Vol. III. No. G9. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



393 



Exports and. Agriculture of Barbados. 



According to the Culdiiiul Rcpoii on Barbados 

 for 1903-4, the exports of the island were vahied at 

 £.552,<S91, being £39,574 less than in the previous 

 year: this decline was main!}' due to the small yield of 

 the sugar crop. The principal articles of export, in 

 addition to sugar and molasses, were : fruit and vegeta- 

 bles, £7,099: manjak, £G,50<S : tamarinds, £8(j(j: and 

 hides, £569. Building lime, living animals, and 

 aerated waters were also responsible for considerable 

 additions to the total value of the exports. 



The i-eport refers to the nieasui'es taken by the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture to promote agri- 

 cultural education and to carry on the experiments for 

 improving the culti\'ation of the sugar-cane. 'Active 

 measui'es were taken by the Department with the 

 co-operation of the Colonial Government, to promote 

 the introduction of the cotton industry and to 

 establish a trade in bananas with the United 

 Kingdom. . . . Another industry which has been 

 fostered by the Department of Agriculture is the 

 curirig for export of flying fish, albacore, and the 

 various other iish that abound in these waters.' 



It is reported that the colony appears to be 

 recovering from the depression resulting from its 

 recent re\'erses. 



Trade and Agriculture in the Bahamas. 



The Colonial Report on the Bahamas for 1902-3 

 .states that more than half the value of the exports 

 is ascribed to sponge, which is by far the most 

 valuable product of the colony. The exports of fruit 

 have fallen to a very low figure, and those of fibre have 

 remained stationary. 



The principal exports were as follows : sponge, 

 £113,337: sisal fibre, £38,805; pine-apples, £24,471; 

 canned pine-ajjples, £7,582 ; turtle shell, £8,630 ; and 

 citrus fruits, £2,914. 



The serious decline in the value of the exports of 

 pine-apples is attributed to the import duty in the 

 United States ; it would appear, however, that there 

 -are prospects of a largely increased business being 

 done in canned pine-ajjples, one factory, it is reported, 

 expecting to export 50,000 cases this year. The 

 canning of tomatos has also been taken up with fair 

 prospects of success. 

 I The sisal industry continues firmly established. 



The ease with which the fibre can be cleaned by hand 

 has made it a most valuable resource for small land- 

 owners. 



As alread}' briefly announced in the Agricultural 

 News, an Agricultural Board has recently been con- 

 stituted by the Legislature and a small appropriation 

 has been placed at its disposal for the establishment of 

 a Botanic Station and the employment of a Curator. 

 In this way it is hoped to spread a knowledge of what 

 crops can be grown most profitably in the various soils 

 of the islands ; it is also hoped to benefit the people 

 by inducing them to settle on the land and grow minor 

 products of economic value besides corn and root crops 

 for their own consumption. 



Forestry in West Africa. 



At a recent meeting of the African Section of the 

 Liverpool Chamber of Commerce an address was given 

 by Mr. H. N. Thompson, Conservator of the Forestry 

 Department of Southern Nigeria, on ' Forestry in West 

 Africa.' 



Mr. Thompson statoil that the Indian system of 

 forest organization had been applied to the new 

 department in Southern Nigeria. It was necessary 

 that the various districts should be thoroughly explored, 

 that a knowledge of the forest products should be 

 obtained, and that a general working plan of forest 

 control should be formulated. 



The system aimed at preserving the climatic 

 influences of the locality concerned, maintaining its 

 reproductive capacity, and securing an uninterrupted 

 supply of timber. To effect the last object, the forest 

 must be a complete series of trees from the seedlings 

 to the matured trees. The most valuable of West 

 Africa's minor forest products was rubber; native 

 rubber plantations, under a native subordinate staff, 

 receiving its training f^jm the staff of the Forestry 

 Department, had proved a great success. 



■ ♦ ■! 



Cotton Seed as a Manure. 



It has been suggestoil that the presence of the oil 

 in cotton seed (whole or crushed) when used as 

 a manure, not only causes the seed to be inferior to 

 cotton seed meal (i.e. the residue after the extraction 

 of the oil), but also actually acts deleteriously towards 

 plant growth. 



In regard to the first point, experiments appear 

 to have proved conclusively that both cotton seed 

 (whole or crushed) and cotton seed meal are satisfactory 

 manures for supplying niti'ogen to cotton ; that as 

 between the two there is a slight difference in favour 

 of the latter; and that whole cotton seed is as 

 efficacious as ground cotton seed. An}' slight superiority 

 possessed by the meal is probably due to its containing 

 plant food in a rather more available form ; the effect 

 of this is not as a rule noticeable in the case of, .say, 

 cotton and corn, but is apparent when cotton seed is 

 applied to a crop, like Irish potatos, that occupy the 

 land for a shorter time. 



With regard to the deleterious action of cotton 

 seed, or rather, of the oil contained in the seed, this is 

 noticed only when large piles of seed are allowed to 

 stand for some time on the ground ; the spots covered 

 in this way remain bare afterwards, as if they had been 

 poisoned. No such effects result from the ordinary 

 use of the seed in quantities of, say, 12 to 20 bushels 

 to the acre. When whole cotton seed was used for 

 manurial purposes in the United States, it was found 

 necessary to put the seeds out in the winter, otherwise 

 they were likely to sprout. For similar reasons, it will 

 probably be found more expedient in the West Indies 

 to crush the seed before applying it. 



It may be well to point out that the term ' cotton 

 seed meal ' is usually taken to signify the residue 

 after the expression of the oil. The use of this term, 

 therefore, for crushed seed is contrary to the usual 

 practice. 



