44 



THE AGmCTLTLliAL NEWS. May 24, H'Oi'. 



Lome l.v tliL- win.l. Tlic .sml «( the k-ttu.e ('.ala.l) give ui, A sieve analysis gave tlu- fullowing results :— 



evei-vdiiV exi.mi.le. There is little doul.t tli;it the vviiut, iiii'l Diameter of particles PereeiitHge 



].(.ssil.ly liinls, brought the seeds of the inlan.i vegetati.m, , j,, ._- ,„i|]i„|,.t,-e 001 



i.ii<l the sea those of the shore plmits. Various lowly algae, •.-, t<. •;(."> " -"'OC 



f/.J/^^w/xf). seem to have first found a houie on the surfai-e -30 to "I'O " ''■21 



of 'the lava, and l.y their growth anil decay rendered it -^Ot.. M.'. " 66"20 



possible for the ferns and later III.- Howcring plants t<. .j_- j,, .|,, c. 0-89 



estMl.lish themselves. -lO and 1.— " 22-63 



100-00 



PINE-APPLES AT ANTIGUA. 



Ih, p:irliih-s tnna ■.) to .So iii.iii. (Iiameter are- 



At the meeting of the Agriiultural anil ('omnnicial uiiolU c.nui.iisid ..f M.lcanie glass .Tnwded with ga.'i 



Society, Antigua, on Friday -May 'J, .Mr. Watts asketl leave i„t.|„si,,i,.s ami c.iitaining suviU lath-shajiL'.l ervstals of" 



to call the attention of uiend.ers to certain experiments f,.|j;|,.,,. 'pi,,. (r;is incl>isi<.ns are in many instances si> 



with new vui-ieties of pine-ap|.les. Some months ago .several ii,,,,,,.,.,,,,^ asb. ri-nder th.- {.articles I'piite opa.pie. 



new varieties of pine-apples were introduced through the 'pi„ ,^,.f,jj.l,.^ ..f -{^ f. -2 ui.l.,. (iiaiin-ter are covnpo.-^e.l 



instrnmentality ot the lu.perial J)epartn,ent ot Agriculture. I ..f similar volcanic glass and ].a,-tlv of crystals 



Son>e of these were ,K.w tru,tn,g '""• -'■■"'ii, 'Hr";:; 1 i.f H- spar. The particles '2 to I nun dianiet-'r are 



;aye,u,e wasl,earn,gh-n,t:sofs.ud.,.x,_e ence^ 1 ^__^.^,^,^ _l^^^^ ^^^^^.^, ^^^ ^_^.,^^.^.^^, ^_.^^^^,j^^ ^,^,.^,. 



like to duect notice to it. He aihised tlio.se w lio vveu ■■ i ■ J .-i- i i *• i , I f 



interested to eiuleavour to .see the fruit wln^n it was 1 rought ninuMals .onsist ch.eHy ..t l.ine and soda telspai a id ,d 



into town for shipment on May 7. He also state. I that he a lern.-niagn.-sian u.m.-ral not y.-t definitely . hter- 



woidd l.e glad to hear from members and othe.-s intereste.1 in iimi.'d. Then- is als,. a .piaiitity .d liiagiu-tite an.l 



pine-api.les whether they were desii-ous ..f obtaining |.lants a \,ry few crystals ot a darkblin- doiibly-ndraeting 



of this variety, as he was in comn.uiii.-ation with l)i-. Morris niiiieral not yet deteniiin.'d. Tin- jiMrticles finer than 



ou the .subject of obtaining a suppl\ of plants for Antigua -i iii.iii. diaii.etei- are chiefly .-.iiiipose.! ..f coiiiiiiiMUt.'d 



at reduied late.s. It would be of advantage it those interested fragments of felspar. 



ill the industry would inform him at an early .late of their A comi.aris,,n of this \ ol.'aiiii- tlust uitli .i sain[.K- 



re.|uirenients in r..s|,ect ..f this or of ;,nv..tl,e,- impn-Ncl ^^,^(.^ ;,_,,,, (■.,„,, j,^,, lal,orat,,rv musi'iuii of that whu-h 



variety of pineapple. ^.H -^^ |^,o ^In.ws a .striking dirti-nMic.^ between tin- 



__ Iw,,. 'I'lie dust of l<SI2 is eiiiii|ioscd of iiiui-li finer 

 pai-tieles ami th.'se are almost wholly volcani.- glass. 



THE FALL OF VOLCANIC DUST IN This {...ints to th<- eru].ti..n .d l!t()2 b.ing of a 



BARBADOS. inuch more viol.'ut nature than that of 1.SI2. It is 



\rr\ rare f.. find s.. in.-.ny mineral particl.s in voli^auio 



A ell. iiii.-.il .-11111 inincraIogi(-al .'xaiiiiiiation .d' the .lust scattered s.i tar fr.>m th.- s.^al uf erupti.ni. These 



v.il.-anic diisl that lidl in Barbados, the s.iuipl.- iisi.l .-.r.' g.-nerally sit(.'.l out by tin- win.l trom the lighter 



being the oin .■ollected by Dr. M.irris .it Ch.dsti.n trom particles of glas.s. The tact that particles ..f magnetite, 



4 p.m. on the 7th., to 5.:i() a.m. on th.' <Sth. May, has ;, mim.ral of s|).M-itic gravity '>-.■) t.i ()-5, .d' o\ei- -l m.m. 



b.'cn i-arrie.l out at th.' (.ov.'ruiiieiit Laboratory, Barba- diamelcr shouM bi' found in th.' ilust over '.>(> miles ti.im 



dos. I'ridcssi.r .r,\lbui|uen(iic reports th.' following Hi.' seat .d' explosic.n is signiticant of lb.' pr.idigious 



results to .late : li.'igbl b. w liich i h.- particles musl Ikim- been .-ji'i'teil. 



The volcani.- dust .-oiilaius fh.' lollou lug siibstaii- ^_______^^__^^__^_____ 



ces soliibl.- in strong livdrochloric aci.l. iron .i\iil.- 47 



per cut., almnina 1 2'5 p.r (-.'Ut.. lim.' ."> !l per .-.■nl.. DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



magnesi.-i -7N per- .■.■nl., suda \"1 per .•ent., p.>tash -(IN 



]).'r c.'iit.. siln-.i I per .'out., sulpliurie anbvdride I per I »r. I >. .M..riis. CM. (J., lln- ( '..muii.s>i,,iiei- of 



..■III., plu.sphori.- .inbvdriile -04 p.-r .-ent. Iiis.dubh' Agri.-iill ure iMrlli.' West In. lies, htl Barba.h.s b\ th.' 



in liy.lroi-bhnic aci.l. sill.-at.'s 7r)-2 p.'r .-.'Ut. It als.. B'.M..S. -Snleiil' ,.n Mon.lay. Ma\ 12, tbr M.aitscrrat 



c.int'ains a tra.-e ..f sulpbid.-s an.l a faint Ira.-.- ..f and I >.imiiii.-a. H.- is e\p.'ct.-.l I., i.turn t.. Barbados 



.sulphiir.iiis aubulrid.- ,-. pro.lu.-t oftli.- .-.iiiibiisti..ii of b\ lie- in.iil of the 24th. inst. 



sul|ihi.les ,-111(1 sulphur. 



It is i-v ideiil from th.' siii.ill p(-iernl;igv .d' p(.tasb l'|-,,fes>, .i .1. I'. d'.Mbii.pn-r.pn- .li.l ii..l h-,i\e for 



and phosphori.- ,-inli\. bill.- that this dust will lia\.- ii.. |.;i,,,|,.,,ii| bv l.isl mail ,is aim.iuni-eil, Ii is pi-,,b:iblo 



lertili/.ing value in Barb.idos s.iils, which aln-a.ly .-..iilain ||^,^^ |^^. ^^jij ^.y^\ ,,,1 ||,,, [; M,S, ' I'ar.i' to-.|a\. 

 sibundan.-.' of all tin- ..(h.'r constituents .>(' the dust. 

 It is pi-.>bable, h.'wever, tlml, incur] loiated with th.' 



.sill-fa.-.- layi-rs .d' our stitV,..-.y .soils, it iii.i\ t.. s,.iim- Mr. ( ;. Whilh.-hl Smith. Ti-av.-lling Sup.-riiiti-n- 



eM.-nt iinpro\.- !h.-ir ti-\tiir."-. It caitains nothing ,|,.iit ,.f I In- I ».p.-irl m.-nt. h'tt Barba.l..s |;,r l).iminica. 



haiiidiil to the laud. Mr. Siiiilh willvisil .ind iiisp.-.-t th.- I'.olani.- Sl.-ilioii. 



Tin- loll,,wiug,-.i-.- lln- results of tin- mim-.ah.gi.al .vgri.-idt ural S,-h.".l. ami Kvp.-riui.-nt I'h.ts in tlu- 



f.xaminatiou mad.' I.v Dr. l.oli.^ti.'hl Smith. ish.nd, an.l is du.- t- r.tuni on l.ir l.4i h. 



