184 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



June 4, 1904. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 as all specimens for naming, should be addressed 

 to the Commissioner, Imperial Department of 

 Agriculture, Barbados. 



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 tural News' should be addressed to the Agents, 

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 number, post free l',i,d. Annual subscription 

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gigriculfural llinufi 



Vol. III. SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1904. No. 56. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The present po.?ition of the cotton, banana, and 

 onion industries at Barbados were discussed by the 

 Imperial Coniniissioner of Agriculture at a recent 

 meeting of Barbados planters (see editorial). 



On ))p. 179-80 information is given as to the 

 cultivation oH seedling sugar-canes in Cuba, Queens- 

 land, and British Guiana. B. 208 has given good 

 results in Cuba and British Guiana, and B. 147 in 

 Queensland. 



In our ne.xt issue we hope to publish informati<jn 

 in regard to the area devoted to varieties of sugar-cane 

 other than Bourbon in British Guiana. 



Our cotton notes on pp. 182-;i include the report 

 of the Barbados Cotton Committee, the results of 

 recent .sales of Barbados cotton, and an account of 

 efforts that are being made at Jamaica. We also 

 publish a report by Mr. J. H. Hart, F.L.S., of Trinidad, 

 on a visit to the Barbados and St. Vincent cotton 

 factories. Mr. Hart gives a fairly detailed account of 

 the equipment and working of these two factories. 



At the request of the Chairman of the Board of 

 Agricidture, British Guiana, we publish, on j). 18(i, 

 a notice relating to the ap|)ointment of an Assistant 

 Instructor in Agriculture at a salaiy of !?600 per 

 annum. 



Extracts from the annual report of the Acting 

 Superintendent nf Dodds Reformatory, Barbados, and 

 from a report by the Assistant Instructor in Agri- 

 culture in British Guiana on a visit to the Pomeroon 

 and Moruca districts will be found on p. 189. The 

 report on Dodds Reformatory contains interesting 

 information in respect of the experiments with cotton 

 and onion.s. These experiments met with very fair 

 success. 



Toronto Exhibition, 1904. 



The following is an extract from a letter I'cceived 

 from Jlcssrs. Pickford and Black, of Halifax, relative 

 to a West Indian exhibit at the Toronto Exhibition 

 proposed to be held in 1904- : — 



It is our opinion that, because of the very large Fair at 

 St. Louis, it would not be advi.sable to have a West Indian 

 fxliil)it at Toronto this year, but to take it ni) again the 

 following year. Whilst the Toronto Show will, no doubt, 

 lie largely attended, still the more extensive exhibition at 

 St. Louis will draw very large numbers, and it would aiipear to 

 us that an occasional omission of an exhibit, such as the 

 West Indies make, is jireferablc to running it every year. 



Seedling Canes in British Guiana. 



We publish on p. 180 interesting and encouraging 

 information with regard to the success that has 

 attended the growth of seedling canes in Biitish 

 Guiana. It is w orthy of note that at Diamond plantation 

 excellent results have been obtained with B. 208, of 

 which seedling, it will be seen, Mr. Fleming holds 

 a high but discriminating opinion. 



Mr. Fleming demonstrates, in tabular li.irui, the 

 comparative results of seedling canes and the Bourbon 

 variet}' during the last three year.s. 



Lectures on Cotton Cultivation. 



As already biietly announced in the Ai/ricultu.ral 

 JS\"ws (Vol. Ill, p. 72), it is proposed during the next 

 few months to have a series of popular lectures on 

 cotton cultivation throughout the West Indies. 



For this purpose lantern slides have already' been 

 ])iepared, which will serve to illustrate the cultivation 

 of cotton in its varicjus stages. 



It is hoped that, by means of these addresses, the 

 sympathy and co-operation of all classes of the com- 

 munity will be enlisted, and that the experiments in 

 cotton growing to be carried on during the coming 

 season under the auspices of the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture will thereby be rendei-ed of the greatest 

 value to all concerned. 



St. Vincent Cotton Factory. 



In an address given by the Imperial Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture at a conference of cotton 

 l)lanters of St. Vincent, held in the Council Chamber, 

 Kingstown, on Friday, May 14, it was announced that 

 the gross amount of seed-cotton delivered at the 

 factory to that date was 91,420 lb. Of this quantity, 

 82, .524 lb. had already been ginned, producing 2;i,(j84 It), 

 of lint and .59,02.5 th. of seed. The proportion of lint 

 to seed-cotton was at the rate of 29 per cent. This is 

 a higher rate than usual for Sea Island and is probably 

 due to the presence of a quantity of .small-seeded cotton 

 of the Marie Galante type. 



The earnings of the factory for nine working days, 

 at the rate of oc. per 100 lii. of lint, were .£148 O.s. (id. 



The prosjjects of cotton planting for the next 

 season at St. Vincent are said to be jiromising. 



