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THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



February 27, 1904. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well 

 as all specimens for naming, should be addressed 

 to the Commissioner, Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Barbados. 



Communications are invited, written on one 

 side of the paper only. It should be understood 

 that no contributions or specimens can, in any 

 case, be returned. 



All apphcations for copies of the 'Agricul- 

 tural News' should be addressed to the Agents, 

 and not to the Department. A complete list of 

 the London and Local agents will be found at 

 foot of page 79 of this issue. 



The 'Agricultural News': Price Id. per 

 number, post free I'/id. Annual subscription 

 payable to Agents 2s. •2d. Post free, 3s. 3d. 



^qricultural Deiufi 



c 



Vol. IIL SATURDAY, FEBRUA1!Y 27, 1904. No. 49. 



Toronto Exhibition. 1904. 



In the Aiji'lcidtiLixd Ncivs, Vol. II, p. o2.5, the 

 attention of readers was directed to a report by 

 Mr. G. Whitfield Smith, Travelling Superintendent 

 of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, who 

 happened to be present, on the West Indian section 

 at the Exhiliition held at Toronto in August and 

 September last. It will be seen from this report that 

 not only were the larger colonies well represented, 

 but excellent exhibits were also forwarded from the 

 Windward and Leeward Islands and from Barbados. 

 Tiie West Indian section generally was gre.itly appre- 

 ciated and e.Kcited a good deal of interest among 

 visitors at this E.xhibition. 



With the view of again bringing the staple 

 products of these colonies pi'oininently under the notice 

 of the Canadians, and of developing closer business 

 relations between them and our fellow-subjects in the 

 Don^inion, it is desirable that each colony should be 

 fully and attractively rejjresented at the E.\hibitions 

 to be held in Toronto and elsewhere in Canada in 

 August and September next. It is therefore important 

 that steps be taken to obtain glass bottles for exhibits 

 at once .so th.it they may be read}- in time for use 

 when required in .Julv next. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Fibre of Agave americana. 



Mention was made in the A<jri.eidfiiral Xeius 

 (Vol. Ill, p. 24) of an account given in the Imiierlal 

 Institute Bidletin of fibre of a plant forwarded from 

 Assam under the name of Agave americana. The 

 following note appears in the current issue of the same 

 journal : — ' The Im]teiial Institute has now been 

 informed by the Otiiciating Reporter on Economic 

 Products to the Government of India that the identity 

 of the plant in question is under investigation and that 

 it is probabl}' not Agave americana, as was originally 

 supposed.' 



Cotton Cultivation. 



With the view of presenting the details of cotton 

 cultivation in a popular and attractive form, the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture is arranging for a 

 series of addresses, illustrated by latern slides, to be 

 delivered before the beginning of the next planting 

 season. 



The addresses will afford hints and suggestions as 

 to the selection and preparation of the land and the 

 best time for planting. They will give full particulars 

 of the methods to be adopted for sowing the seed, 

 thinning out seedlings, weeding and moulding the 

 plants and the treatment of the worm and other pests; 

 also as to picking, assorting and grading the cotton 

 ready to be sent to the ginning factory. 



It is probable that the addresses will be delivered 

 simultaneously in each island in April, M.iy and June 

 next. 



Cotton Planting at Montserrat. 



A discussion has taken pl.ice in the columns of 

 the Montserrat Herald relative to the best time for 

 planting cotton. 



A correspondent suggests that this shoukl be done 

 either earlier or later than has been the practice 

 hitherto, in order to avoid having cotton in a forward 

 state during the months of September, October and 

 November. During these months insect jiests are 

 particularly abundant and the cotton worm has proved 

 no exception. It is therefore contended that cotton 

 should be planted either in March or, for late planting, 

 in October and November. The early planted cotton, 

 being then ready for reaping about August or 

 September, when the caterpillar is abundant, would be 

 in a condition in which it would be least likely to be 

 harmed. On the other hand, the cotton planted during 

 October and November would ripen from J\Iarch to 

 May before the insects are particularly abundant. 



The experience of this correspondent is to some 

 extent confirmed by that of Mr. Jordan, the Agri- 

 cultural Instructor, who gives figures to prove that the 

 best results were obtained when the cotton was 

 planted earl\-. Mr Jordan points out, however, that 

 other factors have to be taken into consideration in 

 determining the best time for planting cotton, and 

 that this must be infiiienced largely by local conditions. 



This is an important matter and we woidd urge 

 upon planters to endeavour to work it out by carefully 

 tested experiments. At the same time it should be 

 remembered that, if a good supply of Paris green be 

 kept at hand and the plants dusted immediately they 

 are attacked by the caterpillar, no serious loss need 

 be anticijiated. 



