290 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



September 10, 1904. 



It is as well, also, to afford some protection to the 

 seed beds from heavy rains which wmild wash out the 

 seeds: for this jniriiose 'cheese cloth' can be tacked to 

 laths placed on posts about 4 feet from the bed. The 

 seed should not all be sown at once, but at intervals, so 

 that the seedlings may not be all of the same size when 

 the time comes for transplanting. 



The land chosen for onion cultivation should, if 

 possible, be fairly rich and deep ; it must be well 

 drained and liberally manured. Absence of standuig 

 w.ater must be insisted upon. In the manuring of 

 onion fields a .serious mistake has been marie in using 

 fresh farmyard manure : this has jsrobably been one of 

 the causes of the bacterial rot referred to in the 

 Agricultural Xeu-^ (Vol. Ill, p. 24.5). The manure 

 must be completely' I'ottod before it is used. Finally, 

 the land must be thoroughly cultivated and left with 

 a smooth surface. 



Now we come to the matter of transplanting. Full 

 information on this part of the subject has already been 

 given in the Agrlrvltund News (Vol. II, p. 2!)4-5), 

 and we advise onion growers to read those pages 

 carefully. The illustrations to the text show very 

 clearly how this operation should be cariied out. 



Tiansplanting is most easily and conveniently 

 done when the ground is freshly prepared, in which 

 case the plants can be set with the finger. If the 

 earth has been allowed to harden or cake, a small 

 dibber will be necessary. (See fig. 23 in the article 

 previously referred to.) The operation is made easier 

 if the plants are carefully trimuied at each end. 

 Figure 24 shows e.-vactlv how this should be done. It 

 is important that onions should not be set too deep. 

 The plants should be set about an inch deep ; this will 

 allow the bulbs to gi-ow to full size, and not being 

 buried too deep, the}- can be easily harvested. Figures 

 27 and 28 indicate the coiTCct and the incorrect depths 

 at which onions should be planted. 



In addition to the articles that have already 

 appeared in the AijrlriAtaro.l Xcics the following 

 publications of the Department might usefully be 

 consulted: Pamphlnts 8, 10, and 21, and the ^Yest 

 Indian Btilldin, Vol. II, pp. 163-6. 



In connexion with the cultivation of onions in the 

 West Indies, we might mention that onion boxes can 

 be delivered from St. John's, X.B., at Barbados, c.i.f , at 

 10|c. each. 



SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



Sugar-cane Experiments in British Guiana. 



The I'dUuwing i.s a report, submitted by Professor 

 J. B. Harrison, C.M.G., ^[.A., on behalf of the Sugar- 

 cane Experiments Committee of the B<.>ard of Agri- 

 culture of British Guiana, on the results of the experi- 

 ments with varieties of canes carrieil on on |)lantations 

 during the crop season Jul}- to December 31, 1!)03. 

 The committee has also published tables giving the 

 mean results obtained with the ditl'erent varieties: — 



Twenty-four of tlie plantations wliich have placed tlieir 

 results at the disposal of the Board liave carried on large- 

 scale exiierinients during the crop, and the following shows 

 the number of experiments made with certain varieties of 

 cane.s, and tlie acreage occuiiied therewith: — 



A large number of experiments with other varieties 

 were reiiorted, but as they were eithei' small-scale experi- 

 ments, in which each variety occupied a les.ser area than 

 1 acre, or in whieli a variety had been exi)erimented upon 

 on le.ss than three plantations, the results, although in many 

 cases interesting, are not included in this report. 



In the appended table of results the ligures given are 

 the mean figures deduced froiu the returns, the average of 

 the experiments with a variety on a plantation being regarded 

 as a unit. The following gives the mean yields and the true 

 average yields of connnereial sugar in tons per acre : — 



The mean yields do not represent tlie actual yields per 

 acre obtained as the areas of the experiments varied greatly, 

 l)ut as they are affected more by the locality of the experi- 

 ments and less by the area in one locality than are the true 

 averages, I think that thej' are the more reliable guides to 

 the relative value of varieties. 



The attached tables give, in the case of each variety 

 reported upon, the means of the data supplied with regard to 



