344 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



October 22, 1904. 



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 Agriculture, Barbados. 



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Vol. III. SATURDAY, OCTOBEl! 22, 1904. Xo. fiO. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



Our editorial deals with the progress that ha.s 

 been made in the bee-keeping industry in Jamaica. 

 Honey and bees'-wa.x from Jamaica invariably find 

 a ready .sale in the markets on account of their known 

 parity. 



The jiaper on sugar-cane experiments at Barbados 

 (pp. 3.S8-9) is briefly reviewed elsewhere on this page. 



On p. 841 will be found brief reports on the 

 prospects of the cotton crop in several of the West 

 India Islands. A short note on the cotton industry in 

 Gambia is also published. 



Mr. Henry Powell, formerly of St. Vincent, has 

 .sent some interesting notes which are published on 

 p. 342. 



Our insect notes deal chiefly with the present 

 position of the efforts to keep the Mexican cotton boll 

 weevil in check b}' means of the ' kelep ' or Guatemalan 

 ant. 



The report on e.-icao experiments at Grenada 

 published on p. 347 is likely to be of interest to cacao 

 planters in the West Indies. 



Reviews of two interesting reports will be found 

 on p. 349. These relate to the working of the Agri- 

 cultural Exj)eriment Stations in Hawaii and Porto 

 Rico. 



Mr. J. Russell Murray's report on West Indian 

 produce in Canada shows a .satisfactory state of affairs 

 in regard to sugar, bananas, and cocoa-nuts. The 

 abnormally cold weather has spoiled the lime business. 



Cotton Industry in the West Indies. 



We connnenced in the last issue of the Atjri- 

 cidtural A'citv the publication of a series of brief 

 reports on the prospects of the cotton industry during 

 the present season in the several West India Islaiuls. 

 In the last issue we published the reyjort sent in by 

 Mr. Sands from St. Vincent. Rcj)orts from the A'irgin 

 Islands, Tobago, Montserrat, and St. Kitts' appear' on 

 p. 341 of this number, and we hope to be able to 

 publish the remaining reports in the next issue. 



It will be seen that the general tenor of these 

 reports is encouraging and that the local officers of the 

 Department throughout the West Indies are hopeful 

 as to the prospects of the cro]). 



Emergency Grants for the Cotton Industry. 



The British Cotton-growing Association has made 

 a further grant of £300 to meet expenses connected 

 with special emergencies arising during the growth of 

 the present cotton crop in the West Indies. This sum 

 will be supplemented from funds <if the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture. 



The emergencies alluded to in particular are such 

 insect and fungoid diseases as may attack the crops, 

 and the object of the grant is to secure extra assistance 

 and instruction in order to meet such emergencies 

 promptly and effectively and to save the cotton crops 

 from the severe injuries that occurred last year. 



(_)f the sum set apart for this purpose £.50 have 

 been allotted to St. Vincent and £30 to St. Lucia. In 

 these cases the Agricultural Superintendents have 

 been directed to select and train thoroughly three or 

 four young men to be able to distinguish the common 

 diseases and to know the remedy to apply and the 

 best means of application. 



Sugar-cane Experiments at Barbados. 



'J'he paper on the sugar-cane experiments at 

 Barbados, by Profes.sor d'Albuquerque and Mr. Bovell, 

 which we publish on pp. 33N-9 of this issue, contains 

 interesting observations on five years' work with 

 seedling varieties. 



Comparing seedlings B. 20.S and B. 147 with the 

 standard variety — the White Transparent — it is found 

 that, as the result of five years' experiments the 

 difference in the ca.se of B. 20(S is 5 per cent., and 

 4 per cent, in the case of B. 147. Although these 

 increases are not to be despised, they do not satisfy 

 the aspirations of the experimenters. 



B. 20H has, however, given uniformly good yields, 

 which it owes to the richness and purity of its juice, 

 and a trial of this seedling on a small scale in red 

 soils is urged. 



It is pointed out that the crop of 1904 did not 

 turn out as well as was expected of it from the fairly 

 favourable weather conditions during the season. It is 

 probable, however, that this was due to a smaller 

 acreage being now planted in cane on account of land 

 being devoted to other croj^s, such as cotton, bananas, 

 ground provisions, forage crops, etc. 



