118 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



AufiusT 2, 1902. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for imlilication, as well as all 

 s]ieciniens for naiiiiiig slioiilil l)U aililresse<l to the Commis- 

 sioner, Impsrial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



It is iiarticiilarly requested that no letters be addressed 

 to any iiieinlier of the start" by name Sucli a course may 

 entail delay. 



Conmuinications should always lie written on one side 

 of the paper oidy. It should be understood that no contri- 

 butions or specimens will, in any ca.se, be returned. 



All application for copies of the 'Agricultural 

 News' should be addressed to the Agents, and 



not to the Department. A complete list of the London 

 and Ldial agents will bo found on the last page of this 

 number. 



Correspondents sending newspajiers shoulil be careful to 

 mark the paragraphs they wish to bring under notice. 



Commercial Society of Antigmi i.s desirous of iiolding 

 an Agriculturjil Show at St. John's in DeceiiibtT next. 

 The IJ.iibados Local Agricultural Show (as already 

 announced) will take iilace at Todds' Plantation on 

 January 18, 1908. A proposal is under consideration 

 for holding an Agricidfcural Show at St. Lucia in 

 Slarcli li)08, in connexion with the Agricidtural School 

 at Union, about three miles from Castries. 



It is desirable t(j mention, in coniU'xion v.ith these 

 SIkiws, that the primary object in view is to encourage 

 the better ciUtivation and ])re]jarati(^n of crops for 

 export. No prizes provided V)y the Department shoidd 

 be awarded uidess there is good comj)etition and the 

 exhibits show special c;ire has been taken in curing and 

 ])reseiiting them for exhibition. As a condition of the 

 (iiant (approved by the Seci'etary of State) it i.s 

 required that a draft copy of the Prize List, and of the 

 Rules and Regulations for each Show, be forwarded, 

 beforehand, for the approval of the Commissioner of 

 Ajrricultuiv. 



^Dricultiiral |]inu!i 



Vol. I. SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 19U2. No. M. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



The Chinese or Dwarf Banana. 



Referring to the account jiublislu'd in the 

 A(jric alt anil Ncaw (p. ()8) of tlie trial shipment of 

 bananas from Barliados, wherein it was jxiiiited out 

 that thi! fruit sent was not the usual West Indian kind 

 (the Jamaica banana or (j/i« Michel) but the Chinese or 

 dwarf banana, known also as the ' Cavendish' banana, 

 largely grown in the Canary islands, mid inijiorted 

 thence to Kngland on a large scale, Mr. J. F. W'aby, 

 head gardener at the liotaiiie Cardens, British Cuiana, 

 writes : — 



I am not surprised to lind that the (^'aveiidish banana 

 carries well, for I have always noticed that this hangs King 

 on the bunch when ripe, whereas the (Irux Michel falls away 

 as soon as ripe. The stature of the Cavendish is decidedly 

 in its favour for cultivation, being less atl'ecfed by the wiml, 

 and can be planteil nim-e clos('ly together.' 



Agricultural Shows, 1902-3. 



The Agricidtural Shows to be Ik M under the 

 auspices of the imperial l)e])artinent of Agriculture 

 during the year l!)()2-.'i are as follows: — 



The Montserrat Agricultural Show was originally 

 fixed to be held on Friday, June 27, as one of the 

 functions in connexion with the Coronation. Whether 

 a second show is to l)e held, later, has not been decided. 

 The show at Tortol.a, for the Virgin Islands, is proposed 

 to be held in October next. The AgiicuUural and 



Poultry Raising. 



The Aijricaltardl Xcus has been described as 

 'exhibiting a catholic spirit and there is hardly any 

 branch of Agriculture which does not come, at some 

 time or other, within the scope of its view.' It is 

 hoped to maintain this spirit and give in an intei-esting 

 and helpfid way hints that may eventually improve the 

 condition of all agricultural interests in these Colonies. 

 Amongst the small industries, conveniently within 

 reach of everyone, tht're is not one so full of promise as 

 the raising of poultry. The potenti.d value isenornnnis, 

 yet the systematic raising of poultry, outside a few 

 ])oultry fanciers, is almo.st a lost art in the West 

 indies. With the view of affording simple and practi- 

 cal information on the subject, it is jiroposed to publish 

 a seiies of short .-irtick'S in the Ai/ncalta rul ^cirs on 

 poultry raising, licim the ]ien of Jlr. John Barclay, the 

 Assistant-Secretary of the Jamaica Agrictdtur.d 

 Society. The first of these articles apjx'ars in this 

 number. 



Grafted Mangos. 



Ill the last lunHber of the Aijncall ural Xca-H 

 (p. 102) attention was directed to the extreme import- 

 ance of ket'ping steadily in view the im])rovement of 

 West Imlian fruit trees by budding and grafting. 

 'I"he mango is possibly the most popular, aiid wlu'ii of 

 reall}' good cpiality, the most highly esteemed of all 

 tropical fruit. There is no difHculty in projiagating 

 the best sorts, and we trust to see the day when bud- 

 ded and grafted mango trees will occupy the place of 

 the thou.sands of useless mango trees that now cover 

 the land. We are led to thi'se remarks by the receipt, 

 from the Curator of the Botanic (iardeii at St. Vincent, 

 of a ilelicious grafted mango known as the Peach 

 mango. It is a large, plump fruit, weighing 10 to 12 

 ounces, yellow when ripe, juicy, of a delicate Havour 

 .and free from fibre. It well deserves its name of 

 I'each mango. 



