\vL. L No. 1. 



THl' AGRICUl/ri'HAL NKW; 



4>iT>(luct. Owing to tlie pre-ifiit low |inee of 'Santo-:' [Biazil 

 Cortee] we could not value it, in the present state of the 

 market, at above 38.s to -tOs per cwt. in homl.' 



Messi-s. C. M. & C. Woodhoiise of Mineiug Luu- 

 also report as follows : — 



' We look favom-alily u|>on the s;inii)le anil see no reason 

 whv the ootfee should not Hml a ready sale. To-day's value 

 is ahout 42.S. per cwt.' 



Seeds of 'Stenophylla' eotiee, in niml'Tati' c|uanti- 

 tics, are probably obtainable at all th'- Botanir 

 Institutions, in the West Indies. 



— ^^^ ♦ -^ 



The Production of Cacao in Africa. 



A West Indian inL-rehant writes to Tli'' Tiiir-s to 

 say tliat in a few years' time Afl'ica seems likely to 

 prove a formidable rival to South Ameriea an<l the 

 West Indies as a producer and exporter of cacao and 

 those interested in the West Indian 2)ossessions of the 

 United Kingdom and anxious to see the islands more 

 prospennis will do well to watch how the cultivation of 

 cacao is being pushed on with satisfai-tniy rosults 

 throughout the continent of Africa. This year the 

 (Jerman colony of the Cameroons hopes to ship ;5,0()() 

 l)ags of cacao, to be increased, it is estimated, to 10,000 

 bags in 1!)0(). Our correspondent adds: — 'Mr. McClou- 

 nie, head (jf the scientifie department of British Central 

 Africa, reports the successful shipment from Kew and 

 receipt at Lomba of 210 plants, which had been ])lante(l 

 out and were doing well. Lagos is also going in for 

 cacao, and one of her planters is now travelling in the 

 West Indies to see how the estates ai'e managed in 

 Trinidad and Grenada.' He also says that the little 

 Portuguese island of St. Thome has greatly increased 

 its export of cacao in ten years, the shipments in l.S!)l 

 being under 4,000 tons, whilst last year \ery n<'aily 

 1(),000 tons of cacao were exported. 



Bloom on Grenada. Cacao. 



Messrs. Cadbury Brothers, the well-knuwn nianu- 

 lactiu'ers of cocoa anfl chocolate, near Birmingham, 

 have drawn the attention of this Department to a bloom 

 that ap})ears on ' quite a number of the best bi'ands of 

 Grenada cacao and is always an indication of su|)erior 

 quality.' M(jre recently samples of Grenada cacao with 

 the characteristic bloom referred to were receiveti direct 

 from Messrs. Cadbury Brothers. A carefid examination 

 revealed the fact that the s(j-called bloom eonsiste(l 

 almost entirely of mucilage cells and bacteiia. It has 

 probably been profluced by checking the fermentation 

 at a certain point and subjecting the beans to an 

 inci])ient fermentation before or after the final curing. 

 Messrs. Cadbury add ' we cannot say that any mark 

 invariably has the blomn" while at certain srasons 

 'others show a veiy g 1 hlnom.' 



Disease of Bananas in Egypt. 



The Department lias been consulted in respect of 

 a disease affecting the Chinese banana cultivated in 

 lower Egypt, especially in the neighb(3urhood of Alex- 

 andria. Apiiarently one cause of the disease is the 



jiri'senro of Xomatode worms destroying tho roots. 

 Similar \\i>vuis{ Hi'fi'nidi'rK ) have been known to attack 

 sugar beet: also bananas cultivatecl at the Botanic 

 Garden at Berlin ; and piobablv bananas at Fiji ( Kiti' 

 Hiillrfni. 1)S!>(), p. -iT-i: 1892 p. 48, and 1804,'i.. 2.S I ). 

 The remeih suggested is the use either of slackeil lime, 

 lime mixed with sout, or lime from gas works. The 

 applieatiiin of these substances would be likely to be 

 lienetieial to the ])lant itself, as well as fatal to the 

 Worms. 



Sweet Potatos. 



The foilnwing note is taken from the Barhailos 

 Ai/riridl II I'lil I'l-jinii/'i- i)f April 12: — 



The light vjidwers, totalling in one district for the fort- 

 night G8 parts, have been of some little benefit : although 

 not enough to water, yet cooling and refreshing to thirsty 

 plants. To.atos are fortunately i)lentiful and cheaii. People 

 cannot starve when lOOIb of these nutritious roots can be 

 obtained for \.<. S,/. It is pleasing to see that the efforts of 

 the Imperial Department of Agriculture to introduce these 

 vegetables into Kngland are being sustained. These and the 

 many other valuable fo idstuffs which we inoduce, now almost 

 \alueless catch cmps, would materially swell our exports were 

 their food valui- sutHciently known and api)reciated. .\t 

 present even our little potato trade with Trinidad ami 

 Demerara has been stopped by the smallpox scare. It is the 

 otiice of the Imperial Department of Agricultniv te take 

 these miiinr pi-educts in hand, tn encourage and iiu|ireve 

 their growth, to po|iulari/.e and to market them. The success 

 of the Department means nuuh to the We.st Indies. L'niler 

 fostering care Miner will grow to Major, and the danger of 

 the eui>s in the one basket .system beat least le.sseneil. The 

 Department's w(M-k is good, and when the initial task is 

 cumplete, and the foundation laid, its result will be more 

 manifest. M all events the West Indian agriculturist new 

 thoroughly understands that agriculture, the world over, 

 depends necessarilv for success not on one but many ]iroducts. 



Jack-in-the-Box Tree. 



In some ot the Islands of the West Indies, occur.s. 

 but bv no nutans commonly, a tree known locally as 

 'Jack-in-the-box," a nanu' probably derived from its 

 curious fruit. The botanical name of the plant, Hr'nuin- 

 dill yiiiiiirii. commemorates Francisco Hernandez, ]>hysi- 

 cian to Philip 11 of Spain, and a writer on natural 

 historv, who travelled in thi- West Indies in the 

 sixteenth century. 'Jack-in-the-box' is not a native 

 of the West Indies, but of the East Indies and the 

 Pacific Islands. According to the Trcin^ii ry of Bntii in/: 

 'The bark, seed and young leaves are slightly purgative. 

 The juice of the leaves is ai)owerful depilatory, destroy- 

 ing hair, wherever applied, without pain.' Recently 

 inquiry from the United States, has been made at the 

 St. Vincent Botanic Station, concerning this plant, and 

 the Curatcir has furnished ten pounds by weight of the 

 fresh leaves for experiment purposes. A report on the 

 value of these leaves will be awaited with interest. It 

 would be of advantage to learn whether this plant is 

 used for removing hair or for any other purjioses in 

 these Colonics. 



