376 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 19, 1904. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 to the Commissioner, Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Barbados. 



All applications for copies of the 'Agri- 

 cultural News' should be addressed to the 

 Agents, and not to the Department. 



Local Aijtyutx: Messrs. Boweii & Sons, Bridge- 

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 Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com- 

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 Agents will be found at foot of page 3G7 of this vohuae. 



The Aijririiltitral jVcivs : Price !</. per number, 

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Ikgrirulturirl Ufius 



Vol. in. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1904. No. 68. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The prospects of the cotton crop in the West Indies 

 are discussed in the editorial in the present issue. 



The notes on the sugar industry include a valuable 

 communication from Dr. Walter Maxwell, of Queens- 

 land, on 'Maceration and Extraction.' (pp. 370-1.) 



Further reports on the prospects of the present 

 cotton crop will be found on p. 373. It is desirable to 

 draw attention to the miscellaneous notes on cotton 

 which are likely to be of considerable interest ti> 

 growers, (p. 375.) 



Several short articles of a botanical character are 

 published on p. 374. These include a note on ' Wild 

 Tamarind ' trees, a brief review of Mr. Lewton-Brain's 

 paper on the anatomy of British gras.sos, and an account 

 of the nutmeg tree. 



An important report on Jamaica tobacco by- 

 Mr. F. V. Chalmers, who recently visited that island 

 for the purpose of impiiring into the industry, is 

 published on p. 379. 



Short notices of several publications which are of 

 interest in connexion with West Indian agriculture 

 will be found on p. 3S1. 



This issue also contains Mr. J. Russell Murray's 

 usual monthly report on the position of West Indian 

 products in the Canadian markets, (p. 382.) 



Jamaica Tobacco. 



We p\iblish on p. 379 an interesting and imp(>rtant 

 report on Jamaica tobacco. While Mr. Cliahnei's' 

 remarks on Jamaica tobacco are of a decidedly 

 encouraging nature, his suggestions for improving 

 this product should receive careful attentii)n. 



An important desideratum is lightness of leaf: 

 Ml-. Chalmers found that the majority of leaves were 

 too heavy and suggests that more careful attenti(jn 

 should be given to the selection and preparation of 

 the soil. The necessity of possessing a thorough 

 knowledge of the fermentation process is also pointed 

 out. It is a matter for encouragement that Mr. Chalm- 

 ers is of opinion that, with due care in cultivation 

 and curing, Jamaica tobacco should be able to compete 

 ^^ith the very best produced in Cuba. The experi- 

 ments, now being conducted at Hope Gardens in 

 growing tobacco under shade, should prove of great 

 value in promoting the industry. 



Economic Plants in Uganda. 



A reijort on 'Exotic Plants of econoTuic interest in 

 the Botanic fSardens at Entebbe, Uganda,' issued as 

 a Con.'iulii I' Report, cuntains an interesting account of 

 ettbrts that have been made to establish economic 

 plants ill that country. 



Among the rubber-yielding plants introduced are 

 Para {Hi'vcd, ///'((.svV/cH.yi.s-), Central American {('astdloa 

 (■laftica), Ceara {Maailiot Glaz'iovii), and Lagos silk 

 (Fnntiimia idastica). Specimens of these trees are 

 now growing well. 



It has been proved that Uganda can produce 

 coffee of first-rate quality. This indigenous coffee is 

 not Vojfca (irahico, but probably is a distinct species 

 and more closely resembles Congo coffee (C. rohaxta). 

 Other species are also doing well. 



As fruit is one of the scarcest commodities of the 

 country, the culture of tropical sorts is being pushed 

 on as fast as possible. A cjuantity of pine-apple 

 suckers taken from Kew have borne good fruits. 



Physic-nut Oil. 



The results of examination of oil from the seeds of 

 the physic-nut {.Tatrvpha Carcus) are recorded in the 

 Btdk'flv of tic Imperial Institute. 



The kernels constituted about G6 per cent, by 

 weight of the whole seeds, which were found to yield 

 52 per cent, of an oil which had a 3-ellow colour, a faint, 

 peculiar odour, and a bland, nutty taste. 



These seeds are exported b}- the Portuguese 

 Colonies to Lisbon where curcas oil is manufactured 

 from them. This oil belongs to the class of semi-drying 

 oils and is employed in the manufacture of soap and 

 candles. It is a strong purgative and in India is used 

 medicinally. Brokers to whom samples were submitted 

 valued it for soap making at not more than £14 to 

 £15 per ton. On account of the purgative action of 

 the oil, the cake left after extraction could not be used 

 for feeding purposes, but would be worth about £2 to 

 £3 per ton as a manure. The value of the seeds 

 would therefore be from .£4 to £5 per ton. 



