YoL. I. No. 7. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



107 



EDUCATIONAL. 



Agricultural and Science Education at Antigua. 



Till' f'lilluwing appears in the Antii/int Grammur 

 tSchtHtl Ri'cicw for June, li)02 : — 



Witli the .saiK-tioii (if the Secretary nf Stute the 

 Imiierial (.'omini.ssioiier of Agriculture for the West InJie.s 

 has arranged to atfortl assistance to the Antigua Grammar 

 School to enable it to maintain a regular course of instruc- 

 tion ill elementary .science and agriculture. 



A Science and Agricultural Master from England will be 

 proNitled by the Department, as also scholarships of the 

 value of £10 for day scholars and £20 (about half the cost) 

 for boarders. 



These scholarships are tenable at the school and are open 

 to boys in Antigua and ^lontserrat under sixteen years of 

 age (preferably the sons of [ilanters) whose fathers' income i.s 

 not more than £1-50 per annum. 



Particulars of these scholarsliins, and the subjects for 

 examination will lie jiublished later. It is expected that the 

 Science Master will arrive at .Vntigua at the begiiniing of the 

 next term. 



Agricultural Teaching in Elementary 

 Schools. 



The Educatiijn Board at Barbadcs has recently 

 is.sued the following rerjiiirements for the Premium 

 e.xaminations in elementary schools during- the j-ear 

 1908:— 



OHJECT LESSON'S .AND X.\TURE TE.VCHIXG. 

 STA>riARl) I. 



12 Sinijjle les.sons im cuiiiinun cilijects wliicli must have 

 been given during the year iiuist be ready fur the Inspectur 

 iin his visit of exaniinatiiin. Tlie teacher will be recjuired tu 

 give a lesson on one of the subjects named before the Inspectur, 

 who will report to the Education Board on the manner in 

 which tlie les.son has lieen taught and on the teaclier's etticieucy. 

 Bat, Horse, Cow, Lizards, Frogs, Bees, Leaves, and Fruits of 

 an\' six jilauts mentioned umler Standard II (The children must 

 identify tlie plants by their fruits and leaves, show use of 

 fruits, etc. ) 

 Standard ii. 



12 Sinijile lessons on Plants and Animals to be given. 

 These nuist be illustrated as far as possilile l)y specimens, 

 diagrams and blackboard. The teacher will be asked to explain 

 a reading lesson, or give an object lesson. Children must be 

 able to identify the folluv/ing : — 



Bdmljdo, Sii'jar-caiie, Coffee, Oniiige, Baiuiiui, Tulmci-o, 

 iliiugi). Yam, irhijer, Pinv-npple, Birii(l-friilt, Siveef -potato. 

 Aiiint'ih ((.< ill Stiiiil.iril I. Biackie's Tropiad Rviiili:v. Parti, 

 BiHik I. This is more for guidance of the Teacher, than as 

 indicating wliat the children should read. 

 Standard hi. — I'l nd Life. 



Parts of Plant as in Standard II but more fully. 



'.'> Typical Flowering jilants — Sugar-cane, Mahogany, Lime. 



3 Flowerless plants — a Fern, a Sea-weed, a Moss. 



3 Climbing plants — Creeping pink,* Bonavist, Water- 

 lemon. 



3 Tuberous root plants- -Sweet-Potato, Cassava, Radish. 

 Biackie's Tiopiad Rniilcr, Part II, Book I for Teacher's 



guidance. 

 Biackie's Tiopicnl liemli i; Part II, Bcjok I pages C8 — 

 108 for children. 

 Standard iv. 



(1) Animal Life (see Reader) General knowledge. 



Part I, Book II. Biackie's Tropical Reader, pages 1 to 51. 



(* Ipomea Quamoclit, Ed. A. N.) 



In all standards children should be er.couraged to cultivate 

 jdants in boxes and jiots. In order to obtain the grant for 

 tejiching of .\gricidture, growing sjiecimens must be shown. 



Standard v. 



Lessons on the following to be given :— - 

 Siuiar^ Ciffee, Bitiiiiiui, Cocoa, Toiiarco, Yams, Corn, Food of 

 I'hiiitx, Ccniiiiiafioii, Tdlatji: aiul Draiiuajc. Tlie names and 

 uses of tools used in cultivation. Experiments in digging, hoeing, 

 raking and planting. Biackie's Tropical Rcuiler, Part II, 

 Book II. 



Standards vi. & vii. — Cidtication of Crops. — Health. 



Questions from pages 100 to end including Sweet Potatos, 

 Yams and Eddoes' — Biackie's Tropical Reader, Part III, 

 Book II. 



Opportunities for showing growing plants, for (iractical 

 gardening, use of tools, garden j)lots cultivated by cliildren 

 ttc, itc, should be given whenever possible. 



The portions named for the Tropical Rcadeiv are intended 

 for the guidance of teachers ratlier than as portions to be learnt; 

 by sclndars. In the higher standards the children will be 

 expected to have made themselves thoroughly accjuainted with 

 the suliject matter of the portions indicated. 



SCIENCE NOTES. 



Pine-apple as an aid to Digestion. 



On page 43 of the Acjricaltuval Xews we drew attention 

 to the fact that the pine-apple contained a ferment, called 

 ' bromelin,' almost identical in its action with papain, the 

 ferment contained in the pajiaw. The value of the papaw as 

 an aid to digestion has long been known, whilst that of the 

 pine-apple has only recently been recognized. The Lancet 

 has taken up the cpiestion and says ' the partaking of a slice 

 of pine-apple after a meal is quite in accordance with physio- 

 logical indications.' Bromelin e.xerts a powerful action on 

 proteids, digesting ' 1,000 times its own weight within a 

 few hours.' Fibrin disappears entirely, the white of eggs is 

 digested slowly, whilst albumin of maat is transformed tirst 

 to a pulpy gelantinous mass, to be comi)letely dissolved later. 

 Cooking destroys the activity of the ferment, but the I^amxl 

 is of opinion that ' unless the pine-apiile is preservoil by 

 heat, there is no reason why the tinned fruit should not 

 retain its digestive power.' Unfortunately, however, for thi.s 

 hope pine-ajiples are sterilized by steam-lieat during the 

 lirocess of canning, the ferment being almost certainly- 

 destroyed. ' Unlike pepsin, the digestive principle of the 

 pine-apiile will operate in an acid, neutral, or even alkaline 

 medium, according to the kind of proteid to which it is 

 preseuted. It may therefore be assumed that the pine-ap[de 

 euzynri would not only aid the work of digestiou iu the 

 stomach but would continue that action in the intestinal tract. 

 Pine-apple, it may be added, contains much indigestible 

 matter of the nature of w^oody fibre, but it is cjuite possible 

 that the decidedly digestive properties of the juice compen- 

 sate for this fact.' 



Cockroach Poison. 



Cockroaches can be destroyed by mi.xing eijiial 

 parts of molasses, or sweet chocolate, and boracic acid, 

 and spreading this on small pieces of tin or cardboard, 

 which are placed in cupboards or under furniture. 

 The mixture is not poisonous to d(.)gs and other domes- 

 tic animals, but will destroy the cockroaches. 



