A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. III. No. 49. 



BARBADOS, FEBRUARY 27, 1904. 



Pkice Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Agave anierican.i, Fibre 



of 72 



Arbor Day at Montserrat 70 



Coc(ia-nut, an Abnormal ... 68 

 Corn oil, Rubber from ... 77 

 Cotton : — 



British Guiana 73 



Britisli Honduras, Worm 



in 69 



Cultivation of 72 



Montserrat 72 



Seed Selection, Improve- 

 ment by 



Selection of Seed 



Cotton (iinnories in the 

 West Indies 



Dejjartment News 



Department Publications. . . 

 Department Reports : — 

 Lectures on the Diseases 

 of the Sugar-cane ... 



Fruit and Nuts as Food 



Gleanings 



Goat Keeping 



Hybridization 



08 

 70 



Page 

 ! In.sect Notes : — 



Carbon Bisulphide for 



Parasol Ants 74 



Fumigation of Imported 

 Plants 74 



Malaria, Prevention of ... 70 

 Market Reports 78 



Nutrition, Princijiles of ... 71 



Our Book Shelf :— 



The Cyprus Journal ... 75 

 The Food of the Gods ... 75 



Paint, a Cheap 74 



Para Rubber Seeds, Utiliza- 

 tion of 73 



Plants, Number to tlio acre 68 

 Plants, Litjuid Food for 

 House 75 



Seeds, Vitality of 75 



Street Tree Planting ... 75 

 Sugar Industry : — 



British Guiana 00 



Java 71 



73 Toronto Exhibition, 1904... 



Cotton Ginneries in the West 

 Indies 



T is very creditable that within the short 

 period of eighteen months several well- 

 equipped ginneries have already been 

 successfully established in the West Indies. 



The first ginnery was started under the auspices 

 of the Imperial Department of Agriculture and the 

 St. Lucia Agricultural Society at the Riviere Doree 

 E.xperiment Station at St. Lucia in 1901. This was 

 placed under the charge of Mr. George Barnard, 

 a responsible local planter, who has continued to take 

 a great interest in cotton growing. The gin was 

 a Dobson & Barlow single roller gin, the cost of which 

 was provided by the St. Lucia Agricultural Society. 

 A cotton press was added later b\' means of a grant from 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture. The gin was 

 operated by a horse-power driving gear. Recently an 

 aermotor has been erected b}' Mr. Barnard which is 

 reported to be working satisfactorily. Two Macarthy 

 gins, loaned by the British Cotton Growing Association, 

 are in charge of Mr. H. D. Hunter, at the Dennery 

 Sugar Factory on the windward side of St. Lucia. 

 A hand-power gin, received from the British Cotton 

 Growing Association, is for the present located at the 

 Agricultural School at Union for the instruction of the 

 jjupils and use of the small settlers in the Gros Islet 

 district. 



The first ginnery operated by steam power in the 

 West Indies was started at St. Kitt's on Canada estate 

 (lately transferred to Spooner's), under the control of 

 Messrs. Sendall & Wade, and managed by Mr. A. O. 

 Thurston. This consisted of two single action gins 

 and a tramping press driven by a Tangye horizontal 

 steam engine. The first shipment of cotton from this 

 factory comprised 12,000 ft), of lint. This obtained 

 1 3k?. per ft>. in the Liverpool market. 



A ginnery, also belonging to Messrs. Sendall & 



