THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 16, 1904. 







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BEE-KEEPING. 



West Indian Honey. 



We extract the following fioni an article in the 

 Cdiiadian Givccroi December -i : — 



Jamaica and Trinidad are the two island.s iinidnting tlie 

 large.st amount of honey. Jamaica has now attained the 

 j)osition of an e.^jiorting country, wherea.s Trinidad consuiue.s 

 all it produces. The indu.stry of bee-keeping in Trinidad i.s 

 on the increase, and before long that island will become 

 a shipping centre. The variety of bees that is found to be 

 a .success is the Italian bee, and all colonies that are being 

 developed are from the.se strains. The best honey is 

 produced iluring the months of January to the end of May, 

 that is during the jieriod of the dry sea.son. It is during the 

 dry season that a large majority of trees are in flower, and 

 owing to the dryness of the atmosphere, the .saccharine cells 

 in the flowers are most highly (levelo|ied. During the other 

 portion of the year the production of honey is much smaller 

 owing to the lack of Mowers and to the necessity of having 

 to feed the bees with molasses and sugar. Honey produced 

 during this period is of much poorer flavour than that 

 produced during the early six months of the jear. 



In St. Lucia liee-keeping and the honey industry is 

 being jiushed forward energetically and systematically by 

 Mr. G. S. Hudson, the Agricultural Instructor, whose 

 first sales in London brought 20s. per cwt. c.i.f. This honey 

 was very favourably reported upon by the brokers, and 

 though jiroduced at the period when the West Indian hog 

 plum tree was in flower, which tree jiroduces one of the 

 worst flavoured honeys, the (juality of the honey, irrespective 

 of the flavour, was of good standard. 



The colour of the West Indian honey is very much 

 darker than that of our domestic white clover honey ; it is 

 more of the character of buckwhe<it, though \\ithout this 

 latter grade's peculiar flavour. It is also very much stronger, 

 and such honey as has been received in Montreal has been 

 taken by the large biscuit manufacturers for its stronger and 

 more penetrating characteristics. During the past season 

 one ^Montreal biscuit and confectionery company bought over 

 a carload. In the West Indies, as well, it is used in the 

 manufacture of goods where sugar would have a tendency to 

 ferment, and undoubtedly for a similar reason Canadian 

 manufacturers find use for it. It is mixed with lime juice 

 in the islands and this jirevents fermentation and derangement 

 of the stomach. As regards theprosi)ect of trade with Canada 

 there is no reason why good business should not result, though 

 the greatest dirticulty in the way of a regular and steady trade 

 would seem to lie in the fact that the Canadian consumer 

 has for so long been accu.stomed to using the distinctively 

 rich, white clover, Canadian honey, and the stronger West 

 Indian honey taste would reciuire cultivation. Still as 

 a jjioduct for use by manufacturers the field is open in 

 Canada, and with its stronger and more fermenting 

 characteristics it should find ready sale. 



The duty on honey coming into Canada is ;^c. per It)., 

 but on West Indian honey coming in under the liiitisli |>refer- 

 ential tariff would be JjC. less, or 2c. per Iti. 



NOTES ON WATERING. 



Carele.ssnes.s in the matter of watering i.s often 

 the cause of failure in the garden. The following 

 extract from an article on watering in Indlnu Plant- 

 ing and Garden intj of November 21, 1908, gives 

 suggestions which might well be adopted : — 



One of the conunonest mistakes is that of merely 

 moistening the surface of the earth. If we casually glance 

 at the work of our mali, it apjiears to be all right, but by 

 removing a little i>f the toji earth we find, in many cases, 

 that the .soil underneath is ijuite dry, the water never having 

 reached the lower roots ; this is the cause of a large number 

 of failures with our jilants. When watering is necessary, 

 let it be done thoroughly. Never water hard-baked earth ; 

 first loosen the soil to a depth of 4 or .5 inches, then 

 give a copious supply of water. Always keep the surface 

 soil loose ; this will les.sen the evaporation, and prevent the 

 soil from baking and cracking. All watering, or as much as 

 possible, should be done late in the afternoon. Water for 

 many gardens has to be brought from a distance ; in these 

 ca.ses it ought to be carried in the daytime, kept in tanks or 

 barrels, and a|i|ilied as late as it can conveniently be done in 

 the afternoon. When watering cannot be done in the 

 afternoon, let the work be performed the first thing in the 

 morning : never, if it can jio-ssibly be hel[)ed, when the sun is 

 shining. For all vegetable gardens we recommend the laying 

 on of a mulch of manure, straw or some such material to 

 prevent the raiiid evaiioration of moisture from the .soil. It 

 would serve the same pur[iose in our compounds, but looks 

 unsightly, and ought to be used oidy when there is a scarcity 

 of water. Fruit trees and shrubs are also greatly lienefited 

 by a mulching of good .stable manure : never apply it thicker 

 than .■? inches ; if too thick a coat be given, it is ajit to 

 interfere with the free jiercolation of the air through the .soil. 

 It is preferable to use rain or pond water as long as it is 

 procuiable. All licpiid manures should be saved from the 

 cow-sheds and stables : this .should be diluted with clean water 

 before being used. Never give manure water to plants that 

 are suttering from drought : first give clean water, then, after 

 the plants have revived, apply liijuid manure. The majority 

 of iilants in the vegetable garden, when well established, will lie 

 greatly benefited liy frecjuent ai)|ilications of liipiid mamu-e. 



SUNFLOWERS AND BEES. 



Writing in the August issue uf the Jmiriud nf 

 fill' Jamaica Aiji'ictdtoral Socicfi/, Dr. James Xeish 

 gives an interesting account of his ex}X'rience in the 

 cultivation of sunflowers. Referring to the general 

 complaint of those who have grown this useful jilant in 

 the West Indies but have so often failed to make it 

 produce .seed, Dr. Neish confirms the opinion of the 

 Director of Public Gardens and Plantations in Jamaica, 

 that the want of success in this particidar is due to the 

 absence of bees in the localit}' where sunflowers are 

 grown. Dr. Neish g(jes on to say : — 



At Old Harbour there are two extensive apiarie.s, and 

 there is no lack of bees in this neighbourhood. When the 

 sunflowers bloomed, it was interesting to notice the remark- 

 able attention which the bees paid to them, as many as 

 sixteen bees having been counted on one flower-hea<l. The 

 result has naturally been a full develoimient of well-grown 

 .seeds, which are available for reproducing the crop. Cnder 

 our troi>ical influences, the sunflower grows rajiidly, and 

 the cultivator will not have long to wait for a return. 



