.38 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 30, 1904. 



BEE-KEEPING. 



BOTANICAL LABORATORY AT JAMAICA. 



The following letter has been received by the 

 Imperial Connni.ssioner of Agriculture from Ur. N. L. 

 Britton, the Director-in-Chief of the New York 

 Botanical Garden, dated December 2(), 1903, in reference 

 to the facilities that are being oflered for research in 

 tropical botany at Cinchona, Jamaica : — 



Referring to my letter of August 14, 190-3, [see Agii- 

 i-ultural Xews, Vol. II, \t. 311] I take jileasure in stating 

 that the group of buildings of the Colonial Government 

 of Jamaica at the Cinchona Botanical Gardens will be 

 maintained as a Botanical Laboratory by the New York 

 Botanical Garden, under an agreement with the Colonial 

 Government, and with the co-operation of the Dejiartment 

 of Public Gardens and Plantations of Jamaica ; sufficient 

 land for e-Xfierimental purposes and for a nursery is included 

 in the leasehold privileges. The buildings include a residence 

 known as Bellevue House, three laboratories, two ranges 

 of glass, and one or two small buildings suitable for 

 lodgings. 



Investigators are offered the following facilities : — 



1. The use of tables in the laboratory buildings. 



2. Lodging in Bellevue Hou.se or in one of the other 

 buildings at Cinchona. 



3. The use of land for e.xperimental puriioses. 



4. Privileges to study the plantations at Cinchona and 

 aLso those at Hope and Castleton Gardens. 



5. Privilege to consult the botanical library of the 

 Department of Public Gardens and Plantations at Hope 

 Gardens, and to take liooks therefrom to Cinchona under 

 such conditions as may be imposed by the Director of 

 Public Gardens and Plantations. 



6. An immense luimber of indigenous species is 

 within easy reach in the prindtive forests adjacent to 

 Cinchona. 



All persons who nny apjily for permission to study at 

 Cinchona must .subnnt such evidence as the Diiector-in- 

 Chief of the New York Botanical Garden may require, that 

 they are competent to pursue investigation to advantage. 

 AVhile in residence at Cinchona, they will be under the 

 supervision of the Hon. William Fawcett, Director of Public 

 Gardens and Plantations, to whose interest and advice the 

 establishment of this American Tropical Laboratory is 

 largely due. 



A laboratory fee, i)ayable to the New York Botanical 

 Garden, will be required of persons granted the above 

 privileges. 



Upon ajiproval by the Scientific Directors of the New 

 York Botanical Garden, any other institution, society or 

 individual may be assigned the use of a table at Cinchona 

 by the payment of .SIOO'OO annually, which will entitle them 

 to nominate students desiring to avail themselves of the 

 facilities of the laboratory for admission without the payment 

 of fees, but not more than one person may be granted the 

 use of any table at the same time. 



The necessary e.xpenses for a month's residence at 

 Cinchona, including travelling expenses to and from ports on 

 the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, are from .SHO'OO 

 to .«200-00 ; for two months' residence, .?160-00 to $230-00. 



Bee-paralysis and Sulphur. 



It is not uncommon for a bee-keeper to notice 

 individual bees come staggering out of a hive and 

 after a great deal of restlessness fall over on one 

 side and eventually die. These are the symptoms 

 of bee-paralysis. This disease has never had much 

 attention paid to it by the bee-keej)er, because it 

 seldom causes the los.s of the colony affected, but yet 

 it is very distressing to watch a bee lose its life in 

 this way. | 



In Gl'diiiiujs in Bcf Colt an: for December 1.5 

 last, the following reference to the successful use of 

 sulphur as a cure for bee-paralysis is made : — 



In i)reiwring the index for 1903 I was greatly surprised 

 to .see the nundjer of cases during the jiast year of the 

 successful use of sulphur for curing bee-[)aralysis. These, 

 coming from time to time, did not attract my s|)ecial 

 attention : but the fact that so many of them confirm O. O. 

 Popiileton's observations all through, is somewhat significant. 

 Indeed, I think we may safely conclude that the once 

 incurable disea.se is now easily curable. 



On reviewing the articles above indicated, it is 

 found that a colony of bees affected with bee-paralysis 

 is treated by simply sprinkling about a tablespoonful 

 of finely powered sulphur over all the brood combs. 



COLUMBIAN CASSAVAS IN INDIA. 



The following is a letter addressed by the Inspec- 

 tor General of Agriculture in India to the editor of 

 Indlmi Planfii);/ and Gurdi'nrnfj on the subject of 

 the cultivation of varieties of Columbian cassava 

 obtained from Mr. Robert Thom.son, of Jamaica : — 



The cuttings sent by Mr. Robert Thom.son to the 

 Punjab Government either failed to geiininate or the weak 

 jilants which grew from some of them subsequently died. 

 The importation into Bombay jiroved to be more successful. 

 Some of the cuttings were dead when they arrived. \ jiro- 

 p'lrtion of the remainder germinated satisfactorilj'. A good 

 many varieties are represented. Some varieties grew 

 excellently, and all did fairly well. The tubers from a single 

 plant weighed in some cases over 30 lb. These varieties 

 ajipear to be easy to grow and are propagated from cuttings 

 got irom the main stems and niaturer jiarts of branches. 

 Consequently a well matured plant yields a considerable 



number The cultivation will now be carried from 



the exjierimental plot to the field. Arrangements have 

 been made to comjiare these imported varieties with 

 varieties which have long been cultivated in various parts 

 of India. The drought-resisting capacity claimed for the 

 imported varieties will be tested ; also their comparative 

 values for the jiroduction of tapioca flour and for the 

 production of tubers to be used as vegetables. It is 

 jiossible that fully matured plants yield tubers best suited 

 for the former purpose, whilst tubers fit for use as vegetables 

 can be dug' about six months after the .sets are planted. 

 These points have not yet been fully worked out. .\n inquiry 

 into the poisonous characters of some varieties has been 

 begun. 1 can pronn.se that if the Columbian varieties are 

 proved to be an introduction of agricultural and commercial 

 value, every effort will be made to spread the cultivation. 



