Vol. I. No. 8. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



119 



Extending- the Mango Season. 



SuHicioiit attention does iidt appear to have been 

 directed to efforts tor extending the mango seasmi by 

 selecting early and late sorts and cultivating them 

 with the special view of jJi'^dncing fruit earlier or later 

 than the ordinary sort.s. It is suggested that a list be 

 preparerl of eaily and late varieties of mangos, and 

 when this is done it would be well in grafting them 

 that eai-ly-fruiting sorts be grafted only <m seedlings of 

 earl^'-fruiting surts, and rirc rcz-.s-./, instead of promiscu- 

 ously, as at present. We commend the business of 

 Kiising grafted mangos to some of the mure enterpris- 

 ing of the small proprietors in the West Indies. 

 Grafted mango plants of fir.st-rate quality, and true to 

 name, would readily sell for a dollar a piece. 



Scientific Commission. 



The members of the Royal Society Cuuimission 

 for the study of the phenomena associated with the 

 recent volcanic eruptions in the West Indies after 

 completing their visit to St. Vincent left that Island 

 on Saturday, July 5, in the " Yare " for St. Lucia 

 where they were received by Colonel Dalrymple Hay, 

 the Acting-Administrator. They left the next day for 

 Fort-de-France, Martini(jue. They landed at St. 

 Pierre on Tuesday and examined the ruins and took 

 samples of the volcanic deposits in and around the city. 

 On Wednesday they chartered a slooji and visited the 

 coast to the noi'th of St. Pierre and made observations 

 on the slopes of Mont Pelee. In the evening of the 

 same day (Wednesday, Jidy, !») they witnessed a 

 terrific eruption (almost iileiitical in character and 

 degree with that which two months before had 

 destroyed St. Pierre). This was accomjjanied by vivid 

 flashes of lightning, both single and confluent, and by a 

 tornado of sujterheated steam, hot ashes and mud. 



A telegram from St. Lucia dated July 10, stated: 

 ' The R.M.S. Yare, which arrived here this evening 

 from Mai-tinique reports a severe eruption of Mont 

 Pelee last evening at t) a.m. accompanied by vivid 

 lightning which was visible here, and causing 

 a panic at Fort-de-France. The English Scientists 

 Dr.s. Anderson and Flett, who were near Mont Pelee, 

 are reported to have narrowly escaped, arriving at 

 Fort-de-France bespattered with mud.' The detona- 

 tions and flashes of lightning which accompanied this 

 eruption were also seen by several 2)ersons at Barbados. 



On Fiiday, July 11, the members of the 

 Commission landed at Dominica. Here thev were 

 greatly assisted by the Hon. Hesketh H. Bell, the 

 Administrator, Dr. Nicholls, Mr. George Branch and 

 others. Dr. Flett visited the boiling lake in the 

 interior of the island and afterwards in com pan v with 

 Dr/, i^r|derson. examined the boiling and sulphur 

 sp-ing.s-, ajt: Piqard' and other localities. Also the 

 Soafriere on tl,ie South We.stern coast. Drs. Flett and 

 Anderson returned to Barbados by the 'Eden' on July 

 IJ), and left for England in the " L^^ Plata" on July 21. 

 ^' ' -The .members of the Gommission expres.sed them- 

 selves very highly pleased with the reijults <jf their 



mission, and greatly appreciated the valuable assistance 

 everywhere renderefl to them. The pajiers that have 

 been kindlj- prepared by various corresj)ondent.s. 

 containing observations relating to events that took 

 jjlace immediately j>receding and during the recent 

 eruptions may be addressed to the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture for the West Indies, Head Ottice, Barbados. 

 In order that the information contained in these 

 returns may be included in the forthcoming report by 

 Drs. Flett and Anderson, it is desirable the papers 

 should reach the (i'onuui.ssioner of Agriculture not 

 later than the Kith, instant. 



Grafting Nutmegs. 



The success .so far attained in this operation in 

 Jamaica, and Ceylon has been alluded to on page GO 

 of the Agrirulturdl iVcw.s. By an oversight we then 

 omitted to nK'ntion the earlier work of Mr. J. H. Hart, 

 who in the Bulletin of tlic Royal Bot<niic Garden. 

 Trinidail, for 1894 (p. 241), reports the successful 

 gi-afting of both male and female scions on to seedling 

 stocks. In his Annual Report for 1900, Mr. Hart 

 records the fruiting of some of the grafted plants, 

 'a little over five }'ears from planting out.' He 

 reconnnends grafted nutmegs for wind-blown localities 

 to which, owing to their dwarf-spreading habit, they 

 are more suited than ordinary nutmeg trees. To 

 Trinidad, then, belongs the credit of the first successful 

 attempts to graft nutmegs on .seedling stock. 



Jack-in-the-Box Tree. 



On page 7 of the Ar/riindixtral Xcw.< we stated that this 

 plant (J/eniantlni foiioraj was not a native of the West 

 Indies but an introduced plant from the East. Mr. J. H. 

 Hart has since written j)ointing out that it grows in the 

 woods of Trinidad, and the Rev. H. Hutson of St. Lucy's, 

 Barljados, has drawn attention to its occurrence in Turner's 

 Hall wood, in tliat island. It must however be borne in mind 

 that there are two very closely related species, by some 

 botanists regarded as identic:d : llernandui peltata found 

 througliout the trf)pics generally, antl llernandia sonora, a 

 native of the East Inilies according to the Imlex Kewensis, 

 whose ruling we adopted in the note in question. It 

 would be interesting to have tlie identity of the West Indian 

 species definitely estalilislied. 



Whales Ashore at Antigua. 



A school of youpg whales, twenty-eight in nundier, 

 supjiosed to have been pursued by sword fish, became 

 stranded on the shore at Royals Bay, Antigua. They were 

 small .sjieciniens, the largest measuring about 18 feet in 

 length. The blubber of one was boiled down and a quantity 

 of oil obtained. Of the remainder some were towed out to 

 sea and the others used as fuel and manure on neighbouring 

 estates. A considerable (juantity of oil could have been 

 obtained had facilities for boiling down the blubber been on 

 the spot. It is suggested these young whales might have 

 been 'Black fi.sh' a species of Glohicephalu^. :.-..jj.. :-u 



