30 Palaeontologie. — Agricultur, Horticultur und Forstbotanik. 



moins specialisees, les faisceaux liberoligneux, au lieu de se 

 ramifier, se fusionnent au voisinage du sommet en une lame 

 sclereuse plus ou moins compacte. Le renflement terminal est 

 donc uniquement du ä l'hypertrophie du tissu conjonctif et ne 

 represente pas un limbe transforme. 



De nouveiles recherches sur l'embryon l'ont en outre 

 amene ä penser que dans chaque cotyledon le nombre des 

 iaisceaux pouvait etre pair, plutot qu'impair comme 11 l'avait 

 precedemment indique^ sans cependant qu'il soit possible de 

 rien affirmer ä cet egard, la conservation n'etant pas assez 

 parfaite. R. Zeiller. 



Sands, W. N., Report on the Botanic Station, St. Vin- 

 cent. 1904 — 05. (Imperial Department of Agriculture for 

 the West Indies. p. 1—29.) 



Attention has been devoted to encouraging the cacao industry, 

 which received a severe reverse by the hurricane of 189S, and in some 

 districts was also injured by the vulcanic eruptions of 1902 — 03. it is 

 expected that with no further mishaps the exports during the next two 

 or three years will exceed those previous to 1898. 



The cotton industry has made good progress. The total acreage 

 reached 1,471 compared with 300 acres in 1903. High prices have been 

 obtained for sea island cotton grown in St. Vincent, which has been 

 reported on as qiiite the best grown under the auspices of the Britisch 

 Cotton-growing Association. Experimental work has been developed to 

 test the suitability of new districts to cotton cultivation and to deter- 

 mine the most remunerative manurial treatment of cotton soils. 



Reports are also attached on the Agricultural School and on the 

 Land Settlement Schema. 



Economic plants have been distributed to planters and others on 

 an extensive scale. W. G. Freeman. 



Wright, H., The Castor Oil Plant in Ceylon. (Circulars 

 and Agricultural Journal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon. 

 Vol. II. [No. 25.] p. 407—414. 1904.) 



The Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) is thoroughly naturalized 

 in Ceylon, and experiments have been made to determine whether it 

 is possible profitably to cultivate it at Peradeniya. The results indi- 

 cate that although there is a considerable demand in Ceylon for the 

 products of the piants - castor oil and castor cake — its cultivation 

 is not likely to be taken up in the neighbourhood of Peraden^iya in 

 preference to that of already established Industries. 



Experiments were made with form varieties: 1. Madras variety, 

 distinguished by its small habit, comparatively small leaves, fruits and 

 seeds, and by the light blue coating of wax over stems and leaves. 

 2. Patna variety, intermediate in habit between the Madras and 

 Calcutta varieties^ stems and leaves covered with easily detached, 

 thin layer of bluish wax, compact, erect, pyramidal inflorescences and 

 long spines on the fruits. 3. Major variety^ perennial, with very 

 large leaves, fruits and seeds, stems and fruits dark green and not 

 covered with wax. 4. Calcutta variety which in good soil grows to 

 a larger tree than any of the preceding. 



The yields were dis-appointing. Madras, 4'/2 cwts. to the acre 

 being the maximum; this variety also obtained the best report in India. 

 The ränge of yields of oil for the varieties was froni 32 to 44 percent, 

 and of cake from 30 to 50 percent. Notes are also given on pests. 



W. G. Freeman. 



