216 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 



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. 



All applications 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 223 of this issue. 



The 'Agricultural News': Price Id. per 

 number, post free I'^d. Annual subscription 

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



gliiriciiltiiral |}inu!i 



Vol. in. SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1904. No. 58. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this issue, dealing with the treat- 

 ment of plant diseases, discusses the various methods 

 of destroying and removing parasitic fungi. To avoid 

 spreading diseases, seed for jjlanting should be selected 

 from healthy plants, and seeds should be disinfected 

 before being planted. Next, fungi can be destroyed 

 on growing phints by dusting or spraying with fungi- 

 cides. Directions for pre])aring the fungicides will be 

 found on j). 214. 



Details are given on p. 211 of an important 

 scheme that it is proposed to bring into operation in 

 Jamaica for the improvement of the sugar industry. 

 E.xtensive experiments in sugar-cane cultivation and 

 rum manufacture are to be carried out. 



The Birds of St. Vincent. 



The Jamaica Z'''U?</' of June 10 draws attention to 

 the account given in the recent issue of the ITes^ 

 Int/idii Jiulli'tia (Vol. V, p. 7.5) of the birds uf 

 St. Vincent. After calling attention to the value of 

 this paper, as a basis for the work of future naturalists, 

 the writer tries to identif)- some of the birds with some 

 of those in Jamaica. He .says that the mocking bird, 

 tick bird, ground dove, white gaulding, frigate bird and 

 pelican of the two islands are probably the same. The 

 chicken hawk, he says, is much like the red-tailed 

 buzzard of Jamaica, while the Soufriere bird is similar, 

 or closely allied, to the solitaire. 



The Soufriere bird is probably peculiar tf) 



St. A'incent, but the tick bird, ground dove, white 



gaulding, frigate bird and pelican are recorded for 



Jamaica. 



—^^^ ♦ -^ 



Lectures on Cotton in Barbados. 



The first of the series of lectures to peasant 

 ]jroprietors and others, in Barbados, was given on 

 Wednesday, June 2!l, at 7.:^0 p.m. By the kind permis- 

 sion of the Governing Body, this lecture was held at 

 the Trinity Schoolroom, St. Philip. As already 

 announced in the A(jrlciiltiiiul JVcirs, the lecture was 

 illustrated by lantern slides. 



The lecturers in this instance were Mr. J. R. 

 Bovell, F.L.S., F.C.S., who dealt with the cultivation of 

 cotton : Mr. L. Lewton-Brain, B.A., F.L.S., who dealt 

 with fungoid diseases, and Jlr. H. A. Ballon, B.Sc, 

 who dealt with insect pests. A number of copies of 

 Pamphlet No. 81, 'The A.B.C. of Cotton Planting,' 

 were distributed in connexion with this lecture. 



The lecture was well attended and the audience 

 were evidentl}' interested in the subject. 



The next lecture in Barbados will be given on 

 Wednesday, July 6, at the Parry School, St. Lucy. 



We have constantly emphasized in these columns 

 the necessity for care in handling fruit : the detailed 

 instructions given on p. 212 deserve close consideration 

 by fruit growers. 



Our cotton notes include interesting information 

 relative to the cultivation of cotton in Montserrat and 

 in St. Kitt's-Nevi.s. 



Extracts from a report by the Entomologist 

 dealing with thrips on cacao at Grenada and a note on 

 trapping cotton stainers will be found on p. 218. 



]\Ir. Russell Murray, the Department's correspond- 

 ent in Canada, reports on the position of West Indian 

 produce in the Canadian markets, and makes sugges- 

 tions as to openings for trade, which should be useful 

 to our readers. 



Cotton in Haiti. 



An article, by M. JI. E. Fossat in the issue of the 

 Journal d' Agriculture Tnrplcale of April 30, gives 

 an account of Haitian cotton and its cultivation. 

 From 10,000 to 12,000 bale.?, each of 210 to 220 kilo- 

 grams (4(i0-480 lb.), are exported annually. The cotton 

 is similar to that exported from Brazil. 



The cotton is obtained from shrubby, perennial 

 plants (probably resembling the native Barbados cotton) 

 and no replanting or cultivation is done. The author 

 considers that this is one cause of the deterioration of 

 Haitian cotton and recommends intelligent and well- 

 regulated cultivation. 



The method of gathering cotton is lazy in the 

 extreme; the cultivator fixes up a cloth to leeward of 

 the plants and then waits until the wind tears the 

 cotton from the bolls and blows it up to the cloth. 

 The cotton, of course, becomes niixed with dirt of all 

 kinds, and, by exposure to the weather, loses its gloss 

 and becomes stained. If the cotton were carefully 

 gathered, the author considers that 100 to 110 francs 

 could be obtained per .50 kilos., instead of 8.5 francs 

 which is the present price (17 to 20c. in place of 14c. 

 jier It).). 



