Vol. III. No. 56. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



183 



advising that Sea Island be cultivated in preference to any 

 other variety. If, then, the St. Lucia cultivators reject this 

 advice and go in for Upland cotton, we believe they will 

 still be afforded assistance by the Commissioner, but it must 

 necessarily be discriminative. Otherwise, cultivators in other 

 colonies, believijig that the cultivation of Upland cotton was 

 being carried on not merely with the sympathetic assistance 

 but on the advice and with the active co-operation of the 

 Department, might be misled into abandoning Sea Island 

 and also take to growing the inferior staple. 



P Cotton at Jamaica. 



The following is an extract from the official report 

 of the meeting of the Board of Agriculture, Jamaica, 

 held on Tuesday, February 16 : — 



A meeting of the Committee appointed to consider the 

 applications for £o grants for an experimental acre of cotton, 

 consisting of Hon. W. Fawcett, Mr. H. H. Cousins and the 

 Secretary, Mr. .John Barclay, met at Hope Gardens on 

 Wednesday, February 27, at 9.15 a.m. 



The meeting considered thirty-four applications and 

 after rejecting those which were from good banana district-s, 

 chose the following ten, as representing the most suitable 

 districts in soils and climatic conditions: — 



1. Miss Jtlarvin, Shortwood, St. Andrew. 



2. J. J. Robinson, Stony Hill, ,, 



r3. Arthur J. Webb, Llandovery, St. Ann. 



4. The Rev. C. T. Ricard Pedro Plains, St. Elizaljeth. 

 5. A. C. L. Martin, Alligator Pond, Manchester. 



6. The Rev. E. A. Arnett, for lower Trelawny, Trelawny. 



7. C. R. Taylor, Secre- 



tary, St. John's 



Branch Society, Guanaboa Vale, St. Catherine. 



8. Thos. H. N. Cripps, Dallas Castle, St, Andrew. 



9. C. H. L. Nicholson, ilay Pen, Clarendon. 

 10. Rowland E. Gillespy, Falmouth, Trelawny. 



The Secretary read a minute from Mr. Fursdon report- 

 ing that he had entered into arrangements with some Syrians, 

 one of whom had long e.xperience in all the branches of 

 cotton cultivation in Egypt, whereby they could grow cotton 

 as an experiment on 40 to 50 acres of land in the front of his 

 house at 'Two Mile Wood,' Hartlands, on very reasonable 

 terms, and he had given him an option to purchase a block 

 of -180 acres of land within the next twelve months. 



The Board expressed satisfaction that these Syrians had 

 been so encouraged and agreed that ever3-thing should be 

 done with a view to facilitate the experiment. 



The Secretary submitted applications for the use of the 

 steam gin at Spanish Town, from the Hon. T. H. Sharp, 

 Mr. A. J. Webb, the Hon. H. T. lionaldson, and Mr. Fursdon 

 on behalf of the Syrians. 



It was agreed to assign the sum of not more than £20 

 for free grants of cotton seed, and the Secretary was directed 

 to insert the following advertisement under Government 

 notices, viz.: — 



The Board of Agriculture has decided to spend up to 

 £20 from the grant made by the British Cotton Growing 

 Association in the purchase of Sea Island cotton seed. The 

 Board is i)repared to consider applications for free grants of 

 cotton seed on the condition that full reports are made to 

 the Director of Public Gardens, to whom applications are to 

 be made. 



At the monthly meeting held on Tuesday, March 

 15, the following business connected with the cotton 

 industry was transacted: — 



The Director of Public Gardens said that he had 

 ordered 2,6-lrO Ux of cotton seed, and, taking into account the 

 orders they had in hand, they would require 335 lb. more. 

 It was decided to give free grants of cotton seed, sufficient 

 to plant 1 acre, to approved applicants and the Director of 

 Public Gardens was authorized to order 1,000 ftx more of 

 Sea Island cotton seed. 



Applications for the use of the cotton gin were made 

 by the Hous. T. H. Sharp, and H. T. Ronaldson, Jlessrs. 

 C. A. T. Fursdon, and P. H. Greg. The Chairman moved 

 that the gin be placed with Mr. Fursdon at Hartlands, the 

 Archbishop seconded, and this was agreed to, Mr. Fursdon to 

 gin cotton from the experimental acres and any others 

 offered to a reasonable extent at the standard rate of Ik/, 

 per t). The Chairman stated that he was writing to the British 

 Cotton Growing Association asking for two hand gins which 

 could gin 200 BE), a day. 



Diseases and Parasites of the Cotton Plant. 



Under this title there has ai>peared in the Demerara 

 Argosy a series of four articles, written in a popular and 

 interesting style, intended for the instruction of the cotton 

 planters of British Guiana. 



The writer mentions the publications of the L^.S. 

 Department of Agriculture and of the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture for the West Indies as the principal sources of 

 his information. The remedies recommended to the cotton 

 ^rowers of British Guiana are the same as those that have 

 been found most useful in the West India Islands. 



Special stress is laid on the necessity for care and 

 labour on the part of the planters, who are further enjoined 

 to keep a sharp look out for pests and diseases of all kinds 

 and to apply, on their first appearance, the remedies that are 

 recommended. Planters are also warned to have on hand 

 a supply of insecticides, so that they may not be taken by 

 surprise in the event of an outbreak of insect or fungoid 

 attack. It is pointed out in these articles that it is unnecessary 

 for cotton growers to take alarm until some definite trouble 

 arises, and then it is of vital importance to act quickly and 

 intelligently. The importance of maintaining the cotton 

 plants in as vigorous a state of growth as possible by 

 manuring and careful cultivation is emphasized. 



MALARIA AND MOSQUITOS. 



At the recent International Congress on Hygiene 

 and Demography held at Brussels, the following 

 resolution regarding malaria was passed : — 



That this Congress, recognizing the practical importance 

 of the mosquito-malaria theory, would urge on all Govern- 

 ments in malarial countries: — 



(1) that officials, both civil and military, be required 

 before taking service in such countries, to show evidence of 

 practical knowledge of the theory and its application ; 



(2) that educational establi.shments, whether Govern- 

 mental, missionary, or other, in such countries be requested 

 to include in their curricula, instruction of native students in 

 the mosquito-malaria theory and its practical application ; 



(3) that officials ignorant of the theory or systematically 

 if^noring its practical application be considered as unsuitable 

 for service in malarial countries. 



Paternoster Peas. A correspondent in Berlin 

 is anxious to obtain a quantity of the ' large paternoster peas 

 (black and red, as large as a cherry).' These are probably 

 the seeds of Ormosia dasycarpa. 



