(to 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



January 30, 1904. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 as all specimens for naming, should be addressed 

 to the Commissioner, Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Barbados. 



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All applications for copies of the 'Agricul- 

 tural News' should be addressed to the Agents, 

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 the London and Local agents will be found at 

 foot of page 1 5 of this volume. 



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glDricultural |leiufj 



Vol. IIL SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1904. No. 47. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Onion Seed. 



With the view of securing a supply of selected 

 onion seed for planting this year in the West Indies, it 

 is desired that orders for such seed (specifying whether 

 white or red onion seed is required) should be handed 

 in to the local ofHcers of the Department not later than 

 Saturday, February 20 ne.xt. 



In any case it is important that all orders for 

 onion seed should reach the Imj)crial Commissioner of 

 Agriculture not later than February 27. The seed so 

 ordered would be specially selected for the Department 

 and arrive in the West Indies about August ne.xt. 



The Woods of Barbados. 



At the regular monthly meeting of the Barbados 

 Natural History Society, held at the Planters' Hall on 

 Wednesday, January 18, an interesting and instructive 

 paper on ' the ' W(Jods of Barbados ' was road by 

 Miss Robinson. 



A description was given of the botanical character- 

 istics and the appearances and uses of the woods of a 

 large number of trees found in Barbados. These 

 included the mahogany, tamarind, Barbados cedar, 

 Barbados ebony (Alhizzia Lchhck), lignum vitae, 

 manchineel, logwood, fiddle wooil, scarlet cordia, bay 

 berry, bully tree, locust, fustic antl others. 



We notice that the white cedar or white wood 

 (Tccoma leucuji/lon) has apparently been omitted 

 through inadvertence. No account of the woods of 

 Barbados would be complete without a reference to 

 this useful timber tree. 



Fruiting of the Traveller's Tree. 



Mention was made in the Agrlcidtuml News, 

 Vol.11, p. 412, of the fruiting of the Traveller's Tree 

 {Ravenala VKuhir/ascari/'nfiis) in Borneo, and it was 

 suggested that instances of the fruiting of this tree in 

 the West Indies might be recorded. We published on 

 p. 12 <if the present volume a note as to observations 

 made in St. Vincent by Mr. J. B. Dopwell, Foreman of 

 the Botanic Station. Mr. J. H. Hart, Superintendent 

 of the Ro3-al Botanic Gardens at Trinidad, has also 

 communicated interesting information relating to this 

 matter. 



As far as Mr. Hart is aware, the tree has never 

 fruited in the Botanic Gardens at Trinidad, but several 

 plants raised in the Gardens have flowered in different 

 positions as follows : — 



(1) In a villa garden in St. Anne's Ro.ad, Port-of- 

 Spain, in 181t.5 : (2) several at St. Madeline Usino, in 

 IH97 : i'i) now in flower at All Saints' Rectory, Port-of- 

 Spain. 



Barbados Central Cotton Factory. 



The Central Cotton Factory at Baibados was 

 re-opened by his Excellency Sir Frederic Hcjdgson, 

 K.C.M.G., on Monday, January 2.5. The factory is now- 

 provided with six gins, a baling press and everything 

 necessary for dealing with the present crop. 



The Chairman of the Cotton Connnittee (his 

 Honour F. J. Clarke) presided, and after mentioning 

 that the factory, opened by Lady Moriis on July ol 

 last, had been greatl}' extended and improved, invited 

 his E.Ncellency to re-open the factory for the season 

 1904. 



His Excellency briefly reviewed the steps that had 

 led to the erection of the factory and mentioned that 

 the thanks of the planters were due t(3 the Cotton 

 Committee, the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture 

 and Mr. .J. R. Bovell for the efforts they had put 

 forth in endeavouring to establish this new industry. 

 He also alluded to the considerable assistance afforded 

 b}' the British Cotton Growing Association and the 

 grants voted by the Barbados Legislature. He wished 

 the industry every success and declared the factory 

 open. 



Sir Daniel Morris in thanking his Excellency for 

 re-opening the factory stated that the factory had 

 cost £90:^, of which the Government of Barbados had 

 contributed £<)40 and the British Cotton Growing 

 Association .£2(J-S. He emphasized the need for the 

 planters to thoroughly clean and assort their cotton 

 before sending it to the factory. He regretted to state 

 that reports had reached him that in some parts of the 

 island the cotton cultivation was not being looked 

 after .so closely as was desirable. He urged that the 

 planters who had received seed, free of cost, were in 

 duty bound to cultivate and care their cotton until it 

 was gathered, even if it had to be done at a loss. In 

 experiments of this sort as much was to be learnt from 

 failure as from success. He was confident that when 

 the planters realizetl the situation, they would do all 

 in their jwwcr to assist in establishing a .successful 

 cotton industry in Barbados. 



