue of the Bulletin of the Imperial
Institute (Vol. VI, No. 2) contains a short article reviewing
the recent advances that have been made in the production
of this article.

In 1907 the world’s consumption of camphor was esti-
mated at about 10,600,000 tb. About 70 per cent. of this
quantity was utilized in celluloid manufacture, 15 per cent.
in the preparation of disinfectants, ete. 13 per cent. in
medicinal preparations, while the remaining 2 per cent.
was utilized in the manufacture of explosives.

The area under camphor cultivation in Ceylon is extend-
ing, and plantations of the camphor laurel have of late years
been established in the Federated Malay States. In the
United States experiments in the growth of the tree are in
progress in Michigan, Florida, and California. India and
German East Africa are other parts of the world in which it
is hoped to develop a camphor industry.

Increasing supplies of the product, too, may be expected
from China and Japan. Formosa has in the past been the
chief source of supply, andin 1907 produced 5,388,918 bb.,
as against 4,040,838 tb. in 1906. The progress that i is being
made in China in this connexion may be judged from the
fact that while the exports from Foochow in 1905 amounted
to 4,805 ewt., they had increased in 1906 to 13,585 ewt,

302

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SepremBer 19, 1908.

LIVE STOCK INSURANCE.

The insurance of live stock is more or less general
throughout European countries by small tenant
farmers as well as by large landed proprietors. In
different parts of England small proprietors in a given
district sometimes chee among themselves a mutual
system of insurance of their domestic stock by the
formation of what are known as ‘cow clubs’ or ‘ pig
clubs.’ These ‘ clubs’ are really co-operative societies,

each member being the owner of one or more head of

live stock.

A small entrance fee is charged for each animal insured,
and the annual subscription is payable in four quarterly
instalments. Most societies demand that animals accepted
for insurance shall be marked in such a way that they can
be readily identified. The value of the cow or pig as
a healthy animal is fixed, and in case of death, it is usually
arranged that the owner shall receive 75 per cent. of this
value. i

Taking a vepresentative chub of this kind in England it
may be mentioned that the entrance fee for the insurance of
the first cow is 2s. 6d., and 1s, for each subsequent cow. The
annual subscription is 6s. per cow per annum. Hence, after
the first year the cost of insurance of three cows would
be 1&s., while the value of the animals might be any sum
between £36 and £65. In the case of pigs the entrance fee
is usually fixed at 1s. and the, subscription at Id. per week
for each aninal.

According to the Vatal Agricultural Journal, ettorts are
being made to introduce a, mutual live stock insurance
system into South Africa, and it may be pointed out that
the advantages of such a scheme are well worthy of the
attention of Agricultural Societies and other bodies in’ the
West Indies. These advantages would naturally appeal most
strongly to the small proprietor, who possesses but one or two
head of live stock.

As already mentioned, co-operative societies for live
stock insurance are widespread in many Enropean countries.
In Holland, these societies have grown up withont official
intervention or State aid: in France, however, mutual
insurance has only gained ground since the State began to
foster and encourage it.

Since the mutual system referred to appears to
have developed to a greater degree in Holland than in
any other country, it may be w orth while to reproduce
from the Natal Agric ultural Journal the particulars
given relating to that country :—

The insurance of live stock in Holland has been very
generally adopted in the districts where small breeders
predominate, and although attempts to centralize the local

associations have been made at different times, these have not
met with any success. The advantages of the local over the
central type are held to consist in its inexpensive administra
tion, Which is usually quite honorary, and in the control
whieh members can exercise each other when the
operations are limited to a small area

In 1906 there 377 societies for the insurance of
horses, having 30,447 members, and involving 56,814 animals.
The number of cattle societies was 748, with 72,797 mem-
bers, insuring 273,099 animals. There were 56 pig societies,
the membership of which extended to 4,357, with 9,096 pigs
insured ; and there were 55 sheep and goat societies, having
3,857 members and accounting for 6,362 animals. The
percentage of animals lost during the same year in each of

over

were

these four classes was : horses, 3 per cent. ; cattle 1°9 per
cent. ; pigs 6 per cent. ;and sheep and goats 7-7 per cent.

The societies! are usually confined to a very limited
district, and it is thus possible not only for all members to
know each other, but also for the cost of management and
administration to be reduced to a minimum. An objection to
the small area covered by a society, however, is that in the
event of great mortality, such as an epidemic of contagious:
disease, it may get into difficulties, and many of the societies
do not undertake to pay compensation in such cases.

Various provisions are made to prevent fraud, and no
compensation is paid if the death of the animal is attribut-
able to neglect. Only healthy cattle are insured, and many
societies oblige the members to consult a veterinary surgeon
in case of sickness’ among the cattle, and to give notice to
the management.’ Further, various provisions are found
with respect to the payment of compensation for certain

diseases. Thus it frequently happens that no compensa-
tion is paid for cows which die of a second or third attack
of milk fever, or for animals which die of anthrax in

a meadow where a case of this disease has occurred shortly
before.

CITRONELLA OIL.

The cultivation of citronella grass (Andropogon
nurdus) is carried on largely in Java, the Malay
Peninsula, and Ceylon, for the sake of the essential oil
which is yielded on distillation.

On good soil and with a heavy rainfall, the grass grows
very quickly, and several cuts per annum can be taken,
the total return in the best cases being about 5 tons per
acre per annum. ‘The grass yields from 0°6 to O°7 per cent.
of its weight of oil, or from 67 to 78 tb. of oil per acre per
annum. The price at present is very low—no more than
1s. 2d. per tb.—which would at the best, represent a return
of no more than £4 11s. per acre ; but this is undoubtedly
only a temporary State of affairs. Not long ago the price
was ls. 9d. per tb.

The grass lasts twelve years before re-planting is
required. The plant required for distilling the oil from the

gre

ss is necessarily somewhat expensive at the start, but it is
estimated that an apparatus capable of dealing continuously
with the grass from 200 acres of land may “be installed at
a cost of £335

In Java citronella is grown chiefly as a catch crop
between cacao, cocoanut or rubber trees, and it is stated that
the profits from this crop are sutticient to pay the cost of
maintaining a young rubber or cocoa-nut plantation until
the trees begin to bear.

The Bulletin de la Chambre TP Agriculture de la
Cochinchine (No. 10, 1907) contains an account, written by an
otticial of the Cochin-China Department of Agriculture, of
the production of citronella oil im the District of Johore,
Malaya. One of the distilling plants visited was installed
ina shed built obliquely on a slope. A boiler, which
capable of supplying an engine ot 20-horse power, provided
the steam for the distillation and for driving a pump for the
cooling water. There were two stills, each of which
capable of dealing at once with 330 Ib. of citronella grass.
The condenser consisted of a box of rather more than a cubic
yard capacity, lined with zine, in which the worm was placed
which, issuing from one side of the box, ended over a Floren-
tine flask, intended to receive the oil. Both stills were
operated simultaneously ; a distillation of 660 Ib. citronella
grass, lasting about two hours, yielded about 0°69 per cent. of
oil, or very nearly 44 Ib, It is calculated that each acre yields
from 10 to 12 tons of citronella grass, and the net profit is
estimated at between £3 and £4 per acre per annum.

Was

was

Vou. VII.

No. 167. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 305
fair reddish, Is. to Is, 2d. and broken, 104d. Some
WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. bold ‘Teddish Benne fetched eG ioe at this - sale. Of

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.

Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S., has forwarded the follow-
ing report on the London drug and spice market during
the month of July :-— ;

As usnal at this season of the year, the drug and spice
markets during the month of July have been very quiet.
Though the holiday season begins to take effect in July, it is
not till August that it is in full swing, but the fine, hot
weather of the former month had a decided influence in caus-
ing trade generally to become inactive, and though there has
been at most of tue auctions throughout, the month, good
supplies of both new and old goods, the general demand has
been sloav, and in consequence, prices for the principal articles
associated with West Indian trade, show very little alteration
from those of June.

GINGER,

At the first spice auction which took “place on the Ist of
the month, 623 packages of Jamaica were offered, + barrels of
ordinary dark, slightly mouldy, finding purchasers at 51s.
per 100 Ib., all of the remainder being bought in. Seven hun-
dred and twenty-three packages of Cochin’ and Calicut were
also offered, 34s. per ewt. being paid for 140 bags of fair,
plump, washed, slightly wormy, Cochin. A week later the
offerings of Jamaica amounted to 203 packages, but no bid
was made either for this kind or for Cochin or Calicut. On
the 15th, only 47 barrels of Jamaica were offered, and 8 sold at
59s. for good ordinary, and 51s. for ordinary small. All the
offerings of Cochin, which amounted to about 500 bags, were
bought in at 35s. to 36s. for washed rongh. One hundred
cases of good, brown, rough Calicut were also bought in at
45s, per cwt. On the 22nd, some 124 packages of Jamaica
and 39 packages of Cochin and Callicut, were brought forward,
for none of which was there any demand, and all were
withdrawn. At the last auction on the 29th, the market
stood thus ; ont of 120 packages of Jamaica offered, only
a few were sold at from 53s. to 54s, for good common.
Of Cochin and Calicut, nearly 600 packages were offered,
and nearly all bought in at the following rates : bold,
selected cut, 90s.; unsorted native cut, 55s. to 57s. 6d.;
fine, bold, round, washed, Cochin, 40s., and washed rough,
34s. to 36s. One hundred and ten bags of fair, limed Japan
were also brought forward at this sale, and withdrawn at 30s,
per cwt.

NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO.

At the spice sale on the 8th, 213 packages of West
Indian were offered and sold at 1s. 7d. for 55’s.; 1s. for 62's.
to 63’s., and the smaller sizes at somewhat easier rates. Some
boxes and cases from Singapore and Ceylon were disposed
of at lower rates. On the 15th, 500 packages of West
Indian were offered and all sold, the large sizes at firm prices,
and the smaller at easier rates. At the last auction on the 29th,
the offerings, amounting to 120 packages of West Indian, were
all sold at similar rates. At the auction on the 8th, all the
offerings of West Indian mace, amounting to 33 packages
were sold at the following prices: Is. 6d. to 1s. Sd. for
good to fine pale ; 1s. 3d. to ls. 5d. for fair, and Is. 1d.
to ls. 2d. for ordinary. A week later, 105 packages were
brought forward, and all disposed of, at steady rates,
good pale, partly picked, fetching Is. 5d. to Is. 6d.; fair,

Is. 3d. to Is. 4d., and broken ordinary to good, 7d.
to ls. ld. per tb. At the last auction on the 29th,

the quotations for 4 packages West Indian were: for

Pimento, 150 bags were offered at the spice sale on the 8th,
and all bought in at 24d. per Jb. for fair. On the 22nd,
130 bags were sold out of a tétal of 280 offered, 12d. being
paid for mixed blacks, and 2d. for barely fair. A rather
firmer tone prevailed at the last sale of the month, but most
of the offerings were bought in.

; ARROWROOT.

Very little business has been done in this article, but
it was reported that a large crop had been planted in the
West Indies for the coming year, and that future supples
would be abundant.

SARSAPARILLA.

At the first drug sale on the 2nd, 51 packages of grey
Jamaica were offered and sold at the following rates: for
good, 2s.; fair, 1s. 11d.; rather coarse and part dark, 1s. 9d.
to 1s. 10d., and common coarse, ls. 77. Lima-Jamaica, of
which 18 bales were offered and sold, fetched ls. 4d. to Ls. 5d.
for ordinary part chumpy, while 23 bales of native Jamaica
sold at the following rates : dull grey and yellow mixed, Is.,
and fair red, 1s. 1d. per tbh. For some 3 bales of Honduras,

ls. Id. per tb. was paid, the quality being of doubtful
character. A week later, sarsaparilla was still in fair demand

at the following rates: native red Jamaica, 2s. 2d.; lima,
ls. 7d., and native red, 1s. 2. to ls. 3d. At the close of the
month, the following were the prices realized for the several
kinds : fair grey, from 1s. 9d. to 1s. LOd.; native Jamaica was
sold at from 11d. to 1s. for dull to fair red, and 7d. for sea-
damaged. At these rates, 11 bales were sold, and another
4 bales were disposed of at 11d. for good red, slightly sea-
damaged, and Is. for yellow atid red mixed.

KOLA, LIME JUICE, ETC,

At the beginning of the month, a package of small to
bold dried West Indian kolas fetched 1d. per tb., and at the
close of the month, 36 packages were ottered and several sales
made at 24d. for good, dried, West. Indian, inferior qualities
realizing from 14d. to 13d. per Ib. On the Sth of the month,
lime juice was in good demand, fair pale realizing from
ls. 3d. to Is. 4d. per th., and inferior qualities, from 1s. 2d.
to ls. 3d. per Ib. Of distilled oil of limes, some purchases
have been made at from 2s. 6d. to 2s. Td per Ib.

BRITISH GUIANA RICE CROP.

While planters at Barbados and other West Indian
Islands are anxiously looking for rain, the rice farmers
of British Guiana are equally desirous of a lengthy
period of dry weather in order that their crops may be
successfully ripened. In their fortnightly report on
the rice crop of the colony, dated September 4, Messrs.
Sandbach, Parker & Co., of Georgetown write :—

The weather during the past fortnight has continued
suitable for the growing rice crop, but farmers are anxiously
looking forward to a spell of dry weather during the next
two or three months, since if rain occurs during the reaping
season the crop will be seriously damaged.

A few lots of cleaned rice have come to town during the
past fortnight, and this, combined with the fact that the new
crop will soon be ripe, has tended to have a lowering effeet
upon prices, and sales have been made at from 85°40 to 35°50
per bag of 180 tb., ex store.

About 700 bags of rice were shipped to the West Indian
Islands during the fortnight ending August 21 last, but none
during the fortnight ending September 4.

New York,

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

SEPTEMBER’ 19,1908.

MARKET REPORTS.

London,—August 18, 1908, THe Wersr Inpra Com-

MITTEE CrrcuLar; Messrs. KE. A. DE Pass & Co.,
August 21, 1908; Messrs. Kearton, Piper & Co.,
September 1, 1908.

Anrowroor—(Quiet : no quotations.
Batata—Sheet, 21 to 2.4; block, no quotations.
Bres’-wax—Good quality, L7 7s. 6d. per cwt.
Cacao—Trinidad, 59 - &74- per ewt. ; Grenada, 51/- to
59 - per cewt. 6
CorrEE—Santos, 25s. 9/. per cwt. ; Jamaica, no quotations.
Copra—West Indian, £16 to se) 10s. per ton.
Corron—St. Vineent, 14d. to 15d. ; Barbados, 144. to 15d. ;
St Katts! W4d> tor 15d°; Montserk at, 14d. to 15d.

per th.
Fru a
Bananas—Jaimaica, 46 to 6 - per bunch.

Limes— Very slow of sale ; 2/6 to 3/- per box.

PineE-apepLes—St. Michael, 1/3 to 3/- each.

GRAPE FruitT—7/- to 9/- per box.
ORANGES—Jamaica, 8/6 to 9/- per box.

Fvustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

Gincer— Very slow of sale.

Honey—19s. 6d. to 25s. per cwt. "i

[sincuass— West India lump, 2/1 to 2/4 per Th. ; cake, L0d.
per Th.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 12 to 14 per gallon: concentrated,
£14 Ts. 6d. per cask of 108 gallons ; Distilled oil, 2/4
to 2/5 per tbh. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4.6 per Th.

Loewoop— £3 L0s. to £4 4s. per ton ; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Mace—Quiet : no quotations.

Nurmecs—Quiet.

Pimento Quiet.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/3to 8 -; Demerara, 2/4 to 2/7 per gallon;
Trinidad, no quotations.

SuGar—Crystals, 15.9 to 16.9 per ewt.; Muscovado, 15/10 ;
Molasses, no quotations,

August 21, 1908.—Messrs. GILLESPIE, Bros.
& Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 13c. to 18¢. ; Grenada, 12 ¢c. to 13e: ;
Trinidad, 13c. to 13£c. ; Jamaica, LOfe. to 12}4¢. per th.

Cocoa-Nuts—Jamaica, select, $25°00 to $26°00; eulls, no
quotations ; Trinidad, $25°00; culls, $15-00 ) per M.

Corree—Jamaica, ordinary, 75e.; good ordinary, 7 fc. to S¥e.
per Ih.

GInceR—LOfe. to L4e. per Ih.

Goar Skixs—Antigua and Barbados, dry flint, from 48e.
to 49e. ; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46ce. to 47c.
per th., day thint.

Grave Frere—Jamaica, 86°00 to 87°00 per barrel.

Limgs—$3°50 to 84°00 per barrel. Market over-stocked.

Macr—26c. to 32c. ber Ib.

NutMbas | 10's, Sic. t oO De. per Th.

OraANcEs—Jmnaica; 84°50 to 85°00 per barrel.

PIMENTO ofe. to 4e. per Tb.

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 3°90c. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3°40c. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3:15c. per tb., duty paid.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados, —Messrs. Jamgs A. Lyxcu &,Co., September 7,

1908 ; Messrs, T)'S. Garraway & “Co:, September:
14, 1908.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $4°00 to 84°50 per LOO th.
Cacao—Dominica, 314-00, per 190 th.- _, z
Cocoa-NuTS—S$16°00 per M. for husked nuts. ‘
Corree—Jamaica, 89°00 per 100 th.

Hay—S$1°40 per 100 Th.

Manures—Nitrate of soda, 862-00; Ohlendorff’s dissolved
guano, $59°00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00 ; Cacao manure,
$42°00; Sulphate of ammonia, $72°00; Sulphate of
potash, S67-00 per ton.

Mo rasses—No quotations.

Ontons—Strings, 32°00 to $2-25 per 100 th.

Poratos—Teneriffe, $2°70 Dee 160 tb.

Pras—Split, 87°00 ; Canada, 33°40 per bag.
Rice—Demerara, $6-10 (180 tb.) ; Patna, $3°50; Rangoon,
33-00 to $3°10 per 100 th. z

Sucar—No quotations.

British Guiana, — Messrs. Wirerine & Ricurer, September

5, 1908 ; GEoRGETOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
FortTNIGHTLy Marker Report, September 4, 1908

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $9°50 to S10-00 per 200 th.

Batata—Venezuela block 32c. ; Demerara sheet 48c. per
1b.

Cacao—Native 16c. to 18e. per tb.

Cassava—60e. to 96e.

Cassava StarcH—$8:00 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocox-NutTS—S14-00 to 815-00 per M.

CorrEE—Creole 12c. to 13c. ; Jamaica 12e. per tb.

Dr at—S85°50 to $5°60 per bag of 168 th.

Eppors—80c. to 88e. per barrel.

Mo rasses— Yellow, no quotations ; Dark, no quotations.

Ontons—Madeira, 2}ce. per tbh.; Lisbon, no quotations ;
Dutch, 25c. per th.

PLANTAINS— 12 te cee per bunch.

Poraros Rnlish, No quotations.

Poratros—Sweet, Barbados, S192 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6°25 ; Creole, $5°50 to $5°60 for good :
Seeta, 86°00.

Speriv Preas—86°50 to 86°60 per bag (210 th.); Lisbon, $4°25.

TANNIAS—S1L°82 to S144 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°16; Buck, 81°92 per bag.

SUGAR Dark crystals, $2°00 to $2:40; Yellow, $3-00;
White, $3°50 to $3°70 ; Molasses, $1°90 to $2°00) per
100 th. (retail).

Timber—Greenheart, 32c. to 55e. _per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES —$3°60 to 85°75 per M.

———Corpwoop—S82'40 to $2°64 per ton.

Trinidad,—September 5, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpox, Grant

& Co.
Cacao—$13°50 to $13°75 per fanega.
CoCcOA-NUTS No quotations.
Cocoa-NuT O1L—fde. per Dnperial gallon, cask included.
Corree— Venezuelan, 8}c. to 8be. per th.
Copra—$2°90 to $3°102 per, LOO th.
Duat—S$4°60 to’S4-70 per 3 yushel bag.
ONIONS —S1L°50 to SL‘60 per LOO th. (retail).
Poratos—English, $1°60 to $1°80 per 100 tb.
Rice— Yellow, $5°40 to $5°75 ; White, $4°75 to $4°80 per bag.
Speiir Peas—S$6°50 to 86°75 per bag.
Sucar—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°L0 per LOO tb.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture

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Teale Unis Pits ; F 2
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Volumes IT, ILf, 1V, V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists. Report of

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on general
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No. 4. Agricultural Conference, 1908 ;

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(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900, Price 2d,
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
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(9) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d.
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(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
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(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.
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Price 2d.
(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part IT.
(25) Ground Nuts in the West Indies — Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1993. Price 4d.
(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.
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(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses, Price 3d.
(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.
(30) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d.
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Price 4d.

Price 4d.

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The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

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(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.
(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica.

7) Price 4d.
8) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco.

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Price 4d.

(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

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(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
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(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1904-6. Price 6d.

(45) A. B. C. ef Cotton Planting.
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(51 Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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be supplied complete, with title page and index as issued. Price 4s. Post free, 5s. Only a few copies
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Lane, London, E. C.—Barbados: Messrs. BowEn
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Vou. VII. No. 167. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS SEPTEMBER 19, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

a PAS Eo gn = = as

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use
Chiendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,

Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers,
APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR DIRECT TO :—
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| JUST ISSUED. ek | ats, | PEs © cia

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Teachers in lementary Schools in preparing and arrang- | | OF )
ing lessons on the Elements of Agriculture. '
Prepared by Dr. FRANCIS WATTS, C.M.G., F.LC. THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE

Published by the Imperial Department of (Estab: cirea 1760. Incorporated by Royal Charter

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Edited by ALGERNON E. ASPINALL.

WEST INDIAK BULLET] N Containing a Review of the Work of the West India Com-
mittee, Notes on West Indian Affairs, Statisties as to

Cacao, Sugar, Molasses and Rum, Coffee, Cotton,
(Vol. IX, No. 2). | Nutmegs, Mace, Pimento, Ginger, Arrowroot, Lime

Juice, ete., ete, Home Arrivals and Departures by
Containing papers read at the West Indian Agricultural Con the Mail Stenmers, ete.
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ric Determination of Sucrose ; Resu'ts of recent experiments with To others, Subseription £1 1s. per annum.
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Diseases of Cacao, Thrips on Cacao, ste. ;
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Seed specially selected from Cotton grown at ‘Stirling

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Price 4d. Post tree, 5d. is the most serviceable class of cotton we have seen produced
in the West Indies.”

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Price 4¢. Post free, 5d.

“A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW

OF THE
| c FOR THE WEST INDIE
IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE S.
Vou. VIL. No. 168. BARBADOS, OCTOBER 3, 1908. Price ld.
CONTENTS. ; ! : f i f
mines to substitute his engines for the form then in
PAGE. Pace. use, he took as payment for these engines one-third of
Agricultural Bank in the Market Reports . 820° the saving ettected in the coal consumed. This arrange-
Philippines... ... ... 312) Notes and Comments . ol2 < =
Barbados Peasants? Aor Nutmess, Fats and Oils of 306 ment led to accurate measurements, not so much with
cultural a 307 Nuts Heeding Value and the idea of saving fuel, but in order to ascertain the
Coffee in Ceylon . ol2 Flavour of Sao enone cule) : = : ae ; Nak
Cotton and Cocoa-nuts in Orange and Banana Culti- amounts to be paid. When, in 1800, this weighing of
_ the Society Islands ... 318 vation in Hastern the coal ceased, the character of the work fell off and
Cotton Notes : Mexico Seo Boarenltss : : ; aI 5
Laneashire Cotton Con- Potatos, English, Cultiva- the coal consumption increased. Soon afterwards an
ference Sho! eda ono os) tion of at Montserrat 307 accurate system of recording and reporting was again
Sea Island Cotton in the Prickly Pear, Digestibility . Aiea ste ost ata
“United States, 1907.8 311 woe Whaeed to Cath, 319 introduced, with such excellent results that it is said
States, QOT-8 ) » t > olf
West Indian Cotton... 311) Records, The Value of ... 305 that the practice of keeping accurate records is thought
‘rystallized Fruits 308 Rice Cr -yospects 1 : : wo cee
Crystallized Fruits... ... 308 Rice Crop Prospects im to have been attended with more benefit to the district
Departmental Reports : British Guiana ... 0... 309 5 i :
British Guiana : Botanic Rice Planting in British than any other single event, excepting only the inven-
Gardens, 1907-8 317 Guiana Se ais 5 olla) : 2 : : Sf
; 3 tion of the steam-engine itself.
Ceylon: Royal Botanic School Gardens in 2
Gardens, 1907 ... ... 317 3ritish Guiana... B13
Montserrat : Botanic Science Notes : : : : : = . y
: z ; a : 1X wit anting stries » West
Station, ete., 1907-8... 317 Excretion of Toxic . In COL Eee vith pl WINS industries ae the W ‘ =
Department News ... ... 309 Substances by the Indies, measurements, weighings, and records are in
is 7 > Oar “fs Nise 912 > >). - 215 a 3
Fish of the Caribbean Seas 318) Roots of I lants 315 any cases very imperfect, so that progress is retarded
Forage Crops in the Sisal Hemp m German : tae ie
Philippine Islands... 309 Hast Africa 215 thereby, and it is more than probable that the above
Gleanings ... ... ... ... 316 Stock Feeding at the experience might be repeated by agriculturists in these
Insect Notes : Government Farm, ; Ue ; eee ¥ ae
Diptera, Phere. <2. -... dl Mrinidndieees ace eee 0G islands. rhe analogy 1S fairly close between w eighing coal
Lettuce Cultivation... ... 319) Sugar Production in and weighing canes. In the case of the Cornish miners
Maize-shelling Machine ... 315 Cuba, Cost of ... 312 S

The Value of Records.
N95 EW enterprises make much progress until
the

ineasnred

things with which are

they deal
that
This is eminently true

ancl recorded, 50 accurate

comparisons can be made.

alike of the chemical and physical sciences and of

. many forms of industrial work, including agricultural

“2 operations.

When towards the close of the eighteenth cen-
tury James Watt induced the owners of the Cornish

the weighing was undertaken fora specific purpose, but
was ultimately found to have important collateral
Doubtless

‘What is the good of weighing the coal? It does not

results. the question frequently arose :
make it give more heat !’ But the results were tangible
and important, and so with the weighing of canes it
would soon be found that the results more than repaid

the cost.

It is not ditticult to predict some of the directions
in which the weighing of canes would yield remunera-
tive results. Observations have shown that the work
done by cane mills is extremely irregular, and that very

great losses may remain undetected unless close records

306

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Ocroser 3, 1908.

are kept. This is so fully recognized in large modern
factories that very great attention is paid to the work
done by the mill, both by the chemists and engineers,
and constant results are recorded. Even with a small
mill, if the canes were weighed, wasteful fluctuations
would soon be discovered and stopped.

Further, in the absence of weighing, it is extremely
difficult to know what results are obtained from any
particular kind of cane, or from the use of any particular
manure, or from the performance of any particular cultu-
ral operation. A knowledge of the weight of canes
obtained would throw a flood of light on all these
questions.

The judgement of the planter, unaided by a knowl-
edge of the weight of cane, is frequently at fault in
He
may over-estimate, or under-estimate its merits, and so
money will be wasted. With a knowledge of the weight
obtained he would act with precision, so that rapid and
steady progress would set in.

appreciating the value of a new variety of cane.

How many planters can
say with precision to what extent ratoon canes are
remunerative in comparison with plant canes 7 A knowl-
edge of weights would give precision to their ideas, and
lead to the saving of money.

Similarly, much money is probably wasted in the
matter of manures from want of knowledge, either too
A knowl-
edge of weights would, after a few years’ experience,

of all

much manure or too little being employed.

lead to a much more economical use of

kinds.

manures

The value of measuring and recording is not confined
only to the weighing of canes. It holds good of most
facts relating to estate work. Records of the
various operations, if carefully made and properly
Records of the

consumed by stock, of work done, and of the cost, ete.,

arranged, will tend to economy. food
worked out under various heads, will soon indicate when
economies may be practised. and imecreased returns
obtained. merely diminished
expenditure but expenditure to better advantage, and

Economies mean not
this in time may mean increased expenditure based

u pon accurate k nowledge.

A distinction must be made between records and
The latter taken for
temporary use, the former are notes carefully preserved

mere memoranda, are notes

and arranged for future reference. The mere making
of the record is not all-sufficient: if is necessary that
the results obtained should be compared and correlated
so that the conclusions to be drawn from them may be
set out. There doubtless exists much material in the

cost of

form of memoranda and records from which valuable
deductions might be drawn if someone would take the
trouble to arrange the information in a form for com-
parison. As a good example of what may be done in
this direction may be instanced Mr. J. R. Bovell’s
paper on the ‘Cost of growing Sugar-canes in Barba-
dos’ (West Indian Bulletin, Vol. I, p. 64). It would
prove of considerable advantage if much more work of
this kind were done,

If records such as those referred to could be
obtained for a range of plantation work
in various parts of the West Indies, and the results
compared from time to time, it would be found that
many changes by way of improvement would speedily
spread from district, to district, and the improved ideas
of one place would quickly exert a beneficial influence
at a distance, instead of, as now, influencing only

wide

a small area, and even there producing but limited
results for want of further stimulation,

One effect of the keeping and comparing of records

niust not be overlooked. This work reacts upon the
planter, making him: more alert and more observant.
and he becomes keener to detect losses and to forward
improvements, so that the general advancement of

agriculture is ensured thereby.

FATS AND OILS OF NUTMBEGS.

In view of the constant and increasing demand for oil
seeds that exists on the European market, an examination
has lately been made of the oil-yielding capacity of the yarious
nutmegs of India, with a view to their profitable utilization.

The true nutmeg (JMJyristiea fragrans), which is the
kind grown in the West Indies, but is really a native of the
Moluceas, yields about 20 to 30 per cent. of oil, known on
the market as ‘oil of mace’ or ‘nutmeg butter.’ This
product is used in Enrepe in the manufacture of scented oils,
perfumes, and soaps, and as a flavouring agent in cooking
and perfumery.

An Indian nutmeg specially referred to in the report
on the above-mentioned investigations is Wyristica cana-
The this showed on analysis
au content of 49-40 per cent. of fat, which is utilized by the
natives in districts where the tree is found for the purpose
of making candles. Another native species (IZ. malabarica),
also yields a considerable percentage of fat. The presence
of resins however depreciates its value. The fat is used as
an ointment and for illuminating purposes.

Many other species of nutmegs are also discussed, which
are known to contain a useful proportion of fat or oil.
Ainong these may be mentioned JWyristica Bicuhyba,
a native of Brazil, and the seeds of which yield 59:6 per cent.
of fat, which has a peculiar odour, A variety abundant in
certain parts of the West Indies is ./yristica surinamensis, and
the seeds of this nutmeg contain 60°53 per cent. of fat, readily
extracted and solid at ordinary temperatures. It is believed
that the fats of all the above varieties would be valuable in the
manufacture of soap and candles, but it is doubtful if it could
be prepared and put on the market at a profit.

ric. seeds of species

Vou. VII. No. 168.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

307

BARBADOS PEASANTS’ AGRICULTURAL
SHOW.

The ninth annual Peasants’ Show of Agricultural
Produce and Live Stock to be held at Barbados, will
take place at Mount plantation, St. George, on Decem-
ber 9 next, by kind permission of the Attorney, the
Hon. G. Laurie Pile, M.L.C.

September 25 writes: —

On the oceasion of the last peasants’ show, held at
Applewhaites in December 1907, the Imperial Commissioner
of Agriculture bore testimony to the distinct advances that
have been made in the class of articles sent in since the shows
were started, and he expressed the hope that the local
Government would see its way to come to the assistance of
the Department of Agriculture by providing the funds for
the prizes, which would no longer be available from Imperial
sources in consequence of the reduction of the grant. We
are pleased to tind that the Government has recognized the
good work which has been done in this direction, and has
shown its practical appreciation thereof by acting upon
Sir Daniel Morris’ suggestion, thus ensuring the continuance
of these local exhibitions, which have now come to be looked
forward to as regular annual fixtures among the class for
which they ave principally intended.

The prize list is of the usual kind, including prizes for
the best exhibits of plants grown in school gardens and in
pots or boxes, ete., by pupils attending elementary schools.
Diplomas of merit are offered by the Imperial Department of
Agriculture for competition among large cultivators as
follows: For the best stool of sugar-canes, best collection of
yams, best collection of sweet potatos, best collection of
eddos, best collection of Indian corn, best collection of
Guinea corn, best sample Sea Island seed-cotton of not less
than 25 tb., best erate of dwarf bananas packed for shipment,
best crate of onions packed for shipment, and best bunch of
plantains.

CULTIVATION OF ENGLISH POTATOS
AT MONTSERRAT.

Some experiments in the growth of English
potatos were carried out at Montserrat in 1907, under
the direction of the Curator of the Botanic Station.
The following particulars as to the results obtained
are givenin the Annual Report (1907-8) on the work
of the Botanic Station : —

A small plot of English potatos was planted on
October 18 on St. George’s Hill, Montserrat. It was intended
to plant a larger area, but a number of the sets were
lost through decay before pianting. The potatos were
grown at an elevation of about 600 feet. The land was
carefully prepared by pickaxing and was manured. The area
planted was ,1, acre. The rows were 2 feet apart, and the
sets 9 inches apart inthe row. Thirty pounds of sets were
used. The potatos were dug up on December 3, and the crop
yielded weighed 158 tb. ‘ Bliss Triumph’ was the variety
planted.

The plot was replanted with the sets reaped in Decem-
her, after the potatos had commenced to sprout. In this case
the rows were placed as before, 2 feet apart, but the sets
instead of 9 inches apart were planted at distances of 4 inches
from cach other. The amount of potatos reaped was 145 tb.

Referring to the value of
these annual exhibitions, the Burbados Bulletin of

A plot was also grown at Grove Station, and planted in
February, with some of the potatos reaped from St. George’s
Hill in December. The avea was z'5 acre and the yield of
potatos was 180 Ib.

Jn each of these three cases the amount of potatos
yielded might be considered satisfactory. The potatos
individually were small, and the quality was inferior, being
somewhat * watery’ in character.

Alongside the last mentioned plot at Grove Station, three
rows of an acclimatized potato were planted. This variety, so
far as the writer can ascertain, has been growing in Montser-
rat for more than twenty years, and its cultivation
is carried on in a small way in the Molyneux district. It is
a clean-skinned, white potato, roundish-oval in shape, with
shallow eyes. ‘The tubers are very small and seldom reach the
size of a hen’s egg. They grow quite as vigorously as the
imported sets and occasionally bear flowers. In this case
« row 207 feet in length was planted and yielded 70 tb. of
tubers.

STOCK FEEDING AT THE GOVERN-
MENT FARM, TRINIDAD.

In his latest Annual Report (1907-8) the manager
of the Trinidad Government Stock Farm calls attention
to the value of cocoa-nut meal, cotton-seed meal, and
rice meal as food-stutfs for cattle. The following
is quoted from Mr, Meaden’s report :-—

Cocoa-nut meal is our own production in Trinidad, and
when fresh this material has exceptional value for feeding
purposes to all kinds of animals. The rough, undecorticated
cotton-seed meal can be obtained from the cotton-growing
islands of the West Indies. It is useful for milking cows,
working oxen, and estate cattle generally, and for these latter
it should take the place of imported oilmeal, since it has
a betcer and cheaper food value, while the manure produced
by animals fed on cotton-seed meal is also of superior value.

Rice meal, imported from British Guiana, is the refuse
from the rice grown in that colony, and is obtained on
milling the grain, This meal has good feeding properties,
is clean, sweet, and useful for all classes of animals. Good
rice meal, in a fresh state, possesses similar food value to
bran or corn meal.

A useful bulky food fed at the Government Stock Farm
to growing oxen at grass, and one which improves their
weight and condition, consists of a mixture of banana leaves
and stalk, with Guinea grass and Para grass, the whole
chopped up by means of a chaff entter, and with 3 tb.
molasses, and 4 Ib. cotton-seed meal added for each head of
oxen. This is an economical mixture, and one which was
readily consumed by the oxen, the results which followed
being very satisfactory.

The use of green bananas as food for stock has been
increased as much as possible at the Government Farm.
During the year 60,000 1b. of bananas were grown and
turned into food for the various animals—cooked for pigs,
chopped fine and added to the rations for the calves, and also.
sometimes included in those of the oxen and growing steers.
All animals are extremely fond of the green fruit, which
forms an economical and nutritious addition to their diet.
Sliced and dried, the bananas make a good food for poultry
and sick animals.

308

TBE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

OcTOBER 3, 1908.

WEST INDIAN FRUIT.

ORANGE AND BANANA CULTIVATION
IN BASTERN MEXICO.

Orange cultivation has of late undergone extensive
developments in the districts around Tampico, Eastern

Mexico. The port of Tampico is in about the same
latitude as northern Cuba, so that growers are within
easy shipping distance of the United States’ market.

According to the latest report (1907) of the British
Consul at Tampico, the land in the neighbourhood which is
most suited for citrus fruit cultivation requires no irrigation,
and the are more favourable for
growing than in Florida or California.

conditions even orange

Six years ago land could be purchased at 16s, per acre,
but prices have of late advanced to £10 an acre, as the
value of the district for fruit production has become recog-
nized, Nearly all the land in the neighbourhood is being
bought up in small areas by immigrant settlers.

Budded orange trees can be purchased from the older
settlers, and starting in this way it is stated that the new-
comer may expect his first crop at the end of four years from
planting. This first crop may be estimated at from 200 to
300 boxes of fruit per acre, worth 2s. to 3s. per box, and the
return increases annually, until it reaches 750 boxes per acre.

The varieties of orange that appear to be best adapted to
Tangerine,’

the prevailing conditions are stated to be the
‘Hart’s Late,’ and ‘ Boone’s Karly.’ These standard
varieties, well the United States’ In
propagating these kinds, they are budded on to the native
wild orange of the district. Lemons and grape fruits are
also cultivated with success around Tampico, and there is no
difficulty in finding a market for the produce.

are

known on market.

A return which is said to approximate to £20 or £30
per acre can be obtained during the period of waiting, before
any yield is given by the orange trees, by rausing a crop of
tomatos between the young orange plants. It is advised,
however, that not more than one planting of tomatos should
be made.

The labour employed these small fruit estates
is chiefly Mexican, and the rate of wages is about 1s. 9d.
per day. It is mentioned that riegro labourers from Jamaica
and the Bahamas can also be secured without much difficulty,
but these men command higher wages ranging from 2s,
2s, 6d, per day. ‘

upon

to

Banana growing has proved another profitable industry
in the same district of Mexico, and the Consul reports that
during the past year several large companies have been

formed for the cultivation of this fruit. Large tracts of
suitable land can be purchased uncleared at about £1 per
acre. Since the ‘Gros Michel’ or Jamaica and Costa Riea

variety of banana (Musa sapicutun) is the best known kind
in the United States, the chief attention is being paid to
this variety, and many growers are importing plants from
Jamaica in preference to cultivating native Mexican kinds.
It is believed that by this means a market for the produce
will be assured in the United States.

During the year 1907, several hundred colonists from
the American States have the neighbourhood
around Tampico, and purchased small tracts of land for
fruit growing and other purposes.

settled in

CRYSTALLIZED FRUITS.

The following notes on the preservation of fruit
are taken from the Ayricultural Journal of the Cape
of Good Hope, July 1908 :—

The means of preserving fresh fruits in a crystallized
form is attained by extracting the jvices from the fruits and
replacing them with-sugar syrup, which upon hardening,
preserves the fruit from decay, and at the same time retains
their natural shape and, to some extent, flavour.
is as tollows Fresh fruit, nearly ripe, whole, or cut into
quarters, in the case of citrus and such large sorts, should
be boiled until they are soft enough to be handled without
breaking. In the case of citrus fruits, the rind should be
lightly pared off andsthe pulp removed, at least a couple of
hours before boiling. The softer kinds, such as peach, plum,
apricot, etc., would merely be steeped in boiling Water for
short being taken that they not
immersed sufliciently long to be cooked. The exact time
can only be determined by actual experience. After this
the water frora the fruit should be allowed to drain off
thoroughly, and when sutticiently dry, they should be placed
in hot sugar syrup, and kept there fora few days, so that
the sugar may enter the fruit cells and displace what juice
remains after the boiling or scalding process. The fruit should
then be lightly washed in clean cold water and packed in dry
white sugar while wet, and allowed to remain there and dry
off in a draught, until it is hard enough to be packed) away
for transport. A common home recipe for preparing sugar
syrup is: One pound white sugar to 1 pint,of water, add
ing the white of an egg to every 4 Ib. of sugar ; boil
this mixture over a fast fire for twenty minutes, and strain
through a cloth while hot, when itis ready for use.

The process

a very time, care are

Vou. VII. No, 168.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

309

RICE CROP PROSPECTS IN BRITISH
GUIANA.

Messrs. Sandbach, Parker }& Co., writing on
‘September 18 last, report as follows on the present con-
-dition and prospects of the rice crop of the colony :—

The weather during the fortnight has been rather too
wet, several heavy showers having fallen. Reaping has
started in a few scattered districts, and will be general
throughout the colony in the next two weeks. The frequent
showers are affecting harvesting and milling operations, and
a spell of dry weather is anxiously looked for.

Very little cleaned rice has come to town during the
fortnight, and the market is bare. ‘The few small lots offered
met with ready sale at $5°40 to $5°50 per bag of 180 Ib.

There have been no shipments to the West India Islands
during the fortnight.

Present prices for rice of good export quality are
23s. 6d. per hag of 180 th., and 21s. 6d. to 22s. per bag of
164 Wb., f.0.b. Demerara.

—235. to

FORAGE CROPS IN THE PHILIPPINE
ISLANDS.

Large numbers of live stock such as horses, mules
and cattle are kept in the Philippine Islands,
and these necessitate the importation of considerable
quantities of forage every year for their support. It
has been thought possible that the needs of these
animals, may be largely, if not entirely, supplied by
home-grown fodder, and numerous experiments in the
cultivation of both local and imported forage crops
have lately been carried out in the islands.

No hay is made in the Philippines, although in the
course of an article in a recent number of the Philippine
Agricultural Remew, it is suggested that hay farms in the
neighbourhood of Manila would be both successful and profit-
able, and the animals are therefore largely fed on green forage
crops together with imported hay and grain,

Among the crops, the forage value of which has been
investigated by the Bureau of Agriculture of the Territory,
are native and imported varieties of maize, rice, Kattir corn
and other sorghums, as well as ‘Teosinte (Reana lururians),
Bermnda grass (Cynodon dactylon), Guinea grass (Panicum
maximum), «a native variety of grass known as ‘ Zacate ’
(Homaloce nehrus herandrus), Paspaliin dilatatum, Velvet
beans, and cowpeas.

The native Philippine varieties of maize do not appear
to have given good results as fodder crops ; they do not
withstand heavy rain, and the amount of vegetation produced
in dry weather is insignificant. Better results are obtained
when these varieties are grown for the grain than when
raised for green fodder purposes., American varieties of
maize, both Dent and Ilint kinds, have been introduced, and
the white Dent variety has so far given the best results.

tice is grown extensively all over the Philippine Islands,
a large number of varieties being cultivated. The grain is
used on a large scale for stock feeding, and it also produces
a heavy yield of green forage, which is, however, of poor
quality. Broken rice and rice meal produced in milling are
also_sold as suitable stock feeds. The Bureau of- Agriculture
has made trials with several imported varieties of rice, and
the ‘Carolina Golden,’ together with a number of varie-
ties of mountain rice, have produced excellent yields of grain.
Promising results have also been obtained in certain experi-

ments in which rice was grown, cut in the green state, and
cured as a fodder for use in mixing with other food stutts.

Kaftir corn and other varieties of sorghum are also
commended to the notice of agriculturists in the Philippine
Islands by the officers who are carrying out these forage
experiments. Kaftir com has shown itself to be very :
tant to drought. It produces a good supply of green forage,
and abundance of seed. All animals eat it readily when green,
but it is difficult to dry, and is not a palatable stock food
when cured. Some very satisfactory results were obtained
from planting a mixture of Kaffir corn and Velvet beans.
The corn serves as a support for the beans and the two are
cut together for use as green fodder. The Early Amber and
Orange varieties of sorghum proved satisfactory and are
stated to almost as good as Kattir corn. They are not so
resistant to drought, however, and produce a smaller yield of
seed.

Teosinte (Reana lururrans), a crop which is grown on
a small seale in Dominica and other West Indian Islands, is
a plant which has received a good deal of attention in the
Philippines. It is reported, however, that it has not been as
satisfactory as was at first anticipated. It does not stand
drought as well as the sorghum, and produces but a rather
small amount of seed, which deteriorates during the rainy
season. Teosinte, however, makes excellent forage, although
not of such desirable quality as Kaftir corn. It is suceulent in
nature, cures well, but the amount of dry matter produced
is not large.

Bermuda grass (C'ynodon dactylon) is a native of the
Philippine Islands, and is the standard forage grass through-
out the provinces of the Territory, and is also believed to be
admirably suited for the production of hay.’ It grows quite
well from sea-level to a high latitude, and will stand great
extremes of wet or dry weather.

Guinea grass is also under experiment at several Agri-
cultural Stations in the Philippines, and a recent report
states that for the production of green forage, the crop is the
most promising among the introduced plants. The indiea-
tions are that the grass will give from 5 to 15 tons per acre
per crop, and that it may be cut at least once every three
months, assuming the rainfall to be satisfactory. The South
American grass (Paspaliuin dilatatum) has been recenthky
introduced, bunt has not been so suecessful as Guinea grass.

The Florida Velvet bean has lately been grown in the
Islands, and the vines utilized for forage purposes. This
imported bean has not, however, proved so satisfactory as
a native species (Muewna lyonti) which grows much

vigorously and produces a heavier weight of forage.

more

Cowpeas imported from the United States, have also
been experimentally grown, but with rather poor success, on
account of the fact that they are badly attacked by insects
during the dry season.

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

The Secretary of State for the Colonies has beer
pleased to appoint Mr. F. A. Stockdale, B.A., F.LS.,
late Holmes Exhibitioner at Magdalene College,
Cambridge, and for the past three years Mycologist
and Lecturer in Agriculture on the staff of the Imper-
ial Department of Agriculture, to the newly created
post: of Assistant Director to the Department of
Science and Agriculture and Government Botanist, in
the colony of British Guiana.

310

Ocrozer 3, 1908.

oa

Se aa da

An account of the proceedings of the Conference
held in Lancashire in August last between the West
Indian cotton growers and Manchester spinners has
been printed in booklet form by the British Cotton-
growing Association, and copies of this booklet are now
on sale (price Is.).

The efforts made to develop a cotton-growing industry
in various parts of the Empire have of late attracted a good
deal of attention in Great Britain, and the interest and
sympathy taken by the mother country in this form of
colonial enterprise are evident from the lengthy reviews of the
proceedings of the late Conference which were published in the
London and provincial press. In this connexion the editorial
dealing with West Indian cotton growing which
appeared in the London 7imes aud the Morning Post may
be specially mentioned.

The Cotton Conference was opened on August 5 at
the offices of the British Cotton-growing Association, Com
mercial Buildings, Manchester, under the presidency ot
Sir Alfred Jones, K.C.M.G. In addition to a large and
representative gathering of cotton spinners there were also
present Colonel Seely, M.P., Under-Secretary of State for the
Colonies, Mr. Alfred Emmott, M.P., Deputy Speaker of the
House of Commons, and Sir Gerald Strickland, K.C.M.G.,
late Governor of the Leeward Islands and now Governor of
Tasmania. Addresses of welcome were given by Sir Alfred
Jones, Colonel Seely (on behalf of the Colonial Office), and
Mr. Emmott (on behalf of the House of Commons).

Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M G., Imperial Commissioner of
Agriculture for the West Indies, responded to these addresses
of welcome on behalf of the West Indian delegates. The
Commissioner then went on to give a history of the inception
and progress of Sea Island cotton growing in the West Indies.
He was convinced that a good deal might yet be done to
benefit the industry by seed selection experiments carried on
by planters in co-operation with the Imperial Department of
Agriculture for the purpose of producing disease-resistant varie
ties of cotton, as well as varieties giving a higher yield of lint.

Mr. J. Arthur Hutton, Chairman of the British Cotton-
He stated that the Associa-
tion was very willing to handle colonial-grown cotton, and to
make only the lowest possible charge for commission on its sale,
to obtain the best market prices, and to make advances on the
value of the produce before it was sold, without any extra
Mr. Hutton did not attribute the present low
prices for cotton to oyer-production, but rather to the late
financial crisis in America, which had depressed trade all
over the world. While planters should be warned against

articles

growing Association, next spoke.

commission,

OT TON NOTES.

paste he 247
Peer TMU MTT CK

raising their hopes of prices too high in the future, he was
confident there would be such an improvement as to allow
the industry to be carried on at a profit.

Mr. Lomas Oliver, Member of Council of the British
Cotton-growing Assoclation, pointed out that while there was
but a limited demand for the very fine class of cotton which
was only used in the manufacture of expensive and luxurious.
articles, the demand for cotton of a slightly lower grade was
quite unlimited. ~ No pledges could be given as to the future
prices of cotton, which like that of all other commodities,
was regulated by supply and demand, but there was no
reason for West Indian planters to be despondent over the
present temporary depression. The cotton consigned to him
from the West Indies was excellent in quality and had
come forward in good condition.

Mev. Wolstenholne (of the firm of Messrs. Wolstenholme
«& Holland) dealing with the condition of the Sea Island
cotton market said that there were 1,400 bales then on hand.
This, however, he did not think extraordinary. The firm of
which the speaker was a member had dealt with the greater
amount of cotton produced in the West Indies. He believed
that better prices would in many cases be obtained by grow-
ers if greater care was exercised in grading, packing, and
marking the cotton sent forward. Bales from the West
Indies often , contained cotton of mixed lengths of staple :
this undoubtedly had a depressing effect on prices. The
condition of cotton imported from the United States compared
very favourably with that from the West Indies, as in the
former country every possible care was taken in grading and
marking the produce. This gave American cotton an adyan-
tage on the market over the colonial-grown product.

The progress of the cotton industry and estimates of the
cost of growing the crop in the different islands were dealt
with in speeches by Dr. C. E. Gooding (Barbados),
Mr. A. M. Lee (Antigua), Hon C. J. Simmons (St. Vincent),
and Mr. J. R. Bovell (Barbados). It was shown that at
prices which had prevailed during a part of the 1907-8
season, cotton growing could not be carried on at a profit in
these islands, and in support of this statement Mr, J. R. Bovell
quoted a set of carefully prepared figures relating to
the work of five different estates at Barbados. It was
mentioned that some planters had already lost money on their
cotton crops of the past season,

Mr. J. T. Allen spoke as to the condition of the industry
in the island which he represented. Cotton growing had
done a great deal of good in Montserrat, and had taken
a firm hold. The cultivation, however, was an expensive
one, and the speaker gave it as his opinion that less than

Vou. VII. No. 168.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

311

1s. 4d. per tb. would leave no margin for profit. This state-
ment was supported by Mr. Conrad Watson, who had had
experience in cotton growing both in Montserrat and Jamaica.

Mr. J. J. Comacho gave an account of the losses
oceasioned in the cotton crop of Antigua last season by. the
insect pest responsible for the boll. dropping. ‘This was
-a disheartening experience to cotton growers in the island.
The speaker was glad to be able to say that the results of
the Conference were very encouraging.

On the evening of August 6, the West Indian delegates
-and other members of the Conference were entertained at
a banquet at the Town Hall by the Lord Mayor of
Manchester. :

On the following day an excursion was made to Oldham,
and visits paid to the factories of Messrs. Platt Bros. Ltd.,
Messrs. Asa Lee &.Co., and also to onetof the principal spin-
ning mills. Luncheon was provided by the Oldham Chamber
of Commerce, after which the delegates returned to
Manchester, and in the evening were the guests of the Fine
Spinners and Doublers Association, Ltd., at a banquet given
at the Queen’s Hotel.

Short informal meetings of the delegates and spinners
were held on Saturday, August 8, and on the following
Monday a visit was paid to Liverpool, where the Conference
was resumed at the Adelphi Hotel. After an address of
welcome had been given, and various speeches made, the
resolution urging His Majesty’s Government to place the
Imperial Department of Agriculture ona permanent basis
(the full text of which was given in the last issue of the
Agricultural News) was proposed by Mr. J. A. Hutton,
seconded by Mr. George Carrington, and earried unanimously.

At the close of the meeting the following resolution was
proposed by Mr. H. E. Thorne (Barbados), seconded by
Mr. A. Smith (St. Vincent), and also carried unanimously :
~The delegates from the West Indies desire to express their
-deep appreciation of the valuable services rendered by the
British Cotton-growing Association, and hope that so far as
possible the cotton planters whom they represent will
-continue to co-operate with the Association in every way
practicable, with a view to maintaining and extending the
industry which has already added materially to the prosperity
-of His Majesty’s West Indian possessions,

The visitors were entertained at luncheon by the Liver-
pool Chamber of Commerce, and a banquet at the Town
Hall, given in the evening by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool,
brought the Conference to a close.

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date of September 14, with
reference to the sales of West Indian Sea Island
cotton :—

There has been a limited enquiry for West Indian Sea
Island descriptions since our last report, the business being
-confined to qualities at 14d. to 143d.
The sales include Barbados, St. Croix, Anguilla, and
Montserrat. j
Owing to the continued dullness in the fine spinning
-trade, spinners show little inclination to buy at present.
There appears to be a slight improvement in American and
Egyptian yarns, but we regret that so far, the finer counts do
not appear to have been affected.
Quotations for the new crop American Sea Islands show
an easier tendency. °

SEA ISLAND COTTON IN THE UNITED
STATES, 1907-8.

In their Cotton Circular dated September 2 last,
Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Cov. give a statement of the
output of Sea Island cotton from Georgia, Florida, and
Carolina (including the Sea Islands), for the year
1907-8, together with a review of the market conditions
prevailing during the season.

The cotton crop of Carolina reached 12,727 bales, as
compared with 8,037 bales produced in 1906-7. Georgia
produced 48,480 bales, against 28,034 turned out in 1906-7,
while the Florida ¢rop alone shows a decrease, being 22,597
bales in 1907-8, as compared with 23,719 in 1906-7. It will
he seen therefore that the Sea Island cotton crop of the
United States increased from 58,668 bales in 1906-7 to
$4,926 bales in 1907-8, this being approximately an advance
of 44 per cent.

Of the year’s production, 52,695 bales were consumed
in the United States, 19,682 bales exported to Great Britain,
and 10,035 bales shipped to other European countries, chiefly
France.

The 1907-8 market for cotton from the Sea Islands and
Carolina was opened towards the close of October with sales
of 100 bales of ‘extra fine quality,’ at 58c. per tb., and two
‘extra extra’ planters’ crop lots at 55c, and 65¢. per tb. Dur-
ing November the demand was active, with sales of upwards of
3,000 bales, aotton of ‘ fully fine’ quality realizing 344c. to
35e., and ‘ extra fine’ quality, 37c. to 38e. The activity of
the market continued throughout December, and prices
advanced le. to 2c. per Ib. Most of the cotton was purchased
for England. The unusual demand for the time was attributed
to the poor quality of the Georgia and Florida crops, which
failed to furnish any high-grade cotton,

After the demand mentioned had been supplied, the
market became quiet, and remained dull from January to the
end of the season. The trade in fine cotton goods has been
bad ; there has been but a moderate demand for planters’
crop lots, and with the exception of those of the finest
quality, which were taken by France, the larger part still
remains unsold.

The state of the market at the close of the season (end
of August) was dull, and no demand existed for the 2,317
bales still remaining in stock. These are held for prices of
from 32c. to 45e. per Ib.

Messrs. Frost’s Circular closes with reports on the
present condition of the growing crop in the three
States, and estimates of the return for the coming year,

The latest advices state that there has been no change
in the cotton area planted for 1908-9 in Florida and South
Carolina, but in Georgia there has been a decrease of 15 to
20 per cent.

The weather conditions in Carolina have been favour-
able from the time of planting until August, when continued
high winds, and intense heat, followed by heavy rains, have
caused shedding of bolls, and as mentioned in the last issue of
the Agricultural News, the plants have put on a second
growth, which will imperil-the top bolls. This, it is believed,
will reduce the return.

Reports from Georgia are conflicting. In the southern
portion of the State, rains have been lately experienced, and
the crop is promising. In the districts around Savannah the
outlook is not so good.

In Florida, the cotton made a late start, and intense
heat prevailed during the period of early, growth, followed b
heavy rains. This has caused a considerable amount of - boll-
shedding.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocrosper 3, 1908-

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Locul Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. Londen Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Vou. VIL. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1908. No. 168.

‘NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The value of keeping accurate records in connex-
ion with the various operations of estate work is
discussed in the editorial article of this issue, which
has been contributed by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G.
It is shown that if the practice of keeping careful
records became more general many economies in estate
management wonld almost certainly result.

Satisfactory returns were obtained as the result of
growing English potatos on an experimental scale in
Montserrat last year (page 307).

The cultivation of oranges and bananas is rapidly
developing, and giving good returns in the Tampico
district of Mexico (page 308).

Various fodder crops have been experimentally
cultivated in the Philippines by the Bureau of Agri-
culture. A summary of a report on the relative value
of these crops appears on page 309.

A condensed account of the proceedings of the
late Lancashire Cotton Conference will be found on
pp. 310-11, followed by a review of the market condi-
tions in regard to Sea Island cotton which prevailed
in the United States during the past season.

Under Insect Notes (page 314) is given the first
portion of an article dealing with the characteristics
and life-history of the Diptera or two-winged flies,
with special reference to the species found in the
West Indies.

Attention is drawn to two interesting articles on
page 318 entitled respectively, ‘The Fish of the Carib-
bean Seas, and ‘The Feeding Value of Nuts.’

Cost of Sugar Production in Cuba.

Some details as to the cost of sugar production in
Cuba are included in the latest report of the Secretary
of Agriculture for the island. On the average of five
years—which includes the plant cane crop and four
ratoon crops following—the average cost of preparation
of the land, planting and cultivating each year is about
515-00 per acre. Over the same period the average yield
of cane is 23 tons per acre per annum. The annual
expense of reaping and transportation of the cane to the
factories amounts to about $22:00,so that the total cost
of planting, cultivating,and reaping works out at $37-00
per acre, or very approximately $1°70 per ton of cane.
The‘average return from 1 ton of cane is stated to be
200 th. of sugar of 96° test.

rT +

Coffee in Ceylon.

A note in the latest report (1907) of the Curator
of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Ceylon,
mentions that the ‘Sierra Leone Upland Cottee’ (Coffea
stenophylla) flourishes at the Gardens, the trees grow-
ing to a height of 22 feet and yielding a heavy crop of
berries, which however are small in size. The variety
is but little attacked by the ‘cotfet leaf disease’
(Hemileva vastatrix). ‘Stenophylla’ coffee was intro-
duced into the West Indies from Kew about twelve
years ago, and has done well at Trinidad and in British
Guiana. ‘Trees of the variety are to be seen at all the
Botanic Stations in these islands, and doubtless supplies
of seed could be obtained at most of them.

Of all the kinds of coffee grown at Peradeniya, the
Curator awards the first place toa hybrid produced
by across of the Liberian with the Arabian variety.
This is remarkable on account of its productiveness and
healthy vigour. The Congo cottee (Cofiea robusta) is
not so satisfactory,’ and the results obtained do not

justify an extension of its cultivation.

— a

Agricultural Bank in the Philippines.

An Agricultural Bank has recently been establish-
ed in the Philippine Islands under Government
auspices, with the object of assisting not only small
holders, but also agriculturists on a larger scale. The
Committee appointed to deal with the question has
recommended that a sum of £100,000 be set aside for
the foundation of the bank, which is to be placed
under the management of a Board of Directors, com-
posed chiefly of representatives from various Govern-
ment Departments.”

Money can be borrowed from the bank for agri-
cultural purposes only, as for the purchase of machinery,
working animals, manures and seeds, etc, or for expen-
diture on irrigation, labour, ete. No loan is to be less
than £5 in amount, or more than £2.500, except in the
ease of corporate bodies designing improvements on
a large scale, and agriculturists will not be allowed to
borrow any sum which exceeds 40 per cent. of the value
of their holding. Ten years is the maximum period
for which a sum ean be borrowed, and the interest is not
to exceed 10° per cent. per annum.

Vou: VIE . No.. 168.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 315

Cotton and Cocoa-nuts in the Society Islands.
The French colony of the Society Islands possesses,
in common with many of the West Indian colonies,

a soil and climate admirably suited for the growth of

Sea IJsland cotton. This fact, according to a recent
British Consular Report, has been continually impressed
upon the natives by the Government of the former
islands, and Sea Island cotton seed Specially i imported for
the purpose, has been on several occasions distributed,
but owing to the indolence of the owners of Jand, no
more than 50 acres have been planted with the
crop. The cultivation of Egyptian cetton, w hich
demands less attention than the Sea Island variety,
is preferred by the natives, and the former kind is more
largely grown. In 1907 the total value of the cotton
exported was £2,075, as compared with £1,052 in
the previous year.

Cocoa-nut planting is by far the chief agricultural
industry in the Society Islands, the exports of copra for
1907 being valued at £59,106, as against £81,759 in
the previous year. Cocoa-nuts, valued at £5,515,

were also shipped in 1907, compared with a value of

£3,747 in 1906. “he reduced ‘value of the copra

exports is partly due to the destructive effects of

a hurricane which lately swept over the islands, and
partly to a fall in prices.

School Gardens in British Guiana.

School garden work is making satisfactory progress
in British Guiana, according to the latest Annual
Report (1907-8) of the Inspector of Schools. Model
Gardens, to which periodical visits are paid by the
children from schools in the neighbourhood, have been
established by the Department of Science and Agni-
culture at several centres, Le. at Belfield and La Grange,
Demerara: at Stanleytownin Berbice: at Bourda ; and
one in Georgetown. It is stated that «a Mode! Garden
is also shortly to be started in Essequebo.

In addition to the Model Gardeus there are seventy-
eight gardens attached to Primary Schools in the
colony, and efforts are made to keep the gardens in such
a condition that they may be not only of educative
value to the pupils, but also serve as object-lessons to
the parents in the several villages:

At the Essequebo County Show, held in March last,
the Model Gardens took twenty-eight prizes, and the
School Gardens eighteen prizes. ‘Che money value of
these awards was distributed among the pupils, and
this will doubtless serve to stimulate their efforts.

The old complaint is apparently still heard some-

times, that while the teachers recognize the value of

the training imparted by a course of school gardening,
and while the children are readily induced to take an
intelligent interest in the work, yet the grants offered
under the Code regulations are insutticient for the
subject to receive as much attention as would other-
wise be the case. In British Guiana the teachers have
to fence in the plot, get the first heavy work done,
and supply the class with tools, ete, in order to qualify for
a maximum grant of $1:00 per head on the number
taking the work, which is seldom more than 20 per
cent. of the children attending the school.

Maize-shelling Machine.

The introduction of labour-saving machinery does
not usually appeal so much to the West Indian planter,
who in most cases can obtain a good supply of cheap, if
not etticient, labour without “diftic culty, as to agri-
culturists in other countries, more especially in the
United States.

It may be of interest, however, to growers of maize
ona large scale, to note that a machine for the purpose
of shelling, dressing, and bagging maize is now being
built by Messrs Robey &iCo., “de of Lincoln, England,
which promises to Be manual labour to a mini-
mum. The machine is’ built in three sizes, and it is
claimed that when driven by an engine of 8 horse-
power, tne largest size is capable, if required, of shell-
ing and preparing maize for the market at the rate of
12 tons per hour.

The construction and uses of the machine are
dealt with in a recent number of the Zinplement and.
Machinery Review, and it is stated that the large grains,
the small grains and offal, the large cobs, and the chaff
and broken cobs, are all put automatigally into separate
bags, directly from the machine, the dust being blown
away. There is a special arrangement for separating
bad ears of corn before they reach the shelling cylinder,
and in this way the spoiling of a good sample by bad.
grains 1s prevented.

— —

Rice Planting in British Guiana.

Some discussion has of late been aroused in British
Guiana as to the most suitable time for planting the
rice crop, and further, whether or not planters would
be well advised to concentrate their attention on the
production of one crop enly per annum, instead of—as
is now the case in the majority of instances—endeavour-
ing to raise two crops each year.

Long experience in rice-growing countries has
made clear the fact that the most successful crops are
those which are sown in the wet season and reaped in
the dry. So far as British Guiana is concerned, this
would mean planting in May and reaping in September
or October. These times are observed in many cases,
but asa general rule, when two crops are grown the
first planting is made in January, and the crop taken
off in May or June. The second crop is sown as soon
after as possible, and reaped in November or December.
On one side it is argued that a single crop, sown and
reaped at the proper time, would give a better return,
both in quantity and quality, than. the average return
at present obtained by growing two crops. This is
denied by many planters, who urge that the growth of
a second crop mater ially increases the profits obtained
on the year’s working, since the cleaning and cultivation
which the land receives for the first “planting serves
also for the second crop, which is planted without any
expense for cultivation, beyond that entailed for a single
ploughing. The cost of raising the second crop is
therefore very small.

A committee has been appointed by the Board of
Agriculture of the colony to consider and report upon
the question.

314

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroper 3, 1908,

INSECT NOTES.

Diptera.

The insects of this order are the two-winged flies
or true flies. The word ‘fly’ is used in referring to
many other insects, especially in combination with
some other word which designates the insect »ccording
to its habits, its food, ete. Examples of this are to be
‘seen in the terms butterflies, pond flies, caddis-ties, har-
vest-ties, all of which belong to different orders, and not
one of them to the Diptera. Another example of this
is to be found in the expression * candle-flies,’ by
which many people in the West Indies designate
practically all the small insects that are attracted to
the house lights at night. This‘term is used to include
small moths (Lepidoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), tlies
(Diptera), and occasionally water-bugs (Hemiptera).

The characters which distinguish flies from other insects
are that the adults never have more than one pair of wings ;
a few are wingless. In addition to the wings of the flies there
area pair of ha/teres (sometimes called balancers), in the
place usually occupied by the hinder pair of wings in other
orders. These are small knobbed organs which are usually
plainly to be seen. The wings are membranous, usua!ly
transparent, and without scales, except in the case~ of
mosquitos and closely related insects. The mouth parts of
the flies are adapted for piercing and sucking or for lapping.
Many fles are capable of inflicting a very painful ‘bite,’
but none of them are capable of bitin
as the beetles or the grasshoppers.

The larvae of flies are known as maggots. They are
usually footless grubs, and they vary greatly in their mode
of life and in their habitat. Flies pass through a complete
metamorphosis, including egg, larva, pupa, and imago. ‘Lhe
eggs are deposited ina great variety of places according to
the habitat of the different species.and the food of the larvae.
In the case of certain species, the young are born alive. This
might seem to be a striking exception to the general rule of
insect embryology, but it merely means that the eggs are
hatched within the body of the female parent fly.

The order Diptera is one of the most important of all
orders of insects. Not only does it include agricultural pests
of the first importance, such as the Hessian fly, the fruit tly ;
and household pests, such as the house fly, but it also
includes those inseets which are directly dangerous to human
life as carriers of disease, such as mosquitos, the tse-tse fly,
and others.

The number of species of flies already known to science
is about 40,000, and it is estimated that when all the exist
ing species become known the number will reach a total of
350,000. In the case of certain .species of this order, the
number of individuals in existence at any one time is enor
mous. Especially is this true wherever flies find favourable
breeding places and plenty of food for the larvae. Instances
in point are the house fly, any species of mosquito, and the
pomace flies, which are attracted to all kinds of decaying fruit.

It will be impossible in this brief review to do more than
mention a few of the important inseets of this order which
oceur in the West Indies.

Among the Diptera with long antennae the mosquitos
{Culicidae) are the most important. These small insects are
& source of annoyance in nearly all parts of the world, and
in all latitudes, by day and night... Many of them also are of
great importance on account of transmitting some of the
most deadly diseases of mankind. Yellow fever and malaria,

in the same way

o
5

which have at times made certain localities almost uninhabit-
able, as well as the repulsive filaria, are mosquito-borne diseases.

The life-history of mosquitos in general is as follows:
The eggs are laid in water ; the larvae are aquatic, breath-
ing air by means of a respiratory tube which is brought to the
surface and placed in}communication with the air above.
The larva feeds on minute organic particles and microscopic
animals. On account, of this feeding habit the- larvae of
mosquitos may be classed as scavengers, agreeing in this
respect with many other species of Diptera. The pupa is free
moving, but does not’ feed, and is a true pupa, the change
from the larval to the pupal stage being as complete as in the
case of the Lepidoptera, in spite of the fact that the insect at
this time has a considerable power of movement and locomo-
tion. The length of the life cycle in mosquitos varies with the
species, and with conditions of climate, ete. Certain species
are able to complete the entire life cycle ina few weeks, while
others require much longer. It has been found also that
under certain conditions, the length of time required for
development is much greater than usual.

The species of mosquitos found in the West Indies which
are of most interest are those which carry yellow fever, malaria,
and filaria. The malarial mosquito (Anopheles) does not
oecur in Barbados, although it is known in all other parts of
the American tropics. ‘The yellow fever mosquito (Stegomyia)
is abundant in these islands, being known commonly
as the day. mosquito or ‘Scots grey.’ The filaria-carrying
mosquitos belong to the genus Cwler. The female adult
mosquitos feed on blood when they have the opportunity ;
at other times they probably feed on the juices of flowers
and fruits. The males feed entirely on flowers and_ fruits,
their mouth parts not, being adapted for piercing, and for
sucking blood.

The measures to be adopted against mosquitos fall under
several heads. It is possible to prevent the development. of
mosquitos, Within certain limits, by doing away with their
breeding places, This is accomplished by draining swamps,
filling in ponds, and clearing away all receptacles in which
water might collect and so furnish suitable places for breed-
ing. The Anopheles mosquito breeds only in fairly permanent,
natural pools, and in streams. These may be stocked with
small fish such as the ‘millions’ (Gvrardinus poceiloides) of
Barbados, as has been done at St. Kitt’s-Nevis, Antigna, and
other places. These fish may also be used to stock fountains,
tubs, ete., in which water is kept, and in this way mosquitos
may be prevented from breeding in the water, as the fish are
very voracious and teed on the mosquito eggs, larvae, and pupae.
It is to the presence and abundance of millions in Barbados
that the absence of malaria is attributed.‘ Millions’ inhabit
the natural breeding places of Anopheles, but other species
of mosquitos naturally breed in places not accessible to these
small fish. All cisterns, pools, ete., that cannot be either
stocked with fish or drained, as already suggested, should be
treated to applications of kerosene or petroleum at inter-
vals of a fortnight.

The use of the mosquito net at night is strongly to be
commended, Citronella oil lightly smeared on hands and
feet will often keep off mosquitos when no such net. is
available. — In extreme abundance of these
insects, however, the mixture of oil of Pennyroyal 1 part, oil
of tar 2 parts, and olive or cotton-seed oil 2 parts, may be
found more efficient than the citronella oil, while in other
instances of very mild attack, the citronella oil may be used,
mixed with an equal amount of olive oil. Asa_ relief to the
pain and irritation often caused by the bite of mosquitos,
ammonia applied to the spot has been found useful.

(To be Continued.)

case of an

“VOLE? VIERY No, 168.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

315

SCIENCE NOTES.

Excretion of Toxic Substances by the
Roots of Plants.

The following review on the subject of the
excretion of toxic substances by the roots of plants
appeared 1 in Nature of Augnst 27 last, and should be of
interest, since it deals with: a question that has of late
received a considerable amount of attention in the
United States, and by scientific experimenters in other
countries. A summarized account of the work in
connexion with this subject of Mr. F. Fletcher, M.A.,
B.Sc., recently Deputy Director of Agriculture, Bombay,
was given in the Agricultural News (Vol. VII, p.
238) :—

The idea formulated a century ago by de Candolle that
plant roots excrete toxic substances has recently been very
much pushed forward by the American Bureau of Soils to
explain the effects of fertilizers and the advantage of a rotation
of crops. The American method of éxperiment is to grow
seedlings in water culture for a few days, and measure the
amount of transpiration, which is considered to be an index
of the amount of growth. The seedlings are then removed
and replaced by a second batch, are” changing the water ;
the rate of transpiration is found to be diminished, showing
(it is stated) that a toxic body excreted by the roots of the
first batch is adversely affecting the second. Further, seedlings
grown in an aqueous extract of certain poor soils are found to
transpire less water than others grown in distilled water, and
it is concluded that these soils contain some toxic material,
presumably excreted by plants. The toxic body is, however,
precipitated on addition of charcoal, ferric hydrate, and
solutions of various manures ; and the Bureau of Soils argues
that the function of fertilizers, in some cases at any rate, Is
not to feed the plant, but to precipitate the toxin excreted by
previous plants. Rotations of crops are of advantage, because
the toxin (poisonous material) excreted by one plant is not
necessarily harmful to plants of a different order.

It cannot be said that any very convincing evidence
is offered in support of this view by the workers in the
United States, and the assumption that transpiration is
a measure of plant growth is not borne out by any of the
figures quoted.

Another weak point is that the experiments are made
with seedlings, and last only a fewdays instead of being
carried on to the end of the plant’s life. The nutrition of
the seedling is not the same as that of the plant, and even if
it were demonstrated that excretion from seedling roots took
place, it would not follow that there was a similar excretion
from the roots of fully grown plants.

In the last Bu//etin from the Soil Bureau (No. 48) an
account is given of more than 13.000 pot trials with soils
from different parts of the United States. The results show,
as might be expected, that adelition of manures increases the
crop, and that each manurial substance exerts a specific effect
which is not shown by any other ; with this statement every-
one would agree. The further conclusion is drawn that the
character of fertilizer required depends more upon local
conditions and practices (such as the crops grown, etc.) than
on the type of soil or the geological formation to which it
belongs, so that the fertilizers required for the same type
of soil occurring in different localities usually vary more than
those required for very different types when in the same
locality and subjected to similar environment. If this

generalization turned out to be true, it would be more easy
to reconcile it with the view that the chief use of manures is
to precipitate the poisonous matter excreted by the roots
of plants than with the ordinarily accepted idea that
manures are applied in order to provide the neccessary plant
food. An examination of the tables given, however, does not
show that there is any proof.

Mr. Fletcher's work has been partly on the above lines.
He obtained a ‘solution of excreta’ by growing plants in
water culture, and then used this solution asa medium for
plant growth. It proved to be toxic, and the conclusion is
drawn that the plant first used excreted poisonous
body. The experiment, however, is not a very good one.
It is well known by those who have worked with water
cultures that bacterial decompositions are liable to take place
in the solution, producing substances injurious to plants ;
precautions always have to be taken to prevent development
of bacteria. It does not appear that any such precautions
were taken by Mr. Fletcher ; indeed, the conditions under
which he worked seem to have been favourable to bacterial
development ; well water used and the ‘solution of
excreta’ was allowed to evaporate at ordinary temperature
until sufficiently concentrated for the second part of the
experiment. There is no evidence that the toxie substance
wes excreted by the plant ; it might equally well have been
a bacterial product.

In another set of experiments, crops were grown in rows
side by side, and three lots of measurements were taken :—
(1) the yield on the outside row, bordering on the bare
ground ; (2) the yield in’ the middle row : (3) the yield in
a row bordering on another crop. The first is the highest,
the second shows the effect of the plant on others of the
same kind, and the third shows the etfect on others of a difter-
ent kind. The falling off in yield in the second and_ third
cases is. regarded by Mr. Fletcher as proof of a toxic excre-
tion. Such a falling off i is generally explained as due to lack of
water or food, and no satisfactory evidence is adduced against
this view ; indeed, Mr. Fletcher states that the reductions in
crop are less marked under a more evenly distributed rainfall.

some

Was

SISAL HEMP IN GERMAN EAST
AFRICA.

Attention has been given to sisal hemp cultivation in
German East Africa sincé*1893, and the increasing value of
the industry is evident from the fact that the exports of fibre
during 1906 were valued at £66,900, as compared’ with
£43 900 i in 1905 and £28,300 in 1904.

The industry was started by the importation of a small
number of plants from Florida fifteen years ago. Machinery
for the extraction of the fibre was imported in 1899, and the
first exports were made in 1900. In 1904, the number of plants
dealt with was 1,300,000, which yielded 624 tons of fibre,
this being equivalent to an average yield of 17 oz. of fibre
per plant. In the following year the average return of fibre
rose to 25 oz. per plant, but in 1906 it dropped to 22 oz.
It is calculated that if 800 plants per acre are grown, an
annual crop of 900 to 1,200 tb. per acre should be obtained.

The machine employed for the extraction of the fibre is
the one used in Yucatan, and is known as the ‘ Molla.’ It
costs £650, is capable of dealing with about 100,000 leaves
in ten hours, and requires 48 horse power to drive it. In
order to keep this machine sufficiently employed, a plantation
of at least 600,000 plants*is necessary. This (allowing
distances of 34 x 8 feet between the plants) represents an
area of about 310 acres.

316

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. OcroseR 3, 1908.

GLEANINGS,

Import duty was formerly levied on all live stock brought
into Jamaica, but the duty on stock imported for breeding

purposes has lately been removed. This amounted to £3 per
head on horses, £2 on cattle, £1 on asses, and 10s. per head
on sheep, goats, and pigs.

The rainfall at Montserrat during 1907-8 was very
deficient in quantity. At the Botanic Station only 51°83
inches were recorded as compared with 68°18 inches regis-
tered in the previous year. The highest fall was recorded at
Woodlands-—77°58 inches, and the lowest—37°34 inches
at Whites.

The amount of cacao (produced in the island) shipped
from Trinidad during August of the present year was
1,810,016 Ib. This brings the total quantity exported, from
January 1 to the end of August, up to 34,763,102 tb., as
compared with 30,100,066 Ib. shipped in the corresponding
eight months of 1907,

With the object of extending a knowledge of ingproved
agricultural methods in the country, the Government of Peru
started the National Schoo] of Agriculture at Lima. This
has lately undergone further development by the addition of
a Farming School in connexion with the earher establishment,
The Farming School has for its object the training in practical
agriculture of estate managers and overseers.

The report for 1907-8 of the Director of the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, states that further extensions of
the rubber acreage in the island continued during the year
under review, and the total area planted now amounts to
150,000 acres. The exports of rubber showed an increase of
nearly 100 per cent., and for the year 1907-8 were valued at
nearly £225,000.

About 100,000 acres of sugar-cane are annually reaped
in Hawaii, and the average return per acre amounts from 4 to
41 short tons of sugar. Under natural conditions about 2 to
3 tons per acre are obtained, but on the lands under irrigation,
the average yield of sugar amounts to nearly 6 tons per acre.
Considerably less than 10 tons of cane are required to give
a ton of sugar, and in some instances 7 have
sufficient. (Jnternational Suyar Journal.)

tons been

The cultivation of pine-apples in Singapore has lately
undergone considerable extension, with the result that the
price of the fruit in the local markets was recently no more
than le. each. Pineapple canning is carried on on a large
seale, this industry being chiefly in the hands of Chinese.
Cocoa-nut palms and rubber trees are being planted through
many of the pine-apple fields, with the object of providing
permanent crops. (Agricultural Bulletin of Malay States.)

A stall for the sale to farmers and others of economic
plants from the British Guiana Botanic Gardens is kept up
in the Stabroek Market, Georgetown. During the three
months ending June 30 last, the number of plants sold in this
way was 1,312, which realized 40°81. These plants included
cacao, 266 ; coffee, 235 ; nutmeg, 89 ; and orange, 87.

Experiments.in the cultivation of Caravonica cotton are
being carried on in the Sudan at Khartoum, Kamlin, and
Kassala, but the Director of Agriculture and Lands of the
Sudan Government ina recent report states that neither the
growth of the plants, nor the quality of the cotton produced
has come up to the expectations that were at one time
entertained in regard to this crop.

Steadily increasing exports of bananas are
from Surinam to New York. On September
‘ Marsurge ’ shipped a cargo of 6,475 bunches,
follows : 3,649 bunches of nine hands, 2,016
eight hands, and 828 bunches of seven hands. According
to the Port-ofSpain Gazette, it is the opinion of many
planters that as many as 2,000 bunches of bananas per week
will be exported from the colony.

being made
5, the S.S.
made up as
bunches of

A recent issue of the Board of Trade Journal mentions
that the process which has lately been patented for the
extraction of wax from the epidermis of the sugar-cane will
be adopted on over a hundred estates in Java during the
coming reaping season, It is estimated that about 1 Ib. of
wax will be recovered froma ton of cane. The produet is
somewhat similar to Carnauba wax, and can, it is thought,
be used for the manufacture of phonograph records.

The sugar crop of the Argentine republic for the year
1907 amounted to 109,000 tons, while the annual consump-
tion of sugar in the country amounts to about 150,000 tons.
Inports of this product are made from Brazil, Peru, Mauritius,
and Germany. Agriculture in the Argentine is generally im
a very backward condition, although it is believed that good
crops of sugar, rice, cotton, tobacco, and tropical fruits might
be produced in the northern part of the country. (British
Consular Report.)

The Aew Bulletin (No. 7, 1908) contains a note mention-
ing that specimens of Pi/ocarpus racemosus, in tlower and
fruit, were lately received at Kew Gardens from Sir Daniel
Morris. These specimens were collected in the northern
part of Montserrat by Mr. W. Robson, Curator of the Botanic
Station. P. racemosus is the only native West Indian species of
the genus and is a strong-smelling shrub from 6 to 16 feet
high.

With the exception of one or two local showers, practically
no rainfall was experienced at Barbados during the first three
weeks of September. The record for the island from January
1 to August 31—21°36 inches—is, with two exceptions
(1894 and 1898), the lowest fall registered for the correspond
ing period during the past twenty-two years. It is satisfactory
to be able to report that the serious state of affairs brought
about by the long drought has been considerably relieved
over the greater part of the island. by. heavy.showers which
fellon the night of September 24, and on the following
morning. In several districts rather more than 4 inches of
rain were recorded within twelve hours. On the other hand,
no. more than from 3 to 60 parts of rain were registered om
certain estates in St. Philip and Christ Church parishes.

Vou. VII. No. 168.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

317

THE

REPORT ON
EXPERIMENT PLOTS,

MONTSERRAT’: ANNUAL
BOTANIC STATION AND
1907-8.

The report of the Curator states that the expenditure on
the Botanic Station and on the Experiment Plots at Harris’
and Olveston amounted to £602 9s. 9¢., while the receipts from
the sale cf plants, ete., for the year amounted to £45 Os. 114d.

Owing to the increased attention given to Sea Island
cotton cultivation there has been a great falling off in the
number of economic plants distributed in the island. Only
3,296 plants were sent out, in addition to a large number of
cuttings of cassava and sweet potatos as compared with
11,975 in the previous year. ‘The (leerease is especially
noticeable in the case of limes and cacao.

A number of interesting experiments in the cultivation
of Sea Island cotton, onions, Irish potatos, and other provision
crops, as well as with cacao, limes, etc., are in progress at the
Stations, and the results are set out in detail in the report.
The Sea Island cotton plot at Grove Station indicated, for
the third year in succession, that close planting in the rows
(5 feet x 11 feet) is likely to give the highest returns. The
value of frequent cultivation between the rows, as influenc-
ing the yield of cotton obtained, is also evident. The opinion
is expressed, as the result of experimental cultivation, that the
growth of English vegetables in Montserrat is worthy of more
attention than it reccives at present.

Notable progress has been made in the cotton industry,
the area planted for the year being 2,100 acres as compared
with 1,050 acres in 1906-7. A considerable acreage was
planted by the peasantry. The exports of lint show an
advance from 160,000 tb. in 1906-7 to 360,000 Ib. in 1907-8.
An appendix to the report gives details of the results of
manurial experiments carried out in the island.

Tne efforts to improve the local breeds of stock in
Montserrat were continued during the year. ‘lwo pedigree
bulls, of the Devon and Hereford breeds respectively, were
maintained in the island for service, a privilege of which
advantage was taken by a considerable number of stock-
“Owners.

BRITISH GUIANA: ANNUAL
THE BOTANIC GARDENS, 1907-8,
B.A., B.Se., V.L.8., Government Botanist.

During the year under review 20,724 plants of various
kinds were raised in the nursery and planted out in the
Botanic Gardens. The great variety of plants dealt with is indi-
cated by the fact that the different kinds of seeds sown
numbered 744.

REPORT ON
By A. W. Bartlett,

Para rubber plants (//evea brasiliensis) were raised in

large quantity at the nursery, from seed imported: from
Singapore. The seeds were packed in burnt rice dust, and
forwarded by parcel post in 1-tb. biseuit tins. One- lot of
seed germinated to the extent of 80 per cent. and a second
Jot 64°4 per cent. of the whole. About 50,000 Para rubber
plants were raised, all of which found ready sale.

Two or three kinds of cotfee are experimentally grown

at the Botanic Gardens. , Among these are included the
Maragogipe variety—the. seeds of which were obtained

from Jamaica—Coffea robusta, C. stenophylla, and OC. steno-
phylla hybrid. Vhe berries from C. robusta, which are small,
dark-red in colour, and with a thin pulp, are all being sown.

Two varieties of English potatos were experimentally
grown, but gave only a very poor return.

Seeds of the black Bengal bean (.Wueuna sp.) were sown
on one plot, and the plants made excellent growth, covering
the whole bed, and etfectively keeping down weeds.

A number of vegetables were grown in the Model
Kitchen Garden. The ‘Jersey Wakefield’ cabbage gave
excellent returns, while the ‘Surehead * and ‘ Allhead’ were
also satisfactory. Among tomatos the ‘ American Matchless ’
was the most successful variety tried, while in the experi-
ments with egg-plants, ‘ Black Beauty ~ produced the largest
and handsomest fruits. ‘May King’ and ‘Tom Thumb’
head the list of varieties of lettuce grown, and ‘Carolina
Pole Lima” was best among the beans cultivated.

The total number of economic plants sent out from the
Botanie Gardens numbered 58,564. These included 44,398
Para rubber plants, 2,475 Castilloa rubber plants, 2,730 cacao,
and 2,301 coffee plants. Ornamental plants to the number
of 1,559 were also distributed. The total receipts from the
sale of plants, ete, amounted to $2,38418, or more than
double those of last year. This is chiefly accounted for by
the large sales of Para rubber plants, and to a much less
extent, by the receipts from the stall lately started in the
Stabroek market, for the sale of economic plants.

The total rainfall for the year 1907 was 109-24
inches, which is 16°80 inches higher than the average of the
previous twenty-eight years.

CEYLON: ANNUAL REPORT? ON THE ROYAL
BOTANIC GARDENS, 1907. By J. C. Willis, M.A.,F.L.S.,
Director.

Mr Willis states in his report that the work of the year
has been largely devoted to improving the condition of the
Experiment Station at Peradeniya. With this object, the
cacao and other trees in the older parts have been pruned and
thinned and new plots have been planted. Agriculture m
general was prosperous in Ceylon during 1907. The extension
of the rubber area continued in the earlier part of the year,
but a drop in the price of rubber, and a simultaneous rise
in the price of tea attracted. more attention to the latter pro-
duct. The stem-bleeding disease (7hiclaviopsis ethaceticus)
of the cocoa-nut palm has spread considerably during the
year, and since the cocoa-nut crop is the one that occupies the
largest area of any in Ceylon, this has caused considerable
anxiety.

The reports of the Government Entomologist, Mycologist,
Chemist, and Curators of the Experiment Stations, together
with that of the Superintendent of School Gardens, ete.,
are issued as supplements to the report of the Director.

School Garden work is evidently progressing in Ceylon
judging from the report of the Superintendent of that branch
of Agricultural instruction. In 1907, the number of gardens

worked was 134, as against 122 in the preceding year. Dur-

ing the:year under review forty-two schools were given imple-
ments-and twelve supplied with wire fencing. Prizes are
awarded by.the Government and the Agricultural Society for
the best- cultivated gardens. About 6,500 packets of seeds
and nearly 1,000 plants, bulbs, and- euttings were distri-
buted to the gardens, this being practically double the
quantity sent out last year.

315

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Ocroper 3; 1908.

FISH OF THE CARIBBEAN SEAS.

Under the above title an interesting article deal-
ing with the chief fish of the West Indian Seas, and
the methods used in capturing them appears in the
June number of Tropical and Subtropical America.

It is pointed out that the Caribbean Sea swarms with
fish of many kinds, many of them being of the greatest value
for food purposes, but owing partly to the antiquated methods
adopted by the fishermen, full advantage is not taken of
this source of food supply.

In discussing the chief fish found in the Caribbean Seas,
reference is first made to the well-known flying fish. This
includes a number of species all much alike in general appear-
ance, the fish being greenish-black or steel-blue above, and
silvery below. Under favourable conditions flying fish attain
a length of from 12 to 15 inches, and a w eight of. trom 1} to
2 tb. Barbados is the island where the flying fish industry is
of the most importance, and there a large number of boats
and a small army of men are engaged in connexion with it.
The method of capturing flying fish by means of seine nets
is described, but it may be stated that at Barbados the flying
fish are usnally caught by means of a circular dipping
net. It is also mentioned that Spanish mackerel, ‘jack,’
and other small fish are captured in a somewhat similar
way. Speaking generally the small fish are canght in seines,
cast nets, and fish pots, while the large fish, among which
may be included the dolphin, the barracouta, red snappers,
the albacore or ‘tuna,’ and the King-fish or ‘ cero,’ are captured
by hook and line.

The albacore is found in the seas around Barbados, and
other islands, and is the largest of any Caribbean fish caught by
hand line. Not infrequently it attains a weight of 200 Ib.,
while it is stated that occasionally specimens are found
weighing as much as 1,000 Ib. The albacore is a strong,
gamey, hard-fighting fish resembling the tarpon in these
characteristics. Another fine tropical fish is the King-
fish ‘already mentioned, the flesh of which is of excellent
Havour. In the West Indian seas it grows toa great size
reaching 6 or 8 feet in length, and sometimes as much as
100 Ib. in weight, although the majority caught and sold
for food purposes do not weigh more than 30 tb. Large
numbers of small fish are caught in large fish pots of some-
what antiquated pattern, and mostly constructed of split
bamboo and palm leaves. Latterly many fishermen in the
West Indies have adopted the use of wire netting in the
construction of these fish pots, and it is stated that they
obtain better results than with the bamboo pots.

Among the commonest fish caught in the pots are

mentioned the squirrel-fish, banana fish, scarlet-hind, rock

fish, groupers, and angel fish, as well as_ the parrot fish.
Many of these fish are red in colour, This red colouring

serves as a protective agency to the fish possessing it, for when
viewed through blue water the red appears as a mere neutral
tint.

Crabs and also the clawless lobster are sometimes found

in these fish pots. The latter grows to a large size, often
weighing 20 bb.

Mention is made at the close of the article of sea turtles
caught in the Caribbean seas. The headquarters of the turtle
trade of the West Indies are at Kingston in Jamaica, most of
the turtles being caught on the coral reef to the north of the
island. In the past they have. been so persistently hunted
and their eggs destroyed in such Jarge numbers that in
many localities they are now on the verge of extinction. In
Barbados, at least, legislative efforts have recently been made
with the object of preventing this.

FEEDING VALUE AND FLAVOUR
OF NUTS.

An interesting article in the Yearbook: of the
United States Department of Agriculture (1906) deals
with the use of nuts as food: for man, and gives a large
amount of information as to the composition, value, and
digestibility of these fruits.

As is pointed out in the article referred to, the term

‘nut’ isnot a definite one—botanically speaking—but is
apphed indiscriminately to a variety of certain fruits, or

paris of fruits, and implies a more or less hard, woody cover-
ing, surrounding a meat or kernel. ‘The fact that nuts form
a concentrated class of food-stutts, owing to their general
richness in fats and proteins—the two most valuable of nutri-
tive constituents—is very evident from a consideration of the
tabulated results of analysis of a large number of different
kinds of nuts, given in the article. Oil or fat is very
commonly a prominent constituent of nuts. The hickory nut
(Carya sp.) contains 67-4 per cent. of oil, the Brazil nut
(Bertholletia excelsa), 65 per cent., the candle-nut (Alewrites
tribola), 61:7 per cent., the butter-nut (Caryocar nuciferum),
61:2 per cent., the walnut (Juglans
the cocoa-nut 56°2, the almond 54:4,
(Arachis hypogaea) £5°5 per cent.

regia), 60°7 per cent.,
and the ground nut

Several of the above, as well as others, are also rich in
protein or albuminous matter—that constituent of foods
which goes to form muscles or red meat in the animal body.
In the ‘ground nut the proportion of protein reaches 29°8 per
cent., while in the case of the butter-nut the protein com-
prises 27°9 per cent. Other nuts rich in albuminoid matter
are the pistachio, 22°6 per cent.; the Paradise nut of South
America (which resembles the Brazil nut in appearance and
flavour), about 22°2 per cent.: the almond and the candle-nut,
each 21°4 per cent.; the walnut, 18°2 per cent., and the
Brazil nut, 17-4 per cent. The proportion of albuminoid
matter in the cocoa-nut comprises only 6°6 per cent.

Only a few of the commonly used nuts contain a large
proportion cf carbohydrate matter. Among these the dry
chestnut, with 73:0 per cent., ranks highest.

When it is considered that the proportion of protein
in an average beef steak comprises 19°8 per cent., and of fat
13°6 per cent., that in Cheddar cheese the protein percentage
may be taken as 27°77 and the fat percentage as 36°83, and

that boiled eggs contain 12°4 per cent. of albuminoid
matter, and 1U‘7 per cent. of fat, it will be seen that the

food value of nuts, as deduced from their percentage composi
tion of nutritive matter, is, generally speaking, a high one.
This food value is somewhat depreciated on account of the
fact that the nutritive constituents, more especially the
protein matter, are not so easily digested as the correspond-
ing constituents of meat, but the opinion is expressed by the
writer of the article that this inferior digestibility is, toa large
extent, due to imperfect mastication of the nuts.

The flavour of nuts is to a large extent due to the oils
present, though in some kinds there are also certain specific
flavouring bodies. The nut oils readily become raneid, and
the disagreeable flavour of spoiled nuts is due to this property.

The almond possesses a hydrocyanic acid flavour, which is
characteristic of the kernels of peach stones, plum stones, ete.,
and this might be expected when it is remembered that the
almond is the dried kernel of an inedible fruit, which some-
what resembles the peach in appearance, and is closely related
to it botanically. Most almonds are mild-flavoured, though
in the so-called bitter almonds the glucoside which yields the
cyanie acid is more abundant.

Vor. VII. No. 168. THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 319

LETTUCE CULTIVATION.

The lettuce crop is one of those minor vegetable
products to which much more attention might be paid
by small cultivators in the West Indies than is at
present-the case. Lettuce is a product which from its
refreshing and cooling nature is always acceptable in
the tropics—a fact which ensures it a ready sale, and
considering the ease with which it can be cultivated,
there is no reason why everyone who has a small plot
of garden should not have a supply of the vegetable
all the year round.

A Bulletin has lately been issued from the Central Agri-
cultural Experiment Station, Cuba, dealing with lettuce
cultivation. It is stated that over forty varieties have been
under experiment at the station, and have given very
excellent results. Lettuce plants should, of course, be first
raised ina small seed-bed, and afterwards transplanted to
the plots where they are to develop. The soil of the seed-
bed should be very fine and mellow, and should be rich in
humus or vegetable manure. Lettuce seed is small and hght,
and should be sowu rather thickly, across the bed in rows
from 2 to 3 inches wide, but not deeper than from 4 to $ inch.
The soil should be pressed firmly down over the seeds.

At the Cuban Experiment Station the young lettuce
plants were first transplanted into rows 4 inches wide, and
with the plants 2 inches apart inthe row. Three weeks later
when the plants were large and strong, and possessed from
four to six well-formed leaves, they were again transplanted,
this time being set out in the field. It is advisable that the
young plants should be shaded from the «sun for a few days
after they have been transplanted. Of course when the crop
is grown only on a sinall scale in garden plots, two trans-
plantations are not necessary. The cultivator must bear in
mind, however, the importance of allowing the young plants
plenty of room to develop. A distance of 12 to 15 inches
each way should be allowed between the plants in the
permanent beds. The soil in the permanent beds should
be cultivated to a depth of 5 or 6 inches, and the surface
should be smooth and mellow when the plants are set out.
All heavy clods, stones, grass, etc., should be removed before-
hand. To obtain lettuce of the best quality, the vegetable
must be grown quickly, and for this to take place the soil
should be moist and exceedingly well supplied with vegetable
matter. The organic matter may best be supplied by a dress-
ing of pen manure, well worked into the soil. In transplant-
ing, the soil should be pressed around the roots of the young
plants, and the ground, if dry, should be well watered as they
are set out.

The authors of the Cuban bulletin state that on most
soils the lettuce crop will pay for a fairly liberal dressing of
artificial manure, in addition to the pen manure mentioned
above. They recommend a mixture of two parts of sulphate
of ammonia, one part of sulphate of potash, and three parts
of superphosphate, this mixture to be applied at the rate of
about 1,200 tb. per acre. This should be raked or harrowed
into the soil about ten days before the plants are set out. The
soil between the rows of lettuce should be regularly hoed and
cultivated after the crop has started, since there is nothing
which helps the growing of the young plants so much as
keeping the surface of the ground frequently and thoroughly
stirred. Hoeing is especially necessary after rain so as to
prevent the soil from baking, and to keep a coating of fine
loose soil over the surface. The advisability of providing
shade for the young lettuce plants was tested at the Cuban
Experiment Station by the use of a large cheese cloth, but

the results indicate that this practice is not one to be
recommended,

It was mentioned above that over forty varieties were
tested in the Cuban experiments. Many of these have done
exceedingly well and the following varieties are especially
recommended : Hubbard Market, Big Boston, California
Cream Butter, Tennis Ball Black-seeded, Deacon, Iceberg, and
New York.

THE DIGESTIBILITY OF PRICKLY PEAR
WHEN FED TO CATTLE.

A pamphlet has lately been issued by the United
States Department of Agriculture (Bulletin 106 of the
Bureau of Animal Industry) containing a detailed
report on a lengthy series of experiments conducted at
the College of Agriculture, New Mexico, in order to
test the digestibility of the cacti known as ‘ prickly
pear’ (Opuntia spp.) when fed, both alone and in
conjunction with other foods, to cattle.

Previous bulletins issued by the Department have given
analyses showing the chemical composition of a large
number of cacti, including prickly pear, but since the value of
a material as a food is not determined solely by its composi-
tion, it is necessary also to know the percentage digestibility
of the nutrients found present by the chemist.

The mode in which the digestion experiments are
conducted is simple. First the animal is fed on the feeding
stuff for a few days until all other feeds have been removed
from the alimentary canal. The animal is then, under suit-
able conditions, fed with a weighed amount of the feeding
stuff, the composition of which is determined by analysis.
All the liquid and solid excreta is collected, weighed, and
analysed, and the amount of nutrients it is found to contain
is subtracted from the amount of the corresponding nutrients
fed. In this way the percentage of each constituent digested
is ascertained.

The following were among the conclusions arrived
at as a result of the experiments :—

The average digestibility of the nutritive constituents of
prickly pear (Opuntia spp.), fed alone, were: dry matter,
from 63°96 to 65°86 per cent.; ash, 53°68 to 35°81 per cent.;
albuminoids, 40°87 to 57-47 per cent.; fat, 68°38 to 69:02
per cent.; carbohydrates (starches, sugars, ete.), 78°95 to
81:78 per cent., and fibre, 41°32 to 53°99 per cent.

Compared with ordinary green fodder foods, it may be
said that the above figures show a somewhat low digestibility
for the albuminoids of prickly pear, a very low digestibility
for the ash, but a very good digestibility for the carbohy-

drates. Taken altogether, the digestibility of the various
constitnents is about the same as that of immature green

maize fodder.

When prickly pear is fed with well-cured fodder, as hay
for instance, or oats, cotton-seed meal, etc., the digestibility
of both materials is increased. In these cases the prickly pear
has a greater food value than the above figures would seem
to indicate.

The albmninoid ratio, i.e., the ratio of albuminous, or
nitrogenous constituents to carbohydrates, is very low im
prickly pear. Hence, much better results will always be
obtained when it is fed with some food rich in nitrogenous
constituents, as pea, or bean, or cotton-seed meal.

It is suggested that a satisfactory ration for milch
cows would consist of 50 tb. of chopped prickly pear,
5 tb. of cotton-seed meal, and a small amount of rough
cured fodder, as hay or straw,

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocropyr 3, 1908.

MARKET REPORTS:

London,-—September 15, 1908, THe West Inp1a Com-

MITTER CrrcuLar; Messrs. Kearton, Piper & Co.,
September 15, 1908.

Arrowrkoot—1Lid. to 24d. per th.

BaLatra—Sheet, 2 1 to 2/4; block, no quotations.

Brrs’-wax—Good quality, £7 7s. 6d. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 60 - to 76 - per ewt.; Grenada, 52 - to
61 - per ewt.

Correr—Santos, 26s. 6/. per ewt. ; Jamaica, no quotations.

Copra—West Indian, £17 to £17 10s. per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, 14d. to 15d. ; Barbados, 14:7. to 15d. ;
St. Iitt’s, 14d. to 15d.; Montserrat, 14d. to 15d.
per Th.

Fruit
3ANANAS Jamaica, 4.6 to 6/- per bunch.
Limes—Very slow of sale ; 2.6 to 3/- per box.
PINe-ApeLEs—St. Michael, 1/6 to 3/6 each.

GRAPE Fruir—7/- to 10/- per box.
ORANGES—Jamaica, 9/- to LO/- per box.

Fustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

Gincer—Dull.

Honry—19s. 6d. to 25s. per ewt.

IsincLass—West India Inmp, 2/1 to 2/4 per tb. ; cake, no
quotations.

Lame Jurcr—Raw, 1- to 13 per gallon; concentrated,
£15 2s. Gd. per cask of LOS gallons ; distilled oil, 2/5
per Ih. . hand-pressed, 46 per Ih.

Loc woop— £3. 10s. to £4 4s. per ton ; roots, no quotations.

Mace—Quiet : no quotations.

Nurmeéus—Steady.

PIMENTO Steady, but quiet.

Rum—Jamaica, 3 3to 8-; Demerara, 2 4 to 27 per gallon;
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 15/9 to 16.6 per ewt.; Muscovado, 144;
Molasses, no quotations,

New York,— September 4, 1908. —Messrs. Gincespre,

Bros. & Co,

Cacao—Caracas, 13c. to L8e. ; Grenada, L2%c. to 14e.
Trinidad, 13c. to IBZc. ; Jamaica, lOc. to 124c. per th.

Cocoa-NutTs—Jamaica, select, $25°00 to S26-00: culls, no
quotations ; Trinidad, 25°00; culls, 315-00 per M.

Corree—Jamaica, ordinary, 7}c. to The.; good ordinary, 7 fe.
to 8fe. per Ih.

GInGeR— LO fe. to Ide. per Ih.

Goat Skins— Antigua and Barbados, dry tlint, from 48e.
to 49c. ; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46c. to 47c.
per Th., day flint.

Grave Frere—Jamaica, 86°00 to 87-00 per barrel.

Limes—$3°50 to 84°00 per barrel. Market over-stocked.

Mack—26e. to 32c. per Th.

Nurmecs—ILL0's, 10je. per Th.

ORANGES — Jamaica; 84°50 to 85-00 per barrel,

Pimento—2ke. to 4e. per I.

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 3°90¢, ; Muscovadas, 89°, 8°40¢.;
Molasses, 89°, 3:Ldc. per Ih., duty paid,

Trinidad, September 19, 1908.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados, —Messrs. Jamus A. Lyxcu & Co., September 21,

1908; Messrs. Leacock & Co., September 26,
1908.

Arrowroort—St. Vincent, 34°10 to $450 per 100 th.

Cacao—Dominica, 314-00 per L100 th.

Cocoa-Nuts—No quotations.

CorreE—Jamaica, S8°50 to S900 per LOO th.

Hay—S1°15 to S1°20 per L100 Th.

Manvurets—Nitrate of soda, $62°00; Ohlendortt’s dissolved
guano, $5500 ; Cotton manure, $42°00 ; Cacao manure,
342°00; Sulphate of ammonia, $72°00; Sulphate of
potash, S67 00 per ton.

Mo vasses— No quotations.

Ontons—Strings, $2°75 to S3-00 per 100 th.

Poratros—Dutch, 82°80 per 160 th.

Peéas—Split, 86°50 ; Canada, no quotations.

Rice— Demerara, 86°10 (180 th.) ; Patna, $3°50 ; Rangoon,
$3-00 to $3°L0 per 100 Th.

Sucar—No quotations.

British Guiana, — Messrs. Wierinc & Ricnrpr, September

19, 1908; Messrs. SanppacH, Parker & Co.,
September 18, 1908.

Arrowroor—St. Vincent, 89°50 to S10-00 per 200 th.

Barara—Venezuela block 52c. ; Demerara sheet 48c. per
Ih.

Cacao—Native 14c. to 18c. per th.

Cassava—60c. to 96e.

Cassava SparcH—S7‘00 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocoa-NutTS—S12°00 to S16-00 per M.

CorrEE—Creole 10c. to 13c. ; Jamaica 12c. per th.

Drat—$5°25 to $5°40 per bag of 168 Th.

Eppos—S81°32 per barrel.

Morasses— Yellow, no quotations : Dark, no quotations.

Ontons— Madeira, 2he. to 2ke.; per th.; Lisbon, no quota-
tions ; Dutch, no quotations.

PrLanrarns—12e. to 28e. per bunch.

Poratros—English, no quotations.

Poraros—Sweet, Barbados, $1°20 to SL°80 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, 86°25; Creole, 85°50) to 85°60) for good ;
Seeta, $6°00.

Sprit Pras—86°60 to S6°75 per bag (210 Tb.) ; Lisbon, 84°50.

TANNIAS-S1°68 to S180 per bag.

Yams White, $2716; Buck, 82°40 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $200 to $220; Yellow, $3:00;
White, $3°50 to $3-70; Molasses, $2°00 to $2°10 per
LOO th. (retail).

Timber—Greenheart, $2. to 5de. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3'75 to 85°79 per M.
—Corpwoop—S2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT
& Co

Cacao—Venezuelan, $13°00 to 818°25 per fanega.
Cocoa-nurs—Selected, S21-C0 per M. f.o.b.

Cocoa-Nov Orm—bds. per Lnperial gallon, cask included
Correr-— Venezuelan, Ste. to Sse. per th.

Copra 83:00 to $315 per 100 th.

Duat—$4°60 to $4°70 per 2-bushel bag.
Ontons—-$1°40 to S150 per 100 Th. (retail).
Poraros—English, $1°40 to $1°50 per LOO Th.

Rick— Yellow, $5°40 to $5°75; White, 85°50 to $5°65 per bag.
Sprit Peas—$6°50 to $6°75 per bag.

Sucar—Ameriean crushed, $5°00 to $5°L0 per LOO tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
FOR THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN.’ A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

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Price 4d.

Price 4d.

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Wor. Ville Nos 169:

BARBADOS,

Price ld.

OCTOBER 17, 1908.

CONTENTS.

PAGE. PAGE.
3ee-keeping in Ceylon 324) Packing of Non-dryable
Bermuda Arrowroot -.. 328 Seedsepae. ce 25 Oot
Bermuda: Improvement of Pine-apple Culture in

Agriculture at ... 0... 384 Bloriday -. -.s- ..- 324
Pritish Honduras, Agri- (Quinine as a Preventive
cultural Exports of ... 329 against Malaria OLS

Cacao Production in Brazil 331
Cotton Notes :—
Cotton-growing in
JET 9 Bae. poo nee O49
Cotton in the Sea Islands 326
Horse Cultivator for

Rice Crop of United States 529
Rubber Exports from
Baliga cu testes nor C
Rubber Production in the
Congo Free State ... 325
Rubber, Treatment of

CONDE Bag om SAY Latex in Preparation
West Indian Cotton ... 526 t F <b swe
Departmental Reports : x 030 PO ate ca aie
St. Vincent : Botanic St. Kitt’s-Nevis, Gale at 329
Station, Agricultural School Shows at Trinidad 328

Science Notes :
Agricultural Plants, The
Improvement of ... 331
Stock-keeping at
St. Vincent
Sugar Industry :
og) Formosa, Sugar Industry

School, ete., 1907-8... 355
Trinidad : Government
Stock Farm, 1907-8... 333
Duteh Guiana, Agricultural
Industries of ... ... 325
Forage Crops for Hogs

(Gleaninosiena tise. ican) een tee ne 393
Grenada, Agricultural ©. | Seedlings@anes 0. 130
Meeting at Joy OSCR and B. 306 in
Hand Cultivators ... ... 329 Maukigusesae «2 |<: O22
Insect Notes : Tobacco Production in
Diptera, The... ... ... 330 ROdestaseeeess | ee) 2D
Maize Crop of the United West Indian Cotton
States Bib ash) oe B00 Growing)... <:; .-. 321
Market Reports... ... 386) West Indian Products on
Notes and Comments — ... 328 the London Market 335

Indian Cotton Growing.

West

Lancashire Cotton Conference

AS
iS the late
NS have come to hand, the attention of plant-

Vee (TR
> ers may well be drawn to one or two points of especial

interest among those discussed.

The

> product has

question ot the prices obtained for their

caused some uneasiness among growers

in the West Indies during the past season, and the

opinion has been expresed in some quarters that
the supply of cotton grown in these islands has

already overtaken the existing Lancashire demand
This
view of affairs was, however, stated by Mr. J. Arthur
Hutton, the British
Cotton-growing Association, to be quite a wrong one

for lint of the particular degree of fineness.

Chairman of the Council of
There was no danger whatever of over-production of
Sea Island cotton in the West Indies. But Mr. Hutton
pointed out that planters, outside of St. Vincent, were
making a mistake if they aimed at growing cotton of
the finest grade and longest staple. For this class of
produce there was indeed but a limited demand. What
was wanted, and for whieh there would always be
a good market at remunerative prices, was a stronger
and more generally serviceable kind of lint, of the
second grade of. fineness. Such a type of cotton had
lately been produced by a planter at Barbados (see
Agricultural News of May 2

growers would be well advised to devote their energies

last, page 134), and
to the production of cotton of the kind mentioned.

Mr. Hutton attributed the low prices obtained for
Sea Island cotton in the past season to general trade
Rubber

suffering in the same way :

depression. and other products were also
a little more than a year
ago the best rubber commanded a price of 5s. per th.,

whereas to-day it was only worth about half that sum.

It was pointed out by Sir Daniel Morris that the
protitable nature or otherwise of cotton growing in the
West Indics depended as much upon the yield of lint
obtained per acre, as upon the market price of the pro-
duet. Ifit were possible to obtain returns of 200 th. to

250 tb. per acre, the industry would be a comparatively

THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

OcroBber 17, 1908.

sound one, even at the present moderate prices. Growers
could not regulate the market price, but it was an
undoubted fact that the power of improving the condi-
tions of the industry and the average return per acre
was well within their reach, provided they devoted
close attention to seed selection, and planted the varie-
ties best suited to local conditions. The possibilities
that lay in this direction were evident from the
work done by one grower at Barbados, and already
referred to. By careful, attention to seed selection,
in co-operation with the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, with the object of
hardy and prolific race of plants, this planter

raising a more

had
succeeded in producing a type of cotton which has
been recognized as the most useful kind ever grown in
the West Indies.
a heavier yield than any other variety, and was said,
also, to be less liable to disease.

In addition. this particular sort gave

The returns of cotton obtained in some parts of the
West Indies were undoubtedly in many cases dimin-
ished by disease, but the Imperial Commissioner
expressed his conviction, that if planters were to
regularly follow the advice given them by the Imperial
Department of Agriculture there would be much less
disease. Whole fields of old cotton, covered with scale
insects, or affected with other pests, may not infre-
quently be seen side by side with young cotton, and no
industry can possibly flourish under such conditions.
To limit the ravages of disease, common action must be
taken in each island or district. This has been done in
Montserrat with excellent results. In the early days of
the industry in that island the cotton plants were badly
attacked by the leaf-blister mite and by black boll, and
the average returns per acre were very discouraging.
About three ago, the
recommendation of the Imperial Department of Agri-

years Montserrat growers, on

g
culture, agreed to plant selected seed only, to cultivate
highly, and to get rid of all the old plants before start-
ing with the new crop. ‘The result of this system of
working is evident from the fact that the highest
average crop return yielded in any portion of the
West Indies durimg the ‘past season was obtained at
the rate of 175 th. of lint

Montserrat. This was at

per acre,

the
Conference by the Manchester spinners, and one which

A point to which attention was drawn at
might profitably be considered by cotton growers, as
another factor affecting the returns obtainable in their
industry, is the manner in which cotton is baled and
sent forward to England. With any commodity it is

likely that the manner in which it is put up and placed

influence on the
This is especially probable when
neglect in sorting and forwarding in convenient lot
entails extra ‘trouble on the purchaser. It was
mentioned by Mr. C. M. Wolstenholme, of-the firm of
Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, who have handled
the greater part of the Sea Island cotton grown in the
West that Barbados
came forward very well graded, and in convenient lots,
this could not be said in regard to the other islands,
with the possible exception of Antigua.

on the market will have a certain
price obtained.

Indies, while cotton from

It was stated
that many planters, whose produce may amount to
10 bales, forward this in ten separate shipments. and
effort assort the contents. It is
obvious that the best returns cannot be obtained in
such cases, and it is distinctly in the interest of planters
to save their crop until 8 or 10 bales, all under one
If the lint is well
graded, the shipment sells more easily, and ata higher

with no made to

mark, can be sent forward at once.

price.

It may be mentioned that among the papers laid
before the Conference was one containing a statement
showing the amount and estimated value of the cotton
(lint and seed) exported from the West Indian colonies
during the period from January 1, 1902, to June 30,
1908. From this it is satisfactory to note that the
steady increase in value of the industry has been
continued during the past year. For the year ended
September 30, 1907, the weight of lint shipped was
2,013,698 th., while the total value of the produce
(lint and seed together) during that year was £186,510,
At the time of the Manchester Conference, Customs
returns were available only for the first nine months
of the year-1907-8 : but during this period the weight
of lint exported totalled 2,648,613 tb. and the value of
the lint and seed together reached £215,150.

=

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Seedling Canes D. 130 and B. 306 in Mauritius.

The above. two canes have been grown at the
Agricultural Experiment Stations in Mauritius, and
also on several estates in the island, during the past
five years. The first crop of plant canes on a commer-
cial. scale was obtained in 1904. It would appear that
while D. 130 has given very good results, the cane B. 306
is far from being satisfactory in the colony. The
following details are taken from the latest annual

VoL, VEE No 169:

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

323

report on the Agricultural Experiment Stations of
Mauritius :—

Some few years ago the Chamber of Agriculture of
Mauritius received samples of two seedling canes from
Barbados, viz., canes D. 130 and B. 306. Cuttings were
distributed, and these two varieties are now cultivated over
a fairly large area in the island. The stalks of the canes are
white in colour when mature ; they possess a good percentage
of sucrose, and generally it would appear that the new varie-
ties are an acquisition on the greater number of estates. How-
ever, during 1908-7, and also in 1905-6, some complaints
have been received from planters as to the quality of these
seedling canes. The canes which are reported to be giving
bad results are in almost all cases described by the planters
as being of the D.130 variety, but from the results obtained
at the Experiment Stations we feel Sure that some confusion
has arisen over the two kinds, and that the name 1D. 130 has

been more generally remembered, and is being applied
indiscriminately to the two imported varieties. This is the

more probable, because the two canes are very similar in
appearance, the chief difference being that while the leaves of
D. 130 are open and well spread out, those of B. 306 are
shrivelled up, as if the plants are suftering from drought.

The cane 1). 130 indeed grows strongly and vigorously
in Mauritius, but from the second year after the plants were
introduced into the island, it has been noticed that B. 306
has made only very poor growth. Numbers of plants of the
latter variety died out in the plantings made at the Experi.
ment Station, and the distribution of cuttings of this cane
have lately been stopped : cuttings of D. 130 only are now
sent out. The latter kind is much better known in Mauritius
than the former and far more widely cultivated. On certain
estates in the north of the island, D. 130 has been propagated
on a large scale, and the managers are very satisfied with the
results obtained.

It is evident, therefore, that those planters who complain
of cane D. 130 are under a mistake as to the name of the
variety, and that it is B. 306 alone which is unsatisfac-
tory. Planters in the island are urged to verify this
statement for themselves before removing the seedling canes
from their cultivations.

Though B. 306 is liable to attacks by fungoid diseases,
D. 130 has resisted them successfully in Mauritius up to the
present ; and in the Gardens at Pamplemousses, while some
rows of B. 306 have entirely died ont, adjoining rows of
D. 130 have constantly kept up a vigorous growth.

A tabular statement of tne returns obtained in
trials made at the Experiment Station with the two
seedlings as plant canes and as ratoons, is given in the
report. From this it appears that in the first year
D. 130 yielded 15:14 tons of canes per acre, the juice of
which contained 2438 per cent. of sucrose. As
first ratoons this cane yielded 16°33.tons of canes per
acre with a sucrose percentage of 22°25, and as second
ratoons, 19-2 tons of canes to the acre, with a percentage
of sucrose equal to 23°23. In the fourth year the
amonnt of canes reaped per acre fell to 13°13 tons, the
sucrose percentage being 22'84 of the juice.

Cane B. 306 was grown as plant-canes and as first
ratoons only, In the first case a crop of 11:66 tons of
canes per acre was reaped, the juice havinga percentage
of sucrose equal to 22°32, while as first ratoons the
yield of canes was no more than 7°66 tons per acre, and
the sucrose percentage 21°44.

Sugar Industry in Formosa.

Sugar production has recently received great
attention in Formosa, and in view of the undoubted
suitability of the southern portion of the island for
cane cultivation, and the extensive market that exists
for the produce in Japan alone, the industry is believed
by those best qualified to judge to have great prospects
of future development.

A lengthy account of the conditions of the Formosan
sugar industry is given in the latest report of the British
Consul at Tainan. From this it appears that production is
increasing, and that in the course of a few years the output
may be expected to reach from 200,000 to 240,000 tons per
annum, as compared with about 70,000 tons of sugar twelve
years ago.

The soil and climatic conditions existing on the plains
in the south of Formosa are described as being excellent for
cane cultivation. The rainfall is well distributed and regu-
lar, which is a great advantage. There is also an abundant
supply of waterways, so that a system of irrigation could be
adopted if necessary.

Many modern factories, working on the central system,
have lately been erected in Formosa, and nearly all the best
land has been allotted to these mills. Labour is abundant
and cheap, and a good deal of the land is let ont by the mill
owners, to small cultivators, who grow canes for sale to the
factories. The price paid for these canes usually varies from
about 8s. 9d. to 11s. 10d. per ton, the average during the
past year being 10s. per ton. Now,that a good number of
modern factories exist in the island, the further development
of the industry will best be brought about by the introduc-
tion of superior varieties of cane, better methods of cultiva-
tion—such as deep ploughing by means of steam ploughs, and
by judicious applications of artificial manures to the different
soils. The great extent to which the sugar-cane lands are
divided up into small holdings would, however, probably be
a dithiculty in the way of the general adoption of deep cultiva-
tion by steam ploughs in Formosa.

It is stated that the modern mills, with up-to-date
machinery, secure an extraction of 70 to 75 per cent. of
jiice, giving a sugar yield equal to from 94 to 11 per cent.
of the weight of cane.

The crop season in Formosa begins in November. Owing
to shortage of rain at the time of planting, the 1907-8 crop
has been smaller than that of the previous year. The total
amount of raw sugar exported from this crop was 1,055,406
ewt., valued at £734,581, while from the 1906-7 crop
1,283,793 ewt., having a value of £848,718 were shipped
abroad. With the exception of a very small quantity shipped
to China and Hong-Kong, the whole of the sugar exports
went to Japan. Prices during 1907-8 were low ; the market
at Tainan opened in November 1907 at 15s. 5d. per picul
(1334 tb.), ordinary medium grade brown sugar, manufactured
on the old system. In March last, the price was about 17s. 3d,
per picul. The Consul states that white sugar produced by
the modern factories commands a price of £1 7s. 1d. per
picul in Formosa.

Formosan sugars are imported into Japan free of duty,
while sugars from other countries have to pay import tax,
The annual consumption of sugar in Japan is about 225,000
tons, so that the Formosan industry may yet undergo
considerable expansion before it can furnish the whole of
the supply needed by Japan.

324 TBE

AGRICULTURAL

Ocrosper 17, 1908.

} ae
iuil\ SS
Ss

WEST

PINE-APPLE CULTURE IN _ FLORIDA.

The first shipments of pine-apples on a commercial
scale were made from Floridain 1884,and the annual out-
put has now reached over 500.000 crates. An account
of the methods of planting. cultivating, and manuring
the crop which have been ‘found to give the best results
in the State is given, with other particulars, in the num-
bers of Tropical Life for July and August last.

Ma

The chief pine-apple growing district of Florida extends
over a long, narrow area of extremely sandy soil. This land
little natural fertility, and the plant food
required for growing the crop is supplied entirely by regular
applications of artificial fertilizers. The soil has little water
retaining capacity, which is regarded as an
pine-apples cannot be produced with success on water-charged
land.

The Red Spanish
variety grown in Florida.

possesses very

since

advantage,

pineapple is practically the only

Plantings of the crop are usually
made during the rainy season (July, August and September)
Propagation is effected chiefly by means of ‘ slips” produced
from buds on the stem at the base of the fruit. Slips fruit in
about twenty or twenty-two months from planting. Another
method sometimes adopted is to plant ‘suckers,’ which result
trom buds produced on the lower leafy stem. A first fruiting
is frequently given by suckers at the end of twelve months,
but a sucker-set field crops very irregularly, and the fruiting
period is a long one,

Before planting pine-apples it is essential that the land
snould be well cultivated, and the soil thoroughly pulverised
and reduced to a fine condition. To bring about this condi
tion, ploughing and cross-ploughing will be
followed by harrowing with a wheel or disc Drain
age is also essential, and this may best be ensured by the
provision of trenches, about'l4 inches wide and 14 inches
deep, and at a distance of about 12 feet from each other
‘see West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VIM, p. 153). The pine
appies are thus grown on beds,about 12 feet wide, bounded by
the drainage trenches, the soil being raked towards the
middle of the bed, so that the centre is about 6 inches higher
than at the edges of the trenches.

The young plants are set out at distances of about
20 by 20 inches, or 20 by 24 inches, and in this way there
will be about 12,000 plants to the acre.

Surface cultivation with a scuffle hoe is regularly
followed up on the best estates during the first two years
after the slips are planted. In this way weeds are kept down,
and a mulch of loose soil is maintained.

necessary,
harrow.

INDIAN FRUIT.

Soils on which pine-apples are grown are usually poor in
character, and, as already mentioned, the soil in the Florida
pine-apple district is naturally very wanting in fertility. On
this account artificial fertilizers are necessarily applied on
a generous and the obtained warrant this
practice. Experience indicates that potash is particularly
required for the pine-apple crop, as might be expected from
the nature of the soil on which it is usually grown. The
fruit is deficient in quality if potash is not given in sufticient
amount. A good supply of nitrogen and phosphoric acid is
also important

Since chlorine is known to exercise a deleterious effect
upon the produce, it is recommended that potash be applied
to pine-apples in the form of high-grade sulphate, and not
given as chlorine or in the form of kainit. Phosphoric acid
should preferably be given as bone meal, or steamed bone
dust, while slag given excellent results.
Superphosphate is. not recommended since it is found to
produce a condition in the plants known as ‘spike,’ which
is characterized by poor growth, narrow, constricted, greasy
and worthless fruit.

Organic slow-acting forms of nitrogen, such as dried blood,
cotton-secd meal, cte., are recommended for pineapples in
preference to quick-acting manures, such as nitrate of soda.
The fertilizer apphed to the crop should contain 4 per cent.
phosphoric acid, 5 per cent. nitrogen, and 10 per cent. potash.
\ mixture of 900 1b, bone meal, 1,000 Ib. cotton-seed meal, and
500 Ib. high-grade sulphate of potash would meet the require
ments, 00 Ib, of this mixture are

scale, returns

basic has also

looking leaves,

About 3,5 reconnnended to
be supplied annually,on Florida pine-apple estates.

BEE-KEEPING IN CEYLON.

Instruction in the principles and methods of bee-keeping
is included in the scheme of school garden work carried out
in Ceylon, and the latest report of the Superintendent of
School Gardens st 4 s that bee-keeping is an industry which
is making steady, ifjsomewhat progress, In the colony.

Yellow Tle bees have been imported, and colonies of
these as well as of the native variety ave kept at the Govern
ment Stock Garden, where seeds and plants, ete. are produced
for distribution to the school gardens. A grant has lately
been made by the Ceylon Agricultural Society to aid in this
branch of the work. A Cowan _honey-extractor, and other
requisites have been obtained, which will render possible the
adoption of modern methods of practice, and serve as the
means for useful demonstration, On the whole, it is stated
that the outlook for the dovelopment of the bee-keeping
industry in the island is decidedly hopeful.

slow

Vou. VII. No. 169.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 325

AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES OF
DUTCH GUIANA:

The Annual Report (1907) of the British Consul
cat Paramaribo, Dutch Guiana, gives an account of the
progress that is being made in the agricultural indus-
tries of the colony. The following notes form an
abstract of this portion of the report :—

BANANAS.

The cultivation of bananas for export, which was
commenced in 1906, has not advanced so rapidly as was at
one time expected. At the end of 1907 the total area plant-
ed was 4,940 acres. The reason for the slow progress was
that pianters were in the first place unwilling to act on the
advice of experts in regard to the manner of cultivation.
Latterly, however, this has been changed, and now that the
best methods have been generally adopted, the prospects are
bright, and it is confidently anticipated that banana growing
will be a prosperous industry im the colony.

CACAO,
1907 amounted to 1,586 tons,
1,495 tons in
349 tons. In

The total cacao crop tor
as compared with 1,511 tons in 1906, and
1905. The cacao exports for the year were 1,:
1906 they were 1,489 tons.

It is reported that the cacao plantations are still suffer-
ing severely from the ‘witch broom’ disease, which not only
results in an abnormal growth of bushy Tait
affects the pods, causing them to become exec essively hard,
Wholesale pruning has during the past year been undertaken,
under the advice of the Agricultural Department of the
colony. After pruning, the cuts are tarred over, and the
lopped trees sprayed witha solution of sulphate of copper.
This treatment, it is stated, has greatly reduced the propor-
tion of affected pods, and it is expected that during the
present year it will also be carried out on a number of other
plantations.

twigs, also

COPPER,
The return from the plantations of Liberian coffee
increased from 116 tons in 1906 to 239 tons in 1907.

With the object of reintroducing and extending the
cultivation of Arabian cotfee some 50,000 plants of this
variety were distributed to small holders (British Indian and
creole) i in the colony during the year. The Arabian coftee,
it is mentioned, does well in Surinam, but until labour
is cheaper and more plentiful, its cultivation cannot be under-
taken on a large scale. This crop was largely grown in the
colony about seventy or eighty years ago, and in the year
1830, the exports of Ari vbian coffee were abont 3,000 tons,
Its cultivation declined rapidly after the abolition of slavery
in 1863.

RICE.

Considerable efforts are being made to develop rice
growing in Surinam, in emulition of the flourishing industry
of British Guiana. Large tracts of land, well suited to the
crop, are available, and owing to steady immigration into the
colovy from the East Indies, the consumption of this cereal
is certain to increase. The cultivation, however, progresses
but slowly. In 1907 the rice crop amounted to 1,511 tons,
as compared with 1,496 tons in 1906.

SUGAR.

The weather during 1907 unfavourable for the
sugar crop, and the return was somewhat smaller than usual.
The output of sugar was 11,950 tons, as compared with
12,635 tons in 1906. Rum, however, was manufactured to
the extent of 189,035 gallons, and 61,780 gallons of molasses
were also produced.

Was

RUBBER PRODUCTION IN THE CONGO
FREE STATE.

From particulars published in recent Consular Reporte
it is evident that the Congo Free State is destined to become
one of the great rubber-producing countries of the future.
At present the exports amount, on the average, to a little
over 4,800 tons of rubber per aunuin. In 1906, the actual
quantity shipped was 4,848 tons, of the value of £1,950,000.
It is understood that the exports for 1907 were about the
same amount.

Rubber is obtained chiefly from vines (Landolphia spp.
and Carpodinus spp.), as well as from trees (chietly Pwntumia
elastica). Owing to reckless destruction of the plants by the
natives in the process of gathering the produce, I is believed
that the sources of wild rubber in many parts of the State
have of late much diminished. With the object of counter-
balancing this continual destruction, Jaws have
been enacted that young trees shall be planted whose
producing capacity at maturity shall be equal to the amount
of rubber collected. Thus, at present, for every ton of rmbber
gathered, the collector must plant out five hundred young
trees.

It has been proved by experiment that the rubber tree
Puntumia elastica gives much earlier and better returns than
the different varieties of vine rubber, and it is estimated that
fully 13,000,000 plants of this kind have already been set out,
capable of producing within a few years, and at a low
estimate, 650 tons annually. Independently of this, the State
has established three great centres of rmbber cultivation, each
of 250,000 acres. When the whole 750,000 acres have been
planted, and are come into bearing, the total area is expected
to produce 9,750 tons annually.

process ot

TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN RHODESIA.

Tobacco culture is extending in Southern Rhodesia,
and the Government of the country have engaged
a number of experts to give instruction to growers
in the best methods of cultivating and curing the
product. Turkish tobacco is the chief kind grown,
since the soil and climate are reported to be well suited
to the production of leaf of good quality of this variety,
but bright-leaf Virginian tobacco is also under cultiva-
tion. It is stated “that where farmers have followed
the advice of the experts a satisfactory measure of
success has already been attained.

ull details of the work done are given in the report for
1907 of the Secretary for Agriculture of the territory. So far
as returns were sent in, the amount of tobacco produced in
1907 was 166,505 tb. It is known, however, that a much
larger quantity than this was ac tually turned out, but many
growers did not send in returns. Flue-curing barns for deal-
ing with the produce have been erected to specifications
furnished by the Department, and this method of curing the
leaf has, on the whole, been very satisfactory. The Gover nment
are offering money prizes, which together amount to £200,
for the best tobaccos produced, Among these prizes is one
of £75 for the best crop of not less than 5,000 tb. of bright
leaf of the Virginian type.

It is Mated in the report that the uncertainty of the
native labour supply at a time when it is chiefly needed is
the main difficulty in the way of a very large extension of
the present tobacco acreage in Southern R Rodeer be

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroser 17, 1908.

—
CUT THEA tod
oe)

ys

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, on September 28 last, in reference to
the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Owing to the strike in the cotton trade, business in all
kinds of cotton is more or less suspended, with the result
that only 40 bales of West Indian cotton have been sold.
These include some very superior St. Vincent and Barbados,
at 18d. to 214d., and 10 bales of stains at 7d.

Owing to lack of demand, American Sea
being pressed for sale, and prices are rather lower.

Islands are

COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS.

In their Sea Island cotton report, dated Septem-
ber 26 last, Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charles-
ton, write :—

Although 178 bales of the new season’s crop trom the
islands have been received during the week, none of this has
yet been sampled and shown on the market. There has been
some enquiry for planters’ crops remaining over from last
season, but at low prices.
which were sold for France at 32c. per tb. Freer receipts ot
the new crop may now be expected, and the market should
open in the course of ten days from date.

The sales were only two crop lots,

COTTON GROWING IN JAMAICA.

Little has yet been done in the way of Sea Island cotton
cultivation in although recent efforts in that
direction appear more promising than those made some few
The arrangement announced at the late Lanca-
shire Cotton Conference, by which the Elder Dempster Ship
ping Company undertake to ship to England free of charge
all cotton grown in Jamaica during the next twelve months
should certainly prove of material help and encouragement to
the industry in the island.

A report has lately been published of the results ot
a trial cultivation in cotton growing made, during the past
season, on one of Lord Dudley’s estates in Upper Clarendon,
Jamaica. An area of 60 acres was planted with the crop
and the work was placed under the supervision of Mr. Conrad
Watson, an experienced planter from Montserrat. Briefly
stated, the crop consisted of 25,700 tb. of seed-cotton, yield-
ing 7,196 Wb. of lint, and 8 tons of seed. The yield of lint
was at the rate of 120 Ib. In spite of this, the
estimated returnsamounted to £391 16s., while the estimated
expenses amounted to £280, leaving a credit balance of
£111 16s. In this instance the cost of management was not
included. Taking into account the fact that the season was
an exceptionally dry one, the return, as a whole, is not of an
unsatisfactory character.

Jamaica,

years ago.

per acre.

HORSE CULTIVATOR FOR
COTTON.

The following article, which deals with the use of

horse ecnltivator in growing cotton, has been

the
contributed by Mr. Thomas Thornton, A.R.C.S., late
Travelling Inspector in connexion with Cotton Inves-
Tavelling } : j 3
tigations under the Imperial Department of Agri-
culture -—

Since the re-introduction of Sea Island cotton growing
in the West Indies, there is no point in relation to the
cultivation of the crop which has been more constantly
emphasized by the Imperial Department of Agriculture than
the necessity for adopting the methods of garden cultivation
if success is to be attained. In this connexion two points
must always be borne in mind: (1) weeds must be kept
down, and (2) a mulch of soil
maintained.

good surface must be

In a place such as Barbados, where great efforts have
constantly been made to exterminate weed growth, it is not
such a ditticult matter to keep the fields clean ; but in other
islands it is a more serious undertaking.

The maintenance of a good surface mulch is still more
diticult. To ensure this, the surface soil has to be constantly
stirred, which is both a tedious and expensive operation if
carried out by hand hoeing. It is, however, an operation
which no cotton planter who hopes to be successful can afford
to neglect. "

The mechanical condition of the soil is a most impor-
tant factor towards keeping the plants strong, healthy, and
vigorous, so that they may produce and bring to maturity
a number of bolls, and also be in a condition better to with-
It is
not sutticient to prepare the ground well before planting : the
soil must also be kept in suitable condition throughout the
growing period of the plant.

During time of drought it is especially important
that a good surface mulch is maintained. It is well known
that a soil, the surface of which has been allowed to eake and
harden, gives up moisture much more rapidly than when the
surface layer is kept regularly pulverised ; and planters in
dry districts have learnt by experience that the best returns
with a limited rainfall are obtained when the surface is
broken up after each shower.

stand the attacks of insect pests and fungus diseases.

The question of how to carry out these weeding and
mulching operations ina satisfactory way and ata cheap
rate, and moreover, in such a way as not to injure the spread-
ing secondary roots. of the plants cultivated, which, in many
cases, are not more than 2 or 3 inches from the surface, is
one which has received a good deal of attention from agri-
culturists. Having this object in view, implement makers
have put machines of various designs on the market. Some

Vou. VII. No. 169. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

of these machines have teeth about 1 inch broad for enterig
and breaking up the soil, while others are fitted with shovels
2 to 3 inches broad, which may be substituted by sweeps 12
inches in breadth. Other implements again are fitted with
spring teeth or with discs for the same purpose.

Machines of the above types are drawn by one or by
two horses. The one-horse unplement passes down the sia
between two rows, while the two-horse machine straddles the
row of plants, a horse (or mule) walking.on each side. It
is obvious that the former implement can be used later in
the growing period of the plants than the two-horse machine,
being able to pass between the rows of plants when the
latter have grown too tall to be straddled without injury by
the two-horse machine.

The depth at which these implements work can, in
most cases, be easily regulated, and many of them are made
so that their width can be easily altered to suit the varying
distances between the plants.

On my estate in Tobago Tam at present working a one-
horse cultivator known as the ‘ Planet Junior’ (No. 9), which
is proving a very useful machine. It is neat, strong in make,
and can easily be drawn by a pony. The cultivator is fitted

with five pointed shovels, tonr of which are about 24 inches

wide, while the fifth is about 4 inches in breadth. ‘These
shovels are arranged two in front and three behind. Broad

sweeps can be obtained which can be substituted for the
three rear shovels ; and for shallow work, such as is required
in cotton cultivation, these are strongly recommended.

The ‘ Planet Junior’ machine is fitted with «a wheel in
front, and the depth at which the machine is required to
work is regulated by raising or lowering this wheel. It is
most important that the planter himself should arrange the
depth at which the machine shall work. Some cultivators
are fitted with a lever for altering the position of the wheel,
but, in my opinion, a machine with a wheel the position of
which can only be altered by taking ouj a bolt (as in the
case of ‘ Planet Junior,’ No. 9), is preferable.

With a good pony an area of about 4 acres per day can
be cultivated by means of the machine referred to. The
price of the implement is abont 410-00.

In regard to the use of these mechaiieal cultivators at
Barbados, it has been stated by planters that they might be
worked with advantage on the red soils of the island, but
that they would be of no use on the black soils. When the
soils of the latter kind are in a sticky condition, it is possible
that the machines would be of little value) but provided they
were fitted with sweeps, I believe the implements would do
-excellent work even on the black soils, as soon as the sticky
condition has passed. {

RUBBER EXPORTS FROM BAHIA.

The exports of rubber from the brazilian State of
Bahia fell off considerably in 1907, as jompared with the
two previous years. In 1905, and agan in 1906, about
1,400 tons were shipped, but in 1907 |he exports fell to
1,086 tons, having a value of £219,461.) As in the case of
_cofiee, a product which also shows a diminition in the exports,
the decline is attributed to general trade depression in the
United States, to which country most of tle rubber produced
in Bahia is shipped.

The rubber of Bahia is of two kinds, inown respective-
ly as Manicoba, the produce of a species f Manihot (but
not to be confounded with Ceara rubber from Wanihot

Glaziovii) and Mangaheira, produced fom /Zancornia
speciosa. Neither of these kinds is equal to Para rubber.

TREATMENT OF LATEX IN THE
PREPARATION OF RUBBER.

The causes of discoloration in rubber, and a suitable
method of preventing this, sothat the finished product
can be put on the market, uniform in appearance anc
character, are dealt with by Mr. Kelway Bamber, F.L.C.,
in the following article, which appeared in the Bulletin.
of the Straits and Federated /Malay States of August
last -— G

A point of considerable importance in the manufacture of
plantation rubber is to obtain not only purity, but constant
mniformity in the finished product. At present there are
almost daily. variations in appearance, due to causes which
cannot easily be overcome, such as weather, age of the trees
tapped, and the bringing of new trees into bearing, all of
which affect the colour and clearness of the dried rubber.
The discoloration is due to oxidation of soluble organic bodies
in the latex water. This oxidation is produced by the action
of an enzyme or chemical agent causing fermentation, and
the process is intensified by a warm temperature and
exposure to the air.

Thorough washing of the freshly coagulated caoutchoue
will remove much of the soluble matter and also theenzyme, but
it is difficult or impossible to remove it all, and other means
have to be adopted to prevent the darkening on drying which

almost invariably occurs. This is done by destroying the
enzyine by means of heat before oxidation oceurs, with the
result that rubber dries of a clear pale yellow colour, and of
perfect uniformity from day to day.

The heating can be done in either of the following ways

before or after coagulation :—

1. By passing steam into the bulked Jatex until the
temperature reaches 80° C. or 167° F., and maintaining this
temperature for fifteen minutes or longer, according to the
thickness of the rubber.

2. By immersing the biscuits or sheets, etc., in water of
the temperature mentioned for some minutes immediately
after passing through the rolling machine ; the rubber should
then be re-rolled to ‘the requisite thinness, and immersed again
tor a shorter time to ensure destruction of the enzyme.

3. Hot water can be employed in the washing machine,
and if necessary steam-heated rollers as well.

Heating during the process of coagulation most nearly
resembles the method of making hard Para, but the other
methods give excellent results.

To insure the best product, cleanliness in all stages of
collecting and manufacture is essential, and if the loss in
value from want of simple precautions in the preparation was

more fully realized on rubber estates, much greater care
would be exercised. Many samples of excellent rubber

appear on the London market, but from want of uniformity,
and perhaps the presence of some slight impurity, the price
realized is lower than it would otherwise be.

Rubber made by this process has already been sold on
the market, and the price realized was about 4d. per tb. over
that commanded by ordinary good biscuits, which indicates
that the process can be successfully applied on the estate.
It still remains to be proved whether the rubber is stronger
than that manufactured by the ordinary method, and Messrs.
Gow, Wilson, & Stanton, Ltd., rubber brokers of London,
are now having the product tested by manufacturers to
determine this point. As the process resembles in some
points the manufacture of tine hard Para, there is reason to
expect some improvement in the physical properties in
addition to the other advantages obtained.

328

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroser 17, 1908-

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,

Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and 'The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s, 2c. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural Hews:

Contents of Present Issue.

Attention is drawn in the editorial to one or two
points of especial interest’ among those dealt with at
the late Lancashire Cotton Conference.

Sugar-cane seedlings D. 130 and B. 306 have for
some years been under cultivation in Mauritius, and
from the returns recorded at the Experiment Station,
if is evident that the Demerara seedling is best suited
to the conditions prevailing in the colony. The sugar
industry of Formosa is

undergoing
development (pp. 322-3).

considerable

The methods followed in the cultivation, manur-
ing, ete. of pine-apples im Florida are described on
page 324.

On the following page will be found a brief 1eport
on the progress made during the past year in the
various agricultural industries of Dutch Guiana.

T ‘ ‘ T 2 9906

Under ‘ Cotton Notes (page 326) there appears
an interesting article dealing with tle use of the
horse cultivator in connexion with cotton growing.
A machine of the type deseribed has ;roved very use-
ful on a cotton estate at Tobayo.

A further portion of Mr. Ballou’s article dealing
with the Order of insects known as the Diptera is
given on page 330.

The methods which are in use for. btaining new
varieties of Agricultural plants are describe | under
«Science Notes’ (page 331).

Bermuda Arrowroot.

Reference is made in the Annual Report (1907)
on the Bermudas, to the fact that the arrowroot produced
in the colony, though falling off in quantity of late years,
still continues to hold its premier position on the mar-
ket. One arrowroot factory exists ut Bermuda. This
is equipped with modern plant, and is capable of
dealing with a large quantity of the commodity. It is
stated that the cultivation and manufacture of arrow-
root could be increased, and that this would add
materially to theagricultural prosperity of the islands.
The retail price on the London market of the Bermuda
product is about 2s. 6d. per tbh. as compared with 1s, 9d.
per tb. for St. Vincent and other arrowroots.

Se ——— ———————
School Shows at Trinidad.

Five School Horticultural Shows were held at
ditfereut centres in Trinidad during 1907-8. At each
of the shows there is a section for produce from peasant
holdings, in addition to that for exhibits from school
gardens.

The produce'sent in to the shows of the past year,
although less in quantity, is described as having been
distinctly betteran quality than in past years. This
especially applies to the section for peasant proprietors.
The Inspector of Schools at Trinidad, in his latest
report mentions that one of the be-t results of the
establishment of these annual has been the
awakening of the small holders of land to the possibili-
ties of vegetable culture on a market scale on their
holdings. The increased production of green vege-
tables would not only add to the material prosperity of
the peasantry, bat also supply a real need in most of
the West Indian Islands, where the supply of green
vegetables is never too great. It is evident that
school garden work at Trinidad is having useful and
practical results,-

ioe ee eee
Quinine as a Preventive against Malaria.

With the ©-operation of the Governor of Uganda,
returns have I:tely been collected from Europeans
resident in that Protectorate, with the object, if possible,
of obtaining definite information as to the best time
and manner in Which quinine should be taken as
a preventive ageinst malarial fever.

The trials extended over a period of twelve months,
and 217 persons sent in regular reports. The returns
were collated atthe end of the year, and a summary of
the results is gren in the Uganda Official Gazette ot
August 1 last. ‘Ihe lowest precentage of fever, ViZeroles:
was experiencedariiong persons taking quinine in daily
doses of 5 grainy Where 10 grains were taken twice
a week, the perentage of fever cases was 65°8, but. fell
to 50 per cent. vith people taking 15 grains of the drug
every eighth or ninth day. Again the proportion of
fever cases was46°5 per cent. when quinine was taken
irregularly. These results are not so valuable as might
be the case if he conditions were more fully controlled,
since the nunbers of people following the different
systems werenot equal. It is probable, however, that.
the system of taking small daily doses of quinine
is the best wider such conditions.

shows

Wor, Villa Nos 169.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Gale at St. Kitt’s-Nevis.

Mr. F. R. Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent
of St. Kitt’s-Nevis, reporting on the gate which passed
over that Presidency on September 25 last, states that
little destruction was done at St. Kitt’s, apart from
the defoliation of young cotton in certain parts, as the
result of the high wind. A few limbs were broken
from trees at the Botanic Station, ‘The rainfall was
about an inch all over the island.

At Nevis cotton suftered from the gale toa greater
extent than at St. Kitt’s, more especially in the south
and east of the island.
Nevis reports that the cotton plants were badly
defoliated, and appeared as if a fire had passed through
them. In some places the plants are. not expected to
recover from the effects of the gale unless suitable
rains soon occur. Oniy SO parts of rain were regis-
tered at Nevis during the gale.

rn io

Hand Cultivators.

The hand cultivators referred to in the Agri-
cultural News of September 5 last (page 284), and
which it was thought might prove useful in connexion
with cotton cultivation in these islands, have been
tried, with satisfactory results, at the Agricultural
School, St. Vincent. The Acting Agricultural Superin-
tendent, in a letter dealing with the subject, mentions
that the tools are lighter in use, and more suitable for
employment by boys and women than the ordinary
grubbing-hoe so largely used in the West Indies. If
the soil has been properly cultivated in the first instance,
a man, working with one of the hand cultivators,
should have no difficulty in loosening the surface soil
over an area of 2 acres every day. Apart from their
use in this way, it is pointed ont that these tools might
with advantage be utilized in dragging from the soil
the roots of such plants as ‘ Devil’s grass > (Cynodon
dactylon), after the land has been broken up with
forks,

Forage Crops For Hogs.

Farmers Bulletin 331 of the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture deals with the value of various
forage crops in feeding and fattening hogs. Among the
crops discussed from this point of view, and which are
well known in the West Indies, are cowpeas, sorghum,
and ground nuts. Ground nnts,as might be expected,
have proved of special value for young and growing pigs,
although they should be given only in combination
with some more starchy food, as maize.

In one feeding trial carried ont at the Alabama
Agricultural Experiment Station, three lots of pigs were
fed respectively upon ground nuts (including vines),
sorghum, and sweet potatos (including vines). In
addition each lot was given a certain amount of miaize,
which was equal in all three cases. While 1 tb. of
gain was made by the pigs fed upon ground nuts for
each 1:77 th. of maize consumed, it took 3°13 Ib. of maize
in the case of the animals feeding on sweet potatos,
and 37 tb. of maize when sorghum was given, to produce
a pound of gain,

The Agricultural Instructor of

Agricultural Exports of British Honduras.

Lumbering is at present by far the most valuable
industry of British Honduras, mahogany, logwood, and
cedar being the chief woods grown. The diminished
timber exports, however, indicate that activities were
considerably lessened in this industry during 1907.
Mahogany shipments fell from 7,788,249 feet in 1906
to 6,871,920 feet in 1907: logwood from 8,773 tons to
6,167 tons, and cedar from 448,651 feet to 331,636 feet
during the same period. Owing to the long drought,
the waterways had so dried up that many wood-cutters
were unable to float their timber to the port of ship-
ment, and this in part accounts for the lessened output.

To the want of rain is also attributed the decreased
banana exports, which fell from 725,000 bunches in
1906 to 652.930 bunches in 1967. Plantain shipments
show a similar decline. The cocoa-nuts exported in
1906 numbered 5,527,985, bunt in the following year
the shipments were only 4.550,175.

On the other hand, more or less small increases
were made in the output of cacao, rubber, sugar and
rum, while the exports of chicle show a large advance.
The cacao shipments were 42.800 tbh. in 1906, and
46,435 Ib. in 1907. Rubber exports advanced frony
20,244 tb. to 24,112 tb., and sugar from 88,441 tb. to
93,360 th.

Rice Crop of the United States.

An official report on the rice industry of the
United States for the year ending August 31 last has
lately been issued.

The total rice crop produced in the States (Texas,
Louisiina, Carolinas) 1s estimated at 4,250,000. bags,
exclusive of about 750,000 bags lost in the fields
through continuous rains. As a result of this loss,
there was a shortage on the market, and the amount of
rice in stock at the end ofthe year 1907-8 was lower
than in any previons year on record. Prices were good
throughout the season, and the average price for the
twelve months was the highest on record for the past
SIX years.

While the output of rice in the States was some-
what lower than in the previous year, there has been
a notable advance in the demand for the product, and
the consumption of this food is evidently much on the
increase in America. It is believed that a crop of
5,000,000 bags of rice would not be too great to supply
the present aanual demand in the United States, so
that at this rate the consumption exceeds the home
production. This is the more satisfactory to the
American rize grower, because—apart from Porto
Rico—there is little or no outside market open to him
in which his product has any chance of competing with
East Indian rice.

In 1907-8, Porto Rico imported 763,675 bags of
rice (each of 168 tb.) from the United States, as
compared with 935,850 bags imported in 1906-7.
Great Britain is the customer of second importance, but
she took no more than 3,124 bags in 1907-8.

Rice-bran and polish were exported from the
country to the amount of 20,672,376 th, during 1907-8,

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. Ocroper 17, 1908.

INSECT NOTES.

Diptera.

(Continued trom last issue of the Agricultural News.)

The midges or gall gnats are included in the
Cecidomyiidae, another family of Diptera with long
antennae. These are very small, frail insects, not often
seen, but a few species are pests of considerable
importance. The most important species of the
Cecidomyiidae is the Hessian fly which attacks wheat
and other cereals in America and Enrope. The loss to
the farmers of the United States from the ravages of
this insect has been estimated as high as $10,000,000
annually.

In the West Indies this family is represented by the red
maggot of the cotton (Porrichondyla gossyptt), and the flower-
bud maggot of cotton (Contarinia gossypi). Maggots of
a fly also belonging to this order have recently been found
living under the bark of the twigs of grafted mango trees,
and there are probably many others at present not known,

In the larval stage, the red maggot lives under the bark
of the cotton plant, the reddish colour of the maggot suggest-
ing the common name. The egg of the fly is probably
usually laid in some break or abrasion in the bark, but it
seems likely that the insects are able to enter the plant even
when there is no break in the bark.

The egg of the Hower-bud maggot of the cotton is laid
in the very young flower-buds, which drop to the ground as
the larvae within become full-grown. Very soon after the
buds drop, the larvae leave them, and the pupa stage is
passed in the ground. This insect is found in Antigua,
where it caused much damage to the cotton during the past
season,

Another family of the true flies with Jong antennae are
the Chironomidae. The best-known members of this family
in the West Indies are the sand-flies (Ceratopoygon). The
larvae of most species of the family are aquatic. Some of
them live in the mud and decaying vegetable matter at the
bottom of ponds or lakes ; the larvae of others, especially of
the sand-flies, live under the bark of decaying branches,
under fallen leaves, and in sap flowing from wounded trees.

The family Psychodidae include a small number of
delicate flies known as mothetlies. This common name has
been derived from the moth-like appearance due to the broad
hairy wings of the adult insect. They are not rare in the
West Indies, but are seldom® seen on account of their small
size. The larvae live in running water, such as drains and
roadside gutters. f

The largest family of the thes with long antennae is the
Tipulidae, and this includes some of the largest of all the thes.
These insects have remarkably long legs, slender bodies and
narrow wings. ‘They are commonly known as ‘ crane-flies’
and ‘daddy-long-legs. ‘The larvae live in the ground where
there. is plenty of moisture, and feed upon decaying vegetable
matter, and the roots and leaves of plants. They sometimes
are numerous enough to be pests of considerable importance,
and in England they are known as ‘ leather-jackets.’

The flies with short antennae include many species, which

from their size or habits are more frequently observed than
most of those alreddy referred to. The family Tabanidae
includes a large number of species of so-called horse-flies, gad-
flies and others. They are fairly large insects with thick
bodies, and many of them are capable of inflicting painful
bites. The adult females, which are blood-sucking in their
habit, attack man and beast, while the males feed upon the
nectar of flowers.

The Bot thes (Ocestridac) are better known from their
attacks on domestic animals, in the larval condition, than
from the appearance of the adult fly. The horse-bot
(Gastrophilus equi) infests the stomach and intestines of
horses. The female fly attaches the eggs to the hair on the
shoulders or legs or belly of the horse. They are licked off
by the horse, and swallowed, and when they hatch in the
stomach or mouthsof the horse the larvae attach them-
selves to the lining of the stomach.

When a large number of bot larvae are attached in this
way to the stomach lining, serious injury is done to the animal.
When the larvae become full-grown they release their hold
and are carried out with the excrement to the ground, where
they pupate.

The larvae of the bot flies of cattle (Zypoderma bovis)
are found in small tumours under the skin. They differ
from the horse-bot in that upon the hatching of the eggs
which have been swallowed by the host animal, the larvae
burrow through the tissues of the body, and finally come to
rest. just under the’ skin along the back. When a maggot
becomes full-grown, it gnaws through the skin and falls to
the ground to pupate.

The hides of cattle which have been badly attacked by
bot flies are almost valueless on account of the punctures
made by the escaping maggots. The amount of loss from
this cause in the United States has been estimated to be as
much as 350,000,000 annually.

Another species of this group attacks sheep, the larvae
living in the nasal passages, and sometimes penetrating to
the brain, thus causing the death of the sheep. Other species
of this family are recorded as attacking man in tropical
America, the larva being found under the skin of the patient.

The family Syrphidae or flower-tlies is one of the
largest of the families of Diptera, about 2,500 species being
known. Many of the flower-flies resemble bees and wasps in
appearance, and they feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers.
The larvae vary greatly in their habitat and feeding habits,
but a few are to be found on leaves of plants, and they prey
on plant lice and scale insects.

The so-called *rat-tail maggots’ are the larvae of flies of
this family. They ‘live in stagnant water or slime and are
peculiar in having the hinder end of the body elongated like
a slender tail. This projection serves as a breathing tube
and projects upward to the air while the body of the insect
remains in the water. The air is taken in through an aper-
tive at the tip of the tail.

(To be concluded in the

nert issue.)

Destructive Insects in Ceylon. Among the
chief points dealt .with in the report for 1907-8 of the
Government Entomologist of Ceylon are the rapid increase
in numbers of the Red Palm weevil (Rhyncophorus signati-
collis), whieh occurred after the destruction of cocoa-nut
gvoves in certain parts by a cyclone, and the threatened
inerease of the Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinocerus) which
also attacks the cocoanut, and though possibly doing little
direct damage, facilitates the entrance of the red weevil.

You. VII. No. 169.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 33k

SCIENCE NOTES.

i. 7 ae 1
The Improvement of Agricultural Plants.

An account of the methods which are in use for
obtaining new varieties of agricultural plants is given
in an article by M. Schribaux, published in the
Bulletin de la Société P Bucouragement pour 0 In-
dustrie nationale for May last. These methods fall
into three groups—(1) careful watch js kept for sports,
1.¢., plants which, for no obvious reason, ditfer from the
others ; (2) variation is induced by altering the condi-
tions of growth ; (3) suitable plants are ‘crossed.’

The following summary of the. above-mentioned
paper, together with references to other papers bearing
on the same subject, and published elsewhere, appeared
in Nature of September 3 last :-—

The first method mentioned by which new varieties are
obtained is necessarily haphazard, since sports can obviously
not be predicted; it has, however, proved very. useful in
the past, and has yielded many valnable varieties of potatos,
of fruit trees, ete. The second method promises very
interesting results, for some plants respond quickly to
changes in their surroundings. M. Schribaux sowed in
a garden soil the seeds of the wild carrot, an annual with
a woody root. In two generations a certain number had
become biennials, with a fleshy root like the cultivated carrot.
M. Blaringhem adopted quite a different.method with maize.
Plants were cut down just as the ear was beginning to
develop, ie., at the time of maximum vital activity ; 76 per
cent. of those surviving developed abnormally. Some were
permanently altered; thus a late Pennsylvania maize was
converted into an early variety.

Another instance of great practical importance is
furnished by the grape vine. After strugeling long and
vainly against the ravages of Phylloxera, the French vine-
growers have made up their minds to liye with it. M. Viala
visited America and brought back some vines which had
become so ditterentiated from those growmg in France that
they withstood the attacks of the pest. Unfortunately, they
would not grow on calcareous soils, but became very chlorotic,
and further search was made. Vines were in the end
discovered capable of withstanding Phylloxera and of grow-
ing on calcareous soils ; these have solved the problem for
the French grower. Perhaps the case,of the sugar-beet is
most interesting. The grower requires roots containing
a large percentage of sugar, a low proportion of the accom-
panying salts, and capable of resisting adverse conditions.

The selection is made, in the first instance, on the basis
of the sugar content. A large number of roots can be
rejected by simple inspection, for high sugar content. is
correlated with certain external features ; the other roots are
examined chemically, since it is found that removal of
a portion for this purpose does not interfere with subsequent
growth. The very best are then cut up into a number of
pieces to be grafted into other roots; they produce seed,
which is sown, and yields roots for further selection.
M. Schribaux states that a single root has yielded sixty-four
pieces, each capable of producing seed.’ It is not surprising
that the percentage of sugar has gone up from 11 per cent.
in 1870 to 16 or 18 per cent. to-day.

There is evidence, however, that the process will not go
on indefinitely, for roots containing more than 18 percent. of
sugar cease to vegetate properly. Sir W. T. Thiselton-Dyer
discusses this aspect of the question in the Journal of the

Board of Agriculture for April, taking the potato as an illus-
tration. Like the sugar-beet, the potato has been the subject
of continual selection, and the eyd result is a highly artificial
tuber of great commercial valve but difficult of cultivation.
The practical man speaks of degéneration, but Thiselton-Vyer
does not consider this to be the ease. He points out that the
potato has been induced to load itself with starch far in
excess of any natural requirement of the plant, and suggests
that too much is being demanded of the plant, and the
machinery for the processes of growth has reached its breaking
point.

‘We can control nature in altering the constitution of
a plant ; but eventually a barriey is reached beyond which it
is Impossible to go.’ :

It is often found difficult to fix the new varieties
obtained by selection. Even when asexual reproduction is
possible, as in the case of trees and potatos, the variation
frequently does not remain permanent, and many promising
varieties have disappeared. When reproduction is by seed it
is still more dificult to fix a variety ; this is abundantly
proved by the difficulty of improving wheat. A single ear
is selected because it possesses some desirable property ; the
seed from it is sown ; an ear is selected showing the same
property, and the process is continued for several generations.
‘ Pedigree ’ seed is thus obtained, but it rarely remains true ;
the farmer has to renew his stock periodically from the raiser
who keeps on the selection process. The work done on the
selection of seed wheats at the Roseworthy Agricultural
College is described in the Journal of Agriculture for South
Australia ; itis hoped in this way to obtain strains which
will keep their character for two or three seasons and prove
much more profitable than the seed wheat now in use. There
is no question that a good deal can be done by selection,
especially in South Australia where, we are told, little or no
attention has been given to the matter, and the best grain is
sometimes sold and the worst kept for seed. But it is now
clear that the only safe method for the improvement of crops
grown from seed is to breed on Mendelian lines, as Professor
R. H. Bitfen is doing at Cambridge, and South Australia
would do well to breed, as well-as to select, seed wheat.

CACAO PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL.

About one-fourth of the world’s supply of cacao is
now produced in Brazil, and of the total output from
the country, the State of Bahia produces about 80 per
cent.

In 1907, the export of cacao from Bahia was equal to
21,221 tons, or 1,743 tons less than in 1906. In the British
Consular Report on the trade of Bahia for the past year, it is
mentioned that the 1907-8 crop totals over 22,000 tons, thus
showing an advance of about 1,000 tons on the returns of
1907.

As in other cacao-producing countries, the market price
of cacao at Bahia underwent considerable variation in 1907.
While in the previous year, Bahia cacao of ‘fair’ quality had
stood constant at about £2 6s, per bag of 132 Ib., the price
rose as high as £5 11s. 6d. at one time in 1907. A consider-
able falling off in the demand was the result of this high
figure.

When the financial crisis of last year occurred in the
United States it had the etfect of diminishing the price of
cacao, which fell to £3 6s. per bag of 132 Ib. At present the
price of Bahia cacao of ‘fair’ quality stands at £3 15s. to
£4 per bag, but the demand for the product is still much less
than that which formerly existed.

eo
nes

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

“OcTOBER 17, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

Eight grants of Crown: lands, comprising in all
acres, were made in British Honduras during 1907. The price
paid varied from $1-00 to $2°50 per acre, according to the
locality of the Jand.

3344

The fortnightly rice report of Messrs. Sandbach, Parker
& Co., of British Guiana, dated October 2, states that weather
conditions during the preceding fortnight had been dry and
favourable. The rice crop was being reaped in several dis-
tricts, and harvesting operations would soon be general
throughout the colony.

There are about 75,000 acres under coffee in Costa Rica,
and this area remains stationary from year to year. The
average production of dry coffee per acre is from 5 to 6 ewt.
The total export during 1907 was 17,325 tons,
of £683,975.

of the value

Tnereasing attention is being paid to the cultivation of
eacao in the Sao Paulo State of Brazil.
many parts of the State, and the
a bounty of £70 for every
Consular Report.)

The crop thrives in
Government are offering
2,500 trees planted. (British

The lately issued statistical report of Messrs. Hecht,
Levis and Kahn, rubber brokers, shows that during the year
1907-8, the rabbEE exports from Para to Europe
21,780 tons, while 14,690 tons were shipped to the United
States. In 1906-7, Europe received 19,325 tons and the
United States 18,316 tons from Para.

reached

Rice is extensively grown in Peru, the annual output
being about 30,000 The grain of . best quality is
produced in the Departme nts of Lambayeque and La Libertad.
There are some twenty rice mills in the country, of which the
largest and most important are said to be equipped with
up-to-date machinery.

tons

The Gardeners’ Chronicle, ina note on the progress of
cold storage methods of fruit preservation,
in which a collection of dessert pears, gathered seven months
previously, was exhibited in perfect condition at Lyons.
The fruits had not undergone the least degree of shrive lling,
they bore transit well, and the flavour was good,

instances a case

In reference to the article dealing
in Hawaii, which appeared in the Agricultural News of
August 8 last ( page 245), Mr. F. G. Krauss, the expert in
charge of rice-growing investigations at Honolulu, writes to
point out that the total rice area of the Hawaiian Tslands is
10,000 acres, instead of 1,000 acres, as originally stated in
the Agricultural News.

with rice cultivation

Reports from St. Croix state that the Sea Island cotton
crop has suffered severely from the drought of August and
September. In many cases the flowers and young bolls have
been dropping -off in considerable quantity.

The latest annual British Consular Report on Duteh
Guiana states that the number of small settlers in the colony
is increasing. At present, over 21,000 acres are held from the
Government and from private individuals by immigrants
from the British Kast Indies. During 1907, indentured
immigrants to the number of 2,924 entered the colony ;
rather more than half of these came from British India and
the remainder from the Duteh East Indies.

The total production of cane sugar in British India for
the year ended March 31, 1907, was 2,076,250 tons. In
addition to this amount, however, a total quantity of 486,535
tons, valued at $27,276,092, was imported. The greater
portion (296,544 tons) of the imports consisted of cane sugar,
while the remainder (190,192 tons) was beet sugar, imported
chiefly from Austria-Hungary and Germany. (U
Reports. )

8S. Consular

Mr. Robert Newstead, Lecturer on pene Ento-
mology and Parasitology at the Liverpool School of Tropical
Medicine, has arranged to pay a visit to Temtaien from the
first week of November onwards, for the purpose of investi-
gating the ticks there which are responsible for certain
diseases in animals, and also the disease-bearing insects of
the island. He may be accompanied by a medical research
investigator, whose duties would be to study the indigenous

diseases of Jamaica. (Sevence.)

A note in a recent issue of the West India Committee
Corcular mentions that an area of about 50,000 acres has
lately been taken up in Natal, which will in large part be
cultivated with sugar-cane. A central factory has already
been erected capable of turning ont 7,000 tons of sugar per
annum, and the proprietors of the factory will purchase canes

from the cultivators at rates varying with the market price
of sugar. As the eane-growing area increases, another fae-

tory will, if necessary, be erected.

Owing to the long drought experienced at Barbados,
planters in some distvicts have been forced to dig up canes
planted last November and December, since their condition
was so backward that but little return could be expected at
the coming reaping Late planted cotton may
possibly be successfully grown in place of these canes, if
favourable rains arrive, but in most cases provision
crops will probably be planted. In a few cases the land
will be replanted with cane next month or in December.

season.

soon

One or two notable agricultural developments which took
place in 1907 are reported from the Transvaal and Orange
River Colonies. A fairly large amount of maize w: ‘s exported
during the year. Cotton has been successfully cultivated,
and a first export, amounting to 2} tons of cotton and 6 tons
of seed was made. ‘Tobacco growing has made rapid progress
in the Magaliesberg district, and a large factory, costing
£15,000, has been erected. Several companies have started
the preparation of higher grade tobaccos. It is also mention-
ed that trial shipments of oranges were made to Europe
during the year, and the fruit met with a ready market.

Von. VII. No. 169.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 333

ANNUAL REPORT ON BOTAN-
IG SLTALION, AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL,, LAND
SETTLEMENT SCHEME, AND OF GOVERNMENT
VETERINARY SURGEON, 1907-8.

The total expenditure in connexion with the St. Vincent
Botanic Station during 1907-8 was £530 14s. dd., there being
a decline of £40 17s. Wd. as compared with the e xpenditure of
the previous year. The receipts were £24 10s. 3d., showing
a slight increase on those of 1906-7.

One result of the increasing amount of attention given
to the cultivation of Sea Island cotton in the island during
the past two years has been a great falling off in the demand
for economic plants from the Botanic Station. In 1906-7 the
number of economic plants distributed was 10,143, including

SZ. VINCENT :

6,465 cacao trees. During the year under review 5,148

; 5 : : ’
economic plants were sent out, of which 4,520 were cacao.
The cacao industry of St. Vincent is evidently making

excellent progress, and the cultivations would appear to have

nearly recovered trom the effects of the hurricane of 1898.

in 1905-6 the cacao exports were 157,673 Ib, They advanced
193,073 tb. in 1906-7, and to 216,380 Tbh. in 1907-8.

The area under cultivation with Sea cotton has
now reached 5,200 acres (an increase of 100 per cent. over the
cotton area of 1906-7). This is beheved to represent the limit
to which cotton can be profitably cultivated im the island.
The weight of lint exported during 1907-8 was 388,833 Ib.,
this representing an average return of 135 Ib, per acre, In
1906-7 the average yield of lint was equal to 175 tb, per acre,
and the falling off was due partly to bad weather, and
attacks from insect pests ; but in many cases, bad management
of the crop also contributed to the decline,

Tn regard to the Agricultural School and Stock Farm,
the total expenditure for the year 1907-8 amounted to
£614 1s. 11d., while a sum of £42 Os. TOd. was derived from
the services oi animals and the sale of seeds and plants.

There are now twenty-three boys at the school. The
health of the pupils has been good throughout the year, and
the report of the examiner states that the discipline of the
school is very satisfactory.

The indoor work of the pupils includes instruction in
general school subjects, as well as in Elementary Science—
Chemistry and Botany. Careful trainmg in field work,
including the best methods of cultivation, uses of artificial
manures, grafting, budding, ete., is also regularly carried on.

During the past year an African woolless ram sheep,
obtained from Lagos by the Imperial Commissioner of Agri-
culture, was added to the Stock Farm.

The report on the Land Settlement Scheme speaks of
satisfactory progress on all the estates. Cacao is the chief
crop grown, and. considerable advance has been made in the
provision of wind-breaks for the protec tion of the cultivations.

The report of the Government Veterinary Surgeon
includes a unmber of tables showing the mortality of stock
in St. Vincent. While the number of deaths due to anthrax
during the first three months of 1907 was 217, it was but
87 during the corresponding period of 1908.

Island:

PRINIDAD: ANNUAL REPORT ON GOVERN-
MENT’ STOCK FARM, 1907-8. By C. W. Meaden,
Manager.

The financial statement on the working of the farm for

compares ‘Tavourably with the state-
The expenditure in 1907-8 has been
£128 ts. 11d. compared with
the past year—
5 15s. 94d. over

the year under review
ment of last year.
Ose tO aa
that of 1906-7, while .the
£2,955 19s. 7d.—shews an increase of £62
that of 1906-7. Th excess of expenditure over
revenue Js explained by the fact that, as in past years, nulk
was supplied free to various medical institutions in the island,
while a supply was also regnlarly given to calves at the
Farm. An expenditure was also made in improving the value
of the property during the year.

The animals kept at the farm comprise oxen and cows of
various breeds, horses, pigs, and poultry. The general health
of the stock was good throughout the year, apart from the
fact that an attack of strongylus caused the death of nineteen
yearling cattle.

The number of calves born during the year was 133. Of
these 10 were Bue Zebus, 95 by pure Zebu bulls, and 30 by
a Red Poll bull. Calves from the Red Poll bull crossed with
Zebus or with local cattle are said to be satisfactory and good
general-purpose animals. A pure-bred Shorthorn bull, of
good milking strain, was purchased for the Farm in Novem-
ber last. The Zebu herd of cattle is in good condition.
The result of crossing the Zebu with cows of the Guermsey
breed is said to be very satisfactory.

The pigs kept at the Warm the Berkshire,
Tamworth, and Poland-China breeds. All ave good types,
and the last-named are especially well spoken of as a suitable
breed for small cultivators.

Poultry of the Buff Orpington, Plymouth Rocks, White
Leghorns, White -Wyandottes, Black Minoreas, and Rhode
Island Reds are also kept.

decrease of

revenue for

apparent

are of

At the annual sale of stock held in February 1907,
a sum of £601 4s. was realized. The stock sold included
a large uumber of pure and cross bred cattle, together with

mules, pigs, poultry and ducks.

STOCK-KEEPING AT ST. VINCENT.

Efforts have continuously been made by the Imperial
Department of Agriculture to improve the various kinds of
live stock kept at St. Vincent by the importation and mainte-
nance of animals of superior type. The services of male
animals brought into the island in this way have been avail-
able to stock owners at a very smail cost.

The Master-in-charge of St. Vincent Agr icultural Se hool,
however, in his Annual “Report for 1907 Si points out that
a good deal of advance must yet be made by agriculturists
in St. Vincent, before they become practical and efficient
stock-keepers. Among the points which many have yet to
realize are the necessity of providing adequate fodder before-
hand for consumption during the early dry months of the
year, the need for improvement of existing pastures, which in
numbers of cases consist largely of w eeds: that if animals are
to raise calves and yield milk, the provision of good fodder,
mash, and salt is essential ; that since cattle may be divided
into (a) working, (4) milking, and (c) beef animals, it is useless
to expect a first- lass milking animal to have the other two
characteristics ; and finally, the importance of breeding only
from the best animals.

354

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroser 17, 1908.

PACKING OF NON-DRYABLE SEEDS.

The question of the best method of packing seeds,
in small quantities or in bulk, for shipment to
a distance, is one that demands careful consideration if
successful germination is to be expected. This is
especially the case with seeds which will not stand dry-
ing without rapid loss of vitality. Among these latter
may be mentioned the seeds of Para and Castilloa
rubber. Parcels of rubber seeds (chiefly Para, from
Ceylon and the Malay States) are frequently sent to
the West Indies and other countries, and reports of
a most varied nature are received as to the results
obtained on planting. Provided the seeds are young,
in good condition, and have been properly fumigated,
and the package is securély put up, successful germina-
tion of the contents depends on the character of the
packing material (which should be sterilized before-
hand), on the temperature through which the seeds
have to pass in transit, and on the time occupied in
shipment. The following notes on the subject are
taken from the Bulletin, of the Trinidad Botanical
Department, July 1908

Packing material should be wel! sterilized as it may
contain the spores of moulds.or other destructive fungi, which
will destroy the seed in transit. The coat of the seed should
also be sterilized by suitable agents such as formalin solution
or formalin vapour.

The character of the packing material used is important.
It should not be of a caustic nature, like freshly burned or
unweathered charcoal. It should be of light weight, and
specially calculated to hold no more woisture than is retained
by the seed itself. If it ‘holds more, some of it will be
absorbed by the seed ; if it holds less, it will take away
moisture from the seed. If new charcoal is used and the
seeds start to grow, the radicle will be destroyed by the
creosote of the material, whether this is powdered or not.
Again, the material should not be such as will produce
ammoniacal gases, or develop fermentation. In regard to
moisture conditions, what is“to be aimed at is to have the
packing material in such a state that it will not add to, or
take away from, the moisture which the seeds contain.

The temperatures in countries or in oceans through
which the seeds ave to pass, must be studied. Von-dryable
seeds sutfer greatly if they have to pass through low tempera-
tures. Nutmegs, for instanee, packed in damp earth will
probably rot, if chilled by the low temperatures of a European
spring, while packed under exactly similar conditions, they
will go quite safely if sent inthe summer months. Tropical
seeds, if they have to pass through temperatures below 40° F.
will seldom arrive in good condition, although they may at
times get through with safety. "Seeds which permit of being
dried will of course stand cold-with indifference. The object
should be to send if possible all seeds so as to meet no lower
temperatures than 60° F. to 70° F.

The length of the journey and the time taken in transit
have great influence on the condition of seeds. If long, it is
better to pack them with a view to slow germination on the
voyage, rather than to keep them so dry as to prevent germina-
tion. Seeds packed with an abundance of moisture will go
safely for short distances, but) would perish on long journeys
if packed in the same manner,

The package should be secure so as not, to allow it. to
obtain moisture from the air, or to” be deprived of moisture
by surrounding dry air, and it should not allow of the access
of inseets, or spores of fungi. ~ It will be found better to pack

in small well-sealed packages, and afterwards to pack these:
in cases through Which air should freely circulate. The
danger incurred in packing large boxes of seeds without.
division is due to possible fermentation in hot weather, and
to possible rotting in cold weather.

In reference to the packing of Para rubber seeds,
the latest report of the Botanic Gardens, British Guiana,
mentions that seeds dispatched from Singapore to
British Guiana, by parcel post, and packed in burnt
rice dust, showed a very satisfactory percentage of
germination, while seeds which were enclosed in
kerosene tins, and sent as ordinary merchandise and
shipped in the hold of the vessel, produced only eighteen
plants from 10,500. seeds. ;

BERMUDA.

Improvement of Agriculture.

The accompanying extract from the speech of
Lt. General J. H."Wodehouse, C.B., C.M.G., Governor,
in opening the Colonial Parliament of Bermuda, is
useful, as showing that it is recognized that more skilful
methods of cultivation, and wide scientific knowledge
are essential at the present time to the profitable
cultivation of crops on which the welfare of these
colonies depend. (General Wodehouse said :-—

It is with regret that I look back upon an unfavourable
situation as regards certain branches of Agriculture in the
colony during the present year.

Increased competition in foreign markets, unscientific
methods of cultivation, and, possibly in some measure also an
insufficient appreciation of the advantages of co-operation and
of advertisement abroad by direct representatives of local
industries, constitute, in my opinion, some of the preventible
causes to which the unremunerative results of the past season
must be ascribed,

The maintenance of a sound system of cultivation is
a matter of vital impertance to the prosperity of these islands,
and I have accordingly appointed an Agricultural Commission
to enquire and report as to. the remedial measures which are
undoubtedly required under present circumstances.

L.am confideng that by the exercise of patience, the
application of scientific methods, and the elimination of those
varieties of products whose profitable cultivation has been
shown by experience to be impracticable for commercial
reasons, or undesirable on scientific grounds, it will most
assuredly be possible to re-establish this indispensable indus-
try on a sound and remunerative basis.

At the same time, however, [ desire to impress upon you
that any remedy necessarily proves inefticient in the hands of
individuals whose education is not such as will enable them
to realize its necessity or appreciate its results,

I would accordingly invite your Honourable Houses
to consider to what gxtent the present agricultural depression
may be due to the laek of opportunities on the part of the
rural population for acquiring the scientific knowledge which
under modern conditions is essential to the profitable cultiva-
tion of vegetable produce. The future of these Islands
depends, in my opinion, upon the improvement of education,
of agricultural methods, and of communication with other
countries.

Vor. VII. No. 169. THE AGRIC

ULTURAL NEWS. 335

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.
Mr. J. R. Jackson, A.L.S.,. has forwarded the

following report on the London a in and spice market
during the month of August :

The report on spices and drugs for the month of August
is always more or less dull and’ uninteresting, ‘as it is not
only the chief month of the whole year for holiday making,
but the inclusion of the bank holiday imparts to it a general
absence of business in every branch of commerce, attecting
not only the one statutory day, but several days after.

The following are the chief notes'on West Indian
produce :— =

GINGER.

At the first spice sale on the 12th, a large quantity of
Jamaica was offered but only comparatively small dealings
were effected at 60s. Cochin and Callicut were brought forward
in moderate quantities and bought in at 85s. to 87s. 6d. for
bold cut selected, 55s. for small and medium, and 36s. for
small washed Cochin. Fair limed Japan realized 28s. per
ewt. At the last sale, a fortnight later, only a moderate
supply of all kinds was brought forward and small sales
were effected at similar rates to those iilready quoted.

NUTMEGS, MACK AND PIMENTO.

For nutmegs there bas been little or no demand with
no change from former prices. Mace at the first spice sale
was represented by 53 packages of West Indian, which were
disposed of at the following rates : Fair to good pale, Ls. di.
to ls. 6d.; and fair pale and reddish, 1s. 2d. to Is. 3d.
Good pickings fetched 1s. 1d., and broken 10d. to 112d.

per lb. A week later 15 barrels of West Indian were sold at
similar rates, and 14 cases of Penang were bought in at

ls. 10d. per tb. Of pimento, at the first sale on the 12th,
203 bags were offered, only a part of which sold at 2d.
per tb. At the close of the month from 2d. to 2{d. was the
price realized for fair quality.

ARROWROOT.

At the spice auction on the 26th, 330° barrels of
St. Vincent were offered and only 22 sold, realizing 24d. per tb.
for good manufacturing. In connexion with the British
trade in arrowroot, some extracts have recently appeared in
the English press from an official report on the trade of
Bermuda for 1907, where attention is drawn to the high
price of the Bermuda product, in coniparison with that of
St. Vincent, the former fetching in the retail market 2s. 6d.
per tb., against Is. 9d. per tbh. for St. Vincent. It is also
pointed out that the exports to the United Kingdom during
the year quoted were valued at only £470 against £1, 194
in 1906.

SARSAPARILLA,

At the drug auction on the 12th, 19 bales of native
Jamaica were offered, and 16 sold at the following prices :
Is. to 1s. 1d. for fair to good red ; ordinary yellow and pale
red mixed, 11d. to Is.; and common yellow mixed 10d. to
114d. per tb. At the last sale on thé 27th, grey Jamaica
was offered to the extent of 27 a all of which were
disposed of at from 3d. to 4d. per Ib. cheaper than previous
rates. Eleven bales fetched from ls. 7d. to 1s. 9d. per bb.,
while other qualities brought 1s. 6d. per tb. Thirteen bales
of native Jamaica were offered and 6 sold, Is. 2d. being paid
for good tawny, Is. for fair red, and 10d. to 113d. for inferior
yellow mixed.

CASSTA FISTULA, KOLA,

Of the first of these, 6 bagS—all that were ottered—of
fair Dominica pod, were disposed of at 18s. per ewt. At the
auction on the 13th, 27 packages of kola were offered, one

of good small to bold dried Ceylon fetching 23d. per tb.;

TAMARINDS, ETC.

the remainder, slightly mouldy,, being bought in at 14d.
Some 120 barrels of Tamarinds were offered at the first
sale, only 380 of which were sold in bond without reserve

at from lls. 3d. to Ils. 6d. per ewt. At the end of the
month there was a slight decline, some syrupy Barbados
being disposed of at 10s. 3d. per ewt. At the last sale of the
month 3 cases of good West Indian distilled oil of liraes
were bought in at 2s, 6d. per Ib.

AGRICULTURAL MEETING AT GRENADA.

For some time past it has been the custom to hold
monthly meetings in different parts of Grenada under
the auspices of the Agricultural Society, at which the
Agricultural Superintendent of the island (Mr. R. D.
Anstead, 'B.A.) delivers an address on some subject of
interest In connexion with the cultivation and manage-
ment of the crops grown in the colony.

Such a meeting was held a few weeks ago at the Hermit-
age Schoolroom, St. Patrick’s, under the presidency of
Mr. George D. Kaufmann. About fifty people were in
attendance, and the address of the Agricultural Superinten-
dent dealt with some points of special importance in’ the
cultivation of cacao and ground provisions, and the
methods for checking the spread of black blight.

The following details are taken from a report which
appeared in the Grenada Chronicle of September 5 :—

best

Special stress was laid by Mr. Anstead on the need of
selecting seed for planting in case of corn, The best plants

were produced from the best seed, and the very best ears of
corn should be selected from the crop, and saved for replant-
ing in the next season. In this way, by means of selection
only, the yield of corn and the size of ears, would ina few
years be largely increased. This principle applied not only
to corn, but to every crop, as cacao, nutmegs, and sweet
potatos.

The mulching of cacao was also strongly recommended.
St. Patrick’s parish was very liable to suffer from drought,
but the bad effects of this on the cacao crop was largely
diminished by judicious mulching. If the soil is kept well
covered by 6 or 8 inches of bush, grass, leaves, ete., which
inay be obtained from waste lands, this keeps the surface soil
moist, and by gradual decay provides a rich supply of humus.

MAIZE CROP OF THE UNITED STATES.

According to the Southern Planter the maize area of
the United States for the. present season amounts to
101,000,000 acres, or 1 per cent. more than last year. In
the South Atlantic States the acreage is 2 per cent. greater
than last year. In Virginia the area planted with maize is
1,873,000 acres, and the condition of the crop is placed at
95 (100 being normal) as against 79 a year ago, and a ten-
year average ‘of 90. In Maryland maize has been planted
over 649,000 acres, and the return expected is 90 per cent. of
a normal crop. In North Carolina the maize area for the
season is 2,787,000 acres, the value of the crop being put at

92. The area in Tennessee is 3,014,000 acres, and the
condition 87. The general condition of the maize crop

throughout the country is estimated at 82 as compared with
an average figure for the past ten years of &5.

THE

MARKET REPORTS.

London,—September 29, 1908, Tun Wausr Inpra Com-
MITTEE CrrcuLar; Messrs. Kearton,, Piper & Co.,
September 29, 1908.

Anrrowroor—No quotations.

3aLATA—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/5; eee 1 74 to 1/8.
3EES’-wax—Good Cee e7 Ts. 6d. to £7 Lds. perewt.
Cycao—Trinidad, to 73 Grenada, 50-- to

ner cw. ;
60 - per cwt.

CorrEE—Santos, 25s. 6. to
no quotations.

Corra— West Indian, £17 10s. per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, and Barbados, 18/7. to
Indian, good medimn, 6°30,
vood medium to medium fine,
extra fine, 17d. per Ib.

Prome—
BANANAS— Jamaica, 4,6 to 6/
Limes—No quotations.
PINrE-AppLes—Antigua, 10s. to 14s. pea

St. Michael, 2/6 to 5/- each.

GRAPE Fruit 15/- to 18/- per box.
ORANGES Jamaica, 7/6 to 10/6 per box.

Fusric—£3 10s. to £4 10s, per ton,

Gaincer—Dull.

Honry—Brown to good pale,

fstncLass— West India lump, 1/8 perth. ; cake, no quotations.

Lime Jurer—Raw, LOd. to 12 per gallon ; concentrated,
£15 10s. per cask of 108 gallons ; distilled oil, 24
per Th. ; hand-pressed, 4/3 to 4.6 per Ih.

Loagwoop— £3 10s. to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 10s. to
£3 10s. per ton.

Macre— Quiet » no quotations.

Nurmepas—Steady.

Pimentro—Quiet.

25s. LOSI. per ewt. ; Jamaica,

21 Sd. West
; West Indian Sea Teena
14¢/. to W4bd.: fine, 15d.;

per bunch

Darvel ;

18s. to 84s. per ewt.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/3 to 8 Demerara, 16 to LT per gallon ;
Trinidad, no quotations.
Sucar—Crystals, 15,8 to 16/6 per ewt.; Muscovado, 12.6

to 13.9; Syrup, 9s. to 12s. 6d. : Molasses, no quotations.

New York, October 2. 1908,
Bros. & Co.

Messrs. GILLESPIE,

Cacao—Caracas,' 124c. to: 14c. ; Grenada, 12$c.. to 13e.
Trinidad, 13}c. to Ide. ; Jamaica, 1Ope. to L2be. per Th.

Cocoa-NuTS— Jamaica, select, S28-00 to S380-00; culls,

4$16-00 ; Trinidad, 28°00 to S30-00 per M.

CorrEk Jamaica, oe wy, Tye. to The.
to 8fe.; washed, 9c. to Ite. per Th.

Gincer—10jfe. to 13ife. per Th.

: good ordinary, Te.

Croat SKINS— Jamaica, Eee: Antigua and Barbados, from
Ye. to 50c. ; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46c.
to 47ce. per Ih., dry tlint.

Grare Frome Jamaica,
to S4-00 per box.
Limgs— $100 to $3:00 per barrel.
Mact—27e. to 32e. per VW.
Nurmeas— 10's, 9e. per Th.
ORANGES —Jamaica; S350 to B45
$2°25 per box.
Pimenvo— 38c. to 34e, per Th.
Sucar— Centrifugals, 96°, 8°98e. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°22

We, per Ihe,

$400 to S700 por barrel; $2-50

Market over-stocked,

00 per barrel; SL75 to

Muscovados, SO,
duty paid,

3°48e. ;

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

‘Barbados,

Ocrosper 17, 1908.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKBETS.

Messrs. JAMES A.
1908 ; Messrs.
Messrs. ‘I’. S.

Lynco & Co., October 6,
Leacock & Co., October 10, 1908 -
GARRAWAY & Co., October 12, 1908,

ARROWROOT—St . S400 to $450 per 100 th.

Vincent

CACAO: Dominica and St. Lucia, $14°00 per 100 Th.

Cocoa-nuts— 320-00 for husked nuts.

Corrrr—Jamaica and Ordinary Rio, $8°50 to $10°50 per
100 th.

Hay—S1-20 to $150 per 160 Th.

Manvures—Nitrate of soda, $62°00 to 865-00: Ohlendorft’s.

dissolved guano, $55°00 ; Cotton manure, 342-00: Cacao
inantre, S42°00 to $4800 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $72-00:
to 875-00; Sulphate of potash, S67-00 per ton.

Monasses—No quotations.

Ontons— Strings, $2°75 to 3-00 ; loose, $2-00 per 100 th.
Poraros— Dutch, $2°80 per 160 1b.
PrAS Split, S690 to S675 per bag of 210 Tth.; Canada,

83°65 per bi

Ballam,
S3-S0;
SUGAR

vw of 120 Th.

39°40 to S6°10 (180 Th.); Patna,
Rangoon, 83°00 to 83°10 per LOO th.
No quotations.

35°50) to

British Guiana, — Messrs.
3,- 1908 ; Messrs.
October 3, 1908.

Wrerme & Ricurer, October
SANDBACH, PARKER & Co.,

Arrowroor—St. Vincent, $9-00 to 89°50 per 200 Th.
BaLrata— Venezuela block 32c. ; Demerara sheet 48c. per

th.
Cacao—Native 16e. to 18. per th.
Cassava—0e. to 96e.
Cassava Starcu—87°00 per barrel of 196 th.

COcOA-NUTS—S

12-00 to $16-00 per M.
COorreEe

Creole 12e. to 18e. : Jamaica 12¢
DiaL—S85°10 to $540 per bag of 168 Lb.
Kppos—S1°32 per barrel.

Monasses—No quotations.

Oxtoxs—Madeira, 2}c. to 2be.; per tb.

PLANTAINS—12e. to 28¢. per bunch.

Potaros—N.S. 82°50 to: $2-75

Poraros—Sweet, Barbados, $1°92 per bag.

Rick— Ballam, 86°00 to $6°25 ; Creole, 85°25 to $5°50 for
vood ; Seeta, S600.

Spurr PEas— 6°75 per bag (210 th.); Lishon, no quotations,

TANNIAS—S1°68 to S1-80 per bag.

Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $2°40 per bag.

Sucgar—Dark crystils, $2:-07 to $2-20; Yellow, $3°10; to
S3°-20 ; White, $3°50 to $3-70 ; “OO to S2-10
per LOO th. (retail.

Timber— Greenheart,

WALLABA SHINGLES

CorRDWoon

. per th.

Molasses, $2

yc. per cubie foot.
5-7o per M.
“OF per ton.

TD to &

S$2°40 to $2

Trinidad, October 5, 1908. Messrs. ( tORDON, GRANT
& Co.
Cacao Veneruclan, S12°60 to S$12°75 per fanewa: Trimidad,

$12-00 to 812-50.
Cocoa-nuts- Selected, $22°00 per M. f.o.b.
Cocoa-xuv Or, OTe. per Imperial gallon, cask included,
Correr Venezuelan. 8fe. to 8he. per th.
Corpra 83°10 to 83°25 per 100 Th.

Dian $460 to $470 per 2-bushel dae.

Ontons- S150 to S160 per 100 th. (retail).

Poravros —Enelish, SL 40 to $1 50 per LOO Th.

Rien Yellow, 45:40 to 85°75: White, $4-7 5 to $4e80 per bag.
Sprite Pras—S6°50 to ¥6°75 per hag

Sugar —American crushed, 85°00 to $b°10 per LOO Tb,

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
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(47

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(53)
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Vou. VII. No. 169. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS Ocroper 17, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR | COLONIAL USE

AR

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—-Fer Sugar-cane and general use
Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure

Ohlendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,
Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR DIRECT TO :—
THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS.

London Agency: 15, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C.
Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co Bridgetown

e
(Second a Enlarged mdiea) (Published fortnightly).
A Text-book based upon the G eneral P rinciples of f | TH ESO E FICIAL ORGAN
Agriculture, specially prepared for general use in the | |
Secondary Schools of the West tdi, and as a guide for |
Teachers in Elementary Schools in preparing and arrang- a
ing lessons on the Elements of Agriculture. | THE WEST INDIA COMMITTEE
Prepared by Dr. FRANCIS WATTS, C.M.G., F.1.C. | (Estab: circa 1760. Incorporated by Royal Charter
——— Aug. 4, 1904.)
Published by the Imper ial Department of
Agriculture. Price 2s. Post free, 2s. 34d. Edited by ALGERNON E. ASPINALL,.
(Vol. IX, No. 2) | A Monthly Journal, epnthiniae articles on Tropical
ae ‘ Agriculture, and other matters of interest to those living
Containing papers read at the West Indian Agricultural Con- J | } 30, or interested in the Tropics.
ference, 1908, in relation to ihe Sugar and Cacao Industries, viz : id ; a =
Cane Farming at Trinidad, Root Disease of Sugar-cane, Polarimet- | | Edited by H. HAMEL SMITH.
ric Determination of Sucrose ; Results of recent experiments wiih | | Gis 5d avai BD ReMRHG lie? ARON] subsanine Os
Cacao at Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and British Guiana, Fungus ] | ig os Ripa > gay subscrpuony RUE Reo
Diseases of Cacao, Thrips on Cacao, ete. Poblishedsbwe
To be obtained of all Agents for the sale | | Messrs. Bale, Sun & Danielsson, Ltd.
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A
IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

FORTNIGHTLY “REVIEW

OF THE

Vote Alle Not 170:

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Agricultural Bank for

St. Croix Sugar

lanters!aueeniece ats fo40)
Agricultural Society of

Germatye eect tess) ob:
Anthrax at St. Vincent ... 544
3ermuda, Chief Agri-

eultural Products of... :
3ermuda, Botanical
Department Bo cen kee,
Cacao Shipments from

Trinidad pe eee ill
Castor Oil Plants as Green
Dressing 345

Cheese Making in Cuba ... 3:
Citrate of Lime at Dominica 341
Cocoanut Laduscry in the
Seychelles ...
Cotton Notes :
Cotton-growing at
Tobago be Bets wate eae
Cotton inthe Sea Islands :
Cyclone Danis
Cotton, ete., at
Montserrat... ss
West Indian Cotton
Departmental Reports :
British Guiana : Depart-
ment of Science and
Avriculture, 1907-8 ... B4f
Dominica ; Botanic
Station, etc., 1907-8... ¢
Department News ... ... 349

Pac
Gleaningsj- ese cee) uses
Grenada, Sale of Agri-
cultural Produce at... ¢
Insect Notes :
Diptera, The ... x
Siphonaptera, The, or

BARBADOS, OCTOBER 31,

rK.

348

Bleass: (Ress. 346
Liverpool Colonial

Products Exhibition 344
Love Vine, The Bd0
Malaria at Mauritius 345
Market Reports 352
Notes and Comments 344

Planters and Departments

of Agriculture ... 337
Rubber Culture, Experi-

mental, Results at

Dominica : 345
Rubber Production,

Future, inthe East 347

‘Sandersha’ Mango, The :
Seed Selection and the
Breeding of Plants...
Students’ Corner
Sugar-cane Seedling

B. 208 in Oueensland 3+

Sugar Industry :

Sugar Production of the
World, 1907-8...
Varieties of Sugar-cane

at Antigua,
Sulphate of Ammonia and

1907-8... de

340

dol

BAT

Dominica Produce at the Acidity in Soils 341
Coming Colonial Vruit Sweet Potato Weevil at
SViNOKG Gael ok ssa Seco Barbados 345
2

Agriculture.

DAI
|
{7

Ty HE
Sap

value

of the
pw of Agriculture depends largely on the
sO, intimacy of the

work of a Departme

relations between 1

ont

he

planters and the scientific officers of the Department.

Prick ld.

1908.

This implies that while the officers of the Department
must be interested in the work of the planters, the
planters in turn must also be interested in the work of
the Department.

This latter duty is sometimes imperfectly recog-
nized, and the feeling may arise that the interests of
the planters, so far as the Department is concerned,
will be safeguarded without much ettort on their own
part.

The interest required is not merely that which
consists in reading, and possibly applying, the sugges-
tions, and the information contained in the reports,
ete, which emanaie from the Department, but involves
alsu the effort to keep the Departmental observers
informed of the various points in the daily round of
planting work, so that points of success, as well as
points of difficulty, may be correctly appreciated by
both sides.

The ideal condition would probably be reached if
the results of reaping each crop were submitted by the
Officers, that
reasons for successes and failures might be investigated

that

planters to the Agricultural so the

and recorded. It is obvious both sides would

benefit by this procedure.

A great deal of the planter’s daily work may be
nade to have an experimental and scientific value with-
out much effort, provided only that observations are
made and records kept. (For example, the effect of
the application of any manure ray be measured by
leaving a. portion of the field untreated and comparing
the remainder with that. At present it is customary to
apply the dressing to the whole field so that there is no
knowing what would have happened if the manure had
A few observations. of this

not been used. kind care-

GARDE

338

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. OcroverR 31, 1908.

fully correlated by scientific officers would soon give
rise to knowledge of a most valuable kind.

Similarly, slight variations might be made in the
methods of cultivation, and the results noted and com-
pared ; these would undoubtedly throw a flood of light
on many vexed questions.)

If this aspect of the question were grasped by
planters it would in turn react most beneficially on the
scientific workers whose attention would constantly be
their
work is

called to the methods of local practice, and
merits and defects. At present, scientific
retarded from a want of accurate knowledge of many
points relating to planting work. This want might
easily be remedied by increasing the exchange of infor-
mation in the manner indicated.

There is a danger that the scientific workers may
pursue lines of investigation which carry them out of
touch with the planters among whom, and for whom,
they live. These investigations may be useful and
valuable, they may indeed be quite necessary : but if
they tend to separate planter and scientist their value
is lessened and the efforts of some other worker will be

necessary to bring the two together again.

The scientific worker should be required as part
of his duty to carry on investigations of an abstract
character so as to extend knowledge, and to keep his
mind alert and capable of dealing with new problems:
if his time and attention are wholly occupied in dealing
with so-called ‘ practical’ duties, he will soon lose his
mental alertness and fail to deal successfully with the
problems presented by the planter. inter-
course with the affairs of the planter will ensure that
with the

Constant

his work does not cause him to lose touch
problems he is required to handle.

The work of a Department of Agriculture will be
much advanced in usefulness if the planters will realize,
and act upon, the idea that it is incumbent on them
to approach the scientific workers with their knowledge
and their problems, as well as for the scientific worker
to approach the planter, and happily, in many instances,
this desirable state of affairs is found to exist.

B. 208 in Queensland. In the report on sugar-
cane experiment work carried out in Queensland in 1907,
it is mentioned that the seedling cane B. 208 was introduced
into the trials during the past year. Speaking of this
seedling the report says: ‘B. 208 is a cane with a strong
record as a sugar producer, both in the West Indies, and
also in the Herbert river district, North Queensland, and
the results obtained with it at the Mackay Experiment
Station will be awaited with interest.’

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Varieties of Sugar-cane at Antigua, 1907-8.

A meeting of the Agricultural and Commercial
Society of Antigua was held on September 28 last, under
the presidency of his Excellency the Governor of the
Leeward Islands, at which an account of the results
obtained in the experiments with varieties of sugar-
cane, carried on in the island during the season 1907-8,
was laid before the members by Dr. Francis Watts,
C.M.G.

The yields of sucrose, in pounds per gallon of juice, and
in pounds per acré respectively, given by the principal varie-
ties cultivated during the season, are set out in the accompany-
ing statements :-—

PLANT CANES.
(Means of sixteen plots in the case of every variety.)

\ ae Sucrose in pounds | Yield of sucrose in
Name of cane. x el |
per gallon of juice. |pounds per acre.
a ea a
Sealy Seedling 2°02 | 5,730
B. 208 2-34 | 5,640
D; 109 2-05 5,500
B. 156 HO. 7 5,460
B. 306 2°15 | 5,170
BR. 093 2°21 5,140
W. Transpt. 2°22 5,100
Mont Blane 2-16 | 5,070
{D. 99 2°22 5,100
| \B. 109 2°16 5,070
| Burke 215 4,890
D. 116 2-98 4,820

RATOON CANES.

The following table shows the returns obtained in the
ratoon cane trials. It will be seen that most of the varieties
ineluded in the plant canes experiments were also under trial
as ratoons. The returns here shown are, in every case, the
means of fourteen plots :—

| Name of Sucrose in pounds) Yield of sucrose in |
cane. per gallon of juice.) pounds per acre. |
iD. 109 2-09 4,370
‘Sealy Seedling 2-08 4,360 |
IB. 306 215 4,210 |
IB. 147 2:07, 4,140
B. 376 2:23 4,100 |
ID. 74 2-13 4,040 |
|B. 208 2°29 3,920 |
B. 156 | 1:99 3,870
|(B. 109 2°10 3,850 |
UW. Transpt. 9-29 3,850 |
Mont Blane 2°14 3.810
iD. 95 219 | 3,730 |
| |

On the basis of the results of these experiments, the
varieties Sealy Seedling (for poor soils), B. 208 (for good
soils), B. 156, B. 306, and possibly D. 109, are recommended
for cultivation at Antigua.

Vor. VII. No. 170.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Attention was drawn by Dr. Watts to the fact that the
yields from the plant canes had been below, while the yields
of ratoon canes had been about: equal ‘to, the average of
previous years. At first it was thought that the falling off
might have been oecasioned by root disease, but as this
would probably have affected the ratoon canes more than the
plants, another reason was sought, and it was suggested that
the yield from the plant canes was lowered by the unusually
heavy rainfall of September 1906, when from 18 to 22 inches
were recorded on various estates. This interfered with the
cultivation, and the results are apparent in the,small crops
of plant canes reaped in 1908 on heavy soils. The lght
soils of the limestone districts appeared to have benefited.

Dr. Watts ventured to predict that the causes which led
to a reduced crop of plant canes would probably lead to an
increase in the amount of root disease in the first ratoons now
growing. He advised his hearers to be on the alert to recognize
root disease and to take precaution to check its development,
indicating that good cultivation and resting the land from
cane crops were amongst the best means to this end.

In this connexion the widespread prevalence of root
disease among canes in Antigua, at the present time, was
alluded to, and Dr. Watts advised all planters to make an
examination of their young ratoon canes, to ascertain if the
disease were present.

NEW VARIETIES OF CANE.

Some information was given concerning the returns
obtained with a number of new varieties of cane, which are
under experiment, but which have not yet been brought into
general cultivation. The chief of these canes, together with
the returns given by them, are shown in the accompanying
table. ‘The yields of sucrose mentioned represent the means
of four plots (plant canes) in the case of every variety :—

l |
| Name of Sucrose in pounds Yield of sucrose in|
| cane. per gallon of juice. pounds per acre.
| B. 4,596 | 1°89 7,940 |

3. 1,528 | 2-05 7,000 |
). 2,190 | 2-16 6,840
B. 1,753 186 6,410 |
B. 1,030 | 2-04 6,130
3. 1,355 212 6,090
D. 132 | 1-98 5,930
B. 3,289 2-03 5,480 |
B. 3,696 | 270 |
Ds Wa 5,270
B. 1,529 5,230
D. 3,159 5,000

Sugar Production of the World, 1907-8.

A tabular statement, prepared and published by
the Bureau of Statistics of the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture, shows the amounts of sugar
produced by the various countries of the world in which
cane and beet are cultivated, in 1907-8, and also in the
four preceding years.

The total world’s crop of cane sugar for 1907-8 was
7,233,477 tons. This is greater than the amount produced
in any previous year, with the exception of 1906-7, when the
production reached 7,360,172 tons. In /1905-6 it was
6,735,081 tons.

The cane-sugar crop of Louisiana and Texas for the
year under review was 347,000 tons, while 420,000 tons were
produced in Hawaii and 217,000 tons in Porto Rico. This
makes a total of 984,000 tons for the United States, as
compared with 845,871 tons yielded in 1906-7, and 938,225
tons in 1905-6.

In 1907.8, Cuba produced 1,200,000 tons of cane-sugar,
this being about equal to the return of 1905-6, but 228,000
tons less than that of 1906-7. The West Indian Islands
other than Cuba and Porto Rico yielded in the past season
291,000 tons of sugar, while in 1906-7 the production of
these islands was 279,631 tons, and in 1905-6 it reached
302,165 tons. Mexico showed an increase in the sugar out-
put in the past year, advancing from 108,000 tons in 1906-7
to 115,000 tons in 1907-8. If to the above figures we add
the production of Central and South America, this gives
the total cane-sugar output of the western continent for
1907-8 at 3,195,000 tons. This enormous quantity, how-
ever, was exceeded by the amount produced in Asia during
the year—3,481,477 tons. Africa yielded a cane-sugar crop
of 270,000 tons (a considerable drop on the output of the
two previous years), and 276,000 tons were produced in
Australia, New Guinea, ete.

Coming to the figures relating to the beet sugar produc-
tion of the world in 1907-8, it is seen that the total erop from
all countries is 6,996,897 tons, or nearly half a million tons
less than the cane-sugar crop. The crop is less by 163,000 tons
than the beet crop of 1906-7, and less by 227,000 than that
of 1905-6.

In the United States beet sugar was produced to the
amount of 413,954 tons in 1907-8, while in 1906-7 the crop
was 431,796 tons; in 1905-6, however, only 279,393 tons
were produced. Ina note appended to the statistical table
it is pointed out that while cane-sugar is but just holding its
own from year to year in the United States the production of
beet sugar has more than doubled in six years.

The output of beet sugar in Canada was but 7,943:
tons in 1907-8, as compared with 11,367 tons in 1906-7,
and 11,419 tons in 1905-6. Among European countries,
Germany has been the leading producer in the past year, with
an output of 2,135,000 tons.

BERMUDA BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT.

An account of the work of the Botanical Depart-
ment of Bermuda, prepared by the Superintendent of
the Public Gardens, is included in the Annual Report
on the colony for 1907.

The total expenditure made last year in connexion with
the Department was £2,177 16s. 6d. Of this £500 was
allotted to insect pest destruction work (chiefly the ‘ fruit
tly —Ceratitis caprtata), and £373 6s. 11d. was spent on
tobacco cultivation.

The Fruit Fly Destruction Act came into force on
March 1, 1907, and has now passed the experimental stage.
The work is proceeding on sound. lines and promises good
results.

Altogether there are fifty-four kinds of fruit under cultiva-
tion at Bermuda, Experimental plots of Canary bananas
have been established in different districts, and it is hoped to
develop an export trade in this fruit. Strawberry growing 1s
rapidly expanding : 200,000 plants have been imported, and
plants of 110 varieties are under culture at the Public Gardens.
The green vegetable industry is being encouraged by the trial
of ditferent varieties, and the distribution of suitable kinds to
growers. From the area under tobacco culture, 1,000. tb. of
leaf suitable for wrapper was cured and baled.

340

TBE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroper 31, 1908.

WEST INDIAN ERUMM,

THE ‘SANDERSHA’ MANGO.

Under the heading ‘Promising New Fruits, an
article appears in the recently issued Yearbook: (1907)
of the United States Department of Agriculture, which
contains particulars (with coloured illustrations) of the
characteristics of a number of fruits of different varieties
that are at present under expertmental culture by the
Department, and all of which promise to be of speciat
excellence. Among these fruits is a mango of Indian
origin, known as the ‘Sandersha’ variety, first intro-
duced into Florida in the year 1901, and of which the
following particulars are given :—

Of the mangos that have so far fruited sufficiently in
Florida to disclose their distinctive characteristies, the Sander-
sha is one of the most unique, and in certain respects the
most promising. It was introduced by the Section of Seed
and Plant Introduction in 1901, having been received from
Bangalore, India, in the form of two inarched trees.
A second lot of inarched trees received from Mr. W. Goilan,
Superintendent of the Government Botanie Station at
Saharanpur, India, under the name ‘Sundershah’ has not
yet fruited, but is lelieved to be the Tittle
appears to have been published in India, regarding the
variety, but at the Subtropical Laboratory of the Department
at Miami, Florida, where it has been fruited for two seasons,

same sort.

it has proved very productive, of exceptionally large size, fine
dessert quality, and very late ripening season, all of which
points are apparently in its favour as a commercial sort.
Mr. Vv. J. Wester, of the Subtropical Laboratory, considers
cross-pollination necessary to insure productiveness.

The Sandersha mango is long in form, compressed, and
rather slender, tapering toward stem and terminating in
a distinct curved beak at the apex ; size very large, averaging
about 20 oz. in weight, and occasionally attaining a weigh
of 2 tb.; stem stout, apex prominent, curved and “beaked ?
surface smooth ; colour clear yellow, with a faint pinkish
blush in the sun; dots numerous, small, russeted ; skin
moderately thick ; seed long, curved, thin, -small -in proper-
tion to size of fruit and thickness of flesh ; flesh rich reddish-
yellow, juicy and tender, almost entirely free from fibre ;
flavour refreshing in the fresh~ state, though with rather
less aroma than the Mulgoba. Its higher acidity
doubtless render it more .aceeptable-for~ serving in sliced
form than are most of the mangos thus far obtainable in the
United States’ markets. This mango is a late variety, ripening
in the latter part of August at Miama, Fla. The ‘Sandersha’
is considered well worthy of testing in the mango districts of
Florida, Porto Rico, and Hawaii.

will

COCOA-NUT INDUSTRY IN
SEYCHELLES.

The production of cocoa-nuts, and the mannfacture
of oil, copra, and soap, constitute the agrienltnral
industry of seconil importance in the Seychelles Islands,
the chief industry being the cultivation of vanilla.
Frem the particulars given in the Annual Report
(1907-8) of the Curator of the Botanie Gardens in the
Seychelles, it is seen that the cocoa-nut crop for the
past year showed a large increase on those of the two
previous years. The total number of produced
was 21,716,408. , Of the nuts about 132 millions were
converted into copra for export, while t
were disposed of in various ways, or cousumed locally.
The value of the exports of cocoa-nuts and cocoa-nut
products 2mounted to £51,424.

THE

nuts

CH He mainder

Copra manufacture is steadily increasing i: islands
and as a result there has been a continual rise in the price of
the nuts during the past two or three years. In 1905 the
price of 100 nuts fell as low as 2s. In 1906 it rose to 3s.,
and in the year under review the average price r 100 has

3d.
and the value of the cocoa-nut estates in the island are stated
to have more than doubled sinee 1906-7.

been 5s. Many local firms ave engaged in the industry

DV

In the past little attention has been paid to the manur-
ing of cocoanut plantations in_ the but with the
increased value of the products a few planters are giving
attention to manuring in the hope of increasing their returns.
One planter applied stable manure at the rate of 50 Ib. per.
tree, later on giving in addition 6 lb. per tree of a mixture of
kainit, salt, and lime, and the results he has
obtained would certainly go to indicate that much more
mantring might be done in the cocoa-nut plantations of the
islands, with profitable results. In the year following the above
applications the cocoa-nut crop of the estate rose to an aver-
age of sixty-one nuts per tree, as compared with an average of
thirty-one nuts in the preceding year. In experiments carried
out in other parts of the colony, 2 ewt. of kainit and 4 cwt. of
guano were mixed and applied per acre, and in addition a crop
of velvet beans was grown on the soil beneath the trees, in
order to assist in» providing a supply of nitrogen for the
cocoa-nut crop.

cole my,

guano,

The velvet beans are reported to grow remarkably well
on the coral soil of the Seychelles Islands. It appears that
the vines are allowed to climb over the palms to a certain
height, after which they are cut down and dug into the soil.

Vou. VII. 170.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS,

341

DOMINICA PRODUCE AT THE COMING
COLONIAL FRUIT SHOW.

It has been decided that the island of Dominica
shall participate in the Colonial Fruit and Vegetable
Show, to be held under the anspices of fhe Royal
Horticultural Society im London, on November 26 and
27 next, and the Dominica Official Gazette of October
17 contains a letter from Dr. H. A. Alford Nicholls, in
which he states the classes at the Show under which
produce from the island may be exhibited, and mentions
the arrangements that have been made.

The classes in which Dominica produce may compete

are those for (a) pine-apples, (4) bananas, (ce) oranges,
(d) limes, (¢) shaddocks, pomelows and other such fruit,

(7) yams, sweet potatos, and other tubers, (vy) vegetables
other than tubers, (4) bottled fruit in clear glass bottles,
(7) jams, jellies, and syrups, shown in clear glass bottles.

Mr. J. A. Acting-Secretary of the Permanent
Exhibition Committee, is carrying out the arrangements for
collecting and despatching the exhibits, which will be sent
forward by the Royal Mail steamer Jeaving Dominica on
November 1. The exhibits will be consigned to Mr. A. E.
Aspinall, the London representative of the Permanent
Exhibition Committee of Dominica, who. will arrange for
their display at the Show.

Medals and other prizes will be given in each class at
the discretion of the Council of the Royal Horticultural
Society.

Dr. Nicholls, in the course of his letter, expresses a hope
that growers of frmt and vegetables will help in making
known the capabilities of the island by sending on fine
exhibits of their best products, which, as he poiats ont, will
greatly aid the persistent efforts that are nuw being made to
popularize Dominica limes in Great Britain.

Brooks,

CITRATE OF LIME AT DOMINICA.

The Curator of the Botanic Station, Dominica, in
his latest dnnual Report (1907-8) makes the follow-
ing reference to the progress of the citrate of lime
industry in the island » —

Considerabic progress las been made in Lhe manutacture
of citrate of ime in Dominica during the past year. During
1906, the year in which citrate of lime was. first exported
from the island, 728 ewt. of this product were produced. In
1907, 2,388 ewt. of citrate of lime were shipped, showing an
increase of 1,660 ewt.—-a very satisfactory advance.

The great drawback in making citrate in Dominica at
present is the cost of drying the product. ‘What is required
is efficient machinery for cheaply and quickly drying the
citrate without loss of acid. When such an apparatus can
be obtained without necessitating the expenditure of too
great a sum, the chief obstacle in the making of citrate of
lime by estates will have been removed.

Should such machinery be of too costly a character for
estates making 80 to 100 hogheads of concentrated juice, then
the development of factories may be expected at suitable
points in the several districts for the purchase of lime
juice from adjoining estates, to be made into citrate of
lime.

No doubt many difficulties are met with in new entec-
prises of this kind. These are usually overcome as experience
is gained. It is hoped that the cost of drying citrate may be
greatly reduced and that. this product may shortly rank as
one of the chief exports of Dominica.

SULPHATE OF AMMONIA AND ACIDITY
IN SOILS.

A note in a recent issue
Chronicle draws attention to the ‘curious appearance
of the herbage’ in a grass plot at the Rothamsted
Agricultural Experiment Station, England, which has
been manured continuously with sulphate of ammonia
and chloride of ammonia for ‘a loug period of years.
The vegetation on this plot. is Heccubed as being
composed almost entirely of three grasses, while ‘He
surface soil consists of a peat-like mat of semi- -decayed
plant remains. The following particulars are given of
investigations carried out in connexion with ihe condi-
tion of the soil of this plot :—

of the Gardeners

Recent investigations that have been made in the
laboratory show that the soil has become ac id, a result that
often may occur as a consequence ‘of the long-continue d use
of ammonium salts. It was found that the organisms which
ordinarily oxidize the ammonia to nitrates were only present
m small quanities, and their action was almost inhibited
owing to the acidity of the soil. The slight amount of
nitrification observed, together with other facts, which need
uot be considered here, point to the conelusion that the
oxidation is attributable to the beneficial action of the small
residual quantity of lime present in the soil. This acts
partly, no doubt, as locally neutralizing the acidity, and it is
possible that pean investigation may show that its intlnence
nay connected with other physiological properties
which this substance is known to possess. The acidity of the
soil is, at least mainly, brought about by the action of various
micro-tungi, which are ables to utilize ammonia, setting free
the acid in the soil. The general result of the investigation,
which has a practical value of considerable importance,
indicates that ‘the decline in fertility of the acid plots may
be attributed to the repression ‘of the normal bacterial
activities of the soil, and the encouragement of the growth of
moulds.’

Tt will be remembered that the question of acidity
in soils brought about as the result of long- continued
applications of sulphate of ammonia was referred to at
the West Indian Agricultural Conference held at Barba-
dos in January last, by Professor J.B. Harrison, C.M.G.,in
connexion with the sugar-cane experiments carried out
in British Guiana. As the result of suggestions made
to Professor Harrison that the falling off in the
productive power of some of the cane fields in which
experiments were carried out might be due to the
lengthy period over which sulphate of ammonia had
been regularly applied, the subject was investigated
and experiments were conducted which lasted over
three years.

The results of the experiments, however, cid not
support the theory put forward, as a change in the
manurial treatment from suiphate of ammonia to nitrate
of soda brought about a further lowering of the yield
of cane, and Professor Harrison stated it as his opin-
ion, that on heavy clay soils, such as those of the
experiment fields of British Guiana, and under tropical
meteorological conditions, the deflocculation or pu ld-
ling, caused by long-continued dressings with nitrate
of soda, 1s likely to prove more injurious to the produc-
tive power of the soil than is the souring action, either
direct or indirect, of sulphate of ammonia,

alse ) be

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroser 31, 1908.

. POST
ESD yj eigen
i aca,

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date October 12, with reference
to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Owing to the strike, most of the mills using Sea Island
cotton are closed, with the result that only about 120 bales
of West Indian Sea Island cotton have been sold, and these
chiefly for export.

Z The sales include Anguilla and Antigua at 134d,
Barbados at l4d., St. Vincent at 164¢., anda few Stains
and Linters.

The American Sea Island cotton is coming forward, but
until there is some prospect of a settlement in the strike,
spinners in the country jare not disposed to enter into

operations

COTTON IN THE SEA _ ISLANDS.

The Sea Island cotton reports of Messrs. W. W.
Gordon & Co., of Savannah, dated October 2 and 9 respec
tively, both speak of the favourable weather which prevails
in the Sea Islands for gathering in the cotton crop, and pick-
ing is stated to be in active progress. The market conditions
have been quiet so far, and few sales have been effected.
It is mentioned that the strike in Lancashire, and political
the United States and in Europe are all
against an advance in price.

Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston,
writing on October 3, report as follows :-—

conditions 17

The total receipts to date of new season’s cotton from
the Sea Islands amount to 555 bales. As the crop will be
coming in freely from now on, factors have given out samples
of lots so far received, and are anxious for the market to open.
‘extra fine ’ quality 30c. per Ib, ‘fully
27c, per Ib. These figures are some

The prices asked are :
fine’ 28c., and ‘ tine’
what above the views of buyers, and no sales have been made

as yet. The crop lots are not yet being offered for sale.

COTTON GROWING AT TOBAGO.

Some interesting notes (prepared by Mr. Thomas
Thornton, A.R.C.S.) on the possibilities of Sea Island
cotton cultivation at Tobago are printed as one of the
appendices to the report on the proceedings of the late
Cotton Conference at Manchester.

It is evident that cotton was formerly a crop of great
value at Tobago.
tion over 2,500,000 tb. of cotton were produced in the island
in L780, and in the Eneyelopaedia Britannica (1854 edition)

According to a reliable source of informa-

Z

O'ES./ =

SS ee)

it is mentioned that the cotton of finest quality ever placed
on the English market was grown on Golden Grove estate,
Tobago, about the year 1790.

Experiments in the cultivation of Sea Island cotton have
been carried on in the island during the past few years under
the Agricultural Department. estates have started
trial cultivations, and a number of peasants planted cotton
ona small scale. Although the crop unfortunately did not
receive the care and attention given to it in the other islands,
some of the cotton produced compared favourably with that
grown elsewhere. For the 1908 planting, the Agricultural
Department imported 1,200 tb. of the best cotton seed from
Barbados, and this will be sold to growers at cost price. It
was generally expected that a much larger acreage of the
crop will be planted than in past years,

To encourage’the industry, the Government of Trinidad
and Tobago has erected a ginnery at Scarborough. Two
power gins have been installed, and this season’s work has been
commenced. Six. bales of cotton have already been ginned,
but it is of importance to mention that the factory is in
a working condition, ready to gin all the cotton that will be
produced in the island for some time to come. | Not only has
the Government erected a ginnery, but £150 was set apart
for the encouragement of Sea Island cotton cultivation in
1907-8. For the year 1908-9, £300 more has been set
apart for the same ‘purpose.

Some

CYCLONE DAMAGE TO COTTON AND
OTHER CROPS AT MONTSERRAT.

According to the Montserrat Herald of October
10, the eyclone which passed over the island a fortnight
previous did considerable damage to the cotton and
other crops in some parts, although in others no injury
whatever was experienced.

At Roach’s, about 50 per cent. of Mr. Johnson’s crop is
reported to have been destroyed, and some fields have had to
be replanted. Dagenham estate did not sutfer at all, while
at Webbs and Amersham, the damage done is estimated at
10 per cent. of the value of the erop. At O’Garas a 5-acre
tield of cotton was entirely destroyed, and in St. George,
Whites and Bethel lost about 50 per cent. of their cotton
cultivations. In St. Peter, Mr. J. Harper of Braid was the
chief sufferer, the damage done to his cotton being estimated
at from 25 to 30 per cent. of the value of the whole.

The bread-fruit and banana crops at Montserrat were also
largely damaged. The bread-fruit trees were either uprooted
or the fruit broken off by the gale, while it is reported that
practically all the banana trees in the island have been
clestroyed.,

Vou. VII. No. 170. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

343

SALE OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE
AT GRENADA.

An Ordinance has recently been passed in Grenada
which has for its object the amendment of the law
relating to the sale of cacao, nutmegs, and cotton by
peasant proprietors to dealers in the island.

By this amendment it is provided that no person may
carry on business as a dealer in agrictltural produce in
Grenada unless he has previously applied-for and obtained
a licence from a magistrate in the island. *

It is further enacted that all cacao, cotton, or nutnegs
purchased from a peasant proprietor shall be paid for in cash,
and payment, either wholly or partly, by. means of goods,
shall be illegal, so that no licensed dealer can maintain an
action at law against a peasant proprietor in respect of goods
stated to be delivered as the price of any caeao, nutmegs, or
cotton. On the other hand, a small proprietor can recover
from a dealer to whom he has sold his produce, the money
value of the whole or any part of this produce which shall
not have been paid for in eash.

If, however, any sum of money has lent or
advanced by the dealer to small cultivators, the produce of
the latter may be legally retained by the dealer on account
of the debt.

been

RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTAL RUBBER
CULTURE AT DOMINICA.

Three kinds of rubber-yielding trees, Para (Hever
brasiliensis), Central American (Custillow clustica),
and Funtumia elasticd, are being grown experimentally
at Dominica. and during the past two or three years
samples of rubber have on several¢occasions been
prepared, in order that some idea might be gained as
to the possibilities of return which may be expected
from these varieties of trees in the island. The follow-
ing account of the latest experiments in rubber tapping
and preparation at Dominica appears in the 1907-8
report of the Curator of the Botanic Station : —

Since the publication of a brief note in the West Indian
Bulletin, Vol. VII, No. 2, on rubber-producing trees at,
Dominica, experiments in tapping three Para rubber trees
(Hevea brasiliensis) at the Botanic Station have been made.

Daily tappings on the half spiral system were made
until several cakes of rubber had been obtained. This rubber
was forwarded to London in November 1907, for report,
along with samples of Castilloa and Funtumia rubber obtained
from trees growing at the Botanic Station. ,The Para rubber
was valued at from 4s, to 4s. 2d. per tb., and was described
as being by far the best of the various samples sent.

This is the first occasion on which Para rubber trees
have been tapped in Dominica. The tree is very easy to tap,
and the yield of latex is good. After collection in the early
morning, the milk was strained through fine gauze. It was
then placed in a cireular vessel, and a little lime jnice added
io hasten coagulation. Twenty-four hours later the cake of
rubber was ready to be lifted out. It was pressed to get
rid of as much moisture as possible and afterwards placed to
dry in the shade. By this system nice amber-coloured
biscuits of rubber were obtained. The process is simple and
the results good.

Judging by the above experiment the Hevea appears
to give a greater yield of rubber than Castilloa trees of
The preparation of Para rub¥er is shorter and

a similar age.

easier than that of Castilloa. The drawback to Hevea
cultivation in Dominica is the liability of the trees to become
uprooted during the prevalence of high winds following
heavy rains. If planted in Dominica, the trees should be
given sheltered positions. Rj

During 1907, the Department of Agriculture imported
3,000 Para rubber seeds from Ceylon. Many of the seeds
had commenced to germinate on the way, but this did not
resuit in any loss. ‘The importation was very successful, over
SO per cent. of plants being raised. If desired by planters,
importations of these seeds will be made yearly from the
Kast until the trees at the Botanie Station can supply the
number of seeds sufticient to meet the local demand.

Two samples of Castilloa rubber, one from the Botanic
Station and one from Stowe estate, have also been forwarded
to London for report and valuation. This took place in
August 1907, and the samples Were valued at 4s. per bb.
The samples were obtained by creaming. This process is
very tedious. Some acid or other agent is required that will
coagulate Castilloa latex as readily'as acetic, citric, and other
acids coagulate the latex of Hevea trees. The preparation of
Castilloa rubber would then be considerably simplified.

Although a considerable quantity of Castilloa seed was
distributed to planters, it is evident that during the year
under review but little planting of Castilloa trees was done.

Some Funtumia trees at the Station which were tapped
but gave only an unsatisfactory yield in 1905, were again
tapped in the past year, but the result was once moré
unsatisfactory. In Dominica this variety cannot compare in
yield with Hevea and Castilloa trees of the same age. In
order to recommend themselves for general cultivation, they
must give a fair return of rubber when eight to nine years
old. Funtumias do not fulfil this requirement at the Botanic
Station in Dominica. It may be that the climate is too dry ;
but, on the other hand, the tiees are healthy and grow well,
though somewhat liable at times to attacks of black blight.

AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF
GERMANY.

From particulars given in the Huperimeint Station
Record of the United States Department of Agri-
enlture (July 1908), it wonld appear that the Agricul-
cural Sucievy ot Germany is the largest of 1s kind in
the world.

The Society has a membership.of about 15,000, and its
wide range of activities include not only experimental work
and the dissemination of agricultural information, but also
the purchase and inspection of supphes. For example, it has
departments for the purchase of fertilizers, feeding stuffs, and
seeds, and all members buying their supplies by this means
have the quality of the various articles guaranteed.

A recent report shows that diving the year 1907 mem-
bers bought through the Society some 373,150 tons of
fertilizing materials. Analyses of the feeding stuffs and
fertilizers are made by the agricultural experiment stations
free of cost to the members under an arrangement by which
the manufacturers pay the stations for the analytical work
During the past year 3,956 analyses of fertilizers were made
under this arrangement, of which 3,490 were found to be up
to the guaranteed quality, and 446 or 11°13 were found to
be too low. The largest purchases made through the
Society were of potash salts—-260,000 tons, while basic slag
came second in quantity, 74,000 tons ; followed by lime
23,000 tons, and smaller amounts of superphosphates, nitrate
of soda, bone-meal, and caleium cyanamide.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroser 31, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming,,should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Aaqricultural
Vou. VIL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1908. No. 170.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The relationship that should exist between
planters and officers of } Agricultural Departments is
discussed in the editorial, which has been contributed
by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G.

“ANews

An account of the chief results obtained in the
sugar-cane variety experiments at Antigua during
1907-8 will be feund on pp. 338-9.

A mango of Indian origin, known as the ‘ Sander-
sha’ variety, and lately introduced into Florida is
regarded as being of exceptional pronmuse (page 340).

A collection of Dominica produce is to be forward-
ed to the Colonial Fruit and Vegetable Show that. will
be held in London at the end of November. Citrate
of lime shipments from Dominica for 1907-8 show
a large increase over those of 1906-7 (page 341).

Under Cotton Notes (page 342) will be found
reports on market prices, together with some details
on the prospect of cotton growing at Tobago. Notes
on the results of experimental rubber cultivation at
Dominica appear on the following page.

On the Insect Notes page (846) is given the
concluding portion of Mr. Ballou’s article on ‘ The
Diptera, and also an article dealing with the various
kinds of Heas.

In this number of the <Agricultwral News
a ‘Students’ Corner’ has been instituted with the object
of giving assistance to young men entering on the
Reading Courses in Agriculture which have lately been
established in the West Indies (see page 347 for
details).

Chief Agricultural Products of Bermuda.

In 1907, the quantity of potatos exported from
Bermuda was 32,860 barrels and 37 crates, having
a value of £28,864, In the previous year the value of
the potato exports was but £15,281. The onion crop:
of 1907 was also a good one, although the total return
was not so large as in 1905. The shipments of onions
were of the value of £63,189, as compared with £44,776
in 1906. The lily bulb crop is described as a small one,
although the exports of this article show a continuous
increase during the past three years. The value of the
shipments in 1907 was £9,612 as against £8,860
in 1906. Practically the whole of the above exports
went to the United States,

—_—_——==> +
Liverpool Colonial Products Exhibition.

The Permanent Exhibition Committee of Antigna
are forwarding by-the mail leaving there on October
17, a collection of products for the Liverpool Colonial
Products Exhibition which will be held from November
22 to 26. The exhibit consists of some ninety separate
articles representing the industries and resources of the
island, together ,avith curious and ornamental and
decorative material. A leatlet descriptive of the island,
its character, and resources has been prepared for
distribution at the Exhibition. Some difticulty has been
experienced in getting together a suitable collection of
products, as at the present time the sugar crop has
been long since concluded, and cotton picking has not
commenced : consequently it was found necessary to
start collecting samples tor the Exhibition so long ago
as the middle of July last.

The exhibit has been consigned to the care of
Mr. A. E. Aspinall, Secretary of the West India Com-
mittee, who will arrange for its display at Liverpool.

—_——

Anthrax at St. Vincent.

It is satisfactory to note from the tables given in
the Annual Report (1907-8) of the Government
Veterinary Surgeon of St. Vincent that the eftorts
made by the Imperial Department of Agriculture to
stamp out anthrax from among the live stock of the
island are having good effect. While the number of
deaths among stock from anthrax during the first three
months of 1907, before organized vaccination and
proper disposal of carcasses were started, was 217, it
tell to 87 durimg. the corresponding three months of
19C8 after a system of vaccination and disposal of
carcasses (by taking them some distance out to sea,
and sinking them) was started.

The total number of deaths among stock of all
kinds during the year ending March 31 last was 470.
This included 189 cattle, 118 pigs, 101 goats, 30 sheep,
26 asses, and 6 horses. The report points out that
anthrax is far more prevalent among stock belonging
to small proprietors than on estates, and this is attri-
buted to the practice among the labouring classes of
cooking and eating meat from animals which have died
of the disease. The total number of animals vaccinated
during the year was 5,554.

Vout. VII. No. 170.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 345

Agricultural Bank for St. Croix Sugar Planters.

An Ordinance has recently been passed at St. Croix
as aresult of which sugar plantersin the colony are
enabled to obtain pecuniary assistanée for the cultiva-
tion of the cane crop. :

The Government of the colony is prepared to
advance before October 31, 1908, an amount not exceed-
ing £1,600 from the St. Croix Immigration Fund, to be
expended solely in connexion with the sugar industry.
Planters may not borrow a sum which exceeds £1 per
acre of canes cultivated, and no advances will be made
to cultivators having less than 10 acres in canes.
Loans made in this way will form the first claim on
the growing crops, and-in the case of estates manufac-
turing their own canes, the sums advanced must be
repaid, together with 4 per cent. interest, in three equal
instalments, in April, May,and June next. Where canes
are sold to central factories. the loans will be repaid by
means of a certain fraction of the payment for each lot
of canes delivered. Sums not repaid by June 15 next
will be charged 6 per cent. interest after that date.

During the six months from November 1 next, the
Government is also prepared to adyance another £4,000
from the same source, on the same general conditions
as above. In this case no loans will be made to culti-
vators having less than 5 acres in cane.

aa

Castor Oil Plants as Green Dressing.

A crop of castor oil plants was. lately grown in
a field at Molyneux estate, St. James, Barbados, for
green dressing purposes, and a sample plant has been
analysed at the Government Laboratory of the island.

From the statement of analysis, 1t appears that the
total weight of the crop per acre (1,210 holes) was
6,655 tb. containing 2,323 th. (8491 per cent.) of
organic, or humus-forming, material. The amount of
nitrogen added to the soil by the crop is shown to be
33°3 Ib. per acre, of phosphoric anhydride 21°3 Ib., and
of potash 53:2 th. per acre.

A better idea of the actual value of castor oil
plants for green manurial purposes will be obtained on
comparison of the above figures with those relating to
various leguminous crops grown for the same purpose
in experiments carried ont at Waterford plantation by
the Imperial Department of Agriculture in 1900.

The crops under trial included woolly pyrol, cow-
peas and Bengal beans. While as already mentioned,
the amount of organic matter yielded by the castor oil
plants was 2,328 Ib., that added to the soil by green
woolly pyrol was 2,069 th., by cowpea Vines 2.730 tb.,
and by Bengal beans 3,962 Ib. The great difference.
as might be expected, lies in the amounts of nitrogen
incorporated into the soil as the result of cultivating

“castor oil plants and leguminous plants such as the
above. While the castor oil crop contained 33°53. tb. of
nitrogen per acre, the woolly pyrol crop yielded 48 tb.
the cowpeas 70 tb., and the Bengal beans 120 tb. In
the case of the leguminous crops, too, a considerable
quantity of this nitrogen would be obtained from the
atmosphere, while the castor oil plant merely returns
to the soil what it has previously taken from it.

Malaria at Mauritius.

The prevention of malaria in Mauritius forms the
subject of an important report recently prepared for
the Colonial Office by Major Ross, F.R.S., who lately
paid a visit of three months to the colony.

Some idea of the prevalence of malaria in Mauritius
may be gained from the facts that of 31,022 school
children examined for the purpose, more than one-
tnird were found to have their blood infected with the
parasites causing the disease: that the number of deaths
due to intermittent fever amount to 31 per cent. of the
total : and that the annnal cost of the disease to estate
owners in the island is estimated to reach £43,300 in
loss of labour, and to the labourers themselves £10,000
yearly in loss of wages.

In the course of his report Major Ross sets out,
under ten different heads, the details of a definite
scheme of action which he has-formulated for dealing
with malarial fever in the colony. The most important
measures included in this scheme are the periodical
examination of children in schools and on estates for
the discovery and treatment of those already infected,
continuous house-to-house distribution of quinine, and
the steady carrying out of various works, described
respectively as ‘major’ and ‘minor, for the improve-
ment of drainage, the destruction or filling up of pools
in which mosquitos can breed, and the destruction of
larvae. The cost of carrying out the recommendations
is estimated at about £9,000 per annum.

Sweet Potato Weevil at Barbados.

The best methods for dealing with the sweet
potato weevil (‘Scarabee’ or ‘ Jacobs’), attacks from
which have been unusually prevalent at Barbados this
year—a fact generally attributed to the dryness of the
season—formed the subject of a paper read_ before
a recent meeting of the Agricultural Society of the
island by Mr. H. A. Ballou, M.Sc., Entomologist to the
Innperial Department of Agriculture.

It was pointed out that one of the first points to
receive attention, when a crop was attacked, should be
the destruction of all infected potatos, either by burn-
ing, boiling, or burying with lime. In clearing a field
of a sweet potato crop, 1t 1s important (whether the
plants are infested or not) to clean up all pieces of vines
and roots, so that no food supply whatever is left for
the weevils. If pieces of potato are put down in heaps
at frequent intervals, these serve to attract the pests,
which may then be collected and destroyed—by drop-
ping into a can containing water and kerosene. Small
heaps of trash lying about also serve as hiding places
for the weevils, and if these are burnt up after a while,
numbers of weevils would almost certainly be destroyed.
If it were practicable, it would probably be effective to
trash any badly infected field, and burn it over,

Another point which should receive attention is
the establishment of a suitable rotation of crops on
land known to have been infested with the weevil.
It would naturally be most unwise to grow sweet
potatos twice in succession on the same land. It is
important, too, that the crop should be gathered
immediately it is ripe.

346

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. Ocroser 31, 1908.
INSECT NOTES conditions. In the case of the cat and dog flea, which is one

Diptera.
(Concluded from the last issue of the Agricultural News.)

The family Muscidae includes the house-flies, the flesh-
flies, and the parasitic Tachina flies.

The common house-flies (J/usca domestica) are extremely
abundant and very important. They are world-wide in their
distribution, and are imporfant factors in the distribution of
certain diseases, such as typhoid fever. The eggs of the
house-fly are Jaid in horse manure or other excrementitious
or decaying matter. The eggs hatch in a few hours, and
the larvae become full-grown in five or six days, and after

about five days in the pupal stage; the adult tly emerges. The
best means of controlling this insect is by doing away with

its breeding places. All decaying matter and filth should be
kept cleared away, and horse manure should be removed from
stables regularly at periods of not more than four to five days,

The Muscidae also inclide the blue-bottles and blow-
flies. The most important of these in the West Indies
is the species known as the Screw worm (Compsomyia
macellaria), which a few» years ago was so abundant im
St. Lucia. This insect islespecially dangerous on account
of the habit of depositing: eggs in sores or wounds in the
flesh of man and beast, and sometimes in the nasal passages
of domestic animals and human beings. In a pamphlet pub-
lished by the Imperial Department of Agricalture (Pamphlet
Series No. 14) the life-history of this fly is given, with an
account of its attacks onl{domestic animals at St. Lucia,
and of the remedial treatment that should be employed in
case of attack.

The Tachinidae or Tachina flies ave parasitic in their
habit, attacking caterpillars and other insects.
attached to the skin of the host insect, and the maggots
burrow through the skin, and live on the body contents. The
host is entirely devoured, and instead of a moth or buttertly
developing from such a parasitized insect, a considerable
number of Tachina flies is obtained.

It may be due to flies of this group that the potato worm,
which sometimes seriously attacks the leaves of sweet potatos
in these islands, is so completely checked.

The Sarcophaginae are the flesh-thes, the larvae of which
live in or on flesh. One, of trivittata,
attacks the cottom worm.

The eggs are

these, Sarcophaga

The Siphonaptera or Fleas.
The small insects known as fleas are blood-sucking
parasites which were until recently classified as a family
of Diptera. Of late years, they have more often been

given the rank of 2 natural order under the name of

Siphonaptera. About 150 species are known, and
these are parasites on man, and on dogs, cats, and
fowls among the domestic animals, and on rats and

a number of other wild animals.

The fleas are wingless ; the body is compressed laterally ;
the mouth parts are adapted for piercing and blood-sucking.
The hind pair of legs are developed specially for jumping.

The head of the fleas is small, and the body is set with
stiff hairs. The larvae are small, slender and footless, but on
account of the shape of the head, are more like beetle grubs
than the maggots of the Diptera.

Most people are familar with the appearance of the
adult fleas, but very few know the larvae. They seem to live
on dry vegetable dust and on organic waste matter, and the
length of life of the larvae seems to vary: under different

sre discovered in the skin they

of our commonest species, it has been stated that the larval
stage varies from ope to two weeks, while the whole life
eye ‘le trom the de position of the egg to the appearance of the
adult is sometimes cbmpleted in a fortnight.

The jigger flea (Sarcopsylla penetrans) is fairly common
in the West Indies, and in -other tropical’ and subtropical
places. This is the flea which burrows into the skin.
Tt attacks many domestic animals, and is said also to attack
birds. These fleas attack man generally about the feet,
and the swellings, , produced as a result of the irritation
caused by the insect. and by the swelling of the body of the
flea in which the eggs are developing, are very painful, and
sometimes produce serious results. Whenever these insects
should be removed at onee,
and great care should be exercised not to burst the body of

the insect allowing the eggs to escape. (See Agricultural
News, Vol. VI, p. 170.)

The house flea (Puler trivtans)
known in all parts of the world.
a serious pest. ‘The°eges of this insect are deposited in the
dust on the floorsiof houses, or under carpets, mats, ete.
The eggs of the cat and dog flea (Pulew serraticeps) are
deposited among the hairs of an infested animal. These drop
to the Hoor and hatch there, and the larvae live among the
dust and organic particles in the same way as the house flea.

A considerable amount of interest attaches to fleas on
account of the recent discovery that these insects are respon-
sible for the transmission of plague. It has generally been
stated that the rat flea is the carrier of plague from the infected
rat to the human Victim, but recent experiences seem to
indicate that other Species may be as much concerned as the
rat flea. During the recent occurrence of plague in San
Francisco, fleas were collected in the plague laboratory and
hospital, and in theerefugee camps.

attacks man, and is
Tn some countries it is

The following statement is quoted from an article :
‘Notes on Fleas collected on rat and human hosts in San
Francisco and elsewhere’ by KR. W. Doane, Stanford
University, California, which appeared in the Canadian
Entomotoygist tor August last :—

‘A study of: these shows that Loemopsylla
cheopis, Which is known as the plague flea in countries where
the disease is epidemic, is well established in San
and is spreading to neighbouring cities Doubtless a search
would reveal it in many loc alities. It is interesting to note
that out of the 672 fleas taken from the human beings, some
of them persons who were sick, or had died of the plague, from
attendants in the hospitals, and from men engaged in catching
the rats, not a single Loemopsylla cheopis was found. On
the other hand, Pu/er trrztans, which is the most common of
the human fleas, has been found quite abundantly on rats.
One lot sent from Dr. Rucker contained eighty-one specimens
of P.irritans, and No other species. These were collected from
eighteen rats taken in houses and sewers in infested districts.”

In view of the fact that plague is now known to occur

records

Francisco,

in the American tropics, great care should be taken to pre-
vent fleas from becoming too numerous in houses. The free

use of pyrethrum on dogs and cats, and on the floors, especially
where these animals sleep, would be very useful in this con-
nexion. Floors should be frequently and thoroughly swept,
carpets and rugs should be taken out and aired and beaten
at Bee nt intervals. Ina recent number of the Agrven/tural
News (Vol. VII, p. 13) two flea remedies are given, In one of
these the free use of pulverised alum is recommended, and in
the other the use of soap suds in a plate on the floor, with
a flame burning in the middle. The flame attracts the fleas,
and they fall into'the soap suds and are killed.

Vou. VII. No. 170.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

347

Introductory.

It is proposed to devote a small space in each issue
of the Agricultural News to matters relating to the
Reading Courses in Agriculture which have lately been
established in the West Indies (see Agricultural News
of July 11 last, p. 209; also August 22 last, p. 267) and
the examinations to be-held in connexion with them. In
this space there will be put forward hints and suggestions
concerning the various objects of study and observation
together with questions which students should
endeavour to answer. Notes
agricultural importance in the different colonies will
also be a frequent feature in this column.

As the work to be done by various students in the
several colonies covers a great deal of ground it 1s not
expected that each student will be ablé:to answer every
question, but he should, with the aid of his books, work
out the answers to such as deal with the work he has
in hand.

The answers to the questions are not to be
forwarded to the Editor of the Agricultural News, who
cannot undertake to revise them. It. would, however,
be well if students could find, at various centres in the
different colonies, persons who would assist them in their
studies and correct their answers to the questions. In
any case it would be of advantage if the students of a dis-
trict were to meet together at regular intervals for
mutual intercourse and guidance.

From time to time attention will be directed to
books of interest to students. Students must not
think that it is necessary for them to purchase every
book referred to: each student should have a few
books which he studies thoronghly and carefully.
Other books are very useful for reference and it is well
to know of their existence. Many books of reference
can be seen and consulted at the central agricultural
station in each island or colony, and ‘students should
acquire the habit of referring to these regularly.

Below are given a_ few notes (prepared by
Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G.), in which the attention of
students is drawn to the agricultural operations in
progress on the land during the month of September.*
These will be followed in the next issue of the Agri-
cultural News by notes dealing with agricultural work
usually conducted in the month of Oetober. Siroilar
notes discussing points of topical interest will appear
in each succeeding number of the Nevws.

Following the notes are given a series of six
questions. Three of these are suitable for students
preparing for the Preliminary examination, while the
second three are intended for students éntering on the

* Owing to unavoidable delay it was not found possible to
publish the notes relating to September work in the numbers
of the Agricultural News issued last month, as originally
intended. After the next issue, however, the notes will be
drought up to date.

on seasonable events of

work for the Intermediate examination. (Questions of
this type will be continued in éach issue :—

Seasonal Notes.
SEPTEMBER.
Isr Forrnicu.

The period has arrived when the fields are being pre-
pared for sugar-canes. Students should note the character of
the soil as it is turned up by the ploughs, forks or hoes.
The depth to which these implements turn up the soil should
be accurately measured. The character of the subsoil should
be noted. Note what is done with the old cane stools and
to what extent the old stools are affected by root disease.

In the cotton fields young cotton will be growing ; note
the nianner of growth of a cotton root and compare it with
a cane root. Observe the manner in which cotton seed
germinates and what becomes of the cotyledonary leaves.

2nNp FortnicHt.

Preparation of land for sugar-cane is in progress.
Pen amanure is being applied. Note how much manure is
given per acre. Endeavour to ascertain either the number of
cubic feet or the weight. Note what materials are used to
produce the manure. Note whether the manner in which man-
ure is prepared or stored renders it liable to loss or waste.

In the cotton fields, note whether any plants are grow-
ing which ditfer in appearance from others and what is the
nature of any differences that mayibe evident ; note whether
these flower before or after the others, and when the bolls
are ripe, whether the lint is betterror worse in qnality.

PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS.

(1) What is the atmosphere, and of what is it composed /

(2) Write a short account of Carbon Dioxide, and the
part it plays in animal and vegetable lite.

(3) Describe the changes which take place on cooling
and heating water, giving brief accounts of the properties of
ice and steam,

INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS.

(1) What purpose is served by the breaking up of the
soil in cultivation /

(2) How is water retained in soil, and how does this
admit of the simultaneous presence of air and water ?

(3) How is airspace in a soil related to the fineness of
the particles!

FUTURE RUBBER PRODUCTION IN
THE EAST.

A note in a late the India-rubber Journal
discussed the possible output of rubber that may be expected
trom the plantations of Ceylon and Malaya in the course of
the next ten years or so.

At present an area of about :350,000 acres has been
planted with rubber in the East. Estimating the possible
return on the low basis of 1 Ib. per tree at eight or ten years
old, at least 17,500 tons of plantation rubber would be turned
out in 1918. On some estates in Ceylon, however, planta-
tions at this age yield an average. return of 2 tb. or even
more per tree per annum, At this rate a crop of from
35,000 to 40,000 tons per year would be expected from the
plantations of the Kast, ten years, from now. This quantity
represents about one-half the present rubber production of
the world. Taking into account shortage of erops, badly
developed estates, ravages of disease, etc., it would be reason-
able to place the anticipated output of 1917-8 at about
25,000 tons

issue of

348

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocroper 31, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

The Agricultural Superintendent of Grenada writes that
a pot specimen of Peristerva clata, a ground orchid from
Panama, is now in flower, for the first time at the Botanic
Station, Grenada. This plant has been placed temporarily on
exhibition at the Public Library, St. George's.

The 1907 vanilla crop of the Seychelles Islands was
a record one. It reached 1,460,932 Ib., and was valued at
£66,460. The price obtained for the product was also good,
being about 10s. per tb. as compared with 4s. per Ib., the
average price last year.(dannal Report, 1907.)

A first edition, amounting to 360,000 copies, of the
Yearbook for 1907 of the United States Department of
Agriculture has lately been issued. It is expected, however,
that the ultimate demand for this useful and interesting
volume will reach 500,000 copies. (.Vew York Times.)

Professor N. L. Britton, Director of the New York
Botanic Gardens, has recently been paying a visit of botani-
cal research to Jamaica, with the special object of collecting
specimens of ferns, rare orchids, and other plants growing in
the island.

From the plot of spineless lime trees at the Dominica
Botanic Station a crop of 26 barrels of fruit was obtained
in 1906-7, and 29 barrels in 1907-8. The plot which consists
of twenty-eight trees planted at distances of 12 feet by 12 feet,
has received a mulch of leaves each year in the dry season.

A Barbadian cow, which had just given birth to its
third calf, was in August last purchased for the Stock Farm
at the St. Vincent Agricultural School. During the period
from August 3, 1907, to March 51, 1908, this animal yielded
773°12 gallons (7,731°2 1b.) of milk, which is generally regarded
at St. Vincent as a surprisingly good quantity.

The Demerara Chronicle mentions that steps are being
taken by some East Indian rice farmers in the colony to
purchase land for the erection of a co-operative rice mill at
Mahaicony. In this way the rice growers concerned would
mill their own paddy and thus secure the profits which now
go to the large milling concerns.

The prize list has been received of an Agricultural
Exhibition to be held at Nassau, Bahamas, from February
24 to 26 (inclusive) of next year. There are nine classes in
which prizes, ranging in value from £1 to 2s., are offered for
fruits, ground provisions and other vegetables, meals and
starches, preserves and honey, sisal fibre, tobacco, cotton,
salt, and manufactured articles.

The number of indentured East Indian coolies in
Jamaica on March 31 last was 2,832. This section of the
population appears to be ina flourishing condition, as the
East Indians together own 8,415 acres of land, with houses,
the value of their property being £43,550, and of live
stock £6:992:

The amount of -balata shipped from the North-Western
District of British Guiana for the year 1907-8 was 155,532 Mb.,
as against 149,542 tb. exported in 1906-7. The rubber
exports however fell from 1,638 Ib. in 1906-7, to 944 Ib. in
1907-8. Small farmers in the district are reported to be
planting the native rabber trees (Saprum spp.) on their lands
in considerable quantity.

The Port-of- Spain Gazette mentions that the quantity
of bananas exported from Trinidad during the twelve months
ended June 30 last reached 61,586 bunches, as against
24,551 bunches exported in the previous twelve months.
The increase is very! satisfactory, although it is stated that
the quantities shipped are not yet sufficient to fill the cold
storage accommodation provided on the Royal Mail Com-
pany’s steamers.

The imports of sugar into the United States from foreign
countries for the twelve months ended June 30, 1908, amount
to 1,686,000 short tons (of 2,000 tb.) valued at over
$80,000,000. This quantity does not include the sugars
received from Hawaii or Porto Rico. Cuba stands first on
the list of countries furnishing the imports, and from that
island 1,155,000 short tons were received.
with 345,000 tons. (Louisiana Planter.)

Java came second

Mosquito destruction is being carried out in a most
thorough manner in Cuba. A recently issued report of the
chief sanitary officer of the island states that in Havana,
mosquito breeding has praetically been brought to an end,
since larvae were found in only one house out of 450° inspec-
ted. Similar good results are reported from other provinces.

A crop of 2 tons 18 ewt. of provisions, consisting of
yams, potatos, tanlas, peas, and bananas was produced on
the land cultivated in connexion with the Dominica Agri-

cultural School m the 1907-8 season. ‘These provisions were

consumed at the school, and enabled a saving of £27 2s. 8d.
to be made on the vote for the year.

Practically all the estates in British Guiana were
reported to be busy making sugar early in October. The

canes, however, were found to be drier than was anticipated,
and yields are more or less disappointing. Returns vary from
1-15 tb, of sucrose per gallon of juice (75 per cent. purity) to
1-40 tb. sucrose (85 per cent. purity) per gallon, (Demerara
Aryosy.)

As mentioned in the Agricu/tural News of September
23 last (page 284), the fact that the Italian Government
propose to put a tax on lemon products exported from the
country has given rise to the hope in quarters
that this action may result in a considerable advance in
the price of citrate of lime on the English market. Mr. E. A.
Agar, of Dominica, writes to point out, however, that since
this tax amounts to no more than about 2s. ld. per hogshead
of concentrated lime juice, and is only to be imposed under
certain conditions, it is hardly likely to have much effect on
the selling price of citrate of lime.

some

Vor. VII. No. 170.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 349

DOMINICA : REPORTS ON BOTANIC STATION,
EXPERIMEN? PLOTS AND AGRICULZURAL
SCHOOL, 1907-8.

The total amount expended in connexion with the
Botanic Station during the year was £785 8s. Of this sum
£430 was provided by the local Government.

The receipts from the sale of plants, seeds, and of
produce amotinted to £362 8s. 6d., an increase of £110 4s. Td.
over the receipts of 1906-7. There has, however, been
a large decrease in the number of plants sent out. While in
1906-7, the total number distributed was 83,505, it has
fallen to 53,855 in the past year. The falling off is chiefly
noticeable in the case of lime plants, and is in large part due
to the fact that several private nurseries, have lately come
into existence which are helping to meet the local demand
for seedlings.

Good progress has been made in grafting cacao duriag
the year. There are now 156 grafted plants at the Station,
and in addition 146 have been distributed to various estates
for trial. The yield of cacao obtained in the past year from
trees at the Station reached 70 ecwt. 14 tb., and was the
largest crop on record, being 94 ewt. in excess of the yield
of 1906-7. The report on the manurial experiments with
cacao, Which are both at the Station and in
country districts, is very full, and contains a large amount of
data which should be of the utmost interest to cacao growers,
as indicating the methods of treatment which are likely to
give the best returns. Four additional plots, for manurial
experiments with this crop were started at the Station during
the year.

earried on

Experiments with spineless limes are still in progress
and the demand for this variety of plant continued steady
throughout the year, The advances made in the manufac-
ture of citrate of lime are indicated by the fact that the
exports of this articie rose from 728 ewt. in 1906 to
2,388 ewt. mm 1907.

Seedlings of Para rubber (//evea brasiliensis) tor sale
to planters have been raised at the Station, and samples of
rubber, both of this kind, and from Castilloa trees, were
prepared and sent to London. The Para ‘product was valued
at 4s. 2d. per Ib. and the Castilloa rubber at 4s. per Ib,

There are now nineteen boys at the Agricultural School.
The expenditure on this institution during 1907-8 was
£511 Os. 77., while a sum of £42 4s. 2d. was derived from
the sale of plants, poultry, and honey.

The land under cultivation in connexion with the school
is from 12 to 14 acres in extent. Part of this is planted with

permanent crops as limes, cacao, oranges, etc., while the’

remainder-is under temporary cultivation with such crops as
_ ground nuts, bananas, fodder crops and provisions. Nearly
the whole of the cultivation work over this land is done by
the pupils, and since up-to-date methods are employed, and the
work includes practice in grafting, budding, pruning, etc., it
- constitutes a valuable part of the training of the boys.
Among the more interesting of the experiments in

progress at the School are those with different varieties of
fodder crops, with cacao, and with ground nuts.

The live stock kept at the School have been increased
during the year by the addition.of a pure-bred Toggenburg
hilly goat, a pure-bred Toggenbarg nanny, and a half-bred
Indian nanny with kids.

BRITISH GUIANA: ANNUAL REPORT OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF 2SCIENCE AND AGRE
CULTURE, 1907-8. By Professor J. B. Harrison, C.M.G.,
M.A., ete., Director.

The total expenditure in connexion with the several
branches of this Department during 1907-8 was $40,212°77,
or $3,188-25 Jess than the amount voted. Of this, the sum
of $18,605°90 was spent on salaries of officers, travelling
expenses, printing, ete. Agricultural experiments with sugar-
cane, rice, rubber, ete., the purchase and maintenance of live
stock, ete., cost $11,517-07 ; $9,455°65 were expended on
the Botanic Gardens, and $636°15 in connexion with the
Government Laboratory. A sum of $6,178°30, from Labora-
tory fees, sales of produce at Botanic Gardens, ete., was paid
into the Treasury as the result of the working of the
Department.

Science teaching work was carried on at Queen’s College
during the year by ofticers of the Department, and several
boys entered, with success, for the Cambridge Local Examina-
tions in Chemistry in December 1907.

Practical agricultural teaching in connexion with public
elementary schools is now solely under the control of the
Department of Science and Agriculture. As a result of this
new arrangement, the Model School Gardens at Georgetown,
New Amsterdam, and in various country districts have been
placed under the superintendence of one ofticer. It is reported
that the condition of the gardens, and the attendance of
children at them have since shown great improvement.
Arrangements have also been made for regular courses of
lectures in Agricultural Science to be given to masters in
Elementary Schools in the colony.

A geological hand-book of British Guiana, containing
a map and views of the colony, was completed by Professor
Harrison during the year, and will shortly be issued.

Rubber-yielding plants, principally Hevea brasiliensis,
Sapium Jenmani, and Funtumia elastica have been planted
during the year at the Experiment Station in the North-
Western District. A profit of $686°92 for the financial year
was made on the working of the Onderneeming Industrial
School, where experiments are being carried out with cacao,
cottee, rubber, ete.

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

It has been announced that Sir Daniel Morris,
K.C.M.G., will retire from the post of Imperial Com-
missioner of Agriculture for the West Indies on
November 30 next.

Mr. H. A. Ballou, M.Sc., Entomologist on the statf
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, accom-

- panied by Mr. C. W. Jemmett, sailed for the Northern

Islands by the C.L.S.‘Dahomé’ on October 30. Mr. Ballou
will visit Antigua, Montserrat, and St. Kitt’s-Nevis,
for the purpose of investigating the insect pests in
connexion with cotton and other industries in the
different islands, and is expected to be away from
Barbados for about a month.

BAO

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Ocrosper 31, 1908.

CHEESE MAKING IN CUBA.

An interesting and illustrated bulletin dealing
with cheese making in Cuba has lately been issued by
the Central Experiment Station of the island.

The manufacture of cheese, at least on anything but
a small scale, is not an industry that one readily associates
with tropical conditions. Usually the product can be imported
more cheaply than it can be produced locally, while fresh
milk can generally be disposed of to consumers at so. satisfac-
tory a price that there is no temptation to utilize it in any
other way. The risk of loss entailed by daily handling
large quantities of a product so perishable as milk in a hot
climate would also have to. be taken into consideration by
intending cheese-makers, but probably the chief obstacle
in the way of the establishinent of an industry of the kind
in most parts of the West Indies would be the want of proper
facilities for providing a suitably low temperature for ripen-
ing the manufactured product.

The particulars given in the bulletin mentioned, however,
show that soft cheeses and small hard cheeses are being made
suecessfully in fairly large quantity on many farms in Cuba
all the year round. Near Havana and other towns in. the
island milk sells readily at 6d. to 73d. per quart, but on
farms distant from town, and where there is no easy means
of transport, the product isimade into various kinds of small
cheeses.

Those interested in the possibilities of cheese making in
the West Indies will find in the bulletin full details as to
apparatus required and its) cost, the methods of procuring
and using a ‘starter’ (.e., a quantity of milk known to con-
tain the right kind of bacteria for producing the proper
fermentation when a small portion of it is added to the milk
that is to be made into cheese), and of determining the
‘ripeness’ of the milk, or the point at which it has reached
the proper degree of acidity for the rennet to be added.
Descriptions are also given of the processes of cutting, cook-
ing and salting the curd, drawing off the whey, and of putting
the curd into the press, in making hard cheese. Other
details relate to the manner of making rennet, or (what
is advised in preference) the purchase of rennet tabloids from
a dealer in dairy supplies, the curing and dressing of cheese,
and the manufacture of soft, cream, and skimmed milk
cheeses. Stress is laid upon the fact that to attain snecess
every care must be taken to ensure the utmost cleanliness at
every stage of the work.

The following account of a short and simple
process for making a smull hard cheese (as distinct from
the factory process, which is described in full detail),
is given in the bulletin and may be of interest :—

Take 20 quarts of milk, consisting of 15 quarts of fresh
morping’s milk, and 5 quarts from the yield of the evening
before, stirring the latter well, so as to mix the cream. Heat
the whole volume of mixed milk to a temperature of 86° F,
(30° C.) and add one No 2 Hansen’s prepared rennet tabloids
(to be obtained of any dealer in dairy supplies and equip
ment) dissolved in a cup of cold water, together with
a tablespoonful of salt, the whole to be thoroughly mixed
with the milk.

Let the milk stand until the curd is well-formed, then
cut or break the curd up thoroughly and stir for five minutes
to separate the curd from the whey. Let it stand for ten
minutes, then pour off the whey and place the curd into a clean
cloth sack, and hang it up to drain for half an hour, Remove
the curd and cut into cubes $ inch square, then add two
tablespoonfuls of fine salt, sprinkling it over the curd, and

mix well. The curd can be pressed in a 1gallon tin
pail, that has a few holes punched in the bottom. The pail
should be lined with{a piece of cheese cloth well greased with
fresh butter or lard... Put a 50-tb. weight on the cheese and
leave for twenty-four hours, then remove the cheese, trim and
grease with fresh butter or lard, and put in as cool a place as
possible, turning the cheese daily.

The cheese will be cured in three weeks, but will
improve with age up to three months.

THE ‘LOVE VINE.’
The creeper known as the ‘ Love Vine’ (‘ L’amitié ’)
a species of Cuscuta, is well known in all the West
Indian Islands, and is a most destructive parasite.

An editorial article in a recent number of the Port-of-
Spain Gazette draws attention to the increasing prevalence of
this pest in all parts of Trinidad, and from the particulars
given, it would appear that it has been allowed to spread in
that island to an alarming degree, and is lately reported to
have been noticed on cacao trees in a few instances. Two or
three years ago (see Ayricultural News, Vol. HI, p. 185)
the love vine became such a menace to the agricultural
interests of Trinidad that steps were taken to deal with the
matter by legislation. Powers were given to the Chief
Inspector under the Agricultural Protection Ordinance to
call upon owners of and infested with ‘love vine’ to destroy
the parasite by burning or burying, while provision was
made for the punishment of proprietors neglecting to carry
out this order by the imposition of fines. Apparently,
however, there is still needed a good deal of energetic
co-operation among ‘éultivators in Trinidad to keep this pest
under control.

The Cuseuta genus of plants belongs to the order
Convolvulaceae. There are about eighty species of Cuseuta
known to science, all of which are parasitic on other plants.
They possess no chloroplasts, and are therefore unable to
take up carbon dioxide from the air like erdinary green
plants, but attach themselves by means of root-like suckers
to various host-plants, from which they extract ready-made
food products. As a natural result, the host becomes
exhausted, and ultimately dies. A species of Cuscuta well-
known in Great Britain is C. trifol7, the ‘clover dodder. ’

The ‘love vine’ and other species of Cuscuta produce seeds
which fall to the ground and germinate in the usual way.
As soon, however, as the young shoot comes into contact
with another growing plant, it twines itself around this, which
becomes the host, and the root of the parasitic plant dies out.
The ‘ lovevine’ is also readily reproduced by vegetative means,
as small portions thrown on another plant are able to attach
themselves and give rise to another mass of tendrils.

It will therefore be understood that to thoroughly
eradicate the pest needs the most unremitting labour and
attention. Special care should be taken to prevent the vine
from forming seed, and therefore whenever the greenish
rosettes of flowers make their appearance, the work of des-
truction should no longer be delayed under any circumstances.
Every portion of the creeper should be picked off and either
burned, or buried deeply with lime.

In a leaflet issued some four years ago by the Botanical’
Department of Trinidad, it is pointed out that even after
infested land has been cleared as thoroughly as possible of
the parasite, it should receive a visit of inspection at least
once a week, in order that every remnant which can be seen
may be removed.

Vou. VII. No. 170.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 351]

SEED SELECTION AND THE BREED-
ING OF PLANTS.

The above subject is discussed at considerable
length «and inan interesting manner in an article by
Mr. A. D. Shamel, which appears in'the Yearbook for
1907 of the United States Department of Agriculture.
The question of the improvement of agricultural crops
by seed selection and breeding is one of great impor-
tance to all concerned, for it usuaily costs no more to
grow improved varieties of crops than unimproved
kinds, while the increase in production which results
from the use of superior seed gives an additional profit.
During the past ten or fifteen years this subject has
attracted a good deal of attention.

As pointed out in the article under consideration,
4 primary reason for interest in the possibilities of this line
of work lies in the fact that where the same varieties of crops
have been grown year after year on the land of a given dis-
trict, and no seed selection practised, or efforts at judicious
breeding made, these varieties tend to detériorate and become
unprofitable. Fungus and insect enemiés also frequently
develop under these conditions, and these help to bring about
a still further reduction of the commercial’ returns. This, it
may be pointed ont, has already been experienced with the
Sea Island cotton crop in the West Indies, and the seed selec-
tion work constantly advocated and practised by the officers
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture forms the chief
means at the planter’s disposal for keeping up and increasing
his crop returns, as well as of producing ‘a strain of plants
which shail be, to a large extent, immuhe to insect and
fungoid attacks.

The following extracts trom the article referred to
relate to possible improvements that may be made
with maize and cotton by seed selection work. To
obtain success, however, such work must be long-
continued and carried out with © skill.
plant required must be chosen, and seed selection
constantly practised with the object of fixing this

type :—

The most important field for the breeder’s work is in the
improvement of the established varieties of crops by the
production of strains approximating more uniformly to the
best types of these varieties. This lack of uniformity in
high productive capacity is responsible in great measure for
the present Jow average yield of most of our crops in the
United States. It is due to the variability of the plants of
these varieties, which 1s more evident in the cross-fertilized

crops than in the self-fertilized ones. Inthe case of corn
this variability of plants is particularly striking. It is the

experience of most corn breeders that it is not possible to
produce on an acre more than 5 bushels of uniform ears even
of our most improved strains. A large majority of the plants
produce ears of small size, irregular shape, jand light weight.
Many of the stalks are barren. Only a small proportion of
the plants produce the maximum size and weight of ear. In
the cornfields of the central Mississippi Valley the corn is
usually planted in hills, 3 feet 6 inches apart in the row.
The rows are arranged 3 feet 6 inches apart, and the hills
checked so as to permit cross cultivation. “This arrangement
provides for 3,556 hills to the acre. An average of about 3
kernels is planted in every hill. If every kernel produced
a uniform plant and the plants bore uniform ears weighing
1 tb. each, the yield per acre would be about 10,668 tb., or

The tyne of

about 155 bushels of shelled corn per acre. The fact that
the average yield of this section is less than 40 bushels per
acre is striking evidence that only a small proportion of the
plants bear ears of the maximum weight.

A great deal of this variability and lack of uniformity of
the corn plants can be overcome by systematic selection of the
best seed ears year after year, and the propagation of this seed
alone, so that there is no danger of crossing with the undesir-
able types of plants or inferior varieties of corn. This fact
has been fully proved in the production of varieties by many

years of continued selection of the seed which has
been found to be more productive and profitable for
culture than the unselected or unimproved sorts. ‘The

gradual increase in yield of corn in Illinois, Iowa, and other
great corn-growing States during the past ten years can
safely be attributed in no small’ degree to the use of the
improved varieties produced in these sections by breeders.
The cotton crop of the United States, which approxi-
mates to 12,000,000 bales is produced on about 30,000,000
acres, The average yield, therefore, is less than bale
per acre. This low average yield is due in part to the fact
that a majority of the plants of the varieties now grown do not
produce a yield equal to that of the best plants in the fields.
The variability of the cotton plants in respect to the amount
of cotton borne by the individual plants is almost as marked
as the variability of the corn plants. Not only is there great
variability as respects the yield of cotton from individual
plants, but there is a corresponding variation in the character
of the lint borne by the different plants. It is the opinion of
many of the most successful growers that if the cotton varie-
ties now grown were improved so that the plants conformed
more closely to the standards of the best plants in_ the fields,
the yield of cotton from these varieties would be doubled
without much additional expense in the cost of production.

CACAO SHIPMENTS FROM TRINIDAD.

Particulars as to the quantity of cacao exported
from ‘Trinidad, in September last, and the countries to
which it was shipped appear in the latest number of
the Proceedings of the Agricultural Society of the
colony.

The total quantity exported during the month was
708,013 tb., which brings up the shipments already made
since January 1 last, to 35,471,115 tb. This refers only to
cacao which is the produce of the island. The quantity of
eas id cacao exported in the nine months ending Septem-
ber 30, 1907, was 31,508,624 tb.

In the list of countries to which the cacao shipments of
the past month were consigned, the United States comes
first, that country having taken 304,751 tb ; France imported
271,811 1b. of Trinidad cacao in September, and takes second
place, while Germany comes third with 59,200 tb., and the
United Kingdom fourth, with 23,451 Tb. London quotations
for Trinidad cacao varied from 64s, on September 1 to 60s.
on September 30.

A tabular statement also shows particulars of the exports
of Trinidad cacao each year since 1904. In that year the
shipments were nearly 504 million pounds ;in 1905 they
dropped to 48 million pounds; and in 1906 there was
a much greater fall, the shipments being little more than
281 million pounds. Last year they reached over 41 million
pounds, and there is every promise of that figure being
exceeded by the exports of 1908.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

OcroberR 31, 1908.

MARKED TREPORSES.

London,—October 13, 1908, THe Wesr Inpia Com-

MITTE Crreunar; Messrs. Kearton Piper & Co.,
October 13, 1908; Messrs. E. A. pe Pass & Co.,

October 2, 1908.

Arrowrkoor—Qnuiet ; no quotations.

Batata—Sheet, 2/- to 2.3; block, no quotations.

Bres’-wax—Good quality, £7 10s. to £7 15s. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 56,- to T0/- per ewt. ; Grenada, 48/- to
58/- per ewt.

Correr—Santos, 25s. 4h. to 25s. 64d. per ewt. ; Jamaica,
no quotations.

Corpra—West Indian, £17 10s. per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, and Barbados, 14/.; West Indian,
good medium, 6°20d.; West Indian Sea Island, good
medium to medium fine, 14d. to 143d.; fine, L5d.; extra
fine, 17d. per th.

Froitr—

Bananas—Jamaica, 4,6 to 5/- per bunch.

Limes-—Unsaleable.

PINE-APPLES—Antigua, no quotations.
St. Michael, 1/9 te 4/6 each.

GRAPE Fruir—17/- to 19/- per box.

ORANGES—Jamaica, 8/- to 9/- per box.

Fustic—£3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton.

GINGER—Quiet.

Honey Dull gray to good grayish, 23s. 6d. to 26s. Gi. perewt.

Istncnass—West India lunp, 2/2 to 2/4 per Th.

Lime Juree—Raw, ld. to 13 per gallon; concentrated,
£16 per cask of 108 gallons ; distilled oil, 1/2 per Th.;
hand-pressed, 4/5 to 4 6 per Th.

Locwoop— £3 10s. to £4 10s. per ton; roots, no quotations.

Macr—Steady ; no quotations.

Nurmecs Steady.

Pimenro—Qnuiet.

Rum—Jamaica, 1/8 to 7/6; Demerara, 1/6 per vallon ;
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 153 to 16/6 per ewt.; Muscovado, 14.35 ;
Syrup, 9s. to 12s. 6d. ; Molasses, no quot tions.

New York,—October 16, 1908.—Messrs. GILLESsPrn,

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Caraeas, 12he. to 134e. ; Grenada, 12k. to 3c. :
Trinidad, 13c. to L3hc. - Jamaica, 10c. to Le. per Ih.

Cocoa-NutTs—Jamaica, select, S28:00 to S30°00; culls,
817-00: Trinidad, 328°00 to. $30: 00: culls, S17 °00 per M.

Corren—Jamaica, ordinary, T}e. to The.; good ordinary, 7 fe.
to 8fc.; washed, 9c. to Ile. per Th.

Gincer—LO}e. to 13fe. per th.

Goat Skinse—Jamaica, 53c.; Antigua and Barbados, from
149¢. to 50c. ; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46c.
to 47c. per th., dry flint.

Grave Fruir—Florida, $4°00 to 35-00 per barrel ; 82-00
to S2°75 per box.

Limes— No quoti tions Market over-stocked.

Macre—28c. to 32c per Ih.

Nurmreas—110's, Oke. per Th,

OraNnces—Florida; $3°500 to $450 per barrel; 82°00 to

82-50 per box.
Pimenvo—2te. per lh.

SUGAR Centrifugals, 96°, 3:-98e. ; Museovados, 89°, 3°48c. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°23c. per Ib., duty paid.

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,-—Messrs. James A. Lynca & Co., October 19,

1908; Messrs..LEACcocK & Co., October 24, 1908 =
Messrs. ‘I’. S. GARRAWAY & Co., October 26, 1908.

Arrowroor—st. Vincent, $4°50 per 100 th.
Cacao—Dominica and St. Lucia, 25°00 t0 814-00 per 100 th.
Cocoa-NutTS—S820°'00 for husked iui

CorrrE—Jamaica and ordinary Rio, 3:00 per 109 th.

Hay—$1°25 to $1°50 per LOO th.

Manures—Nitrate of soda, 62°00 to $65°00; Ohlendorft’s.
dissolved guano, 00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00; Cacao
manure, $42-00 to S48-00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $72°00+
to 875-00; Sulphate of potash, 567-00 per ton.

Morasses— No quotations.

Ontons—Strings, $2°50 to $3-00 ; loose, $2°00 per 100 th.

Poraros—Duteh, $2°25 per 160 Th.

Pras—Split, $6°50 per bag of 210 th.; Canada, $3°75 per
bag of 120 th.

Rice—Ballam, $5°08 to $5°70 (180 th.); Patna, $3-80,,
Rangoon, $3°00 to 83°10 per 100 th.

Sucar—No quotations.

British Guiana,——-Messrs. Wierrnc & Ricwrer, October

17,, 1908; Messrs.
October 16, 1908.

Arrowroor—St. Vincent, 9°50 per 200 th.

Barata—Venezuela block 32c. ; Demerara sheet 48c. per
th.

Cacao—Native lbc. to 18c. per th.

Cassava—60c. to 80c.

Cassava STarcH—S86°50 per barrel of L986 Th.

Cocoa-NutTs—S$12°00 to $1600 per M.

CorrEE—Creole 12c. to 13c. ; Jamaica 12c. per th.

Dnat—S85°25 to $540 per bag of 168 Th.

Eppos—S1-96 per barrel.

Morasses—No quotations.

Ontons—Madeira, 2}c. to 25e.; per tb.

PLANTAINS—12e. to 24. per banche

Poratros—Nova Scotia, $2°25 to $2°50.

Porvros—Sweet, Barbados, $2716 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, 86-00 to 86°25 ; Creole, $4°80 to $5°00 for
good ; Seeti, 86-00.

Speiiv PEAs—$7-00 per bag (210 Th.); Lisbon, no quotations.

Tanntas—S1°44 to $156 per bag.

Yams— White, $2°16 ; Bucs 82-40 per baw.

Suc a Dark crystals, $2°15 to $2-25 ; Yellow, $2°80: to

3-20: W hite, “DO ie $3:°70; Molasses, 82-00 to $2: 10

per 100 Th. (retail).

Timber—Greenheart, 32e. to 5dc. _per cubie foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3'75 to $5°75 per M.

Corpwoop——S82°40 to $2°64 per ton.

Sanpbacn, Parker & Co.,

Trinidad,— October 17, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpoyx, Grant

& Co,
Cacao—Veneziclan, $12°00 to $12°25 per fanega ; Trinidad,
$11°75 to $12°
Cocoa-NuTS—Sclec ted: $23-00 per M., f.o.b.
Cocoa-Nuv Orn —b7e. per Inperial gallon, cask meluded,
Covrrk— Venezuelan, 8fe. per th,
Corra—S83:00 to 35°15 per LOO th.
Duat—$4°60 to S470 per 2-bushel bag.
ONIONS—SL'S50 to S160 per L100 th. (retail).
Poraros— English, $140 to S150 per 100 th.
Rice — Yellow, 85°40 to $5°75; White, $4°75 to $480 per bag.
Serre Peas—S6°50 to 86°75 per bag.
Sucar—American crushed, $5°00 to $5°L0 per L100. th.

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‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

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THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

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[178]

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EX BPORINIGHT EY REVIEW
AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF UL

ors, WIG Ni@s digi BARBADOS,

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Banana Trade of Trinidad 361, Our Bookshelf :

Barbados Milch Cows... 561 Cacao Planting, The
Cinnamon Oil Industry in HubuUnewOleee | a. = OD
the Seychelles ...... 565) Southern Agriculture ... 365
Cocoa-nut Products im Rice Crop of British
Ceylon, NOU Zee ceo Giuliana es oS Bay

Rice Culture in British
Honduras, Possibili-

Cotton Notes :
British Cotton Growing

ISSOCIALION:--18 ssan Gest OOO. ties of ees ee oOL,
Sea Island Corton Crop 358) Rum Manufacture at
West Indian Cotton ... 358 Barbados bad ona DOD)
Eee-laying Competition ... B62 Rubber ia the West Indies 363
Farmyard Manure, Value Rubber Planting in
of as a Fertilizer ooh oe) El Uyalieeeeeen ene. ese oOll
Fibres for Paper Making 359) School Gardens at
Fodder Crops at Dominica, Sc: cine. een oes OIL
Experimental Cultiva- Sisal Hemp Cultivation
[BONS Oita Goh. saa! apes Well) in the Bahamas SEO
Prait Production in the Soil Analysis, Address on
Baliamas) 7:2 cca «-. 090 PG INCAS. “dea ‘pan comers
“Gleanings ... 364 Students’ Corner ... ... 363

rar Industry :

Hurricane Damage, Insur-
Barbados Sugar Industry

ance of Crops Agains, 357

Insect Notes : Acricultural Bank 2... 595
Lice and Mites on Sugar-cane Cultivation

Poultry See ach bene OO Im Cwpeeeees wees es OOD.
Mangos, Keeping Powers Tobacco Experiments at

St. Katt’s-Nevis ... 360
West Indian Products on

the London Market 367
West Indies, Minor Agri-
cultural Crops of ... 355

of when Ripe
Market Reports
Notes and Comments -
Okra Plant, Analysis of ... 561
Orange Trade in Spain . Bob |

Minor

Agricultural Crops of the
West }neties.

and cotton, tugether with fruit in such

. CZ islands as Jamaica and Dominiea, are likely
to remain the chief agricultural industries of the West
Indies, it should not be forgotton that there

a number of minor products—aud this apart from such

ave

NOVEMBER 14, 1908. Price Id.

staple provision crops as sweet potatos and yams—which
are well worthy of consideration as subsidiary sourees
of profit.

The minor crops of which special mention may
here be made, include a number of vegetable produets
fur which there is generally a regular, if somewhat
small, local demand, and which from their nature are
particularly adapted for cultivation on the holdings of
peasant proprietors. It has frequently been demon-
the that
attention a very substantial addition to the income of

strated in various islands with care and
these small cultivators can be made by growing and
retailing such crops as onions, beans, peas, cabbages,
carrots, squashes, papaws, lettuce, tomatos, and ground
Artichokes and English potatos have also been

the West Indian

nuts.
successfully produced in some of

Islands.

The possibilities conneeted with the more exten-
sive cultivation of garden crops in many of the islands
are fully recognized by the Agricultural Officers, as is
evident from the number of experiments in this diree-
tion, particulars of which are given in the Annual

Rep rts of the different Botanie Stations, ete.

In the past year a quantity of English vegetables,
consisting of 117 th. of turnips, 58 th. of lettuce, 149 Ib. of
beet root, 164 1b. of kohl-rabi, and 103 Ib. of carrots, were
all produced on a plot of land mo more than one-tenth
of an-aecre-in area, at the Grove Experiment Station,
Montserrat.
loeally, and six barrels of the vegetables were shipped to
é the sum of £3 14s. 2¢.

In_ his report, the Curator of the Montserrat Botanic

A portion of this produce was consumed

Antigua, where they realized

Station points out that the growing of this class of

nroduce deserves more attention than ib at present
H

oot

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. November 14, 1908.

receives from the peasantry. In 1906 a crop of 213 tb.
of tomatos was grown on 60 square yards of land at

Harris’ Station, Montserrat.

Promising results, too, have attended the produc-

tion of vegetables ou a small scale by the pupils of

the St. Vincent Agricultural School. It is mentioned
inthe latest annual report on the school (1907-8) that
there is a good demand in the island for such articles
as beans, tomatos, lettuce, parsley and cabbage, and
that it is an easy matter for a boy to realize SLOG per
month from the sale of lettuce alone.

that has received

considerabie attention in many of the West Indian

Onions form a minor crop
Islands, more especially at Antigna and Montserrat.
It isa crop that is particular as to the nature and
condition of the soil, and Jand on which onions are to
be crown should always be in good tilth and well
manured. Under average conditions the crop is easy

to produce, although éare is needed during the
curing process, especially if 1% 1s intended to ship the
produce to an outside market.
Antigua has been under development during the past
ten or twelve years, and is described as being distinctly
incrative, and capable of further extension. A quantity
«f the produce is consumed locally, but the great bulk
is exported to other West Indian Islands, and to
America. The value of »the onion shipments from
Antiguain 1906 was over £500. At Grove Station,
Montserrat, in 1906, a yield of 12 barrels (or 1,672 th.)
of onions was obtained from a plot of land one-tenth
of an acre in area, Eight of these barrels were shipped
£5 8s. 4d,

etc. being £1 5s. 8.

and realized the cost of cultivation, seed,

The possibilities of onion cultivation have also
both at and
St. Kitt’s-Nevis, and but for the increasing attention

been under consideration Barbados
demanded by the developing cotton imdustry during
yevent years, it is probable that efforts would have
been made to create a small export trade in this pro-
duct from those islands. A good yield of omions was
obtained at the St. Kitt’s Botanic Station in 1906,
The crop was considerably smaller in 1907, but. still
yielded a profit at the rate of £14 11s. Sd. per acre.
At Nevis, abont 1,100 1b. of onions were gathered from
a plot one-tenth of an acre in area, andin his latest
report, the Agricultural Instructor speaks of the cultiva-
tion as being one of the most promising of the small

industries of the island.

Cabbage growing has of late years been encouraged
at St. Lucia by experiments in this cultivation carried

The omion industry of

The
kinds which have given most success are ‘Succession |
and ‘ Autumn King. These are ready for cutting in
about three months from sowing.

out at the Experiment Station in the island.

The supply of cab-
bages on the St. ‘Lucia market has much improved
both in quantity and quality as the result of this
experimental work. Similar efforvs

are also being

made to extend’ cabbage cultivation at Montserrat.

Beans and peas are articles of produce to which
attention may always profitably be given by smalk
cultivators in the’ West Indies, as the market for this
class of vegetable is regular and certain. At most of
the Experiment Stations in the different islands experi-
ments are in progress with ditferent varieties, in order
to demonstrate the best methods of cultivation and the
yields of beans and peas that may be expected, as well
It should not be
gotten in connexion with these crops, that

as to raise seed for distribution. for-
being
leguminous plants, their cultivation results in an

enrichment of the soil with nitrogen.

This latter consideration applies, too, to the ground
nut crop, which belongs to the same order, and is also:
a nitrogen gatherer. Attention has frequently been
drawn in the dyricultural News to the value of the
ground nut asa suitable crop for small holders in the
West Indies.

cultivation of the best kinds, seeds of two improved

With the object of encouraging the

varieties, viz: * Dixie Giant’ and‘ Tennessee Red’ were
imported from the United States by the Imperial
Commissioner of Agriculture during the past year,
These seeds, which are much larger than the iocal kinds
of nuts, have been distributed to the various Experiment
Stations for trial.

Other minor crops which are to be seen in the
gardens of occasional cultivators, and which might be
grown more often, in quantity at least sufficient to
supply the home need, are beet-root, pumpkins, peppers
and ginger, ete.

Bananas must be considered a minor product in all of
the West Indian Islands, with the exception of Jamaica.
Attention need hardly be drawn to the value of a fruit
West
Indies, but it may be pointed out that there are many
odd corners on numbers of estates, more especially if

so universally grown and appreciated in the

well sheltered, where one or more banana plants could
easily be grown, with no trouble beyond planting the
original suckers. If distance from a market prevents
the profitable disposal of the produce, it should not be
forgotten that green bananas, when chopped fine, form
a palatable and nutritious addition to the rations of
ealyes and other growing live stock.

Vor. Vill No. 171.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 355

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Sugar-cane Cultivation in Cuba.

Professor F. S. Earle, Director of the Cuban Agri-
cultural Experiment Station, in his book ‘Southern
Agriculture,’ a notice of which appears on page——of
this issue, deals at considerable length with the systems
of cane cultivation which are adopted in different coun-
tries. Ip reference to Cuba it is pointed out that
planters are passing through a transition period in
regard to the methods of cultivation» practised. An
account is given of the system recommended by the
Experiment Station to cane cultivators in the island,
a summary of which may be of interest.

This system is an improvement upon that which has long
Geen in use by Cuban growers, in that it advocates a better
preparation of the land, the growth of a Jeguminous crop
before planting the canes, and the intelligent use of commer-
celal fertilizers.

The land which is to be planted with cane in October
or November should be ploughed about nine months previously
(February or March), and a leguminous crop, such as velvet
beans, sown in April or May. About August this crop should
be ploughed under, and the land harrowed two oy three times
with the dise harrow. When the canes are to be plasited, it is
recommended that deep furrows, at distances of about 7 feet
from each other, be opened by a double mould-board plough,
and a complete manure of artificials (where necessary )
distributed at the bottom of the furrows previous to planting.
The cane used for planting purposes should be selected from
vigorous plant canes or first ratoons, and the pieces set
horizontally in a continuous row at the bottom of the furrows.
If the soil is moist they need not be covered to a depth of
more than 3 inches, but if dry, a depth of 6 inches of soil is
recommended,

Harrowing takes place just as the shoots are peeping
through the ground, the harrows being drawn in the
same direction as the run, This operation greatly
encourages early growth. Cultivating or hoeing begins when
the plants are well up: this is usually done in Cuba with
a horse cultivator, and the hand hoe is needed only for remov-
ing weeds and loosening the soil between the plants in the
rows. Tt is recommended that the operation be repeated
frequently in the early months of the year in order to keep down
weeds, and to maintain a surface mulch of loose soil. In
Apmil, or early in May, it is advised to sow cowpeas broadeast
between the rows of sugarcane, covering them afterwards
with the horse-cultivator.

The above method of cultivation is specially adapted for
Jands which have good natural drainage, but on land deticient
in this respect, the system should be modified, and the land
ridged up around the canes, by means of dise cultivators,

In Cuba, ratoon crops of sugarcane are produced for
several years on the same land, and provision must be made
for maintaining the soil in good condition and keeping up
the supply of plant food. The methods devised by the
Officials at the Cuban Experiment Station for this purpose is
as follows : as soon as the cane is cut, a horse rake is drawn

YOWS

across the rows, and worked so that the trash from the first
‘middle’ (i.e., the space between two rows of cane) is pulled
on to the second, and that from the third middle on to the
fourth. In this way the spaces between the rows across the
field are alternately bared or double-trashed. The cleared
‘middles * are now ploughed, the soil being turned away from
the cane rows, and the last furrow runs close up to the cane so
that artificial manures ean be apphed around the roots,
if necessary. he soil is then thrown back by a cultivator,
and is kept well tilled by regular cultivations until the
beginning of the rainy season, when the ratoons have grown
toa good height. At this time the cultivated middle spaces
are sown with cowpeas.

The alternate spaces which have been double-trashed are
so thickly and heavily covered that practically no grass or
weeds can come through, and these portions receive no further
attention during the season.

It will be seen that with this system of cuitivation the
ratoon cane crop is growing under excellent cultural econdi-
tions, for one side of each row is thoroughly cultivated, while
the other is protected by a heavy mulch of trash, whieh
serves to retain moisture. In the following year, with the
second ratoon crop, the treatment of the middles is reversed,
the spaces on which the cowpeas were cultivated in the
previous year being doubly trashed, and vice versa. In this
way the soil all over the field is thoroughly aerated and
pulverized once in every two years.

Barbados Sugar Industry Agricultural Bank.

The Auditor of the Sugar Industry Agricultural
Bank at Barbados has lately published his first report
on the working of the institution. This report covers
the thirteen months ending May 31, 1908. Under the
Agricultural Bank Act, the agricultural year is defined
as beginning on June 1 and ending on May 31. As
the Bank was started on May 1, 1907, it was decided
for the sake of convenience that the books should not be
closed on April 30, but that the first ‘year’ of working
should be extended to thirteen months.

The accompanying particulars are taken from
a review of the Auditor's report, which appeared in the
Barbados Agricultural Reporter of October 16 :—

On May 1, 1907, there was transferred, from the Com-
missioners under the Plantations-in-Aid Act, to the members
of the Bank, the sam of £96,360 5s. 8d. This included the
Imperial Free Grant of £80,000, with accumulated profits
amounting to £16,360 5s. 8d. The total sam was made up
of £76,520 Os. 74d. representing loans dne from 153 planta-
tions against the crops of the years 1903-7, and there was in
the Colonial Bank the sum of £19,840 5s O}d. During the
period under review loans to the extent of £97,692 18s. 7d.
were made to 95 plantations. The interest amounted to
£3,645 17s. 8d., and the expenses to £1,339 10s. lla. The
net income for the period is therefore the sum of £2,306 6s. 9d.
If this net income be added to the accumulated profits as
at May.1, 1907—i.e., £16,360 5s. 8d.-—the total accumn-
lated. profits to May 31, 1908, stand at £18,666 12s. 5d.
Add to this sum the amount of the Imperial Free Grant. of
£80,000 and there appears a fund at May 31, 1908, of

£98,666 12s. 5d. This total amount is made up of
£27,948 11j¢. due from plantations, as loans against

crops ; £50,000 in the Colonial Bank at interest and
£20,718 9s. 51d. on open account.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWs.

November 14, 1908.

WEST INDIAN FRUIT

ORANGE TRADE IN. SPAIN.

From reports prepared by the British Consul-Genera|
at Barcelona, it would appear that the orange trade of
Spain has of late years been in an unsatisfactory condi-
tion. This applies not only to Spanish growers and
shippers. but also to receivers in the United Kingdom
and other countries to which the fruit is shipped.

This depression is chiefly attributed to (1) over-produc-
tion. The size of the Spanish orange crop having steadily
increased for some years past ; (2) the production of oranges
on a large seale in other countries, which ave shipped to the
same markets as the Spanish product ; (5) the enormous
quantities of fruit such as bananas, apples, ete. that flood the
same markets.

The Consular report referred to, which was prepared at
the request of the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture
for the West Indies, through the Colonial Office, states that
matters have shown a slight improvement quite recently,
because no more trees are likely to be planted, and the out-
put will not continue to increase.

Valencia is the chief port from which Spanish oranges
are exported to England, and in 1905 the shipments to
British markets reached 1,594,274 cases, containing from
420 to 1,120 oranges, according to size. In 1903 the exports
were much larger in quantity. In addition considerable
shipments of oranges are now made from Seville and Malaga.

Orange growers in Spain usually sell their whole crop
direct to packers. who pick, classify, and pack the fruit, and
either sell it again in Valencia to dealers for export, or more
generally consign it by arrangement to a broker in a foreign
market, part of it,
especially when the low price offered by the packers lead
them to think they conld do the business better themselves.
Other packers work on commission either for dealers or

Some growers do their own packing, or

growers.

It has been mentioned that one cause for the depression
in the Spanish orange trade is the large import into Great
Britain of other fruits apples and
A tendency to increase the price of leads to
a decreased demand, and the substitution of other fruits. It
is mentioned that oranges have already felt severely the
introduction of Jamaica bananas into the United Kingdom,
and this has undoubtedly given a check to the development
of the Spanish trade

Until recently, it would appear that growers have been
making handsome profits, and this opinion is confirmed by the
jarge area under young trees. It has been the custom to

such as bananas.

Oranges

force production by the appheation of extravagant qnantities
of artificial manures, which, it is stated, has inereased the
quantity of the crop at the expense of quality. A continuons
advance in the price of the wood from which the ovange
boxes are manufactured is mentioned as another difliculty
with which the Spanish industry has had to contend.

FRUIT PRODUCTION IN THE
BAHAMAS.

The fruit-producing industry of the Bahamas has
not been ina very satisfactory condition during the
past two vears, but the latest report (1907) of the
Curator of the Botanie Station at Nassau speaks hope-
fully as to the future prospects of citrus fruit and
pine-apple production in the colony.

The drought experienced during 1906 and early in 1907
to a lurge extent accounts for the recent falling off in the
fruit output, while the opinion is also entertained that the
pine-apple industry of the Bahamas, is suffering from. degener-
acy of the plants cultivated, owing to continuous inbreeding
of local stock.

A special grant of £100 has been allotted by the Board
of Agriculture for experiments im pine-apple cultivation.
These experiments, which were started last year, include
both manurial trials and tests with local and imported varieties.
The imported obtained from Jamaica and
include Red Spanish, Green Ripley, Ned Ripley, and Sugar
Loaf. They have so far made a more vigorous growth than
the local kinds of pine-apples.

The total value of the pine-apples exported from the
Bahamas during 1906-7 was £30,614. This shows a decrease
of £875 compared with the value of the pine-apple shipments
of 1905-6 and £5,055 from the exports of 1904-5. The pros-
pects for the 1908 crop of pineapples were stated to be
encouraging. It has undoubtedly been proved that grape
fruit and oranges of excellent quality ean be produced in the
Bahamas, but the value of the citrus fruit exports fell from
£3,785 in 1905-6 to £2,620 in 1906-7. Samples of grape-
fruit and oranges from the colony have been shipped to
England and Canada, and an improved condition of the
market is expected in the future. The Curator in his report
emphasizes the necessity of greater care in handling, selecting,
grading and packing citrus fruit intended for export, and
mentions that the grapefruit and oranges exported from the
Bahamas are at present in danger of getting a bad reputation
on the foreign market owing to negligence in these matters,
and the shipment of inferior fruit,

varieties were

Vor, VIE No: Wi’: THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 357

RICE CROP OF BRITISH GUIANA.

Messrs. Sandbach; Parker & Co., of Demerara, in
their fortnightly report, dated October 380, on the
condition of the rice industry of British Guiana say :—

The weather during the past fortnight has continued dry,
and suitable for harvesting and milling. Kteaping is going on
all over the colony, and quality of paddy 1

Rice is now coming into town freely, and several ship-
ments have been made to the West Indian Islands during the
fortnight, amounting to about 2,300 bags all told. Inquiries
continue to come in from all parts and several sales have been
effected at the prices indicated below.

Growers of paddy are holding for high prices, and
millers have had to advance their prices to obtain supplies.
The competition is keener than ever before, and lack of
eombination among buyers and their agents is responsible to
a considerable extent for the high prices being paid for paddy.

+-Present.prices .ave :. per bag of 180 Ib. gross, 20s. to
20s. 6d.; and per bag of 164 Ib. gross, 18s. 3d. to 18s. 9d.

NEVIS.

Address on Soil Analysis.

At a special meeting of the Nevis Agricultural and
Commercial Socicty held on October 15 — last,
Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., in response to the request
of members, gave an address on the subject of soil
analysis and its relation to agricultural problems, par-
ticularly in relation to cotton,

IS good.

Dr. Watts pointed out that an acre of soil to the depth
of 3 inches weighed about 1,000,000 lb., so that a quantity
of 100 tb. per acre of any soil constituent was 0:01 per cent.,
if the soil were considered to a depth of 3 inches, but only
9-0025 per cent. if taken to the depth of a foot. He further

pointed out that-the-quantities of-constituents,.such as nitro- =

gen, potash, and phosphates, removed from the soil by
a crop of cotton are so small as not to be readily estimated
‘by chemical analysis, and therefore no useful purpose would
be served by carrying out the suggestion, which was some-
times brought forward, that the manurial requirements of the
cotton crop would be ascertained by analysing the soil before
and after bearing a crop.

Dr. Watts then explained in some detail the methods
adopted in the physical and chemical analysis of soils, and
faid before the meeting the statements of analysis of a ntunber
of Nevis soils, which were then generally discussed.

The necessity of carrying out occasional experiments in
the course of their ordinary estate work was impressed upon
the members present, as in this way useful knowledge might be
obtained as to methods in which their estate practice might be
modified with profit to themselves. The need for thorough
tillage, the adequate use of pen manure and of proper weed-
ing were also emphasized. 1t was shown that cotton is one
of the least “exhausting crops ‘provided that the seed is
veturned to the soil, either in the form of cotton-cake-meal,
distributed as manure, or first fed to cattle and the resulting
pen manure applied to the land. If the seed is not so
returned the defect may be made good by green dressings.

Attention was drawn to the experiments with sugar and
cotton now in progress under the care of the Department of
Agriculture, at St. Kitt’s-Nevis and other islands, and plant-
ers were urged to give them thoughtful consideration.

In ralemence to the present season’s cotton crop at Nevis,
Dr. Watts expressed the opinion that it showed evidence of

better cultivation and more care than in past years, and he
hoped these efforts at improvements would be continued.

The meeting closed with a vote cf*thanks to Dr. Watts
for his address. —

INSURANCE OF CROPS. AGAINST
HURRICANE DAMAGE.

Particulars of the scheme of insurance of build-
ings and growing crops in the West Indies against
damage by hurricane, that has been arranged by a 1 lead-
Ing fam of brokers in London, have appeared in past
numbers of the Agricultural News (see Vol. V, p. 129,
and VII, p. 185). This subject was lately dealt with
iu a lengetiy article in the London Z/imes, from which
the following extracts have been made :—

~The object was-to give planters in Dominica (in connexion
Fah which island the idea first or iginated) an opportunity of
covering not only their buildings, but their estates, and it
was originally arranged to take both the buildings and the
cultivations at inclusive premiums. ‘These two interests, are,
however, now treated separately, but underwriters only consent
to take cultivations on condition that the buildings are also
insured. Rates for the buildings vary from 14 per cent. for
out-houses to {per cent. for first-class risks with parapet walls,
i.e. stone walls that are continued up beyond the eaves, so as
to give the wind no opportunity of getting under the roof and
blowing it off. There is no hard and fast definition of
a hurricane in the policy : the only test is the damage done.
If it amounts to the agreed percentage of excess, the insurers
are lable, and all that is required is that the damage should
be done by wind.

Besides lime trees and cacao trees (which form the chief
cultivations in Dominica), arrangements have been made to
cover other forms of cultivation, such as sugar-canes, cocoa-
nuts, and-cotfee. ,; With regard to sugar-canes 3 there have been.
practically no inquiries for insurance in the English islands,
but a considerable amount of business has been done in the
French island of Martinique. ‘The difficulties of
damage from hurricane are so great in the case of the sugar-
cane that it is doubtful if the arrangement is satisfactory.

Inregard to bananas, the brokers have, so far, persistently
refused to accept this crop for insurance, partly on account
of the fact that it is so easily liable to damage, and perhaps
still more onaccount of the ditliculties in assessing this damage.
Further, if the insurers were to pay all the aeer that would
be advanced in connexion with this crop, the premiums would
be so high as practically to prohibit business.

The only insurance ot coffee which has so far been
effected is on two estates in the Blue Mountain district of
Jamaica. Here, the average crop of ten years is taken, and
should a hurricane occur, the loss, is assessed by the insurers
agreeing to pay the difference between an amount slightly
under the value of the average crop, and the actual produce
of the sales of the cotfee at Liverpool. ;

Growing cotton is also covered specially during the
hurricane months alone, i.e., from June to October inclusive.
There is a fixed scale of compensation increasing in amount
as the season and this is based on caleulations of
the probable loss a planter sutters by reason-of having his
cotton destroyed by hurricane. If this occurs early in the
season, the cotton can be replanted, but if later on, all that
can be done is to put in a catch crop, and the scale of
compensation for September and October, therefore, is from
double #0 treble the amount of thie earlier months.

assessing

goes on,

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

November 14, 1908.

ea
s

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date of October 26, with refer-
ence to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

The Lancashire mills still continue closed, with the
result that there is little or no business passing in any
description of cotton. However, about g West
Indian Sea Islands, comprising Anguilla and Barbados at 14d.,
and St. Vincent at 17d., have been reported for export.

dO bags ot

The American holders in Charleston and Savannah are
very eager sellers, but there is a general census of opinion
that prices are near the bottom, and that as soon as the strike
is over, better conditions will prevail.

COTTON CROP IN THE SEA ISLANDS.
Recent reports from Messrs. Heury W. Frost
& Co., of Charleston, state that the cotton crop in the
Sea Islands is being harvested early, but at present the
demand is only moderate, and the market is quiet.

In Messrs. Frost’s report dated October 17, it was men-
tioned that three planters’ érops, kept over from last year’s
cotton crop, were sold for England and France at prices
ranging from 32c¢. to 37¢. So far as could be judged from the
odd bags of cotton received at that date, it was reported that
the character of the crop was very disappointing, the larger
proportion classing as cotton of ‘fine’ quality, and as lower
grades. It was ditticult to'select any cotton of quality as
high as the ‘fully fine
described as consisting in large proportion of cotton which is
irregular and short in staple, and which will not therefore
command a high price.

> grade. The Georgia crop is also

On October 24 Messrs Frost write :—

The large proportion of odd bags received continue to class
“fine” with only a small. percéntage of ‘fully fine.’ The
‘fully fine’ cotton is being held firmly at 26c. per tb. but
‘fine’ qualities are selling at 24e.

There has at the above prices,
principally on account of the Northern mills, and for export.
There has also been a demand from England for planters’
crop lots of last year, and from 500° to 1,000 bales could
easily have been disposed of, if factors had been willing to
sell at 30c. They are holding out, however, for 32c. per Ib.

On October 31 Messrs. Frost report :—

been some demand

The market has been quiet throughout the past week

with sales of only 250.0dd. bags at prices of 24c. per Ib. for

, fine’? cotton, and 26c. for ‘ fully fine’.
ing, and stocks accumulating.

teceipts are increas-

The total amount of Sea Island cotton ginned in the
United States (from the Islands, Carolinas, Florida and
Georgia) up to October 31, has been 32,462 bales, as against
18,755 bales ginned to same date last year, This year,
however, the crop is being got in earlier.

BRITISH COTTON GROWING
- ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the Council of the British Cotton
Growing Association was held at Manchester early in
October, when some interesting particulars in regard
to the progress of cotton growing in Africa were laid
before the members.

It was reported that a considerable quantity of cotton
of superior quality 1s now coming forward from the British
East Africa Protectorate. From Uganda and the districts
adjoining the great lakes good reports were to hand, and it
is anticipated that the yield this season will amount to several
thousand bales of cotton, valued at dd. to hd. per lb. over
Upland American of medium quality.

The reports from Nyassaland continue favourable, and
shipments of last year’s crops are now econiing forward. With
regard to West Aftica, it was mentioned that the purchases
of cotton in Lagos ‘for the month of September were equal to
70 bales, bringing the total purchases trom the beginning of
the year up to 5.284 bales.

The Tamele district of the Northern Territories of the
Gold Coast bas been described as well suited for cotton
growing, and it has been decided to obtain the opinion of an
expert as to the possibilities of cultivation in the district.

It was mentioned that a report had been received on the

cultivation of Egyptian cotton in Sind during 1907. The
area sown with Egyptian cotton was 6,835 acres. As far as
can be ascertained{sthe total crop was between 1,700 and

1,800 bales of 400 Ib. Good prices were obtained for the
cotton, Which was principally sold for use in the Ahmedabad
and Bombay mills) :

The resolution’ passed at the Conference with the West
Indian cottomgrowing August last, urging
upon the Government the vital importance of establishing
a Central Department for Vropical Agriculture was discussed,
and the opinion was expressed that everything possible
should be done to push forward the establishment of such
a Department.

delegates in

Vor, VIS Nox Win

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 359

COCOA-NUT PRODUCTS IN CEYLON, 1907.
The accompanying particulars in regard to the
extent of the cocoa-nut crop of Ceylon, and the
products prepared from jt appear in the latest annual
report of the Planters’ Association of the island :—

4

The year 1907 has been quite the Best on record for
cocoanut planters i in Ceylon, for though erdps were gener uly
short, yet the high price of copra in the early part of the year
more than compensated owners for such shortage. On
February 27, the price rose to £5 16s:26d. per 500 Ib.,
which is the highest figure on record for this article in the
annals of Ceylon history. The total ‘export of copra
(347,970 cewt.) was about 76,000 ewt. short of the quantity
sent out in 1906 ; the cocoa-nuts in the shell were less by 22
million nuts. Oil also shows a falling off in shipment by
50,000 ewt.,

460,685 ewt. going out this year, as against

511,720 in 1906; whilst poonac, ie. the cake left after
expressing the oil from cocoanut pulp, naturally shows

a similar decline.

This falling off in the erop is generally considered to be
due to the very dry season of 1906, which serionsly affected in
many districts the young nuts then setting for maturity in
1907. Germany was again this year the best customer for
copra, and took almost half of the total export, while pure shases
hy Belgium come next, which show a heavy increase over the
business done in the previous year.

THE VALUE OF FARMYARD MANURE
AS A FERTILIZER.

The value of farmyard manure as a_ fertilizing
agent in connexion with the cultivation of English
crops is discussed at considerable length in the June
number of the Journal of the British Board of Aeri-
eulture. The average pen manure of the West Indies
no doubt ditters considerably in composition from the
average farmyard manure of Great Britain, althongh
this difference is but small in comparison with that
which exists between the conditions of climate and
crops, and the tillage methods of the two parts of the
world. Yet many of the considerations which apply to
farmyard manure are equally applicable to the uses
and qualities of pen manure.

From a large number of analyses, it appears that farm-
yard manure consists, on the average, of about 75 per cent. of
water, about two-thirds of 1 per cent. of nitrogen, one-quarter
of 1 per cent. of phosphoric acid, and one-third of 1 per
cent. of potash, or per ton about 15 Ib. of nitrogen, 5 Tb. of
phosphoric acid, and 7 tb of potash. The composition, how-
ever, naturally varies with the feeding of the animals and the
manner in which the manure has been. stored.

During storage, various chemical changes go on in the
heaps of manure. As a result, many compounds are given
off in gaseous form. Some nitrogen is lost in this wi uy, but

the proportion of non-nitrogenous organic matter which passes
off is still greater. Water is alsoe »vaporated, and as a result of
all the changes, the manure which has been stored for a con-
siderable time is more concentrated, containing more dry
matter, and a higher percentage of nitrogen, potash, and
phosphoric acid in the dry matter. One effect of the fermen-
tation which is in active progress is that the active compounds

of nitrogen, such as ammonium carbonate, grow less on
storage of the manure, as they are converted into insoluble
protem-lke bodies. Hence, old pen manure is slower in its
fertilizing action, and less caustié in its effect upon the
delicate roots of seedlings, than fresh manure.

Asa direct fertilizing agent, the chief value of pen man-
ure lies in the fact that it contains all the elements of a plant’s
nutrition—nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash—although
the phosphoric acid is deficient compared with what it should
be in a well-balanced fertilizer. As a result of the various stages
of availability in which the nitrogen is present in pen manure,
its effect is not fully evident shortly after application, but its
influence is continuous for a more or less considerable time
after being put on the land.

It is often pointed out that the value of farmyard
manure to the land is not altogether confined to its fertilizing
properties ; its physical effects upon the texture and water-
holding powers of the soil are equally important, and indeed,
in droughty particularly with some these
effects count for more than fertilizers towards ensuring a good
yield. The mannre as it rots down into the soil _ goes to
restore the stock of humns which is always undergoing oxida-
tion, and tending to be diminished in quantity. Humus ac ts
beneficially both on light and heavy soils ; to sands it gives
cohesion and water-retaining power, while by loosely binding
together the finest particles of clay soil, it renders them more
porous and pliable.

seasons, CLODPS;

As already mentioned, a soil which has been enriched in
humus by continued applications of pen manure will resist
drought better than one in which the humus content is low,
and investigation has shown that the difference does not
depend so much upon the greater amount of moisture present
in the soil containing humus, as in the way this soil will!
absorb a large amount of water temporarily during heavy
rainfall, and then let it work more slowly down into the soil,
thus keeping it longer within reach of the crop.

FIBRES FOR PAPER-MAKING.
Various fibrous waste materials are under investi-
gation by the Department of Agriculture of the United
States, with a view to determining the possibilities
of their utilization ia paper- -making. Some results of
the experimental treatment of maize stalks have been
pronounced satisfactory.

A note in Nature of October 22 points out that this
matter is one of importance, and refers to the number of
waste fibrous materials such as megass, cotton-seed hulls, flax
and hemp straws which contain fibres useful for paper-making,
and are available in sutheiently adequate quantity in certain
parts that, if utilized, they would form a serious factor in
determining the world’s supply, as well as the ultimate cost
of paper.

All the above-mentioned waste fibres have been many
times worked up into papers of good quality, but, with the

exception of the fibre of the cotton-seed hull, this has not
been done under ordinary industrial conditions. It is satis-
factory to note that within the past two years, a definite
commercial success has been recorded with cotton-seed hulls,
as the result of a treatment which is mainly mechanical.
The resulting product is now on the market under the name
of ‘ Virgo fibre’ paper.

360 THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS

November 14, 1908,

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the

Commissioner, Tmperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News:
gost free 2d.
Dew Ie

Price 1d. per number,
Annual subscription payable to Agents,
Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural Mews —

Vou. VII. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1908. No. 171.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The possibilities connected with the more general
cultivation of vegetables and ther small crops in the
West Indies are discussed in the editorial.

A system of sugar-cane cultivation recommended
by the Cuban Agriculttral Experiment Station to
planters in the island is described on page 355. This
is followed by some particulars extracted from the first
report of the Barbados Sugar Industry Agricultural
Bank.

Some notes on the orange trade in Spain, which
at present is in a somewhat cepressed condition, and
on fruit production in the Bahamas, will be found on
page 3506.

The system of insurance of crops in the West
Indies against damage by hurricane is dealt’ with on
page 357, and on the next page reports are given as
to the condition of the Sea Island cotton market in
Anglandand the United States.

A brief article on page 359 discasses the composi-
tion and manurial value of farmyard manure.

The best methods of dealing with attacks of lice
and mites on poultry forms the subject dealt with
under Insect Notes (page 362),

The ‘ Students’ Corner * is continued on page 363,
and attention may also be drawn to the article ‘ Rubber
in the West Indies ° on the same page, and that giving
an account of experiments witha number of fodder
crops at Domimiea, which appears on page 366,

Rum Manufacture at Barbados.

From the particulars set ont in the report on the
Excise branch of the Customs Department at Barbados,
it is seen that the rum stills worked in the island dur-
ing 1907 were five in number, viz., the West India
Rum Refinery, the Premier, Carrington in St. Philip,
and Mount Gay (2 stills) in St. Luey

Altogether 210,612 gallons of ram were manufac-
tured during the year. Of this quantity, by far the
greater proportion was made by the West India Rum
Refinery, Ltd., which turned om 154,552 gallons (or
76 per cent. of the whole): 24.372 gallons were made at
the Premier, 16,159 gallons at C arrington, and 15,099
gallons at Mount Gay. With the exception of 700
gallons exported to other colonies, and 918 gallons
issued as ‘ships stores, all the rum manufactured was
consumed in the island.

oe
Tobacco Experiments at St. Kitt’s-Nevis.

Tobacco experiments with Havana, Sumatra, and
Virginian varieties are being continued this season at
La Guerite, St. Kitt’s, under the direction of Mr. F. R.
Shepherd, Agricultural Superintendent. These trials
have now peer in progress for several seasons, and while
the growth of tobacco both under shade and in the open
has been all that could be desired, the process of fermen-
tation has, so far, failed to develop the best aroma and
the combustible qualities evident in a good sample. This
is attributed to the fact that the temperature reached
during fermentation has not been sutiiciently high.
The quantity grown is small, not exceeding 350 Ib. of
enred tobacco, and under these circumstances it is nob
so easy to produce a high temperature as with a larger
quantity. Che tobacco under experiment should be
ready for reaping about the end of December, and it is
hoped that more favourable results will be obtained
from fermentation than in past seasons.

i
Keeping Besaes of Ripe Mangos.

Some experiments lately carried ont in
British Guiana under the auspices of the Department
ot Science and Agriculture to test the etfect of immer-
sion for a short time ina 3 per cent. solution of formalin
(a treatment which is known to have a preservative
influence in the case of many soft-skinned fruits) upon
the keeping power of mangos. The tests were made
with 260 mangos, belonging to twenty-three different
varieties, The fruits were, in every case, gathered two at
a time, one being immersed for ten minutes in the
formalin solution, and the other, which was not treated
with formalin, being kept under precisely similar condi-
tions fer control purposes. ‘The mangos were handled
with every care, and examined daily.

Instead of exercising a preservative influence on
the fruits, it was found in practically all cases, that the
use of formalin tended tu lessen the number of days
which elapsed before the mangos became unfit for
eating purposes. Incidentally, the experiment has
shown that, with caveful handling, mangus will, on the
average, keep for ten or twelve da ays in ‘British Guiana,
and it is expected that in cold storage their keeping
powers would be much increased.

Werte

Von, Vite No. 171.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 361

Rubber Planting in Hawaii.

The Ceara tree (Manihot Glaziovii) is the favour-
ite variety of rubber among plantersjin Hawau, In
au recent bulletin issued by the Hawatian Agricultural
Experiment Station, ib is stated that ap to the begin-
ning of the present vear 400.000 rubber trees had been
planted in the islands, of which about 90 per cent. were
of the Ceara variety, the remainder consisting of
Castilloaw elastica and Herea brasiliensis in about
equal proportions. ‘There are now five large rubber
plantations in operation, and rubber yielding trees are
being planted on a small scale by numbers of planters.
It was intended to make a first tapping, on a commer-
cial scale, of some of the trees in the oldest plantation
during the present vear, or as soon as they have reached
a circumference of 20 inches.

————

Analysis of Okra Plant.

A sample plant from a field ofokra grown by
Mr. S. ©. Thorne, of Barbados, was recently sub-
mitted for analysis to the Government Laboratory of
the island. From Professor d’Alburquerque’s state-
ment it appears that this okra plant contained 18°85
per cent. of dry matter, including 2°19 per cent. of
albuminoids and other nitrogenous matter, and 3:03
per cent. ash. The potash present in the ash amounted
to O41 per cenit. of the total weight of the plant, the
phosphoric anhydride to O17 per: ¢ent., while the
organic or humus-forming matter (total dry matter,
less the ash) amounted to 15°S2 per cent.

The weight of one hole of okra was 87 tb., and
therefore the total weight to the acre (1,452 holes) was
at the rate of 5°6 tons. This amount would include
1,995 tb. of organic matter, 44-2 tb. of nitrogen, 51:8 th.
of potash, and 21°5 tbh. of phosphoric anhydrite.

Banana Trade of Trinidad.

The banana exports of Trinidad have increased
enormously during the past twelve months, and in this
period over 60,000 bunches were shipped from the
island by the Royal Mail Company. In view of the
extending demand for this fruit in England and other
Enropean countries, there is, no doubt, abundant scope
for further developments in the near future.

This question of the trade and its prospects were
recently discussed in an editorial article in the Port-of-
Spain Gazette. While a good deal of gratification is
expressed at the results so tar achieved in building up
a fruit trade for Trinidad, reference is also made to two
matters which need attention if the industry 1s to
progress satisfactorily. One of these’ ditticulties is the
failure of growers in the island to produce, in sutticiently
large quantities, bananas of the size and quality in
chief demand on the market, and the second is the
high freight charges of the Royal Mail Company.
Probably if the first trouble were remedied and larger
and superior supplies brought forward for shipment,
it would be found possible to remove the second difti-

culty. There is every reason to believe that bananas of

excellent quality can be produced in Trinidad and the
matter is well worthy of the attention. of those in the
island best qualified to help.

School Gardens at St. Lucia.

The Education Department of St. Lucia is mak-
ing endeavours to encourage school garden work,
and of the twenty-one boys’ schools in the colony, garden
plots are attached to sixteen, and will shortly be started
in connexion with two others. ‘wo of the schools in
Castries, by reason of their situation, are unable to
have gardens, and it is suggested by the Inspector of
Schools that the difhculty might best be met, as has
been done in’ British Guiana under similar conditions
by the establishment of 1 model garden at the Botanic
Station, where the town boys could receive agricultural
instruction. The work at present is necessarily more
or less in an experimental stage, and the Inspector
points out that it is in need of expert direction to make
it moresystematic. A substantial bonus to head teach-
ers who receive a good report for agricultural instruction
is also mentioned as a means whereby the work would
be encouraged. A sum of £40 is to be distributed as
special bonuses to teachers who did good work in 1907.

ED ee

Barbados Milch Cows.

The milch cattle kept at Barbados are very mixed
in type, and are undoubtedly in most cases the result
of crossing with a number of the best known breeds.
Nevertheless the. Barbados cow is recognized as being
the best in the West Indies for milking qualities. The
Ayrshire type is frequently noticeable among cows in
these islands, and this breed of cow is a very economical
animal to keep. It will find pasturage in the fields
during the most droughty season, and is very hardy in
constitution, The large amount of white in the coats
of many Ayrshires makes these animals lable to
blistering by the sun’s rays, but it is of course possible,
to a large extent, to breed out this white, by crossing
with dark-coated native cattle.

The Holstein element is also prominent in the
case of some Barbados cattle. These cows are large
animals that do not readily put on flesh, but yield
a large volume of milk of poor quality. The male
calves become good serviceable beasts of burden
Shorthorns have in the past been often imported into
Barbados, and cows in which the Shorthorn type is very
evident are frequently seen. Owing to the long fine
hair in the coat of this breed the cows sutfer from the
heat of a tropical climate.

The value of the Jersey as a milch cow is well
known in all parts of the world. The animals of this
breed easily take first place as regards the richness ot
their milk in fat and total solids, and where butter-
making is carried on, the Jersey breed is undoubtedly
the one from which the cows should be selected
Jersey cows do well in the tropics, their short, thick
coat serving as an admirable protection from the effects
of the sun.

A good method of feeding milch cows in the West
indies is to give them 75 Ib. of green fodder, together
with 8 tb. of dry feed, the latter consisting of equal parts
of corn meal, pollard, and cotton-seed meal. Guinea corn
fodder is valuable for keeping up the milk yield.

362

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

November 14, 1908.

RaSh ‘ e: ne
Bl vice NS BIOTIN ‘S
INSECT NOTES.
Lice and Mites on Poultry.

Poultry are frequently supposed to be sufttering
from some disease when. their ill health is really due
to the abundance of lice or mites which are infesting
them. Ordinarily, the fowls by squatting in a hole in
the ground, and scratching the dust around their
bodies, are able to keep the parasites in check. But in
the case of sitting hens the insects increase to an
enormous extent, and the chickens on being hatched
out are at the mercy of these parasites.

SY
“Ss <5

LICE,

Lice are more numerous than the mites, but they are
less injurious, as they are not blood-sucking by nature. The
lice are provided with short-toothed jaws with which they
bite off the epidermal scales and the edges of the feathers. The
claws of their feet are very sharp and by the process of
continual scratching on the skin of the host, a supply of
blood is procured by the parasite, and upon this it feeds.
Poultry do not suffer from Joss of blood, but from nervous
exhaustion due to the continual biting off of thetr scales,
while the pricks from the claws of the insects often result in
nlcerations.

The hen louse (Wenopon pallidum) is an
insect which is pale dull yellow in colour, with lateral darker
marks, but at times after feeding the colour may be of
a pinkish tint. ‘Vhe length is j%5 inch ; its head is broad and
rounded in front. The insect 1s wingless.

The adult Jouse is very active, wandering continually
over the skin. The eggs or Snits”® are small, elongate, oval
objects, and are attached at the broader end to the feathers.
The young insects, produced from the eggs, are much smaller
than the adult, and they remain close to the body of the
host until they reach maturity, which takes from two to three
weeks under conditions favourable to their development
Such conditions are a damp and dirty state of the fowls’
body.

Remedies for lice on fowls

common

>—(1) Saturate sawdust with
naphthalene and place beneath the nest of setting hens. (2) Dip
the hens in an infusion of tobacco, made by boiling tobacco
stems, leaves, ete. for fifteen minutes. (3) Fumigate the hen
house with sulphur two or three times. allowing ten days to
elapse between cach operation so as to kill the newly hatched
parasites.
MITES.

The chicken mite (Dermanyosus yallinac, Redi.) is
elliptical and rather flattened in’ shape, and about }-ineh
long. The colour is pale grey with darker spots, but after feed-
ing it becomes reddish. Lt has eight slender, tapering legs,
a pair of palpt in front, and a pair of needle like mandibles,
with which it procures its food.

The adult mother lays her small eggs in dirty crevices of
the hen house. The young hatch in two or three days, and
when born, are whitish in colour, oval in shape, and have
but six legs.

At first they feed on filth, but when older attack the
chickens. After feeding a few days, they molt and appear

with eight legs. They do not remain on the poultry all the
time, but usually only long enough to feed and are most
active at night.

The chicken mite is parasitic on all kinds of poultry
except pigeons, although they attack horses and even man.
The mite found upon pigeons is a distinct species. Remedies
for mites are :—(1) Keep the poultry in a clean, dry house
with plenty of sunlight. (2) Whitewash the inside of the
house, adding 4 oz. of erude carbolic acid to every gallon
of wash, and repeat after four days. (3) Spray witle
kerosene emulsion. (To make this, shave $ Ik. of hard
soap into 1 gallon of soft water and boil until the soap is
dissolved ; remove the mixture from the fire and stir into it 2
gallons of kerosene oil). Dilute this stock mixture with
10 parts of soft water and apply as a spray or with a brush.
Repeat this application twice at intervals of four days.

The ‘itch mite’ (Cnemidocoptes Mutans, Robin) is the
cause of ‘scaly leg.’ This parasite burrows in the skin of the
legs, comb, and neck, causing an intense itching and forming
a crust of loosened tissue above the places where it has
burrowed. A good remedy is to bathe the infested parts in
warm, soapy water and then apply sulphur ointment.

The ‘depluming mite’? (Crenrdocoptes gallinae, Rail.)
burrows near the base of the feathers, and the itching induces
the hen to pluck her feathers in her attempt to stop the
irritation.

EGG-LAYING COMPETITION.

A few details as to the resultsof an egg-laying
competition which, was held at the Roseworthy Agri-
cultural College, South Australia, from April 1, 1907,
to March 31, 1908, may not be without interest.

The numberof pens competing was seventy-five,
each pen containing six birds;so that the total number
of birds engaged in the competition was 450. ‘These
birds together produced 80,959 eggs, or an average of
17:99 per head. The highest number of eggs laid by
any pen was 1,531, these being produced by six White
Leghorns, while the greatest number laid by any given
bird (also a White Leghorn), was 255. The total cost
of the food consnmed during the vear by the 450 hens

was £120 18s. 5.pthis being an average cost of 14d.
per hen per week, or 5s, 4. per hen per year. Since

the average value of the eggs Jaid during the year was
lls. 8d. per hen, it will be seen that poultry of the
type included in the competition gave a return of over
100 per cent. profit on the food consumed. The White
Leghorn breed undoubtedly did best inthe competition
taking the first nine places, and showing up well through-
out. Other breeds notable for their good laying power
were Silver and White Wyandottes, and Black
Orpingtons.

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

Mr. John R. Bovell, L.S.0., Agricultural Superin-
tendent of Barbados;.who has recently been in England
on leave of absence since June 2 last, returned to the
island by the R. M.S. ‘ Orinoco’ on November 10, and
has resumed his duties.

Mr. W. N. Sands. Agricultural Superintendent of
St. Vincent, who has been on leave of absence since
May I8 last, also returned by the ‘Orinoco.’

Vora Ville Nos 171:

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 365

STUDENTS’ CORNER.

The series of notes and questions which were
started in the last issue of the Agwicultural News,
with the object of atfording assistaneé and guidance to
young men employed on estates erftering upon the
tes Courses in Agriculture, are Gontinued below.

As alre dy explained, there was some unavoidable delay
in starting, and the notes now published relate to
October work on estates. After this issue, however, the
notes will be brought up ta date, and will be regularly
continued in future numbers.

Seasonal Notes.
OCTOBER. ;
Isr) FortnicHr.

Growing canes may now be expected to arrow ; observe the

mamner in which the arrow originates ; endeavour to make
out the structure of the flower, noting the stamens and

stigma. Study the question of producing seedling canes.

Note what weeds make their appearance on Jand prepared
for crops. See if any relationship can be traced between the
kind of soil and the type of weed that appears upon it.

Caterpillars may be troublesome in cotton fields ; collect
some and feed them on cotton leaves ; note the growth, the
changes of skin, and the transformation into pupa (chrysalis),
and moth, recording the time the various stages occupy. Make
drawings. Note the presence of other pests; observe their
habits, and ascertain the steps taken to edntrol them.

Early cotton may be in bearing during the first fortnight
of October. Note how long it takes a cotton flower-bud to
form and to open, how long the flowes remains open, and how
fong it takes a boll to form and ripen.

OCTOBER.
2np. FortNIGHT.

Limes and cacao will be in fruit in the latter half of
October ; observe the development of the fruit from the
flower. . Observe what insects visit the flowers of these trees,
and, if you can, ascertain how pollination is ettected.

Green dressings will have been grown and ploughed in ;
note how long it takes for these to decay ; see whether any
physical ettect can be observed in the soil.

During or after rain note how the water is absorbed by
the soil, and that later it drains off the surface.
Observe where it flows, and what effect this has on the sur-
face of the field and on the tilth.

QUESTIONS For
PRELIMINARY

some of

CANDIDATES.
QUESTIONS.

(1) Sulphate of ammonia is dissolved in water : how
could you recover the sulphate of ammonia in solid form ?

(2) Give a brief account of some of the principal fune-
tions of water In connexion with plant life ?

(3) Give an account of the manner in which you think
the soil in the neighbourhood in which you live has been
formed /

INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS.

(1) What elements of plant food are supplied by pen
manure / What change does pen manure undergo in a soil,
and how does it influence the texture of a soil ?

(2) What advantages are claimed for flat cultivation,
and for the plan of throwing the land into banks respectively }
Discuss the merits of both methods? *

(3) What do you understand by mulching ? Describe
several methods of mulching ! What advantages are derived
from the operation ?

RUBBER IN THE WEST INDIES.

Some notes dealing with the introduction ane
distribution of rubber nee s in the West Indies, and the
developments that have so far been made in the rubber-
producing industry in these colonies, as exemplified by
the Be ibita from the West Indies and British Guiana
on view at the late London Rubber Exhibition, appeared

In recent numbers of the pe India Comimeattee
Circular. The notes were contributed by Mr. W. G.
Freeman, B.Sc., formerly Scientific Assistant on the

statt of the Imperial Department of Agriculture.

Tt is pointed out that the West Indian Islands, although
naturally endowed with many products of economic impor-

tance, are not rich in native rubber-yieldiug plants. The
rubber vine (/osteronia floribunda) and a new rubber plant

(Odontadenia sp.) recently brought to notice in Trinidad, are
found wild, but these are of little commercial importance.
The Central American rabber tree (Castillo elastica), which
grows wild in British Honduras, is nowhere found growing

in a state of nature in the islands, and although one or
two species of Hevea occur wild in British Guiana, the
principal species, /lerca brasiliensis, is lacking. Various

species of the Sapmm are indigenous to British
Guiana. These ave of commercial importance as sources of
rubber, and are receiving considerable attention. As is well
known, too, balata—a kind of gutta-percha—is largely
produced in British Guiana, and to a less extent in Trinid: ad
from the native Bulletwood tree (Winusops globosa). It is
evident, therefore, that if any considerable output of rmbber
is to be expected from the West Indies, this will, to a large
extent, be the product of introduced trees. Evidence of the
work that has already been Was seen in the exhibits
displayed at the Olympia in September last.

Trinidad —with its dependency Tobago —Dominica, and
to a less degree, St. Lucia, were represented by exhibits of
rubber obtained from plants none of which were native to the
islands, while British Guiana made a good display of the
products of native trees. There were also on view two
Wardian cases of living rubber plants received in splendid
condition from Trinidad and St. Lucia respectively. It
is mentioned that these, which. included the chief South
American and African rubber-yielding plants which have been
introduced into the West Indies, and the balata plant as well,
formed, when openedup,a most attractive feature of the exhibit.

Among the samples sent from Trinidad, Central Ameri-
can rubber was well represented by specimens in block, sheet,
biseuit and scrap from various estates. A large series of
samples of Castilloa rubber, prepared from trees of different
ages, was also on view from the Botanical Department.
Specimens of Para rubber, too, were sent from the Depart-
ment, but none were received from any estates in the island.
Other samples from Trinidad were the produce of the Lagos
silk rubber tree (Muntumia clastica), West African rubber
(Ficus Vogelii), African vine rubber (Landolphia sp.), and
Assam rubber (2veus elastica).

Samples of Para, Castilloa,: and Fieus rubber were on
view from Dominica, and Mr. Freeman gives an account of
the progress that has so far been made in the island with this
cultivation (in this-connexion see last issue of Agricultural
Wews, page 343).

St. Lucia also sent specimens of rubber, together with
a case of young plants, to the Exhibition. In 1905 it was
estimated that there were from 300 to 400 trees in the island,
chiefly planted as shade trees on cacao estates, and since then
the distribution of young rubber plants from the Botanic
Station has been actively continued.

genus

done

364

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

November 14, 1908¢

GLEANINGS.

Grafted mango plants for sale within the island can he
obtained at the Botanic Station, St. Lucia, at a price ot
2s. each.

The Ayrshire bull ‘Gipsy Star of Bellevue,’ and the
African woolless ram sheep ‘ gba’ are both stationed for
the present at the Agricultural School, Union, St. Lucia,
where they are available for service. The fee is 2s. in the
case of the bull, and 1s. in the case of the ram.

It is mentioned in the West Jndia Committee Cireular
that the Colonial Fruit Show, arranged to be held in London
on November 26 and 27, willremain «pen for two extra days,
viz., Saturday and Monday, November 28 and 50.

The total export of bananas from Costa Rica in 1907,
according to the returns of the United Fruit Company, was
10,165,759 bunches, this bemg an increase of 14°57 per cent.
ever the shipments of 1906.

Two male lambs, the progeny of one of the West African
rams recently imported from Lagos by Sir Daniel Morris,
have been shipped to Trinidad for breeding purposes in that
island. Another ram lamb, the progeny of the same animal,
has also been sold to a planter in Dominica.

The improvements which are evident on small hold-
ings in Jamaica as the result of the Prize Holdings Competi
tion is commented on by the Journal of the Jamaica Agri
eultural Society. On holdings which have entered for the
competition, an improved water supply, better fences, and
naproved arrangements for storing and utilizing manure are
frequently noticeable.

During 1907-8 only 255 sugar factories were in operation
in France, as compared with 273 in the preceding year, 344
in 1897-8, and 374 in 1887-8. The decline in number is part-
dy explained by increasing centralization, but beet cultivation
has also lost ground in France during late years. The
quantity of sugar produced in 1907-8 was 656,832 tons, as

compared with 682,851 tons turned out in 1906-7, and
984,671 tons in 1905-6,
A note in a recent number of Nature refers to the

vigorous measures that are now being carried on in Uganda
for combating the spread of sleeping sickness. During 1907
there were no new cases among Kuropeans, and deaths among
natives during the twelve months numbered less than 4,000.
The whole of the population haye been removed from the
shores of lake Victoria Nyanza, and it is hoped that the
dlisease-carrying fly in that belt, if not will
gradually cease to be a source of danger.

re-infected,

Reaping operations are in active progress on Demerara
sugar estates. . Reports state that the canes are dry and the
vield of juice is less than was anticipated. The labour supply
is insufficient to meet the demand. Few factories have been
able to run six days a week, and wages have necessarily beem
advanced. (Demerara A ryOsy.)

From January 1 of the present year wp to October 28
the quantity of ‘rice exported from British Guiana was
6,427,144 Ib. as against 4,897,654 Ib. shipped during the
corresponding period last year. The amount of rice-meal
exported to date this year is 2,528 tons compared with 196
tons shipped to the same date in 1907.

The numbers, of economic plants distributed during
1907 from the St. Lucia Botanic Station to purchasers of
Crown lands in the island were: uutmegs, 744; kola, 412 :
cottee, 994 ; cacao, 5,200 ; rubber, 150 ; orange, 261 ; cinna-
mon, 261 ; vanilla, 25 ; and lmes, 2,500.

A prize of £1 has been offered by Sir Bickham Sweet-
Escott, K.C.M.G., to the peasant proprietor who exhibits
at the coming St. Kitt’s-Nevis Agricultural Show the best
mule, that was sired by the stud jack ‘Yankee Boy,’ the prop:
erty of the Imperial Department of Agriculture. Lady Sweet-
Escott has also offered a prize of £1 for the best collection of
vegetables grown by a peasant proprietor,

An unusually heavy rainfall was experienced at Trinidad
throughout October, 12°96 inches being the fall registered for
the southern portion of the island. From figures given in
a late number of the Port-of-Sparn Gazette it is seen that this
isa higher figure than has been experienced during the month
of October for the past nineteen years. October of 1892
previously bore the record at Trinidad, but in that month
only 8°85 inches of rain were registered.

The following dates have been arranged for the School
and Peasant Agricultural Shows that will shortly be held in
Trinidad : Show at Princes Town, December 22: at Port-of
Spain, January 22; at San Fernando, February 5 ; at Arima,
February 12, and at Searborough, February 17 next. Prizes
and diplomas will be offered for live stock, vegetables, and
other produce, and awards will also be the best-
kept gardens and cane plots.

made for

The Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago is
offering a prize of 350 for the best essay on the subject of the
‘ Frog-hopper ’ an insect pest of the sugar-cane that is doing
considerable damage to the sugar-cane in Trinidad. This
insect the family Cercopidac, of the order
Hemiptera, and is therefore related to the plant lice, plant

bugs, scale insects, ete.

belongs to

In reference to the question of maintaining a surface
muleh of loose soil on cultivated Jand, the Acting Agri
cultural Superintendent of St. Vincent draws attention to the
value of light draw hoes and * Dutch” seutte, or push hoes,
for this purpose. ‘These tools have been found to be of
great service at the Agricultural School of St. Vincent for
rapidly cleaning and loosening the soil of cotton plots, and
they might be the means of somewhat reducing the cost of
estate cultivation where labourers have been educated to the
use of such light implements,

Vor. Vik No: Wil.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 365

THE

FUTURE
Harold Hamel Smith.

OF CACAO
London :

PLANTING. By
John Bale, Sons & Damel-
Lid. Price 1s. net.

In this book is reprinted a lecture on the subject of cacao
planting, manuring, pruning, and the preparation of the
produce, which was delivered by Mr. H. Hamel Smith
(#ditor of Tropical Lire) at the Colonial Fruit Show held in
London in June last, together with the discussion which
followed.

There is & brief introduction by Sir Daniel
which reference is made to the present condition of tue cacao
industry in the West Indies, and the Imperial Comiissiouer
of Agriculture expresses an appreciation of the ctiorts of
Mr. Hamel Smith in endeavouring to arouse the activities of
planters and others im improving the cultivation and curing
of cacao and generally extending the industry.

The points of chief interest dealt with in the lecture are
the cultivation of leguminous crops in cacao plantations for
green manurial purposes, the best methods of pruning. the
propagation of cacao by grafting, the question of shade in
cacao plantations, the utility of “growing belts of rubber or
other trees of economic value in cacao plantations, and the
use of vacuum chambers tor drying the cacao beans.

In the which followed the reading © of
Mr. Smith’s paper many raen whose names are well known in
connexion with the cacao planting industry of the West
Indies and other tropical countries, took part. These
included Messrs. Wim. Fawcett, W. Cradwick and A. N.
Dixon (Jamaica), GS. Hudson (St. Lucia), Bernard Achan
(Trinidad), and A. E. EK (Gold Coast), and it
hardly be said that their remarks on the various branches of
the cacao industry contain many points worthy of note by
those interested.

son,

Morris, in

discussion

vans need

SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE. By Prof. F.S. Earie.

New York: The Macmillan Congany, Ltd. Price 31°25.
In this book of 297 pages Professor Earle, who 1s

Director of the Cuban Agricultural Experiment Station, deals
with agriculture as carried on under the conditions which
prevail in the Southern States of America.. It need hardly
be said, however, that a good deal of information is included
which is also of practical interest and importance to West
Indian planters, since the characteristics, and methods of
cultivation of tropical, as well as subtropical, crops come in
for full discussion.

The first part of the book under the heading
* General Considerations, “and in this section the formation
and nature of soils, their management, and methods of tillage,
el of soils by drainage, irrigation and manuring

e dealt with at considerable length. Hints are also given
as to the uses of the various kinds of modern tillage imple-
ments. In that part of the book which deals with green
manuring the cowpea is described as being without doubt
the most important crop for this purpose in subtropical and
tropical America, although the velvet bean is a formidable
competitor. The cowpea can frequently be grown between

comes

the rows of other crops, such as stgar-cane or corn, whereas
the velvet bean must occupy the ground alone. ‘The insect
and fangus enemies of crops receive attention, and although
the whole subject is necessarily considered in outhne only,
full directions are given for the preparation and use of
a number of insecticides and fungicides.

Part IT of the book deals with ‘the chief subtropical and
tropical crops, the methods adopted. tor their cultivation in
different parts, and the manner of: preparing the produce.
The sugarcane naturally first attention, and the
different systems of cultivation which prevail in Louisiana,
Cuba, Hawaii, and Porto Rico are all described. Reference.
is made to the of varieties. of cane which are in
existence, and to the production of seedling canes at Barbados
and Demerara. No description is, however, given of the muill-
ing of the canes and tie subsequent processes in the manufac-
ture of sugar. The chapters following describe, in order, the
cultivation of the grain crops of the South (rice, maize, etc.),
the pasture and ferage crops, the fibre plants—-including sisal
and cotton cacao, and rubber, as well as of
both tropical and subtropical fruits. A feature of part I
is the account that is given at the close of each section, of
the insect and fungus enemies of thé various crops dealt with.

Professor Karle’s book is clearly written and contains
a number of illustrations ; it should be of special value to
students in agricultural while planters in Central
America and in the West Indies may read it with interest
and profit.

CINNAMON OIL INDUSTRY IN
THE SEYCHELLES.

The possibility of the profitable establishment of an
essential oil industry in the Seychelles Islands has
long been under experimental consideration, and about
two years ago, the idea was first put into operation on
a commercial scale, when a modern factory provided
with a boiler aud a suill of 4000 litres capacity was
erected.

In pode started by the distillation of
citronella and lemon grass, but owing to the late fall in price
of the oils obtained from these two grasses, it was decided in
1907 to make cinnamon oil the chief product of the factory
for the present.

The cinnamon grown in the Seychelles
Zeylanicum) is the same variety as that cultivated in Ceylon.
Oil is yielded by the roots, the bark and the Jeaves of this
plant, but that from the bark is the most valuable of the
three products. The trees ave cut down periodically, and the
bark from which the oil is distilled is obtained from the
young shoots arising from the stumps. These shoots are
available for the purpose in about two years. It is not only
the young shoots, however. from which bark is obtained
yielding the cinnamon oil. This is contained in the same
proportion by the bark from older trees, and tall trees about
1 foot in diameter are said to yield as much as 100 Ib. of dry
bark, when cut down. The average tree, however, does not
give more than about 20 lb. of dry bark. This contains from
9 to 9-4 per cent. of cinnamon oil.

Samples of oil produced in the Seychelles by water
distillation about two years ago were forwarded to Hurope
and valued at about £2 6s. per litre (a litre being approxi-
mately lig pints). It is anticipated, however, that with the
improvements in the product brought about as the result of
the establishment of the new factory, a higher price will be
and the industry placed upon a sure

recelves

number

1 ;
tobacco, coffee,

schools,

work was

CF
(Cinnamon

obtained in) fitur
footing.

366

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. November 14, 1908.

EXPERIMENTAL CULTIVATION OF
FODDER CROPS AT DOMINICA.

Much trouble is frequently experienced by stock-
keepers in the various: West Indian Islands during the
dry season owing to the lack of an adequate forage
supply for their animals, particularly mileh cows. This
has been especially noticed in St. Vincent, Dominion,
Grenada, aud Barbados, and therefore the experiments
with a number of fodder crops, which were started two
years ago on the land cultivated in connexion with the
Dominica Agricultnral School, should ultimately give
valuable assistance to stock-keepers in the island: hy
mdicating the crops that may with most advantage be
planted with the object of providing a supply of green
fodder during the dry season.

The experiments were started in 1906 when four crops
were under trial viz. : Bascom Guinea corn, Improved Bascom
‘Guinea corn, Jerusalem corn, and Guinea grass. In 1907,
the experiment plots were increased to twelve and the new
crops included in the experiments consisted chietly of
a number of varieties of sorghum and imphee, viz: Early
Amber Sugar-cane and Early Orange Sugar-cane (Imphees
or varieties of Andropogon sorghum, var. saccharatus) »* Rural
branching Doura,’ and ‘ Yellow branching Doura,’ ‘ Red Kaftir
corn, and ‘White Kaftir corn,’ the Jast four all being
varieties of Andropoyom sorghum, var. vulgaris, together with
teosinte, Para grass, and Welius Minutiflora,

These crops were all sown during August. A satisfactory
rainfall was experienced during the following three months,
and the grew so well that a first reaping was made
early in November, A good weeding and mulching of the plots
was then made, and about the third week in January, a time
when fodder usually begins to be scarce in Dominica, a second
reaping was available. The soil upon which these fodders
were grown was compari atively poor, being of a light sandy
texture, and deficient in organic matter. On “the Ww hole, all the
Poe under trial gave very good results during the season

1907-8, with the exception of the Jerusalem Corn, and failure
in this case was due to the fact that the seeds were destroyed
by ants after sowing. With the exception of this crop, yields
at the rate of from 4 to 5°3 tons per acre were given at the
second reaping, and, speaking generally, a quantity only
slightly less was Shistied at the first cutting. It will be seen
therefore (basing our assumption on the yields of the past
season) that if three harvests per year are taken with these
fodder crops, planters might expect yields of from 12 to 15
tons per acre of green while if four reapings were
made, which in the case of many of the crops, it is not
unreasonable to expect, the annual yield of fodder per acre
will reach from 16 to 20 tons.

In Mr. Brooks’ report on these experiments, he mentions,
in reference to the two varieties of imphee (‘Early Orange’
and * Early Amber Sugar-cane’) under trial, that germination
took place very rapidly and fairly strong plants were produced.
The yield per acre from the second reaping was 4°6 tons in
the case of the Early Amber variety, and 5*2 tons in the ease
of the Early Orange variety. The ‘ Doura’ plants also grew
well, but it is mentioned, that they were ae in size
compared to some of the other fodders under trial. The

crops

forage,

“Rural branching’ Doura gave at the rate of 4:2. tons
per acre, and the ‘Yellow branching’ Doura at the rate of
5°3 tons per acre in the second reaping. As already men-

tioned, the Jerusalem corn gave but a small yield of fodder in
the past season. In the report of 1906-7. however, it is
mentioned that this plant can be strongly recommended for

very dry situations. Guinea grass gave a yield at the rate
of 4:3 tons per acre on the second reaping, and, as 1s well-

known, this erop will give many reapings during the year.
Bascom Guinea. corn gave at the rate of 4:5 tons per acre,

and the report states that in past years it has proved a most
reliable fodder crop during the time of drought.

The Red an White Kattir corn germinated fairly well,
and both varieties are mentioned as being specially suited for
poor lands. ‘The Red corn gave at the rate of 4 tons per acre,
and the White 5:2 tons per acre on the second reaping.

The three remaining crops under trial, viz.: teosinte,
Para grass, and Melvus Minutiflora, have not yet been under
cultivation long enough to give a reaping, but in every
the plants are mentioned as bei ‘ing in good condition. ‘Teosinte
is described as a plant which promised to be one of the most
useful fodders that can be eultivated in Dominica.

case

SISAL HEMP CULTIVATION IN THE
BAHAMAS.

The Bahamas form the chief British colony in
which Sisal hemp (Agure rigida, var. sisalanw) is
produced, although in the West Indies, a remunera-
tive and deve ‘loping industry in the cultivation of the
product exists in the Caicos Islands, a dependency of
Jamaica (see Agricultural News of March 7 last, p. 79),
and etfurts have-been made to start a sisal industry in
Jamaica itself. Of late years the cultivation of the
plant has been under experiment in India, and sisal
fibre of the finest quality has been produced both in
British and German East Africa, he following notes
on the sisal hemp industry in the Bahamas appeared
in the Report for 1907 of the Board of Agriculture of
the colony :—

The most important industry in the Bahamas is the
raising of sisal fibre, used for making binder-twine, ropes,
bags, mattings, brushes, ete. Its profits can be judged from
the prosperity of the Out Islands of the Bahama group.
Unatfeeted by heat, drought, storm, or insects, the sisal crop
is certain, and the price is staple. ‘The Bahama fibre is
said to be of superior strength. Its annual yield is variously
estimated at fron-£3 to £10 per acre.

The estimated area under sisal cultivation is consider-
ably over 25,000 acres. The output exceeds that of previous
years, and the acreage is increasing especially in the Out
Islands.

From the beginning of the year up to the end of October
good’demand for fibre, and good prices were
obtained ; at the end of October a financial crisis was experi-
enced in America, with the result that prices for fibre fell away
considerably ; at present the price is about 2c. per Ib.
than at the beginning of the year.

The exports of sisal fibre tor the financial year 1905-6 were
3,040,045 tb., valted at £37,522. For 1906-7 3,867,034 bb.,
valued ofticially at £40,140, were shipped—an increase of
826,989 Ib. over the exports of the previous year. Taking
the average price as a basis, the actual return obtained for
the year’s crop was £56,394, a much larger figure than that
given in the Blue Book.

Other countries are coming to the front with the sisal
fibre industry, which makes it more and more important
that no efforts should be spared to improve the Bahamas
product. The Hawaiian Islands, Porto Rico, Mexico, and
other countries are setting to work with a will to develop
a fibre industry, and vast quantities of fibre are produced
and coming forward for the American market. ;

there was a

less

Vol Villon Now lil.

‘THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

367

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

Drugs and Spices on the London Market.

Mr. J. R. Jackson, ALS., has. forwarded the
following report on the London drug and spice market
during the month of September :—

Very little can be said about any improvement in trade
connected with spices and drugs during the mouth of
September. It was anticipated that with the passing of the
summer holidays, the shortening days of September would
see some sort of revival in trade generally. » Nothing of the
kind, however, has been experienced during ithe greater part
of the month, though in the last week a slightly better tone
prevailed, which was somewhat counteracted by theabnormally
fine and swnmer-like weather, accompanied by an exceedingly
high temperature, causing people to revert not only to
summer clothing, but to summer habits generally.

GINGER.
The spice sales commenced on September 2 with
an offering of only 54 barrels of Jamaica, a few of which
realized 57s. 6d. per ewt. for good common. Small rough
washed Cochin sold at 34s. and fair limed Japan at 28s,
A week later Jamaica was in small demand with slow sales -
the better kinds were disposed of at cheaper rates, but there
was no change with the common. The following were the
quotations : Good to fine, 65s. to 72s. ; middling to fair, 57s,
to 65s., and ordinary to good ordinary, 53s. to 55s. Out of
576 packages offered, only GO were disposed of. Wormy
washed Cochin was sold without reserve at 30s, and
small limed slightly mouldy Japan fetched 28s. per ewt. At
the third auction on the 16th, there were moderate supplies
offered, small sales only being effected at easier rates, and at
the last sale the whole tone of the market was very quict,
there being no Jamaica offered. wo himidred packages of
Calicut were bought ia at the following prices: Good ent,
90s. ; small, 85s.; and medium, 55s. Thirty-five bags of limed
Japan were also bought in.
NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO.

At the first sale there was a good demand, 311 packages
of West Indian, all that was offered, being sold with quick
demand at 3d. per Ib. advance on previous rates. On the
23rd, West Indizn nutmegs were again in good demand ;
427 packages were offered, and practically all sold at higher
rates ; 109 boxes ef Singapore were also offered and about
half were disposed of at previous prices. Steady rates have
also been obtained for mace. At the first auction on the 2nd,
15 packages of West Indian realized 1s. 4d. per Ib. for
fair palish ; 1s. 1d. to ls. 2d. for reddish, and 11d to LS.
for broken. On the 25rd, 98 packiges of West Indian
were offered and nearly all sold at somewhat advanced
rates, namely—ls. 4d. to 1s. 6d. for palish to pale ; 1s. 2d.
to ls. 3d. for pale to reddish, and Ils. to ls, Jd. for dark-red
and pickings. But a little interest was taken in pimento
at the beginning of the month. On the 16th, some 21
bags of fair were bought in at 24d. per Ib., and on the 23rd,
only 2 bags were offered and sold at easier rates.

ARROW ROOT,

At the spice auction on the 9th, 55 barrels of St. Vincent
were sold, out of a total of 182 barrels offered, at 12d. to
24d. per lb. A week later 783 barrels of St. Vincent were
brought forward and bought in at 24d. to 24d. per Ih,

SARSAPARILLA.

At the first drug auction on the 3rd of the mouth, it
was announced that important arrivals of this drug had taken

place, including grey Jamaica, red native, and Lima-Jamaica.
Grey Jamaica and Lima were both offered at the auction in
the following week, namely on the .9th, but no native. Of
the first, namely, grey Jamaica, 43. bales were put up and all
sold at Id. pert. cheaper rates. Fair grey fetched 1s. 6d.,
fair but part coarse 1s. 5d., and ordinary coarse 1s. 4d. per tb.
Seven bales of Lima-Jamaica were “disposed of at ls. 3d. to
Is, 4d. per Ib. for grease damaged to fair rolls. On the 24th,
IL bales of genuine grey Jamaica were sold at Is. 5d. per it.
for very coarse and damaged, and) 1s. 6d. for barely fair.
Kleven bales of native Jamaica were also disposed of, common
mixed fetching 9d, dull red 10d; fair red 1s., and good
red 1s. 2d. per Ib.
KOLA,

LIME JUICE, OIL OF LIME.

Twenty-eight packages of Ceylon kola were offered in
the middle of the month ; 1 barrel part mouldy fetched 1d.
per tb., and 27 bags fair, rather dark and occasionally detec-
tive, realized 1 fd. per Ib, At the auction on the 9th, 2 casks
of brown West Indian lime juice reported to contain ‘much
suspended vegetable matter’ were sold without reserve at 2d
per gallon. It was stated at this sale that 116 packages of
concentrated, and nearly 300 packages of raw lime juice
from Dominica had arrived. On the 23rd, 5 cases of West
Indian distilled oil of lime were offered and held at 2s. 6d.
per Ib. Tt was stated that the arrivals included 39 packages
from Dominica.

POSSIBILITIES OF RICE CULTURE IN
BRITISH HONDURAS.

Vhe conditions which exist in many parts of
British Honduras are undoubtedly eminently favourable
for rice growing, and it is hoped that in the future, this
industry will be suecessfully developed. At present,
however, the amount of rice predueed in the colony is
insuthicient to meet the locals demand. The Belize
Clarion, referring to this subject in a recent issue,
Says —=

The advisability of giving more attention to rice eultiva-
tion in British Honduras has been repeatedly pointed out, and
it has been demonstrated that the crop will be a suecess in
the colony.

The output of rice, however, is less to-day than it was
ten years age, which is due to the abandonment of the smal}
cultivations along the Sibun and Nanatée Rivers, the principal
sources of supply in the past, of the old settlers
who worked these plots prefer town lite, or wood-cutting.

As in the ease of British Guiana, which has turmed its
attention to rice growing with such marked there
exist in British Honduras thousands of acres of river-bank
lands, unfitted for anything else but the cultivation of rice,
which might prove a source of wealth to the owners, if this
cereal were planted on them, instead of allowing them to lie
idle and useless, as at present.

Under favourable conditions the cultivation of rice on
a large scale offers a better return to the capitalist than the
planting of rubber or cacao, because the returns are more

The sons

success,

certain and expeditious, and the market almost unlimited.
A company formed to start vice growing in British Honduras
would, we are confident, meet with every success. It would
be found that in a very short time, plots of rice, worked by
small cultivators, would start up adjacent to the fields of the
company, and the latter would find an additional source of
revenue from milling the grain produced by the small holders.

368

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

NOVEMBER 14, 1908.

MARKED REEORTS:

YTondon,—October 27, 1908, Tar West Inpta Con-

MITIEK CrrcuLar; Messrs. Kearton Preer & Co.,
October 27, 1903, Messrs. E. A. pe Pass & Co.,
October 16, 19808,

Arrowroor—(Quict ; 24d. per Th.

Batata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/5 ; block, 1 73 to 1/8.

Bees’-wax—Good quality, $7 12s. Gd. to £7 1ds. per ewt.

Cacso—Trimidad, 54 - to 67 - per ewt.; Grenada, 46,- to
56/- per ewt.

CorrEE—Santos, 24s. to 24s. 3d. per ewt. ; Jamaica, no
quotations.

Copra—West Indian, £18 10s. per ton.

Aorron—St. Vincent, L7d.,and Barbados, 14/.; West Indian,
good medium, 6°20d.; West Indian Sea Tsland, gocd
medium to medium fine, no quotations.

Frvuir—

Bayanas— Jamaica, 46 to 6 - per bunch.
Limes-—Not wanted.

PINE-APPpLes—St. Michael, 2/- to 4/6.
Grare Frurr— 10 - to 12,- per box.
OraNncEs-—Jamaica, 7/6 to 9/6 per box.

Pustic—£3 to £4 per ton.

GINGER— Guet.

Honey—Dark liquid, 21s. 6. per ewt.

IstnGuass—West India lump, 1/4 to 2 4 per Th.

Lime Jurce—Raw, Lid. to 13 per gallon; concentrated,
£15 17s. Gd. per cask of 108 gallons ; distilled oil, 2 2
per Ih.; hand-pressed, 4/G to 5 - per 1h.

Locwoon—£3 to £4 5s. per ton ; roots, no quotations.

Mace—Steady ; no quotations.

Nurmecs—Qwiet.

Pimentro— (Quiet.

Rum—Jamaica, 1/6 to 3/4;
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 15,6 to 169 per ewt.; Museovade, no
quotations ; Syrup, 12s. 8d. t6 1ds. 3d. ; Molasses, no
quotations.

Demerara. no quotations ;

New York,—October 30, 1908.—Messrs. GILLespre,

Bros, & Co,

Cacvo—Caracas, 123c. to 13ce. ; Grenada, Ilse. to 122e. ;
Trinidad, 12}¢. to 14e. ; Jamaica, 9c. to LOSe. per Ib.

Cocoa-NuTsS—Jamaica, select, 828-00 to S29-00; culls,
$15-00 ; Trinidad, $28-00 to $29°00; culls, $1500 per M.

Correr— Jamaica, ordinary, Tje. to The.; good ordinary, 7 je.
to S#e.; washed, Yc. to L1L4e. per Th.

Gincern—LOfe. to 12sec. per Th.

Goat Skins—Jamaicea, 53c.; Antigua and Barbados, from
49c. to 51e.; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46e,
to 48c. per th., dry flint.

Grave Frere—Florida, S400 to $5-00 por barrel ; $2-00
to S2:°75 per box.

Limes—No quotations. Market over-stocked.

Macr-—28e. to 52e. per Th.

Nutrmecs—110's, Oke. per Th.

Orances—Florida; 83°50 to $450 per barrel; $2°00 to
$2-50 per box.

Pimenro—3éke. per lh.

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 3°98e. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3°48e. ;
Molasses, 89°, 3°25c. per Ib., duty paid

Barbados, \essrs. JAMES A. LyNcH & Co x November 2

British Guiana,—Messrs. Wrens & Rrerrer,

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

; 3 < =3
1908 ; Messrs. Leacock & Co., November 9, 1908 :

Messrs. T. 8. Garraway & Co., November 9, 1908.
Arkowroor—st. Vincent, $4°50 per 100 th. ‘
Cacxo—Dominicaand St. Lucia, 813-00 to $14-00 per 100 th,
Cocoa-NuTs—$13-00 for unhusked wuts.

Corree—Jamaica and ordinary Rio, $8°50 te $10-50 per
LOO Th.

Hay—$1°25 per LOO th.

Manurets—Nitrate of soda, $6200 to $65-09; Ohlendorft’s
dissolved guano, $5500 ; Cotton ianure, $42°00: Cacao
manure, S42°09 to $48°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, 372-00
to 875-00; Sulphate of potash, S67-00 per ton.

Mouasses—No quotations,

ONIONS— Strings, D9; loose, $2°G0 per LOU Tb,

Porta tros—Nova Scotia, $2°00 to $2°16 per 160 Th.

Peas—Split, $650 per bag of 210 th.; Canada. 83-75 per
Hag of 120 Th.

Rice—Ballam, $4°80 (180 th.); Patna, $3-50,

OO to S3-10 per 100 tb.

Suean— No quotations.

Rangoon,

October
31, 1908-; Messrs. Saxppacnu, Parxer & Co.
Octeber 31, 1908. ‘

Arrow roor—St. Vincent, $9-00 per 200 Th.

Barara—Venezuela block 32¢
th.

“yvcxro—Native 1Ge. to 18. per Th.

Cassava—9b6e.

Cassava StarcH—86-00 per barrel of 196 th.

Cocoa-NuTS—S$12-00 to S16-00 per M.

CorrEs—Creole 12¢. to 13¢. ; Jamaien 12¢

DiaL Sd-25 to $540 per bag of 168 Ib.

Kppos—S1'20 per barrel.

Monassrs—No quotations

xtons—Madcira, 25e. to 2fe : per Ib

PLANTAINS—12e. to 20c. per bunch.

Porvros— Nova Seotia, $2°25 per 100 th,

Poratos—Sweet, Barbados, $1°32 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, 86:00 to S62 Cre le, 54:75 for good ;
Seeta, S600.

Srriv Peas—$7-00 per bag (210 Th.); Lisbon, no quotations.

TTANNIAS S144 per bag.

Yams—-White, S1°92; Buck, $2°40 per bag.

Sccar—Dark erystals, $2°15 to $2-25; Yellow, $2-80 te
$3-20: White, 50 to $3-70; Molasses, S2-00 to S2-10
per LOO tb. (retail).

Timber—Gresnheart, 32c. to 55e. per eubie foot.

WALLABA SHUNGLES—$3°75 to $4°75 per M.

Corpwoop— S240 to $2°64 per ton.

» 3 Demerara sheet 48e. per

. per Th.

fayes

(

Trinidad,—October 31, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpox, Granr

W Go:
Cacao — Venezuelan, $12-25 per fanega; Trinidad. $12-00
to S12°60.
Cocoa-Nuts—Selected, $23:00 per M., f.o.b.
Cocor-Nuv O1L—G6de. per Inperial gallon, cask included.
Correr-—Venezuelan, Sfe. per th.
Corra—S3-00 to $3°15 per 100 Th.
DitaL-—S4-50 to $4°60 per 2-bushel hag.
ONTONS—SL°50 to SLGO per 100 th. (retail).
Poraros— English, 81-40 to $150 per LOO Th.
Rick— Yellow, $5'40 to $5°75; White, $450 to S4°80 per bag
Spire Peas —$6-25 to $6°50 per bag. r
Svucar —Amertoan crushed, $5:00 to $5°10 per 100. tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture

FOR THE

WEST

INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN. A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

Volume I. No. 1 out of print.

ee Lt ne : :
Nos. 2, 5, and 4, in origin vl paper covers as issne 1, price Ls. each. Post free, 1s. 2d

Volumes LI, III, IV, V and VEY Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists. Report of

Agricultural Conference, 1905, (Vols. V and VI).

Volume’ VIET. Nos. t, 2, 3¢-and +4. Papers

on general
Sugar-cane by Selection’ and Hybridization :

Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.
Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the
Post free, 8d.

subjects 2

ete., ete. Price 6d. par number.

Volume VIII. Nos. 1, 2 and 5. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907; abstract of Proceedings and Reprint

of Papers.
Price 6d. each number... Post free, 8d.

Volume IX. Nos. 1 and 2. Reprint of Papers read at Agricaltural Conference,

following. Price 6d).Post free, 8d.

No. 4. Agricultural Conference,

1908 ; Presidential Address and Abstract of Prozeedings.

1908, with summaries of discussions

PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in’ a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially

adapted to West Indian conditions.

They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work

on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulation, The following list gives particulars
of all the pamphlets which are still available. The missing nembers are out of print and can no longer be supplied :—

(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d.
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4u.
(7) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part I.
(%) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1.
Price 2d.
(13) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, im 1901,
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d.
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivation. Price 2d.
(17) General Treatment of Fungoid Pests. "Price 4d.
(18) Recipes for cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d.
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.
(20) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1901-2.
Price 2d.
(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles; Part IT.
(25) Ground Nuts in the West Indies Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1903. Price 4d.
(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.
Price 2d.
(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d.
(29) Lectures on the Diseases of the Sugar-cane. Price 4d.
(30) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1902-3. Price 4d.
(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d.
(32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904 Price 4d.
(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.
Price 4d.
(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies.

Trice 4d.

Price 4d.

Price 4d.

Price 2d.

Price 4d.

(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks.
Leeward

(36) Manurial Mxperiments with Sugar-cane in the
Islands, 1903-4. Price 4d.
(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.
(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.
(39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5,
Price 4d.
(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1903-5. Price Gi.
(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price Gd.
(42) Manurial Experiments with: Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1904-5. Price 4d.
(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
Stutf on West Indian Plantations. Price 2d.
(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments “at Barbados,
1904-6. Price 6d.
(45) A. B. C. ef Cotton Planting.
Price 6d.
(46) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1905-6.
Price 4d.
(47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1905-6. Price 4d.
(49) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados
1905-7. Price 6d.
Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1906-7,
Price 4d.
(51 Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1906-7. Price 4d.
B. GC. of Lime Cultivation. Price 4d.
Price 4d.

New and Enlarged Edition.

(53) A.
(54) Fungus Diseases of Cacao.

The above will be supplied post free for an additionai charge of 4d. for the pamphlets marked 2d., Id. for those

marked 4d., and 14d. for Nos. 40, 41, 44, 45, and 49.

The ‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

extracts

The ‘Agricultural News’ contains

from oflicial correspondence and from progress and

other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in

Agricultural matters throughous the West Indies.
The ‘ Agricultural News’

local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post tree, 2d. r : -
Owing to certain numbers being out of print, only Vols. IV and V can

2s, 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d. per annum.

be supplied complete, with title page and index as issued. Price 4s. Post free, 5s.

is printed in time to be distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the

The subscription price, including postage, is

Only a few copies available. All applica-

tions for copies are to be addressed to the Agents, not to the Department.

Agents.
The following have been appointed Agents for the sale of the publicatior
London: Messrs. Dutau & Co., 37, Soho Square, W.
35WEN & SONS,
Company, 16, King &t., Kingston.— british Guiana : ‘ Daily Chronicle’
i Mr. C. L. Pracemann, Scarborough.—Gvrenada: Messrs.

Lane, London, E. C.—Sartados: Messrs,

Marsnaty & Co., Port-of-Spain.—Tobago :

‘The Stores,’ St. George.— St. Vincent: Mr. Stantey Topp, Agricultural School.— st. Lucia -
Market St., .
axp Bock Suppny Acency, Basseterre.—Jevis; Mr. 8. D. MALong, Charlestown.

— Dominica: Messrs. C. F. Duverneéy & Co.,

St. Aitts: Tak Pipie

is of the Department :—

City Agents: Tne West Iyp1a Commirrer, 15, Seething
Bridgetown.—Jamaica: THe EpucATIONAL SUPPLY

>’ Office, Georgetown,—Trinidad : Messrs. Mutg-

F. Marrast & Cc.,

- Mr. E. Buck rere, Botanic Station,

toseau.— Antigua. Mr. S. D. Ma.one, St. John’s,

Vor. Vill No; Wil

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

NovemBer 14, 1908.

THE BEST MANURES

FOR COLONIAL USE

JRAS YI

Ohlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use

Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure
Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure
Ohiendorff’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonia, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,

Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers,

APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR

DIRECT TO —

THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS.

London Agency: 15, Leadenhall

Street, London, E.C.

Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

NATURE TEAGHING.

(Secord and Enlarged Edition.)

A Text-book based upon the General Principles of
Agriculture, specially for general use in the
Secondary Schools of the West Indies and as a guide for

prepared

Teachers in Mlementary Schools in preparing and arrang-

ing lessons on the Elements of Agriculture

Prepared by Dr. FRANCIS WATTS, C.M.G., F-.T.C.
Published by the Imperial Department of

Agriculture. Price 2s. Post free, 2s. 347.

JUST ISSUED

WEST INDIAN BULLETIN |

(Vol. IX, No. 3).

Containing papers read at the West Indian Agricultu- |
ral Conference, 1908, on the Cotton, Rubber, and Rice |
Industries of the West Indies and British Guiana, and on
General subjects, viz :——Cotton Cultivation at Barbados, in | |
the Leeward Islands, at St. Vincent, and in British Guiana ; | |
Tuprovement of Cotton by Seed Selection; Treatment. of |
Cotton Pests ; Barbados Cotton Factory ; Rice xperiments |
at British Guiana ; Rubber at Trinidad and British Guiana ;
Notes on Hssential Oils ; Vegetable Tvory ; Geological
Formation of Barbados, ete.

To be obtained of all Agents for the sale of the Department's |
publications. Price 6. each number ; post free, 8r/

Printed at Office of Agricultural Reporter, 4, High Street, Bridgetown, Barbados,

STOCK FARM. _St. Vincent.

NOTICE.

The pure-bred four years old Ayrshire bull ‘Duke of
Truro II,’ now stationed at the Stock Farm Avricultural
School, St. Vincent, is offered for sale. “t

This animal, which is in perfect condition is considered
to be the best Ayrshire bull in the West Indies.

The price is £20, delivered f.0.b. at St. Vincent. The
purchaser will he required to enter into a bond to keep the
animals in the colony in which he himself resides for at
least two years from the date of purchase, otherwise the
price is £30.

Applications will be received by W. BH. Patterson,
Acting Agricultural Superintendent, St. Vincent.

TROPICAL LIFE.
A Monthly Journal, Seontanibag articles on Tropical

Agriculture, and other matters of interest to those living
in, or interested in the Tropics.

Edited by BH. HAMEL SMiTH.
Single copies, price Is
free.
Published by :
Messrs. Bale, Son & Danielsson, Ltd.
83-91, Great Titchfield Street,
London, W.

;annnal subscription, 10s. post

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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

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the Standard of Purity required by, and made in
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THE AGRICULTURAL DHPARTMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.
The only sure and effective insecticide and destroyer of the cotton worm, caterpillars, and other pests.
Guaranteed to be absolutely pure.by the manufacturers. Used extensively throughout the British West Indies, and sold

| by all high-class merchants and dealers. Consumers are cautioned against worthless substitutes, and should always see
| that the packages bear the name of the mannfacturers :—

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PARIS GREEN
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DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS SELECTED COTTON SEED
IS 18 SED. Pinnfation! todip obGgnctaeesgn tn a ee aaa
tas re wee ~~ | THE BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE COTTON FACTORY
As Br LIMITED.
Price 12 cents per pound.
Book your orders early as the quantity
is limited.

L i Vi E IF U L T | y A ii | 0 N Phe f Mowing extract is taken from Messrs. Wolsten-
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role port on the cotton

Price 4d. Post free, 5d “We have formed a very high opinion of this lot, as it
Aude , :

is the inost serviceable class of cotton we have seen produced
in the West Indies.”

FUNGUS DISEASES OF [JOURNAL D'AGRICULTURE TROPICALE.
CACAO, AND SANITA- A Monthly Tlustrated Review, published in French,

dealing with all matters connected with Tropieal

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OF

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\) ww

A TORGNIGH LLY REVIEW,

OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES.

Wot WAG Nos Wigee BARBADOS,
CONTENTS.
PAGE. PAG

Acclimatization of Plants 379] Insect Notes :

Agricultural Co-operation | White Ant, The ... ... 378
Movement in Great Cattle Tick, The ... ... 378
Britain boa. goo osg CSPI Live Stock Insurance... 383

ee Sreeneey: a a | Mahogany and its

pa ee Agriculture 4 Sabetitutes bie 11. 389

eee eee oD) >

| Market Reports

British Guiana, Proposed nae :
ae x | I Martinique, Crops and

Agricultural School for 585

Manuvres at BES oh
Cotton Notes : | Notes:and Comments) ... 376
Barbados Cotton Factory 374) Oil Palm, The African,
Cotton, The Grading of 374 | and its Products yi)
West Indian Cotton... 374! Oil Seeds in India ... 370
Covwpeas and Velvet Beans | Orange Production

in Cuba, Increasing 377

for Green Manuring... 375
Rice Drying in British

Cyanogenetic Glucosides in

Plants plies 376 (Chit coo! be onus oh!

' Rice Production in
Departmental Reports : es Lane ee ASE
British Guiana Sse OiKG

Barbados : Agricultural

i | Seeds, The Testing of ... 369
and Botanical Depart- | Re) nar teen oe
|

Students’ Corner .. On,
Suga Industry :
Natal, Developing Cane-

ments, 1898 to 1907... 381

Fruit Exports fre mn Hawai,

Experiments in... ... 372 sugar Industry in... 371
Gleanings ... ... ... ... 380} Sugar-cane Seedlings at
Gold Coast, Acriculture | Jamaica ee

at the ... 373) Sunflower Cultivation

Indian Agricultural | Tomatos, Pollination of...
Department ... ... B75 West Indian Bulletin

The Testing of Seeds.

iy we economic botany, and the many stations
D, » / ° ° 5 , Be 3 =
FASB owhich exist for this purpose in Europe and
America are of great service to agriculture in the
countries in which they are situated. At most of these
stations purchasers of farm and garden seeds may have
the genuineness, purity, and germinating power of

samples thoroughly te sted fur a small fee.

NOVEMBER 28,

) EED-TESTING is an important branch of
— } (

1908. Price ld.

In the West Indies, many of the chief crops such
as sugar-cane, provision crops, ete., are raised by cut-
tings, grown by the planter himself, or obtained either
from a neighbour or the Botanic Station of the island.
Where crops are grown from seed, as in the case of
cotton or maize, this seed is either produced at home,
or care is taken to get if from a reliable source, and
there is no doubt as to its genuine nature, even though
Under these

therefore, the need of a seed-testing

its germinating power is not known.
circumstances,
station is not so much felt as in many other countries.

England and other
The

chief agricultural crops in those parts of the world,

Conditions are different in

Kuropean countries, and in the United States.

e.g., Wheat, oats, maize, beet, turnips, swedes, clover,
wrass seeds, peas, beans, etc. are all produced directly
from seed, which in the great majority of cases,

The

source of the seed, as well as its age and character, are

is purchased by the grower in the open market.

necessarily unknown to the purchaser, except in so far
as they are guaranteed by the salesman, and the value
of an institution which will rapidly test the samples of
seed submitted, and furnish an independent report on

their character has long been recognized.

Seed-testing, as now understood, was first started
about forty years ago, when the first station was
established in Germany. <A book, dealing with the
fraud and deception regularly practised in the seed
trade, and the consequent loss suffered by agriculturists,
was published (also in Germany) a few years later, and
this led to vigorous action. Seed-testing stations were
started in a number of countries, mostly under Govern-
ment control, and at the present time there are over

150 in existence. A Government Station was started

370

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. November 28, 1908.

in Ireland in 1901, which is doing an excellent work.
The samples tested in the first year numbered 488 ; in
1907 they had increased to 1,460, while the total
number of samples reported from the beginning of the
work to the end of 1907 was nearly 7,000. Farmers
are charged only 3d. for each sample of seed reported
upon.

Since this subject is one of general importance
to agriculturists, a few notes on the qualities which
“characterize a good seed, and the methods followed in
ascertaining these points, may not be without interest.

Tn estimating the value of seed the qualities tes-
ted are the genuineress, purity and germinative power,
A sample is genuine when, on examination, if turns
out to be really the kind described ly the seed mer-

chant, and not a seed similar in appearance but of

inferior worth. There exist several instances im which
the seeds of one species of Huropean grass so nearly
resemble those of another species, that the aid of the
microscope is often required to distinguish the differ-
ence. This also applies to one or twe crops other than
grass. In such cases it is obvious that the seller is
under cousiderable temptation to substitute the cheaper,
more easily obtained seed for the dearer and better kind.
The seed-testing station 1s the means of protection for

the purchaser.

_In testing the purity of a sample of seed, the
quantity and kind of foreign matter present is investi-
gated. The two chief sources of impurity are inert
matter, such as stones, particles of soil, broken seeds,
seeds of other

stalks, ete., and the plants, chiefly

weeds. The purity of a seed is a very important
consideration, as the presence of impurities is the cause
not merely of a diminished yield, but is also responsible
for the spread of weeds. Great improvement has of
late years taken place in this branch of the seed trade,
and elaborate machinery now exists by means of which
the impurities are removed. The process followed in
A definite
weight of an average sample of the bulk is taken, the

testing the purity of a seed is quite simple.

jmpurities of the two kinds mentioned are separated

out, weighed, and expressed’as a percentage.

The germinating power of a seed sample is a third
and most important point tobe tested. The seed from
which the impurities have been removed is taken, and
from it a definite number, which usually varies from
200 to 460, is separated without selection, and placed
under suitable conditions of tenperature, moisture, and
air, for germination. A porous plate, thick folded blot-
ting-paper, folded flannel, layers of sand or even garden

soil in a saucer, are all utilized, under different circum-
stances, for testing germination, and they constitute
the ‘seed-bed’ The seeds are spread on the seed-bed
(between the layers of flannel or blotting-paper if either
of these is used), care is taken to ensure a sufficient
supply of moisture, while 20° C. (68° F.) may be taken
as a suitable temperature.

Tn the Agricultural News, Vol. II, p. 153, and
Vol. V, p. 58, a simple method of testing the germina-
ting power of seeds is described, which may be adopted
at home by any one. A dish half full of water is taken,
and over this is placed another dish of porous clay, with
its rim resting on that below, and its under surface
in contact with the water. The seeds to be tested are
placed on the porous dish, which should be kept in
a shady spot.

Under the conditions described, all the seeds
capable of germination will have sprouted at the end
of a certain time, whichis known generally for each
kind of seed. Germination which is slow and irregular
the

poor

compared kind of seed
indicates vitality. The
riper aud more perfect the seed, the more uniformly
and quickly will it germinate.

with the average for
under consideration
Hach day the seeds
which have sprouted are counted, and from the total
number which have sprouted at the end of the time
These
tests show that one-year old seed is,in the majority of

limit, the germination percentage is calculated.

eases, the best tosow. From two years on, seeds lose

their vitality by degrees.

What is

depends both on the percentage purity and the germina-

known as the ‘true value’ of a seed

ting power, and these two characteristics must be

mM
To
get at the true value, the numbers representing the

considered together in reporting on the quality.

percentage purity and the germinating power respec-
tively, are multiplied together and the product divided
by 100.

value of a sample of onion seed showing 90 per cent.

On this basis it will be seen that the true

purity and 80 per cent. germinating power, is 72: that

is, every 100 Ib. contains only 72 Ib. good seed.

Qils Seeds in India. A writer in a recent number
of the Jndian Review estimates that about 2,500,000 tons
of oil-bearing seeds are annually produced in India, of which
the most important are sesamum (gingelly), linseed, rape,
cotton, ground nut, castor-oil seeds, and cocoa-nut, About
6,000,000 gallons of oil, and 1,000,000 tons of raw products
are annually exported from the country. The benefit that
would accrue to native stock-keepers if the oil were expressed
in India before export, and the residual cake used as a stock
food is pointed out by the writer.

Vor. VIT. - No. 172.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS, 371

SUGAR INDUSTRY.

Seedling Canes at Jamaica.

A second report of the Sugar-cane Experiment
Station at Jamaica, which was started in 1904, has
just been issued by the Hon. H.;H. Cousins, M.A.,
[sland Chemist. This report covers the work done
both in the field and the laboratory during the two
crop seasons of 1906 and 1907. It includes the results
so tar obtained in manurial trials, as well as in the
tests with different varieties of cane under trial at the
Station and on estates, Particulars are also given of
investigations carried out in connexion with the
Jamaica rum industry. For the purpose of estate
trials with seedling and other canes, tops have been
distributed to a number of estates in ditferent parts of
the island. In the past two years these estates
numbered twenty-four, but reliable returns were
obtained from only seven estates in 1906 and nine
in 1907. Based on these returns, the outstand-
ing results of these estate trials as given in Mr, Cousins’
report are as follows :—

Seedling B. 208 has, on the whole, proved itself the
best variety yet tested on an estate scale in Jamaica. It has
given gratifying results on light soils under irrigation or on
heavy cane lands and in the mountain cultivations of the
veasantry. So marked are the good qualities of this cane
that 83,000 tops of this variety, out of a total of about
90,000 tops distributed by the Station in 1907, have been
_ supplied to the estates. Although B. 208 does not give so
rich a juice in Jamaica as it does in Barbados, it gives a hig
yield of cane, and its sturdy, upright habit is a feature that
marks it out as peculiarly fitted for cultivation under
irrigation.

B. 147 has been tried fairly extensively by estates and
found, as a rule, a cane of somewhat ‘ tricky ‘character. It
has, however, so deep-rooting a habit of growth, that it has
shown itself a splendid cane on the heavier soils of Trelawny
and outclassed all other canes in a season of trying drought.
he glucose ratio of the juice is apt to be high, but on an
estate making a good rum this ean hardly be considered as
a matter for regret when the price of muscovado sugar is as
low as it is at present.

1). 95 has proved itself a good cane, particularly on light
soils with irrigation, Until we received the new seedling
f. 1,529, which has the sweetest and most concentrated juice
of any variety ever tested in Jamaica, D. 95 has always
headed all other canes in the richness and quality of its juice.
Some estates have found D. 95 a useful variety for giving
ripe canes at the beginning of crop-owing to its early
maturation. It is, however, rather a delicate cane and is
sadly liable to leaf-rust on some soils, and is quite incapable
of resisting any stagnation of soil-water. The so-called‘ D, 95’
canes of Albion estate that achieved such excellent results
on that estate have proved on trial at Hope to be D. 99 and
D. 135——the former a green cane, the latter a red one. To
the latter variety, D. 135, and not to the real D. 95, must be
attributed the fine return of 3 tons of sugar per acre obtained

by Albion estate in 1901, to which reference has often been
made in Jamaica.

Of new canes, D. 625 and D. 1,438 are of decided prom-
ise and are receiving attention for estate trials, It is disap-
pointing to find, however, that the severe drought of 1907 has
shown that D. 625 is quite unable to withstand such adverse
conditions.

The White Transparent isa better cane than the old
Black cane of Trelawny or the Ribbon cane. It gives juice
of good quality, yields a good proportion of tops, and ratoons.
well. Its defects are a liability to lodge, and an agricultur il
yield that is capable of being improved on by selected
seedling canes,

Selections from our own Jamaica seedlings are now being
tested on estates. At the Central Station, they outclass all
other canes in clean, vigorous growth, and, if their early
promise be maintained, should afford valuable canes for
estate use. The severe drought through which we have passed
during the present year 1907, has shown that some of our
own seedlings have extraordinary vigour and power of resis-
tance to dry weather.

Developing Cane-sugar Industry in Natal.

Sugar-cane cultivation has been carried on in the
coast districts of Natal for the past twenty-five years,
although until ten or fifteen years. ago the methods.
employed were very primitive. Considerable improve-
ments have of late been introduced, and the sugar-
producing industry has grown to be one of importance.
Practically the only variety of cane planted is that
known as the ‘Yuba’ or ‘Uba, which is also.
successfully cultivated in Madeira.. It has not done
so well in Manritius or Louisiana. The ‘ Yuba’ is des-
cribed as a deep-rooted, green, woody cane of great.
vitality.

The area in Natal that was planted with sugar-cane-
under European management, was 40,022 acres in 1906.
There are no native plantings of any consequence. The
entire coast district of the colony is stated to be suited to-
cane culture, as the soil is fertile and the rainfall sufticient.
At least two crops of ratoons are grown, in addition to the
plant cane crop. The cane grows to a medium size, and the
average yield of sugar per acre from all the lands harvested
was 17 tons. On the best-conducted plantations the yield
is somewhat greater. A good deal of molasses and syrup:
is manufactured from the Natal cane crop, in addition to
sugar.

The methods of cane cultivation practised are being
rapidly improved, according to the United States Consul at
Durban ; modern mills and a completely equipped refinery
are taking the place of the out-of-date plants on several
properties, while all the old plantations are being improved,
and new machinery substituted for that formerly used.

The Consul estimates the total amount of capital invested
in the Natal sugar industry. at $7,300,000, of which
$2,750,000 represent the value of machinery and_ plant.
The proportion of foreign capital in the industry is quite
small, The great bulk of the machinery in the factories
is British-made.

Practically all the work on the Natal plantations is done
by indentured Indians, since white labour is too expensive
The total number of persons of all races employed in the
cane mills and plantations in 1906 was 7,565. Of these,
only 203 were white.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

November 28, 1908.

WEST INDIAN FRUIG.

EXPERIMENTS IN FRUIT EXPORT
FROM HAWAII.

With the increase in fruit production in the Hawanan

Islands efforts being made to find profitable
markets for the produce, and experiments in shipping
pine-apples, bananas, and
papaws to the Western States of America have been in
progress for some three or four years.

The pineapple is the chief fruit produced in the
Hawaiian Islands, and nearly 8,000 acres have come wader
cultivation with this crop in the past few years. In the
shipment experiments, the pine-apple is the fruit which
is receiving the principal attention.

The trial exports of fruit have been attended with such
a measure of success as to warrant the hope that the trade
may undergo considerable developments in the near future.
The question of shipment of the different fruits
refrigeration, and under ventilation respectively, is discussed
in a report lately issued by the
Station of Hawaii.

are

mangos, avocado pears,

nnider

Agricultural Jexperiment
Refrigeration is demanded by avocados,
inanyos, and papaws, When under transport by sea, and the
trials so far made, indicate that a temperature of from 40°F.
to 50° I’. is the suitable for this class of fruit. The
pine-apple may be shipped without refrigeration, while its
employment is not at all adapted to the banana.

If fruit is to be shipped without refrigeration, it is
pointed out that the primary essential is ventilation of the
Next to ventila
tion, dryness, reasonably low temperatures, and careful band-

most

space in which it is stored during transport.

ling are important for preserving the fruit in good condition.
Crates of pine-apples and bananas have been successfully
carried on the decks of steamers, ventilation being ensured by
strips of board placed between the crates.
A sample shipment of fruit consisting of a car-load of
was despatched
\ngust 14, 1907.
August 21, where the fruit
examined, repacked in a refrigerated car, and sent forward by

under
This

Was

pine-apples, and avocado pears,

refrigeration from Honolulu on

reached san Francisco on
rail to Chicago, which was reached on August 31. Unpack
ing did not take place until September 3. A careful examina
that the fruit had

under transport for nearly three weeks, the avocados were in

tion showed notwithstanding been
good condition for immediate consumption, although they
they should be for the They
had not deteriorated during the journey overland, however.
The opened up in excellent condition, the total
loss less than 1 per although it was reported

that some of the fruits showed more or less discoloration in

were not so firm as market

pine apple ‘

ic
belMg

eent.,

ripening. The author of the bulletin points out, that the
results of this trial shipment suggest that under proper
conditions of transport, Hawaiian fruit may find its way to
a more extensive market than that furnished by the Western
States of America alone, and that it may possibly be sent to
any part of the United States or Canada.

The variety of pine-apple largely grown in the Hawaiian
Islands is the Smooth Cayenne, and it is a kind of very good
flavour, although it does not ship so well as the Red Spanish
pine, which is so generally grown in Florida, Cuba, and

Jamaica. The pine-apple needs very delicate handling if it is

to be shipped abroad, and liberal amounts of packing
material should be used. The length of stem attached

to pine-apples on sending them off was seen by experiment
to have an inflnence The
fruits with from 2 to 3 inches long kept much
hetter than those with stems only 1 inch or Jess in length.

on their keeping — properties.

stems

Fruits cut with Jong stems, and also wrapped in paper,
showed an average saving of 22°37 per cent. of the whole

over fruits cut with short stems and packed with-
out paper.
Two varieties of banana are grown in Hawati—the

Canary (\usa Cavendishic), ani the Bluefields banana.
Bunches of the latter variety are always shipped abroad with-
out any packing or covering, but just as they are gathered
from the tree. The Canary bananas are wrapped in dried
banana leaves or dried grass, although this method of pack
ing is regarded as being unsatisfactory, and it is sugeested
that some other mode of protection of the fruit during
transit should be adopted. In the United States, a cylindrical
package, known as a ‘banana drum’ is coming into use in
despatching the fruit from one part of the country to another.
These drums are of heavy

pasteboard or strawboard,

tliree hoops, and have a thin wooden bottom.

with
A lining of
thick wrapping paper is inserted, which extends about a foor
above the top of the drum. The bunch of bananas is placed
within the drum, and the paper tied about the stem, which
thus handle for lifting the

Avocado pears, as already mentioned, demanc

makes a convenient package.
vefrigera-
tion in shipment but are not a difticult fruit. to export, with
due i and The

the Hawaiian experiments were given when the

care in_ picking packing. best results in

cars, Care-
fully picked, were wrapped separately in paper and despatch
ed in crates, containing only a single layer of the fruits. Tt
is most Important that avocados should be got into refrigera-
tion inimediately after packing. First avocados im
g vod condition fetch a price of 82°50 per dozen on the San
Francisco market, and if they are firm and of good quality
{there is no ditticulty in disposing of them.

class

sVon: Vil Nos 172:

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

THE AFRICAN OIL PALM AND ITS
PRODUCTS.
The well-known Oil Palm of West Africa (Llacis

guineensis) has a wide geographical range, for it
Honrishes from the Gulf of Guinea to the south of
Fernando Po, as well as in the islands of Zanzibar and
Pemba, and along the shores of the Central African
lakes. Of all the vegetable products of the countries
on the West Coast, the Hlueis guincensis is undoubt-
edly the most important to the native. he fruit
supplies him with a favourite article of food and forms
the chief article of commerce ; with the leaf-stalk he
builds his house and barn, and thatches them with its
leaves, and from the stem he extracts a pleasant and
(sometimes) intoxicating drink.

During 1907, the total value of the palm oil and kernels
exported from Southern Nigeria alone was £2,972,252. In
the same year the oil and kernels shipped from the Gold Coast
were valued at nearly £221,290, this being an increase of over
£15,000 on the exports of the preceding year. Supplies of
palm oil have also lately been exported from the Philippine
Islands.

In all the above-mentioned countries from which the
produce is shipped, the oi] palm is indigenous and oecurs
naturally over enormous areas. Little expense is ine:rred in
looking after the trees, and the oil must be regarded as more
or less a natural forest product. No authentic information
has been placed on record in regard to any systematie plant-
ing and cultivation of the oil palm which may have been
made in Southern Nigeria or elsewhere, or to the average
returns that may be expected from such plantings.

It seems reasonable to expect, however, that if plantations
of the palin were established in many tropical colonies, the
production of the oil would prove a valuable industry. It
would be a matter for experiment to determine whether the
cultivation would be as remunerative in any given"district as
rubber or cacao planting. Some thirty or forty years ago an
estate owner in British North Borneo who had considerable
faith in the profitable possibilities of oil palm cultivation
planted a fairly large area. The trees grew well, but by the
time they were nearing the productive age, the ownership of
the estate changed hands, and the new proprietor cut down
the young palms in order to make room for some other
product.

The African oil palm has been acclimatized in Jamaica
and some of the other West Indian Islands, where groups of
the trees are frequently to be met with. Little or no use,
however, is apparently made of the nuts, and so far as is
known, no attempt has ever been made to cultivate the palm
in regular plantations.

The oil palm reaches a height of 30 or more feet. In
the course of a report on the oil industry of the Gold Coast
which appeared in the Aew Bulletin for 1889 (p. 190) it
is stated that the tree grows best in a moist soil, flourishing
in warm damp valleys. It begins to bear in its fourth or
fifth year, the produce increasing until its fifteenth, and
continues to bear for atleast sixty years. A tree produces,
onthe average, from four to seven bunches of fruit every year.

The fruits have a fleshy fibrous outer layer from which
the palm oil of commerce is prepared. This layer covers
a hard-shelled nut from the kernel of which a white oil known
as ‘ palm nut oil’ is produced.

A very full and illustrated account of the methods in
nse at Lagos for extracting palm oil appeared in the Aew
“Bulletin, 1892, (p. 200). From this it appears that the

fruits are boiled in earthernware pots until they form an oily
mass, This is transferred to a wooden trough where it is
left over night to cool. In the morning the mass is coveréd
with cold water, and the natives pound the oil out of the
nuts with their bare feet. The oil gradually rises to the
surface, from which it is skimmed, and passed through
a sieve to remove the coarser impurities. It is then poured
into a pot and clarified by further boiling. This palm oil is
chiefly used in the manufacture of soap and candles.

The kernels of the nuts from which the white oil is
prepared, are frequently exported whole to Europe, after the
shell has been removed by the natives. ‘The ‘kernel oil’ is
expressed by hydraulic presses, and has a number of uses, one
of which is in the manufacture of margarine or artificial
butter. The resulting cake is used as a cattle food.

According to the Avw Bulletin a single tree may yield
from 1 to 3 gallons of oil per annum, depending on the
character of the soil and the rainfall. The price of palm oil
on the London market is from £14 to £15 per ton.

Tf fuller and reliable data could be obtained from
Southern Nigeria on such points as suitable distance in plant-
ing, the time and money required to bring a plantation of
oil palms into full bearing, the average yield of nuts per
tree, and of oil per acre, together with the net profit
that might be expected per acre over a given period, these
details would be of the utmost value to enterprising planters
in other tropical colonies who may be thinking of taking up
the cultivation.

AGRICULTURE AT THE GOLD COAST.

The chief agricultural products of the Gold Coast
in order of value are cacao, rubber, and palm oil and
kernels from the oil palm, together with such minor
articles of produce as kola nuts, copra, cotton, ete.

The cacao industry of the Gold Coast is of especial value,
and it is noteworthy that its development is quite recent. In
1895, the cacao shipped from the colony was no more than
28,906 Ib. Five years later the shipments had advanced to
1,200,749 lb. ; in 1905 they reached 11,407,608 tb., while in
1907 the exports of cacao from the Coast were 20,956,400 Ib.,
valued at £515,089. The latest Aunual Report on the colony
mentions that considerable improvement has lately been
shown in the cultivation of the cacao plantations.

The rubber exported from the Gold Coast is practically
all produced from wild Muntumia elastica trees. Rubber
planting is being encouraged by the Government, and
distributions of seed of Hema brasiliensis (Para rubber) are
annually made. This tree is said to flourish at the Botanic
Stations in the colony, and to produce an abundant supply
of seed. In 1907, 3,549,548 th. of rubber, valued at £333,120,
were exported from the colony. This shows a slight decrease,
compared with the shipments of 1906. As the result of
a Commission appointed to enquire into the methods of
tapping and preparation practised by the native rubber
producers, a schenie has been formulated whereby a number
of travelling instructors are to be appointed, whose duties
will be to instruct the natives in more scientific methods of
cultivation, tapping, and general preparation of the rubber.

The total value of the products of the oil palm shipped
from the Gold Coast in 1907 was £221,290. ‘This included
1,867,945 gallons of oil, valued at £119,468, and 9,753 tons.
of kernels, valued at £101,822. The exports of palm oil
show a small decrease, and this is referred to in the Annual
Report on the colony as a sigti of the increasing attention

that is being given to cacao,

iL)
=I
ao

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Novemter 28, 1908.

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,

write as follows, under date of November 9, with
reference to the sales of West Indian Sea Island

cotton :—

About 250 bales of West Indian Sea islands have been
sold since our last report, at fairly steady prices. ‘They
include about 100 St. Kitt’s at 13d. to 144d, 50 St. Vincent
at 14d. to 16d., and 50 Montserrat at 12d. to l4d.

The stock of Fine Crop Islands held in Charleston all
through last season is rather a depressing feature im the
market, but on the vther hand Florida cotton, which has
recently been selling at 103d., has advanced to 113d, and
graded Carolina Island cotton is selling freely on the basis of
123d. for ‘Fine’ and 134d. for ‘Fully Fine” This latter is
stronger in staple than the bulk of the West Indian cotton
still remaining on hand, and is consequently being purchased
in preference at the nioment.

We are inclined to the opinion that the market will go no
lower, and with an improvement in trade, it would advance.

BARBADOS CO-OPERATIVE COTTON
FACTORY.

The sixth report of the Barbados Co-operative
Cotton Factory, dealing with the working during the
year ended September 30 last, was recently submitted
to the shareholders, and adopted. The results for the
year are considered very satisfactory. The following
form the chief points in the report :—

After deducting the cost of materials, labour, expenses
of management, ete., the net profit for the year amounts to
$8,490°28, which together with the balance brought forward
from September 30, 1907, makes a total of $12,670°21,

Of the above sun, the Directors have given 3170°00 as
a Lonus to the staff of the factory. They recommend that
the remaining $12,500°21 be appropriated as follows :

(1) That a dividend at the rate of 12 per cent. be
declared, equal to 28°8c. per. share, and amounting to
$3,690°14.

(2) That $1,000 be transferred to the Reserve Fund,
increasing this to $4,000,

(3) That 2 per cent. of the cost of the factory buildings
and plant, amounting to $602°30, be written off.

(4) That a bonus, at the rate of 4e. per 100 Ib. of
seed-cotton, be given to those persons who have sent cotton
to the factory to be ginned and shipped on their account.
This will absorb 4927-24.

The eight gins which were not in place at the end of the
Jast half-year have been erected, and the faetory is now fully
equipped,

GRADING OF COTTON.

The picking season has now begun throughout the
West India Islands, and planters are again recom-
mended to be most careful with their crop.

Proper picking bags should be supplied to all the pickers,
andall dirty or stained cotton should be kept separate from the
clean cotton, as it is picked in the field.

The first cotton to burst is always weak, and should be
kept apart from the main crop. It should be put on one
side until the end of the first picking, and the cotton Jast
gathered—which is also of an inferior character—may be
added to it. On no*account should the cotton obtained at the
Leginning and at the end of the picking be mixed with the
main crop, nor should stained cotton be allowed to be mixed
with the finer qualities. When mixed cotton is sent for sale
onthe English market, the price obtained is based on the value
of the worst quality cotton in the bale, but if it should by
accident be paid for as first quality cotton it will only arouse
suspicion against the estate mark, and perhaps against
the whole cotton crop shipped from the particular island.
Several complaints, have recently been made by buyers in
England of mixed cotton, and therefore planters are advised to
be particularly careful during the present season. The main
bulk of first pickings should alone be shipped as first quality,
while the beginning and end of the picking should be shipped as
Stains should be shipped by themselves. The
estates can easily keep those portions of their cotton crop
separate, but this is almost an impossible matter after it has
heen sent to the ginnery. Some of the cotton factories in the
West Indies attempt to undertake the sorting of badly graded
cotton, but this can never be so successfully accomplished as
upon the and therefore planters are
strongly urged to pay particular attention to grading their
produce before it is sent to the factory.

In those islands where second and third pickings are
obtained, planters are advised to keep those pickings separate

second grade.

estates themselves,

lt has been
found that the cotton of the first picking is longer and finer
than that
natural twist. Second picking cotton contains less weak fibre
than first picking, but is more brittle. It is generally shorter
and lacks Justre. Third picking cotton has a large proportion
of weak fibre and is very wasty.

from the cotton obtained at the first picking.

of the second, and it also has a better Instre and

In order, therefore, that the high position West
Indian cotton has gained npon the market may be main-
tained, it would be well if the several pickings should
be kept entirely separate, and shipped as’ different
grades. It is more than probable that estates which
attend carefully to this matter would soon establish
a reputation for their mark, and thereby command
a slightly higher price, than that of the general market.

Vou. VIEL : No. 172.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 37:

no) §

COWPEAS: AND VELVET BEANS FOR
GREEN MANURING.

The attention of West Indian planters has more
than once been drawn by means of notes or short
articles in the Agricultural News, to the value of the
cowpea crop fur green manurial purposes, but it may
be worth while give a few more particulars on the

sudject, that have been abstracted from the pages of

Protessor Earle’s book ‘ Southern Agriculture, which

was reviewed in the last issue of this Journal :—

In considering the crops suitable for green manuring,
Professor Earle lays special stress on the value of the cowpea
and the velvet bean.- The cowpea is referred to as the most
important leguminous crop for use in the Southern States.
It is a rank-growing annual, completing its growth in about
three months. -Bemg of tropical origin, it delights: in hot
weather and does not succeed well during the cooler months.
Its short-growing season makes it possible to grow it as a man-
urial crop during the limited period when the ground is
unoceupied, previous to planting sugar-cane, for instance. It
is most widely used in the Southern States, however, to
plant between the rows of corn at the time when the last
cultivation is being given to this crop. Louisiana planters
are also recommended to sow crops between the rows of
sugar-cane at the beginning of the rainy season. It is doubt-
ful, however, if such a practice can be recommended on the
thin soils of Barbados and some other of the West Indian
Islands, especially in seasons which are deficient in rainfall.
The peas are frequently sown broadcast at the rate of from
3 pecks to 3 bushels of seed per acre.. When planted in
drills, however, about 5 feet apart, only about one-half of
such seed is required.

Cowpeas make a rank growth even! on very poor lands
if supplied with a manure of potash and phosphoric acid.
As they belong to the Leguminosae they have the power of
assimilating nitrogen from the atmosphere, and the good
results obtained in this way have been very noticeable. For
this reason the crop is frequently used to build up and enrich
worn out soils in the Southern States of America. The Whip-
poor-will or Speckled cowpea is especially mentioned as an
early maturing variety whichis particularly useful when land
can be occupied only for a short time. The Tron cowpea
produces a large amount of vine and leaves, and is mentioned
as being suitable for West Indian conditions.

In reference to the velvet bean, Professor Earle states that
in districts where it succeeds well, this must be considered as
a formidable competitor with the cowpea for first place as
a soil improvement crop. It cannot, however, be used intereul-

turally among other crops as can the cowpeas, but must
occupy the ground alone. When land can be given up to

a soil-improving crop for from four to five months during the
summer, no other crop will produce so satisfactory results
in the way of securing nitrogen, smothering foul weeds, and
adding humus to the soil. It thus adapts itself perfectly to
the needs of winter truck growers in Southern Florida and the
tropics, and for use in Cuban tobacco fields, since in Cuba,
tobacco is strictly a winter (dry season) crop and the land, as
a rule, lies idle during the summer.

It is also an invaluable plant in preparing the land for
permanent crops like fruit orchards or sugarcane.

What clover is to agriculture of the North and the cow-
pea is to the cotton belt, the velvet bean is destined to be
for the tropics, where the need for a much greater use of
soil-improving plants is so imperative.

Like the cowpea, velvet beans may be sown broadcast or
planted in drills ; in nearly all cases the latter is preferable,
since one or two cultivations give them a chance to get ahead
of weeds and grass. When they once begin to run, no further
attention is needed, since they quickly climb up, and by their
weight bend over and drag down, any chance weed that
happens to spring up among them.

When green, velvet bean vines are not at first particu-
larly relished by stock, but a taste is soon acquired for
them ; the partially ripened pods however, furnish very
rich pasturage. The vines, if cut and cured into hay, are
eaten readily and are very nutritious, but they are so long
and tangled that they are difficult to cut and handle.

INDIAN AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.

The Director of Agriculture, Bombay, (Mr Henry
S. Lawrence), in the course of a lengthy paper, entitled
‘Indian Agriculture’ which was reprinted in the
Tropical Agriculturist (February, March, and April
last) gives an account of the establishment, organiza-
tion, and work of the Department of Agriculture for
India. This paper, from which the following details as
to the system of organization, etc., have been abstracted,
forms an interesting record of the many and useful
lines of activity of the Department :—

A Department of Agriculture was first established in
India in 1870, but was closed nine years later, on account
of financial pressure. In 1896, however, the Department was
re-established, and at the commencement, valuable work was
done in the prelimiaary study of agricultural conditions in
India, compilation of agricultural statistics, ete. In 1902,
a body of scientific workers was first appointed in connexion
with the Department.

At the head of the work is the Inspector-General of Agri-
culturein India, whose functions are to advise the Government
on all agricultural questions, to superintend the work of the
Research Institute that has established at Pusa in
Bengal, and to observe, and, as far as possible co-ordinate,
the operations of the several provincial departments.

been

The Research Institute at Pusa, a Station at which much
valuable work is being done, is described as being primarily
connected with ‘the solntion of the fundamental problems of
tropical agriculture.’ The staff comprises European scientists
in agricultural chemistry, botany, entomology, mycology,
horticulture, and plant physiology, and a number of native
assistants in these sciences.

There exists also a sub-Department of Agriculture for
each Province, in charge of a Director, whose duty it is to
adminster the work, and interpret its teaching and results to
landowners and cultivators. The Director also advises the
provincial Government on agricultural matters,

Agricultural Colleges have now been established in
practic ally every province of India. The educational work of
these institutions is subject to the supervision of the Direc-
tors of Agriculture, while the executive work of the various
Experiment Stations in each province is supervised by the
Deputy-Director of erica =f} European agricultural
ex Bye The programme of agricultural experiments is drawn
up by this officer in consultation with the Professor at the

College, and is subjected to criticism by the Board of Agri-
culture of India before being put into operation.

It will be seen therefore, that the Indian Agri-
cultural Department is certainly working under a good
system of organization.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. NovEMBER 28, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Agents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural, Hews

Vou VII. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1908. No. 172.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Contents of Present Issue.

The methods adopted in testing agriculéural seeds
for genuineness, purity, and germinating power are
described in the editorial.

In trials with seedling canes on Jamaica estates,
B. 208 has proved especially satisfactory. B. 147 and
D. 95 have also done well, particularly on soils of
a certain character. he sugar industrv in Natal is
becoming of increasing importance (page 371).

Experiments carried out in the Hawaiian Islands
indicate that not only pine-apples and bananas, but
also avocado pears, papaws, mangos, ete. can, under
suitable conditions, be satisfactorily shipped to the
United States (page 372).

An article summarizing the chief points in regard
to the African Oil Palm and its products is given on
page 373. Another article, dealing with the ‘mahog-
anies’ of commerce, appears on page 382.

Cotton Notes (page 374) include market reports,
a reprint of the chief points in the report for the past
year of the Barbados Cotton Factory, and a brief article
on Cotton Grading.

Interesting notes on the use of cowpeas and velvet
beans for green manuring, and the methods of cultiva-
tion of these crops, will be found on page 575,

Under Insect Notes (page 878) two articles appear,
which deal respectively with: white ants and with cattle
ticks.

Cyanogenetic Glucosides in Plants.

The experiments in progress at the Agricultural
Research Institute, Pusa, India. include the cultivation,
under varying conditions, ofa number of kinds of plants
known to form cyanogenetic glucosides in considerable
amount at certain stages of growth, with the object of
discovering the conditions, which control or inHuence
the quantity of glucoside formed by the plant. Cyano-
genetic glucosides are compounds which under suitable
conditions undergo a change that results in the produc-
tion of prussic acid. Such compounds exist in snyall
quantity in numbers of plants, and reference has
frequently been meade in past numbers of the Agri-
cultural News to the presence of a prussic acid produc-
ing glucoside in immature sorghum, and it is for this
reason that the consumption of green sorghum by cattle
has sometimes been attended with fatal results.

The experiments at Pusa have led to the conclu-
sion that the formation of the cyanogenetic glucoside
in a given varicty of plants is not a distinct feature of
the variety, for instances of the same variety forming
much glucoside, or none at all, respectively. under diffei-
ent conditions have been met with. It is hoped that
by carefully controlling the conditions of growth, the
cause of formation of the glucoside may be isolated.
Dr. Leather states that the work, so far, has been
attended with a certain measure of success,

EE?

Agriculture in British Guiana.

Some interesting items of information are given in
the section relating to Agriculture of the British
Guiana Blue Book for 1907-8.

The area under sugar-cane cultivation in the
colony is 77.967 acres, this being slightly less than the
sugar acreage of last year. ‘The total area under crops
other than sugar-cane, (including 3,838 acres on sugar
plantations) 1s 62.271 acres. Of this, rice is planted
on 29,624 acres. It is seen, therefore, that the whole
of the cultivated Jand in British Guiana is no more than
140.238 acres. There are forty-seven estates on which
sugar is mannitactured. The area devoted to farmer-
grown cane is increasing; in December last it was
estimated at 2,500 acres. The cacao, coffee, cocoa-nut,
and plantain estates number about seventy-one, the
areas devoted to the first three of these crops being
1,761, 991, and 7,022 acres respectively. Maize, bananas,
plantains, and ground provisions account for 13,326
acres, while the total area so far granted for rubber
cultivation amounts to 4,000 acres. About eighty-five
eattle farms also exist in British Guiana.

Details are given as to rate of wages for agri-
cultural work in the colony. Cane-cntters earn from
ls. Gi, to 8s. Gd. per day, this work being always done
by task. Industrious blacks and coolies prefer task
work to day work on estates, and as skhovel-men or
suppliers they earn fromzn Is. to 2s. per day, and as
weeders from 10d. to 1s. Gd. per day. The sugar manu-
facture work is principally done by East Indians. Cane
throwers earn from 1s. 2d. to 1s. 8d., firemen and sugar
curers from 1s. 4d. to-2s. Gd.,.and head clarifiers from
2s. to 2s. Gd. per day,

Volk VII. No. THE

172.

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 377

Increasing Orange Production in Cuba.

The orange industry of Cuba is almost entirely con-
trolled by Americans, and-a great deal of attention has
of late years been paid to the question of increasing the
output. The variety of orange chiefly plantedin Cuba
is said to be Hart’s Late, while the Pine-apple, Parson
Brown, and Washington Navel kinds are also very
popular, The United States Consul at Cienfuegos, in
avrecent report, states that systematic orange cultivation
in Cuba did not begin until about eight or nine years
ago, and must at present be regarded as being only in
a verv early stage of development. In the near future
it will probably undergo great expansion. The Cuban

orange crop for this season is expected to reach 500,000
crates, which is the largest in the history of the island.
Imports of the fruit from California and Florida have
rapidly declined of late years.

Sunflower Cultivation.

The sunflower (Helianthus annus) is cultivated
on a considerable scale in Russia, Hungary, Italy, and
Germany, as well as in parts of India, for the sake of
the oil contained in its seeds, and the cake Jeft after
extracting the oil is used for cattle. The sunflower
grows well in the West Indies, although it has never
been cultivated as an economic crop. The plant needs
a good well-manured soil to give the best returns.
About 12 Ib. of seed are sown per acre, in rows 3 to 33
feet apart. When the plants are well formed they
should be thinned ont to distances of 12 to 18 inches
apart in the row. ‘The general method of cultivation
of the crop resembles that practised in the case of
maize. The plants take about three months to mature.
When grown for seed, the best results are obtained by
limiting the number of seed heads formed on each plant.
The yield of seed may be from 8 to 15 ewt. per acre.
The price of white sunflower seed on the London market
is 17s. to 19s., while that of black seed is 13s. to 14s.
An analysis of an average suntlower seed cake shows that
this contains 34:66 per cent. of nitrogenons matter, and
is at least equal to linseed cake for feeding purposes.

‘Crops and Manures at Martinique.

While there was a considerable advance in the
value of the cacao shipments from Martinique during
1907 the sugar exports were less than usual, owing
partly to reduction of the area under cultivation, and
partly to drought.

In 1906 the sugar exports were 42,230 metric tons
(1 metric ton = 2,200 th.), valued at £438,048, while in
1907 they fell to 36,922 metric tons, of the value of
£379,800. Owing to remunerative prices, rum is being
produced in increasing quantity at Martinique. A con-
siderable amount of molasses is being imported from
Guadeloupe, as the local supply is insufficient to meet
the requirements of the distilleries. The rum exports
from Martinique during 1907 show an increase of
319,246 gallons in quantity, and £35,634 in value, as
compared with those of 1906.

Cacao cultivation is being slowly extended in the
island. The quantity of cacao shipped abroad in 1907

was 1,106,136 Ib., or an advance of 65.763 Ib. on the
exports of chis product in 1906. The increased value,
however, was £20,204. Coffee was exported to the
quantity of 8,587 th., while 171,499 ih. were imported.

Martinique imports considerable quantities of
artificial manures. In 1907 the chief manures of this
kind brought into the island were superphosphate,
2,803 tons; nitrate of soda, 1,129 tons; sulphate of
ammonia, S28 tons: nitrate of potash, 748 tons; and
sulphate of potash, 141 tons.

rr re
West Indian Bulletin.

There has just been issued a new number of the
West Indian Bulletin, viz., No. 3 of Vol. IX. This
includes several papers relating to the cotton indus-
try of the West Indies, read at the Agricnitural
Conference of January last. Mr. J. R. Bovell deals
with cotton cultivation at Barbados, while Dr. Francis
Watts, C.M.G., and Mr. W. N. Sands contribute papers
in which the progress made in the Leeward Islands and
at St. Vincent, respectively, is discussed. Dr. Watts also
has a second paper on cotton seed selection as practised
in the Leeward Islands, while the general progress of
the cotton industry in the West Indies is discussed in
an interesting article by Mr. Thomas Thornton, A.R.C.S.
There is also included a paper by Mr. H. A. Ballou, M.Sc.,
dealing with the treatment of cotton pests in the West
Indies.

The rice and rubber experiments in progress in
British Guiana are dealt with in two papers by
Professor Harrison, C.M.G. A lecture on the geological
formation of Barbados, delivered during the Conference,
is also reprinted in this number of the Bulletin. A few
short papers on general subjects, e.g., the production of
essential oils, vegetable ivory, etc., conclude the
number.

I
Rice Production in British Guiana.

From the official returns lately issued it is seen
that the rice area of British Guiana underwent further
extension in the year 1907-8, when 29,624 acres were
planted with the crop im the colony. In 1905-6 the
area was 23,853 acres, and in 1906-7 it advanced to
26,567 acres. he chief rice districts are East Coast
and Canje Creek, Corentyne Coast, and West Coast,
in Berbice, where together about 11,000 acres are
planted : Kssequibo River, North Essequibo Coast, and
South Essequibo Coast, with about 6,200 acres; and
Abary, West Coast, East Coast, and Mahaica, in Dem-
erara, which districts, taken together, have about 9,500
acres under the crop. In 1906-7, the rice exports from
the colony were 3,474,512 Ib. In the following year
the shipments reached 6,977,877 tb. (an increase of
100 per cent.), and were valued at £39,879 18s.

The harvest season for the present year (1908-9)
is very nearly over, and practically all the paddy has
been gathered in. The area planted is greater than that
of last year, but Messrs. Sandbach, Parker & Co., in alate
report, mention that the average return per acre
is lower than in 1907, and with increased consumption
in the colony, it is likely that there will be little
advance in the rice exports for the season.

378 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

NovemBer 28, 1908.

INSECT NOTES.*

The White Ant (Zermes flavipes, Koll.).

Insects of the family Termitidae, the family to
which the ‘white ants’ belong, feed on wood and dead
vegetable matter, and live socially in mixed colonies of
Sterile and fertile individuals. ‘The term ‘white ant,’
by which these insects are known, is entirely inappro-
priate in so far as it indicates any relationship with the
true ants, as they are not ants, but belong to the order
Isoptera, being closely allied to the book-lice:

The popular acquaintance with the termite is derived
from seeing it on its nuptial flight when the small, brown,
winged insects emerge from crevices in buildings and ground.
These are the colonizing forms, and not the ones which
actually do the damage, for the real depredators are the soft-
bodied, Jarge-headed, milky white soldiers and workers. No
insect oceurring in houses is capable of doing greater damage
than 7ermes flavipes, and since their entrance to buildings
is effected by soil channels, and their work cannot usually be
detected before considerable damage has been done, not only
their eradication, but their detection is a difficult matter.

In every colony there are four forms: males, females,
soldiers, and workers. The males have a pair of compound
eyes placed just above the antennal fossae, and when young,
two pairs of large membranous and approximately equal
wings, projecting beyond the apex of the abdomen when at
rest. They live permanently with the females. The females
when young closely resemble the males, but later, when they
hecome mothers of colonies, this resemblance is not so close.
‘The soldiers are sterile, wingless, and usually blind. Their
heads are chitinous, strong, and peculiarly adapted for
defence. They act as protectors of the colony, although
occasionally assisting the workers. The workers are sterile,
wingless, usually blind, but little chitinized, having short
and powerful jaws, and larval in appearance. They attend’
to all the duties of the colony, such as building the nests,
caring for the young, and ministering to the wants of the
queen. All except the migratory winged forms are incap-
able of enduring sunlight, as the soft delicate bodies of the
other forms shrivel when exposed, and, consequently, all their
operations are done under shelter.

At the time of the nuptial flight, the winged forms
emerge in pairs, and, under favourable conditions, each pair
may establish a new colony, but as they are preyed upon by
many insectivorous animals, this rarely happens. As soon as
a king and queen have established a new colony, they superin-
tend the rearing of the first brood of workers and soldiers
until these are able to assume their special duties in the colony.
Henceforth, the queen loses all power of locomotion, is
constantly fed by the workers, and her size increases consider-
ably. She now becomes an egg- laying machine, laying many
thousands of eggs per day. When any accident bet Falls the
‘supplementary queen’ is developed from a very
young larva, being smaller, however, than a true queen, but
serving the purpose of egg-laying equally as well.

As so many of the colonizing forms are destroyed during
their nuptial flight, the more usual rule of the formation of
a new colony is the splitting up of old colonies. As methods
of prevention, and remedies against white ants, the following

queen, a

* The Insect Notes in this number, as in the last issue of
the Agricultinal News, were contributed by Mr. C. C. Gowdey,
B.Sc., who has for a short time past been attached to the
Imperial Department of Agriculture as Honorary Assistant
Entomologist.

My

may be mentioned :—(1) Coat all foundation timbers with tar.
(2) Build the foundations of buildings entirely of brick, stone,
or concrete. (5) Fumigation with “hydrocyanie acid gas at
the strength of 1 oz. of potassium cyanide per 100 cubie feet
of space. “(To inake this gas, the required number (7) of ounces
of potassium cyanide is weighed ont ; to this is added twice
the number (2.7) of fluid ounces of sulphuric acid, and four
times the number (4.7) of fluid ounces of water.) Fumigate in
a tight room to which access cannot be gained during the
operation as the gas is a most deadly poison. After the
room has been Glosed, put the acid and water into an earthen-
ware vessel and drop into it the cyanide contained in a bag
attached to a string which runs freely through a key- hole.
After fumigation has gone on from one to two hours, open
the room from the outside and allow it to air for not less
than six hours before entering.

The Cattle Tick (Boophilus annulatus).

Texas fever (known also as splenetic or tick fever)
is 2 disease caused by a microscopic organism which
hives in the blood and destroys the red corpuscles of
the animal attacked. In sucking blood from fever-
infected, or immune animals (i.e., those animals which
have had an attack of ‘Texas fever and recovered there-
from), a number of the germs is necessarily withdrawn
by the tick, along with phe blood. When the female
tick deposits eggs, the germs pass into the eggs and
later into the ‘ seed-ticks ’ hatching from these. eggs..
As soon as these ‘seed-tieks’ get upon a bovine animal
and begin the blood-sucking process, the germs of the
fever pass from them into the system of the host
animal, resulting in an attack of fever.

The presence of the germ is not necessary to the develop-
ment and reproduction of the tick, but the tick is an
absolutely necessary agent for the transmission of Texas fever
from one animal to another.

Lite-history and Distribution. The cattle tick being
a parasite derives its food entirely by sucking blood from the
animal—cow, ox, calf, deer, and occasionally horse and
mule —to which it is attached. The female tick on reaching
maturity, releases her hold upon the animal, drops to the
ground, and after from two to five days begins egg-laying.
The deposition of eggs is continued for eight to fifteen days,
each female depositing between 1,500 to 4,500 eggs during
this period, after which she dies.

The eggs thus deposited on the ground hateh in from
seventeen to twenty-five days, and as soon as they have left
the egg-shell, the young ticks or ‘seed-ticks’ crawl up the
blades of grass and collect together near the top. On
coming into contact with a passing animal, the seed-ticks
select suitable positions, insert their mouth-parts, and
commence sucking blood. Growth of both males and females
at this time is rapid, and the insects moult twice during their
growth. The expansion of the abdomen of the females,
in part due to the formation of eggs, takes place after
the second moult. The male ticks do not become nearly so
large as the swollen females, and may be easily mist iken
for partly-grown females. In from twenty-one to forty-five
days, depending on the condition of the host, the growth of
the female is comple sted.

For a very long time this cat‘le tick has been known to
inhabit Europe, Africa, India, Borneo, South and Central
America, Mexico, Texas, and the West Indies.

“Viops Wl. 22No; 172: THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

379

STUDENTS’ CORNER.

Seasonal Notes.
NOVEMBER.
[st Forrnient,

The planting of sugar-cane will be under consideration.
‘Observe the methods followed in your neighbourhood and
compare them with those followed in other countries. Study
the manner of preparing the ‘plants’; notice whether care is

taken to select healthy plants ; note the use of Bordeaux mix-
ture ; study the growth of the young plants.

In the reaping of the cacao crop observe the changes

taking place during the fermenting of the beans ; give atten-
tion to questions relé iting to drying the cacao.
When limes are being reaped observe the quality of the
note the proportion of rotten or damaged fruit and try

Note the density of the juice. as
(see West, Indian Bulletin, Vol. V,

fruit ;
to ascertain the causes.
shown by a hydrometer
p. 236).

Cotton picking will be in progress.
diseases which interfere with the proper

Observe any pest or
development of the

bolls. Look for bushes showing desirable qualities for seed
selection. The use of Paris green for caterpillars is sure to be

in evidence ; study the question of applying this to advantage.
2nd Forrnicnr.

Planting of canes will be in progress. Note the propor-
tion of plants which fail to grow and try to ascertain the
reasons why they fail. Study the questions bearing on weed-
ing, surface tillage, dust mulching and kindred matters.

In cacao fields, consider the manner of the disposal
old shells of cacao pods and see how this may bear ou
diseases.

When lime juice is prepared, take notes of the manner
of concentrating the juice ; study the use of the hydrometer in
this connexion : find how much raw juice it takes to produce
a gallon of concentrated. (See A BC of Lime Planting, p. 34,
aaa West Indian Bulletin, Voi. V, p. 236.)

When cotton picking is in progress, note the quantity
of lint given by the first developed bolls and those coming
later. Learn to judge the quality of lint by systematically
pulling it from the seed : the officers of the Botanic Stations
will assist in showing how this is done. Observe any pests
occurring on cotton and study their life-history.
SANDIDATES,

PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS.

CaCaO

QUESTIONS FOR ¢

(1) By shaking up with water and washing, separate
the sand from the clay in a weighed sample of soil im your
neighbourhood, and state the type of soil you consider it to be.

(2) Ascertain, by means of an acid, if the soil in your
neighbourhood is calcareous.

(3) Make a tracing of a map of the district in which you
live, and mark upon it the kinds of soil existing there,
distinguishing calcareous from non-calcareous, light from
heavy, and other similar points of difference.

INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS.

(1) Why is the draining of soil necessary !
question of draining in relation to the soil in your neighbour-
hood.

(2) What crops are useful as green dressings ! Compare
leguminous and non-leguminous crops in this connexion,

(3) Describe in detail how you would prepare and ‘green
dress’ a field to be ultimately planted with sugar-cane.

Discuss the

ACCLIMATIZATION OF PLANTS.

An interesting Circular of the Royal Botamic
Gardens, Ceylon (Vol. IV, No. 9) deals with the

acclimatization of plants in Ceylon and other countries.

The term acclimatization, it is pointed out, is frequently
confused with the ¢ntroduction and naturalization of plants.
When a species becomes so adapted to a new climate as to be
able with ordinary care to thrive and perfectly reproduce its
kind, it may be said to be aee/imatized. An introduced plant
is naturalized when it has become independent of artificial
aid of any kind, escapes from cultivation, and thrives in
a wild state. An example of this in Ceylon is the cashew
nut (Anacardium occidentale).

The principal factors concerned in acclimatization are
climate and the physiological variability of the plant.
Cultivation, however, exerts a very great influence, and it 1s
by this means that nearly all our industrial or economic
plants have been so modified and improved to suit our
requirements. The tendency of the plant constitution is to
readjust itself to environments, as upon the harmony between
these and its own organism depend its periodicity and
reproduction, which are the essential functions of plant Hfe.

The time required to effect naturalization varies with the
constitution of the plant and the extent of the change experi-
enced. In some cases a certain number of generations of the
plant may be required to effect perfect adaptation to a new
climate, while in others a species will at once establish itself
and even show a great increase in fertility. The reproductive
or fruiting period is another important factor in aecclimatiza-
tion. Species in which this is prolonged are most readily
acclimatized, their veproductive fertility often enabling them
to increase at a very rapid rate.

Ceylon owes a great deal to plants which have been
introduced and naturalized, as few of the leading products are
from plants native to the island. The chief estate products
of Ceylon as tea, coffee, cocoa-nuts, rubber, ete.; the choicest

fruits ; the best shade trees and timbers, as ebony and satin-
wood ; the finest flowering trees ; the chief vegetables and the

best fodders, have all been obtained from other countries.
Camphor, it is mentioned, has not yet become acclimatized in
Ceylon, although trees have been grown at Hakgala
under most favourable conditions for thirteen vears. Para
rubber, on the other hand, rapidly adapted itself to the clima-
tic conditions of the island after the importation of the first
supply of plants in 1876, and now seed of Hevea brasiliensis,
grown in Ceylon, is being supphed in quantity to planters
in Brazil, the native home of the tree.

The benefits of acclimatization, it is pointed out, are not
entirely confined to the old world. America is indebted to
the Eastern Tropies for many of her leading products, as for
example, coffee from Abyssinia, sugar-cane from China,
ginger (now practically a monopoly of Jamaica), and rice
(a staple food product of the Southern States), both from
India, not to speak of mangos, oranges, grapes, and other
usefnl products of the Kast.

The acclimatization of weeds is referred to, and it is
mentioned as a curious fact that the most worthless plants
are generally the most readily acchmatized. The worst weeds
of Ceylon as the ‘ goat weed? (Ageratum conyzoides), which
in the past is said to have cost coffee planters in the island
£250,000 a year to keep in check ; the Lantana weed, and
the so-called sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), as well as
several others were all introduced from foreign lands. Other
plants mentioned which have proved expensive pests on
acclimatization in different countries are the Prickly Vear in
Queensland, and theWater Hyacinth in Florida,

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS.

November 28, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

The Agricultural Instructor at Nevis reports that heavy
rains were experienced over the island on November 1. From
2-5 to 6 inches of rain fell in different parts.

The United States Consul at Caleutta in a recent report
comments upon the increasing cultivation of ground nuts in
Burma. The area devoted to this crop in 1903 was no more
than 3,800 acres, but in 1907 it had increased to 80,000 acres.

The export of kola nuts from the Gold Coast of Africa
increased in value from £73,632 in 1906 to £78,901 in
1907, while the shipments of copra have similarly advanced
from a value of £4,290 in 1906 to £6,186 in 1907.

The total rainfall at St. Lucia during 1907 was 71°33
inches, this being 10°51 inches below the fall of 1906. Rain
fell in the island on no less than 275 days. The maximum
rain on any one day was 1°98 inches on October 19.

The fourth annual sale of live stock was held at the
Government Stock Farm, ‘Tobago, on November 25. ‘The
list of animals offered for sale comprised fifty-six Tots, inelud-
ing a number of half-bred Zebu cows and heifers, three bulls,
four calves, together with pigs and poultry of various breeds.

For the year ending March 31, 1908, the exports of live
stock from British Guiana were as follows : 1,438 horned eat-
tle valued at £5,622 10s. ; 772 pigs valued at £587 4s. ;
49 donkeys valued at £90 ; 201 goats valued at £78 6s. ;
160 sheep valued at £75 ; 2 horses valued at £38, together
with poultry to the value of £129,

The cultivation of bananas in Egypt has been attended
with success, and yet, notwithstanding this fact, the fruit
is annually imported to the value of £13,000. The Egyptian
Government, through the Agricultural Society, is endeavour-
ing to remedy this state of affairs, by the propagation of
large quantities of banana plants for the supply of cultivators
anxious to start plantations. (British Consular Report.)

With the object of securing reliable information as to the
possibilities of agricultural development in Mexico, the
Government of that country commissioned a foreign expert to
investigate agricultural conditions in various tropical and sub

tropical countries. According to the latest report of the
British Consul-General at Mexico City, this expert has

recently returned, and now advises the Government to
establish a Mexican Department of Agriculture. He urges
that Mexico has special advantages for the growing of tea,
cacao, rice, and fruit of many kinds,

An official return issued on October 2 last, by the Cuban
Department of Agriculture places the total 1907-8 sugar crop-
of Cuba at 985,711 tons as compared with 1,452,049 tons in
1906-7. The number of mills working in 1907-8 was 168,
while 184 were in operation in the previous year. While the
total weight of cane ground was 15,431,180 tons in 1906-7,
it was no more than 10,198,965 tons in 1907-8.

For the encouragement of school gardens in Jamaica
the Governor of the colony has sanctioned the award of
a number of prizes to be made at the end of the present year,
These awards consist of seven first prizes of £5 and seven
second prizes of £2, a first and second prize respectively — to
be given in each of the seven districts of the island supervised
by one of the School Inspectors.

Three Botanic Stations in a good state of efticiency have
existed for some time at different parts of the Gold Coast
Colony, West Africa. A new station for the Central Province
has lately been established near Cape Coast, and a consider-
able area planted with cacao, rubber, and other products.
Large quantities of seeds and plants are distributed from
each Station, while valuable instruction is given to native
cultivators by the Curators and their assistants.

According to the Wavtrobi Pioneer, the experimental
cultivation of belts of citronella grass along the edges of the
great lakes and on the banks of the rivers in Uganda, has
given satisfactory results in keeping down the growth of
serub and bush, among which the tse-tse fly abounds, and
under the shade of which it The citronella grass
grows rapidly, and soon covers the ground. It is stated that
neither tse-tse flles nor mosquitos are found on these grass

breeds.

areas,

Attention is drawn in the report (1907-8) of the British
Consul at Tamsui, Formosa, to the enormous benefit that
would result to large areas in the island if a proper system of
irrigation were established. It is stated that the output of
sugar might be inereased sevenfold, so that all the quantity
required by Japan could easily be supplied. The produe-
tivity of the present rice area could also be increased from
50 to 7) per cent., and an additional 100,000 acres brought
into cultivation.

Referring to the camphor-producing industry of Ceylon
the Planters’ Association of the island report that the old
methods of obtaining this product have been abandoned as
being wasteful and wmeconomical. The camphor is distributed
throughout the whole system of the tree, and can therefore be
obtained from leaves and twigs as wel! as from the wood of
the stem. A method of cultivation which will result in the
maximum production of leaves and twigs is therefore being
aumecd at.

A letter in the West India Committee Circular of
October 27 last draws attention to the harmful effects
exercised on the Jamaica orange trade in England by the
shipment, in August and September, of consignments of imma-
ture fruit of poor quality. This practice, it is stated, has
been general with a number of Jamaica orange growers
for several years in spite of warnings as to the unwise nature
of the policy. The low quality of the early produce
prejudices dealers against the bulk of the crop which comes
on later.

Vor. VII. No. 1

2 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 38L

BARBADOS: REPORT ON THE AGRICULTURAL
AND BOTANICAL DEPARTMENTS FOR
PERIOD 1898 10 1907. WITH A REVIEW OF THE
SUGAN-CANE EXPERIMENTS SINCE 1884.

As indicated by the title, this report,
with the experimental work that has been carried on with
sugar-cane, cotton, bananas, and other crops under the
Imperial Department of Agriculture during the period 1898
to 1907, includes a short historical account of the sugar-cane
experiments since 1884. It briefly sets forth the various
efforts that have been made to improve and develop agri-

besides dealing

culture at Barbados from 1886 to 1907. here is also
a general acconnt of agricultural education in the primary

and secondary schools of the island. The report, which is
illustrated with a number of reproductions of photographs,
is Similar in style to the Botanic Station Reports for 1906-7
issued by the Imperial Department of Agriculture.

The sugarcane experiments at Barbados commenced in
1884, when ten varieties of cane were received from Jamaica.
Local varieties were also included in the trials, together with
nine kinds of cane from British Guiana. The raising of canes
from seed commenced in 1889, and since then the production
of seedling canes and the testing of their economic value have
formed a large portion of the work of the Agricultural and
Botanical Departments.

An account is also given of the establishment and snbse-
quent conduct of the manurial experiments with the sugar-cane
at different stations im the island. These experiments have
carried on under uniform conditions since the 1892-4
and the average results are briefly set out in the

been
season,
report.

Since 1898, the sugar-cane experiments have been car
ried out under the direction of the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, and with the increased funds available, it has
been possible to greatly develop and extend the scope of the
work. ‘The young seedling canes are raised in an irrigated
field at Dodds Station, and the more promising of these are
distributed throughout the island for trial under estate condi-
tions. 1898, nearly 30,000 canes have raised
from seed, and ave in various stages of the process of testing.
As is well known a number of canes have shown
improved sngar-yielding power, together with an increased
capacity resistance as compared with the parent
varieties, and are being planted over increasing areas each
year in the island, It is hoped that the experiments,
started in 1904, in which seedlings are raisel by means of
cross-pollination, effected by hand, and in which the parent
plant on each side is known, may be the means of more
surely and rapidly producing improved varieties.

The manurisl trials, started at Dodds, have
continued by the Department, and in addition, other manu-
rial trials have been conducted on typical black- and red-soil
estates, through the kind co-operation of owners and atterneys.

Details are given of the establishment and progress of
the cotton industry at Barbados. Some 16 acres were grown
experimentally in 1902. As the result of the visit made by
Sir Daniel Morris and Mr. J. R. Bovell to the Sea Islands of

Since been
these

for discase

been

THE

Carolina in the following year, a large quantity of the best
Sea Island cotton seed was purchased for use in the West
Indies, and in the 1903 season, the cotton area of Barbados
increased to 800 acres, while the total value of the exports of
lint and seed from the island was £13,443. ‘The progress
has been rapid and continuous and the cultivation of cotton
has proved a valuable adjunct to the sugar industry. In
1906-7 an areca of 5,000 areas was planted with this crop,
while the total value of the cotton exports was estimated at
£76,376. The cotton industry is one which, since its incep-
tion, has received special help and encouragement from the
Imperial Department of Agriculture, while the assistance
given by the British Cotton-growing Association in loaning
machinery in the first instance, and in providing for the
services of a Travelling Inspector in connexion with Cotton
investigations has been of the greatest value.

The efforts made to encourage other subsidiary agri-
cultural industries at Barbados are also referred to in the

report. Considerable attention was given to banana produe-
tion in the island, with the object of establishing an export
trade to England in this fruit. The exports increased from

18 bunches in 1902 to over 40,000 bunches in 1905. Ditt-
enlties of shipment arose in the following year, however,
owing to lack of room in cold storage, and the trade

unfortunately declined.

The experimental cultivation of onions, various legumin-
ous crops, ete., was also instituted by the Imperial Department
with the object of furthering the agricultural interests of the
island, while funds have been provided for holding local
Agricultural Shows for peasant and small proprietors. —

It will also be seen from the report that agricultural

education at Barbados has been furthered by the provision
of a Lecturer in Agricultural Science, whose whole time has
‘en devoted to teaching Natural and Agricultural Science,
by Agric ee Exhibitions tenable for two years at Harrison
( ‘ollege, by lectures to Elementary School teachers, by gifts
to E lementary Schools, and by prizes for school children at
the local Agricultural Exhibitions held every year under the
auspices of the Department.

RICK DRYING IN BRITISH GUIANA.
The drying of paddy rice is an important opera-
tion, as if this is not properly carried out the grain will
be soft, and will be more or less damaged in the subse-
quent process of hulling, which naturally depreciates
the market value of the product

Until recently, almost the whole rice crop of British
Guiana was dried in the sun, but the unfavourable weather
conditions which prevailed in the 1907 season warned

producers that this method was not to be relicd upon at all
times, and the Demerara Argosy states that, during the past
year, a number of drying machines, have been laid down in
the colony.

One of these machines to which special reference is made,
is known as the ‘ Worrell ’ and has been adopted on
an estate at Mahaica creek. The essential part of this
machine consists of a hollow cylinder, inclined at
a certain degree. The paddy is led into this ade which
revolves rapidly, and keeps the grain in motion by the aid
of a simple internal mechanism. Heat is supplied by a fur-
nace beneath the cylinder, and by an exhaust fan
a current of hot air is kept up, through which the rice passes,
and by means of which it is dried as it drops from the cylinder.
It is said that from 100 to 120 bags ean be treated in twenty-
four hours by the ‘Worrell’ drier.

drier,

steel

means of

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS NoveMBer 28, 1908..

THE MAHOGANY AND ITS SUBSTITUTES.

Mahogany timber has always been regarded as one
of the most valuable and useful among the products of
the tropical forest. The general mahogany ofeommerce
is the produce of the tree Swietenia Mahagoni, so well
Known in the West Indian Islands. ‘This tree 1s
indigenous to the West Indies,
Central America, and to the West Coast of Africa. It
belongs to the natural order Meliaceae, which also
includes several other trees, the woods of which are
often used as substitutes for the produce of Swietenia
Mahagoni. The history and characteristics of the
various mahogany trees and the timbers yielded by
them lately formed the subject of two articles appear-
ing in successive numbers of the Journal of the Royal
Society of Arts. From those articles the particulars
given below have been abstracted :—

The first mention of mahogany in European books occurs
shortly after the discovery of America, from which it is evident
that the value of the timber early attracted attention.
Sir Walter Raleigh used the wood in 1597 for repairing his
ships at Trinidad. Some doubt occurs as to the date of the

first introduction of mahogany into England, but, according to~

it became an article of commerce in that
country about 1724. ‘Spanish mahogany,’ which forms the
most superior kinds of these timbers, is the produce of Cuba,
Hayti, and San Domingo, and these kinds have a prestige over
all others on the European market. A good deal of mahogany
is imported into Great Britain from British Honduras ; this is
frequently known as ‘bay-wood’ (an abbreviation — of
* Honduras bay ’).

the best accounts,

The precise period which a mahogany tree takes to
attain full growth is not accurately known, but it 1s estimated
that the time to arrive at maturity is probably not less than
200 years. When full-grown, the trunk is not infrequently
50 feet in hei ght, with a diameter of 12 feet.

The bark of Swvetenta Mahagoni possesses the properties
of a febrifuge, while it is mentioned that the powdered seeds
formed the basis of a cosmetic which was famous throughout
tropical America for centuries.

In British Honduras, the season for wood-cutting in the
mahogany forests commences about August. lelling contin-
ues till March, when the dry season has well set in, and the
hard. Hauling the timber to water-ways
on through March and April, and with the arrival of
rainy season in May and June, the logs are floated
the port of shipment. In Cuba the logs are cut
the year, but more particularly from October

ground is goes

the
down to
throughout
to June.

The authors of the articles in the Journals referred to
give a list of trees, the woods of which frequently serve as
substitutes for mahogany. As already mentioned, these trees
all belong to the Meliaceae. They are found growing in
various parts of India or in West Africa.

Cedrela Toona is an evergreen forest tree, the home of
which extends to Western India, to Eastern Bengal, and far
into Burmah. The this tree is red, and forms
a timber which is stated to be in no way inferior to that of
Suwictenia Mahagoni. English names for this timber are
‘Kast Indian Mahogany,’ ‘ Bastard Cedar,’ ete. Its bark
also possesses febrifugic properties, and its flowers are used
for preparing a red dye.

Another ‘mahogany,’ is the tree Sebrifuga,
Roxburgh, a native of Western and Central India, in which
country it attains enormous dimensions. It yields a bright-

wood of

Suvietenia

to the mainland of

joint action may

red, hard and durable wood,
Red Wood,’ ‘Red Cedar,’ ete.
Suwretenia Chlororylon,

known in England as ‘ Indian

This tree has a bitter bark.
Roxburgh, is a small deciduous-
forest tree of Western India, with a hard, durable, yellow wood
of fine grain, and an exquisite satin-like lustre, from which it-
takes its English name of Satin Wood.

The African mahogany is the produce of haya senegalen-
sis. Although this tree belongs to a different genus, timber-
merchants in England regard the best African “shipments as
being essentially the same as the mahogany from Central.
America, especially in structure and fibre.

Swietenia Chickrasa, Roxburgh, a lofty forest tree of
Western India, Eastern Bengal, and Burmah, yields a beauti-
fully veined, close-grained heart wood, w fea is as lustrous as
satin wood and greatly prized by cabinet makers. The bark
of this tree possesses astringent properties, while its flowers-
are used for dyeing red and yellow,

Other ‘ mahogonies ’ are Melia Azadirachta, Linn., an
Indian forest tree of fine proportions, and Melia Azedarach,
Linn. The latter is found in the West Indies. where it is
known as the ‘Barbados lilac,’ and in some places as the
‘China berry. ’

AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATION MOVE-
MENT IN GREAT BRITAIN.

A movement has recently been set on foot in Grea
Britain with the object of establishing a general austen
of co-operation among farmers throughout Engl: ind,
Scotland, and Ireland. Sir Horace Plunkett, Chairman
of the Joint Board for Co-operative Agricultural Trade,
and formerly Vice-President of the Irish Department of
Agriculture and Technical Lastruction, which has done
so much to develop co-operation in Lreland, has issued
a memorandum setting forth the scope and purpose of
this board.

The three main directions, indicated by the memorandum
in which agricultural co-operation is to be advanced, are :—
1. The organization of farmers is to be brought to
a higher level of business efficiency by the exchange of
experiences between the threé Organization ' Societies of
England, Scotland, and Tveland respectively.
The co-operative agricultural trade is to be developed
by joint action between the organized farmers of the three
countries, and

3. Negarding the agricultural interest as a whole, the
new machinery which is to be established for these two

purposes will be used, as the opportunity presents itself, for
advancing and protecting the interests of the agricultural
classes in relation to government.

Continuing his remarks in the memorandum, Sir Horace
Plunkett states that the movement will be primarily and
essentially practical in its aims; and the matters in which
usefully advance agricultural co-operative

trade fall into three main. divisions :—
1. The acquisition of farmers’ supplies of the best.
quality at the lowest price.
The marketing of agricultural produce in the most

economical manner.

3. The interchange of certain products between the
branches,

The memorandum also deals with the development in
relation to government, the value of organization being
insisted upon as a means of strengthening ‘the position and
influence of the agricultural interest in its relation to local
administration and government,

“Wairn, \WALIG THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS 383

PROPOSED AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL
FOR BRITISH GUIANA.

At a meeting of the British Guiana Court. of
Policy on November 2, the Hon. C. P. Gaskin, member
tor New Amsterdam, brought forward the following
motion which was carried without a division : —

Whereas the need has arisen for the establishment of an
Agricultural School in this colony on the same lines and
principles as the schools established by the Imperial Depart-
ment of Agriculture in several of the West Indian Islands,
be it resolved that his Excellency the Governor be pleased
to appoint a commission to engnire into the feasibility
of establishing a similar school in this colony.

In supporting his resolution Mr. Gaskin referred
to the large and increasing amonnts of money that
were being spent on agricultural education in different
countries, and also pointed out the great value of
such a training to the youth of a colony whose interests
were almost entirely agricultural. Some particulars
were given of the work done at the Dominica and
St. Vincent Agricultural Schools, and of the cost of these
institutions.

POLLINATION OF TOMATOS.

The question of the pollination of tomatos has
been undergoing investigation at a number of Exneri-
ment Stations in the United States, and the results
obtained are distinctly interesting. The report on the
work done is summarized as follows in Farmers’ Bulle-

tin 317 of the United States Department of Agri-
eulture :—
As far back as 1890-1 it was found at the Cornell

Station that the amount of pollen used in fertilization of the
tomato flower had an important influence on the form and size
of the fruit produced. More recently these results have been
confirmed at the Michigan Station, where it has also been
shown that no decided advantage was gained by the cross-
pollination of varieties as compare ‘d with self pollination,
Four plants of each of six varieties were employed to determine
the effect of using varying amounts of pollen. All the flowers
on one plant of each variety were emasculated and pollinated
on one side of the stigma only. These invariably produced lop-
sided and small fruits. All the Howers on one plant of each
variety were pollinated with from one to five pollen grains.
These produced very small solid fruits, with an average
weight of about 1 0z., and having no seeds, or but one or two.
All the flowers on one plant of each variety were pollinated
with a large amount of pollen, spread all over the stigma.
These produced fruits that were smoother and heavier than
those produced from flowers that received but a small amount
of pollen. The conclusions deduced from these experiments
are that when pollen falls on one side of the stigma only,
a one-sided tomato always results, and the larger the stigma
the greater the irregularity. The amount of pollen applied
determines to a great extent the size and smoothness of the
tomato, but after applying a certain amount no further
increase can be obtained. The small, irregular tomatos
grown under glass are caused largely by insutlicient pollina-
tion.

With a view to throwing some light on the relative value
of cross and self-pollination, the blossoms of four plants of
each variety were self-pollinated, and the blossoms of eight
plants of each variety were cross-pollinated with two other
varieties. All set fruit equally well. The 265 fruits

produced from self-pollination had an average weight of 77°3
grammes. The 554 fruits produced from cross-pollination on
all six varieties had an average weight of 79°] grammes. There
was, therefore, practically no gain in the total number of
cross-pollinated fruits, but a slight gain in weight. Although
it does not appear necessary to raise several varieties for the
purpose of ecross-pollination, there is no harm in alternating
such varieties as are grown, and in some cases a possible
benefit, such as a slight increase in weight, may be obtained.
All the experiments, however, show that the setting of a good
crop of smooth, heavy fruit depends largely on the care taken
in distributing ‘the pollen.

LIVE STOCK INSURANCE.

The question of the insurance of live stock by agri-
culturists, a practice which has been increasingly
adopted in many European countries of late years, was
discussed in the Agricultural News of September 19
last (page 302), when full details were given as to the
system of mutual insurance in voguein Holland. Steps
have been taken to introduce a similar system among
live stock proprietors in South Africa.

The insurance of cattle, horses and sheep is a recognized.
economic principle among agriculturists in Denmark and
Norway, and an article in the Journal of the Board of Agri-
culture (Great Britain) for October last, contains particulars
of the system that has been adopted in those countries.

In Denmark, it appears, there are at present about 1,400
mutual live stock imsuranee societies, in which the
suffered by individuals are distributed among all the members
in proportion to the amounts for which they are insured.
One of the oldest associations was formed in 1859, and the
value of the animals (horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine)
insured in this company was £194,000. The premium for
cattle is 3 per cent. The full value of the animal is paid in
case of death, and compensation is also given in case of severe
injury.

There is another Danish mutual
patronised by owners and large farmers,
amount insured in this company was £1,546,000, together
with special insurances to the amount of £526,000. The
expenses of administration of this company are stated to be at
the rate of about 1d. for every £5 insured. The premiums
are low, and if only one animal on a farm dies, 40 per
cent. of its value is paid to the owner. If more than one
animal dies 40 per cent. of the value of the first is paid, and
SO per cent. of the value of those that died later. About
half of the and one-sixth the total cattle in
Denmark are insured.

In Norway the principle of insurance of live
generally accepted among farmers, and large numbers of
mutual societies exist for this purpose. Some of these
associations insure horses only, others both horses and cattle ;
some compensate for the whole loss that has been sustained,
others for only part of it.

The Norwegian Department of Agriculture has prepared
a set of model rules which are recommended for the guidance
of mutual societies, but these receive no State aid. T he Depart-

losses

association chietly
and in 1906 the

horses,

stock is

ment of Agriculture. considers it inadvisable to fart
a mutual insurance society for less than 100 horses and 200 to

300 cattle. It is recommended that the maximum swmus for
which horses and cattle can beinsured should be £55 and £14
In order to ensure the careful treatment of
it is further recommended that compensation
but that the insurer

respectively.
insured animals,
be not paid in full for losses,
a small part of the risk.

take

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. November 28, 1908.

MARKET .REPORTS.

London,—November 10, 1908, Tae West Inpra Com-

MITTER CirncuLAR; Messrs. Kuarron Preer & Co.,
October 27, 1908, Messrs. E. A. DE Pass & Co.,
October 30, 1908.

Arrowroot—Quiet ; 1d. to 2d. per tb.

Barata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2 D5 ; block, 1/74 to L/S.

BEES ’-wax-— Good quality, 4 £7 10s. to &; 17s. 6d. per ewt.

Cacao—Trinidad, 55 - to 72/- per ewt.; Grenada, 48)- to
57/- per ewt.

CorrEE—Santos, 246s. to 24s. 45d. per ewt. ; Jamaica, no
quotations.

Corra—West Indian, £18 10s. per ton.

Corron—St. Vincent, 14/. to 16d., and St. Kitt’s 13d. to
14$d.; West Indian, Sea Island, good medium to
medium fine, no quotations.

Frorr-

Bananas—Jamaica, 46 to 6/- per bunch.
Liwes-—Not wanted

Pine-aprLtes—St. Michael, 2/- to 4/6.
Grave Frure—1e/- to 12/- per box
ORANGES —Jamaica, 7/6 to 9/6 per box.

Fostic—£3 to £4 per ton.

GINGER— Quiet.

Honey— Darkish, 22s. 6d. per ewt.

fsrnGuass— West India lump, 1/4 to 24 per th.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 10d. to 1/2 2 per gallon ; concentyr: ited,
£15 15s. to £16 per cask of 108 gallons; distilled oil,
1/9 per tb.; hand-pressed, 4/6 to d,- per Th.

Loc woonv— £3 to £4 5s. per ton; roots, no quotat ions.

Mace—Steady.

NotmMecs—Qiuiet.

Pimenro—Quiet.

tum—Jamaica, 3/4 Demerara. Is. 3d. to 1s 65d. prof.
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 15/6 to 16/9 per ewt.; Muscovado, 14/3;
Syrup, no quotations ; Molass’s, no quotations.

New York, November 13, 1908.—Messrs. GILLEsrre,

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 12kc. to 3c. ; Grenada, 11sec. to 12he. ;
Trinidad, 12}c. to Ue. ; Jamaica, 9pe. to Lose. per Th.

Cocoa-nuts— Jamaica, select, 25-00 ; culls, 815-00; Trini.
dad, $25-00 ; culls, $1400 per M.

Corre Jamaica, ordinary, Te. to The.; good ordinary, 8c.
to 8he.; washed, 9c. to L1de. per Tb.

GInGer—L0e. to 13ic. per Ib.

Goat Sxis—Jaimaiea, d3e.; Antigua and Barbados, froi
49c. to dle. ; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Iitt’s, 46c,
to 48c. per tb., dry flint.

Grave Frere—Jamaica, 82°50 to $450 per barrel.

Limes— No quotations. Market over-stocked.

Macr—29%e. to Sle. per Ih

Nort 110’s, Dhe. per Ih.

ARAN Jamaica ; $400 to 85-00 per barrel ; S1:75 to
$2-25 per box.

Pinentro—4e. per lb.

SctGar—Centrifugals, 96°, 6°94. ; Museovados, 89°, 3:44e, ;
Molasses, 89°, 8°19e. per Tb., duty paid

t

INTER-COLONIAL MARKEBETS.

Barbados, Messrs. James A. Lyxcu & Co., November 16,
1908 ; Messrs. Leacock & Co., November 21, 1908 :
Messrs. T. S. Garraway & Co., November 23, 1908.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, 4°00 to S4°50 per 100 tb.

Cacao— Dominica and St. Lucia, $1200 to 813-00 per 100 th.

Cocoa-NutTsS—S13-00 for unhusked nuts.

Corree—Jamaica and ordinary Rio, S9°00 to S10°50 per
100 Th.

Hay—$1°20 per 100 th.

Manvures—Nitrate of soda, $62°00 to $65°00; Ohlendortt’s-
dissolved guano, $55200 ; Cotton manure, $42°00 ; Ca 38 10
manure, 42°00 to $4800 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $
to $75°00 ; Sulphate of potash, 867-00 per ton.

Moras No qc tations.

OnrIONS—Strings, $2°50 to $2°75 ; loose, $2°00 per 100 th.

Poratos—Novya Scotia, S180 to $2-00 per 160 th.

Peas—Split, $640 per bag of 210 Th.; Canada, $3°50 per
hag of 120 Th.

Rick—Ballam, $5°75 (180 tb.); Patna, $3°50, Rangoon,
$3-00 to $3-L0 per 100 th. z

Sucar—No quotations.

British Guiana,— Messrs. Wirerine & Ricnrer, November
14, 1908 ; Messrs. SanpBacu, Parker & Co.,
November 14, 1908.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, 89°00 per 200 Tb.

Baxtatra—Venezuela block 52c. ; Demerara sheet 48c. per
th.

Cacao—Native 16c. to 18. per tb.

Cassava—60ec. to 80c.

Cassava Starcu—Sd°00 to 86°00 per barrel of 196 tb.

Cocoa-NvtTs—S$12°00 to SL6-00 per M.

Co¥rFEE—Creole 12c. to 13c. ; Jamaicn 12e. perv {b., slow.

Drat—$4°80 per bag of 168 th.

Eppos—S1-00 per barrel.

Mo .asses— No SOC ons

Ontons—Madeira, 2}¢. to 25 ; per tb.

PLantarns—10e. to 24e. per rata

Poratros— Nova Seotia, $2°25 per LOO th.

Poraros—Sweet, Barbados, S1*20 per bag.

Rice—Ballam, $6:00 to 86°25; Creole, 54°60 to S4°75;
Seeta, S6°00,

Spire Peas—S$7 ‘00 per bag (210 th.); Lisbon, no quotations.

Tanntas—S1°44 per |

Yams—White, $2°16 ; Buck, $3°24 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2715 to 32°25; Yellow, $2°80 to
$3-20; White, $3:50 to $3-70 ; Molasses, $2-00 to $210
per LOO th. (retail.

Timber—Greenheart, , per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES 7) per M.

Corpwoop—S2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

Trinidad,— November 14, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT
& Co.
Cacao—Venezuelan, $12°25 to $12°50 per fanega ; Trinidad,
$12°25 to $12°75.
Cocoa-NUTS no quotations.
Cocoa-Nvv Or —Gbe. per Lnperial gallon, cask meluded,
Corver—Venezuelan, Ste. per th.
Corpra—S3-00 to S3°10 per 100 th.
Ditat— $450 to $4°60 per 2-bushel bag.
ONtONS—SL50 to S160 per LOO th. (retail).
Poratos—HMnelish, $1°25 to S150 per LOO Tb.
Rice— Yellow, 85°40 to $5°75; White, 84°50 to $480 per bag.
Sprit Peas —S6°25 to $6°50 per bag.
Sucar—American crushed, $9°00 to 85°10 per LOO th,

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Vou. VII. No. 172.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

November 28, 1908.

AR Ei

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Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure

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NOTICE.

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This animal, which is in perfect condition is considered
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The price is £20, delivered f.o.b. at St. Vincent. The
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original cost was over £60. Inspection invited.

(Sgd.) ROBERT S. EARL,
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DEC 26 1908

iD

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iN

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES
Vor. Vill Now lina: BARBADOS, DECEMBER 12, 1908. | "phe ld.

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Atmospheric Nitrogen and
the Manufacture of

Calcium Cyanamide... 3!

Beet Sugar Production in
Europe

British Guiana Industrial

School...

Broom Corn at Dominica... 39%

Cacao Experiment Plots at
St. Lucia
Cotton Notes :—
Cotton Growing at

Antigua, Address on 3$
Cotton inthe Sea Islands 3

West Indian Cotton
Departmental Reports :
British Guiana: Board of

Agriculture, 1907-8 ... 3$

St. Lucia : Botanic

Station, etc., 1907-8... 3%

Department News sat
Electricity and the Growth
of Crops
Gleaninospe ee scumte eee
Harrison College, Barbados,
Agricultural Science

Exhibitions at

Jamaica, Botanical Expedi-

tion to... eon teas
Leguminous Crops and
Soil nprovement
Maize Breeding in the
United States
Manganese in Subsoil
Water...

that is

|

PAGE.

Market Reports

Notes and Comments

Nyassaland, Agriculture
in

| Orange Trade in Spain ...

| Para Rubber Seed,

Germinating Capacity

of eee eee wae sae
Phosphates in the Soil ...
Pipe Calabash at St. Lucia
Renovating Worn-out

Land...

| Rice Report from British

Guranaee os
Rubber at St. Lucia

St. Lucia, Fruit at... .:.
St. Vincent, Agriculture
at ACO wbod! yaaa: “ooo
Seeds, Rapid Germination
of Reo Late
Students’ Corner
Sugar Industry :—
(Jueensland’s Sugar
Ihetelbtsiny7, Gos Gao sage
Sugar-cane Experiments
in British Guiana
Superphosphate and
Basiceislagers 2.) ssc
Tobacco, World’s ¢ Jutput
of eee eee eee .
Trmidad Agricultural
Department

| Trinidad, Crown Lands at

B99

West Indian Products ...

Superphosphate and Basic Slag.

. 400

eat)

wool

388

B94
391
S5Y

594

395

39S

3588

3595

. ove

. 395

386

DBS6

B85

Soe

3935
392

399

MONG the phosphatic manures at the dis-
posal of the planter, by means of which he
may return to the soil the phosphoric acid

withdrawn in more or less quantity in the

production of various agricultural crops, the chief are

superphosphate and basic. slag.

Other

manures

that

form sources of the necessary phosphates are dissolved

bones, bone meal, and the various guanos.

Both superphosphate and basic slag consist of
phosphoric acid in combination with lime (calcium
oxide). It is well known, however, that, the two con-
stituents are combined in very ditferent proportions in
the two manures, and that as a result they possess
somewhat ditferent properties.

Superphosphate is prepared from insoluble mineral
As
aresult the tribasic calcium phosphate (three propor-

phosphates by treatment with sulphuric acid.

tions of lime to one of phosphoric acid) is converted
into soluble monobasic calcium phosphate (one propor-
tion of lime to one of phosphoric acid). Commercial
superphosphate is thus a mixture of the soluble calcium
phosphate with phosphoric acid, together with gypsum
(calcium sulphate), and various impurities derived from
the original mineral. It will be seen that the mannre
necessarily contains an excess of phosphoric acid. Ordin-
ary superphosphate will contain about 26 per cent.

)

of water-soluble phosphates, together with 2-3 per

cent. of undissolved phosphate.

Basic slag is a by-product obtained in the conver-
sion of iron into steel, and the phosphoric acid of this
manure originally existed in combination with iron in
the ore. Basic slag varies considerably in quality, but
the phosphoric acid present is usually equal to from
35 to 40 per cent. of tribasic calcium phosphate. The
phosphoric acid does not exist in this latter form,
however, being combined with a larger proportion of
lime in the form of tetracalcic phosphate, 1.e., a phos-
phate containing four proportions of lime to one

proportion of phosphoric acid. This tetracalcic phos-

386

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

December 12, 1908.

phate is more soluble than the tricalcic phosphate, and
consequently is more active.

In deciding which manure to use when an applica-
tion of phosphates is necessary the planter is naturally
guided by the nature of the soil, and the kind of crop
that is to be grown. The phosphates are present in
larger proportion, and in a more readily available form
in superphosphate than in basic slag, and, speaking
generally, it may be assumed that the former is likely
to prove more suitable on the majority of cultivated
lands, and more especiaily where rapid etfect is wanted.
It is naturally to be preferred on calcareous or chalky
soils, such as those of Barbados. As a
phosphatic food for plants, it may be said that no manure
is more reliable and certain in its results than super-
phosphate. This manure, however, should not be mixed

source of

with nitrate of soda previous to application, since not
only does such a mixture result in the loss of more or less
nitrogen, but the mass is apt to become sticky, and
difficult to distribute.

A good superphosphate should be a fairly dry,
friable powder, and should not readily become wet and
sticky.
the high grades of the manure than with lower grades,
andarises from the fact that an excess of sulphurie acid

This tendency to stickiness is more common in

has been used in the manufacture, in order to disssulve
as much of the phospnate as possible.

It is frequently stated that acid superphosphates
have a tendency to make land sour, particularly heavy
land. The best way to counteract this is by giving an
It has been calculated
that 1 cwt. of lime per acre is more than suttcient to

correct the acidity of any reasonable dressing of super-

oceasional dressing of lime.

phosphate, so that if an average dressing of lime is

given at periodic intervals, no fears need be
entertained as to the souring effect of applications
of superphosphate. It may further be mentioned that
on many soils, particularly clays and sands, occasional
applications of lime have an excellent. effect in increas-
ing the result of subsequent dressings of superphos-

phate.

Basic slag is especially suitable for use on heavy
clays, and on peaty and acid soils, as well as on land
containing much organic matter, probably because on
such soils the large proportion of lime this manure con-
It is
generally preferable to superphosphate in manuring

tains exercises a greater effect than on others.

grass land and fruit trees. It may be pointed out, too,

that it has also been used, with very remunerative

results, in combination with nitrogen and potash, and
also with potash alone, for mannring cacao at Dominica.

It is generally assumed that 5 ewt. of slag
equivalent in effect to 3. ewt. - of superphosphate,
a good deal depends on the fineness of grinding of the
The manure
should be ground so finely that from 70 to 90 per cent.
will pass through a sieve having 10,000 meshes to the
square inch, and, in many cases, even finer grinding
than this can be obtained.

are

but

slag, which isa very important factor.

It is probably generally understood that basic slag
should never be mixed with sulphate of ammonia,
since the excess of lime causes free ammonia to-be
given off, and there is consequently a considerable waste
of nitrogen.

Queensiand’s Sugar Industry.
The Americun Sugar Industry of October last
contained the following note on sugar production im
Queensland and other Australian colonies ; —

Qeeensland has a bright future ahead for its sugar
industry, as the crop of last year (1907-8), carried throueh
almost entirely on white labour, was a record one. The
Government statistician says that the output was a record for
the State, due to the very high saccharine contents of the cane
cut, especially at Ingham Mourilyan, Ayr,and Mackay. The
area cultivated was 126,810 acres, of which 94,384 acres were
crushed. ‘The yield of cane was 1,665,028 tons, and of sugar
188,307 tons. The acreage under cane was 6,474 acres less
than in 1906.

Tt is interesting to note, in view of these figures, that
the sagar consumption of the commonwealth of Australia
is put down at 191,416 tons, and of New Zealand 42,673 tons,
In addition to Queensland, New South Wales Jast year
produced 72,873 tons, Victoria 53,437 tons, South Australia
7,486 tons, Western Australia 12,754 tons, and Tasmania

]
7,323 tons.

’

Sugar-cane Experiments in British Guiana.

A report on the cultivation of varieties of sugar-
cane in British Guiana during the two crop seasons of
the year ended December 31, 1907, has lately been
issued by the Director of Science and Agriculture of
the colony, on behalf of the Sugarcane Experiments
Committee of the Board of Agriculture. hirty-one of
the plantations which earned on trials on a large seale
with varieties of cane placed their results at the disposal
of the Board of Agriculture. In the following table
these results are set out, showing the acreage occupied
with certain varieties of canes during 1907-8, and the

Nova Villee No: 173.

THE. AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 387

mean yield of sugar given per acre, taking all the
experiments, both with plant canes and ratoons, into
consideration :— ;

Mean return of

Variety. jAereage occupied. ‘sugar. per acre |

| in tons.

D. 130 | 19 2:30 |
B. 109 137 1°83
{Green Transparent! 137 1°83
D. 625 | 4,508 172
B. 208 2,786 1-72
D. 145 | 1,662 | 1-72
IDS WS H 116 1:67
ID)” Mes) | 19 161
1D ING 45 159
Sealy Seedling 126 1°58
D. 109 | 7,43 1:56
Bourbon | 15,2719 I\ei5)5}
White Transparent} 89s | 1-40
| B. 147 1,103 1-40
D. 74 123 1:33

1D) G53 1123 | sity

It will be seen that the greatest diversity existed as
regards the areas planted with the different varieties of
sugar-cane. Further, while only four experiments are
recorded with sume canes (as D. 74 and D. 130, for example),
other varieties were under trial in from thirty to over fifty
experiments during the year.

The figures given under the heading ‘mean return of
sugar per acre’ are not simple averages obtained as the
result of dividing the actual total yield of sugar given by
a particular variety of cane by the acreage planted with
this cane, but are arrived at in the following manner :
In the case of a given variety, the average yields of sugar per
acre, in every experiment, both with plants and_ ratoons,
carried out with that cane, are taken, and the average of all
these averages represents the’ ‘mean return per acre.’
Professor Harrison expresses the opinion that these mean
returns are more reliable guides to the relative general value
of the varieties than are the simple averages.

A second table given in the report shows the number of
plantations on which the different varieties were cultivated
during the year, and also indicates the number of cases in
which a given cane gave the highest or second highest yield
of sugar per acre on the plantation.

D. 109 was planted on twenty-six estates, giving the
highest yield in three cases, and the second highest yield on
three other estates. The Bourbon, cultivated on twenty-five
estates, gave the best return in only two cases, while it came
second in four instances. D. 625 did best of all ; it was culti-
vated on twenty-four estates, coming out first in ten instances,
and giving the second highest return in ten other cases.
D. 145 was grown on seventeen plantations, giving the best
yield on the estates in three cases, and coming second in four
instances. B. 208 and B..147 were cultivated on twelve and
on fifteen estates respectively. Both canes were first, as regards
return of sugar given, on three estates, and in one instance
each they came second.

The experiments indicate that many varieties of sugar-
cane can be relied upon in British Guiana to give yields of
sugar in quantities equal to, or greater than, those obtained
from the Bourbon, and that several varieties possess well-
marked ratooning qualities. D. 625 and D. 145 can be

safely recommended for trials on relatively heavy lands, while
B. 208 does well on lighter soils, and appears to be specially
suited for that class of land.

Certain varieties, as D. 95, D. 74, D. 78, and the
White Transparent, —show signs of falling off in their yields,
and the Committee feel that their cultivation should not be
continued exeept on land which has proved very snitable
to their growth. D. 109 showed signs of falling off in its
yield on several plantations, especially where erown as second
or third ratoons, although on other estates it wave very satis-
factory yields as plant-canes.

A later table in the report gives particulars of the
amounts of sucrose contained in the juice of the different
varieties of cane under cultivation. These figures are
averages for the past four years, and the sucrose is expressed
in pounds per gallon. They are as follows: B 208, 1-598 tb.:
1D), 95, 1-592 th. - D. 74, 1-567 th. ; D. 116, 1-493 tb. 1) Sala: 5s
1475 tb. : White Transparent, 1°452 1b): Bourbon, 1-444 Ib. 2
YD: 7S, 1-443: ; Sealy Seedling, 1°442 th. ; D. 109, 1-421 Ib.;
25, 1°414 Ib. : and B. 147, 1°413 b.

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE EXHIBITIONS
AT HARRISON COLLEGE,
BARBADOS.

In the eourse.of the speech made by the Prinei-
pal of Harrison College, Barbados (the Rev. H. A.
Dalton, D.D.), at the recent annual distribution of
prizes on December 2 last. reference was made to the
Agricultural Science Exhibitions, which until recently,
have been awarded by the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, and were tenable by pupils at the school.

Dr. Dalton pointed out that the Agricultural Science
class at Harrison College afforded the most valuable elemen-
tary scientific training to boys entering the school in those
branches of Agriculture which were most important to
Barbados and the West Indies generally. In past years the
work of the class. had been of great benefit to Barbados and
certain of the neighbouring colonies, but he was sorry to state
that, in consequence of the diminution of the funds at the
disposal of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, the
Department could no longer continue the Agricultural Science
Exhibitions.

The suspension of this assistance was a great loss to the
educational facilities of the island, and he (Dr. Dalton)
sincerely hoped that before long the matter would receive the
attention of the Legislatures of this and other colonies, and
that grants would be made for the reyival of the Agricultural
Exhibitions.

Electricity and the Growth of Crops. The
results of certain electrical experiments on the growth
of agricultural crops were referred to at the late meeting of the
British Association by Sir Oliver Lodge, Principal of Birming-
ham University. These experiments have been in progress for
three years with a number of crops, and in the case of wheat,
for instance, it was found that the electrical treatment resulted
in an increased yield of from 30 to 40 per cent. more grain
than would otherwise have been obtained. Strawberries and
fruit trees also yielded increased crops. Sir Oliver Lodge
stated that no dogmatic explanation could yet be given as to
the manner in which the electrification benefited the plant,
but the results were beyond doubt,

388

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

DecEMBER 12, 1908.

WES. SIN DIANE RO ick

RULE AES SE UiCrAa.

Considerable attention is being paid by the Agri-
cultural Department at St. Lucia to the propagation
of good varieties of different kinds of fruit. Among
these, limes take a leading place.

Evidence of the interest taken in lime planting is- given
by the fact that a total of 56,425 plants were distributed
from the Botanie Station of the island in 1907-8. This is an
increase of 19,509 as compared with the number sent out in
the previous year. [t is mentioned, too, in the Annual Neport
on the Station, that large numbers of plants have also been
raised in private nurseries.

A lime plot, established in 1905 on the land worked in
connexion with the Agricultural School, St. Lucia, is making
good progress. The orange snow scale (Chionaspis citi7)
appeared on several of the trees, but spraying with kerosene
and whale-oil soap solution proved an efficacious method of
destroying this pest.

In 1907, shipments of green limes were made to Londor
and New York. Those sent to England, it is stated, realized
a price of as much as 3s. 9d. per box of 200 fruits, while the
shipment to New York: was sold at prices rising to 14s, 2d.
per barrel of 1,200.

The Fond Deveaux estate possesses the pioneer lime
plantation of St. Lucia, and from this, the first export of
concentrated lime juice manufactured in the island was
shipped during the year. A lime factory constructed on
modern lines has lately been erected on this estate. The
juice is extracted by means of granite rollers, and concentra-
ted in wooden vats.

The orange trees at the St. Lucia Experiment Station
are coming on well, and most of them bore some fruit in the
season 1907-8.

A tree of an early variety, ‘ Parson Brown’ bore a crop
of nearly 200 oranges at four years from planting. Varieties
that have been established at the Station for some time are
Parson Brown, Whittaker, Jaffa, Washington Navel, Tardiff,
and Union. In addition four other varievies—Ruby, Pine
apple, Majorea, and Homasassa—have lately been contributed
from the Botanical Department, Trinidad.

Plants of several varieties of choice grafted mangos
have lately been introduced and planted out in the grounds
These include the ‘ Peters,’ £ Peach,’ and ‘ Gordon ’ varieties,
presented by the Trinidad Botanical Department, and which
are new to St. Lucia. Mango plants of the varieties ‘ D ’Or,’
“Reine Amelie,’ ‘ Divine,’ and ‘ Julie’ have been obtained
from the Agricultural Department at Martinique.

ORANGE TRADE IN SPAIN.

Some notes on the depressed condition of the
orange-growing industry in Spain were given in the
Agriculturai News of November 14 last (page 356).
In further reference to this subject it may be mentioned
that the latest report of the British Consul at Barce-
lona discloses no improvement in the situation, but
rather a more unsatisfactory condition than that previ-
ously described.

Valencia is the chief Spanish port from which oranges
are shipped to Great Britain, and while in 1905 the exports
to British markets reached 1,594,274 cases, they fell to
715,399 eases in 1907. ‘The freight per case of oranges from
Valencia to England or Germany averages from 1s. to Ls. 3d.

The Consul states that the 1907-8 from its
commencement at the beginning of November 1907, up to
The

output in the Spanish orange-growing provinces has coutin-

season,
the end of the same year, was altogether disastrous.

ued steadily to increase for years past, and, as previously
mentioned, this overproduction has had to compete with
large crops of fruit grown in other parts of the world.

It is not expected thai the crop will continue to increase
in future seasons. | Growers have realized that it is useless to
plant more trees under. present conditions, and with the
unremunerative returns which are now alone obtainable, they
cannot afford the generous applications of artificial manures
which have been regularly given in past years.

The British Vice-Consul at Valencia in his report for
the year 1907, also refers to the bad season which orange
growers have suttered in his particular district. At the
commencement of the season in November 1907, shipments
began on an enormous scale, and as the fruit was mostly too
unripe, disastrous prices resulted, and severe
experienced,

losses were

As mentioned in the previous article on this subject,
Spanish oranges pass through many intermediaries before
being placed on the British or other markets. Meetings of
growers and seippers have of late been frequently held to
discuss the unsatisfactory condition, and to endeavour to
suggest a remedy. In general, the concensus of opinion points
to the necessity ot developing a system of co-operation, and
to the formation of syndicates of growers which would under
take the packing, shipping, and sale of the fruit in foreign
markets There is a desire to try the experiment of selling
direct to the consumer, and thus avoid the increased expenses
caused as the result of the fruit being handled by so many

agents.

Vor, VII. No. 173. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Cacao EXPERIMENT PLOTS AT
ST. LUCIA.

Cacao forms one of the chief crops under eat
‘ment on the land worked in cotinexion with the
Sc. Lucia Agricultural School and, asin the experi-
ments carried on at Dominica, great advantage has

resulted to the cacao trees from mulching the
soll with grass, leaves, etc. In the 1906-7 season,

it is mentioned that two applications of grass: were
made, one in October and a second in January.
Altogether, about 18 tons of grass were applied to
a plot 1 acre in extent. As a result, there was
a very noticeable improvement in the vigour of the trees,
which passed through the dry season in much_ better
condition than in previous years, dropping their leaves
more gradually, and remaining practically free from
fungoid and insect troubles.
In further reference to work with cacao at the
Agricultural School, the latest Annual Report—that
tor 1907-8—contains the following :—

The improvement shown by the cacao on one plot as the
result of mulching, reported upon last year, has been
maintained. During the year, the plot was cutlassed in
May, and mulched with grass in July, cutlassed again and
mulched in October, but owing to a heavy flood on October 19,
which washed off all the mulch and fine surface .mould, the
plot had to be re-muleched again, as it was necessary to
provide immediate protection to the surface roots of the
trees which had been exposed. A third cutlassing was given
din February.

The trees are six and a half years old, and from the time
they commenced to bear in 1906 up to the end of July 1908,
have yielded in dry cacao and its equivalent as seed, a total
of 306 lb., of which 2594 tb. were obtained during the period
from April 1907 to June 1908. The total yield to date
would have been much greater had the development of the
trees been more uniform. Ina portion of the plot the soil
is very heavy, and as the result the development of the trees
in this part has been retarded.

A second plot, 14 acres in extent, was weeded in May,

August, Oc gage and Fel ruary ; the drains were cleaned,
and the more backward trees manured with bone meal and
dry blood. The trees were pruned, and fruits removed
from several of them which were fruiting at two and a half
years from the date of planting.
There are welcome indications of a growing interest in
the practice of mulching as a means of maintaining and
increasing the fertility, and improving the physical condition
of the soil in cacao orchards. The mulched plot at this
station has‘ been visited by several local planters, and
information respecting the methods adopted has been sought
and given. Mulching is now being tried on several large
cacao properties, and the practice is likely to be extended,
with beneficial results.

Plants have been prepared in bamboo pots for use as
stocks on which to work grafts from some of the best cacao
trees at the station, and several grafted pli wuts which have
already been raised will be planted out in one of the new
plots. “We have atree of the Alligator cacao (Theobroma
pentagona) from which grafts will be worked on Forastero
and Calabacillo stocks.

Four plants of Vheobroma angustifolia were received
from the Superintendent of the Trinidad Botanical Depart-
ment. Three of them have grown well and will be tried as
stocks for grafting purposes.

PIPE CALABASH AT ST. LUCIA.

Several references to the cultivation of the African
Pipe Calabash (Lagenaria vulgaris) have poet made in
past numbers of the Agricultural News (see Vol. VII,
pp. 125 and 269). Seeds of tais plant were some time
ago obtained from South Africa by the Imperial Com-
missioner of Agriculture and distributed to Botanic
Stations in the West Indies. The Curator of the
St. Lucia Botanic Station makes the following reference
in regard to the seeds received. by him :—

Two seeds of the African Calabash Pipe Gourd (Layena-
ria vulgaris), received from the Imperial Commissioner of
Agriculture, Were sown on arrival, and one plant was set
out near an old ¢ompost heap, where it grew it Of the fruits
that formed, forty came to maturity. The vines commenced
flowering in Decembe vv, and the fruits ripened in the following
April as the vine was drying up. All the fruits that rested
on the ground acquired crooked necks, while those suspended

‘fromsupports remained straight, as would be expected. A plen-

tiful supply of seeds was obtained, and they have been widely
distributed in the island, and to other Botanic Stations.

LEGUMINOUS PLANTS AND SOIL
IMPROVEMENT.

The attenvion of planters at Grenada is drawn to
the value of leguminous plants as agents for soil
improvement in cacao and other plantations, in an
article Agriculture and the Nitrogen Problem, that
appears in the Grenada Bulletin of Miscellaneous
Information for October last :—

The article is written by the Agricultural Superintendent
of the island, and in the course of it, Mr. Anstead refers to
the large number of leguminous plants, many of them being
wild, which exist in Grenada. In addition to the well-known
examples, suchas the different varieties of peas and beans, other
members of the Leguminosae which occur frequently in these
islands are Crotolaria, Phaseoleus, Indigo, ground nuts, ane
the ‘sensitive plant’ (J/imosa pudica), while among the trees
are the Immortel, Flamboyant, Cassia, Saman, and Logwood.
All these plants and trees are a means of enriching the soal
in which they grow, by the stores of nitrogen assimilated
from the atmosphere by the bacteria associated with their
rootlets.

It is pointed out that if, instead of allowing ordinary
weeds to grow in cacao plantations, the soil were sown
with some leguminous crop, and this crop when full-grown

turned into the soil, and a fresh supply of seed sown,
a dressing of nitrogen in a readily available form, and at

little expense, would every time be given to the cacao crop.

The best species of plant to grow for this purpose has
yet to be decided by experiment. Woolly pyrol, pigeon peas,
and different varieties of cowpeas are all easily grown, but
some of the wild plants, such as Crotolaria are worth a. trial,
while the horse or sword bean (Canavalia ensiformis) (also
known in Grenada as the ‘Over-look bean ’) gives a heavy top
growth and plenty of green material to supply humus.
In the ease of old cacao which have
thickly covered-in, it is of course difficult to get any
grow in the dense shade so formed. With cacao in younger
stages, however, it is at least worth while to make a prelimi-
nary trial in this direction, and it should be remembered that
wherever flourish, a leguminous crop of some kind
would also grow.

trees become

crop to

weeds

aI0

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

DeEcEMBER 12, 1908.

= ai}

\ \COTTON NOTES./_
Od TA ee (3

WEST INDIAN COTTON.
Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date of November 28, with refer-
ence to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton :—

Rather more business has been done in West Indian Sea
Islands our last report, and prices are rather
in buyers favour. The sales, about 350 bales, include
90 Antigua at 13d. to 133d., 130 Barbados, chiefly at 133d.
to 14d., and 100 St. Vincent at 14d. to 152d.

The market for American Sea Islands remains steady,
bunt there is a large quantity of old crop cotton still in
Charleston unsold, and this has a depressing effect on the
market for West Indian.

since

ADDRESS ON COTTON GROWING AT
ANTIGUA.

At a meeting of the Antigua Agricultural and
Commercial Society, the Hon. E. St.John Branch,
Colonial Secretary of the Leeward Islands, gave an
address on the subject of the late Lancashire Cotton
Conference.

In giving an account of the chief points discussed at the
Conference, the speaker necessarily brought forward a consider-
able amount of information that has already appeared in the
Agricultural News (see A.V. of October 3 last, p. 310, and
October 17 last, page 321), and therefore in the following
summary only those points new to readers are touched
upon :

Mr. Branch pointed out that one result of the Conference
had been to bring atout a very satisfactory relationship
between West Indian growers and Lancashire spinners, Both
parties had come to recognize that their interests were largely
identical, and it was clear that the Lancashire spinners were
willing to go somewhat outside of the narrow laws of supply
and demand to help West Indian planters to develop
a successful cotton-growing industry.

Figures were brought forward at the Conference show-
ing the quantities and values of the different grades of Sea
Island cotton produced in America and the West Indies. The
average Sea Island cotton crop of the world amounts to some
Of this, from 10,000 to 12,000
bales are grown in the Sea Islands themselves. Above 4,000
bales of the Islands crop ave of the very best quality, and
command the highest prices ‘This known as
‘planters crop lots,’ and, on the figures of last season, was
worth from ls. dd. to 1s. 8. per Ib. The remaining 8,000
baies are known as ‘Graded Islands’, and on last year’s
market commanded prices of from 1s. 2}d. to 1s. 3d. per Ib.
The greater part of the West Indian cotton erop, which in
1907-8 amounted to some 7,500 bales, compares more nearly

95,000 bales per anniun,

cotton 1s

with the ‘Graded Islands’, than to any other quality grown
in America. About 1,500 bales of the West Indian produce,
however, are equal to the Islands’ ‘crop lots.’ This finer
cotton comes chietly from St. Vincent.

The soil and climatic conditions largely determined the
quality of cotton produced in the different West Indian
Islands. he type grown at Antigua was naturally similar
to the ‘ Graded Islands,’ and it was in the interest of
planters to continue to grow this type for which, in normal
years, a good demand exists that is not likely to be over-
taken by the supply. The Florida grade of cotton is slightly
than ‘ Graded Islands,’ and for this also there is
a good demand. Last year the value of Florida cotton of
the best quality, was about Is. 2d. per Ib. Some 1,000
bales of the West Indian cotton are very similar to the
Florida product. If, in deciding on the grade of cotton te be
grown, they had to choose between sacrificing length or
sacrificing strength, they should certainly give up length.

coarser

Dealing with the prospects of the industry in the future,
Mr. Branch pointed out that cotton growing should pay
sufficiently wellin the West Indies if a yield of 200 Ib. of lint
per acre, equal in quality to ‘ Graded Islands,” or even to
Florida cotton, could be obtained. To secure this yield,
careful seed selection was imperative, and the most approved
methods of cultivation must also be followed.

Taking the matter as a whole, it must be admitted that
cotton growing in Antigua is, as an industry, only in the
experimental stage ; and while it would be perhaps unwise
for a man to put his all into the business at the present time,
yet there can be no doubt of the possibility of a reasonable
profit accruing to the industrious grower.

COTTON IN THE SEA ISLANDS.

In their report, dated November 14 last, on
market conditions for cotton from the Sea Islands,
Messrs. Henry W. Frost & Co., of Charleston, write :—

There was an active demand throughout the week for
cotton from the Islands, and all the offerings of odd bags of
‘fully fine’ quality were taken at 25c., and. of ‘ fine’ quality
at 224¢e. There is also a good demand for the odd bags of
lint of fine’ staple, at
accumulation of stock, and the daily receipts are no more
than suflicient to meet the demand.

‘extra 27c. per lb. There is no

On November 21, Messrs. I’rost write :—

The good demand referred to in our last report has
been continued through the week, at the same prices. The
receipts show a falling off, compared with the corresponding
week of last yeu

Vou. VIE. ..No., 1:73.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

39F

AGRICULTURE IN NYASSALAND.

Agriculture is undergoing steady development. in
Nyassaland or! British Central Africa, and the agri-
cultural products are annually increasing in value,
These products consist chiefly of coffee, cotton, tobacco,
Strophanthus (a plant from which the drug strophan-
thine is prepared), rubber, ground nuts, chillies, and
bees’-wax.

The most notable feature in the agricultural returns
relating to the year 1907-8 is the remarkable increase in the
production of coffee. The exports in 1906-7 were 454,111 Ib.,
valued at £9,461. In 1907-8 they had increased to 780,133 bb.,
valued at £16,253. Climatic conditions were very favourable
to the crop during the year and prices have shown improve-
ment. The area under cultivation with coffee is about
6,200 acres.

Cotton is grown over considerable areas in Nyassaland,
both under European management and also on plots of land
belonging to the natives. The total area under cultivation
by Europeans in 1907-8 was 8,659 acres. On the land at
higher levels, American Upland cotton is grown, while at
lower levels the Egyptian variety is the kind cultivated. 'The
year was not favourable to cotton growing, owing to drought
in some cases, and excessive rain in others. The exports of
cotton from the afore-mentioned area were 403,486 Ib.,
valued at £13,999. The shipments were less than in the
two previous years, but this is explained by the unfavourable
climatic conditions.

Insect pests are not so much in evidence with the cotton
crop as bacterial blight or ‘Angular Leaf Spot,’ which
especially attacks the Egyptian cotton grown on the lower
levels of the country. The retum of lint obtained
acre at present is decidedly low, averaging about 125 Ib. with
the American variety grown on the higher levels, and no
more than 70 tb. per acre with the Egyptian variety. Con-
siderable attention, however, is being given to increasing the
yield and raising the quality of the product by careful seed
selection, manuring, and good cultivation.

The cotton-growing industry of the Protectorate, it is
said, is now undoubtedly established on a sound basis and
the prospects of the cultivation are good. The matives are
giving increased attention to the growing of cotton and 17
tons of seed were distributed free for the planting of the

present season.

Tea is another promising indnstry in the Nyassaland
Protectorate, where it can be produced very cheaply. Over
500 acres are under this crop, and the area is being increased
yearly. The yield for the present season is estimated at about
92 tons. In tea planting a period of from five to six years
has to elapse before any return is obtained on the capital
expended. The Nyassaland product is reported to have
improved very much in quality during the last two or three
years.

A large and increasing area (at least 2,400 acres at present)
is being brought under rubber cultivation, the chief variety
planted being the Ceara (Manihot Glaziovii), Several
plantations exist from three to four years old, and tapping
usually commences in the fifth year. During 1907-8, 1,119 Ib.
of plantation rubber were exported, as against 972 Ib. shipped
in 1906-7, and 523 Ib in 1905-6. Wild rubber was exported
in 1907-8 to the extent of 15,533 tb., valued at £3,301.

per.

A good deal of attention is also being given toa number
of fibres, ie, ramie (Boechmeria nivea), sisal hemp (Agave
rigida, var, sisalana), and Mauritius hemp (ureraea grgan-
taca). The experimental cultivation so far made with sisal
hemp has yielded very promising results, and Mauritius hemp
also seems a suitable crop for many planters. In German
Zast Africa, where the cost of labour is much greater than in
Nyassaland, sisal hemp culture is said to yield a_ profit of
at least 40 per cent., and therefore with the establishment of
suitable machinery for treating the leaves of sisal and
Mauritius hemp, it would seem that an important and profitable
industry can be established in Nyassaland. ‘The cultivation
of ranmie has not given such good results.

Ginger is another crop which it is thought will prove
profitable in.the Protectorate, and plants are being extensive-
ly propagated for distribution. The first supply of ginger
plants was received from Kew in 1901, and propagation has
been effected so far as possible from these every year sinee:
About 1,000 plants will be sent out in the coming season.

PHOSPHATES IN ,THE SOIL.

An exhaustive account of some of the changes that
phosphates in the soil undergo as the result of the
action of water and aqueous solutions upon them is
given in Bulletin 4/7 of the Bureau of Soils, United
States Department of Agriculture.

As the result of a consideration of all the work
done on the subject, the following are among the chief
conclusions arrived it :—

(1) Phosphates in the soil ave decomposed or hydrolysed
by water, with the formation of other phosphates, containing
relatively more of the base (calcium, aluminium, magne-
sium, ete.) in combination with the phosphoric acid.

(2) Neutral salts (i.e., those which are neither acid nor
alkaline) in solution usually increase the amounts both of lime
and of phosphoric acid passing into solution from a calcium
phosphate, as compared with the amounts dissolved by the
action of water alone.

(3) Solutions of lime salts and all alkaline solutions
tend to decrease the quantity of lime and phosphorie acid
dissolved from a calcium phosphate, while acid solutions
increase the amounts dissolved.

(4) Phosphates of iron and alumina in the soil are acted
on but slightly by solutions of salts which are nentral in
reaction. Salts which hydrolyse, however, giving solutions
either acid or alkaline in
sulphate or sodium phosphate respectively), increase the
amount of phosphoric acid yielded to the solution from
phosphates of iron and alumina.

(5) Since all soils contain far more basic matter than
is sufficient to combine with the phosphoric acid present, the
salts ultimately formed in practically all cases will naturally
be basic in character (i.e.,containing an excess of base), which
are the least soluble. The concentration of the soil moisture,
as regards the amount of phosphoric acid in solution, is con-
trolled by these basic phosphates.

(6) The concentration of the phosphoric acid solution
formed with the soil moisture will not be materially affected
by the addition of phosphatic fertilizers to the soil, and will
vary but little for different soils, and with the total amounts

reaction (¢@.¢., as magnesiunt

of phosphoric acid in soils.
The changes in both solution and solid which take place
during the progress of leaching superphosphates are also

deseribed.

392

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

December 12, 1908-

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados.

All applications for Copies of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Ayents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,
post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural sews

VII. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1908. No. 173.

Vou.

NOTES AND. COMMENTS:

Contents of Present Issue.

The properties of superphosphate and basic slag,
and their relative suitabilitics for different soils, are
discussed in the editorial.

Facts and figures, showing the chief results of
experiments earried out on estates in British Guiana,
during the crop seasons of 1907, with seedling and
other canes are given on pages 386-7,

Notes on fruit cultivation at St Lucia, and
the orange industry of Spain will be found on page
388.

Interesting and instructive experiments with
cacao are in progress on the plots worked in connexion
with the St. Lucia Agricultural School (page 389).

Cotton Notes (page 890) include a summary of
the chief points of an address on the Lancanshire
Cotton Conference recently delivered at Antigua by one
of the delegates. A summarized account of agricultural
conditions in British Central Africa is given on the
following page.

Remarkably successful results have attended the
maize breeding work that has been carried on at the
Illinois Experiment Station since 1896 (page 394).

On page 398 will be. found an account of the
method employed in the manufacture of calcium
cyanamide, together with other particulars in regard to
this new nitrogenous manure.

Broom Corn At Dominica.

A plot of broom corn about }-acre in extent was-
grown at the Botanic Station in 1907. The seed was
sown in July on banks 4 feet wide, and at distances of
about 2 feet inthe row. The corn grew well, and
brush commenced to form six weeks after sowing, As-
the brush emerged from its sheath, the heads were bent
over at about 3 feet from the top, since this assists in
the production of a straight compact brush. The
brushes were cut at distances of about 1 foot from the
ground, and afterward placed on shelves in a shed to-
dry. ‘The process of drying occupied about two weeks.
Cleaning followed, an ordinary curry comb being used
for drawing away the seed. Owing to unfavourable
weather the yield was small—no more than at the
rate of 224 tb. per acre.

rrr rr

Crown Lands at Trinidad.

The sales of Crown lands at Trinidad during 1907-8
are reported upon as being highly satifactory, especially
upon comparison with the figures of the previous year.
The increased demand for land is explained by the high
prices received for last year’s cacao crop, and the
improvement of means for travelling and transport as
the result of opening up new roads in the island.

Altogether, 1,157 grants of Crown. lands were
made, comprising 9,494} acres, for which £24,768 18s.
34d. were received. Of this area, 475 grants, compris-
ing 3.1864 acres, were made to East Indian immigrants.
In 1906-7, the total area granted was 8,004} acres.

In Naparima, 1,772 acres of Crown lands were
taken up in the past year, this being the highest total
acreage granted of any Ward-Union. Savana Grande
comes next with 1,364 acres, and Chaguanas third,
with grants amounting to 1,13 acres.

a

Botanical Fxpedition to Jamaica.

Dr. N. L. Britton, Direetor of the New York
Botanic Gardens, has just issued a report on his recently
completed fourth trip of botanical exploration to the
island of Jamaica. A collection of West Indian plants,
seeds, fruits, and herbarium specimens, numbering
altogether about 3,500, was made. These of course
include many duplicates.

Among the interesting plants collected were
a number of epiphytic bromelaids, belonging to the
genus Hohenbergia. About fifteen species of this genus
exist in Jamaica, but Dr. Britton states that at least
six are new to science.

A specimen of the larged-leaved little-known
Plumier’s grape-tree (Coccolobu. Plumieri) was found
in the ripe fruiting stage at Mandeville. Another
interesting plant found at Cedar Hurst, at a high
elevation, the chmbing \aroid Philodendron
tripartitum, a native of Venezuela. Many orchids
were also obtained in this neighbourhood, which is rich
in rare and ferns. A species of Dorstenia,
hitherto unknown in the Jamaica flora, was also dis-
covered in the limestone cliffs at Somerset.

Was

mosses

Vou. VII. No. 173.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. |

395

Trinidad Agricultural Department.

Subject to the approval of the Secretary of State
for the Colonies, his Excellency the Acting Governor
of Trinidad has appointed Professor P. Carmody, F.1C.,
F.GS.. to be Director of the newly organized Depart-
ment of Agriculture for the colony. This appointment
(which Professor Carmody will hold in addition to his
office as Government Analyst and Professor of Chemis-
try) will date from November 1 last.

The following previously separate Departments
have been amalgamated to constitute the new Depart-
ment of Agriculture: (1) the Government Laboratory ;
(2) the Botanic Gardens (including the Experiment
Station, Trinidad; River estate, Trinidad ; and the
Botanic Station, Vobago) ; (3) the Government Stock
Farms at Trinidad and Sobago, and (4) St. Augustine

estate.
—— ee

World’s Output of Tobacco.

The statistical returns of the United States
Department of Agriculture place the world’s tobacco
crop for 1906 at 2.201,191,000 th. Of this amount
690.429,000 th., or 31-4 per cent. of the whole, were
produced in the United States itself. British India
comes second on the list of tobacco- producing countries,
the output in 1906 being 450,000,000 tb. In past years
Russia has produced more tobacco than any other
European country, but the Russian crop fell from
214,050,000 Ib. in 1905 to 162,020,000 Ib. in 1906, with
the result that in the latter year, Austria-Hungary
headed the European list with an output of
187,253,000 th. At least 100,000,000 tb. were preduced
in Turkey, and the German crop of 1906 was
70,734,000 tb. Other producing countries are France,
Italy, and Belgium. In South America, 103,717,000 tb.
of tobacco are annually grown, more than half of which
is produced in Brazil. The Java crop reached
109,250,000 tb., and in Africa, Algeria is the first
tobacco-growing country with a yield of 11,668,000 Ib.

OOO

British Guiana Industrial School.

Cacao, coffee, and rubber form the chief crops
grown at the Onderneeming Industrial School, British
Guiana, and the agricultural teaching which the boys
at the institution receive, in connexion with the
cultivation of these and other crops should be of
considerable value to them as a means of earning
a living on their discharge.

The produce sold from the school farm in 1907-8
shows a total value of $2,548°96, while the net profit on
the working of the farm for the year was 368692.

Considerable improvements have lately been made
on the cultivated land. he coffee crop for the past
year reached 5,372 tb., compared with 3,250 tb. in
1906-7.

The weather conditions during part of the season
were unfavourable for, cacao production. }
cacao was 1,814 tb., while in 1906-7 it was 2,189 Ib. The
1908-9 crop, however, has already reached 2,445 Ib.
Hevea, Castilloa, Funtumia, and Sapium rubber trees
are under cultivation at the school. The Funtumia
plants are doing especially well.

The yield of

Rubber at St. Lucia.

Rubber plants (Castilloa, Hevea, and Funtumia)
have been raised in considerable number at St. Lucia
Botanic Station, and some estates have made experi-
mental plantings. In 1906-7, the number of rubber
plants distributed from the station was 18,167, of which,
however, only some 7,000 were planted in the istand.
In 1907-8, the total number sent out fell to 7,438, of
which only about 2,000 were distributed locally, and
the Curator states that at present there is practically
no demand for rubber plants at St. Lucia, The plant-
ings already made will continne to te kept under obser-
vation and experiment, and a good stock of plants still
exist at the Station.

A consignment of ten packages of seeds of Hevea
brasiliensis, comprising a total of 2,059, was received
from Ceylon in the past year. The seeds were packed
in charcoal dust, and were altogether about two months
in transit. Of the seeds received, 947, or about 46 per
cent., germinated, Observations on the condition of the
packages on arrival indicate that the best results were
obtained from the seeds in those tins in which, on
arrival, the charcoal dust was dry.

The Curator, in his latest Annual Report,expresses
the opinion that Castilloa rubber trees will thrive
exceedingly well in St. Lucia, if due consideration is
given to the selection of suitable soil and_ locality.

rr

Rapid Germination of Seeds.

One or two methods of treatment are known by
means of which the germination of seeds may be
accelerated in a remarkable manner, and although
this rapid germination is of no practical value, an
explanation of the: methods by which it is brought:
about may not be without interest.

If seeds are treated with chlorine water (two
drops of chlorine to 60 ee. of water) and then stood
in the sun, they will germinate completely in six hours.
The seeds must be removed from the chlorine water, and
washed, however, directly the radicle appears. Chlorine
has a decomposing effect on waterin the presence of light,
breaking it up into hydrogen and oxygen, and the
rapid germination is due to the action of the nascent
oxygen liberated by the chlorine. Hard seeds need
a preliminary soaking in water before steeping them
inchlorine solution. Alkaline substances, e.g., ammonia,
soda, ete., in highly dilute solution, also aid the process
of germination.

Another curious method consists in watering the
seeds with a solution of formic acid (1 in 5,000) at
a temperature of 25°-30° GC. This treatment dissolves
the integument, and plants which normally require
eight or ten days will germinate in as many hours,

In some experiments carried out last year in
France, and described in Le Jardin, seeds of radishes
and other Cruciferae were made to germinate in less
than eight minutes by plunging them in hot water, and
then laying them between rags soaked in boiling water
in a small flower-pot nearly filled with moist earth, and
kept at a warm temperature.

394

THE AGRICULTURAL. NEWS.

Decemper 12, 1908.

GERMINATION EXPERIMENTS WITH
PARA RUBBER SEED.

It is well known that the germinative capacity of
the seed of Hevea brasiliensis is frequently disappoit-
ing, more especially in the case of samples that have
undergone any lengthy journey in transportation from
other countries before being sown, The results of
‘experiments carried out in Ceylon to test the germinat-
ing power of various samples of Para rnbber seed should
therefore prove of interest. ese trials are described
in Circular No, 11/—Vol. LV, issucd from the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Ceylon.

The investigation yielded the very definite result that
in a few weeks the seeds lose their power of germinating.
Seeds from untapped trees failed to germinate after being
kept for three or four weeks. Seeds from trees that had
already been tapped for rubber showed a higher percentage
of germination, and somewhat better keeping properties than
those from the trees which had never undergone tapping ;
otherwise they were smaller.than the sceé’s from untapped
trees, and would presumably yield Jess oil if they were
crushed for that purpose.

MAIZE BREEDING IN THE
UNITED STATES.

“Ten Generations of Corn Breeding’ is the title of
an interesting bulletin (No. 128) lately issued by the
Illmois Agricultural Experiment Station. In this
pamphlet are brought together the results of a long
series of experiments in corn selection and breeding that
have been carried on at the Illinois Station since 1896,

A single variety only, known as ‘Illinois’ corn, was
employed at the start, and in working towards the improve-
ment of the variety, the results of chemical analysis of the
grain were adopted as the basis of seed selection. It was
found that although there is a wide variation in the chemical
composition of different ears of the same variety of corn, yet
a single ear is approximately uniform throughout in the
chemical composition of its kernels.

In carrying out these experiments in seed selection and
breeding, the officers in charge set themselves
the object of developing and fixing four separate strains
from the original variety.

In one strain selection annually continued
with the object of increasing, so far as possible, the protein
(or albuminoid) content of “the grain. In the nutrition of
man and animals protein is the most expensive of all food
constituents, and stock-breeders especially realize the value of
a food with a high protein content.

A second strain Was bred for the purpose of decreasing
so far as possible the protein content, or, in other words, to
increase the proportion of starch. This line of work was
taken up as there is a demand from the manufacturers of
starch, gum, dextrin, and alcohol for a grain rich in carbo-
hydrates, and consequently with a low proportion of protein
matter,

before

seed Was

Strains 3 and 4 of the maize were bred respectively,
for maximum and minimum content of oil, Maize oil
has now found such a wide commercial use that it has

become, pound for pound, by far the most valuable constituent
of the grain, On the other hand, there is a practical use for
acorn with a low oil content, feeding swine, for
instance, the oil in maize tends to produce a flabby quality

since in

of flesh, which is very undesirable. Theyobject of breeding
corn for a decreased oil content is |‘ therefore.apparent.

The four strains of corn under experiment were, of
course, grown every year in four separate seed-beds. No
artificial hybridization was attempted, ‘but pollination from
sources outside the particular plot was prevented, so far as
possible, by every available means. On the other hand, self-
pollination was prevented by ‘detasselling’ the plants in
alternate rows, and selecting seed only from the detasselled
maize plants.

The work reported upon in the bulletin under considera-
tion has certainly been attended with satisfactory results.
Starting with a variety of maize of average composition, it
has been found possible to increase the average protein con-
tent of strain No. 1 from 10°92 to 14:26 per cent., to decrease
the average protein content of strain No. 2 from 10-92 to
S64 per cent.; with strain No. 3 to increase the aver "age
oil content from 4° 79 to 7°37 per cent., and with strain No.
to decrease the average oil content of the grain from 4°70 ‘3
2°66 per cent. In other words, out of a single variety of
corn, two strains have been developed, of which one is now
almost twice as rich in protein as the other, and two other
strains have been developed, one of which is now nearly three
times as rich in oil as the other.

In the course of the work, variations among individual
ears were found, ranging in protein content from 6°13 per
cent. in the low protein strain to 17°79 per cent. in the high
protein strain, and in oil content from 1°60 per cent. in the
low oil strain to 8°59 per cent. in the high oil strain.

It is mentioned that selection for high protein content of
the grain is apparently accompanied by a reduction in the
total yield. In the other strains, the yiek Is for the most part
have been maintained, in spite of the rigorous selection for
the special cheniical characteristics.

RENOVATING WORN-OUT LAND.

The progress that was made during a period of three
years in building up a worn-out cotton plantation in Arkansas
into a profit ible stock ‘and forage producing farm is described
in Farmers Bulletin 326 of the United States Department of
Agriculture. ‘The cultivation of cowpeas and other legumin-
ous crops proved the chief agent in the restoration of
fertility, while careful cultivation and the application of
artificial manure assisted the work.

In 1905, the estate produced 4
bushels of corn per acre ; in 1906, anter a crop of ee AS
had been cultivated, it produced }-bale of cotton and 374
bushels ot corn per acre, and in 1907, after
lbale of cotton and 34
to the acre. Ona portion of the land, a crop of cowpeas was
grown, and 300 Ib, of mixed artificials were applied. ‘This
resulted in nearly {-bale of cotton per acre, and when cowpeas
were grown contmuously for two years, nearly 1 bale of
cotton per acre was produced.

Deep ploug] ling was practised, and the corn and cotton
were planted in rows at right angles to each other, cultivation
being carried on both ways.
rows 3 feet 6 inches apart,

-bale of cotton, and i

a second crop of

cowpeas, bushels of corm were grown

The cowpeas were grown in

From a plot one-tenth of an acre in area at the St. Kitt’s
Experiment Station, 1,650 tb. of ontéhs, of the white Permuda
variety, were obtained last season! The seed was first sown
in nursery beds, and the young seedlings were transplanted
out when about a month old.

Vou. VIT.""No! 173. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

395

STUDENTS’ CORNER.

Seasonal Notes.
DECEMBER.
Ist Fortyicur.

Note what varieties of cane are being planted : look up
and read what is said concerning them in the reports on
suyar-cane experiments issued by the Imperial Department
of Agriculture. Also ascertain from planters the peculiarities
exhibited by the different varieties of cane.

Go through the cacao plantations and examine the trees
for different diseases. Study the precautions and the remedies
against diseases given in the publications of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture.

Make a study of the various scale insects found on lime
trees. Try to learn what natural agencies keep them in
check, and learn what remedial measures may be resorted to.

Continue the search for desirable cotton trees for seed
selection. Look out for such diseases as leaf-blister mite
and black scale ; if these are discovered, try to ascertain how
and in what direction they spread.

QUESTIONS FOR

PRELIMINARY

JANDIDATES.
QUESTIONS.

(1) What do you mean by ‘light’ and ‘heavy’
respectively? Fill a measure (suc h as a kerosene tin, or
a smaller tin) with sand, then with clay, and then with mould
and other soils, and note if the ‘heavy’ or the ‘light’ soils
weigh most.

(2) What changes take place if you burn a sample of
soil 4

(3) Why is it necessary to drain certain soils? How is
the residual water necessary for plant growth retained in
a soil that is efficiently drained.

soils

INTERMEDIATE QUESTIONS.

(1) Describe the principal manures which are useful as
providing nitrogen.

(2) Discuss the question of deep ploughing in connexion
with the soil in your neighbourhood.

(3) What implements would you use for weeding and
maintaining a dust mulch ? How deep would you allow the
implement to penetrate in the case of (a) a fallow field (/)
one bearing young plant canes ?

AGRICULTURE AT ST. VINCENT.

The trade returns of St. Vincent show that the
chief exports from the island during 1907-8 were cotton
and cotton-seed (valued at £33,133), and arrowroot
(valued at £25,555). A long way below come cacao, of
which the exports for the year were valued at £4,960 ;
live stock, which were Bip ped to the value of £4,781:
muscovado sugar (£3,172), vegetables (£2,213), ground
nuts (£1,589) ), and cassava starch ( £1996), ‘The increase
in the output of cotton, and the steady advance that
has of late years been shown in the production of cacao
are the chief points worthy of note.

The Annual Report (1907-8) on St. Vincent con-
tains the following notes in reference to the agricultural
industries of the island :—

Arrowroot still holds the first place in area of cultiva-

tion, but cotton this year has overtopped it in value as
an export.

The Sea Island cotton export in 1907-8 was 388,833 Ib.,
as against 225,632 Tb. in the year previous, the area in
cultivation being 3,200 and 1,534 acres respectively.

The yield did not quite come up to the anticipations,
and planters are learning the lesson that land awst be well
selected, prepared, and manured, and the cultivation most
sernpulously cared for in all stages, if the best results are to
be obtained.

It is greatly to be hoped that some improvement. in
price will take place before the next crop sales, and as the
serious fall has been attributed to the general money distur-
bance occasioned by the recent American crisis, whereby the
demand for the extra fine goods, for which this quality of
cotton is required, has temporarily diminished, there are
reasonable expectations that the sale conditions at the end of
this year will be better.

The Central Cotton Ginnery erected in 1903-4. still
remains under the successful management of the Imperial
Department of Agriculture. The rate charged for ginning and
baling is 1d. per Ib., and the profit on the handling of the
crop amounted te about £600.

One new private ginnery has been established in
Kingstown with three gins, which has been of assistance in
handling the largely increased crop, and another, with two
gins, is at work on the leeward side of the island.

The disintegrator for crushing cotton seed has been used
to some extent, one proprietor having some 40 odd tons of
seed crushed for the purpose of manure for his cotton lands.

The sugar industry ay be said to be only just alive.
Some cultivation there must always be, for the sake of the
rum i.anufacture, and as an incentive to attract and keep
a supply of labour ; but except for an outpat from the Carib
country, where 160 odd acres have been planted with canes
by the proprietor as a first step to the restoration of the
land, the prospect of any Jarge agricultural activity in this
direction is practically nil.

On the Land Settlement Estates, matters are
ing fairly, and this year an appreciable quantity of
from the various small holdings was marketed.

progress-
cacao

RICE REPORT FROM BRITISH

GUIANA.
Messrs. Sandbach, Parker & Co., of Georgetown,
in their fortnightly report, dated November 27 last,

write as follows in reference to the present situation
as regards the rice industry in British Guiana :-—

Showery weather has prevailed during the past fortnight
and milling has been considerably retarded, deliveries of rice
to town being, in consequence, very short. The rains have
also caused some small damage to reaped paddy that is still
in the fields.

Shipments of rice to the West Indian Islands during the
fortnight 2,600 and further sales are
reported.

The price of paddy has again advanced.
very independent and will not sell except at faney prices,
taking full advantage of the present competition among the
millers to obtain all they can for their produce.

Present prices for good export quality rice, f.o.b, at
Georgetown : 18s. 6d. to 19s. per bag of 180 tb. gross, and
17s. to 17s. 6d. per bag of 164 tb. gross.

amount to bags,

Growers are

396

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

DECEMBER 12, 1908.

GLEANINGS.

Sugar shipments were made froin British Guiana in
October last to the extent of 21,703 tons. Of this quantity,
10,373 tons went to Canada, 7,233 tons. to the United
States, and 4,054 tons to the United Kingdom.

In the first nine months of 1908, the fruit exported from
Dominica (exclusive of limes) was as follows : bananas, 3,295
bunches ; cocoa-nuts, 300,23% ; oranges, 252 bairels and 701
boxes ; and a quantity of mangos valucd at £69.

On the motion of Mr. 8S. C. Thorne, a Committee of the
Barbados House of Assembly, consisting of Messrs. Thorne,
Jackman, Robinson, Sealy, and Clarke, has been appointed to
‘draw up a scheme for the establishment of cehtral sugar
factories in the island.

Heavy, but very partial showers of rain were experi-
enced in some districts of the parishes of St. Michael and
Christ Church, Barbados, on the morning of November 30.
While some estates received no rain at all, on others the fall
varied from 1°5 inches to as much as 5 inches in one case,

According to the latest Annual Report (1907-8) of the
Board of Agriculture of British Guiana, the total estimated
numbers of live stock in the country districts of the colony are
as follows : horses, 1,850; donkeys, 5,75U; cattle, 72,000 ;

sheep, 17,200 ; goats, 13,500 : swine, 13,200.

All the ground provisious consumed at the St. Lucia
Avricultural School ave produced at the [experiment Station
carried on in connexion with the institution, the necessary
labour for which is largely supplied by the pupils.
the provisions at

Valuing
market prices, the saving effected in this
way during 1907-8 amounted to £42 7s. 10d.

The cultivation of sugar-cane and cotton form the chiet
agricultural industries of the Brazilian State of Pernambuco.
Th 1907 the sugar crop of the State was 1,478,462 bags, each
of 165 Ib. The 1908 crop is estimated at 1,800,000 bags.
Cotton was produced in 1907 to the extent of 278,557 bales,
each of 165 1b.

The following form the main results of experiments
carried out in [linois to ascertain the most suitable distances
of planting maize: on land that ordinarily produces more
than 50 bushels of grain per acre, the best veturn was given
when the seed corn was planted in hills at distances of
39-6 inches each way, with three grains per hill. In the
same district, on Jand that ordinarily produces less than
50 bushels of grain per acre, corn planted in hills 56 inches
each way, with two kernels per hill, has yielded the largest
return,

In view of the increasing scarcity of the Guayule rubber
plant (Partheniium argentatum) in Mexico,attention is being
paid to the tree known as ‘Palo. amarillo’ (Huphorbia fulva,
Stapf.). This tree is reportedto yield about 10 per cent.
of rubber, and 40 per cent. of resin and soap-making materials.
* Palo amarillo ’-oceurs wild in large quantity in Mexico.

The total area under rice cultivation in. British Guiana
for the 1907-8 season (29,715 acres) comprised 12,366 acres
in Berbice, 9,684 acres in Demerara, 4,113 acres on the
Essequibo mainland, and 3,552 acres on the adjoining islands.
The total yield was 36,930 tons of paddy, equal to 27,150
tons of cleaned rice. (Board of Agriculture Returns.)

Ground nuts form the main product of the colony of
Gambia, West Africa. In 1907, the quantity exported
amounted to 40,858 tons, of the value of £256;685. Large
quantities of maize and rice are also grown, the latter being
the chief food of the natives. During 1907, rice was exported
to the quantity of 7,094 tons. (Annual Leport, 1907.)

A fine specimen of the Shea butter tree (Butyrospermum
Parkit), an important economic plant of West Africa, exists
at the Dominica Botanic Station. It was obtained from Kew
in 1899, and has always kept in vigorous condition. The
tree flowered for the first time in 1907, and has again flower-
ed- and fruited in the present year.

Twenty-one grants of Crown land, amounting altogether
to 68 acres, were made at St. Vincent during 1907-8. The
Crown Jand which the Government of the island now have
for disposal is nearly all mountain land, suitable only for
provision ground. The price varies from £1 per acre to
something over £3, according to the nature and locality of the
land, and the system of payment arranged.

The official returns relating to exports from Dominica
show that during the nine months ending September 30 last,
the shipments of limes and lime products were as follows:
fresh limes, 18,918 barrels ; pickled limes, 536 barrels ;
lime juice, 158,810 gallons; concentrated juice,
gallons s lime-juice cordial, 16,800 gallons ; citrate of lime,
1.603 ewt. ; distilled linte oil, 2,490 gallons ; expressed lime
oil, 465 gallons.

raw
60,012

One result of the decline of the sugar industry at
St. Vincent has been a largely increased scarcity of green
food for cattle. The stock kept at the Agricultural School
are mainly fed on Guinea corn grown for the purpose. It is
recommended that this crop be sown in September and
October, and owing to its properties as a drought-resisting
plant, it can be relied upon to give a supply of fodder in
the dry season.

As in the case of many other of the West Indian Islands,
all plants, seeds, bulbs, ete , imported into St. Lucia have to
undergo fumigation, in order to prevent the
duction of destructive insects. This is carried out at the
Botanic Station of the island. In’ 1907-8, the number of
packages received and dealt with at the Station was 164.
The process of fwmigation lasted an hour in every case, and
the results of experiments go to show that the operation
is thoroughly satisfactory. The foliage of plants suffer little
damage from the gas.

possible intro-

Vor. VII. No, 1

SS)

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 397

ST. LUCTA:' ANNUAL REPORTS ON THE
BOTANIC STATION, AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL,
AND EXPERIMENT PLOTS, 1902-8.

The total expenditure in connexion with the Sc. Lucia
Botanic Station durmg 1907-8 was £635 18s. 4d., this being
less by £175 15s. 5d. than the sum expended last year. An
amount of £55 16s. was realized from the sale of plants,
seeds, and produce.

The returns relating to the distribution of economic
plants are very satisfactory. Altogether, 74,644 plants were
sent out from the two nurseries at the Botanic Station and
the Agricultural School respectively. The demand for lime
plants is especially noticeable, no less than 56,425 having
been distributed. The number of cacao plants sent out was
7,017.

Rubber seeds (Hevea) were imported from Ceylon
during the year, although the percentage of germination
shown by these seeds was hardly satisfactory. A consider-
«able number of grafted mangos and budded oranges of good
varieties were raised at the Station, and distributed to
school gardens in the island, being paid for by the Agri-
cultural Society.

The rainfall’experienced at the St. Lucia Botanic Station
for the year 1907 was 71°33 inches, this being 10°51 inches
below that of 1906, and 4:55 inches below the average fall of
the past four years.

In regard to the Agricultural School, the total expendi-
ture on this institution, and the experiments carried on in
connexion with it, amounted to £865 4s, 2d., excluding the
salary of the Officer-in-charge. In addition, a sum of
£34 12s. 8d. was spent on ‘special services’ connected with
the cacao and cotton experiment plots. The plants, vegetables,
and live stock produced at the school, part of which was
consamed, and part sold, represented a total monetary return
of £113 10s. 9d.

The average number of boys maintained at the school
during the year was 20°6. Several new pupils have been
admitted. The health of the boys has been good throughout
the year, and the results of the half-yearly examinations were
fairly satisfactory.

The continue to receive regular instruction in
practical agricultural operations, including the methods of
grafting, pruning, ete. During the past year, in addition to
the usual work, they have had experience with cotton through-
out the different stages of treatinent in the field and ginnery, as
well as in opening up new land, and starting cacao plantations.
Under a scheme recently established, provision has been made
whereby a few pupils, who have completed their course of
training with credit, may be appointed to posts as * improvers 4
at ‘the Department’s stations. These appointments are
tenable for eighteen months and.atford the holder valuable
opportunities for increasing his agricultural, knowledge.

The area devoted to experimental work at the school
was considerably extended during the year 1907-8, and it has
been decided that the eacao area may with advantage be
increased to 20 acres, with the object ultimately of providing

boys

‘have been raised in private nurseries in the island.

revenne towards the upkeep of the institution. A start was
made in this direction during the past year.

Experiments with limes, oranges, and lemons have been

continued, Considerable interest is being-shown in. lime
planting at ‘St. Lucia, and in addition to those distributed by
the Agricultural Department, large numbers of lime plants
Experi-
ments with provision and other crops are also in progress.
; A number of live stock of various kinds continue to be
kept at Union. These include the Ayrshire bull ‘ Gipsy Star
of Bellevue’, and a fine ram, ‘ Egba’; of the African woolless
breed.

BRITISH GUIANA : ANNUAL REPORT OF THE
BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, 1907-8. By Professor J. B.
Harrison, C.M.G., Chairman.

This report contains an account of the subjects dealt with

by the Board at the three general meetings that were held
during the year. The work done at the meetings of the
various Committees is also summarized. }
_ The sale of-live stock held by the Board in December
1907 was well attended, and good. prices were obtained.
Among the animals sold were two half-bred Guernsey bulls.
The total amount realized from the sale was $968:10. The
live stock imported during the year comprised a Shorthorn
bull (which, unfortunately, has since died of Texas fever),
two Shropshire rams, and a Berkshire All these
animals were purchased from Canada. Two young bulls, of
the Hereford and Red-polled breeds respectively, were
obtained from Trinidad in March 1908, at a cost of 3158-96,
and the Live Stock Committee has decided to import, during
the financial year 1908-9, a pure-bred bull immune from
Texas fever, and two rams.

During the year, $54°60 were paid into the Treasury as
fees for the services of bulls belonging to the Board. The
fees for the services of rams were $4:08, while a sum of
51512 was realized by the sale of chickens and eggs from
imported fowls kept at the Botanie Gardens.

The two horse stallions belonging to the Board cost
$537°76 for maintenance during the financial year, while fees
for their services in different parts of the colony amounted to
S580.

Two Agricultural Exhibitions were held in’ British
Guiana in 1907-8, one by the Buxton Farming Association,
while the second was a County Agricultural and Live Stock
Exhibition, held at Suddie. The exhibits at the former were
few in number, and, generally speaking, poor in quality.
At the Suddie Show, the display of produce was poor, but
the live stock on view were more satisfactory.

The returns obtained and published by the Sugarcane
Experiments Committee of the Board show that the area
in the colony under cultivation with varieties of cane other
than the Bourbon has increased from 28,800 acres in 1906-7
to 32,698 acres in 1907-8. The most notable increases are
those of canes D. 625 and B. 208. The area under cultiva
tion with the former cane has from 6,600 acres in
1906-7 to 9,662 acres in 1907-8, while in the same period

the B.208 area has advanced from 3,189 to 5,255 acres.

be var.

risen

DEPARTMENT NEWS.

Mr. H. A. Ballou, M.Se., Entomologist on the statf
of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, accompanied
by Mr. GC. W. Jemmett, returned to Barbados from
the Northern Islands, on December 5. last, by the
C.L.S. ‘ Dahomé,.’

398

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS

DercemBer 12; 1908.

ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN AND THE
MANUFACTURE OF CALCIUM
CYANAMIDE.

Nitrogen is the most important and costly man-
urial constituent that has to be supplied to the soil in
the cultivation of crops, and the increasing need of
a supply in large quantity, and in a form suitable for
fertilizing purposes, 1s being generally recognized by
agriculturists. The ever- -extending demand for nitro-
genous mannres, and the fact that available sources
are being depleted, have caused investigators to give
more and more attention to the question of the fixation
of nitrogen from the atmosphere, in a suitable form, by
electrical methods.

Two such methods, which are now fairly well known
and have been put into practice on a commercial scale, are
the Frank process of manufacturing calcium cyanamide or
lime nitrogen, and the Birkeland-Eyde system of producing
calcium nitrate. Notes and short articles relating both to the
Frank and the Birkeland-eyde processes have appeared in
past numbers of the Ayrieu/tural News (Vol. IV, p. 70;
Vol. V, pp. 191, 216, and 351; and Vol. VII, p. 155), but an
article on the subject which appeared in a late number of
Nature contains a few additional particulars.

In the Birkeland-Eyde process, ordinary atmospheric air

is foreed through an electric furnace under considerable
pressure. Under the influence of the electric arc, the nitrogen
and oxygen unite chemically, forming nitric oxide. The

fumes are collected, and, after further oxidation, are absorbed
in water towers, with the consequent formation of nitric acid.
Calcium nitrate is produced when powdered quicklime is used
for absorbing the oxide of nitrogen.

The Frank process of manufacturing calcium cyanamide
represents the first method adopted on a commercial scale
for producing an artificial manure containing nitrogen
derived from the air.

Calcium carbide, which is so generally used as a genera-
tor of acetylene for lighting purposes, forms with atmospheric
nitrogen, the basis of the manufacture of calcium cyanamide.
The caleium carbide, which is produced by heating a mixture
of chalk and coke in an electrical furnace, is powdered, and
heated to a temperature of from SCO°C. to 1,000°C. in an
enclosed vessel, while a current of nitrogen gas is led over it
until combination ceases. The nitrogen which is utilized in
this process is obtained by passing a current ot air through
a tube filled with copper turnings. These tunings
the oxygen of the air, forming copper oxide, while the nitro-
gen is led through to the calcium carbide. The copper oxide

cau be readily reduced fo the metallic state, and used again.
The following chemicalequation represents the reaction that
takes place “between the calcium carbide and the nitrogen

gas :

absorb

CaC. + IN =
Calcium Nitrogen
carbide

CaCN, + C.
Caleium
cyanamide

Carbon.

elements Calcium,
2 by the

one of
atoms of

(The symbols Ca, C, and N indicate the
Carbon and Nitrogen respectively ; the small tigure
© indicates that two atoms of carbon combine with
ealecium to form calcium carbide. Similarly, two
nitrogen exist ina molecule of caleium cyanamide. )

The calcium cyanamide that has been formed is extracted

in the form of a hard cake, and is cooled in’ vessels from
which air is excluded. When cool, it is ground into a fine
powder, and is ready for use.

During the past year a new electric furnace has been

devised for heating the carbide while it is absorbing the

nitrogen, and this has proved; cheaper, amd> so satisfactory
that all the older retorts have’ been ‘replacéd—by the electri-
cally heated ones
Calcium cyanamide pee rapidly when heated
with water under pressure, and slowly with water at ordinary
temperatures, ammonia and calcium carbonate being formed,
according to the equation :—
CaCN 2 + 3H of —
Calcium Water.
cyanamide.

CaCOy ace
Calcium
carbonate.

INH.

Ammonia.

Probably the decomposition of the manure in the soil
takes place in part as represented by the above equation,.
while other reactions also go on. Urea is believed to be one
of the early products of dec -omposition.

Experiments referred to in the Agricultural News
(Vol. V, p. 216) have shown that calcium cyanamide has
a fertilizing value but slightly inferior to that of nitrate of
soda, and somewhat superior to that of sulphate of ammonia.
The cyanamide, as placed on the market, frequently contains
a small proportion of free lime. It should not be mixed
with superphosphate before application to the soil, as the
free phosphoric acid of the latter combines with the lime of
the cyanamide. It has been pointed out that caleium
cyanamide should never be applied to soil deficient in lime,
as under such circumstances its action tencs to be distinctly
harmful. A dressing of lime should always be given previously
in such cases

The fi ans plant for the production, on an industrial scale,
of lime mtrogen was started in Italy nearly three years ago.
This factory has so far tured out 4,000 tons of cyan unide
per year, and the works are now being i increased to an eee
capacity of 10,000 tons. Works have also been erect ted i
other parts of Italy, as well as in Austria-Hungary, aes
Germany, etc. In the United States the American Cyanamide

Company are constructing works on the Canadian side of
Niagara Falls, wil a capacity of from 5,000 to 6,000 tons
per annum. A British enterprise is in operation at Odda in
Norway.

In the prodnetion of calcium cyanamide an amount of
energy equal to about 3 horse-power per year is required to
fix each ton of nitrogen, including the grinding and other
mechanical operations. It may be mentioned that the
amount of Chili saltpetre (nitrate of soda) exported in 1907
was 1,740,000 and in order to replace this by the
fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, it is necessary to employ
280,000 tons of the gas, and this is the amount which,
it is caleulated, is contained in the atmosphere over every
9 acres of the globe. On the basis of the above estimate, plant
developing no less than 800,000 horse-power would be
required to produce calcium cyanamide in quantity sufticient
to take the place of all the Chili saltpetre ‘at present
consumed each year.

tons,

Beet Sugar Production in Europe. The
output of beet . sugar in Europe has shown a_ steady,
if somewhat small, decline in recent years. The totab

European sugar crop was 6,932,000 tons in 1905-6, 6,710,000
tons in 1906-7, and 6,552,000 tons in 1907-8. In 1905-6,
Germany produc ed 2,418,000 tons ; the crop fell to 2,239,000
tons in 1906-7, and to 2,135,000 tons in 1907-8. The
Austro-Hungarian beet sugar crop of 1907-8 was 1,440,000:
with 1,510,000 tons in 1905-6. France
,000 tons in 1907-8, as against 1,090,000
elgium and Holland show a Sonila decline.
1,440,000 tons

tons, as
produced only (p49)
tons in 1905-6. B
The Russian ae was 968,000 tons in 1905-6 :
in 1906-7, and 1,410,000 tons in 1907-8

COMpar re ed

Von: VIT.2°No2 173. THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 399

WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS.

f

Drugs aud Spices on the London Market.

Mr. J. R. Jackson, ALS, has. forwarded the
‘following report on the London drag and — spice
markets during the month of October :—

The state of the spice and drug markets during the month
‘of October has continued pretty much in the same condition
as it has been for several months past. ‘Vhough the supply
of goods has been fair, and sometimes eyen full at all the
auctions, and a better tone was apparent about the middle
of the month, nothing more than a normal demand has
marked the character of business generally. From the follow-
ing notes, it will be seen that West Indian products have
proved no exception to the rule.

GINGER,
At the first spice auction held on the 7th, the
demand was very slow. No Jamaica was offered, and

the bulk of the 200 packages of Cochin and Calicut was
bought in, good brown rough Calient at 40°. per ewt. and
sound at 85s. Some 70 cases of Calicut, including unsorted
native cut and small ent, were also bought in, the former at
55s. and the latter at 52s. per ewt. Some 145 bags of wormy
washed rough Cochin were offered, only 15 of which were
-disposed of at 52s. Gd. per ewt. On the 14th of the month,
Jamaica was represented by 170 packages, only 50 of which
were sold at prices including good common at ! to Dis:
and good at 58s. to 62s. Washed rough Cochin was bought
in at 35s. A week Jater no Jamaica was offered, and the
-offerings of Calicut were bought in at 90s. for beld cut, 70s.
for medium cut, and 52s. to 57s. 6d. for unsorted native ent.
Of another lot, good bold Calicut was held at 45s. and
slightly wormy brown rough at 55s. per ewt. At the last
auction on the 28th, ginger was still in very little demand ;
only 5 barrels of Jamaica were offered, and these were
bought in. Twenty-four packages of Cochin and Calicut
were brought forward, and only 2 Calicut were
sold at 68s. per ewt. for medium cut ; 41s. and 40s. were the
prices at which bright brown Calicut and bold limed rough
Calicut were respectively bought in.

cases of

NUTMEGS, MACE, AND PIMENTO.

The offerings of nutmegs in the earlier part of the
month were unimportant. At the auction on the 28th,
330 packages of West Indian were offered, and the bulk sold
at steady prices for sound, the inferior and smaller sizes
fetching 3d. to dd. per tk. lower than previous rates. There
has been a steady demand for mace. Twenty packages of
West Indian were offered at auction on the 14th, and about
one-half was disposed of at the following rates: Is. ld. to
1s. 2d. per tb., for fair ; 1s. 2d. for good broken, and 11d. for
pickings. The latest prices obtained for West Indian at the
auction on the 28th were as follows: Fair pale, 1s. 5d. to
1s. 6d. ; fair pale and reddish, 1s. 3d. to 1s. 4d.; good red,
Is. 2d. to 1s. 3d.; and broken, 11d. to 1s. Some cases of
Java also realized 2s. 1d. to 2s, 3d. for good bold reddish,
and Is. 5d. to ls. 6d. for fair curly. Pimento, at the first
sale on the 7th, was quoted at 2}. per tb. for fair. A week
later, 200 bags were offered at auction and some 150. sold
at 2d. per Ib. for fair and 2d. for gray. On the 21st, the
offerings amounted to 55 bags of siftings, which sold without
reserve at 1d. per tb., and at the last sale on the 28th
the offerings amounted to 720 bags, a small part only of
which found buyers, at 2 gd. per Ib.

ARROW ROOT.

There but little demand for this article at the
beginning of the month. At the spice auction on the 14th,
50 barrels of fair manufacturing St. Vincent were offered,
and bought in at 2d. per lb.; and again on the 21st, though
some 330 barrels of St. Vincent were offered they were all
bought in at 22d. to 23d. per Ib. for, fair to good manufactur-
ing, and 34d. to 3fd. for fine. At this sale, 14 kegs of
Bermuda were disposed of at 2s, 9d. to 2s. 11d. per Ib.

SARSAPARILLA.

Was

At the drug auction on the 8th, 10 bales of Lima-
Jamaica were offered, and all sold at from 1s. 4d. to
Is. 5d. per Ib. for fair rolled quality. One bale only of native
Jamaica, pale red, was brought forward, and sold at 1s. per Ib.
Of 2 bales of Guayaquil etfered, one of fair quality was sold at
ls. 7d. per Ib. No gray Jamaica was offered, but at the
auction on the 21st, 62 bales were offered, and 39 sold at
from Is. 3d. to 1s. 4d. per tb., one lot realizing 1s. 5d. Two
bales (all that was offered) of fair native red, shghtly sea-
damaged, fetched Is. 1d. per lb., and 4 bales, out of 5
offered, of Honduras, sold at ls. 2d. to Is. 7d. for mixed
qualities. Further arrivals of red and yellow native, and
Lima-Jamaica were announced a week later, and will appear
at the first auction in November.

TAMARINDS, CASSIA FISTULA, KOLA, ETC,

At the first sale on the 7th, 2 barrels of rather stony
tamarinds frcm Montserrat were disposed of at 7s. in ‘bond,
and on the 14th some sales of West Indian in bond were
made at lls. 6d. per ewt. On the 28th, it was announced
that several tons of Antigua had been disposed of at 9s. per
ewt., and that Barbados, which were searce, could well
demand 11s. 67. Cassia Fistula was offered at the drug sale
on the 22nd, and seld at 19s. per cwt. for fair fresh West
Indian. In the week, 5 bags of fair dried West
Indian kola, and 5 of mouldy seeds were disposed of at
13d. and dd. per tb. respectively, and a further sale of
7 packages of fair small dried West Indian at 13d. per Tb. was
made a week later, Oil of lime was offered on the 21st to
the extent of 11 cases, all of which were bought in at
2s. Gd. per Ib, Tt was reported that frequent arrivals of the
oil were taking place, including large quantities from
Dominica. Two cases of West Indian distilled oil of pimento
were also offered at this sale and held at 5s. per Ib. Good
pale raw West Indian lime juice was quoted at Is. 3d., and
common brown and reddish at 11d. to 1s. Some 400° pack-
ages were announced as having arrived from Dominica.
Chillies continue in fair demand, the quotations being for fair
mixed yellowish Mombasa 30s., and for good red Japan 50s,

same

MANGANESE IN SUBSOIL WATER.

The contamination of the drinking water of Breslau
between two and three years ago, when, after an inundation of
the collecting ground, from which the town was supplied, the
whole of the water suddenly became,so much contaminated
with dissolved manganese as to be no longer fit for use,
has rendered it the best and cheapest
methods of freeing water from this substance. Dr, Rohrig,
the Director of the Breslau Chemical Society, points out, as
the result of a long series of experiments, that this can be
most cheaply and successfully accomplished by treatment
with caustic lime, after the water has, by preliminary treatment,
been freed from iron. It was found that 3 ewt. of lime are
sufficient to remove the manganese sulphate (which in this
case was present at the rate of 10 milligrams per litre of
water) from 40,000 cubie metres of spring water at a cost
of about 3s. 6d. for chemicals,

necessary to seek

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

December 12, 1908.

MARKEY REPORTS.

London,—November 24, 1908,,THe West Inpra Com-

MITTEE CrrcuLar; Messrs. KEARTON Piper & Co.,
November 24, 1908 , Messrs. E. A. DE Pass & Co.,
November 13, 1908.

ArrowRroot—Quiet ; 2d. per Th.

Barata—Sheet, 2/1 to 25 ; block, 1/75 to 1/8.

BegEs’-wax—No quotations.

Cacao—Trinidad, 58 - to 72/- per ewt.; Grenada, 50/- to
59 - per ewt.

CorrEE—Santos, 24s. 3d. to 25s. 3d. per ewt. ; Jamaica, no
quotations.

Corra—West Indian, £18 per ton.

Corrox—St. Vincent, 14. to 15$d., and Barbados 134d. to
14d.: West Indian Sea Island, good medium to
medium fine, no quotations.

Frouir—
3ANANAS—Jamaica, 46 to 6/- per bunch.

Ures-—Not wanted.

PINE-APPLES—St. Michael, 3/- to 5/-.
Grave Fruir—)/- to 12/- per box
Ornances—Jamaica, 7/6 to 10/6 per box.

Festic—£3 to £4 per ton.

GincErn—(Quict.

Honey—24s. 6. to 52s. per ewt.

Istnciass—West India lump, 1/4 to 2/4 per tb.

Lime Jvutce—Raw, 10d. to 1 4 per gallon ; concentrated,
£16 5s. per cask of 108 gallons ; distilled oil, 1/8 per
th.; hand- pressed, 4/6 to 5)- per th.

Locwoov— £3 to £4 5s. per ton; roots, £2 to £3 per ton.

Mace—Firm.

Nourmecs—(uiet.

Pimento—Fimm.

Rum—Jamaica, 3/4; Demerara. 1/6 to 1/7, proof.
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 15/6 to 16/9 per ewt.; Muscovado, 14/3;
Syrup, 11,3 to 12/-.; Molasses, no quotations.

New York,—November 13, 1908.—Messrs. GILLesere,

Bros, & Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 12he. to 13c. ; Grenada, Ise. to 124c. ;
Trinid: ud, 124¢. 60 I3c. ; Jamaica, De. to 10be. ver Th.

Jamaica, select, S25-00 ; culls, $15-00 ; Trini-

$25-00 ; culls, $1400 per M.

Jamaica, ordinary, Te. to The.; good ordinary, Sc.
to She.; washed, Ye. to L13c. per tb,

Gincer—10e. to 13fe. per Th.

Goar Skrxss—Jamaica, 53e.; Antigua and Barbados, from
49e. to 5le. ; St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. IKitt’s, 46c.
to 48c. pel iD: dry tlint.

Grave Freire aman $2°50 to $4°50 per barrel.

Limes—No quotations. Market overstocked.

Mace—2%e. to dle. per Ih,

Nutrmecs—110’s, 9$e. per Th.

Jamaica, $4°00 to $500 per barrel; $1-75 to

: D per box.

Pimenro—4e. per Ih.

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 3°94. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3-44c.;
Molasses, 89, 3°19c. per th., duty paid,

Trinidad,

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados,— Messrs. James A. Lyncn & Co., November 16,

1908 ; Messrs. Leacock & Co., December 4, 1908 =
Messrs. T. 8. Garraway & Co., December 7, 1908.

Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $4°00 per 100 th.

Cacao— Dominica and St. Lucia, $L0-00 to $11-00 per 100 Th.

Cocoa-NutTS—S13°00 for unhusked nuts.

Corrre—Jamaica and ordinary Rio, $8°00 to $10°50. per
100 ib.

Hay—8$1°25 per 100 Th.

Manvures—Nitrate of soda, $62-00 to $65°00; Ohlendorft’s
dissolved guano, 855-00 ; Cotton manure, $42°00; Cacao
manure, 548°00 ; Sulphate of ammonia, $7500 ; Sulphate
of p ttash, S67-00 per ton.

Mo asses—No quotations.

ONIoONS—Strings, no quotations ; loose, $2-00 per 100 th.

Potatos—Nova Scotia, $1°75 to $2-00 per L60 th.

Pe As—Split, $650 per bag of 210 th.; Canada. $3°55 to
$3-65 per bag of 120 th.

Rice—Ballam, $4 68 (180 th.); Patna, $3-80 ; Rangoon,
$3-00 to S3-L0 per LOO th.

SuGar—No quotations.

British Guiana,—Messrs. Wierine & Rrcnrer, November

28, 1908; Messrs. SanpBacu, Parker & Co.,
November 28, 1908.
Arrowroot—St. Vincent, $9-00 per 200 th.
Barara— Venezuela block 32c. ; Demerara sheet 56c. per th.
Cacao—Native 16e. to 18e. per tb.
Cassava—80c.
Cassava STARCH—$d°00 to $6-00 per barrel of 196 tb.
Cocoa-NvuTs—S12°00 to SL6°00 per M.
CorreE—Creole 12c. to 13e. ; Jamaica 12c. per tb., slow.
Duat—$4-80 per bay of 168 tb.
Eppos—S1°32 per barrel.
Mo asses—No quotations
Ontoxs—Madeira, 2}c. to 2$e.; per tb.
PLANTAINS—8e. to 24e. per bunch.
Potratros—Nova Scotia, 82°25 to $2-50 per LOD tb.

Poraros—Sweet, Barbados, $1°20 per bag.

Rick—Ballam, $5°90 ; Creole, $4°20 to $4°50 ; Seeta, S6-00-

Sprit PEas—$6°50 to 86°75 per bag (210 tb.); Lisbon, no
quotations.

TANNIAS—-S1°52 per bag.

Yams—White, S1°92 ; Buck, $1°92 per bag.

Sucar—Dark crystals, $2°125 to $2°30; Yellow, $2°80 to
$3-20 ; White, $3°70 to S3-80 ; ; Molasses, $2°00 to 2°10
per LOO th. (retail).

Timber—Greenheart, 32c. to 55c. per cubic foot.

WALLABA SHINGLES—$3°75 to $5-75 per M.

—— Corp woop—S2'40 to $2°64 per ton.

November 28, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT
& Co,

Cacao— Venezuelan, $12°50 to $12°75 per fanega ; Trinidad,

$12°50 to $13°50.

Cocoa-Nuts—No demand.

Cocoa-NuvT Orn—B62e. ber Imperial gallon, cask included.

Corree—Venezuelan, 8fc. to 8$e. per th.

Corra—S3:00 to $3°10 per 100 tb.

Dua St: 50 to $460 per 2-bushel bag.

ONIONS—S1°50 to S160 per 100 th. (retail).

Poratos—English, $1°25 to $1°30 per 100 th.

Rick— Yellow, $5°40 to $5°60; White, $4°50 to $4°80 per bag.

Sperrr Peas —86-00 to $6°25 per bag.

Sucar—American crushed, $5-00 to $5°L0 per 100 tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

——

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture
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Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; ete., ete.

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Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the

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Price 4d,

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‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.
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(51 Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward

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be supplied complete, with title page and index as issued. Price 4s. Post free, 5s. Only a few copies available. Ad? applica-

tions for copies are to be addressed to the Ayents, not to the Department.

Lane, London, E. C.—Barbados: Messrs, Bowkn

MarsuaLt & Co., Port-of-Spain.—TZobago: Mr. C. L. PLAGEMANN, Sei ,
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ications of the Department :—

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Vou. Vil. No. 17 THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. DECEMBER a 1908.

THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

oe ey Ae 3p see

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NATURE TEACHING. | NOTICE.

(Second and Enlarged Edition.) | The pure-bred four years old Ayrshire bull ‘Duke of
ara Truro TI,’ now stationed at the Stock Famn Agricultural
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Agriculture, specially prepared for general use in the This animal, which is in perfect condition is considered
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The price is £20, delivered f.o.. at St. Vincent. The
purchaser will be required to enter into a bond to keep the
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JAN 8 - 1909

A. FORMNIGHTLY

REVIEW

OF THE

IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE

WEST INDIES.

Vor, Vil Nos li4

CONTENTS.

PAGE. PAGE.
Barbados, Agricultural | Insect Notes:

Show at. . 409) Fruit Flies Bich coe ak)
CO SEA eee NeHis e409 Leguminous Plantsas Soil
Cacao Exports from Trini- NOD LO NS Te eee ores Seactin

I .,| Manures, Artificial, im

dad Feed Piston! iecen 200 Ttal 409
Citrus Fruits, Soils for ... 404 meena se muaey ers
Cottee in Porto Rico . 405 Market Reports pane

| Molasses, ceding
Cotton Notes :— Experiments with... 408
Cotton Growing at | Morris, Sir Daniel,
St. Vincent — . 406 | K.C.M.G. . 405
Sea Island Cotton, Notes and Comments... 405
huportance of Oranges, Decay of While

Strength in eee 406 in Transit... ... ... 404

West Indian Cotton . 406 | Prize-holdings Competi-
Cyprus, Agricultural | tions at Grenada . 411

Bank im .. «. 407) Profitable and Unprofit-

Departmental Reports : able Cultivations 411

Malay States : Director Records, The Value of ... 414
of Agriculture, 1907... 413! Rubber Exhibits from

S‘. Witt’s-Nevis: Botanic | Dominica... es 409

Station, ete., 1YO7-8... 413| Rubber, Forsteronia,

Dry Farming in the | from Jamaica ... ... 415

United States ... 414) Rubber Plants, New, for
Experiment Stations and the West Indies . 415

{mprovement of Seale Insects, Destruction

Tropical Agriculture 403 of at St. Lucia 408
Fiji Islands, Agriculture School Gardening, Educa-

LT ak een, ese ek, tional Value of er at5
French Colonial School ... 402} Science Teaching at
Fruit Growers, Hints to... 404 Harrison College,
Gleanines/< acne eee 212, Barbados ... oes SOD
Gold Coast, Fibres from Soy Bean, The... 403,

the 3: . 405} Students’ Corner .. 411
Injurious Insects, West African Rams and

409 Thew Progeny . 408

Destruction of ...

College, Barbados.

(| T is gradually becoming recognized that

suecess in any branch of industry depends
on the amount of scientific method which
In no branch of industry

The

is brought to bear upon if.
ts this more evident than in that ‘of Agriculture.

BARBADOS, DECEMBER 26, 1908.

Price ld,

planter who does not know the chemical composition
of his soil and crops and the chemical changes taking
place in them, the reasons why drainage and tillage
improve the land, the life-histories of the insect and
fungoid pests which attack them, and many other
matters, is behind the times and must sooner or later

give way to the scientifically traimed man.

The value of a scientific training les not only in
the knowledge which it imparts, but above all in the
habit of mind which it encourages. It makes the
student observant, teaches him accuracy, trains him to

think logically and clearly, and makes him self-reliant

In no part of the West Indies is the value of
a scientific training as a preliminary to the profession
of Agriculture becoming better recognized than at Bar-
bados. Additional accommodation and apparatus for
the teaching of Botany and Physics have recently been
provided at Harrison College, and the local Govern-
ment has reeently placed on the permanent educational
staff of the colony the Lecturer in Natural and Agri-
cultural Sciences, whose services were formerly provided

by the Imperial Department of Agriculture.

In consequence of this additional accommodation it
has been possible to enlarge considerably the scone of
the science teaching in the four lower forms at the
College. Prior to 1907 the teaching in these lower
forms was conducted entirely by means of chemistry
lectures illustrated by experiments. Now the instruc-

through the medium of

tion is conveyed — largely
practical woris, and, in addition to chemistry, mensura-

tion and elementary physics are also taught.

The special Agricultural Science course is open to
boys whose education has reached the standard of the

402

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

DecEMBER 26, 1908.

fourth form at Harrison
are devoted to this work.

College.
which consists of Jectures and

Three hours a day

practical work in the following subjects :—Systematic
Chemistry, Agricultural Chemistry, Sugar Chemistry,
Botany, elementary Physics, elementary Physiology,
Principles of Agriculture, Cane and Cotton planting,
and Sugar Manufacture.

Theoretical instruction is given by means of
lectures amply illustrated by specimens and experiments,
and the more technical subjects of the course are
illustrated by excursions to and

plantations.

sugar factories

The practical Chemistry course consists princi-
pally of qualitative and quantitative chemical analy-
In qualitative analysis the students work through
the reactions and separation of the commoner metals,

sis.

acids, and salts. Throughout this course every reaction
is explained, and the pupil is made to understand
what he is doing and why he does 1t.

In the practical Sugar Chemistry course chief
attention is given to the quantitative analysis of cane
juice, syrup, molasses, sugar, and rum, and this work,
when taken in conjunction with the practical Chemis-
try already referred to, should fit
intelligent charge of the chemical
factory.

a student to take

control of a sugar

Instruction in practical Botany at Harrison College
has hitherto been hampered by the want of a properly
equipped laboratory. This drawback has, however, now
been removed, and pupils joining the class in future will
have each a microscope, and be able to prepare, stain,
and mount their own sections.

Two years are occupied altogether in going through
the whole course of instruction. Examinations are
held every year by the Cambridge Examinations
Syndicate, who have appointed Mr. H. H. Cousins, M.A.,
the Government Chemist at Jamaica, as Examiner for
the more technical West Indian subjects. Those who
pass successfully in all the examinations are awarded
certificates in Agricultural Science.
Since the inauguration of the class, in January 1900,
twenty-seven boys have been awarded this certificate,

of proficiency

It will be seen, therefore, that the Agricultural
Science course at Harrison College is an extensive and
valuable one, and should go far to produce a generation
of planters who will not only be-alive-to-thesbenefits of
science in their profession, but who will be ready and
able to assist the scientific ofticers of the Agricultural
Departments in their efforts to improve crops and
cultural methods, and to combat disease.

As already mentioned, a training in science
is particularly valuable on account of the orderly,
observant, and accurate habit of which it
The Agricultural Science cluss is, there-
fore, not only useful for boys intending to take up
Agriculture as their life work, but isan excellent train-
ing for any profession.

mind
encourages.

Increasing advantage is being
taken of this class by boys who intend to study for the
professions of medicine and engineering after they
leave school. During the years 1900 to 1907 inclusive,
seventy-four boys have passed through the whole or
a part of the course: of these no less than twenty-three
are known to have taken up Science, Medicine, or
Engineering as their life work.

Those boys who have gone through the Agri-
enltural Science class with distinction may pass on to
the Scholarship Science Class, where they receive
instruction in advanced Chemistry, Botany, and Physics.
Since the year 1900 three Science students have
succeeded in winning the Barbados Scholarship. This
Scholarship, which is of the value of £175 a year for
four years, is tenable at any British University
approved of by the Education Board. It is com-
peted for by boys under twenty years of age who
may offer either classics, mathematics, or science.
‘Two of those who took the scholarship in science went
to Cambridge University, where one bas already taken
his degree with double first-class honours, and the other
has passed the first part of the Tripos with first-class
honours and won a Major Scholarship. The third will
probably proceed to Edinburgh University next year,

FRENCH COLONIAL SCHOOL.

A useful institution, which may best be described
asa Practical Colonial School, has lately been established
at Havre, France, by an association of merchants.
The object of the school (according to the Journal
Agriculture tropicale) is to provide a_ specially
adapted agricultural and industrial training for the
pupils, whose services, it is hoped, will afterwards be
particularly useful in exploiting the resources of the
French colonies.

Lecturers have been chosen from among specialists
in colonial affairs, who will give instruction in the cul-
ture of different crops, particularly that of cotton, and
in colonial hygiene, and other matters pertaining
to tropical countries.

The organization and co-ordination of the different
Departments of the school have not yet been completed,
and at present, the institution consists of a conference
hall, a library of colonial publications, a collection of
cotton ginning and baling machines of different types,
and a colonial museum,

Vor, Vil. - No: 174. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 103.

EXPERIMENT STATIONS, AND THE
IMPROVEMENT OF TROPICAL
AGRICULTURE.

An interesting editorial article in the Leper iment
Station-Record tor October last discusses’ in a general
way the agricultural conditions that exist in the newly
acquired tropical territories of the United States—
Hawai, Porto Rico, and the Philippines—and also the
efforts that are being made through the medium. of
Experiment Stations to improve Lie systems of agri-
culture, and to introduce new crops and industries.

In all of the three pounties named, but une, or at the
most a very few crops have been produced in important quan-
tity, Le, sugar in Hawaii, sugar and coffee in Porto Rico,
tobacco and Manila hemp in the Philippines. This is a direct
consequence of the system of agriculture practised, which is
that of the large land-holder and employer of labour, and the
absence of peasant proprietors. In working the large estates,
the object has been to secure a maximum yield ata minimum
outlay, which has, in many cases, resulted in the continuance
of antiquated methods, and finally in the impoverishment of
the soil, Under such cireumstances, too, the labouring
population were bound to remain in a bac skews urd condition.

Since the insular regions in question have become parts
of the United States, efforts have been made to develop their
agriculture through the establishment and working of Experi-
ment Stations. Recognizing that the single crop system has
proved remunerative to the employer, but has not contributed
much to the general welfare of the community, the chief
efforts of these stations have been directed towards increasing
the number and variety of crops grown. At all the stations
attempts are being made, not only to improve the present
agricultural practices, but to introduce new crops and indus-
tries. In doing this, it is believed that not only will the
producing capacity of the countries be imereased, but that
many small holdings will be developed and made profitable,
and the general condition of the population improved.

The conditions peculiar to agriculture in the tropies,
which in many cases make the work ofthe investigator more
perplexing than if he were working in a region of temperate
climate, are referred to, and in this connexion it is pointed
out that seemingly antiquated methods of agricultural
practice carried on by the natives are, after all, freyuently the
best, and their general adoption is the result of centuries of
unconscious experiment on the part of the agriculturists. As
an example in point, it may be mentioned that it was thought
desirable in Hawaii and the Philippines to bring about
a change in rice planting methods, and to replace the old
system, which involves so much hand labour in transplant-
ing the crop, by the introduction of machinery for drilling
the seed in the rice field itself. But experiments carried out
to test the results of the two systems show that the old
method is the better. Not only were larger yields secured
from transplated rice, but the cost of production was decidedly
taking all things into account.

At the conclusion of the article, reference is made to
the slowness with which demonstrated results are taken up
and applied by the community in whose interest the work
is being carried on. The American experience has been
that in the countries named, new crops and unusual methods
appeal to but afew, and the progress made is not rapid. ?It is
well known, however, that agriculturists are proverbially
conservative all the world over, and not inclined to alter
their methods unless it has been clearly and repeatedly
demonstrated to them that it is to their own permanent

less,

interest to do so. In view of the short time that the : \ cri-
cultural Lxperiment Stations have been Sane in
Hawaii, Porto Rico, and the Philippines, they have fully met
the expectations of those acquainted with their organization,
aims, and resources.

THE SOY BEAN.

The attention of planters has frequently been
drawn, by means of notes and short articles in the
publications of the Imperial Department of Agriculture,
to a number of crops, leguminous and otherwise, suit-
able for green manuring purposes in the West Indies.
Experiments, too, have been carried on at the Stations
in many of the islands to test the relative value of
these different crops. The cowpea, the Bengal bean,
and woolly pyrol are probably more extensively used as
green dressing in the West Indies than any other crops,
and their merits are generally well known. Another
leguminous plant, to which attention was given in
experiments at Antigua for the first time in 19067,
is the soy bean (Glycine hispida). This bean is a native
of south-eastern Asia, and has been cultivated from
very ancient times in China and Japan. Iv is also
grown in Java, and has of late years been introduced
into India. ‘The vines form excellent fodder, while the
beans are frequently used as a food for man. The soy
bean isa small erect plant. In the experiments at
Antigua last year, its growth was healthy, but very
small. It is thonght that the weight of green matter
produced might be increased by sowing the seed closer
together, and further trials will be made.

A Farmers’ Bulletin (No. 58) has been issued by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture dealing with the
soy bean. ‘The following form the chief points of
information given in this pamphlet : —

The soy bean thrives best in soils of medium texture
well supplied with lime, potash, and phosphoric acid. It
endures drought well, is not easily injured by excess of
moisture, and may be grown about as far north as corn.

The early varieties are best for seed crops, and the
medium or late varieties for hay, forage, and silage.
Seeds may be planted at any time during the spring and
early summer, but preferable as soon as the ground becomes
well warmed up, Drill one-half to three-fourths of a bushel
to the aere ; broadcast three-fourths to one bushel.

Little cultivation is needed when growing for forage ;
when grown for seed keep weeds down until plants shade the
soil. The soy bean may be used for soiling, pasturage, hay,
and ensilage, or the beans may be harvested and fed as grain,

The forage is very rich in fat and muscle-making
materials, and should be fed with fodder corn, sorghum, or

some other feeding stuffs rich in fat-forming nutrients. The
seed can be fed to the best advantage when ground into.

meal, and is almost without equal as a concentrated food,

Cut for hay when the plants are in late bloom or early
fruit ; for ensilage the crop can be cut later, but it is better
to cut before the pods begin to ripen; for green forage,
cutting may begin earlier and continue rather later than for

either hay or ensilage ; the crop may be cut for seed after the

pods become about half ripe.
The soy bean is excellent for green manuring and for
short rotation with cereal crops. It should be well limed

when ploughed under as a green manure,

404

TBE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

December 26, 1908.

HINTS TO FRUIT GROWERS.

Some seasonable hints to banana and orange
growers appear in the November number of the Jowrnal
of the Jamaica Agricultural Society.

Small growers are advised to exercise more Judgement in
the time of planting their bananas, and also in. selecting
suckers. A plant banana requires from twelve to fifteen months
from setting out to fruiting, and a ratoon sucker from eighteen
to twenty months. The older the root is, the longer the time
required by the sucker to come to maturity. Since the fruit
fetches a good price for export in December and January, it
is advised that suckers be selected and left to grow in July
or August, and they may be expected to yield their produce
at the desired time, about eighteen months later. Good stout
suckers only should be left, and the more light and air they
have, the quicker will they grow.

The fruit from early bearing orange trees will now have
been gathered, and growers are advised to at once carry out
any washing or spraying operations that may be necessary.
A good wash for use in scrubbing the trees is made by adding
boiling water to a mixture of lime and sulphur (4+ of lime to
1 of sulphur). This should be prepared in a wooden. tub,
and rubbed on to the tree by means of a stiff brush. The
mixture serves as an insecticide as well asa fungicide.

DECAY OF ORANGES WHILE IN
tRANSIT

The citrus fruit crop of California amounts to
nearly 30.000 car-loads annually, having a gross value
of about $30,000,000, of which oranges comprise from
85 to 90 per The handling, shipping, and
marketing of the above-mentioned enormous outpnt of
fruit now necessarily constitute a highly developed
and well organized industry.

About 75 per cent. of the total output of oranges from Cali-
fornia consists of the Washingten Navel variety, the remain-
ing 25 per cent. being chiefly Valencias, with sinall quantities
ot the Sits Michael, Mediter ranean Sweet etc The area planted
with citrus fruits amounts to from 60,000 to 70,000 acres.

~The great bulk of the Califormian orange crop finds its chief
market in the Eastern cities of the United States. During
transportation, a certain amount of decay takes place among
the fruit, and the losses sustained in this way by the growers
formerly from $750,000 to 31,500,000
annually. The whole subject of the decay of the fruit while
in transit,.and the influence of different methods of picking,

cent.

amounted — to

curing, packing, and cooling the oranges upon their keeping

propertics, has forn:.ed the subject of a lengthy and exhaustive

investigation carried out by the several officers of the Bureau
of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The investizations made, and the conclusions arrived at,
are embodied in Bulletin 123 of the Bureau of Plant Jndus-
try, and the large amount of data there brought together
should prove most valuable to orange growers and shippers.
The investigations were carried out on a commercial scale,
and under commercial conditions, with a view to securing
accurate information in regard to the various phases of the
citrus fruit industry.

The common blue mould Pentel glaucum was always
found associated with decaying oranges. ‘This fungus was
formerly considered to be purely saprophytic (ie., to attack
dead and decaying matter only), but inoculation of sound
oranges has, without exception, resulted in the characteristic
decay. Investigation has shown that the decay was pieceded
by mechanical injuries to the skin, most of which injuries
were so small as to be invisible to the inexperienced eye,
The most common forms of injury were caused by the elip-
pers in cutting the fruit from the tree, stem punctures, and
scratches and bruises in the packing house.

If the fruitis packed promptly after picking

x

» and is
shipped at once in a cool temperature, the decay may not
develop in transit.

It was found-very advantageous to lower the tempera-
ture of the fruit to. 40° F. by placing it-in cold storage, before
packing. in the compartments in which it had to travel.
Even though the car was regularly iced, oranges packed at
a fairky high temperature took a loug time to cvol when in
transit.

SOILS FOR CITRUS FRUITS.

The influence of the soil on the quality of erop
produced, more especially in the case of fruit trees, is
discussed at considerable length in an article appearing
in the Rural Californian tor October last. The follow-
ing extract relates to soil preferences shown by oranges
and other citrus fruit :—

Citrus fruits prefer soils with good
drainage, and with favourable exposures.

surface and subsoil

Rich soils, when
low and*too~ moist, produce fruits low in acid and sugar, so
that the citrus characteristics are practically lost.
soil is desirable, but

A deep
when drainage is good, oranges and
lemons often do well on soil no more than 4+ feet deep, and
resting on impervious hardpan. ~ Under certain conditions
even land of less depth has grown good orchards, but sueh
Jand should only be planted when all the more suitable soils
have been occupied.

Vou. VII. No. 174. THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

405

SIR DANIEL MORRIS, K.C.M.G. _

The accompanying note appeared in the London
Times of November 7 last:—

At a recent meeting of the Council of the Royal Horticul-
tural Society, Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., late Imperial
-Commissioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, was elected
by acclamation an honozary life Fellow, in recognition of his
valuable services to our Colonial Empire, and especially to
the West Indies, and of his important work in promoting the

sound financial organization of the Society, when Treasurer |

from 1887 to 1902.

We further learn that Sir Daniel has been elected a Vice-
President of the West India Club, in succession to the late
Sir Hoary M. Jackson, G.C.M.G.

It may be mentioned, too, that at a meeting. of the
Dominica Agricultural & Commercial Society, held on.
Novémber 30 last, the following resolution was unani-
mously adopted :—

Whereas Sir Daniel Morris, K.C M.G., retires to-day
from the position of Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture
for the West Indies, which he has occupied for the past ten
years,

And Whereas the Imperial Department of Agriculture,

organized and directed by him with such conspicnous ability,
has greatly helped in bringing prosperity to these agricultural
countries,
Be it resolved, that the Agricultural and Commercial
Soeiety of Dominica places on record its admiration of his
incessant and successful work, and expresses the hope that
he may be long spared to enjoy the rest he has earned by
his useful and well-spent official life.

COFFEE IN PORTO RICO.

Considerable efforts are being made by the officials
connected with the Agricultural Experiment Station of
Porto Rico to improve the conditions under which
coffee is grown and prepared in the island. It is hoped
to produce an article of such quality as will meet, with
a ready demand on the United States market.

A great number of the best varieties of cotfee have been
brought together at the station from many countries for the
purpose of selecting for permanent planting those kinds which
yield produce of the best quality. The most promising
varieties are being distributed as quickly as possible.

In the hope of obtaining a better yield, the Experiment
Station is conducting a number of manurial trials with fruit
trees. A guano, containing a good proportion of . phosphoric
acid, with. a smaller percentage of ammonia has been
especially beneficial with young coffee plants.

Numbers of old coffee groves exist in Porto Rico, and
the station has for some years past undertaken some experi-
mental work with the object of showing how such old planta-
tions may best be improved. An area of 10 acres was taken
over in 1902 for this purpose. The total erop from the old
trees, before any experiments were made, amounted to 3,387 Ib.
ready for market. The cost of harvesting and marketing the
crop was $2711 per 100 tb. After the crop had been gathered
the 10 acres were divided into a number of plots, and experi-
ments in green manuring with leguminous crops, distance
tests, renovation of the trees by cutting them down to stumps
to cause new growth, and ditferent methods of cultivation,
have been followed. By the end of 1907, a total of 1,106
trees had been removed, and the others trimmed. The

_ yield has increased every year, and 4,349 Ib. were secured in
1906. ven’

The total cost of- gathering and preparing 100 tb, of
coffee for market is estimated at $4°33, and the average
price obtained for the same amounts to $10°88. The net cost
of new plantings of coffee to the: end of the third year si
estimated at 583-70.

From fifteen to twenty hours are considered sufficient for
the fermentation of, coffee in Porto Rico, while in some
sections of Central America, as Guatemala, it must be carried
on,for two days. Undue .prolonging of the fermentation
causes a brown colouration of the parchment and of the seeds.

FIBRES FROM THE GOLD COAST.

Several specimens of fibres from the Gold Coast of
Africa have lately ,been examined at the Imperial
Institute, and a report on the results. appears in the
Bulletin of the Institute (No. 8, 1908). Below are,
given extracts from those portions of the report which
relate to fibres from plants well known in the West
Indies :-—

Sansevieria fibre.—A sample of well-prepared Sansevieria
fibre (probably from S. yudneens’s) was white, fine, of good
lustre, of fairly even diameter, and of good strength. The
product was 3 feet 9 inches long. The sample compared very
favourably, with specimens of Sansevieria fibre sent in to the
Imperial Institute from other countries. The fibre was of
excellent quality, and suitable for use with the finest Manila
hemp ; consignments of similar quality would be readily sale-
able at £60 per ton. ; =

Plantain fibre.—The specimen of plantain fibre from
the Gold Coast. was well-cleaned, brownish-white, and of
good lustre. The product was of fair, but very irregular
strength, and about 4 feet long. The chemical composition
of this fibre showed it to be superior to all other specimens
of Musa, sapientum previously examined at the Imperial
Institute, and was regarded by commercial experts as being
worth £40.per ton (with good Manila hemp at £38 to £42
per ton).

Banana yibre.——This sample consisted of brownish-white
fibre, of good lustre, but uneven diameter, and very irregular
strength. The product was about 4 feet long. This fibre
was very similar to the preceding sample from the plantain,
and the same remarks are applicable to it. Its composition,
however, showed a slightly less percentage of cellulose. The
fibre was valued at the rate of £36 per ton (with fair Manila
hemp at £35 to £36 per ton).

Pinc-apple fibre.—A sample of pine-apple fibre sent in
for report consisted of well-cleaned, soft, white fibre, some-
what lustrous, of good strength, and about 33 feet long.
This length of staple is perhaps above the average. Pine-
apple fibre does not come into the English market in regular
quantities, but it might possibly be used as a flax substitute.
The specimen in question was considered as being nominally
worth £30 per ton.

Kapok.—Kapok, as is generally known, consists of the
silky hairs which envelop the seeds of the tree known in the
West Indies as the ‘silk-cotton’ (Lriodendron ansractuosum).
The specimen from the Gold Coast was of dull, greyish-
brown colour and good lustre, soft and silky, but somewhat
‘felted,’ and not very resilient.

Kapok is used as an upholstery material for stuffing
purposes, and is worth about Gd. per Wb. if clean and of good
colour. The sample in question, however, was not worth
more than 4d. per tb.

106

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

DecemBer 26, 1908.

COTTON NOTES.

aH @

aT om
y

WEST INDIAN COTTON.

Messrs. Wolstenholme & Holland, of Liverpool,
write as follows, under date of December 7, with refer-
ence to the sales of West Indian Sea Island cotton : —

Since our last report we have been in treaty with some
of the largest buyers of Sea Island cotton, witha view to
clearing off the balance of old stock of West Indian, with the
result that between 1,000 and 1,100 bales have been sold on
the basis of the prices ruling fer Sea Island cotton to arrive.

The above sales include Antigua, Barbados, Nevis,
St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, St. Martin, and the Virgin Islands, and
the prices range chiefly between 107d and 13}d., with a few
of the better qualities of Barbados at 14d. to 15d.

COTTON GROWING AT ST. VINCENT.

An article recently contributed to the St. Vincent
Sentry by Mr. W. N. Sands, Curator of the Botanic
Station of the island, deals with the present, position of
the cotton 2nd arrowroot industries of St. Vincent.

It is pointed out that the market for arrowroot is
uncertain, and that profits are limited. There does not appear
to be any increase in the demand for arrowroot, but rather
a decrease, and therefore the only wise plan is to tum to
the careful cultivation of other products, which promise to be
Chief among these is

more remunerative. cotton.

In average years it may be taken that St. Vincent cotton
will sell at prices ranging from 16d. to 18d. per Ib., or there-
abouts if the quality is kept ap. in order to pay at these
figures, every effort must be made to ensure a good yield (not
less than J-bale, i.e. 180 Ib.) per acre. For the 1907-8 season,
the average yield of lint per acre obtained by St. Vincent
was 135 tb. only, and for the 1908-9 season it
promises to be lower still.

growers

The cause of this low return is undoubtedly due in large
part to careless cultivation and deficient manuring, the crop
in large numbers of cases being grown on poor or exhausted
land.

In the hope of inducing growers to make every effort to
improve the conditions under which the cotton crop is pro
duced, and so to increase the yield, Mr. Sands. offer the
following suggestions, which may usefully be brought to the
notice of planters and small holders outside of St. Vincent :—

“Practise a well-arranged rotation of
method of cultivation which will give the land a change and
rest from cotton,

‘Make greater use of leguminous and other plants for

crops, or some

green dressing purposes. Among useful plants of this kind
are pigeon peas, cow peas, woolly pyrol, ete.
* Return the cotton seed in some form or other to the
land, and use pen or other organic manures more freely.
‘Cultivate the land thoroughly.”

IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTH IN
SEA ISLAND COTTON.

The following note, quoted from the ofticial report
of the proceedings of the Lancashire Cotton Conference
held in August last, and which forms a summary of
a speech made by Mr. E. Lomas Oliver, of the British
Cotton Growing Association, emphasizes the great
importance of strength of staple in Sea Island
cotton :—

As pointing out how cotton altered its character, and
the necessity of growing types of cotton suitable for the
different soils and climatic conditions under which they were
cultivated, Mr. Oliver stated that the results of growing
St. Vincent cotton seed in Ceylon, 40 miles inland, were
that the cotton had entirely changed its characteristics, but
it had fully maintained its strength, and was a very good,
cotton. This showed that if the grower
started with cotton which had strength, that character would
be maintained, but he must point out that fineness by itself
was of no use. It did not matter whether cotton was fine or
coarse, long or short, but it must and he could
not impress too earnestly on the growers that however fine
and long the staple may be, their cotton would never fetch
a good price unless it was also strong, and, provided this charac
teristic were present, spinners would rather buy shorter cotton
than a soft, weak product, no matter how fine or how long
it might be.

desirable class of

be strong ;

CACAO EXPORTS FROM TRINIDAD.

Trinidad in the past
November amounted altogether to 2,759,226 lb., which brings
the total export since January 31 last up to 37,030,821 Ib.
In 1907, the shipments to the same date were 35,062,616 Ib.
The United States: form -the chief market for Trinidad
cacao, and on November last, the quantity shipped to that
country was 1,657,806 Ib. In the same month France took
686,145 tb., Holland, 188,100 Ib.; Germany, 114,243 tb.; the
United Kingdom, 102,032 Ib.; and Canada only 1,000 tb,
London quotations for Trinidad cacao of ‘ordinary ,
grade varied from 58s. to 62s. during the month of November.

Vhe shipments of cacao from

Vou. VIT. No. 1is4.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

$07

=

AGRICULTURAL BANK IN (CYPRUS.

Fhe Annual Colonial Office Report (1907) on
‘Cyprus states that an Agricultural Bank commenced
operations in the island during the year, in accordanee
with an agreement entered into by the Government
with the Anglo-Egyptian Land Allotment Company.
Under this agreement the capital of the bank was not
to be less than £100,000, and its principal business was
to make advances to the agricultural and industrial
classes of the colony upon security of immovable
property, stock, agricultural and industrial produce,
personal security. and such other security as the Com-
pany might determine.

The rate of interest was fixed not to exceed 9 per cent.
per annum. The advantages of this bank have been
greatly appreciated, and it has brought relief to many
belonging to the classes for whom it was desired to provide
a more reasonable system than that which had hitherto
prevailed locally, of borrowing money for legitimate enterprise,
or of tiding over temporary difficulties. To December 31,
1907, £308 had been lent for short periods, of which
£165 had been repaid, while to the same date, but for longer
periods, a total of £53,573 had been advanced.

LEGUMINOUS PLANTS AS SOIL
IMPROVERS IN CACAO AND
RUBBER PLANTATIONS.

In further reference to the utilization of certain
leguminous plants as agents for the improvement of
the sdil in cacao plantations, concerning which a short
article appeared in the last issue of the Agricultural
News (page 389), it may be mentioned that consider-
able attention is being paid to this question of under-
planting with green crops by the officials of the Fede-
rated Malay States Agricultural Department. Rubber
trees, however, and not cacao, form the permanent
erop under which plantersin the Malay States are
urged to make trial cultivations of the leguminous
plants.

In connexion with the progress of rubber culture in the
Malay States, the Director of Agriculture, in his latest
Annual Report, raises the question as to whether clean
weeding is advisable in permanent cultivations, under tropi-
cal conditions, or whether some more economical and equally
satisfactory method of cultivation cannot be adopted.

Clean weeding undoubtedly ensures quick growth of
young rubber trees, but objections are that all protection is
removed from the surface of the soil, that a good deal of heat
radiation and evaporation of moisture takes place which
would otherwise be prevented, and that on sloping land the
surface soil is frequently washed away by heavy rain. This
entails a considerable loss of plant food. Ifthe land is
covered with some under crop, these disadvantages are
removed, and the surface soil is kept moist and in’ the most
suitable state for encouraging growth. The high cost in the
Malay States, of continuous weeding operations carried out
for many years, is a serious point to be taken into considera
tion in connexion with this matter of clean culture.

The Director of Agriculture mentions three plants, viz :—
Crotolaria striata, Mimosa pudica, and Desmodium triflorwun,
which investigation appears to indicate that if grown under
rubber trees, would enormously reduce the labour bill on
estates by doing away with the necessity of weeding, and, it
is thought, would not diminish the rapidity of growth of the

rubber trees themselves. The three plants mentioned are
well known in the West Indies, and might suitably be given
a trial in cacao plantations. They all belong to the leguminous
family, and would therefore be the means of enriching the
soil by the supply of nitrogen assimilated from the air by
the bacteria associated with their root system.

The Crotolaria is a quick-growing plant, which when
sown thickly on good soil, and « sufficient rainfall is experi-
enced, completely covers the ground with vegetation within
a few weeks. Experiments carried out in Ceylon, in which
Crotolaria was grown under cacao, showed that organic
matter was added to the soil by the plant at the rate of
14,000 Ib. per acre per annum, the nitrogen in this organic
matter being equal to 700 Ib. of nitrate of soda. No weeds
can grow under the dense cover of the Crotolaria.

Mimosa pudica, or the ‘ sensitive plant’, is cultivated as
a green.crop/iniconnexion with sugar-cane planting in Fiji
and one or two other countries. It grows readily, and does
especially well under moist conditions.

The third plant, the Desmodium, is small, and grows
only a few inches in height. It is somewhat difficult to
establish, but when onee it has been successfully started, it
covers the ground with a thick, close turf.

AGRICULTURE IN THE FIJI ISLANDS.

The British colony of the Fiji Islands, it will be
remembered, is situated in the South Pacific Ocean to
the east of Queensland, and in latitude of from 16° to
21°. The islands comprise a total area of 7,451 square
miles (or nearly twice the area of Jamaica), and the
soil, in general, is of good fertility.

The staple agricultural products of the Fiji Islands, and
the principal items of export are sugar, copra, and green
fruit (chietly bananas).

The total area under sugar-cane cultivation is 39,464
acres, which in 1907, according to the figures given in the
Annual Report on the colony, yielded an average crop of
14-7 tons of cane per acre. The total export of sugar in 1907
was 66,597 tons, valued at £602,820. Six large up-to-date
sugar-mills exist in the colony, which together are capable of
turning out 420 tons of sugar per day.

Cocoa-nut plantations under European management
extended to 28,634 acres, but native plantings also exist.
The total quantity of copra exported in 1907 was 11,290

valued at £182,788.
Bananas and pine-apples are cultivated over an area of
3,477 acres, exclusive of native plantings. Green fruit to
the value of nearly £80,000 was exported in 1907. An
Inspector has lately been appointed to supervise the export
fruit trade, with the object of improving the grade of produce

tons,

sent abroad.

An Agricultural Department was started in the colony
in 1905, and two experiment Stations have been established
Sea Island: cotton formed the chief crop grown at one of these
Stations, the lint obtained being shipped to the British
Cotton Growing Association. This cotton was described as
“clean, very bright, long in staple, rather wanting in fine-
ness and fairly strong, ’ and valued, in 1907, at 16d. per tb.

Experiments in the cultivation of rubber (Hevea and
Ceara), cacao, coffee, cloves, nutmegs, bananas, maize, rice,
ground nuts, siral hemp, and other fibre plants are also in
progress. Limes and tobacco too, it is stated, are under
consideration as possible crops.

The total area of Crown land in the colony is estimated
at 32,600 acres.

408 __

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. DecemBer 26, 1908.

EDITORIAL NOTICES.

Letters and matter for publication, as well as all
specimens for naming, should be addressed to the
Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture,
Barbados. 7

All applications for Copies’ of the ‘ Agricultural
News’ should be addressed to the Avents, and not to
the Department.

Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge-
town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dalau &
Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and 'l'he West India Com-
mittee, 15, Seething Lane, F.C. A complete list of
Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover.

The Agricultural News: Price 1d. per number,

post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents,
2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4d.

Agricultural Hews

DECEMBER

Vou. VIL. SATURDAY, 26, 1908. No. 174.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Contents of Present Issue.

The editorial (which has been contributed by
Dr. Longfield Smith) deals with the courses of instruc-
tion in Natural and Agricultural Science. given at
Harrison College, Barbados.

Some interesting notes on Experiment Stations,
and the efforts made to improve agricultural conditions
in the tropical territories of the United States will be
found on page 403. These are followed by a brief article
on the Soy Bean.

The results of an exhaustive investigation, carried
out by the U. 8. Department of Agriculture, on the
decay of oranges in transit, show that mechanical
injuries to the fruit were in large part responsible for
the subsequent decay (page 404).

A number of fibres from the Gold Coast have
been well reported on at the Imperial Institute (page

405).

The value of certain leguminous. plants as agents
for the improvement of the soil, when under-planted in
cacao and rubber plantations, is discussed'on page 407.

A suecessful Peasants’ Agricultural. Show was
lately held at Barbados (page 409),

Particulars relating to the ‘ fruit flies ’ of different
countries will be found under Insect Notes (page 410).
Attention may also be drawn to the article on page
415 ‘ New Rubber Plants for the West Indies. ’

Experiments in Molasses Feeding. ~

The results of experiments carried out in Germany
asto the amounts of molasses that may with advantage
be fed to horses and cattle are worthy, of notice. For
cattle it was found that 6 tb. of molasses per 1,000 tb.
live weight is probably the maximum daily allowance

‘that should be given, although 8 tb. were fed without

eyil effects. Horses doing considerable work were fed
with molasses with encouraging results, the ration being
mixed in the proportion of 7} tb. of corn, 7 tb. of bran,
and 5 tb. of molasses. It was noticed that on this diet
horses perspired very little during hot weather, Even
when 10 tb. of molasses per day were given to the horses,
no evil effects were noticeable, but some difficulty was
experienced in getting the animals accustomed to it.

EEE OT ___

Destruction of Scale Insects at St. Lucia.

Experiments carried out at St. Lucia to tes¢ the
effectiveness of different strengths of kerosene wash for
the destruction of the orange snow scale (Chionaspis
citr7) are described in the latest Annual Report of
the Agricultural Superintendent of the colony.

The stock solution of wash consisted of 1 gallon of
kerosene, 2 th. whale-oil soap, and 1 gallon ‘of water.
Six lime trees infested with scale were sprayed with
the wash at different strengths,—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and
§ gallons of water being added respectively, tor the
ditterent trees, to the stock solution given above. The
results show that when. only 1, 2, or 3 gallons of
water are added to the original. preparation, the wash
is thoroughly effective. When the stock solution
is diluted with 4, 5, or 6 gallons of water, satistactory
results may be expected in spraying on a large scale,
more especially if a second spraying is given about
ten days after the first.

The lime trees suffered no injury as the result of
spraying even with the strong stock solution.

EEE
West African Rams and their Progeny.

It is apparent that a good deal of interest is being
taken by stock-keepers and others in the several colonies
in the four West African rams recently imported by the
Imperial Department of Agriculture. One of the rams
was purchased by a large sheep owner in St. Vincent
and another has just been sold to an estate owner in
Barbados. ‘The other two are on service, one at the
Stock Farm at the Agricultural School, St. Lucia, and
the other at the Lunatic Asylum Farm, Barbados,
principally for the benefit of peasant proprietors.

During the current year an estate proprietor who
had the service of one of these rams for his flock has
been very successful in raising some exceptionally fine
lambs, most of which he has disposed of for shipment
to the other islands. He states that he expects to
have several more for sale early in the coming year.

The lambs bred from a good Barbadian woolless
sheep, as the result of a cross with one of the African
rams, Show considerable improvement, and grow much
quicker than those from the ordinary ram that is gene-
rally used, while the prices. that can be obtained for such
lambs are much higher.

Vou. VIE. No. 174.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWS. 409:

Destruction of Injurious Insects.

A notice lately published in the Trinidad Royal
Gazette invites school teachers and children in the
colony to co-operate with the Board of Agriculture in
the destruction of injurious inseets. The pest to which
attention is particularly drawn is the larger moth borer
of the sugar-cane (Castnia licus), also known in Trini-
dad as the ‘ cane-sucker.’ This insect is a native of
South and Central America, and so far has not reached
farther north in the West Indian islands than Trinidad.
The larva of Castnia licus is a borer in the stems of
the sugar-cane and also the banana. In certain dis-
tricts of Trinidad the moth is very plentiful, and as
many as 300 were recently caught on the Caroni estate.
The Board of Agriculture offers to pay school children
at the rate of S$1-00 per 100 moths sent in to the
Secretary.

Cacao at St. Kitt’s-Nevis.

Cacao cultivation has been started on at least two
estates at St. Kitt’s, and at Molineux estate 22 acres
have been planted with the crop., Some of the earlier-
planted trees bore a tew fruits in the past season.
A further 10 acres have been prepared for cacao, and
trees planted for wind-breaks, before the young cacao is
putin. It is hoped in time to extend the cultivation
to 100 acres on this estate, but it is necessary to
provide belts of trees wind-breaks beforehand.
Large numbers of Castilloa and Funtumia rnbber trees
have been planted at Molineux, and advantage is being
taken of their presence to utilize them fur purposes of
shade, and as wind-breaks for young eacao.

About 40 acres are also under cultivation with
cacao at Maddens estate in Nevis. The older trees are
now beginning to bear, and the area is being extended.

= >

Rubber Exhibits from Dominica.

Among the samples sent from Dominica to the Inter-
national Rubber Exhibition held in London. from Sep-
tember 14 to 26 last, were specimens of Para, Castilloa,
and Ficus rubbers, prepared in biscuit form. A report
from Messrs. Lewis & Peat, rubber brokers of London,
on the quality and value of these Dominica samples, is
very satisfactory.

The biscuits of Para rubber are described as being
well prepared and in good condition. They were valued
at about 4s. 8d. per th. It is added that the specimens
compare favourably with biscuit rubber trom Ceylon.

The biscuits of Castalloa rubber sent from Dominica
were strong and well prepared. It was pointed ont,
iowever, that the biscuits should be rolled thinner.
‘Chey should not be exposed to the sun or bright light,
‘Dut cured ina darkened drying room. The value of
the Castilloa sample was‘about 3s. 6d. per tb.

A single small biscuit of Ficus rubber is described
by Messrs. Lewis & Peat as being extremely well cured
and in good condition. There would be a ready
‘lemand for Ficus rubber prepared in biscuit form.
The value of the sample was about 3s. 9d. per th.

A ball of rubber, twelve years old, from the vine
Forsteronia floribunda, of fair quality, was valued at
trom 2s. 4d. to 2s. 6d. per Ih.

as

Artificial Manures in Italy.

The increasing quantities of artificial manures
prepared in Italy, or imported from abroad, bear wit-
ness to the greater attention that has lately been given
to the improvement of agriculture in that country.

The production of superphosphate in Italy in 1904
was estimated at 400,000 tons: in 1906, it had advan-
ced to 600,000 tons, and ia 1907, to 850,000 tons. The
utilization, as well as the production of this manure in
the country has doubled in the last four years.

Sulphate of ammonia is another. manure manufac-

‘tured on an increasing seale in Italy. The present
production is over 10,000 tous, Organic nitrogenous
manures are also prepared and utilized in large quantity.
About 100,000 tons of basic slag are imported
from other European countries, while nitrate of soda to
the extent of 42,000 tons is obtained from Chili.
OE

Agricultural Show at Barbados.

The annual Barbados Peasants’ Show of agricultu-
ral produce and live stock, held under the auspices of
the Impenal Department of Agriculture, took place at
Mount Plantation, St. George, on December 9, and was
a distinctly successful event,

The district in which the Show was held was one
which suffered least from the drought of. the past
season, so that the exhibits were well up to the standard
of past years, and on the whole, the exhibition was
adjudged to be the best of the series that has been
held, as regards the quality of produce sent in.

The vegetables and garden produce formed a good
collection, coming principally from the parish of St.
George. As usual, the best samples of fruit (oranges,
grape-fruit, shaddocks, bananas, ete.) were from St.
Thomas and St. Joseph. Some good specimens of
grafted mangos were also sent in.

The exhibition of live stock (bulls, cows, goats and
sheep) was a prominent feature of the Show, and here
a distinct advance was noticeable compared with the
exhibitions of past years. A goat to which was awarded
first prize together with a Diploma of Merit was the
son of the Toggenburg Billy ‘ Bruce,’ imported some
years ago by the Imperial Department of Agriculture.
Some fowls of the Plymouth Rock and Butf Cochin
China breeds were best among the poultry on view.

The number of exhibits from elementary schools
was 133, and the quality of the best among these bore
evidence to the good results of the agricultural teach-
ing given, and to the interest taken by the pupils in
the work.

The prizes were distributed by his Excellency
Sir Gilbert Carter, K-C.M.G., and Lady Carter present-
ed the Diplomas of Merit.

Professor d’ Albuquerque, Acting Commissioner of
Agriculture, in his speech, referred to the general good
quality of the exhibits, and mentioned several which
were especially worthy of note. Reference was made
to the absence of Sir Daniel Morris, and also to that of
Mr. F. M. Aljeyne,;both of whom had always been
present at past shows.

410

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

DecemBer 26, 1908.

INSECT NOTES.

Fruit Flies.

Fruit flies are serious pests ina number of countries,
and they have been the subject of many scientific and
popular articles, and also the cause of a certain «mount
of legislation.

The fruit fly of South Africa is Ceratitis capitata, that
of Australia is Dacus tryoni, while the Mexican fruit fly
or ‘ orange worm * It will be seen from
these different scientific uaimes that several distinct insects
are known by the same comimon name on account of the
nature of the injury they inflict upon fruit.

The South African fruit fly is known in the fruit-grow-
ing localities of the Mediterranean, in Madeira, and St. Helena,
and is the one that has appeared at Bermuda.

These insects all affect fruit in the same way ; that
is, the adult female deposits its eggs in the developing fruit,
where they hatch, and the maggots feed on the tissues of the
fruit, which they completely spoil.

Many remedies having for their object the control or
extermination of the fruit flies have been tried. One of
the first steps that should be taken in case‘of any attack by
these pests is the destruction of all fallen fruit as soon as
possible after it has dropped. In this way many maggots
are destroyed. Sprays of ‘ poison sweets’ have also been
tried. These sprays are really poison baits on which the
adult flies feed, and by which they are. killed.

is Trypeta fudens.

fruiting throughout one season, so that the food supply of
the flies should be stopped. Kerosene was used asa trap
also in Bermuda, and considerable success was reported in
catching the flies in shallow trays of kerosene, exposed in
and about the fruit trees. In Australia and South Africa
the trials of kerosene in this way do not appear to have given
such good results as are reported from Bermuda,

TRYPETA LUDENS.

Fie. 17. Female fly (enlarged).
(Reproduced from Yearbook of U.

S. Department of
Agriculture, 1897, p. 532.)

The use of netting to prevent the flies from gaining
access to the growing fruit has been successful in extended
trials in Seuth Africa.

In certain districts of Mexico, the system has been
adopted of injecting each infested orange (for the orange is
the fruit principally attacked) with kerosene, by means of
a small syringe.

The fruit: fly is not known as a pest in the Lesser
Antilles, although several closely related species have been
recorded from these islands. Planters and others, however,
often write to the Head Office of the Imperial Department of
Agriculture, to inquire about the fruit fly—what it is, and what
it does. Letters are frequently accompanied by specimens of
some insect pest attacking a fruit crop, and enquiry is made
as to whether this insect ts a specimen of the fruit fly.

It may be pointed out that if it is borne in mind that the
fruit flies are sinall two-winged insects, that their larvae are

22) maggots, without a distinct head, and without feet and legs,

16. CERATITIS GAPITATA.

Fra.

a, adult fly ;¢, larva; both enlarged.
(Reproduced from Yearbook of U,

Agriculture, 1897, p. 537.)

S. Department of

In Bermuda, a law was enacted making it compulsory
for owners of fruit trees to destroy all fruit which showed the
slightest infestation, and all fruit trees were subjected to
a severe pruning with the object of preventing them from

“4 planters and fruit growers might save themselves much need-
J less worry and annoyance.

The illustrations accompanying this article will serve to
give an idea of the appearance of two species of the pests in
question. ‘Chere are certain small flies abundant in these
islands which might be mistaken for fruit flies, except that it
will be found that they only attack over-ripe or decaying
fruit. These are the Pomace flies (Drosophila spp.). The
Pomace flies may be seen hovering about over-ripe or decaying
fruit, and an examination of the fruit will usually disclose
enormous numbers of the smal] maggots.

In nearly all these islands, tov, there is to be found a hand-
some butterfly (Didonia brblis) which has already been
mentioned in the Agimenu/tural News (see Vol. VII, p. 234)
as a pest attacking ripe fruit im Dominica and St. Kitt’s-

Nevis. In this case, the injury is due to the adult
insect, which punctures the fruit with the proboscis. The

puncture is the point at which deeay sets in.
injury is not the work of the fruit fly.

In the event of any attack of insects on ripe or ripening
fruit, the circumstance should be reported at onee, with all
the information available, and a good supply of specimens sent
to the Head Office of the Imperial Department of Agriculture.

This form of

41i

agricultural enterprises

industries as the

Vorse VileeNon 174. THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.
’ Another class of flourishing
STUDENTS CORNER. whose future is equally as promising as that of the food-
— stuffs alluded to, is represented ly such
Seasonal Notes. production of tobacco, rubber,

DECEMBER.
2nd Forrnicur.

Look for evidence of root tungus in plant and
ratoon canes: also for evidence of rind fungus. Notice
the ‘dead-hearts’ caused by: moth borers, and observe
that cutting them out checks the pest. Search for the
eggs of the borer moth.

Study the questions of cultivating and manuring
cacao; and make a special study of local conditions in
the light of tke experiments of the Imperial Department
ot Agriculture, carried out at Dominica, St. Lucia, and
Grenada.

Give attention to the questions of cultivating and
manuring lime trees: ascertain what amount of digging

or forking i is expedient. Observe the effects of aimee
breaks or shelter on the spread of scale insects.
Practise the examination of cotton for Jength,

strength, and fineness. Punt together notes on the yield
of cotton from various fields, and endeavour to aczount
for differences observed.
Questions for Candidates.
PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS.
action
you

what

(1) Lime is frequently applied to fields :
which

does it have Give details as to the manner in
would use lime.

(2) Why is it necessary to plough or otherwise stir up
soil that is to be used for the growth of agricultural crops?
What objects are attained ?

(3) Describe the best methods of retaining moisture in
soil during periods of dry weather.

INTERMEDIATE

(1) Deseribe the principal manures useful as providing
phosphates.

(2) Describe a plongh, and state how it should be
modified, so as to be suited for the various types of soil to be
worked.

(3) In what respect does a surfaze soil usually
from the subsoil,

QUESTIONS.

differ

PROFITABLE AND UNPROFITABLE
CULTIVATIONS.

The conditions which determine the profitable
nature or otherwise of the cultivation of various agri-
eulturai crops are dealt with ina late number of the
Hawaiian Forester and Agriculturist, and it 1s

ointed out that the prosperous nature of any agri-
enltural industry depends upon an increasing consump-
tion of the article produced, favourable labour facilities,
and a restricted area of cultivation. Generally speaking

when -these three elements are all present, an
azricultural enterprise has every likelihood of sneceed-
ing.

Established articles of food, as, wheat, sugar, tea, etc.,

ave likely to prove profitable, and this is more especially true
when the article of diet in question has a wide market, but
its production requires special conditions of climate w hich

limit its growth to restricted areas.

growth of

and camphor, which have
especially limited areas of production.

On the other hand, the cultivation of drugs and medici-
nal herbs is an industry which, on an extensive scale, is always
likely to prove unremunerative. An example of this was
shown by the failure to create a profitable industry in the
ginseng in the United States. Another illustra
tion of the misfortune apt to overcome the grower of medici-
nal plants is furnished by the result of the efforts made to

sce

sete cinchona in California some years ago. The extensive
use of quinine and its good market value encouraged

extensive plantings in favourable districts. The plants did
not dourish, however, and the rapid decline that has taken
place in the price of quinine renders it certain that, taking
into consideration the cost of. labour, the industry would
have been unremunerative.

Another class of industries referred to, which have of
late become Hoe cence unprofitable is the cultivation of
perfumery plants. This is chiefly because the natural
perfume bas been replaced by synthetic articles manufactured
in the chemical laboratory.

PRIZE-HOLDINGS COMPETITIONS AND
VILLAGE SHOWS AT GRENADA.

The improvement that has been brought about in
the management and cultivation of peasant holdings in
those districts of Grenada in which the Prize-holdings
Competitions have been held is generally recognized,
and itis desirable that the good influence of these
competitions be extended throughout the isiand. If
this is to be done, however, increased financial support,
from the Agricultural Society is necessary, and the
Grenada Chronicle in its issue of November 28 last,
dealing with this question, suggests that the Agri-
Galeural Society should adopt a “resolution, urging the
Secretary of State to increase the grant to the Society to
£500, which would furnish the means of additional ‘aid
to the Prize-holdings Competitions, and also to Village
Agricultaral Shows.

The following is quoted from the Chronicle :—

A grant of £500 would enable the Socie ty to
the Prize- holdings Competitions to all the parishes. The six
competitions at £25 each would absorb £150. Ten Village
Competitive Shows, confined to peasants, and at which prizes
will be offered for forking, pruning, and draining competitions,
should be held annually, to each of which the Society would
contribute £10. The sum of £25 might, with considerable
advantage, be distributed in small prizes for the best ground
provisions and vegetables offered for sale in the markets.
The upkeep of the Socie ty would, as at present, absorb £100 ;
Exhibitions, £50 ; agriculture al literature for free
£25 ; experiments and contingencies, ete , £50

We are convinced that £500, expended as we have
suggested above, would give an immediate return, as it would.
supply excellent incentives to the pe: asantry to apply to their
holdings the improved methods of agriculture in use on our
best cultivated estates. Past results provide ample guarantees,
that the money would be properly expended by the Society,
and that the return will be immediate and abundant.

extend

Foreign
distribution,

412 THE

AGRICULTURAL

NEWS, DECEMBER 26, 1908-

LEANINGS,

The Barkados Agricultural Society has ,just’ imported
from England a ( ‘atalonian jack donkey,,14°2 hands high,
to be used for mule-breeding purposes in the island.

A fine Berkshire boar ‘ Homestead Here ’
to the pedigree stock kept at the
St. Lucia.

has been added
Agricultural School,
The fee for service is Is.

Attention is drawn to the advertisement—which appears
on the last page of the cover of this issue—of an aermotor
offered for sale at Tortola,

St.Lucia exported 3,700 bags of molascuit in 1907. Of
this quantity, nearly 2,000 bags went to the United Kingdom,
and 1,725 bags were shipped to France.

A bulletin (Vo. 26) has been issued from the Hawaiian
Sugar Planters’ Experiment Station dealing with the nomen-
clature of the many varieties of sugar-cane now in cultivation.
Lists of synonymous canes are given, and the origin of the
better-known varieties is discussed.

The value of the salt exported from the Turks and
Caicos Islands shows a rise from £14,275 in 1906 to
£16,557 in 1907. A prolonged drought was’ experienced,
which was favourable to salt-raking, but disastrous to the
sisal crop. The latter fell in value from £5,602 in 1906 to
£3,107 in 1907. z

vé

For the encouragement and instruction of bee-keepers,
the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior have lately established
a model apiary in connexion with the Zoological Department
of Erlangen University. The officials controlling the manage
ment of the apiary provide gratis information, both scientific
and practical, on all questions dealing with the subject.

The cultivation of cocoa-nuts appears to be an industry
deserving more attention than it at present receives in the
Bahamas Islands. During 1907, the value of the cocoa-nut
exports was £710. The crop is reasonably certain in many
districts, and the demand is good. (Board of

1907.)

Agriculture

;

Arrangements have been made by the Governor of
Uganda to introduce a supply of the small Barbados fish
known as ‘millions’ into the fresh water streams, ete., of the
Protectorate, in the hope that by destroying the larvae of
the fish will prove of valuable
decreasing the prevalence of certain diseases.

mosquitos, assistance in

Union,

colonies. In

Messrs. Macfarlane; Junior &*:Co.’s cotton ginnery at
Castries, St. Lucia, has lately /started -operations. The
building at present contains -two.Asa Lee gins worked by
a Crossley oil engine, but more gins willbe; ade led as required.
Sixty acres have been planted with cotton on the Balem-
bouche estate, from which the first’ pickings have been made.
(Voice of St. Lucia.) 4

; Ge

The tenth Colonial Fruit. Show, under the auspices: of
the Royal Horticultural Society, was) held in London from
November 26-50 last. There was..a ggod display of West
Indian produce. A paper on the cultivation of citrus. fruits,,

Archibald Brooks, of the Dominica Apri-

prepared ,by Mr.
cultural School, was read at the Exhibition on November 26.

The British Guiana correspondent “of the West India
Circular states that ‘an American syndicate has
purchased 5,000 acres of land on the West Coast of Berbice,
on which it is proposed to carry out rice growing by up-to-date
methods, similar to those prac tised’ in the Southern States’ of
America.

Committee

Bananas form the chief sproduct> of the province of
Bocas del Toro (Panama). » In i907 the-value of the fruit
exported was £227,664, practically the whole of which went
to the United States. Sarsap: willa was exported to the value
of £2,836, together with rubber worth £1,667. Cacao,
cocoa-nuts, and sugar-cane are grown on a small scale by the
natives.

The French Colonial Cotton-growing Association exists
for the purpose of encouraging cotton production in French
1907 cotton to the extent of 150 tons, grown
in the dependencies of the country, was imported by the
Association. Among the colonies in whieh attention is given
to cotton growing are Algeria, Guadeloupe, Martinique,
Madagasear, Réunion, and Dahomey. (Board of Trade
Journal.)

The cropping powers of thirty-seven varieties of cow-
peas were tested at the Delaware Agricultural Experiment
Station during the last season. ‘The New Era, Whip-poor
Will, and Warren New Hybrid were the leading varicties in
seed production, yielding 15°6, 13-2, and 12°3 bushels per
The New Era, Whip-poor-Will, Red
Crowder, and Tron peas made the best growth. (xperiment
Station Lecord.)

acre respectively,

late number of the Chemical Trade
method of manufacture of calcium
issue of Agricultural News, page 398),
of this, as compared with other nitrogenous
manures. It is stated that the factory at Odda, Norway,
will shortly be able to place the cyanamide on the English
tharket at a price about 10s. per ton cheaper than the cost of
sulphate of ammonia containing the same amount of nitrogen.

An article ina
Journal discusses the
cyanamide (see last
and the

cost

From the preliminary returns of the Board of Agriculture
and Fisheries, it is seen that the chief crops of Great Britain
show a decline in the past season as compared with those of
the previous year. ‘The wheat crop has fallen from 6,900,774
quarters in 1907 to 6,565,370 quarters in 1908, while oats
have declined from 16,799,015 quarters in 1907 to 15,467,616
quarters in 1908... T he total amount of hay produced i in the
past summer was 9,721,899 tons, while in 1907 it. was
10,429,234 tons.

‘Vou. VII. No. 174.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

413

ST... KITVS-NEVIS: ANNUAL REPORTS OWN
THE BOTANIC STATION, ECONOMIC EXPERI-
MENTS, AND AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION,

1907-8.

A total amount of £1,076 8s. Id. was expended on agri-
cultural services at St. IKitt’s-Nevis in the year under review.
Of this sum, £254 13s. 8d. were spent on sugar-cane, cotton,
and other experiments. The total receipts from the sale of
seeds, plants, and produce amounted to £169 2s. 9d.

Some minor improvements have been made at the
St. Kitt’s Botanic Station during the year. A considerable
decline in the number of plants sent out is noticeable, there
being but 564 distributed (including 310 Castilloa clastica),
compared with 1,038 in the previous year. Cuttings and
seeds of various kinds have, however, been distributed in
large quantity to planters and others in the presidency.

Small but promising areas of cacao exist both at St. Kitt’s
and at Nevis, and preparations have been made for extending
the area at Molineux estate, St. Mitt’s, and at Maddens estate,
Nevis. From 4,000 to 5,000 rubber trees have now been

lanted at Molineux, and these provide shelter, and serve as
a wind-break for the young cacao.

The rainfall experienced at the Botanic Station was but
40°90 inches, Le., 12°49 inches below that of last year, and
3 inches below the average of the past six years.

Among the crops under experimental cultivation on the
economic plots at La Guerite are sweet potatos, yams,
cassava, Onions, ground nuts, tobacco, eddos, pigeon peas,
velvet beans, and woolly pyrol.

An area.of 6) acres at La Guerite is devoted to experi-
ments with cotton, and the work includes manurial trials,
experiments as to the most suitable months and the best
distances for planting, as well as seed selection. A total of
1,883 Ib. of lint was shipped from the 63 acres.

The total area under cotton cultivation at St. Kitt’s-

Nevis (including Anguilla) during 1907-8 was about 5,000
acres. Compared with the previous year, there was an
increase of 500 acres under cotton at St. Nitt’s, anda decrease,
amounting to about the same area, at Nevis. The return of
lint per acre varied very much, but the average for St. Kitt’s
was no more than 130 tb. per acre.
i The sugar-cane experiments will, as usual, form the
-subject of a separate report. It may be mentioned, however,
that returns sent in from forty-three estates at St. Kitt’s
show that out of a total of 7,506 acres under cane, no less
than 5,314 acres are planted with newer varieties of cane,
dntroduced and tested in these experiments.

A branch Experiment Station exists at Nevis. On this
a sum of £199 19s. 7d. was expended during the year, while
£11 4s. was derived fromthe sale of plants and produce.
j The experiments carried out at the Station include those
with different varieties of provision crops, as yams, potatos,
and cassava ; also with Sea Island cotton, broom corn, castor
oil, and ground nuts.

From the plot of land kept as
lime plants were sold during the year.

As already mentioned, the cotton area of Nevis showed
a decline compared with the previous year, but owing to the
greater care taken with the cultivations, a
yield of lint per acre was obtained.

a lime nursery, 3,600

considerable

FEDERATED MALAY STATES:
DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE, 1907.

The report of Mr. J. B. Carruthers, Director of Agri-
culture and Government Botanist to the Federated Malay
States, on the progress made in 1907, contains many points
of interest, more especially in regard to the development. of
the rubber industry.

At the end of 1906, the rubber area of the Federated
Malay States was 85,000 acres,and by the end of 1907 it had
advanced to 126,235 acres, showing an increase of about
48 per cent. The total number of rubber trees planted, which
was less than 11,000,000 in 1906, had reached nearly
20,000,000 by the end of 1907. On land recently put under
rubber cultivation, the trees, in many cases, have been
planted more closely than was previously the custom, The
output of dry rubber shows a corresponding increase, 885
tons*being exported from the Federated Malay States in 1907,
as compared with 459 cons in 1906—an advance of 93 per
cent. The wonderful rapidity with which the rubber indus-
try has developed will be realized when it is mentioned that
ten years ago only 350 acres were planted, and in 1902 no
more than 7,500 acres were under rubber trees.

The average amount of dry rubber obtained per tree
over the whole peninsula during 1907 was 1 tb. 12 oz.
This is very satisfactory, as large numbers of trees were
tapped for the first time only. he fall in price of rubber
somewhat diminished the rapidity with which planting was
being carried on, but itis mentioned that even the lowest price
yet reached by plantation rubber is 100 per cent. above the
cost of production.

Owing to the high cost of keeping rubber plantations
free from weed, it is recommended that planters should give
a trial to three quick-growing leguminous plants—Cvotolaria
striata, Mimosa pudica, and Desmodium triflorum, which
rapidly cover the soil, keep down weeds, and increase the
fertility of the land by their nitrogen-assimilating properties.

Cocoa-nuts come second to rubber as regards the area
planted in the Malay States. The cocoa-nnt plantations
cover 112,560 acres, including about 7,500 acres planted up
in 1907. The drop in the price of rubber has lately tended
to create an increased interest in this easily cultivated and
remunerative crop.

The coffee area of the Malay States extends to nearly
11,000 acres, but a considerable proportion of the trees are
interplanted with rubber, and owing to the dense shade of
the latter, give little return. Cassava oecupies about 10,000
acres, and is a profitable crop.

A good deal of attention is being paid to improve
ment of methods of rice cultivation. On certain areas, it is
stated, the crop has been increased from 30 to 40 per cent.
by the introduction of irrigation.

An Experiment Station has lately been established on
a block of land, about 100 acres in extent, near the Depart-
ment Jaboratories and offices, and a number of carefully plan
ned experiments started with various crops.

The reports of the Government Mycologist, Inspector of
Cocoa-nut Plantations, and the Superintendent of Experiment
included with that of the Director of

REPORT OF

Plantations are also
Agriculture.

4y4

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

DECEMBER 26, 1908.

DRY FARMING IN THE UNITED
STATES.

What is known as ‘ Dry Farming, 1.e., the cultiva-
tion and utilization for agricultural purposes, of land
which enjoys but a very small rainfall, has been
successfully adopted in California and other parts of
America, and it has been shown that when the system
is carried out in the most approved methods, and on
suitable soil, a crop may be obtained once in two
years, with a rainfall of no more than 10 to 12 inches
per annum. ‘The possibility of dry farming depends
essentially upon the soil being kept in such a condition
that its capacity for water storage is at a maximum,
while evaporation is reduced to a minimum. It will
be seen, therefore, that the methods followed in econo-
nusing the rainfall should be of interest to West Indian
planters, whose lands in many districts, are not
infrequently subject to drought. The following brief
account of the system is summarized from a report on
the subject, prepared by the Surveyor-General of
South Australia, and reprinted in the Agricultural
Journal of the Cape of Good Hope for June last :—

The soil from which the most. satisfactory results may
be expected under a dry-farming system is a fine, deep
sandy loam. It is much to be doubted if heavy clay lands
can be worked in this way, and it is certainly impossible to
get good results under the system from shallow soil over-
lying loose gravel subsoil.

To farm successfully with a very light rainfall, only one
crop in two years should be taken. During the remainder
of the time, the land lies fallow, and should be kept entirely
tree from weeds, the surface soil, to a depth of 3 inches,
being frequently stirred by harrowing.

As soon as practicable after a crop has been taken off,
the land should be disced or lightly ploughed, and as much
as possible of the roots or stubble of the old crop turned into
the soil. This increases the humus content of the soil, and
therefore water-holding capacity. Harrowing
follows quickly after this shallow ploughing, and by frequent
use of the harrow, a surface mulch of dry soil is regularly
This last point
is one of importance, since weeds, by the moisture they
transpire, rob the soil of a considerable amount of water.
Harrowing is especially important after rainfall, im order to
prevent the surface from caking as it becomes dry, a condi-
tion especially favourable to rapid evaporation.

Although it is important, in this system of dry farming,
that the soil should not be in too loose a state, yet, in order
to retain as much moisture as possible, it is essential that it be
loosened to a good depth, in order that the rainfall received may
readily soak into the land. At least one deep ploughing is
therefore necessary early in the period of fallowing. This
ploughing should never be less than 7 inches deep, and on
firm land of good depth, the ploughing may reach to 9 or LO
The best time for this ploughing is when the land is
damp, but not wet. If rain has followed the preliminary
light discing given when the crop was taken off, it readily
soaks in, the subsoil is moist, and conditions are then very
favourable for the deep ploughing to be given at once.

Iineness and closeness of grain is as essential as depth
in soils which are utilized for dry-farming purposes, for these
properties are among the chief points which determine the
water-holding capacity of the land. To be retentive the soil
must be finely pulverized, and in a firm condition. If there
is any tendency to be Joose, therefore, the soil must be

assists its

maiitained, and all weeds are kept down,

inches.

‘packed.’ The best means of bringing about this condition
is by the use of a heavy weighted harrow, or a roller followed!
by a light harrow.

The best seed only should be sown in a dry country, and
this should preferably be the produce of a crop grown in
a similarly dry climate. Experience has shown that thin
sowing is the best under the conditions ; thick sowing has.
proved unsuccessful in dry climates. :

THE VALUE OF RECORDS.

The value of keeping accurate records in connexion
with the various operations of estate work, was discussed
in the editorial article of the Agricultural News of
October 3 last. Reference is made to this question in
a recent number of the Louisiana Planter, and some
of the ideas suggested in the above-mentioned article
are followed up, more especially from the point of view
of sugar planters in Louisiana.

The fact that the practice of purchasing canes by weight
is a recent introduction, is referred to, and the benefits that
have followed this introduction are enumerated. With the
weighing of the sugar-cane, there came the knowledge.of the
relative yields of plant canes, of first ratoons, and of second
ratoons, all of which are ordinarily produced. in, Louisiana.
There came also a direct knowledge of the relative yields of
loamy lands, and of stiff lands, as wellas of the relative
yields of lands at higher and lower levels.

As an illustration in point it is mentioned that a success-
ful sugar planter, who has only lately started weighing his
canes, Was surprised to find, on beginning the practice, that
one section of his estate was giving quite inadequate returns,
although this had been masked by the average of profit
obtained over the whole property. Special attention has since
been paid to the wiprofitable area.

Reference is made to certain problems lately presented
by cane roller mills, which ean only be solved by careful
accumulation and comparison of data. The relatively profit-
able nature of six-roller, nine-roller, and twelve-roller mills
are among the problems that await solution. Some studies
made in Hawaii show no very great increase in the profit
when the results from twelve-roller mills were compared with
those from nine-roller mills.

Many seedling and other new varieties of cane have been
introduced into Louisiana, and their merits compared with
the other standard kinds. — Trials carried ont on every estate
to determine the weight of produce per acre and the
quality of the juice, are methods of comparison which at once
suggest themselves, and may be readily put into practice.
The influence of climatic conditions on the growth of these
canes is believed by some to be very considerable, and here
again is a question which ean only be satisfactorily disposed
of by observation and careful record keeping.

Another important phase of the sugar-cane industry
which can best be studied by the weighing of canes and the
keeping of records, is that of ratooning. In Java, local condi-
tions (chiefly the danger of root disease) have led to the
cultivation of plant canes only, ratooning having been entirely
given up. In some parts of the West Indies, annual replant-
ing is also practised, while in Cuba a crop of plant canes
is followed by three or four crops of ratoons,

In Louisiana, under general conditions, the crop of plant
The crop of first ratoons will scarcely
average three-fourths by weight of the plant cane yield, and
the second ratoons scarcely weigh two-thirds as much as_ the
first ratoons. These facts have been brought out by weigh-
ing canes and keeping records.

canes is the heaviest.

Vou. VII.

No. 1:74: THE

AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

£15

FORSTERONIA RUBBER FROM
JAMAICA.

A report recently obtained from the Imperial
Institute ona sample of rubber prepared in Jamaica
from the vine Forsteronia floribunda leaves no doubt
that the rubber furnished by this vine is of good quality,
cand if obtainable in quantity, would be readily saleable.

The Forsteronja plant grows profusely in the limestone
districts of Jamaica, and it was desirable therefore that the
commercial value of the rubber produced from the latex of
the vine should be known. The sample of rubber sent to
London weighed about 13 oz., and consisted of two ‘small
sheets and one larger cake of rubber. The report issued by
the Imperial Institute states that the rubber was clean, free
from stickiness, and exhibited satisfactory physical properties.
The results of analysis showed that it was of good quality,

“the dry material containing nearly 89 per cent. of true rub-
ber. Resin was present to the extent of 7-1 per cent.

The rubber was submitted for commercial examination
to brokers who reported that it would probably realize 2s. 4d.
per lb. in London with fine hard Para from South America

~quoted at 3s. 52d. per Ib.

NEW RUBBER PLANTS FOR THE
WEST INDIES.

Reference was made in the Agricultural News
-of November 30, 1907 (Vol. VI, p. 383), to the rubber-
_yielding tree known as Jiquié Manicoba, which occurs

naturally in large quantity in the Brazilian State of

Bahia. This plant belongs to the same genus (Mani-
hot) as the well-known Ceara rubber tree, and the name
Manihot dichotoma, Ule, has been given to it. From
further information it appears that au least two
other valuable species of Manihot are found in Bahia
sand in the adjoming state of Piauhy. ‘To these, the
names M. piauhyensis and M. heptaphylla, respective-
ly, have been given. Seeds of these new rubber plants
were sent to Kew Gardens, from which seedlings have
been raised and distributed to portions of the Empire
within the tropics. A lengthy article dealing with
the three species was published in the Kew Bulletin,
No. 2, 1908.

The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture recently
received from Kew a consignment of seeds of both J,
dichotoma and M. piauhyensis, and these will be sent out to
the various Botanic Stations with the object of testing the
suitability of the two species for economic cultivation in the
West Indies. It seems likely that these new varieties will
prove of considerable importance in the future, and some
notes on their characteristics, therefore, may well be given.

Manthot dichotoma (Jiquié Manicoba) does not form
quite so large a tree as the Ceara, and is from 16 to 38 feet
in height. The stem also does not become so thick, and the
bark is thinner, and usually paler. The leaves are 3- 5-partite,
and are much smaller than in the case of the Ceara. The
smaller leaves and. the. large, long seeds afford the most
important characters for distinguishing this species from
M, Glaziovii,

The ‘ Jiquié’ occurs more or less plentifully among the
forest growth, on mountain slopes in the south-east of Bahia.
It thrives best on red, loamy soil, and is found more rarely

on sandy soil. Dr. Ule, a German botanist, reports that in
some parts the ‘Jiquié’ trees constitute 50 per cent. of the
forest. It seems probable, however, that the wild supply
will soon be exhausted. It has been found from experiment
that trees of I. dichotoma ean be made to yield their Jatex
at from four to five years from planting, but that the maxi-
mum return is obtained from the age of eight years onwards.

Manihot piauhyensis isa tree with a short stem (no
more than from 8-16 feet in height), but with a broad, densely-
leaved crown, the branches being forked two or three times,
This species is found in the State of Piauhy, and grows on
the sandstone mountain ranges. The bark of J/. piauhyensis
is not so hard as that of the Ceara. In collecting rubber
from the above two trees, the stem is cut in a wavy line by
means of a knife, which is curved or rounded at the apex,
and a small metal enp is placed at the end of the ent into
which the latex runs. The latex begins to coagulate as soon
as collected, and is then pressed by hand into balls, which
are afterwards compressed in cylinders and well dried. The
total output of rubber at present obtained from the wild
growth of JZ. diehotoma amounts to over 400 tons, and from
M. paiuhyensis at considerably over 500 tons. Plantations
of the former variety have lately been made.

Rubber from JZ. diehotoma has been valued at from Xs.
to 8s. 6d. per kilo, (2°2 Ib.) and that from JI/. Prauhyensis at
7s. 6d. per kilo., at atime when Para rubber was quoted at 9s.
per kilo.

Although the quality of the produce is not quite so good
as that from Hevea brasiliensis, these new rubber trees are
undoubtedty well worthy of cultivation, more especially in
dry and less fertile districts. It is considered that both
M. dichotoma and M. piauhyensis ave likely to prove more
profitable than Ceara rubber. They not only give a far
higher yield of rubber, but their bark is thinner and not so
hard, and they are less liable to injury in tapping. ./, dichotoma
is especially suitable for firm, loamy soil, and JZ. piauhyensis
gives good results on light, sandy land.

EDUCATIVE VALUE OF SCHOOL
GARDENING.

The place of school gardening in a system of education,
and the aim of such teaching are considered in an article which
appeared in a recent number of the Zropical Agriculturist.
The writer emphasizes the fact, to which it is often
necessary to make reference, that agricultural teaching and
school gardening in elementary schools are primarily valuable
on account of the training they afford in habits of observation,
and the added interest they create in agricultural life and pur
suits. The actual amount of knowledge gained by the pupils
in regard to methods of cultivation is also of direct use,
but the acquirement of such knowledge should not be the
main aim of the work. From this point of view, therefore,
school gardening should be regarded as an instrument of
education—a means to an end, and not an end in itself.

In the article mentioned, it is urged that in any school in
which nature teaching and gardening are taken up thoroughly
they should form the main subject with children from six to
nine years of age, and continue to oceupy a prominent place
with pupils of more advanced age.

The author describes the gardening work at his own
school, in which the children are taken in small groups for
work, It has been found that eight or ten children are as many
as one teacher can direct advantageously, unless it be in such
operations as weeding and watering, With a considerably
larger number, the work becomes over-organized, and
developes rather into drill than nature teaching.

THE AGRICULTURAL

NEWE. DeEcEMBER 26,- 19083

New York,—November

MARKET -—REPORTS:

London,—December 8, 1908, Toe West Inpra Com-

MiITtErK CrrcuLtar; Messrs. Kuarton Preer & Co.,
December 8, 1908.

Arrowroot—Dull.

Batata—Sheet, 2/1 to 2/5 ; block, no quotations.

Bees’-wax—No quotations.

Cacao—Trinidad, 57/- to 70/- per ewt.; Grenada, 50/- to
59 - per ewt.

CorreE—Santos, 26s. per ewt. ; Jamaica, no quoti utions.

Copra—West Indian, £18 10s. to £19 per ton.

Corrox—St. Vincent, 14d. to 15$d., and Barbados 14d. to
15d.; West Indian Sea Island, good medium to
medium fine, Ghd. to Lov.

Frvuit—

Bananas—Jamaica, 46 to 6/- per bunch.
Urmes-—Not wanted.

PIne-appLes—St. Michael, 3.6 to 5/6.
Grare Frurr—9/6 to 13/- per box
Orances—Jamaica, 8/- to 10/6 per box.

Fustic—£3 to £4 per ton.

GINGER—(Juiet.

Hoxey—li7s. to 54s. per ewt.

Isryetass—West India hunp, 1/9 to 2/4 per Tb.

Lime Jurce—Raw, 11d. to 1/2 per gallon; concentrated,
£16 5s. per cask of 108 gallons ; distilled oil, 1/9 per
ib.; Se pressed, 5/- to 5/6 per Tb.

Locivoor — £3 to £4 5s. per ton ; roots, no quotations.

—St aay

s—Steady.

Pimento—(Quiet.

Rum—Jiaimaica, 3/4; Demerara. 1/6 to 1/7, proof.
Trinidad, no quotations.

Sucar—Crystals, 15/6 to 16/9 per ewt ; Muscovado, 12/-;
Syrup, 12/- to 14/-.; Molasses, no quotations.

Bros. & Co.

Cacao—Caracas, 125c. to 14$c. ; Grenada, 12c. to 12e. ;
Trinidad, 124c. to 13}c. ; Jamaica, 9c. to L1jfc. per th.

Cocoa-nuts—Jamaiea, select, $24° 00 to $25-00; culls, 813-00
to $15-00; Trinidad, $23-00 to $24°00 ; culls, $13° 00 to
$14-00 per M.

Correr—Jmumnaica, ordinary, Tc. to 8c.; good ordinary,
8he.; washed, 94c. to 11Se. per tb.

Gincer—105e. to per Ib.

Goar Skixs—J:maieca, 53e.; Antigua and Barbados, from
49c. to 50c. : St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitt’s, 46c.
to 48c. per tb., dry flint.

Grave Prere—Florida, $4°00 to $5:00 per barrel.

Limnes—No quotations. Market overstocked.

Mace—2%e. to 33e. per Ib.

Nurmecs—110's, 9}c. he Ih.

ORANGES —Janiees: 3-00 to $400 per barrel ; $1°50. to
$2-00 per box.

Pimentro—4e. per lb.

Sucar—Centrifugals, 96°, 3:94e. ; Muscovados, 89°, 3-44c. 5
Molasses, 89°, 3°19c. per Ib., duty paid,

27, 1908.—Messrs. GILLESPIE,

INTER-COLONIAL MARKETS.

Barbados, —Messrs. Leacock & Co., December 21, 1908 =

Messrs. ‘I’. S. Ganraway & Co., December 21, 1908.
Arrowroot—St. Vincent. $4°00 to S4:10 per 100 tb.
Cacao— Dominica and St. Teint $10-00 to per 100 tb.
Cocoa-NutTsS—$13°0D for unhusked nuts.

Corree—Jamaica and ordinary Rio, $3°00 to $950 > per
100 th.

31°20 per 100. tb.

Maxures—Nitrate of soda, $62:00 to $65-00; Ohlendorff’s
dissolved guano, 855-00 ; Cotton manure, $42-00; Cacao
manure, $48°00; Sulphate of ammonia, $75°00; Sulphate
of potash, $67°00 per ton.

Monasses—No quotations.

Ontons—Strings, no quotations : loose, $2-00 per 100 th.

Poratos—Nova Scotia, $1°22 to $L°60 per 160 th.

2as—Split, $6°50 per bag of 210 tb.; Canada, $355 to

D9 per nag of 120 1b.

Ric phi allam, $5°10 (180 tb.); Patna, $3-80 ; ; Rangoon,
$3-00 per LOO Tb.

Sucarn— No quotations.

British Guiana,—Messrs. Wrerixe & Ricnrer, December

12, 1908; Messrs. SANDBACH, ParkEeR & Co.,
December 12, 1908.
Arrowroor—St. Vincent, 89-00 per 200 Th.
Barara—Venezuela block, 32c.; Demerara sheet, 48c. per th.
Cacao—Native, 16c. to 18e. per th.
Cassava—S0e.
Cassava Srarcu—$d-00 to $600 per barrel of 196 tb.
Cocoa-NuTs—S$12°00 to $16°00 per M.
CorreE—Creolc, 12c. to.13e. ; Jamaica, 11c. to 12ce. per tb.;
slow.
Duat—£4°80 per bag of 168 lb.
Eppos—%be. per barrel.
Mo rasses—No quotations
Ontoxys—Madeira, 2}¢. to 25¢ : per th
Prantains—12e. to 24e. per bunch, plentiful.
Poraro;—Nova Scotia, $2°25 to $2°50 per 100 tb.
Porvros—Sweet, Barbados, $1°92 per bag.
Rice—Ballam, $5°90 ; Creole, $4°20 to $4°50 ; Seeta, 56°00.
Sprit PEas—S$6°50 to $6°65 per bag (210 Th.); Marseilles,
S4-A0 to Sd°00.
Tannras—$1 ‘92 per bag.
Yamus—White, $2°04 ; Buck, $2°16 per bag.
Sucan— Dark erystals, $2°20 to $2°30; Yellow, $260 to
$3:10; White, $3°60 to $3°S0 ; Molasses, $2-00 to
per 100 ib. (retail.
Timber Greenheart, 32c. to dade. per cubie fi Ot.
WALLABA SHINGLES—$3°75 to $5°75 per M.
Corpwoonp 2-40 to $264 per ton.

Trinidad,—Deccember 12, 1908.—Messrs. Gorpon, GRANT

& Co.
Cacao—Venezuelan, $12°25 to $12°50 per fanega ; Trinidad,
$11°75 to $12°50.
Cocoa-xuts——No demand.
Cocoa-Nvut, O1L—$2e. per Imperial vallon, cask included.
Corree—Venezuelan, 8c. to Sse. per th.
Corpra—S3-00 to 33°10 per. 100, ib.
Duar <4 “G0 to $4°75 per 2-bushel bag.
Ontons—S2:00 to $2°25 per 100 Tb. (retail).
Poratos English, bs ov to S110 per LOO th.
Rice— Yellow, $5:40 to $560; White, $£°50 to $4°80 per bag.
Speiyv AP bAs—S$5°75 to S6-00 per ba.
Suat—Ameriean erushed, $5:00 to 85°10 per 100 Tb.

THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS.

Publications on sale of the Imperial Department of Agriculture

FOR

THE WEST INDIES.

The ‘WEST INDIAN BULLETIN, A Quarterly Scientific Journal.

Volume I. No. 1 out of print.

Nos. 2, 3, and 4, in original paper covers as issued, price ls. each. Post free, 1s. 2d

Volumes II, III, IV, V and VI. Papers on subjects of general interest to West Indian agriculturists. Report of

Agricultural Conference, 1905, (Vols. V and VI).
Papers on general subjects :

Volume VII. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Sugar-cane by Selection and Hybridization ; ete., ete.

Price 6d. per number. Post free, 8d.
Citrate of Lime; Improvement of the

Price 6d. per number. Post free, Sd.

Volume VIII. Nos. 1, 2 and 3. West Indian Agricultural Conference, 1907; abstract of Proceedings and Reprint

of Papers.
Price 6d. each number. Post free, 8d.

No. 4, Agricultural Conference, 1908 ; Presidential Address and Abstract of Proceedings.

Volume IX. Nos. 1 and 2. Reprint of Papers read at Agricultural Conference, 1908, with summaries of discussions

following. Price 6d. Post free, 8d.

PAMPHLET SERIES.

The Pamphlets are written in a simple and popular manner and the information contained in them is especially

adapted to West Indian conditions.

They contain, amongst other subjects, summaries of the results of the experiment work

on sugar-cane and manures, the full official reports of which have only a limited circulation. The following list gives particulars
of all the pamphlets which are still available. The missing numbers are out of print and can no longer be supplied :—

(3) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1900. Price 2d.
(5) General Treatment of Insect Pests, 2nd. Edition Revised.
Price 4d.
(7) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part I.
(9) Bee Keeping in the West Indies. Price 4d.
(12) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1900-1.
Price 2d.
(18) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1901. Price 4d.
(14) Screw Worm in Cattle at St. Lucia. Price 2d.
(15) Plain Talk to Small Owners. Price 2d:
(16) Hints on Onion Cultivation. Price 2d.
(#7) General Treatment of Fungoid Pests. Price 4d.
(18) Recipes for cooking West Indian Yams. Price 2d.
(19) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1902. Price 4d.
(20) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1901-2.
Price 2d.
(22) Scale Insects of the Lesser Antilles, Part II. Price 4d.
(25) Ground Nuts in the West Indies — Price 2d.
(26) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1993, Price 4d.
(27) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1902-3.
Price 2d.
(28) Barbados and Porto Rico Molasses. Price 3d.
(30) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1902-3. Price 4d.
(31) A. B. C. of Cotton Planting. Price 4d.
(32) Seedling and other Canes at Barbados, in 1904. Price 4d.
(33) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1903-4.

Price 4d. ,
(34) Notes on Rabbit Keeping in the West Indies. Price 2d.

Price 4d.

(35) Information in regard to Agricultural Banks. Price 4d.
(36) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
Islands, 1903-4. Price 4d.

(37) Cultivation of Oranges in Dominica. Price 4d.
(38) Cultivation and Curing of Tobacco. Price 4d.

(39) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1904-5,
Price 4d.

(40) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
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(41) Tobago, Hints to Settlers. Price 6d.

(42) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(43) The Use of Cotton Seed and Cotton-cake-meal as a Feeding
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(44) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados,
1904-6. Price 6d.

(45) A. B. C. cf Cotton Planting.
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(46) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1905-6.
Price 4d.

(47) Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward
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(49) Seedling Canes and Manurial Experiments at Barbados
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(50) Seedling and other Canes in the Leeward Islands, 1906-7,
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(51 Manurial Experiments with Sugar-cane in the Leeward

Islands, 1906-7. Price 4d.
A. B. GC. of Lime Cultivation, Price 4d.
Price 4d.

New and Enlarged Edition.

(53)

(54) Fungus Diseases of Cacao,

The above will be supplied post free for an additionai charge of }d. for the pamphlets marked 2d., 1d. for those

marked 4d., and 13d. for Nos. 40, 41, 44, 45, and 49.

The
The ‘Agricultural News’ contains

‘AGRICULTURAL NEWS. A Fortnightly Review.

extracts

from official correspondence and from progress and

other reports; and, in fact, any information indicating what is going on in each colony, and the progress made in

Agricultural matters throughous the West Indies.
The ‘Agricultural News’

local agents of the Department at one penny per number, post free, 2d. :
Owing to certain numbers being out of print, only Vols. IV and V can

2s. 2d. per half-year, or 4s. 4d. per annum.

be supplied complete, with title page and index as issued. Price 4s. Post free, 5s. Only a few copies avail
tions for copies are to be addressed to the Agents, not to the Department.

Agents.

is printed in time to he distributed, regularly, by each mail, and is on sale by the

The subscription price, including postage, is

able. All applica-

The following have been appointed Agents for the sale of the publications of the Department :—

London: Messrs. Dutau & Co., 37,
Lane, London, E. C.—Barbados: Messrs. BowEn

Company, 16, King 8t.,
MarsHaLL & Co., Port-of-Spain.— Tobago :
‘The Stores,’ St. George.—St. Vincent «
— Dominica: Messrs.
St,

Mr. Sranuey Topp, Agricultural School.—St. Lucia: Mr. E.

C. F. DuverngEy & Co., Market St., :
“it’s. Tur BisLE anp Bock Suppty Acency, Basseterre.—evis; Mr. 8. D. Manone, Charlestown,

Soho Square, W. City Agents: Tue West Lyp1a Commirres, 15, Seething
& Sons, Ep

Kingston.—British Guiana: ‘ Daily Chronicle’ Office, Georgetown.—T'rinidad -: Messrs. Muir-
Mr. C. L. Pracemann, Scarborough.—Grenada: Messrs. F. Marrast & Cc.,

Bridgetown.—Jamaica: THE EpucatTionaL Supply

Buckmir¢, Botanic Station. -

Roseau.—Antigua: Mr. S. D. Maton, St. John’s.—

Vor. Vill Nos Was THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. DeEcEMBER 26, 1908.
THE BEST MANURES FOR COLONIAL USE

Chlendorff’s Dissolved Peruvian Guano—For Sugar-cane and general use

Ohlendorff’s Special Sugar-cane Manure
Ohlendorff’s Special Cocoa Manure
Ohlendorfi’s Special Cotton Manure

Sulphate of Ammonis, Nitrate of Soda, Superphosphates, high grades,

Potash Salts, Basic Slag and all other high-class Fertilizers.
APPLY TO LOCAL AGENTS OR DIRECT TO :—
THE ANGLO-CONTINENTAL (LATE OHLENDORFF’S) GUANO WORKS.

London Agency: 15, Leadenhall Street, London, E.C.
Barbados Agents: James A. Lynch & Co., Bridgetown.

ere a en :

SenEpeineeeseettiaieiaenstlistiedsstatiiectliessmansmmnsctieacsatscadsiasa SS == === = i
Soca es SS ET |
<r

STOCK FARM._St. Vincent,

)
NATURE TEAGHING. ce

(Second and Enlarged Edition.) The pure-bred four years old Ayrshire bull ‘Duke of
| Truro I,’ now stationed at the Stock Farm Agricultural
| | School, St. Vincent, is offered for sale.

This animal, which is in perfect condition is considered
to be the best Ayrshire bull in the West Indies.

The price is £20, delivered f.o.b. at St. Vincent. The
| purchaser will be required to enter into a bond to keep the

animals in the colony in which he himself resides for at
least two years from the date of purchase, otherwise the
price is £30.

A Text-book based upon the General Principles of
Agriculture, specially prepared for general use in the
Secondary Schools of the West Indies and as a guide for
Teachers in Elementary Schools in preparing and arrang-
ing lessons on the Elements of Agriculture.

Prepared by Dr. FRANCIS WATTS, C.M.G.,. F.I.C.

Published by the Imperial Department of
Agriculture. Price 2s. Post free, 2s. 34d.

“WEST INDIAN BULLETIN ies

Applications will be received by W. H. Patterson,
Acting Agricultural Superintendent, St. Vincent.

reer er ce

(Vol. IX, No. 3).

Containing papers read at the West Indian Agrieultu-
yal Conference, 1908, on the Cotton, Rubber, and Rice
Industries of the West Indies and British Guiana, and on
General subjects, viz Cotton Cultivation at Barbados, in
the Leeward Islands, at St. Vincent, and in British Guiana ;
Improvement of Cotton by Seed Selection; Treatment of

ooh Cnoe gona
Colonial Secretary of Antigua is prepared, up to
January 1, 1909, to receive offers from any person
| | wishing to purchase an Aermotor in Tortola, with
a 16-feet wheel fitted with shafting and pulleys.
The machine is nearly new, estimated to develop
2-horse power, and is in good working order. The
original cost was overf£60. Inspection invited.

Cotton Pests ; Barbados Cotton Factory ; Rice Experiments
at Bri Guiana ; Rubber at Trimidad and British Guiana :
Notes on Essential Oils ; Wegetable Ivory ; Geological
Formation of Barbados, ete.

To be ob:ained of all Agents for the sale of the Department's
publications. Price 6. each number; post free, 8:7.

———— ee

Printed at Office of Agricultural Reporter, 4, High Street, Bridgetown, Barbados,

A BC of lime cultivation, 121.
Africa, British Central, fibre cultivation
in, 44.
Central, tobacco growing in,
—, cotton cultivation in, 265.
—-, East, cotton experiments in, 256.
Experiment Stations in, 190.

45.

b]

3

—, German East, sisal hemp cultiva-|—
tion in, 315

—, oil palm of, 373.

—, South, sunflower cultivation in, 156.

—, West, exports of ground nuts from,
396.

Agaves as preventive to soil denudation,
2

Agriculturalapprentices in British Guiana,
88.

Bank, Barbados, first

—, establishment at St. Croix, 345.
— in Cape Colony, 107.

-— Cyprus, 407.
Nate

— — Philippines, 312.

— Transvaal, 107.

— Western Australia, 107.

— started at Jamaica, 252.

—— hanks, 49:

— -—— suggested in Trinidad, 50.

— conference, 1908, photograph of
delegates, 232, 248.

— co-operation, 155.

— in France, 44.
crops of Panama, 24.

Department, establishment in Fiji

Islands, 407.
— =~ of India, 375.
— — Trinidad, Director for, 393.

industries, condition of prosperity,)
411.

plants,
crossing,

351,

progress in Uganda, 265.

— school, St. Lucia, cacaotrees at, 339.|
— _ show, Barbados, 307.

— —, peasants, at Barbados, 45.
OL aCent aO4.

— shows, British Guiana, 75.

— —, grant in support of, 204.

— —, Grenada, 411.

— =, Trinidad, 264.

Agriculture in British Guiana, 376.

— — Nyassaland, 391.

—— — Straits Settlements, 19.

— Virgin Islands, 27.

report on,}

improvement by selection and)

417

Agriculture, methods by which industry
may be improved, 354.

Alsace, discovery of potash salts in, 204.

|Angola, rubber in, 15.

Annatto on the London market, 95, 159.
—, production and uses of, 297.

Anthrax in Guadeloupe, 76.

— St. Vincent, 149, 344.

|Antigna, address on cotton growing at,390.

Arbor Day in, 15.

, area planted with sugar-cane seed-

lings, 88

central sugar factory, 81, 104.
, work of,

cotton conference at, 230.

experiment station, visit of planters

58.

- - 193.

’

to,

, fower-bud dropping of cotton at,

154.

‘millions’ in, 63.

onion crop in, 1907-8, 37.
pine-apple industry of, 12
rainfall at, 185.

red spider on sweet potatos at, 170.|
root disease of sugar-cane, 66. |
scale insects on mahogany trees, 13. |
sugar-cane diseases at, 155.

Wee
Ss 8

|==

’

ety trials, 338.
trade of with Canada, 11.
—, varieties of sugar-cane planted
243.
Arbor Day in Antigua, 15.

’

-- experime nts at, 1907-8, vari--

Bacteria, influence of carbon dioxide on, 76
in the soil, and nitrogen assimila-

, influence of carbon bi-
sulphide on, 251.
Bahamas, botany of, 137.
Cassava experiments in, 92.
cocoa-nut industry in, 412.
fruit production in, 356.
-, prize list of agricultural show at,
348.
Sea Island cotton in, 118.
sisal hemp cultivation in, 366.
\—, tobacco experiments in, 253.
Bahia, rubber exports from, 327.
Baikea i insignis, flowering of at Dominica
Botanie Station, 172.
\Balata, British Guiana exhibits at Inter-
national Rubber Exhibition, 300.
exDos ts from British Guiana, 1
J, 188, 280, 348.
Dutch
Venezuela, 280.
in British Guiana, 92.
industry in Duteh Guiana, 76.

’

3

3

2)
2, 72,

17

Guiana, and from

—— = Victoria, 30)
Argentine, rice cultivation in,

169.

5

316.
Arrowroot on the London market, 31, 65,
| 95, 159, 191, 239, 255, 303, 335, 367,

399.
production in Bermuda, 328.
reduced crop in Queensland, 44.

by

‘Artificial manures, increased use in Egypt, |
138.
Aspinall, Algernon E., new edition of

‘Pocket Guide to West Indies,’ 60.

ye colonial fruit

’
show, 276.
Australia, Western,
107.
Austria-Hungary,
in, 398.
Avocado
States,

’

beet sugar produetion|
> |
|

pears, demand in the United)

140.

— =

from Hawaii, 372.
, propag, sation by budding, 104.
Rane pine-apple exports from, 204.

sugar production and importation, —

agricultural bank in, -

export in cold storage}

Ballou, H. A., insect pests of cotton, 182.
—, retum from Northern Islands, 397.
—, returns to Barbados from Antigua,
119.
—, visits to Antigua, 58, 74.
—, visit to Northern Islands, 349.
Banana area of British Guiana, 75.
cultivation, encouragement of in
Egypt, 380.
— cultivation, hints on, 404.
— in Eastern Mexico, 308.
— — Egypt, 188.
- — —~ Jamaica, 20.
— exports from British Honduras, 73,
329
— — — Canary Islands, 244,
= = — Costa Riea, 364.
== -— ~ Dominica, 396.
a — — Jamaica, 52, 204.
—— = - San Domingo, 265.
- — — Surinam, 316.
= — — Trinidad, 348.
= — — -— to France, 28.
— fibre from Gold Coast, 405.
— growing in Cuba, 260
— —- — Mexico, 249.
— industry in Dutch Guiana, 164, 325.
= =— — Surinam; 276!

of Costa Rica, 24.
production in Colombia, 103.

Banana production in Cuba, financial

aspect of, 140.

= = —— 412.

Panama,
trade of Jamaica, 24.

?
140.
<= — — —, new ship for, 300.
— — Trinidad, 361.
Bananas, cost of freight from Canary,

Islands to Hngland, 244.

172 300. Conference, 94, 110.

— in Costa Rica, 101. bees, water supply for, 174. - —-, balata exports from, 12, 72,
— — Fiji Islands, 407. honey return at Montserrat experi-| 172, 188, 348.

-- Porto Rico, 180. | ment station, 124. — —, — output in, 92.

—- ieciant prospective shipment of to) in Ceylon, 324. = banana area of, 75

England, 152 instruction at Erlangen University,|-— — Botanic Gardens, cabbage cul-

—, packing for export from Hawai, 372. Bavaria, 412. | tivation at, 284.

—, protection from insect pests, 168. Beet sugar industry of United States, 220.|— —, cacao industry in, 75,

—, shipment from Surinam, 236. - — production in Europe, 398. |— —-, cane farming in, 99.

—, = — Trinidad, 300. ‘Belgium, beet sugar production in, 398, — —, cattle exports from, iS.

—, use asstock food at Trinidad, 307. |Bengal beans, distribution of seeds in) , — trade of, 136.

Barbados, Agricultural Science Exhibi-- Jamaica, 220. — —, cocoanut cultivation in, 75,
tions at, 387 ‘Berbice, labourers engaged in rice industry, 220.

—, agricultural show at, 409. of, 220. -— —, cottee area of, 75

—s = Society, importation of Bermuda arrowroot, 328. — + —, — exports from, 184,

jack donkey, 412 Botanical Department, 539. -— ~, Crown lands taken up, 1906-7,
—, Carrington central factory, 147. —, chief agricultural products of, 344.) 92
— cherry, cultivation in Porto Rico, 188.) —, fruit fly in, 8. - —, depletion of forest resources
—, conference of cotton growers at, 150, —, growing in, 3359. of, 235.

166, 182. -— grass as a forage crop in Philippines, -— , distribution of seed rice, 300.
— co-operative cotton factory, 55, 374.) 309, = —, epizootic lympianghitisamong
—, cotton crop of, 190s, 124. —, methods of agricultural improve-) mules in, 172.

—, — exports from, 103. ment, 334, —, exhibits forwarded to Toronto
— — seed imports into, 150. 'Biffen, R.H., appointment at Cambridge,) exhibition, 284.

—, effects of drought on crops at, 352. 140. — —, exhibits of rubber and balata
— exhibits at Canadian eae Black blight, 161. at the international rubber exhibition,

1908, 231. ' !Books reviewed :— 300.

—, frequency of cane fires, 1908, 140! ABC and XYZ of bee culture, 189.— , experiments with sulphate of

geology and mineral resources of, 45.
industrial school, agricultural work

in connexion with, 301.
~ lemon grass oil, 253, 265.

depressed condition,

first shipment from Dutch Gutana,)

o£.
1908, 236,|

Barbados, sweet potato weevil at,
—, Weather conditions at,
316.

|Basic slag and superphosphate, 38
—, points to be observed in’ pur-

| chasing, 76.

Bay oil, 215

Bee keeping :

Carolina rice cook book, 59.
Case for the goat, 205.
Future of cacao planting, 365,

Insects injurious to vegetables, 59,

assistance given by St. Lucia Agri-
cultural Society, 156.
at Industrial School, British Guiana,

Brazil, Mangabeira rubber in

76,

industry

r

\—, rubber exports from, 188.

‘British cotton cultivation, 265.

5. _Cotton-growing Association,

British Guiana, agricultural
in, 88.

’

3DS.
apprentices

a shows in, 75.

—, agriculture in, 376.

-—, analysis of mangrove bark, 153.
and West Indian Agricultural

ammonia and acidity i

—, exports from,
of balata from,
— stock from, 3380.

1 soils, 341.
299.

280.

|

—, maize crop of, 284. | Le Cacaoyer au Congo Franeais, 205, —, — —sugar from, 184,
— milch cows, 361. | Literature of Fercraea with a synopsis} 396.
—, molasses exports from, 156,188, 254.) of the known species, 189. —, grant-in-aid of country agri-
— peasants agricultural show, 43, 307 | Nature teaching, 235. cultural shows, 204.
—, ploughing match at, 156, 18s, 217.) Principles of agriculture, 205, — industrial school, bee-keeping
— _- —, interesting animals} Southern agriculture, 365. at, 300.

at, 293. The building of an island, 189. = —_ — , crops grown at, 393,
—, production of lemon grass oil sam- bot inical e xpeditions to Jamaica,249,592. labour conditions in, 25,

ples, 188. Botanic Station at British Honduras, 140. —, large crop of mangos in,
—, . proposed establishment of central! Bot flies of horses and cattle, 330, 10s

sugar factories at, 396, Bovell, John R., leave of absence, 188. live stock industry of 75.
—, rainfall at, 396. -, preparation of land for cotton cultiva- , milk adulteration in, 295,
—, results of cotton seed selectionat, 134.) tion, 167. , molascuit exports from, 184.
—, rum manufacturing industry of, 360./—, return from leave of absence, 362. — , munbers of live stock in, 396.
— scholarship, conditions of award, 402. Branch, Geo. I"., extension of leave, 58. —, possibilities of a fruit-presery-
—, school gardens at, 97, 239. , return from leave of absence, 173. ing industry in, 164,

science teaching at Harrison College, Brazil, cacao production in, 234, 331. , predial larceny in, 264.

401. |—, cane-sugar industry of, 99.
soils, humus content of, 166. , coffee crop of, 12.
—, sugarcane experiments at, 35, 381.) — exports from, 300.
—,. sugar exports from, 124, 156, -188,|--, production in, 74, 222.
920, 252, 284. —, fruit cultivation in, 204.
— — market, opening price for season,|—, government encouragement of cacac
76. | culture, 332

prison farms in, 279.
» progress of cane reaping season,
L908, 364.
project for sisal hemp cultiva-
156.
proposed agricultural

|e
tion in,
\e

'

- school

for, 883.

419

3ritish Guiana, proposed co-operative rice (Of
mill, 348.
— — — sisal hemp industry,|Cabbage cultivation at British Ciuiana,

60. 284.
= —, prospects of lime cultivation|/— growing for stock in Cuba, 27.

in, 22 — — in St. Lucia, 133.
= —, — ~ rice crop of, 1908,/— palm, 298.

252 Cacao area in Ceylon, 284.

— purchase of land for rice grow-|-— -— of British Guiana, 376.

ing by American syndicate, 412. — —- Jamaica, 44.
= -, rainfall in June 1908. — crop in Trinidad, gathering of, 12,4
= —— OF 2860! — cultivation in St. Kitt’s-Nevis, 119,
— —, rice area in, 396. 109.
= —, — crop, 223, 303. — — — Tortola, 76.
= ——— onospects in, 181, 204,;— culture in Brazil, Government en-

236, 268, 309, Sou: couragement of, 332.

— —, — Guluivation in, 267. — drying apparatus, a new, 57

= —, — drying at, 381. — experiment plots at St. Lucia, 389.
= —, — exports from, 364. - experiments in Grenada, 53.

== —, — industry of, 39, 75, 177,|— — — St. Lucia, 69.

395: -— exports from British Gniana, 299.
— —, — meal exports from, 184.;— — -—— = Honduras, 329.
—— —, — planting in, 313. — - Jamaica, 92.
= -, — production in, 377. a — —— Martinique, 577.

— --, rubber and balata exports,;— — -—- — St. Vincent, 395.

42. -- - — Samoa, 30.

— —, — experiments in, 111. — Trinidad, 72, 191, 280,
= —, —— exports from, 184. 500, 516, 551, 406.

= —, — industry in, 72, 114. 1907, 235.

— —, -— lands of, 152. -— - —, July 1908, 268.
ee —, —- planting in, 188, 204. -, fermentation of, 205.

= —, production in, 365, — from British Honduras, 251.

= —, rum exports from, L&4. , fungus diseases of, 273.

— -, school gardens in, 97. —, grafted, at Dominica, 213.

a= —, sugar-cane area in, 28. —, grafting of, 197.

es —, — experiments in, 19, 386.\— imports into Trinidad, 284. |
= —, — _ seedlings in, 195. i—- — — United States, 44, 124.
= —, sugar industry in, 67. i— industry at St. Lucia, 103.

= —, — making season 1908, 348.,— —- - St. Vincent, 395.

= -, sweet potatos imported from)— — in Dutch Guiana, 325.

Barbados, 108. — — -- Java, LD:

— —, fmber trade of, 197. |e — - Le ward Islands, 23
British Honduras, agricultural conditions|— — — West Indies, 18.

ins, 89: | — of British Giana, 75.
= ==, — exports of, 329.|— : —- Gold Coast, 373.
= as —— industries of, 73.— in Samoa, varieties grown and
a= —, Botanic Station at, 140, | mevhods of cultivation, 299,
ae —, cacao from, 251. /—, la ge shipment from Grenada, 76.

—, Crown lands taken up|—, me inrial experiments at Dominica,)

auene 1906, 92. | 53, 225.

== —, grants of Crown land inj—, mulching of, at Grenada, 335.

60. Ie

= —, industrial school needed
for, 215

— —, poor transport facilities in,
92.

— timbers of, 143.

Britton, pinisccos N: L., mitie of botanical!
research to Jamaica, 348, 392.

Broom corn at Dominica, 392.

Burma, ground nut cultivation in, 69.

imports of tropical produce, |

—

—, Increasing cultivation of ground nuts;
in, 380.
Burt, Boyce C., appointment in India,)

124.

plants in,

orchards, sanitation of, 274.

pests of Trinidad, 75.
plantations, cultivation of leguminous)
389.

, improvement of soil by
leguminous crops, 407.
: ee aaa Se eine 271, 237.|¢
production in Brazil, 2 331.

9)

market,

oe

Bee

Grenada,
San Denincs, 265.

propagation ar budding and grafting,

gnality in demand on

60.
seeds, method of packing, 89.

Cabbage, shipment from Grenada, 268.
trees, dressing for cuts on, 282.
—, grafted, return from, 277.
Caicos Islands, botany of, 137.
—, sisal cultivation in, 79.
Calabash pipes, trade on Envlish market,
124.
Calcium cyanamide, cost of manufacture,
412,

; manufacture of, 398.

{.\California, cultivation of cinchona in,dll-

of ly pre-e ooling, 200.
honey production in, 245.
—, orange industry in, 404.
Camphor, area under cultivation in€ eylon,
SS 20.
cultivation in Ceylon, 286.
growing in Ceylon, improved method
of production, 380.
output from Formosa, 301.
production in China, 301.
propagation of, 137,
seeds, small vitality of, 140.
trees, age at first seeding, 140.
world’s consumption of, 301.
— demand for, 124.
Canada, beet sugar industry of, 156.

cecay of oranges in, and prevention

;

p)

—, exports of flour to Trinidad, 12.

—. — -—— — -~— West Indies, 244.

—, lnports of sugar from British Guiana,
596.

—, increasing imports from Trinidad,
280.

—, trade of Antigua with,

—, West Indian students in, 40.

’

wheat-producing capacity of, 107.

Canadian cattle and the West Indies, 169.

|

‘Canary Islands, banana exports from,

Caravonica cotton,

|
Carmody,

exhibitions, Dominica limes at, 297.
1908, 139, 145, 231.
reciprocity conference, 62.

244.

Candle-nnt tree, 281.

Canella bark on the London market, 63.

Cape Colony, agricultural bank in, 107-

experimental enltiva-
tion in Egypt, 316.

Carbon bisulphide, effect on soil fertility,
251.

Prof.

Department of

393.

Carolina, South, Sea Island cotton in, 86.

P., appointed Director of
Agriculture, ‘Trinidad,

Carriacou, cotton growing in, 54.
5 industry of,
—, land settlement scheme, 7.

American|—

Sea Island cotton return in, 124.
Cashaw tree in Hawaii, 151.

Cassava as food for hogs, 270.
experiments in Bahamas, 92.
hydrocyanic acid content of, 87.
manufacture of starch from, 91.
refuse ax stock food, 7
starch, shipment from Dominica, 28,
sweet and bitter varieties of, 87.

Fistula on the London market, 255

BY
o.

?
399.

420

Castilloa rubber, 111.
culture of, 158.

>

paration of, 254.

seed, 138.

trees at St. Vincent,
—- in Cuba, 124.
Castor oil plant, cultivation of, 119.
— plants as green dressing,
—, preparation of, 119.
‘Catch crops,’ planting of with rubber,74.

140.

4
”

45,

Cattle exports from British Guiana, 184.
— trade of British Guiana, 136.
Ceara rubber planting in Hawaii, 361.

Cedar planting in Trinidad, 76.

Ceylon, acclimatization of plants in, 379.
» area in cocoaamt palms, tea, cacao,
and rubber, 284.

bee keeping in, 324.

’
-—, camphor cultivation in, 220, 286.
» cocoa-nut prodcts in, 359.
—, coffee in, 312.
—, cost of rubber production in, 263.
—, destructive insects in, 330.

improved method of
duction in, 380.
rubber exports from, 286.
industry of, 316.
tapping rubber trees in, 285.
Chalmers, F. V., report on St.
tobacco, 261.
Cheese making in Cuba, 350.
Chillies, cultivation in Roumania, 172.
China, camphor production in, 301.
Chlorophyll formation in green plants, 140.
Churn, quick-working, 12.
Cinchona bark exports from .

camphor pro-

>

Java, 201.

cultivation in California, 411.

Cinnamon oil industry in the Seychelles,
365.

Citrate of lime, anticipated increase of
price, 284.

= — — at Dominica, 341.

— = exports from Dominica,
108.

a fess - from British Guiana, 299.)

_— — —, manufacture of, 46.

Citrie acid, duty on exports from Italy, —
484.

— — manufacture, machinery needed
for, 14.

Citronella grass, cultivation and distilla
tion of, 302.
oil, preparation in Malay,

Citron peel required, 116.

302.

Citrus fruit and pinc-apple industry
Cuba, 43.
crop of Sicily, 1907, 92.
— exports from Bahamas, 556,
— Natal, freight on, 12
— erate cultivation i in Porto Rico, 36.

-, estimated output in Porto Rico,
1908-9, 140.
— in Cuba, 68.
, interesting, from Tobago, 25,
Goakne hydrochloride, price
market, 159.

14.

on Lontion|

improved process for pre-

Kitt’s!

of|

Fiji Islands, 407.
Malay States, 52.
Seychelles, 340.

= — — Society Islands, 313.
— meal as food for stock, 307.
— oil as a butter substitute, 28.

— -—, purification of, 271,

-— palm, 298.

— plantations, manuring of in Sey-
chelles, 340.

|— planting in Samoa, 279.

| production in Jamaica, 20.
products in Ceylon,

exports, BDO:

i\Cocou-nuts, best methods of planting, 300.,

| in Federated Malay States, 413.

— Porto Rico, 196.

shipment from Trinidad, 300,

Coffee area of British Guiana, 73.

crop of Brazil, 12.

eulture in Surinam, 167.

exports from Brazil, 500.

3ritish Guiana, 184,

’

= = San Domingo, 265.
— growing in Hawaii, 206.

— industry in Brazil, 222.

= = Dutch Guiana, 325.

Java, 201%
405.
in Ceylon, 312.
—- Hawaii,
Porto Rico, 59.
Insurance of cultivations against hur-
ricane damage, 357.
Jamaica, in South Africa, 190.
planting, prospects of, in Mexico, 172.
preparation and shipment, 293.
| production in Brazil, 74.

of,

62.

Colombia, 103.

Indian exhibits at, LUQ.
show, Dominica produce at,

~~, London, extended per-
tod of holding, 364.
West In lian products

,

228, 419.

>—--

at, 4

?

1907, prices and)

|

| Costa Rica, 332.
— Nyassaland, 391.
-- - Porto Rico, 281.
Colombia, agricultural products of, 103.)
—, rubber in, 104.
-, tobacco exports from, 12.

( ‘olonial fruit and vegetable shows, 100,
| 276. ;
4. | = , West

of Porto Rico, improvement!-

Cochin China, rice shipments from, 252./Colonial products exhibition at Liverpool,
Cocoa-nut area in Ceylon, 284. 344.
— cultivation, 116. Congo Free State, rubber production in,.
-— -- in British Guiana, 220.) 325.
—, diseases of, in Travancore, 219. Co-operation, agricultural, in Great Britain,
-— exports from British Honduras, 73,| 382.

329. Copra exports from Samoa, 30.
— — — Dominica, 396. _ -— — Yanzibar, 236.
= = — Jamaica, 52. —- production in Java, 204.
— industry in Bahamas, 412. —, shipment from Trinidad, 300.
== —- — British Guiana, 75. Corn culture in United States, 199.

— selection by agricultural pupils, 57.

Cornish, Dr. Vaughan, the Jamaica earth-
quake, 125.

Costa Rica, banana industry in,

coffee production in, 332.

—, exports of bananas from, 364.

Cotton, amount ginned at
1906-7, 28.

—, Caravonica, experimental cultivation.
in Egypt, 316.

clearance of old crop before planting

297.

24, 101-

Carriacou,.

new,
, colonial-grown,
Britain, 60.
conference at Antigua, ae

—— Manchester, 183, 310.
in England, 230, 262.
Lancashire, and Imperial
Department of Agriculture, 294.

imports into Great

;

— crop, cyclone damage to at Mont-
serrat, 342.

— of Barbados, 1908, 124.
— Nevis, 188.
-—St. Vincent, 86, 172, 198.
—- Virgin Islands, 1907—8,156.
cultivation at St. Lucia, 70, 188.

— experimentsatSt. Kitt’s,214.
in British Empire, 265.
——=(Subas ole
— Pernambuco, 396.
— St. Croix, condition

of,
preparation of land for, 167.
-, Sea Island, 257.
culture in South Africa, 332.
experiment plots at St. Lueia,
experiments in East Africa, 236,
exports from Barbados, 103.
Montserrat, 44.
St. Vincent, 165, 395.
United States, 1906

252.

; it
220.

lactory, Barbados Co-operative, sixth
report lige wITe

—, danger of fire from use

phur matches, 40.
flower-bud dropping of,
154.

ginnery

of sul-
at Antigua,”
and

plant, installation

= at
St. Lucia, 2 230.
—— at St. Lucia, 4132.
—_ —, central, at St. Vincent, 395,
ginning in St. Vincent, 54
; “grading of, 374.
= ee conference at Barbados, 150,

166, 1

5)
be)

Cotton growers, courses of instruction for
252. |

growing at Antigua, address on, 390,

St. Vi incent, 406.

= Tobago, 342.

in Africa, 358.

— Carriacon, 54.
- French colonies, 412
- Jamaica, 134,

— West Indies, 521. |

——, use of horse cultivator in, 326.

imports into Great Britain, 60, 108,

28 £.

Cotton Industry :—

at St. Lucia, development of, 412

Barbados co-operative cotton factory, |-
55.

cotton es from the West Indies,
1902-8, 322.

of St. Vincent, 165,
imports into United Kingdom, 236.
legislation in St. Croix, 54.

seed factory, cost of, 38.

in Carriacou, 7.

— Central Africa, 38.

— Jamaica, 28.

— Leeward Islands, *
-— Montserrat, 71,
—St. Kitt’s-Nevis,
— Virgin Islands, 102, 131.

— West Indies, 18.

new cotton factory for Montserrat, 1 a
oil factory, suggested, for St. Vincent, 5
St. Vincent central cotton factory, 165.

— ~ rres
» SUG st

io)
131.

156.

ed oil plant for,
— cotton, price of first shipment.|
76.
Sea Island cotton crep, extent of, 22.
— — — = SSO fase 5), |
West Indian, and United States De |
partment of Agriculture, 181. |
Cotton in the Sea Islands, 134, 1505262
27% 8, 294, 326, 342, 358) 390.
—, insurance of cultivations against
hurricane damage, 357.
— land, leguminous crops for, 262
— leat-rolling caterpillar, 90.
— legislation in St. Croix, 54, 198.
—, manner of baling as affecting price,
322.
—, manurial experiments at St. Kitt’s)

and Montserrat, 246.

421

, Cotton prospects and prices in the Sea,

342
at St. Kitt’s,

Islands,
294.

, at St. Croix, effect of
drought on crop of 1907-8, 332.

’
grade of, 6

Sea Island, area planted in Jamaica,

|

a

220.

Crown lands of St. Lucia,
in Trinidad, 39, 392.
large area taken

’
up, 220.

108.

taken up in St. Lucia, 1906-7,

Cuba, agricultural industries of, 43.

—, defects which influence —,

banana growing in, 260.
— production i in, financial aspect

aes —, good return in Carria,, of, 140.
cou, 124. = Barbadossugar- caneseed|ings in, 172
- - —, in Bahamas, 118. —, cabbage growing for stock in, 27.
a= ee —, —- Jamaica, 124. eC ‘astilloa | rubber trees in, 124.
— —, — Society Islands, 118,/—, citrus fruits in, 68.
313. —, cost of sugar production in, 312.
a —, ~~ South Carolina, 86.;—, cotton cultivation in, 281.
ay ee -——, — UnitedStates,1907-8,|—, cultivation of Tahiti lime in, 92.
oul —-, fruit crop of, 1907, 60.
4 —, manures for, 22, 258. |—, grape fruit cultivation in, 212.
= —, prices of, 310. --, Immigration into, 59.
= = -—, proposed cultivation in —, — — from Spain, 12.
Lucia, 103. == lettuce cultivation in, 319.
-, - —, prospects of industry inj - , mango growing in, 292.

Anon 1908, 230.

— —, reduction of area
i inited States, 1908-9, 181.
—, seasonable notes, 6.
— seed at St. Croix, disposal of, 140 |-
— —., distribution in St. Lucia, 156.
— — from 'St. Croix and Barbados,
cotton factory, 172.

— imports into Barbados, 150.
— meal ss a food for hogs, 277,296.
oil, 3

— ii

’
at St. Kitt’s-Nevis, 3
—, Sea Island, distribution
peasants at St. Lueia, 26%.
--, selection and disin-
O:

to

—,

fection of, 2
—_, selected,

on sale at

cotton factory, L&s.

= — selection, results at Barbados,
154.

— stalks, manufacture of paper from,
eerie,

’

manuring in Egypt, LOS.
market, Sea Island, 6, 38, 54, 70,
102, 118, 165, 181, 198, 214, 246.
planting at St. Vincent in 1908, con
ditions of, 220.
machines, 278.

a 86,

— plants, destruction by gale at St.
Kitt’s-Nevis, 329

— —, old, destruction of, on Nevis
estates, 158.

— produetion in Africa, 265.

B9L.
Indies

Nyassaland,
Sea Island, in West

265.

?

‘Cro

West Indian, on the Liverpool mar-|

Aadl|
Mit

|
|

reinoval of importation duty on, —,

Barbados) —

manufacture of cheese in, 350.

mosquito destruction in, 348.

mule raising in, 89.

ostrich farm cia, 28.

pine-apple crop of, 44.

exports from, 69.
purchase of fruit estate by Norwe-

gian company, 28.

. shortage in red cedar tiinber supply,

22,0)

sugar-cane cultivation in, 39%,

sugar crop of 1907-8, 380.

prospects, 1908, 19.
exports to the United Stutes,

’

’

’

348.

: production in, 121, 339.

, suggested irrigation of sugar lands
in,

, throat bot fly in, 26.

Cuban sugar crop, 163.

: 1907-8, 131.

Cultivations, profitable and unprofitable,
411.

Cultivators (hand implements) for use in

cotten cultivation, 254.

ket, 6, 22,38, 54,70, 36, ee 118, 134,|C yanogenetic glucosides in plants, 376,
150, 165, ISI, Ass 214, ), 246, 262,|Cyprus, agric saline al bank in, 407.
278, 294, 311, 326, 342, 3 358, 374, 390,|
406.
—, wild, in Jamaica, 150. D;
Cousins, H.H., appointed director of agri
culture at Jamaica, 172. @Albuquerque, Professor, manuring of
Cowpeas and other soil-renovating crops,| Sea Island cotton, 166.
271. Date palm, 298.
— cultivation of, and soil enrichment, Indian sugar crop from, 44,
206. \Demerara, scarcity of provisions at, 156,
‘ for renovating worn Department News, 58) ie, LOSS TaLSs
out land, 304. 141. 15%, 173) 229; 309, 349% 362;
, experiments in United States, LN Ste
, food value of, 206, Departmental Reports :
~~ value of, for green manuring, 375.) Antigua ; Botanic Station, etc., 1£06-7,

sted cultivation in cacao
107.

167.

Crotolaria,
and rubber plantations,
wn lands at St. Vincent,

sugee.

173.
Barbados : Agricultural and
Departments, 1898-1907,

Botanical
381,

Departmental Reports (Continued):— — |Dominica Agricultural Society, resolution Dutch Guiana, exports of balata, 280
Bermuda: Board of Agriculture, 1906-7,, re retirement of Sir Daniel Morris, — —, first shipment of bananas
109. 405, from, 172.
British Guiana: Board of Agriculture,,—, bay oil production at, 215. — —, inereasing number of coolie
1907-8, 397. — Botanic Station, . castilloa rubber — settlers, 352.
— Botanic Gardens, 1907-8,| seed for distribution at, 236. — -- , rubber in, 56.
ole : A cultivation of Dyes, Dr. W. A., rubber extraction from
— Department of Science) broom corn at, 392. smnall trees, 201.
and Agriculture, 1907-8, 349. , flowering of Baikea
Ceylon: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1907,) insignis, 172.
Silke —- = —, grafting of cacao 1h
Dominica: Botanic Station, ete., 1906-7 i) at, 85, 197.
93. _— —- —, leave of absence of Ecuador, cacao production in, 56.
—-, = —, —,1907%-8,) Curator, 229. protective sugar tax levied, 60.
349. _ — —, Para rubber plants|Eddos, nomenclature of, 171.
Federated Malay States: Director of] for sale at, 256. Editorials :-—
Agriculture, 1907, 413. — = ---, return from plot of | Agricultural and Reciprocity Confer-
Montserrat : Botanic Station, ete.,) spineless lime trees, 348. ences, 1.
1906-7, 109. == — —, Shea butter tree at, — Bb anes 4
= — —, and ex 396. — edue ee in the West Indies, 33.
periment plots, 1907-8, 317. -, cassava shipment from, 28. Antigua central sugar factory, 81.
St. Kitts-Nevis : Botanie Station, ete.,)—, citrate of lime at, 541. Black bhght, 161.
1906-7, 77. --, — — -— exports, 108. Blood-sucking flies and ticks, 129.
— Sa — —, ——,|—, demand for Washington Navel orange) Canadian Exhibitions, 1908, 145.
1907-8, 413. plants in, 92. Cotton growing in West, Indies, 321.
St. Lucia: Botanic Station, ete., 1906-7,,—, experimenta! cultivation of fodder, Courses of reading and examination in
th crops at, 366. practical agriculture. 209.
—, — —, —, 1907-8,|\—, — rubber culture at, 343. Fungus diseases of cacao, 273.
397 (— export of fruit from, 396. Lead arsenate as an insecticide, 289,
St. Vincent: Botanic Station, ete.,J—, — — hme juice from, 92. | Manurial experiments with cacao at
1906-7, 157 —, — limes and lime products Dominica, 225,
=, == — = -,| from, 71, 396. Minor agricultural crops of the West
1907-8, 335. , grafted cacao at, 213. Indies, 353.
Trinidad : Botanical Department, -, ground nut experiments in, 117. * Planters and Departments of Agricul-
Annual Report, 1907-8, 285. —, increased trade of, in 1907, 71. ture, 337.
= Government Analyst, Annual/-—, insurance of lime and cacao cultiva-| Poultry keeping in the West Incies,

Report, 1907-8, 285.
= Government Stock
1907-8, 333.
Virgin Isiands :
1906-7, 93.
Department publications, 136.

tion at, 357.
lime cultivation in,
limes, DBs

Farm, 110.

148, 2

Experiment Station, , advertisement of in England,

300.
limes at Canadian exhibition,
mangosteen plants in, 92, 148.

297.

’

. |
Departments of agriculture and planters,
SSI.

, manurial experiments with cacao at,

Desmodium, suggested cultivation in} 53, 225, |
cacao and rubber plantations, 407. penalty for allowing animals to stray,|

Destructive insects in Ceylon, 350. 11

“Diamond ’ cane crusher roller, 259. — Planters’ Association, 37.

Dise ploughs, 94. —, prize-holdings scherre at, 186.

Distribution of economic plants to pur- produce at the colonial fruit show,
chasers of crown Jands in St. Lucia,| 228, 341.
364. -, rainfall at, 201 |

Divi-divi exported from Colombia,|—, rubber exhibits from, 245, 409.
103. —* planting in, 114.

Dominica Agricultural and Commercial, — samples, valuation of, 9. |
Society, 63, 110. , sale of Crown lands, 12.

—, selective cane reaping at, 10.
steamer —, spineless and ordinary limes at, 84
229.
, trade in limes and lime products, 14.
Dry farming system adopted in United
States, 414.
Due ks (see Poultry ).
Dutch Guiana, agricultural industries of,

resolution
> 300.

—_— Te

coasting
‘Yare,
school,

goats on

204.

b]
sale at,

, produetion|

3 18,
—, report on,

of provision crops at,

91,

Jat

of

—, Visit —, balata industry in, 76.

395
Sir Biekham Sweet. Escott, 107. es , banana industry in, 164.

241.

Rice industry of
Rubber planting
als}.

School gardens, 97.
Science teaching at
Barbados, 401.

Sea Island cotton cultivation, 257.
Sugar-eane mills, work of, and dedue-

tions drawn therefrom, 193,

: —, root disease of, 65.
Saperenesanere and basic slag,
Testing of seeds, the, 369.
Value of records, 305,
West Indian Agricultural

1908, 17.

British Guiana, 177.
in the West Indies,

Harrison College,
385.

Conference,

‘Edueation, Agricultural :

agric ultural instrnetion in elementary
schools, 141.
scholarships, award of, at St. Kitt?s
Grammar Sehool, 204.
-— schools of West Indies, report on
91.
science

387

exhibitions

<5 at Barbados,
lectures at Trinidad, 201,
teaching at Harrison College,
Barbados, 401.
at Barbados, 381.
Dominica vagricultural school, report on,
269.

Education, Agricultural (Conténwed):—
establishment of farming school
Lima, 316.
estate managers and overseers, educa-
tion of, 34, 189.
French colonial school, 402.
grant-in-aid by ‘Trinidad Agricultural

Society, 264.

increased expenditure i in Porto Rico,
2?

Inudstrial school needed for British

Honduras, 215,

in elementary schools of Great Britain, Farmyard manure, value as a_ fertilizer,

78.
-— Great Britain, 121.
— Trinidad, 185.
— West Indies, 33.

practical agriculture, courses of reading Federated Malay States, rubber industry

and examination in, 209.

proposed establishment of agricultural,
school in British Guiana, 38 3.

readership in tropical agriculture, sug-
gested establishment at
University, 300.

reading courses for estate overseers,

entries for, 284.

— — in practical agriculture,
books recommended for candidates,
267.

St. Lucia agricultural school, report
on, 269.

St. Vincent agricultural school, reports
on, 269.

school exhibits at Trinidad, award
medal, 151.
gardening, educative value of, 415.
gardens at Barbados, 239.
_— Jamaics, 85.92:
prizes for, 380.
Sts aes 361.

— — in British Guiana, Silos
— -— — England,
—— — —— Great Britain, 78.

— United States, 108.
West Indies, 97, 117.
— —, some points in:connexion with,
141.
— —, vanilla plants in, 105.
— shows at Trinidad, 328.
eggs, brown and white, 76.
egg-laying competition, 362.
— record, the world’s, 12.
— preservation in Denmark, 152.
new method of,

-- 110,
204.

Eggs, shell-less, export from Russia, 28.

—, small, 61.

Egypt, banana cultivation in, 188.
cotton manuring in, 108.
encouragement of banana cultivation

n, 380.

—, experimental cultivation of Caravon-

ica cotton in, 316.
—, increased use of artificial manures in,,
138.

, reclamation of alkaline soils in,

’

268.)

at)

'Faweett, W.,

British Ficus elastica trees,

‘Flies,
Florida, cultivation and manurial experi-|

Electricity and the growth of crops,

423

|England, cotton conference in
5 J * ’

—, school gardens in, 247.

‘Enzymes of the sugar-cane, 291.

230, 2

Fruit cultivation in Brazil, 204.
culture in Porto Rico, 84.
decay, pre-cooling as a preventive of,.

Experiment station proposed at St.| 200.
| Croix, 185. — exports from Jamaica, 252
— stations and improvement of tro|— growing in Jamaica, 292.

pical agriculture, 403.
— in East Africa, 190.

F.

Farming methods in dry districts, 295.

359.

maica, 204.

in, #13.
Fibre cultivation i in Central Africa, 44.
production in Nyassaland, 391.
Fibres for paper making, 359.
growth and yield of,

12.
Fiji, agricultural prospects in, 41.
area allotted to different crops, 60.
Islands, agriculture: in, 407.
Crown land in, 407.

.

’

Fisheries of the West Indies, 8.

Fish of the Caribbean Seas, 318
blood-sucking, 129.

220.

, --

ments with sorghum in
—- of East Indian mangos in,
236.
—, pine-apple culture in, 324.
Flour, exports from Canada
Indies, 244.
Flower-bud maggott on cotton,
Forage crops-for hogs,.329. .
—- in ‘Philippine Islands, 509.
Forest resources of British Guiana, deple-
tion of, 235.
Formaldehyde as a preservative of cane
juice, 147.

to West

330.

remedy for calf scour,

44.
—, influence upon Funtumia rubber, 47.
Formic acid as a coagulant of rubber
latex, 217.

Formosa, camphor output from, 301,
rice production in, 12

sugar industry in, 325.

’
system in, 380.
France, agricultural co-operation in, 44.
beet sugar industry of, 364.
production in, 398. |
import of bananas from Trinidad,

’

YR

Fraser, George, appointment as a erienls
tural Instructor at St. Vincent, 22

French colonial school, 402. |

Cotton-growing Association, object

of, 412:
\Froggatt, W. W., insect pests in foreign!
lands, 186, |

retirement from Director-
ship of gardens and plantations, Ja-

suggested establishment of irrigation)-

— in Queensland, 5.
industry of Porto Rico, value of, 2
preservation by cold storage methods,
332.
preserved in brine, 199.
preserving industry, possibilities of
in British Guiana, 164.
trade of Jamaica, revival of, 216.
transportation and storage, 101.
Fruits, preservation in crystallized form,.
308.
Fumigation of imported plantsat St. Lucia,.
396.
Fungicides, removal of importation duty’
at St. Kitt’s-Nevis, 252.
Funtumia rubberin Southern Nigeria, 254,

G.

Gambia, rice exports from,’ 396,

Gambier cultivation in Sumatra, 108.

Geology and mineral resources of Barba--
dos, 45.

Georgetown market, stall
economic plants, 316.
\Georgia, courses of instruction for cottom

growers at, 252.
Germany, Agricultural Society of,
'—, beet sugar factories in, 140.
= — production in, 248, 398.
—, sugar exports to Great Britain, 156.
yerinination experiments with Para rub—
ber seed, 394.
= -— of seeds, rapid, 393.
Ginger cultivation at Jamaica, 95,
— exports from Jamaica, 28.
— on the London market, 31, 63, 95,
159, 191; 239, 255, 303, 335, 367, 399.
— production in Jamaica, 296,
— Nyassaland, 391.
Goats’ milk, quantity and quality of, 199.
Gold Coast, agricultural products of, 373.
— Colony, Botanic Stations in,
380.
—, export of fibres from, 405
kola nut exports from, 380.
, palm oil and kernel exports

ars
7 Dl.

for sale of

343

from
Grape fruit cultivation, 212.
, prices of Jamaica, in London,

9

“

28.

Great Britain, agricultural co-operation
in, 382

412.

in elemen-

— — crops of, 1908,
: — education

tary schools of, 7

, cotton imports from British

60.

colonies,
— into,

60,

108,

984.

Great Britain. sugar imports from Java, Hawaiian Jslands,

Peru. and Gerinany, 156.
Green manuring, cultivation of castor oi]
plants for, 345.
— : with
Girone aa i, agricultural meeting at, 335.
= Botanic Station, flowering of Peris-|

non-leguminous crops,

teria elata at, 548. Hawaii, agricultural conditions in, 403.
—-, cacao experiments in, 53. |--, cashaw tree in, 151.
—, —— industry of, 7. |—, coffee growing in, 206.
—, — shipment from, 76, 268. —, Shays (652)
—, inoculation of leguminous*érops at,)-—, experiments in fruit export from,
256. 302.

—, nutmeg cultivation unremunerative,
at, 268.
prize-holdings competition and village
shows in, 247, 411.
— == — scheme for cacao grow-
ers at, 284.
regulations respecting importation of
animals from St. Vincent, 218.
—-, report of commission on condition of
peasant proprietors, 215.
—-, rubber planting in, 47.
, sale of agricuitural produce at, 345.
—, school gardens in, 97.
—, spice industry of, 7.

—, use of leguminous crops for soil im-|
provement, 389. |

Ground nut cultivation, 149.

in Burma, 69.

—- experiments in Dominica, 117.

69, |

—, uses of,
-, valne of, 135.

nuts and products, uses of, 172.

, exports from West Africa,
—, increased imports into

seilles,

—— —, increasing cultivation in Burma,

380.

396.

Mar-)

in United States, 101.

-, shipment from St. Vincent, 395.

— —, yield of, 149.

— provision in
376.

Guadeloupe, anthrax in, 76.

Guava jelly, 196.

Guaywle rubber in Mexico, 249, |
— seeds distributed to West Indi un)

Botanic Stations, 217.

Guinea corn as a forage crop, 396.

-- , experimental cultivation for)

British

area Ciuana,|

fodder purposes at Dominica, 366,
Guinea, New importation of animals

forbidden, 92.

H.

Hand cultivators, satisfactory results from|-

use of, at St. Vincent, 329.
Hardbacks, strength of, 218.

|Honduras, Spanish, rubber exports from,

. : : toil
‘Hurricane damage of crops in the West

\Imperial Department of Agriculture and

|

Hart, J. H., retirement from Trinidad,
236.

Hawaiian Islands, pine-apple canning in,}-
DIR
mee

of, aie

aia tion

rice area
—, sisal hemp
in, 268.

24).
irri

—, sugar industry in,
sngar-cane estates, labour and
gation on, 275. _
sugar planters’
nomenclature of sugar-canes,

experiment station,

412.

, Vice cuitivation in, 245,

—, rubber planting in, 44, 111.
~-, sugar-cane seedling D. 95 in,
experiments

172.
= in,
108.
sugar industry, returns obtainable in,
316.
—, tobacco cultivation in,
experiments at,
Hawke s-bill turtle, 123.
Hints for school gardens,
Holland, beet sugar production in,
-, insurance of live stock in, 302.

174

98.

268.
Honey, exports from St. Lucia, 76.
production in California, 245.
—, retum at Montserrat Experiment
Station, 124.

Howell, Alleyne G., leave of absence, 229.
Humus and soil moisture, 279.
— inthe soil, physical effects of, 359.

Indigo production in India, 1:
Industrial school,

Insecticide, lead arsenate as an
Insectides,

185, 357.
prices of Sea Island}

Indies, insurance against,
Hutton, J. Arthur,
cotton, 310.

Ti

Illinois, maize planting experiments in,
396.

Lancashire cotton conference, 294.
Imphee, experimental cultivation for fod-|

der purposes at Dominica, 366.
\Implements, labour-saving, at industrial

school, Barbados, 301
Imported seed and plants, danger from, |

153.
India, Agricultural Department of, 375.
-, indigo production in, 137. |
—, oil seeds in, 370. |
—, plant acclimatization work in, 73.

, prospective shipment of bananas to,

Binaene 132.
—, suecessful irrigation methods in, 1.
-, sugar-cane area and crop return of,

220. |
—, sugar imports from Java, 140.

,— — into, 264.
—, sugar production in, 332. |
Indian Runner ducks, 187.

6
‘

British Guiana, crops:

grown at, 393.

removal of import duty at St.
Kitt’s Nevis, 2

Insect Pests :

Angounois grain moth, 153.
ant, white, destruction of, 106.
Argentine ant, 122.

bag-worm on cacao, 282.

beetles, remedies against attack of, 266.
black blight, 161.

black scale, parasite of, 170.
bleod-sucking flies and ticks, 129.
cacao beetle, 266.

— -—, attack on cacao pods, 82.

cattle and fowl ticks, 42.

=— tide 3s
cocoa-nut palm blight at Lagos, 170.
codlin moth in California, 186.
Coleoptera or beetles, 250, 266.
cotton boll weevil in Cuba, 281.
worm in olden days, 39.

—, treatment for, 258.

= —, use of lead arsenate for
destruction of, 289.
destruction of cotton for prevention

against insect pests in St. Croix, 198.

Diptera, 314, 330, 346,

disease-bearing insects
investigation by Mr,
Sone

fleas and dissemination of plague, 346.
-, two remedies for, 13.

flies, number of species, 314.

flower-bad dropping of cotton at An-
tigua, causes of, 154.

frog-hopper, offer of prize for essay on,

at Jamaica,
KR. Newstead,

by Trinidad Agricultural Society,
364.

fruit flies, 410.

—- fly, destruction of, 105.

. in Bermuda, 8.

grasshoppers, poisoned bait for, 202.

hardbacks, strength of, 218.

Hemiptera, or true bugs, 138,

insurance of cultivations, 185.

house-fly, the, 26.

in Hawaii, 186.

insect pest, and its parasite, 26.

jumping seeds, 282.

larger moth borer on sugar-cane, des~
truction of at Trinidad, 409.

leaf-hopper of the sugar-cane
parasite, 186.

Lepidoptera, characteristics of, and
chief pests belonging to, 234.

lice and mites on poultry, 362.

locusts, destruction in ‘Trinidad, 24,

Maui blight, 186.

mole ericket in Porto Rico,

mosquito destruction in Cubs

mosquitos, 314.

and malarial fever, 13.

orange snow scale on lime trees at St.

Lucia, 388.

and its

179.
1, 348.

Insect Pests (Continued) :—— Jai

parasitic insects on sitting ae mix-
ture’for destruction of, 17 (2%

pest affecting cotton in ibe 182.

practical methods of -destruction, 90,)—
106

protection of bananas from insects, 168.

red spider on sweet potatos, 170.

vice caterpillar, 106.

scale insects, destructionat St.
408.

|

Lucia,

— on trees In|-

Antigua, 13.

mahogany

= —, revision of names of, 218.)—,
Siphonaptera, or fleas, 346. —,
sweet potato weevil, 106, 266. —,
= at Barbados, 345.'|—,

throat bot fly in Cuba, 26.
Tse-tse fly and sleeping sickness, pre-|—,
cautions against, 202. —,
— — in Uganda, methods for ex-|—
termination, 380. =

— —, manner of reproduction,|-—,
108. .
twig-girdling beetle on cacao at Trini-|—,
dad, 282. =
white ant, 378. —,

Tnsects and transmission of disease, 129.
Insurance of cultivations against hurricane,

1

55.
of live stock, 302, 3
Treland, importation of animals prohibited, |
124.
—, tobacco cultivation in,
Trrigation methods in India, success of, 71.\—,

383.

petition at, 364.

naica, cotton growing trials in, 326, |Jones, Joseph, leave of absence, 229.
— industry in, 28. ‘Jumping seeds,’ 282.
Crown lands of, 60.
disposal of sweet potatos in, 12.
distribution of Bengal-beans in, 220. K.

earthquake, 123, 159, 175
East Indian coolies in, 348.
establishment of penny bank at,
exports of annatto from, 297.

Kattir corn, experimental cultivation for
fodder purposes at Dominica, 366.
Kapok fibre from Gold Coast, 405.

252.

Forsteronia rubber from, 415. Kola nut exports from Gold Coast, 380.
fruit exports from, 252 — on the London market, 31, ae 95.

—— growing in, 292,
industry of, 20, 5

trade, revival of, 216.
ginger exports from, 22.
production in, 95, 296.
good results of prize-holdings com-|Labour conditions in’ British Guiana, 25,
— in British Guiana, wages paid for, 376.
jippi-jappa hat aaa in, 1 Lace-bark tree of Jamaica, 255.

lace bark tree of, 25 Lagos, cocoa-nut palm blight at, 170.
opening of central sugar factory, 140.}Landolphia rubber in Southern Nigeria,
peasant holdings in, 215, 254.

pimento exports from, 28. Lead arsenate as an insecticide, 289.
growing in, Leeward Islands, cacao industry in, 23.
plant importation into, 200. cotton industry in, 25.
praedial larceny at, 28, 188, lime industry im,
prizes for school gardens at, —, manurial experiments in,

159, 191, 239, 255, 303, 335, 367, 399.

L.

4

5, 92:

- 5.

’
ae
25.

removal of import duty on breeding} 195.
stock, 316. — —, sugar-cane seedlings in,
; rubber in, 171. 83.

—, sugar industry in, 11.

Leguminous crops and_ soil improvement,
sa

389.

rum, 261.

school gardens in,
Sea Island cotton area, 44.

in, 124.
shipment of inferior fruit from,

(hes OE

land, 262.

at

for cotton
—, inoculation of,

380. Gren-

—, suggested scheme for Cuban sugar|—, sisal hemp, a possible cultivation in,) ada, 236.
lands, 252. 79. Lemon cultivation in Porto Rico, 28.

Ttaly, manufacture and use of
manures in, 409.

tax on exports of lemon products —

artificiall—,

3
from, 348. ==
Ivory nut palm, 298.» —,
Txora macrothyrsa, 15. i=
mae

Jay

J.

’

Jackson, J. R., drugs and spices on the —

London market, 31, 63, 95, 159, 191,|—

939, 255, 303, 335, 367, 399.

Jamaica Agricultural Society, delegates to
agricultural conference, 108.
banks in, 50.

d

’

.

area allotted to ditferent crops in,60.]—’

b)

|Java,

31. |-— grass cultivation, 125.

stock rearing in,

sugar-cane seedlings in, 163, 371. |— — oil from Barbados, 235, 265,
tea, 187. = - preparation and nses of,
timbers of, 9. 125.
tobaeco crop of, 204. —— — , production of samples at
— industry of, 55 Barbados, “188,
wild cotton at, 150. — juice, analysis of, 148
van, Sugar-refining industry in, 243. |Lemons, curing of, 57, 215.
cacao industry in, 175. —, Spanish erop, 1907, 252.
citronella grass cultivation in, 302./Lettuce cultivation, 319.
minor agricultural industries of, 201./Lily bulb exports from Bermuda, 344.
production of copra in, 204. Lime and lemon products, tax on Italian
, reported preparation of wax from) exports, 348.
sugar-cane in, 316. |— crops, 14.
, rubber in, 207. j—— cultivation, A B C of, 121.

—, methods of, 110.

—, prospects in British Guiana, 212.

156.-

sugar exports to Great Britain,
— India, 140.

—, banana exports from, 204. a — — — United States, 348.|— exports from British Guiana, 299.
-—— — trade, depressed condition of,;—, — output of, 147. — — Jamaica, 20.
140. |— — production in, 44, 115, 195,,— industry, developing, at St. Lucia,
—_— — — in, 24. 291. 388.
—_—- — —, new ship for, 300. —, tea production in, 188. —— =n peeves Islands, 23.
— board of agriculture, resolution 7e|—, work of sugar mills in, 193. — — — St. Luci ia, 103,
retirement of Hon. W. Fawcett, 204. Jemmett, C.W., temporary appointment|— juice, analysis of, 148. |
—, botanical expedition to, 249, 348,) at Barbados, 293. a —, concentrated, preparation of,
392. Jersey cows, suitability for West Indies,| 46. zip
—, cacao area of, 44. 361. = — exports from Dominica, 92.
—, — exports from, 92. Jippijappa hat industry in Jamaica, as — on the London market, 3),
— coffee in South Africa, 190. 92. eerie 239, 255, 303, 367.
—, cotton growing in, 134, 326, Jiquié Manicoba rubber, 415, — ee at New York, 263,

Time oil, trade of Dominica in, 14.

-— seeds, supply wanted at St.
156

—— trees, spineless, at Dominica Botanic] dersha), 340.
Station, crop of fruit obtained, 348. |—, the Alfoos, 233.

Limes and lime products, exports from)Mangos at St, Lucia Botanie Station,
Dominica, 71, 396. 388.

Lucia,| Botanic Station, 364.

—, area under cultivation in Dominica,|—, export in cold storage from Hawaii,
110. 372

—, best method of packing, 40. —, extensive cultivation of East Indian

— trom Dominica, 232. varieties, 236,

England, 300.
—, green, trade of Dominica in, 14.
— in Mexico, 101.

pickled, trade of Dominica, 14.
—, spineless and ordinary in Dominica,
229.

, advertisement of, in)—, keeping powers of when ripe, 360.
Mangosteen cultivation in Canal Zone,
124.
plants in Dominica, 92, 148.
Mangrove bark from British Guiana, ana-
lysis of, 153.

5 —, in Dominica, 84.

—, yield of, 14.

Live stock shipments from St. Vincent,
395,

Y.ock, R. H., appointed Assistant Diree-
tor of Royal Botanic Gardens, Cey-
lon, 172.

Logwood exports from Yucatan, 236.

aay Demerara sugar-cane seedlings

Indies, 415.

Manila hemp, experimental production
at Trinidad, 233.

Manures, imports into Martinique, 377.

Manurial operations, value of keeping re-
cords of, 306,

Market reports, 16,32, 48, 64,80,96, 112,
128, 144, 160, 176, 192, 208, 224, 240,
256, 272, 288, 304, 320, 336, 352, 368,

, 272, 2

211. 384, 400, 416.
—, Veeddiing canes D. 74 and D. 95 in,|/Martinique, cacao and sngar exports from,
275. 377

156.

—, sugar-cane seedlings in,
Love vine, 350.

— central factory, prices paid for sugar-
canes, 140.
—, imports of artificial manures, 377.

M. 156.

Mace on the London market, 31, 63, 95,) 1906-7, 268.

| 191, 239, 255, 303, 335, 367, 399. — Usine St. Marie, sugar crop handled
Machines for cotton planting, 278. in 1906-7, 220.
Madagascar, experiments in cocoa-nut)Mauritius hemp in Queensland, 92

planting, 300, ’
Madeira, sugar crop of 1907, 300.
Madras, dry land cultivation in, 251.
province, losses of cattle in, 92.
Mahogany, African, 382.

and its substitutes, 382.
exports from British Honduras,

malaria at, 345.

, Sugar-cane seedlings D.
306 in, 322.

use of molasses as a fertilizer
997

y 20.

’
sugar-cane lands
Mechanical tillage :
in cotton growing,

73. 326.

- in British Honduras, 382. Megass, paper manufacture from, 152.
—, Indian substitutes for, 382. Mexican poppy, use of oil from seeds of,

Maize as food for hogs, 270. 188.
breeding in the United States,

crop of Barbados, 254.

394.|Mexico, banana growing in, 249.

,

use of horse cultivator

Mango plants, grafted, on sale at St. Lucia

—, promising new variety of (The San-

Manihot rubber, new species for the West

|

—, increase of duty on tobacco leaves,|

—, report on central sugar factory at,

|

130 and . B.|—

on|

conditions and cost of sugar produe-)—

a United States, 89, 335. tion in, 211. |
- machine for shelling, « 313. -, Eastern, orange and banana cultiva-

Mezcal, preparation in Mexico, 287.
Milk adulteration in British Guiana,
—, condensed, analysis of, 27.
from newly calyed cows, composition.
of, 124.
of goats,” quantity and quality of, 199.
—, preservation by charging with carbon.
dioxide, 76.
supply i in Dominica,
ditions of, 28.
Milking, rules for Alle
Millions in Antigua, 63.
, introduction into Uganda from Bar-
bados, 412.
Mimosa, suggested cultivation in cacao-
and rubber plantations, 407.
Molascuit exports from British Guiana,.
184.

295.

insanitary con-

St. Lucia, 412.

Molasses as a fertilizer for sugar-cane-
lands, 227.

— — food for

s ducks, 12.

poultry and

— — stock food, 168, 200.
—, Barbados, causes of souring, 67.
,|—, experiments in feeding to — stock,.
408.

exports from
220, 284.

Barbados, 156, 188,.

|

St. Kitt’s-N
‘Montserrat, cotton exports from,

|

Nev is,

44.

92.

—, cotton industry in, 71, 102.
—, cultivation of English potatos at,
307.

, cyclone damage to cotton and other

crops at, 342.
Experiment Station,

at, 124.

-, manurial experiments with cotton at,

246.

sale of honey

—, new cotton factory at, 140.
, onion growing in, 122.

— preserving industry, diploma of
merit awarded to, 52.

—, production of English vegetables,

ooo
—, rainfall at, 124, 316.
—, specimens of Pilocarpus
sent to Kew, 316.
Morris, Sir Daniel,

racemosus-

address at conference

of cotton growers, Barbados, 166, 183.
— , cotton growing in West

Indies, 310.
-—, elected a Life Fellow of

’

—- planting experiments in Illinois, 396.) — tion in, 308. Royal Horticultural Society, 405.
aISinnta at Mauritius, 345. , edible varieties of prickly pearin, 172.\—, — —, — Vice-President of
quinine as preventive against, 328./—, guayule rubber in, 249. West India Club, 405.
Malay States, cocoa-nut industry in, 52.;—, limes in, 101. -, — —,, evidence on Jamaicarum,
—, plantation rubber exports! - -- new rubber tree in, 396. 261.
from, 188. , proposed establishment of Agricul--—, — , presidential address at
Manchester, cotton conference at, 310. | tural Department, 380. Agricultural Conference, 1908, 17.

Mangabeira rubber, exports from Brazil,,—, prospects of cotfee planting in,

76. |—, pulque maguey of, 287.
M: igo crop, large, in British ( tuiana, LOS suigar-cane crop, 1907-8, 108.
cultivation in Porto Rico, 180. -, sugar industry of, 99.
- exports from Dominica, 396, ; production in, 339.

growing in Cuba, 292, zapupe fibre plant in, 125,

172.;—

- , proceeds toU nited King-
dom on duty aif ave, 173.
. , re solution
Agricultural Society,
105,

| of Dominiea.

re retirement of,

A -, retirement of, 549

——

Morris, Sir Daniel, return to Barbados
from Leeward Islands, 157.

—, speech on Canadian re

ciprocity, 62.

—, visit to St. Lucia, 74. °

Windward

’

b] ’
Islands, 119.
Moth borer of sugar-cane, 90.
Motor power in agricultural operations,
159.
Mules (see Stock.)

Mungoose destruction in Trinidad, 124.
—, ordinance against breeding in Trin-
idad, 156.
Musa Gilletii
Station, 236.

—, distribution of seeds toWest
Indian Botanie Stations, 204.

at St. Vincent Botanic

N.

Natal, agricultural bank in, 107.

—, cane-sugar industry in, 371.

—, factory for mannfacture of sweet pota-
to starch in, 300.

—., freight on citrus fruit exports, 124.

—, projected sugar-cane cultivation in,
332.

—, sugar-eane cultivation in, 188.

Nevis, cotton crop of 1907-8, 188.

—, address on soil analysis, 357.

—, destruction of old cotton plants at,
188.

—, heavy rains at, 380.

New Guinea, rubber in, 169.

Newstead, Robert, visit to Jamaica for
investigation of disease-bearing insects,
332.

New South Wales, citrus fruit in, 132.

’
124.
—, orange growing in,
— York lime market, 263.
Nigeria, Northern, agriculture in,
rubber industry in, 108.
Southern, agriculture in, 105.
—, —, rubber in, 105, 254.
Nitrate of soda, output of South Ameri-
ca, 137.
Nitrates, Birkland
production, 135.
Nitrogen as a plant food, 126.
assimilation by means of soil bacte-
ria, 283.
—, atmospheric, and the manufacture
of calcium cyanamide, 398
; —-, its fixation by electrical methods,
135.
Nutmeg, cultivation of,
Nutmegs, fats and oils of, 306.
-— on the London market, 31, 65, 95,
159, 191, 239, 255, 303, 335, 367, 399.
, suggested use of husks in preserves,
268.

tion in,
68.

57.

)

3

diminished sugar Chliwa

& Eyde process of|

Nuts, feeding value and flavour, 318.

Nyassaland, agriculture in, 391.

O.

Oil of lime on the London market,
303, 367.

— palm, African, in West Indies, 373.
— of Africa and its products, 373.
—, shipments of kernels and oil

from Southerm Nigeria and Gold Coast,

373.
seeds in India, 370.

Okras, analysis of, 361.

Onion erop in Antigua, 1907-8, 37.

— of Bermuda, 344.

growing in Montserrat, 122.

West Indies, 354.

planting in St. Kitt’s-Neyis, 76.

159,

9

Onions, crop at St.’ | Kitt’s Experiment
Station, 394, aA

Orange cnltiation in Eastern Mexico,
308.

— exports from Jamaica, 52

— groves, wind-breaks in Porto Rico,

263.
— growers, hints to, 20.
— industry in Spain, depression in, 172.
— plants, Washington Navel, demand I
in Jamaica, 92.
— production, increasing, in Cuba,
— in Jamaica, 20.
— Palestine, 233.
Orange River Colony, agricultural develop-
ments in, 332
Orange shipments from Dominica, 396.
trade in Spain, 356, 388.
— trees, spraying and washing of,
Oranges at St. Lucia Botanic Ste ution,
bitter, Spanish crop, 1907, 252

404.

388.

Palms, wax-excreting, 261.

Panama, agricultural crops in, 24.

Papaws, export in cold storage
Hawaii, 372

—, shipments of, 132.

Paper manufacture from cotton stalks,
12, 38.

Paper manufacture from megass, 152.

Para, rubber exports from, 1907-8, 332.

-~, rubber production in, 126.

— seed, 133.

— oil, 137.

Paris green, quality of, 9.

Peasant holdings in Jamaica, 215.

—— proprietors at Grenada, report
commission on, 215.

Pen manure, preservation of, 169.

—, value as a fertilizer, 359.

in flower ; at Botanie

from

of

Peristeria elata

Station, Grenada, 348.
Pernambuco, cultivation of sugar-cane
and cotton in, 396.

Peru, establishment of farming stock at
Lima, 316

—, rice production in, 332.

—, Sugar exports to Great Britain, 156,
Pessou sugar-cane harvester, 211.
Philippine Islands, forage crops in, 309.
——, agricultural bank in the, 312.

— conditions in, 403.

Phosphates i in the soil, 391.

Physical conditions of soils, 142.

.|Pilocarpus racemosus, samples received at

Kew Gardens from Montserrat, 316.
Pimento exports from Jamaica, 28.
growing in Jamaica, 5.

—, cold storage of, 4.

— in Cuba, 68.

|—, euring and packing of, 216.

'— in New South Wales, 68, 132.

|—, investigations on causes of decay
transit, 404.

— on New York ee 44.

Beep rich Lake District,

inenaed 180.

—, shipment of inferior consignments|
from Jamaica, 380,

—, suitable soils for, 404.

—, trial shipments from South
to England, 332.

(Osment, Thomas, appointment. as warden|
of Leeward coast, St. Vincent, 220.

Ostrich farm in Cuba, 28.

Africa

|
|
|
}
|
|

12.

229

ao,

373.

Palestine, orange production in,
Palm oil, methods of extraction,
— trees and their uses, 298.

|

— on the London market, 31, 63, 95,
159; (LO 2395 255s 30S soDMeOOs
399.

Pine-apple canning in the Hawaiian
Islands, 228.

— erop of Cuba, 44.

— cultivation in Porto Rico, 36.

culture in Florida, 324.

exports from Azores, 204.

- Cuba, 60.

fire from Gold Coast, 405.

industry in Queensland, 281.
— of Antigua, 12.

production in Bahamas, 356.

— -— Singapore, 316.

Pine apples at Virgin Islands experiment

station, 76.
—, cultivation of, 21.

in

—, estimated output in Porto Rice,
1908-9, 140.
, in Fiji Islands, 407.

—, manuring of, 100, 324.

—, packing for export from Hawaii, 372.

'—, production in Pitch Lake District,

Trinidad, 180.
— profitable varieties of, 36.
—, varieties grown in Porto Rico,
Pipe calabash at St. Lucia, 389,
Piroplasmosis, 130.
‘Planet Junior’ No, 9 cotton eultivater,

32

LO,

—

Plantain fibre from Gold Ccast, 405.
Plant acclimatizatiou India,
Plant Diseases :
Cacao,
Die Zale Die
Cocoa-nut diseases in Travancore, 219.
Dodder on clover and alfalfa crops in
United States, 252.

73.

rage
Wola il

Fungus diseases of cotton and their
treatment, 182.

Prevention of, 41.
Root disease of sugar-cane, 65.
Sngar-cane diseases at Antigua, 155.
Sweet potatos, fungus diseases of, 56,|
59.

Plant food in the soil, 142.

— importation into Jamaica, 200.

Planters and Departments of Agriculture,)
337.

Plants, acclimatization of, 379.

— and coast erosion, 185.

breathing of, 29.

excretion of toxic substances by roots
of, 238, 315.

—, Investigations. in regard to chlorophyll)
formation, 140.

preservation of green colour in,

156,

’

136.
188,

)

Ploughing match at Barbados,
217.

Ploughs, steam, use in Porto Rico, 179.

Pond mud, utilization of, 202.

Porto Rico, agricultural conditions in|
$03.

— —, bananas in, 180.

- -, cocoa-nuts in, 196. k

- —, coffee production in, 59, 281.

— —, enltivation of Barbados cherry
in, 188.

~ -, estimated output of citrus
fruits and pine-apples, 1908-9, 140.

- - fruit crop, poor transport}
facilities, 44.

~ —, fruit culture in, $4.

— -, improvement of coffee indus-|
try in, 405,

~- , increased expenditure on agri-|

Pre fungus diseases of,}-

Porto Rico, wind-breaks for orange groves(Queensland, work of sugar mills in, 194.-
in, 263. \Quaillia bark on the London market, 31,
Potash as a plant food, 155. 159.
salts, discovery ot deposits in Alsace, Quinine as preventive against malaria, 3
204. 328.
Potato exports from Bermuda, 344. |
Potatos (English), cultivation at Mont-
serrat, 307.
Poultry :—
best laying breeds of, 242.
chickens, feeding of, 203.

H

R.

ducks, Indian Runner, 187. Rats, best methods of poisoning, 207.
egg-laying competition, 362. , destruction of, 22

— preservation in Denmark, 152. Recon value of, 305, 414.

— —, new method of, 204. Red cedar timber shortage in Cuban
eggs, brown and white, 76. See 220.

—, small, 61. ‘Refrigeration, fruit shipments from.

feeding of, 242. Hawati under, 372.

hens, sitting, mixture for destruction Renovating worn-out land, 394.
of parasitic insects on, 172. Réunion, sugar industry in, 201.

Indian Runner ducks imported from — | --, vanilla production in, 190.
England for distribution in West Rhodesia, tobacco production in, 325,
Indies, 288. (Rice area in Hawaiian Islands, 32 22.

lice and mites on, 362 — of British Guiana, 376, 396.

molasses as a food for, 12. \Rice- bran and polish, exports from United

poultry keeping in the West Indies,) States, 329.

241. Rice crop of British Guiana, 223, 303.

table breeds of, 242. | 357
— chickens, breeding and feeding, -— —=—- — — prospects of
61. i AU)

Preedial larceny in Jamaica, 28, 188, Honduras, 1908, 329,
DEY. — petaaee in British Guiana,
= -— in British Guiana, 264. ‘181, 204, 236, , 309,

pric kly pear as a food for stock, 222. |— cultivation in eahate 169.
= —, digestibility when fed to — = — British Guiana, 267.
cattle, 319. — = — Hawaii, 245.

— —, edible varieties in Mexico, — —, increase at Trinidad, 156.
172. — —-, irrigation methods in United

— —, reward for method of destruc-| States, 127
tion, 76. — --, transplanting of seedlings, 155,

Prison farms in British Guiana, 279. |
Prize-holdings competitions at Grenada,
247, 284, 4il.

- culture in British Honduras, possibil-
ities of, 367.

— Dutch Guiana, 32
i aver eUil

— United States,
— drying in British Guiana,

5

good results of, 364.
—— scheme at Dominica,

Jamaica,
127.

331.

LS6.

cultural education and experiments in,

220.
—_ -, lemon cultivation in, 28.
— —, mango cultivation in, 180,
F pine-apple and citrus fruit

multivation in, 36.
protective
growers of, 2

imports

association among

fruit
rice from United

States, 329.
£ Sea Island cotton in, 220.
4 , suigar-cane experiments in,
H TOA
sy Be » Sugar crop of, 28
xz , suggested irrigation operations}
for cane lands in, 284.
tobaceo cultivation in, Ll.
use of steam ploughs in, 179.}
value of fruit industry, 28.
= —, varieties of pine-apples grown, |
LOS.

|

|

Pulque Maguey of Mexico, preparation|-— exports from British Guiana, 299, 364.
of, 287. — - — Gambia, 396.

|—- farming in British Guiana, proposed

erection of co-operative mill by East

Indian coolies, 348.

|-— growing in Philippine Islands, 309.
—, purchase of land in British

Guiana by American syndicate, 412.

— imports into Porto Rico from United

Q.

(Queensland, central sugar mills in,

ils

—, diminished sugar cultivation in,}| States, 329.
124. ——— Trinidad, 284.
— truitine 5; | in British Guiana, free distribution of
—, mule breeding in, 76. aeed, 300.
» pine-apple industry in, 261. industry of Berbice, labourers engaged
—, prickly pear in, 76. in, 220.
protection of bananas trom insect — — —Hritish Guiana, 75, L77:z

pests In, 168. » possible ex-

port trade,

— reduced arrowroot crop ot, 44.

—, sisal and Mauritius hemp in, 92 meal as food for stock, 307.

—, sugar-cane industry in, 386, |— —, composition and nutriment value
-, — — seedling B. 208 in, 338) of, 184.

Rice meal exports from British Guiana, Rubber industry of Gold Coast, 573. St. Croix, cotton legislation in, 54, 198.
184, 299.
— planting, different methods of, 403.

— production in British Guiana, 377

— in British Guiana, 313.

~~ lands of British Guiana, 152. —, —— seed from, and Barbados cotton
— latex, coagulation by formicacid, 217. factory, 172.
|— —, function of, 47. —, disposal of cotton seed at, 140.

—, Mangabeira, exports from Brazil, 76.—, effect of drought on cotton crop at,
plantation, exports from Malay| 1908, 332.

—- — States, 188. —, establishment of agricultural bank
— — — Trinidad, 60. = —, imports and price of, for sugar planters at, 345.
— —_ — United States,143, 223.| in 1907, 171. —-, proposed experiment station at, 185,
— report from British Guiana, 395. |—, —, versus wild Para, 158. —, sugar crop of, 140.
— seedlings, experiments in transplanta-|— plantations, Castilloa, thinning opera-|St. Kitt’s Agricultural and Commercial
tion of, 245. tions in, Society, 44.
— shipments from Cochin China, 252. |— — improv ement of soil by legu--— — — industrial show, 71.
— straw, uses in United States, 124. minous crops, 407. —, analysis of sugar-cane juices at, 226,

Roselle, or red sorrel, 244.
Roumania, cultivation of chillies in, 172.

Royal palm, 298. | turns from, 286. —, Botanic Station, distribution of cassa
Rubber and balata in Venezuela, regula-— — -—- Dominica, 114. va and sweet potato cuttings at, 76.
tions for gathering, 236. |e — -— Grenada, 47. —, cane juice analysis at, 184.
— area in Ceylon, 284. — — -—- Hawaii, 44, 111, 361. —, cotton experiments at, 214.
— areas of different countries, 26. — — — St. Lucia, 114. —, ~- prospects at, 294.
— at St. Lucia, 393. |= =f = Samoa sill — experiment station, yield of onions at,
—, Castilloa, culture of, 158. = — — Southern Nigeria, 105. 394.
— cultivation in Philippines, 61. — — — Trinidad, 76. — Grammar School, award of agricul-
— -— (Para and Castilloa) in Uganda, — — — West Indies, 113. tural scholarships, 204.
268. \—, planting with intercrops and eatch— — —, vacancy for a science master,
— exhibition in London, 1908, 94, 114,| crops, 74. | 60.
153, 263. — plants, new species for the West—, manurial experiments with cotton at,
— = = —, West Indian ex-| Indies, 415. |, 246.
hibits at, 94, 363. — —, Para, for sale at Dominica Bo--— tobacco, favourable report on, 261.
, exhibits from] tanic Station, 236. |—, varieties of sugar-cane planted at,
british Guiana, 300. , 2S — —St. Lucia, 156.) 243.
— exhibits from Dominica, 248, 409. preparation of, 298. St. Kitt’s-Nevis agricultural show, offer
-—, experimental culture at Dominica, 343./—, -- — for market, 29. __ of prizes by Sir Bickham Sweet-Escott,
— experiments in British Guiana, 111. |— —, treatment of latex in, 827. | and Lady Escott, 364.
— exports from Bahia, 327. production, future, in the Rast, 347.|-— —, cacao cultivation in, 119, 409.
_- — — Brazil, 188. — — in Ceylon, cost of, 263. —, cyclone in, 87.
—- — — British Guiana, 72, 184,,— © — -— —, varieties of, 286. iS —, exports of sugar-cane products,
299 = — — Congo Free State, 325. 92
= — — — Honduras, 73, 329, |— a Nyassaland, 391. = —, gale at, 329. ;
—_- — — Ceylon, 286. — = — Para, 126. [ase -——, onion planting in, 76.
— = == Panama, 41/2. — samples from Dominica, een of, 9.;— —, removal of import duty on
—= = — Para, 1907-8, 332. a Trinidad, 29 | insecticides, fungicides, and cotton
-—- — — Spanish Honduras, 2G8,|— seed, Gastllons 138. | seed, 252.
— extraction from small trees, 201. = ==, —, for distribution at Do-— , sugar and cotton in, 131. e
—, Forsteronia, from Jamaica, 415. minica Botanic Station, 236. — —, tobacco experiments at, 560.
— from Trinidad, 286. — —, Para, 153. ISt. Lucia, agricultural instructor wanted
—, Funtumia, influence of formaldehyde) — —, -—, germination experiments| for, 60. e
upon, +7. with, 394. |— ~~ school, African ram sheep on ser-
—, Guayule, seeds distributed to West — seeds, packing of, 283. | vice at, 156. F
Indian Botanic Stations, 217. — —, Para, successful method of pack-— — —, boar pig, ‘Homestead Hero
—in Angola, 15. ing, 334. at, 412: a :
— — British Guiana, 363. -— tree, new species in Mexico, 396. | — , cultivation of ground provi-
— — Colombia, 103, 104. — trees, Castilloa, propagation of, 158. sions at, 326. , ; =
— — Dutch Guiana, 56. — — in Ceylon, tapping of, 285. -, good returns from apiary, 76.
—-— Jamaica, 171. — ——Southern Trinidad, first tap-|-— -—, report on, 77, 269.
— — Java, 207. ping of, 268. |—- — , stock for service at, 564.
— -— New Guinea, 169. {Rum exports from aoe Guiana, 184.,— — Society, assistance in bee keeping,
— -— Northern Nigeria, 57 a at — Kitt’s, 92. | 156. v oge
— — Southern Nigeria, 254. — manufacturing nee of Barbados, —- —- —, distribution of cotton seed by,
— — Trinidad, 363 é 360. | 156. }
— industry in British Guiana, 72, 114./Russia, beet sugar production in, 398. —, agriculture in, 103. z ;
— — ° — Federated Malay States,| Ayrshire bull, ‘Gipsy Star of Belle-
413. ; | Ss. | vue’at, 252, de Be ‘
== =s — Nigeria, 10x. ihe |— Botanic Station, distribution of
— — — Trinidad, 114. St. Croix, condition of cotton cultivation economic plants to purchasers of Crown
— — — Ceylon, 316. , 300. | lands, 364.

— planting in British Guiana, 188, 204./—, area planted with sugar-cane seedlings
— — — Ceylon, prospective re-| at, 88.

430

St. Lucia Botanic Station, grafted mangos

on sale at, 364.

—-, cabbage growing in, 133
cacao experiment plots at,
-— experiments in, 69.

, — inlustry in, 103.
—, cotton cultivation in,
—, Crown lands of, 220,

5 taken up, 1906.7, 108.
—, despatch of exhibits for Toronto

exhibition, 1908, 268.

—, destruction of

408.

——, distribution of

seed to peasantry, 268.
—, exports of molascuit
fruit at, 388.
fumigation

596.

—, importation of bulls

204,

—, installation of

plant at, 230.

lime industry in,
—, Macfarlane Junior
ginnery, 412.
Para rubber
156.
pipe calabash at, 389.
—, position as regards

cotton cultivation, 103.
—, rainfall of, 76, 380.
—-, rubber planting in,
= plantsan; 393.
-, sc Sieal gardens at, 561.

Sea Island cotton experiment plots

’

389.

70.

scale imsects

Sea Island cotton

412.

from,

;

= of imported — plants,

from Canada,

cotton ginnery

105.

& Co.’s

sale- at,

; plants on

-” Sea Island

114.

?

at.|

and

eotton,

Sansevieria fibre from Gold Coast, 405.

St. Vincent cotton crop, 198 Seeds, testing for germination and purity,

—— for 1907-8, 86, 172 369.

—; — exports of, 165, 395 |—, true value of, 370.

—, = ginning in, D4. Seychelles, cinnamon oil industry in,
Hy — growing at, 406. 36D.

— planting conditions in,

-, cocoa-nut industry in, 340.

1908, 220. -—, vanilla crop for, 1907, 348.
—, Crown lands at, 167. Shea butter tree at Dominica Botanic
-— delegates and West Indian agricultural! Station, 396.

conference, 1908, 151. Shingles, exports from British Guiana,

299:
—, red paint for, 147.
Sicily, citrus fruit crop of, 1907, 92.
Singapore, pine-apple pr oduction in, 316.

—, export of animals to Grenada, regula-
tions concerning, 218.

- milk yield of Barbadian cow at, 348.
--, price of first shipment of Sea Island)

cotton, 76. Sisal crop in Turks and Caicos Islands,
—, scarcity of green food for cattle at | 412.
396. ;— hemp cultivation a possible industry
—, stock-keeping at, 333. | in Jamaica, 79.
—, suggested oil factory for, 57 |— — — in Bahamas, 366.
—, tobacco growing at, 232. —— = — —- Caicos Islands, 79.
— usetul heiter at agricultural school,|/— — — Hawaiian Islands,
18 | 268.
Salt ee from Turks and Caicos — —- industry of Yueatan, 125, 251.
Islands, 412 — — in German East Africa, 315.
-— industry in Turks Islands, 41. — -— — Queensland, 92.

Samoa, cacao and copra exports from, 30.) — plants, bulbils wanted, 60.

~; — in, 299. {— production in Yueatan, 108.
, cocoa-nut planting in, 279. |= ; projected cultivation in’ British
—, rubber planting in, 281. Guiana, 156.
San Domingo, agricultural industries of.) — proposed cultivation in British
265, | Gnuiana, 60,
— —, st wealth of, 233. jolecping sickness and its prevention, 202.
Sands, W. N., return from leave of absence,’ — conference, 26.
362. = --, establishment of bureau for
—, vacation leave of absence, 173. collecting information on, 204.

Society Islands, cotton and cocoanuts in,

: d. Sapodilla tree, 261, | 313.
—, start of cotton cultivation at,|Sarsaparilla exports from Panama, 412. |— —, Sea Island cotton in, 118.
188. -—, on the London market, 31, 63, 95, - , Vanilla cultivation in, 300.
—, suggested extended use of don- 159, 191, 239, 255, 303, 335, 367, 399. Soil bacteria, favourable conditions for
keys in, 92. ‘Seale insects and black blight, 161. nitrogen assimilation by, 283.
—. supply ef lime seeds wanted at, School gardens (see Ki sducation, Agricultu fertility, effect of carbon bisulphide
156. ral). on, 251.
St. Vincent agric ame school, AyrshireSeience teaching at Harrison College,-— moisture and humus, 279.
bull for Sais at, 252 | Barbados, 401. ——, plant food in, 142.
a — —, em of dia-\Sea Island cotton crop, extent of. — renovating crops, 271.
grams and pictures by Sir Daniel Morris. |~- = — cultivation. Soils, acidity in, and sulphate of ammo-
204. -- — , importance) nia, 3541.
we == —, report on, 91, 269.) of seed selection in, i67. =; alkaline, veelamation in Egypt,
— — —, stallion horse * Beau|— — —, importance of strength) 268.
IY at, 268. | in, 406. — for citrus fruits, 404.
— — —, use of hand cultiva-/-— in Porto Rico, 220. —, physical conditions of, 142.
tors at, 329, = — E United States, Sorghum as a forage crop in Philippines,
— = —, vacancy for assistant] 1907-8, 311. 309.
master, 268. 3 =e , manuring of, 166. —, eultivation and mannrial experiments
—, agricultural show at, 284. - market, 6, 38, 54, 70, in Florida, 220,
, agriculture at, 395, | §6, 102, 118, 165, 181, 198. , experimental cultivation for fodder
anthrax in, 149, 344. = Es —, reduction of area in) purposes at Dominica, 366.
—, appointment of Leeward coast warden| States, 1908-9, 181]. — poisoning, 169, 216.
and Agricultural Instructor at, 220. Sea Islands, cotton in, 134, 150, 262, Sorrel, red or roselle, &.
—, area of Crown lands in, 396. 278, 294, 326, 342, 358, 390. —, » preserving of, 164.
Botanic Station, Musa Galletii at, Seawe xl as a manure, 222. a -, selection experiments in U nit-
236. ‘Seed selection and the breeding of plants,) ed States, 108.
. Castilloa rubber trees at, 140. bile Souari or butter-nut at Dominiea, 9.
central cotton factory, 165, Seeds, non-dryable, methods of geese? Africa, Jamaica coffee in, 190.

156,

—, suggested oil plant
for,

for shipment abroad, 334.

America, nitrate of soda output in,
—, rapid germination of, 393.

Lois

SIL

Southern Nigeria, export of palm oil and St
kernels from, 373,

Soy bean, 4035.
Spain, depression in orange-growing indus-,
try of, 12.

—, orange trade in, 356, 58s. |
Spice industry of Grenada, 7.
Stock :—
African rams at Barbados, progeny of,
108.
animals stationed. for service at St.
Lucia agricultural school, 364.
anthrax: as stock at St. Vincent,
149,

Feeeein for sale at agricultural
school, St. Vincent, 252.
—, ‘Gypsy Star of Belle-|
vue,’ at St. Lucia, 252.
Barbadian cow at St.
yield of, 348.
Barbados milch cows, 361.
boar pig, * Homestead Hero,’ at agricul-
tural school, St. Lucia, 412.
bull ‘ Duke of cen. at St. Vincent

|
|

Vincent, milk!

agricultural school and stock farm,
Ss
76.

bulls imported into St. Lucia from

Canada, 294.

calf scour, formalin a remedy for, 44.
cassava refuse as food for cattle,
To:
cotton-seed meal as a food for hogs,
260, 296: |
cows, newly calved, composition of
milk from, 124.
digestibility of prickly pear fed to)
cattle, 319. |St
donkeys, suggested use in St. Lucia,|
92: |—

use in Barbados, 92.

’
experiments ™m molasses feeding, 408.)St
— with prickly pear as a food for|St
aninals, 222

222.
exportation of animals from St. Vincent|S
to Grenada, regulations concerning.

Su

ock (Continued): — Sugar-cane juice, formaldehyde as a_pre-
live animals, exports from British) servative of, 147.

Guiana, 380. — lands, molasses as a fertilizer for, 227.
— stock industry British Guiana, — manurial experiments in Leeward Is-

396.
—, insurance of, 302.
losses from disease, ete., in Madras, 92.

milking cattle, choice of, 61.

= —, water and shade for,

molasses as food for horses and mules,
168.

mule breeding in Queensland,

— raising in Cuba, 89.

mules, epizootic Jymphanghitis in

British Guiana, 172.

ram sheep, African woolless, on service —
156.)

Barbados —

at St. Lucia agricultural school,
—, shipment from
to Trinidad and Dominica, 364.
removal of duty on breeding stock
brought into Jamaica, 316.
sale of animals at Trinidad Government
Farm, 13.
stallion horse

‘Beau IV at St. Vincent

agricultural school, 26%.

= — -— -- on service at}
St. Vincent agricultural school stock
farm, 76.

stock keeping at St. Vincent, 533.

— rearing in Jamaica, 31.

— sale at Government Farm,
380.

suitable food for milch cows
Indies, 361.

West African rams and their progeny
in West Indies, 408.

ockdale,
Guiana, 509.

, fungus diseases of cotton, 182

West

—, return to Barbados from Antigua, 157.

raits Settlements, agriculture in, 19.
udents’ Corner, 347, 363, 379, 395,
411.

gar and sugar products,

British Gunna $4, 299:

218. -, annual crop from date palm in India,
feeding materials used on Government} 44.

Farm, Trinidad, 307. Sugar-cane area in British Guiana, 28,
forage crops for hogs, 529. 376.
goats and sheep, improved breeds of, - crop of Mexico, 1907-8, 108.

Hise | crusher roller, the ‘Diamond,’ 259.
— on sale at Dominica agricultural-— — cultivation in Cuba, 355.

school, 204. — — —— Natal, 188, 332

Government Farm at Trinidad,

report, 1907-8, 335. =

heifer, useful, at agricultural school
’ ’ f=] b]

St. Vincent, 188. I
hogs; sweet potatos, cassava, and|—

f=)

maize as food for, 270.
importation prohibited into Ireland, —

124. |
insurance of cattle and other animals, ——

383

Ow, ——s

interesting animals at Barbados plough-
ing match, 293.

jack “donkey, importation by Barba-!
dos Agricultural Socicty, 412.

, frequency

140.

annual —

— Pernambuco, 596.

’

and New South Wales, 124.
, enzymes of the, 291.

estates in Hawaii, labour an 1 irri-
gation on, 275.

experiments at Antigua, 1907-8,

variety trials, 338.

os ee Bool:
in British Guiana, 19.
—= borba Rico) lend:

of fire in Barbados,

- juice, analysis at St. Kitt’s, 184, 226.

42.|—

Tobago, |-

F. A., appointment in British|—

exports from)

diminished cultivation in Queensland)

lands, 195.
—-, methods of planting in Porto Rico,
179.
\— nomenclature of, 412.
planting at Trinidad, 500.
— plants, evaporation from, 163.
—, root disease of, 65.
— seedling B. 147, 10.
B. 147 at Jamaica, 371.
B. 208 at Jamaica, 371.
B. 208 in Queensland, 338,
D. 95 at Jamaica, 371.
D: 95 in Hawaii, 172.
experiments in Hawai, 108.
-— seedlings, area planted at Antigua
and St. Kitt’s S88.
== at Jamaica, 163; 371.
— (Barbados) in Cuba, 172.

|

= —— D. 130 and B. 306 in Mauri-
tius, 322

= —in British Guiana, 10, 195,
386

--—- Leeward Islands, 83.
-- — Louisiana, 156, 211.
West Inclies, 17.
—, selective reaping at Dominica, 10.
—, varieties planted at Antigua, and St.
Kitt’s, 243
|— wax, reported preparation in Java,
316.
Sugar-canes, leguminous crops grown in
connexion with, 179.
purchase by weight, 414.
—, stripping of, 131.
Sugar consumption in United States, 130.
— crop of Cuba, 163.
==, 1908S ISIE
— — Madeira, 1907, 300;
=== Porto’Rico, 28!
— St. Croix, 1907-8, 140.
— (cane) of the world, 1907-8, short-

age of, 172.

{— season, 1928, in British Guiana,
364.
— estates in Cuba, owners of, 284.
—exports from Barbados, 124, 188,
284.
—- — — British Honduras, 329.
= — Egypt, 275.
—— — —-. Hawaii, 242.
- =e — Java to India, 140.
= = — Martinique, 377.
— — — St. Kitt’s-Nevis, 92.
— i St. Lucia, 105.
—- = — San Domingo, 265.
— + — — ‘Trinidad, 280.
— imports into India, 264,
a —- United States, 60.
— a , 1907-8,348.
Sugar Industry :-
Antigua central sugar facto-y, $1, 104.
Barbados Sugar Industry Agricultural
Bank, report on, 355.

Sugar Industry (Continued):— Sugar Industry (Concluded) :— Sweet potatos, manuring of, 253.
Barbados sugar market, price at open-| sugar-cane production in United States,|—- —, market for, in United States,
ing of season, 76, 339. 124.
beet sugar in United States, rapid) — seedlings in British Guiana, exper-|— —, nomenclature of, 171.
growth of, 220. ments in 1907, 386. — —, propagation of, 120.
-—— — factories in Germany, 140. sugar erop returns from Trinidad,|— —, uses of, 270.
= — industry in France, 564. 1907-8, 259.
— —— production in Canada, 156, — exports from Barbados, 156, 220,
339. D2
— — — — Europe, 598.) -— factories and purchase of farmer-
beet sugar production in Germany, 245, grown canes in Trinidad, 156. 1
339. — -—, capacity of, and econo-
— = —- — United States,| my in production, 163. Tahiti lime, cultivation in Cuba, 92.
115, 339. | imports into Great Britain from|Tamarind seeds, uses of, 101.
— —, returns peracre in European} Java, Peru, and Germany, 156. Tamarinds on the London market, 63, 95.
countries, 60. -- output of Java, 44, 147. 239; 255, 335, 399.
cane farming in British Guiana, 99. — prodnetion in British India, 352, |Tea area in Ceylon, 284.
= = —- Trinidad, 19,41,76,92. ae = = Cuba, cost of, 312. — industry in Java, 201.
—— —yreturnsfromT hata ad, 1907-8, | — = —~ Mexico, conditions and|Tea planting experiments in UnitedStates,
259. cost of, 211. 108.
— returns per acre, value of weighing) —— — of the world, 1907-8, 539. |Tea production in Jamaica, 187.
and recording, 306. | — refining industry in Japan, 243. —_ — -— Java, 188.
— sugar production in Mexico, 339. —— returns obtainable in Hawaii, 316.)— = — Nyassaland, 391.
—- = — West Indies,) suggested irrigation experiments for/Teosinte as a forage crop in Philippines,
339. sugar-cane lands in Porto Rico, 284.) 309.
Carrington central factory, Barbados,| Usine St. Marie, Martinique, sugar erop|Ticks, blood-sucking, 129.
147. handled in 1906-7, 220. Timber exports from British Honduras,
central factory plant at Vere, Jamaica,|Sugay manufacture from sugar-cane (ar-| 329.
140. ticles in West India Committee Ciren-|—, strength of, as influenced by moisture,
— sugar factory at Martinique, report] lar), 172. :
on, 1906-7, 268. — production and importation in Argen-/— trade of British Guiana, 197.
—— —= mills in Queensland, 51. | tine Republic, 516. |Timbers of British Honduras, 143.
export tax on sugar shipped from Trini-|— in’ Cuba, 121 — — Jamaica, 9.
dad, 284. — —on industrial school estates,|Tobaceo breeding experiments, 153.
in Brazil, 99. Barbados, 301. - crop of Jamaica, 204.
— British Guiana, 67. _— products, exports from United States,|— cultivation in Hawaii, 174.
— Cuba, 19, 380. Mle —- -— — Ireland, 252.
Duteh Guiana, 325. jet shipment from British Guiana, 396.;— —- — Porto Rico, 44.
— Egypt, 275. /—, use in bread manufacture, 99. |— culture at Tobago, 236.
— Fiji Islands, 407. Sugars, deterioration on storage, 179. — experiments at Hawaii, 252.
- Formosa, 323. Sulphate of ammonia and acidity in soils,!— — St. Kitt’s-Nevis, 360.
a vwailan Islands, 242. | (341. |— = in Bahamas, 253.
— Java, 115, 195, 291. — -- » preparation from peat,|— exports from Colombia, 12.
— Leeward Islands, 11. \ GS: —_- — - San Domingo, 265.
— Mexico, 99. Sumatra, gambier cultivation in, 108. — |—, fermentation Se 203.
Natal, 371. Suntlower cultivation, 577. i from St. Kitt’s, favourable report on,
= iano Rico, 28. —- in South Africa, 156. 261.
- Queensland, 386, Superphosphate and basic slag, 385. — growing at St. Vincent, 232.
Réunion, 201. les -, qualities and uses of, 37. — — in Central Afriea, 45.
— St. Kitt’s-Nevis, 131. Surinam, banana industry in, 276. |I—- — -— South Africa, 332
- Vera Cruz, 259. |—, coffee culture in, 167. —- industry in Rhodesia, development of,
— Virgin Islands, 151. | increasing exports of bananas, 516, 325,
Martinique central factory, prices paid’) —, shipment of bananas from, 236. — —- ot Cuba. 43:
for sugar-canes, 140, Sweet-Escott, Sir Bickham, visit to Domi-- — — Jamaica, 55.
molasses exports from Barbados, 156,) nica agricultural school, 107. \— leaves, harvesting and curing of,
220. ‘Sweet potato crop, experiments with, 41. 190.
muscovado molasses, causes of souring, — , weevil attack at Bar- —~ imported into Martinique, in-
67. bados, 345. creased duty on, 156,
Pessou sugar-cane harvester, 211 | - investigations, 120. production in Trinidad, 37
proposed establishment of central sugar |= shipment from Barbados to —, world’s output of, 395,
factories at Barbados, 396, British Guiana, 108. Tobago, cotton growing at, 342.
protective tax on sugar imports levied|/— —— starch, manufacture in Natal, —, interesting citrus fruit from, 25, 44.
in Ecuador, 60. | 300. —, sale of cocoa-nut estates, 44.
sugar area and crop return in India |— potatos as food for hogs, 270. —, — —stock at Government Farm
220. |— —, cultivation of, 253. 380.
sugar-cane mills, work.of, and dedue-|— , disposal of, in Jamaica, 12. |. tobacco cultivation at, 236.

tions drawn therefrom, 193. |-— , fungus diseases of, 56, 59. Tomatos, pollination of, 383.

=

Toronto exhibition,
from St. Lucia, 268.

— —, exhibits from British,
Guiana, 284.

Tortola, cacao cultivation in, 76.

Toxie substances, excretion by

plants, 315.
Transvaal, agricultural bank in, 107.
development in,
Travancore, diseases of cocoa-nuts in
Trinidad Agricultural Department,
— science lectures at,
— shows at, ‘264.
— Society, offer of prize for
essay on ‘frog hopper,’ 364.
banana trade of, 361.
—, caeio exports from, 72, 191,
406.

316,

1907, 235.
— shipments from, July 1908,
—, cane farming in, 19, 41, 76, 259.
—, Crown lands of, 39, 220, 392.
destruction of larger moth borer
409.
— locusts in, 24.
Insects on cacao

aot 268.

’

’
sugar-cane,

’
, destructive
281.
—, experimental production of Manila,
— hemp at, 233.
exports of, 280.
— bananas from, 28, 348.
—, export tax on sugar shipped from,
284.
gathering of cacao crop, 44.
geology and mineral resources of, 30.
Government Farm, stock feeding at,
307.
imports of cacao, 284.
— flour from Canada,
increase of rice cultivation at,
labour in, 88.
meat supply in, 105.
mungoose destruction in,
oil-fields of, 89,
ordinance against breeding mungoose
in, 156.
—, Oropuche and La Brea,
industries in, 76.
Piteh Lake District, production of pine-
apples and oranges in, 180.
planting of cedar and rubber in, 76.
rainfall during October i908, 364.
rice imports into, 284.

trees,

y

,

’

12.
156.

124.

agricultural

—, —- production in, 60.
—, rubber from, 286.
—, — _ industry in, 114.

— production in, 363
samples from, 297.
school agricultural shows at, 364.
gardens in
shows at, 328.
award of medal, 151

300.

ap art

shipment of produce from,

Southern, first tapping of cultivated|-

rubber trees in, 268.
-, stock sale at Government Farm,
— sugar-cane planting at, 300.

13.

despatch of exhibits/ Trinidad, sugar crop of, 1907-8

roots of/Turks and Caicos Islands,

2.|— Tatands: salt industry in, 41.

351,|

ob,

‘Uganda, agricultural progress in, 265,

435

, — factories and purchase of farmer
grown canes, 156.
i—, suggested agricultural banks,
|—, tebacco production in, 37.
exports of

dO.

412.

from,

Ie

~~, sisal crop in, 412

U.

—, efforts for extermination of sleeping
sickness in, 364.

—, introduction of Barbados ‘millions
into, £12.

—, methods of extermination of tse-tse
fly in, 280.

—, rubber cultivation in, 268.

United Kingdom, cotton imports into,
22¢e

wes)

Iu nited States, beet sugar industry o1 his 5.
-, cacao imports, 44, 124.

—, cane and beet sugar produc-
tion in, 339.

— —, cassava experiments in, 87.
—- —, corn culture in, 199.
— —, cotton exports, 1906-7, 22

demand for avocado pears in,

, Department of Agriculture
and W est Indian cotton indnstry, 181.
—, sweet

potato investigations, 120.
, Year-

book for 1907, 348.
—, development of

industry in, 220.

durum wheat cultivation in,

beet sugar

’
195. |
- --, experiment with prickly pear
as food for stock, 222.
—, exports of agricultural pro-
1906-7, 220.

’

duce,

-- sugar products,

Ale

;

ground nuts in, 101.
maize breeding in, 594,
ate

- crop of, 89, 335.
rice production in, 127,

;
2
: 143,
school garden work in,
sugar constunption in,
imports from

130.)
West

rhs

Tudies!
348.

into, 1907-8,
: 1 Of, 60!

—, system of dry-farming in, 414.
—, tea-planting experiments in,

IE

|
259m
|

Vanilla crop in the Seychelles,

We

348,

1907,

|— cultivation in the Society Islands, 300.
|— curing, 9.

salt|— plants i in school gardens, 105.

production in Réunion, 190.

Ve egetable culture in West Indies, 353.
— ivory, 58.
\Velvet bean, experimental culture in

Philippines, 509.

— beans, value for green manuring, 375,
Venezuela, exports of balata from, 280,

—, regulations concerning the gathering
of rubber and balata in,
Vera Cruz, sugar industry in, 259.
Victoria, Arbor Day in, 30.

Virgin Islands, agriculture in,

236.

7

ail.
—, cotton crop of, 1907-8, 156,

— industry in, 102.
experiment station,

’

pine-

apple cultivation at, 76.

28.

py ERE

, rainfall of.
—, sugar and cotton in, 131.

W.

Washington Navel orange, plants for sale
at Dominica,
Water in the soil, conservation of in dry

140.

districts, 295.

—, loss from soil during dry weather, 295,
Wax, manufacture from berries of Myrica

cordifolia, 12.

Weatherhead, John, appointed manager of

Balembouche estate, St. Lucia, 268.

West African rams and their progeny, 408.
West India Committee Circular,

articles

on sugar manufacture, 172.

West Indian Agricultural Conference and

British Guiana, 94.

, delegates

from Jamaica Agricultural Society, 108.

- — - — in Bri-
tish Guiana, 110.
— = — —, 1908; 17
- = -— —- —, and
St. Vincent delegates, 151.
- — —, list
of representatives, 2.
ee — DUC

gramme of proceedings, 5.

108.|—

West Indian Bulletin,

tain,

6

40

,--

150, 165, 181, 198, 214,
78, 294, 311,

6.

25, 217, 249,
-~- cotton exports to Great sri
108.

377
I

growing, 321.

Liverpool market,
102, 118, 134,
230, 246, 262,
35 390,

358,

— on the
54, 70, 86,

)*) 38,

326, 342, 374,
— exhibits atcolonial fruit show, 4.
— products at colonial fruit show,

sr

West Indian products on the London
market, 3; 63, 95;) 159 19, 9939;
255, 303, 335, 367, 399.

— — Sea Island cotton, 86.

students in Canada, 40.

— Indies, agricultural education in,|-

33.
_ —, — progress in, 21.
_ —, Canadian cattle for, 169.
— —, climate of, 120.
— —, fisheries of, 8.
— —, minor agricultural crops of, 353.

=
454
West Indies, onion growing in, 354. Slay: ‘

-- —, rubber planting in, 113.
— —, Sea Island cotton cultivation in, Ylang-ylang cultivation, 121.

265. Yucatan, logwood exports from, 236.
- —, school gardens in, 117. -—, sisal hemp industry in, 125, 251.
— —, sugar production in, 339. —, — production in, 108.
White ‘Transparent cane at Jamaica,
571.
Wo'lstenholme, C. M., West Indian Sea Z

Island cotton, 310.
Worm, Thomas, appointment at St. Zanzibar, exports of copra from, 236.
Lueia, 119 Zapupe tibre plant, 125, 280.

1 14
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