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THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



Febeuaky 13, 1904. 



GLEANINGS. 



The lemon gras.s cultivated at Antigua Las been 

 determined at the lloyal Gardens, Kew, as Androjxigon 

 Kanhis, var. i/eniiinus, Hack. 



According to the Consular Ecport on the trade of the 

 Philippine Islands for 1902, the export of Panama hats, 

 chiefly to the United States, has attained considerable 

 dimension.?, the total value exported being about £3.5,000. 



The Cunsuhn- Repiort on the trade of CItarleston aiul 

 District for 1902 states that 11,937,406 lb. of bagging 

 were imported at the port.s of the district. This was 

 principallj- used for baling Sea Island cotton. 



According to a report from Nevis, dated January 26, 

 some of the cotton fields in that island are turning out well, 

 and about -50,000 lb. of seed-cotton are awaiting the erection 

 of the gins, which are expected to be ready for working 

 about the end of this nioiitli. 



We are informed by the Curator of the Botanic Station 

 at Tobago that it is estimated that 60 to 70 acres are under 

 cotton cultivation in that island, and that, judging from the 

 number of ajiplications for seed made to the Botanic Station, 

 there is every promise of this old industry Ijeing re-established. 



Tlie Antigua Agricultural and Commercial Society has 

 recently passed a resolution suggesting tliat the Government 

 should introduce a flock of Barbados lilackbirds, in order to 

 protect the cotton and other industries from the attacks of 

 caterpillars. 



According to the Federalist and Grenada People, the 

 trade in oranges between Grenada and Barbados is becoming 

 an important one. The mail, that arrived at Barbados on 

 January 16, brought over 20,000 oranges, and a large 

 .shipment was also made by the following mail. 



We learn from Dominica papers received by last mail 

 that a second attempt is to be made to tiu'n to a profitable 

 account the Dominica sulphur springs, which are situated 

 near Soufriere in the south-west corner of the island. 

 Hitlierto the sulphur has been exported in its crude form ; 

 the new company will attempt to produce on the spot pure 

 suliiliur adapted to the trade requirements. 



We learn from the Consular Report on the trade of Costa 

 Rica that the area under banana cultivation continues to 

 increase rapidly. The export of this fruit to the United 

 States was begun in 1831, when 3,500 bunches were shipped. 

 During 1902, 4,174,199 were exported to the United States ; 

 while a monthly fruit service between Limon and Bristol and 

 JIauchester has become during 1903 a fortnightly service. 



The Hon. Wm. Fawcett, B.Sc, F.L.S., Director of 

 Public Gardens and Plantations in Jamaica, writes : 'The 

 " Travellers Tree " {Ravenala Madar/ascariensis) has fruited 

 regidarly at Castleton Gardens for over twenty years, and 

 seeds have been gathered foi- propagating pur[ioses and for 

 distribution.' 



As stated in the Agricultural Keivs, \c>\. Ill, p. .3, 

 arrangements were made by the Board of Agriculture in 

 Jamaica to import cocoa-nuts from San Bias for planting, 

 m place of those destroyed by the hurricane. We learn 

 from the current number of the Journal of the Jamaica 

 Agricultural Socirty that 20,000 nuts were ordered, and as 

 this number was not suflicient to meet the demand, 10,000 

 more have been ol>tained. 



According to a correspondent writing in the Denierara 

 Argosy of January 27, ' the cheap Costa Bica banana is very 

 popular in the midland counties [of England], and whilst in 

 the large cities, such as London, Liverpool and Glasgow, the 

 choicer Canary banana is the most popular and highest priced, 

 the cheap Jamaica and Costa Eica fruit takes the lead in the 

 midland cities and inland towns.' 



Mr. C. H. Knowles, B.Sc, Acting Curator of the 

 Botanic Station at St. Vincent, has reported on a visit of 

 insj)ection to the Georgetown Experiment Station. A varietj- 

 of crops is being grown at the Station and these were found 

 to be in a satisfactory condition. The country round 

 Georgetown is fast recovering from the ettects of the disasters, 

 caused by the volcanic eruptions, and is gradually becoming 

 covered with vegetation. 



It is interesting to observe from statistics given in the 

 Consular Report on the trade of Charleston and District for 

 1902, that the exports of cotton (principally to the United 

 Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Eussia and 

 Holland) .show a steady decline during the last few year.s. 

 The number of bales exported from Charleston, Savannah,. 

 Brunswick and AVilmington lieing as follows : — in 1900, 

 1,51-3,719 ; 1901, 1,374,291 ; 1902, 1,348,069. Theexports 

 of cotton seed, on the other hand, have greatlj- increased. 



According to Our Western Etnpjire, an attempt is being 

 made to make molascuit a free import in Canada as are the 

 various oil meals. ' The i>resent duty on molascuit is 20 per 

 cent, ad valorem, but subject, of course, to the i)referential 

 rebate of one-third. It is much more important at the 

 moment that the West Indians, who supplj' molascuit, should 

 be able to compete freely with other food-stuffs in the 

 Dominion, than that they should have a preferential tariff' as 

 against molascuit supplied from any other (piarter, and 

 Canadian farmers should have every opportunity of obtaining 

 this excellent cattle food.' 



As is well known, the quotations in the public telegrams,, 

 received in the West Indies for cotton, ajipl}- only to L'pland 

 cotton, a variety which is not produced in these colonies. 

 The variety, to which chief attention is devoted here, is 

 Sea Island cotton. This is usually worth douljle the value 

 of Upland cotton. At the request of the Inqierial L'onunis- 

 sioner of Agriculture, the General Suiierintendent of the 

 West India and Panama Telegrajih Conqiany has been good 

 enough to submit for the consideration of the Directors the 

 desiral)ility of substituting the quotations for Sea Island 

 cotton for those of U}>land cotton as likely to be of greater 

 interest to cotton growers in this part of the world. 



