9-2 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 12, 1904. 



GLEANINGS. 



According to tlie Maritiiui- Jferrhftnt tlie iniport.s of 

 molasses into Halifax for 190."< were 17,010 punclieons, 

 2,093 tierce.s and 3,73.'5 barrels, as against 13,2.')9 puncheons, 

 1,236 tierces and 2,424 barrels for the preceding year. 



We learn from the St. Vincent I'imat of February 2-5 

 that St. Vincent is likely to compete with the other West 

 Indian Colonies in the production of honey. One bee-keeper 

 owns over seventy colonies and intends to increase his apiary. 



It is announced that the cotton gins imported by the 

 Government of Trinidad are now in working order at the 

 St. Clair Experiment Station. Planters can have the free 

 use of these gins, but must provide the necessary labour for 

 working them. 



Mr. John Belling, B.Sc, writes from the Agricultural 

 School at St. Kitt's that the Barbadf)S blackbirds shipped by 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture and set free at 

 Stone Foot estate have increased in number. Being unmo- 

 lested they pick up their food near the estate buildings and 

 seem as fearless as English sparrows. 



At a meeting of the Antigua Agricultural and Com- 

 mercial Society held at Antigua on February 19, a resolution 

 ■was ])assed expressing the regret of the Society at the 

 departure of Mr. W. N. Sands, the Honorary Secretary, and 

 its high appreciation of his valuable .services to Antigua and 

 to the S<jciety in particular. 



Seed of diseased iilants often produces diseased seedlings. 

 Sound seed in soil that has borne diseaseil plants will produce 

 diseased seedlings. Cuttings from diseased plants, even if 

 from the healthy portions, should not be used for propagating 

 unless with precautions against spreading the disease of the 

 jtarent stock. {American Gardening, February 6, 1904.) 



We learn from the Demerara Aiyosi/ that the live stock 

 show held at Eve Leary under the auspices of the Board of 

 Agriculture on February 26 was, from the i)oint of view of 

 the class of exhil>its, on the whole a success. I'nfortunately 

 very bad weather jirevailed throughout the day, and this 

 prevented a large attendance. 



According to the Ji/unial of the Society of Arts, raffia 

 fibre, which is so commonly used for tying up garden plants, 

 is the jiroduct of a palm indigenous to ^Madagascar, whence 

 some 20,000 l>ales are annually exported. The sujijily is 

 practically inexhaustible. For export it is merely collected 

 in large skeins, twisted up and plaited, and then baled like 

 raw cotton. 



The ]\\xf India Committee Circular of February 16 

 gives figures .showing the consumption of cacao in Europe 

 and the United States over the jieriods of eleven months 

 (twelve in the case of the United Kingdom and the United 

 States) for the past five years. The total consumption in 

 1899 was 193,773,600 ft.; in 1903, 241,707,900 ft., an 

 increase of about 25 per cent. 



Suggestions ha\-e been made from time to time that 

 Indian cattle and other stock might be brought to the West 

 Indies in the emigrant ships, l)Ut it has always been pointed 

 out that the Indian Emigration Act would not allow this. 

 Notification ha.s, however, recently been received that the 

 rules have now been so amended as to allow the exportation, 

 under certain conditions, of cattle from India in emigrant 

 ships to any colony, to which emigration is carried on under 

 the Act. 



The Journal of the Nexv Yoric Botanical Garden for 

 January 1904 contains a full account of the tropical research 

 laboratorj- that is to be establi.sheil at Cinchona, Jamaica, to 

 which reference has lieen made in the Agricultural Neujs 

 (Vol. II, p. 311, and Vol. Ill, p. 38). Illustrations are given 

 of some of the buildings which are to be utilized for 

 laboratory jiurjioses. 



The Louifiaua Planter of February 20 contains a paper 

 by Professor R. E. Blouin on the ' comjiarative results of 

 seedling canes D. 74 and D. 95 with our home sugar-canes.' 

 The results are summarized as follows : ' D. 74 is more 

 vigorous, a more rapid grower, gives a larger tonnage and 

 a larger extraction, and has a larger sugar content, j'ielding 

 more sugar jier ton and giving a greater tonnage per acre 

 than home canes. The same remarks apply, in a lesser 

 degree, to I). 95.' 



According to the Agricultural Journal of Natal for 

 December last, adulterated bees'-wax may be detected by 

 chewing a .small piece for a few minutes. If the wax becomes 

 jiasty and adheres to the teeth, it is adulterated. Pure 

 laees'-wax is very l)rittle and should crumble to pieces when 

 chewed. The comb that contains 1 ft. of honey will, 

 when rendered into wax, weigh about -i oz. It is quite 

 evident, then, that very little wax is consumed l)y the 

 individual when eating comb honey. It is not at all 

 unwholesome. 



We learn from the Louisiana Planter of Feliruary 20 

 that the short supply of molasses is lieing felt in the markets. 

 ' Notwithstanding the immense production of corn glucose, 

 there continues to be a considerable demand for actual molasses, 

 which is ordinarily supplied from Louisiana, Porto Itico, 

 Barbados and Demerara. The e.xceedingly short crop of 

 Louisiana molasses has diverted the attention of buyers to 

 some extent to Porto Itico and other West Indian molasses, 

 all of which, however, are rei>orted to be in rather short 

 supply.' 



Dr. M. Ekenburg, of Gothenburg, Germany, has 

 invented an apjiaratus by which milk can be rendered to 

 a powder, like tiour in ap[iearance, but pcsse.ssing all the 

 qualities of milk in concentrated form, moisture excejrted. 

 This milk Hour is said to be completely soluble in water, and 

 can be used for all purposes for which common milk is 

 employed. It is claimed that it does not get sour or ferment, 

 anci that it can be kept and transjjorted in tin cans, barrels, 

 bags, etc. The invention is con.sidered to be mainly or 

 importance for the utilization of .skim milk, much of which 

 has hithertr) been wasted, but which can, in the dry form, be 

 transiiorted easily without loss of quality. (Queensland 

 Agricultural Journal.) 



