172 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May 21, 1904. 



GLEANINGS. 



The Central American rubber tree is flowering for the 

 first time in Montsernit, at the Harris Station. 



The United States Agricultural Appropriation Bill, as 

 finally passed both houses, involves a total exjienditure of 

 $5,902,040. (Amencan Gardcihvj, April IG, 190-t.) 



Four and three quarter pounds of vanilla beans cured at 

 the Agricultural School at Dominica have been received by 

 the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture. The beans are 

 extremely well cured, and altogetlier the sample is a verj- 

 satisfactor}- one. 



At tlie usual monthly meeting of the Jamaica Board of 

 Agriculture held on April 12, it was reported that orders for 

 6,900 lb. of cotton seed had been received and further orders 

 were being received daily. Half a ton of seed had therefore 

 been cabled for. 



It is notified in tlie Grenada Gazette that his Excellency 

 the Governor has ai>pointed ]\Ir, W. E. Broadway, Curator of 

 the Botanic Station, to be the authority to determine 

 whether any plants, vegetables and fruit.s, intended for 

 importation into the colon}', are diseased. 



Jlr. John Belling, B.Sc, writes from St. Kitt's advising 

 tho.se planting roses to choose, if practicable, the varieties 

 recommended by Mr. Cousins as most suitable for Jamaica 

 (see Agricultunil iW/rs, Vol. II, p. 260). Most American 

 florists sup|)]y them at 10c. each. 



]\Ir. A. J. Jordan, Curator of the Botanic Station at 

 Montserrat, reports results of experiments to test the best 

 varieties of sweet potatos for the island. The varieties 

 giving the best results were 'Caroline Lea,' 'Mama,' 'Red 

 Bourbon,' ' White Gilkes,' and ' Playwell.' 



According to a report furni.shed by jNIessrs. Ide and 

 Christie, the well-known Fibre Brokers of London, the 

 average prices jier ton of sisal liemp during the last 

 .seven years has been as follows ; 1897, £16 6s. 8f/. ; 1898, 

 £27 18s. M. ; 1899, £31 4s. 2(/. ; 1900, £.35 8s. 4(/. ; 1901, 

 £32 lis. 8d. ; 1902, £43 Is. M. ; 1903, £36 6s. 8d. 



In reference to the note in the Agrindtural Neios, Vol. 

 Ill, p. 156, respecting the hand-power cotton gin at the 

 Agricultural School at St. Lucia, the St. Lucia Gazette 

 contains a notice inviting growers of Sea Island cotton to 

 make u.se of the gin. Application is to be made to the 

 Agricultural Sujierintendent, who will exjilain the conditions 

 under which permission may be granted for the free use of 

 the irin. 



Jlr. \\. E. I'roadway writes that the so-called Asparagus 

 fern {A»jiaraijus jilumosus) is fruiting at the Government 

 House ground.s, Grenada. Each fruit is green-coloured, 

 containing a hard, round, black seed. Young iilants are 

 springing up spontaneously around the mother plant. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has been 

 informed that tlie Board of Directors of the West India and 

 Panama Telegraph Co., Ltd., has decided to resume cjuoting 

 in the public telegrams 'middling Upland cotton' as well 

 as Sea Island cotton. 



A silver challenge medal has been jiresented by the 

 Trinidad Agricultural Society for competition among the 

 schools of the colony at the school shows. The medal was 

 won this year by the Couva Government school, and it was 

 handed to the winner by his Excellency the Acting Go\ernor 

 on :May 9. 



Arrangements have been made for lectures and demon- 

 stration lessons on agricultural science for elementary school 

 teachers in British Guiana. Teachers who have passed the 

 examination in agricultural science will have an opportunity 

 of attending a class for [iractical work in the Bourcla School 

 Garden and a course of demonstration lessons at the 

 Government Laboratory. Lectures in agricultural science 

 will also be given in Essecjuebo and Berbice. 



Efforts are being made in Jamaica to develop the sheep- 

 breeding industry. A large number of sheep are annually 

 imported for the use of the trooi)s. It is thought that sutticient 

 .sheep should be raised locally to sujiply this demand. The 

 Agricultural Society has taken the matter in hand, and 

 the Secretary is endeavouring to obtain information from 

 sheep breeders as to the size of their flocks and the nuinlier 

 of fat sheep they are likely to have for sale. 



In the annual report on the sanitary condition of 

 St. Kitt's-Xevis, Dr. Fretz .states : ' Filariasis is an affection 

 extreme!}' prevalent in this presidency. As far as is known, 

 the oidy cause of the distribution of malaria and filaria is the 

 mosquito special to each disease, and as the subject is being 

 made known far and wide, it it reasonable to expect that in 

 the near future these diseases maj- become very much les.'i^ 

 common.' 



According to a panqihlet on wheat growing in Canada, 

 recently issued by Dr. Wm. Saunders, Director of the 

 Canadian Experimental Farms, it is estimated that there are 

 171 million acres of land fit for settlement in Western 

 Canada, of which 5 millions are now under cultivation. The 

 present production of wheat and other grains is estimated at 

 12-"( million bu.shels, and the possible wheat production at 800' 

 million bushels. 



The Jamaica Leader is urging the peasantry to grow 

 castor oil plants. A local soai) factory, which has for some 

 years been using cocoa-nuts through inability to obtain castor 

 oil seeds, and which is at present unable to buy cocoa-nuts 

 on account of the hurricane, is now offering 4s. a bushel, or 

 8s. id. per 100 tti., for castor oil seeds. It is pointed out 

 that these might be produced in preference to corn. The oil 

 nut plant bears soon and goes on bearing for several year* 

 without re-i)lanting. 



