428 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 31, 1904. 



According V> tliu Hoard of Trai.h> Journal, the Syndi- 

 cate of Sugar jranufiicturers, Java, offer.s prizes to the 

 inventors of the lie.st ajiiiaratus for automatically registering 

 the weight of .sugar cane juice in lots of not less than 1,000 

 kilo.s. 



The notes ou ' Kabbit Keeping in the AN'est Indies' 

 by Mr. John Barclay, Secretary of the Jamaica Agricultural 

 Society, which recently appeared in the columns of the 

 A'p icidtural Xi'iif^, will shortly be published in pamphlet 

 form. 



GLEANINGS. 



It has been decided to hold the annual Teachers' Agri- 

 cultural Course in Jamaica from January '1 to 2.~i, 190.3. 



It is a coincidence that the new Governor of Barbados 

 (Sir Gilbert Carter, K.C.^I.G.), and the new Governor of 

 ^[artiniipie (M. Bonhoure) are both keen entomologists. 



St. Vincent honey can be obtained from Messrs. Leonard 

 Hall tt Co., 1-32, Queen Mctoria Street, London, E.C., in 

 cases of six l-Dx jars, carriage paid, for .").«. per case. 



The Montserrat Agricultural Society is making arrange- 

 ments for holding an Agricultural Show at St. George's 

 Schoolroom ou Easter Monday, April 21, 190-5. 



As an indication of the confidence in the future 

 prospects of the sugar industry in Barbados, it may be 

 mentioned that on December 9, no less than six plantations 

 were sold at the ^laster-in-Chanccrv's office. 



It may be useful to mentirm that bags for baling Sea 

 Lsland cotton may be obtained from Messrs. Henry Knuck 

 it Co., Whitehall Works, Dundee. Their cost, c. i. f. Barbados, 

 is 2s. 9(?. each, less 2 J, per cent. 



Mr. Henry Millen writes that there is at the Botanic 

 Station, Tobago, a mango tree in fruit for the second time 

 this season. The fruits are of average size and good flavour. 

 It is most unusual to have mangos in fruit in December. 



No. 3 of the Wi'i<t Indian Jiidhtin (^'ol. V) is now in 

 the press and will be issued shortly. The succeeding number 

 will contain the official report of the proceedings of the fifth 

 AVest Indian Agricultural Conference. 



According to the Hawaiian Forester and Agrindturist, 

 the Hawaiian Sisal Co. estimates the future cost of producing 

 a ton of sisal hemp and delivering it in San Francisco at $74. 

 At the latest New York quotation of 816-") per ton, it is 

 evident that there are prospects of excellent profits. 



It is announced in the Jnurnal of ihe Jamaica Ayri- 

 cu/tural Societi/ that a firm in Kingston is in want of 

 a consignment of b or 10 tons of bird pe))pers for which they 

 offer 21s. per cwt. This is a product that might easily be 

 raised by small settlers. 



During the past fortnight 512 bales of West Indian 

 cotton were imported into the L'nited Kingdom. Sales have 

 Ueen effected in Liverpool at the following prices : West 

 India, i'lod. to .5-20(^ per lb.; West India Sea Island, 

 unchanged : medium fine, 12^(7.; fine, 1.3i'/.; extra fine, l^ld. 

 (ir^.j/ India Committi'i- Circnlar, December 6.) 



It is far more difficult to keep poultry in wet districts 

 than in dry disti-icts. This refers especially to turkeys which 

 are very difficult to keep in wet districts. Guinea fowls also 

 thrive best in dry districts. Ducks are uuich easier kept in 

 wet districts. {Journal of the Jamaica A(jrindtural Socictt/.) 



The We-t India Committee's Antigua correspondent 

 writes in reference to the visit of the Cotton Ex[)erts as 

 follows: 'The general result has been to leave the planters 

 with much clearer and more definite ideas as to improving 

 the quality of cotton, and these .should make theuLselves 

 felt when the next picking season comes round.' 



His ^Majesty the King has thanked the Dominica Agri- 

 cultural Society for ofiering for the use of the liospitals, 

 the fruit which gained a gold medal at the recent Fruit 

 Exhibition of the I'oyal Horticultural Societ)', and suggested 

 that it should be sent to the Great Ormond Street Hospital 

 for Children. 



During the quarter ended September -SO, 1904, :\9'i 

 bales and 2 bags of cotton were exported from the Hritisji 

 West Indies. The total weight was 119,0-52 It)., and the 

 estimated value £.5,603. Particulars as t<i the exjiorts of 

 cotton for the previous quarter were given in the Agri- 

 cidftiral A'fjrs, Vol. Ill, p. 316. 



Under the power given by the Jamaica Pium 

 Protection Law, the Governor has appointed ]\[r. J. C. Nolan 

 to be the person who is empowered to institute proceedings 

 and undertake the prosecution in the l'nited Kingdom and 

 Ireland and elsewhere of offences under the Merchandise 

 ]\Iarks Acts, so far as such Acts apply to Jamaica rum, and 

 to take all necessary steps for protecting Jamaica rums from 

 imitations and frauds. {Gleaner, December 7, 1904.) 



A correspondent writes to The Tii/ies that, having to 

 live in a town in Brazil where no mosquito nets were 

 procurable, he could get no rest on account of the assaults of 

 mosquitos until he hit on the simple expedient of anointing 

 the face with kerosene oil and soap in the proi)ortion of 

 about a teaspoonful of oil to a lather of soap and water, 

 which, when free from bubbles, would fill one-third of 

 a soap dish. No injury was done by this mixture to the skin. 



According to the British Medical Journal, bananas are 

 in the best condition for eating when ' they are so ripe that 

 the skins show dark spots.' L^sually in Eurojie, and to some 

 extent in the United States and Canada, bananas are eaten 

 when quite hard and the skin .slightly tinged with yellow. 

 This is a mistake. In consequence the banana is not so 

 easily digested and is not .so exten.sively used as it deserves 

 to be. In the West Indies, bananas as a dessert fruit are 

 only eaten when sweet and pulpy. They are then delicious 

 and wholeseine. 



