Vol. III. No. 63. 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



299 



^^5^. 



GUIDE TO CASTLETON GARDEiYf!, JAMAICA .- 

 By AVm. Fiuvcett, B.Sc, F.L.S., Director of Public Garden.'! 

 and Plantations. Kingston, Jamaica, 1904. Price Is. 



While tlii.9 little handbook, as the title indicates, i.s 

 written primarily for visitors to the delightful Castleton 

 Garden.s in .Jamaica, it is one which students of economic 

 botany are likely to find very useful on account of the 'Notes 

 on the more interesting plants.' 



The first twelve jiages are devoted to a description of 

 the gardens under the heading ' A walk I'ound the gardens.' 

 It is stated that in a single visit of short duration the visitor 

 would be wise to follow the route suggested. 



The following pages (13-61) are devoted to notes as to 

 the economic uses, etc., of the most interesting plants. 



Sixteen excellent plates from photographs illustrate 

 this guide. 



^'0 TES OX EG YPTIA N A GRIC VLTURE .- Bulletin 

 62, Bitrcau of Phint Indugtry, United States Departnieiit of 

 Agriculture. By George P. Foaden, B.Sc. Washington, 190^. 



It will be remembered that the author of this bulletin 

 visited the cotton-growing districts of the United States in 

 May last year, and his report was published in the Journal 

 of the Khedivial Agricultural Society, from which various 

 extracts were published in the Agricultural JVews. 



It is stated in the letter of transmittal accompanying 

 this bulletin that, in view of the experiments that are being- 

 carried out in the United States with Egyptian cotton and 

 other crop.s, it is of special importance to have a knowledge 

 fci the methods employed in Egypt. Special attention is 

 therefore paid in this bulletin to such crops. 



We publish an extract on onion cultivation in Egypt on 

 p. 29-5 of this issue. We propose, later, to extract notes 

 relating to Egyptian cotton culture. 



Other important crops dealt with by Mr. Foaden are 

 sugar-cane, berseem, alfalfa, rice, ground nuts, etc. 



OVERZICIIT VAN DE CULTUURGEWASSEN 

 \EN BOSCHPRODUCTEN IN DE KOLONIE SURI- 

 INAME: By C. .1. Bering. Paramaribo: II. 11. Heyde, 

 \.1903. 



This pulilication, which has been issued in six parts, 

 [running in all to about 300 pages, forms an excellent review 

 [■of the cultivated plants of Surinam. 



It is arranged as follows : part i, fibres ; part ii, fats and 



&ils ; part iii, tannins, gums, and resins ; part iv, dyes and 



Icolouring matters ; part v, various useful plants of Surinam ; 



Ipart vi, non-indigenous plants that might be introduced and 



l-cultivated in Surinam. 



In the first part considerable space is devoted to cotton. 



Che different vai-ieties are discussed, as also the cultivation of 



[the cotton plant, ginning, baling, etc. Other fibre plants 



'dealt with are the banana, plantain, Manila hemp, agaves, 



hibiscus, etc. 



Among the oil plants wo find the cocoa-nut, castor oil, 

 ground nut, se.samiim, croton, and others. E.ssential oils (e.g. 

 citrus, musk okra, etc.) are also dealt with in this part. 



In part iii there is an interesting and useful chapter on 

 balata, which is an important article of export from Surinam. 

 An account is also given of the various rubber trees in the 

 colony, including Para, Hevea, Castilloa, etc. 



Among the plants which it is suggested might be 

 introduced are : Pamie, jute, cinnamon, clove, peppers, coca, 

 pimento, cardamom, tolsacco, etc. 



As an appendi.x, this publication contains an interesting 

 account of the economic palms of Surinam. It will therefore 

 be seen that this is a work of a very useful nature for 

 agriculturists and students of economic botany who are 

 acquainted with the Dutch language. 



DESTRUCTION OP RATS AND MICE. 



In certain Departments of France rats and mice have 

 committed such depredations on vines and growing crop.s 

 that the losses arising therefrom have amounted to little les.s 

 than a plague. 



The Pasteur Institute now claims to have discovered 

 a means of destroying these rodents with complete success 

 and in a manner absolutely harmless to domestic animals. 



In his report to the United States Government, which 

 is published in the Monthly Consular Reports for ilay last, 

 the Consul-General at Paris gives particulars of experiments 

 carried out lay Doctors lloux and Chamberland in certain rat- 

 infested districts by distributing cultures of pathogenic 

 bacteria. 



The poison used was a preparation of microbes in a sort 

 of soup (bouillon), into which quantities of wheat, oats, and 

 small pieces of bread were dip[ied, becoming immediately 

 impregnated with the microbes which the Ijouillon, or soup, 

 contained. The wheat, bread, etc., so poisoned, were placed 

 ill and about the holes where the rats and mice were known 

 to be. 



To determine the effect of this poisoned paste. Dr. lioux 

 had the fields that had been microbe treated ploughed up to 

 see the condition cjf the rodents after they had eaten the 

 paste and to fix approximately the number of rats and mice 

 that had succumbed to the poison. In the result Dr. Koux 

 estimated that he destroyed no less than 95 per cent, of the 

 rodents —as many as fifteen to twenty dead rats were some- 

 times found in one hole. Further experiments were under- 

 taken with etpial success ; and so satisfied are the authorities 

 with the residts, that it is proposed to introduce into the 

 Chamber of Deputies a Bill loi- the purjiose of compelling 

 farmers in rat-infested districts to co-operate in using this 

 paste, the cost of which, including its application, is 

 estimated at about .5 francs (96c.) per hectare (2'471 acres). 



Birds, Fruits, and Insects. Eeviewing a paper by 



,J. B. Smith, the Experinien.t Station Record states : 'The 

 economic relation of birds to fruit raising is briefly discussed. 

 It is argued that no important fruit insect is controlled or 

 even appreciably reduced in numbers by the agency of birds. 

 The author believes, therefore, that the destruction of fruit 

 by birds, especially robins, brings about a loss to the fruit 

 grower which is quite out of proportion to the advantage 

 gained by the presence of the birds. It is recommended, 

 therefore, that in framing bird protection laws the proviso 

 should be inserted that these laws should not be construed to 

 prevent farmers and fruit growers from killing birds which 

 actually injure or destroy fruit, berries, or other farm crops.' 



