252 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 30, 1904. 



The Local Instructor at Moutserrat reports that there is 

 a good demand for paiiain, which is likely to increase, as 

 Americans are advertising medicines made from this drug. 

 Large quantities sent from India have, however, had the 

 etiect of lowering the prices. 





GLEANINGS. 



The Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture has presented 

 to the Zoological Society of London two specimens of the 

 tuberculated Iguanas {Ljunii'i tubercuhita) from Moutserrat. 

 One of these was about 3 feet long. 



A special number of the IIV.s-J Indi<i Commitee Chrular 

 was issued on .June 28 devoted to a report of the lecture on 

 'The Agricultural Industries of the West Indies,' delivered 

 by Sir IJaniel Morris on June 23. 



At the last meeting of the British Guiana Board of 

 Agriculture it was reported that a field in front of the Orphan 

 Asylum was to be utilized for specimen minor cultivation of 

 such crops as ruliber, sisal hemp, coffee, and cacao. 



As a result fif the damage done to the cultivations at 

 the Government Pieformatory, Jamaica, the value of the 

 products reaped during the year 1903-4 was only £185 18s. ; 

 in the previous year it was £364 ISs. 9;/. 



At the request of his Highness the Khedive, three 

 wardian cases of the following varieties of bananas have been 

 shipped from Barbados for trial in Egypt : — dwarf or 

 Chinese, Jamaica or Gros Michel, red banana, fig, and the 

 silk banana. 



According to the ComtiiJur lu'port on the trade of Porto 

 Rico for 1903, cotton cultivation experienced an active revival 

 all over the island. It is said that about 10,000 acres have 

 been planted with cotton during the year, and that some 5,000 

 bales have been produced. 



The D. W. I. Fruit Company is making a pretty large 

 .shiimient to Copenhagen to-day by the ' St. Croix.' Besides 

 various kinds of dried fruits (l>ananas, pines, tamarinds) there 

 are honey, wax, cocoa-nuts, yams, limes, etc., and several 

 casks of tobacco grown in St. Croix. (St. Thomas rtulhtin, 

 July 5.) 



Prizes are being offered in Trinidad liy the Government 

 for (1) the best 2 acres of Sea Island cotton, (2) the best 

 1 acre, (3) the best sample of ginned Sea Island cotton in 

 bale of not less than 150 tt). in weight. Sufficient seed will 

 be sni)plied/Vrr to those entering the competition. 



The 24th. inst.— St. John the Baptist Day— was a busy 

 one at the Botanic Garden ; a large number of people went to 

 the gardens for plants. Budded Washington navel oranges, 

 spices, guavas, sweet oranges, and mandarins were the principal 

 fruit plants in demand. Shade trees, etc., were also 

 recjuisitioned. (Grenada Federalist, .Tune 28.) 



In the Belgium Jlu/leti/i of Afjrieullure an account is 

 given of experiments to test tlie duration of the effect of 

 green manure. ' The results indicated that the effect of 

 green manuring is quite noticeable on early potatos, less 

 marked on late potatos, still le.ss marked the second year, and 

 disapi>ears the third.' (Ar/riru/iwa/ Gazette of New South 

 Wales.) 



The 'divi-divi' of commerce contains on the average 

 from 40 to 45 per cent, of tannin. The commercial value of 

 such material at present is from £8 10s. to £11 per ton, 

 and it is probable that Indian ' divi-divi ' of the same quality 

 as the present sample would .sell readily at this price. 

 {liulletin (if Imperial Institute, June 30.) 



In Farmers' lluUetin No. 190 the following method 

 is recommended for disposing of animals dying of contagious 

 disea.ses : — ' In the absence of a furnace or specially prepared 

 place for luirning, a hole or trench, 2 or 3 feet deep, may be 

 dug, a layer of brushwood [ilaced on the bottom, and on this 

 the body covered with brushwood sprinkled with kerosene.' 



The fifth annual show was held under the auspices of 

 the Port Ivoyal ^Mountains Branch of the Jamaica Agri- 

 cultural Society at the Hope Garden grounds on Wednesday, 

 July t). The show was an entire success, the attendance 

 being large and the exhibits of high quality. As usual at 

 this show, the exhibits of minor products were very lunnerous 

 and attracted nuich attention. 



During the fortnight ended June 30, 195 bales of West 

 Indian cotton were imported into the United Kingdom 

 (London, 154 bales; Southan\pton, 30; Bristol, 11), sales being 

 effected at the following prices : West Indian, 5"91-6'38(/. per 

 &.; West Indian Sea Island, medium fine, \id.; fine, 15(/.; 

 extra fine, Kk/. per tt). (West India Committee Cireidar.) 



Bermuda iiolds a unique place in the Western World. 

 It is a little country, with absolutely no manufactures or 

 railways, with agriculture alone as its industry (the annual 

 exi)ort of potatos, onions, bulb.s, and vegetables being about 

 6500,000), with no business but that of selling goods at 

 retail and in a limited waj- warehousing of wines and 

 spirits : nevertheless Bermuda is of importance in the Western 

 Hemisphere. (U. S. Consular Rej'orts, March 1904.) 



The most inqiortant industry in this consular district 

 [Honduras] is the raising and cultivation of bananas. The 

 I'nited States takes the entire crop. The last year has been 

 a very satisfactory one and good i)rices prevailed. The area 

 of cultivated ground has been considerably increased. Quite 

 a number of orange, lemon, and rubber trees have been 

 planted, and the exportation of these products is expected to- 

 increase. (U.S. Consular lieporis.) 



The British Consul at San Francisco states in his annual 

 report that the exports of citrus fruit from California show 

 a constant increase since 1892. Not many of the Californian 

 oranges appear to go to the United Kingdom. The importa- 

 tions of oranges and lemons show a decided decrease. 

 Growers are most anxious to obtain a machine for extracting 

 oil of lemon as the present process is not found to be 

 .satisfactory. 



