56 



THE AGRI€ULTURAL NEWS. 



February 13, 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 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 63 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. 



glijricultural ^xm 



Vol. III. SATURDAY, FEBKUARY 13, 1904. Xo. 48. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Onion Seed. 



With the view of securing a supply of selected 

 onion seed for planting this year in the West Indies, it 

 is desired that orders for such seed (specifying whether 

 white or red onion seed is required) should be h.mded 

 in to the local officers of the Department not later 

 than Saturday, February 20 nex.t. 



In any case it is important that all orders for 

 onion seed should reach the Imperial Commissioner of 

 Agi'iculture not later than February 27. The seed so 

 ordered would be specially selected for the Department, 

 and it is hoped it will arrive in the West Indies 

 about August next. It is urged that during the ne.xt 

 season all the onion seed should /)f phinfed in lifd.s: and 

 when large enough the seedlings should be transplanted 

 into the field. 



Muscovado Sugar. 



The following extract, taken from a recent book 

 on Jamaica, exhibits a singular confusion of ideas in 

 resjject of West Indian sugar : — 



One rejoice.s to hear that the refiner.s of .sugar in 

 America are beginning to be nervous, lest, in con.sequence of 

 the coming abolition of the Continental bounty system, the 

 British West Indian sugar should find its way to the 

 markets of the mother cotuitry. There is a special cane, 

 called Muscovados, which to the American refiners is 

 indispen.saljle, and which apparently comes in greater bulk 

 from our colonies. 



As is well known, 'muscovados' is not a special cane, 

 but a term applied to a class of liiigar made by what 

 is known as the muscovado or open-pan process of 

 evaporation. 



Cotton Seed. 



In support of what has been already mentioned in 

 regard to the importance of obtaining the best quality 

 of cotton seed for the West Indies, we quote as follows 

 from a rejiort by Mr. George P. Foaden in the Joarndl 

 of flic Kht'diriiil A<jrn:ultur<d Six-iefi/ (Vol. V, 

 p. 17«):— 



' The (juestion of the selection of seed for planting 

 is one of very great interest: in fact it is one that 

 cannot be overlooked. The choice of good seed is 

 essential to the production of good staple cotton.' 



Rendering Plants 

 Parasites. 



immune against Fungus 



In an interesting article in the Jmii-iud <>f the 

 H<>;/(d Hdrtictdtiind Xnricty for October 1903, 

 ]\Ir. George ]\Iassee, F.L.S., suggests a method whereby 

 cucumber and tomato plants may be rendered immune 

 against fungus parasites. Mr. Massee has in view 

 jilants grown under glass, but it is not improbable that 

 similar results would follow the treatment of plants 

 grown in the open air in the tropics. 



It is reconmiended to begin watering the young 

 seedlings (when a fortnight old) every third day with 

 a solution consisting of 1 oz. of sulphate of copper 

 dissolved in 50 gallons of water. After treatine for six 

 weeks as above, commence watering every fourth day 

 with a solution containing 1 oz. of sulphate ofcopj)er 

 in .S.5 gallons of water. The sulphate of copper should 

 be pure, and rain-water should be used, if possible. 



It would be useful if experiments were tried, along 

 the lines indicated above, on cucumber and tomato 

 plants at the various Botanic Stations in the West 

 Indies, and the results carefully noted. 



Cacao Cultivation in Lagos. 



The HV.-.Y Ajrifiin Mad of December 18, contains 

 a report by Mr. E. W. Foster, Curator of the Botanic 

 Gardens, Oloke Meji, on the cultivation of cacao. The 

 following is a brief summary of the report : — - 



Cacao should be planted in deep, moderatel}' rich, 

 loose cla}-, such as is found on the banks of streams. 

 Dry rocky soils, stiff claj-s, and soils exposed to strong 

 wind or sea breeze should be avoided. 



Care should be taken to select seed from the 

 largest pods of heavy-bearing trees. These should, if 

 possible, be trees far removed from inferior varieties in 

 order to avoid variation resulting from cross-fertili- 

 zation. The aim of the planter should be to plant 

 trees of only one \ariety so as to secure beans of one 

 size and (juality. 



The nurseries should always be placed near water 

 and well protected from wind and direct sunlight. 

 After sowing, the beds should be kept shaded and be 

 watered when nocessaiy : transplanting must be carried 

 out with great care to avoid injuring the roots. The 

 cultivation will have to be weeded about three times a 

 year ; this can be done with the hoe at first, but 

 afterwards the weeds should be kept down with a 

 cutlass, since the hoe is apt to injure the surface roots. 



