A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



i)V JHK 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vi.L. [. Xo. .i. 



HA 1! ['.A DOS, MAY .'+, 1902. 



CONTENTS. 



Pack. 



I'ai;k. 



It 



Agiitniltunil Ertnrts 

 Miintsenat 



Heu-Keeinh^, 



St. Vincent 



Stingless Bees 



Hie;«lfiuit, CiniiiJosition i)f 



< 'are of Pastures 



<"liiiil>ing Plants 



Ciickniach Traji 



<'iiuinierfial 



<'niiniMu parasitic Fuiij^us 



])e[)artnient News 



l>e|)artnient Pulilicatinns... 



Etliicational : 



.\grii-iiltiiral K.lucatiiin 

 at St. Kitts 



Sdioul Plots at St. Kitts 



Market Reports 



Mole Crickets 



Notes and C'ouinients : 



Sir Harry Thoiupsoii, Plant 

 Proolaiuatiou :it Domiuit'a, 

 Sir Heiuy .T;ickROn. Rire 

 < 'ultivation fit Hi-itish Guiana, 

 Possibilities of IJ»?p-keepiuj^, 

 Spineless Limes. < >uious at 

 Auiiga.a, Vepeltililes for tlie 

 Boers, Lapos Silk Kabbcr at 

 'I'obaj^o, Vanilla in Taliiti, 

 i^hlpinent of T.ojjwooil, Klow- 

 ci'inu Bamboo, Vol<,'iinio Ash 



42 



42 

 40 

 40 



:!■ 



4ti 



;!" 



47 

 47 

 44 



4H 



4:{ 



4:i 



47 



40 



Xot.es and Coniuicnts: cnntd. 

 at .St. Vincent, United 



States Fisheries -W 



Para Rubl.er .'.ti 



Peasants' Plots at Barba- 

 dos 40 



Pine-ajiples at .\ntigua ... 44 

 Poultry ... .r. ... 42 



PriKluce, Quality of ... '.i'.) 



Purcliase of .Artificial Ma- 

 nures ... ... ... 41 



Recent Reports : - 



British Guiana, Jlr. 



Ward's visit to Trinidad 4."> 

 Notes on Insect Pests, 



Wye College 4.'> 



Trojjical Timbers 4.'"> 



Science Notes : - 



New Flora of Krakatoa... 4:5 

 Vegetable Ferments ... 4.'{ 



Screw Worm ... 40 



.Sugar-cane, 



Kxperimcnts at Antigua ."d 

 Experiments at Barliados ol 

 Seedling Canes at British 

 Guiana... ... ... '■'>'> 



\'olcanie dust at Barl>ados 44 



West Indies : 



Agricultural Institutions 4<i 

 Hand- Books to, 4H 



Quality of Produce. 



'r is Important to bea)- in niiiul that in our 

 I rt'oits to improve the tjuality of protiuco 

 1,'riiwn and shipped in the We.st Indies we 

 .shuiilil ivo(igni/.e that there are eeilain initial (litti(',ultie.s 



likely to \h' met witii that caTi cniK' be o\ri-cuine \>y 

 .syinj)athetie ami jii<Iiei<uis action. In the ca.se of peasaet 

 proprietors who sell tlieir small lots of eort'ee, caeiio, 

 honey and fruit to loeal nierehanis, it is almost inipossi- 

 bie for the latte-r to di.-ieriminato between a few lots 

 that show e.xtra eare in eultivation and eui'iiit;', and the 

 yreat l>ulk of pnxiuet? which is .-idniittedly of interior 

 ipiality. It is this great bulk that fi.N^es the price and 

 swamps and destroys the value of the small l<tt.s. This 

 subject is touched upon in the .Inn ri>iil of the Juufi irnj 

 AiirlcoUii ml Saiifty foi- April. As the result of the 

 employment of ti-avelling Agrieultui-al rnstnu-tors the 

 small ])roprietors an; jtaying more attention to tlie 

 cultivation of tbeir laojis. They- are not only obtaining 

 an increas(^(l yield, lint they are also endeavouring to 

 impiove the ipiality of tiieir produce. 



When, liowevej-, such men take their produce fi> 

 the local store they too often find that they can only 

 obtain the same price as betcire. There is not enough 

 of it to be shi])pefl ;ilono and ' it goes into, and is lost 

 in, the l>ulk of lower grade.' The fault floes not, 

 always, lie with the local mercdiatit. it wouhl really 

 pay him better to give a highei- price for good proiluce 

 because it gives less trouble and always tiixls a market. 



If, tbi instance, he is paying ■Hy. tbi- ordinary 

 cacao and a good sample of fermented and cured cacao 

 is offered to him, he may be willing to j)ay 3."?. 

 or 4.S. more for it becau.se of its better <piality. 

 Unfortunately he does not get enougli to make 

 a Separate shipment. He must therefore nn'x it with 

 the lower class of <»cao tor which he. gets "uly 



