Vol III. No. 66. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



345 



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St. Vincent Arrowroot. 



In a leading article the St. Vincent Sentry deals 

 with the unsatisfactory condition of the arrowroot 

 industry and urges planters to combine with the object 

 of regulating the production and shipment of arrowroot. 



About three years ago a combination was formed 

 and an agreement entered into to limit the output and 

 demand a minimum price of 2(7. per H). in the English 

 market. The result was that the price of arrow- 

 root advanced very satisfactorily. Unfortunately, the 

 agreement was signed for one year onlj% and at the end 

 of the year, the agreement not being renewed, the 

 prices fell back, until now this ]jroduct is being sold 

 below the cost of production. 



Reference might be made in this connexion to the 

 note in the Agricidtaral N'eivs (Vol. Ill, p. 217) in 

 which it was stated that the advice of the Grocers' 

 Mcmtldij was that St. Vincent arrowroot should be 

 judiciously advertised. 



I 



The Resources of Western Uganda. 



In a paper on Western Uganda, read at the Royal 

 Geographical Society by the Rev. A. B. Fisher, 

 leference is made to the natural resources of the 

 districts which are stated to be partially or entirely 

 undeveloped. Almost anything will grow, and the year 

 having only one season, a constant crop of fruit, vegeta- 

 bles, and Howers can be obtained. The coffee is of 

 exceptionally fine flavour, and in the Semliki plain 

 specimens of cotton were seen which were much 

 superior to other kinds produced in the protectorate. 

 ' The present hindrance,' states Mr. Fisher, ' to aggres- 

 sive industries is the difficulty of transport.' 



The rubber industry is absolutely untouched, and 

 in all the forests of these provinces there is a consider- 

 able quantity. 



The Quality of Coffee. 



In his fourth annual report the Agricultural 

 ■Chemist for the Mysore State, India, makes some 

 interesting observations on the quality of coffee. The 

 ■old standard of quality was simply the appearance of 

 the bean: now the 'liquoring' of coffee is introduced. 

 Though neither of these methods is as accurate as 

 might be desired, no more reliable method of judging 

 quality is available. 



It is not yet known upon what constituent or 

 constituents the quality of coffee depends ; with a view, 

 therefore, of throwing some light on this matter, 

 analyses of a number of samples were made. The 

 price obtained for these in the London market was 

 taken as an indication of quality. From the table of 

 specific gravities given it is seen that the heavier the 

 )ean, the better the price paid for it. The same holds 

 good as regards the nitrogen contents of the sample, 

 .and practically, also, in the case of the percentage of 

 potash and phosphoric acid. 



'So far as the results go, they are very satisfactory 

 indeed. But the number of analy.ses is much too 

 limited to warrant drawing any conclusions. The 

 work will be continued next year, if suitable samples 

 can be obtained.' 



Tobacco Experiments in the West Indies. 



Considerable interest is attached to the experi- 

 ments in tobacco culture that are being cairied out in 

 the West Indies, especially in Cuba, Porto Rico, and 

 Jamaica. We have referred in the A(jricaltur(d 

 N'eivs (Vol. Ill, p. 2C<S) to the experiments in growing 

 tobacco under shade in Porto Rico : similar experiments 

 are being conducted in Jamaica. 



In the former island, we learn from the recently 

 issued report on the Experiment Station, the experi- 

 ments have shown that ' under cheese-cloth tents 

 a wrapper of the finest quality can be produced.' 



In regard to similar experiments in Jamaica, 

 it is stated in the BaUetin of the Department of 

 Agriculture that ^ acre of land was devoted to 

 growing tobacco under artificial shade at the Hope 

 Experiment Station. ' The leaf developed in a very 

 favourable manner, and a crop of a promising cpuility 

 of Sumatra leaf was successfully grown.' Owing to 

 rapid drying and the absence of special means of 

 controlling moisture in the drying house, the leaf was 

 not successfidly cured : the experiment is therefore 

 being repeated. 



A full account is given in the BaUetin of the 

 method of ctdtivating tobacco under cloth. It is 

 stated that in Cuba in 1903 there were about 1,000 

 acres of shade-grown tobacco, in Porto Rico about 2.50 

 acres, and in Florida about 2,.500 acres. The plan is 

 also being tried in the East Indies. 



Agriculture in Brazil. 



An illustrated pamphlet on the State of Sao 

 Paulo, Brazil, recently issued by the Dei^artment of 

 Agriculture, gives interesting information and statistics 

 relating to agriculture. 



Suitable provision is made in the state for agri- 

 cultural education. A 'School of practical Agriculture' 

 was established in 1900, which gives a three-year 

 course. There are in addition three other agricultural 

 schools with two-year courses. 



Agriculture is the principal source of wealth in 

 the state, coffee holding the first place among the 

 cultivated plants ; after it come sugar-cane, cotton, 

 grapes, tobacco, and cereals. Statistics collected by 

 the Department in 1901 show that there are 1.5,828 

 coffee estates, occupying over 10,000,000 acres. 



The cultivation of sugar-cane is carried on princi- 

 pally for the distilling of 'aquardente' (cane whisky). 



Cotton cultivation was at one time in a very 

 flourishing condition, especially between 1867 and 

 1876, when, besides supplying the home demand, 

 a considerable amount was exported. From that time 

 on, a decadence in cotton culture set in, until now the 

 production is not sufficient to supply the well-developed 

 weaving industry of the state. Lately, cotton culture 

 promises to take a new impetus. 



Grape growing for the manufacture of wine is the 

 newest agricultural industry of the state. Through 

 the energy of Dr. Barretto, the problem of grape culture 

 has been solved : he has succeeded in breeding a vine 

 especially adapted to the climatic conditions of Sao 

 Paulo, which resists all the vine diseases. 



