134 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 16, 1902. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for jiublieation, as well as all 

 speciineiis for naming sliinild be addressed to tin' Commis- 

 sioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



It is particularly requested that no letters be a<ldressed 

 to any member of the statf by name Such a course may 

 entail delay. 



Communications .should always be written on one side 

 of the pajier only. It should be understood that no contri- 

 butions or specimens will, in any ca.se, Vie 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 Local agents will be found on the last page of this 

 number. 



Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to 

 mark the paragrajihs they wish to bring under notice. 



^ D r ic lilt lira t Diiufi 



Vol. L SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1902. No. 9. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Honey Production in Jamaica. 



Acconling to recent statistics Jamaica is probably, 

 for its size, the most successful honey-producing country 

 in tlie New World. The amount of honey produced, 

 per s(|uare mile, in some of the leading countries and 

 in Jamaica is as follows : — Texas, 18tt).; California, 81 It). ; 

 Cuba, 114lh. ; Jamaica, 38.5tt).; The logwood honey of 

 Jamaica compares very favourably with tlic allalfa, 

 .sage and white-clover honey of the United States. A 

 Janiiiica Bee-keepers' Association has just boon formed 

 to assist bee-keepers and enable them t(j ship their 

 produce to the best markets. 



Surra Disease in Horses. 



In a recently issueii Emergency Report by the 

 United States Department of Agric\dture (Bureau of 

 Animal Industry, BiiUctiii No. IJ,, l!)l).J) i\n account is 

 given of the Surra disease in horses in the Philip])ines. 

 The disease is caused by a microscoi)ic parasite ( Try- 

 pnnonoiiiu J'Jravsi) transmitted by biting flies, 

 (•specially horse flies. It is a wet weather disease and 

 rcjiurtcd ax lavurinlilt/ fahd to h.Drscs (iml iindis. If 

 the ilisease were likely to be entirely confitied to the 

 Thili]ipine Islands it would not be of immediate 

 interest to the West Lulies. We find, however, that 

 although 'animals from the Philip])ines are now excluded 

 in the IJniti'd States, some animals were landi-d before 

 it was known that surra existi^d in the Philippines.' 

 There is a possibility, therefore, that this si'rious disease 

 has already been introduced into the United States. 

 The Report states : 'if once thoroughly introdticed into 

 the United States surra would cause a lo.ss of millions 



of dollars.' The question ari.ses whether, under the 

 circumstances above related, and until it is shown 

 that there is no surra in the United States, it would 

 be safe fir horses and mides from the United States to 

 be landed in the West Indies. The risk is great, and 

 considering the fatal character of this essentially 

 troj)ical disease we are of opinion that, for the present, 

 the several Glovernments in the West Indies (following 

 the example of the United States Government with 

 regard to horses from the Philippines) should absolutely 

 pnthibit the landing of American horses and mules in 

 these islands. 



Personal. 



ll is desirable to state that Mr. W. K. Morrison 

 temporarily emjjloyed for a few weeks, as lecturer in 

 bee-keeping, by the Imperial Department of Agi'icid- 

 ture ceased to have any connexion with the Depart- 

 ment since May 1901. Certain communications that 

 have recently ajipearcd in American and Canadian 

 Journals from Mr. Morrison in which he makes it 

 appiear that he is still connected with the Department 

 are not only misleading, but are regarded as calcu- 

 lated to misrepresent these colonics. 



Onion Cultivation. 



It is desirable to remind those who have ordered 

 onion seed through the Department that the seed may 

 arrive at any moment and everything should be in 

 readiness to deal with it. In the first place the seed 

 beds to receive the first sowing should be specially 

 prepared with the soil well pulverized. It would be an 

 advantage in most ca.ses to sow the seed at intervals, 

 say of a week, during August and Sejitendjcr. 1'he 

 rows, across the bed.s, might be (J inches apart. When 

 the onions are 4 or 5 inches high, that is in abotit 

 eight weeks after sowing, they are ready for transplant- 

 ing into the field. Where the seed is to bo sown, 

 at once, in the <ip:',n, the land recpiires to be well 

 wcnked and thi; soil in i\nr condition. 'I"h(> drills may 

 be about L5 inches a])art. After the seed has been 

 covered with about half an inch of well pulverized .soil 

 the whole may be gently patted down. Further 

 ])articulars may be obtained from ////(/.s- on, Onion 

 riilti vof'ion, Pamphlet Sirics No. K!, obtainable from 

 all Agt'Uts of the Department, price two-pence. 



Bananas from Barbados. 



In continuation of the experiment deseritx'd on 

 page (iS of the A(jriciill iirol Xcirn, Mr. J. R. Bovoll, 

 tlie Superintendent of the Botanic Station, Barbados, 

 ftrwarded two more bmitdies (d' the C'hine.se or Dwarf 

 banana, to England by the R.M.S. Trcvt on Jidy 5. 

 The bananas were packed in crates and put up exactly 

 like those sent from the Canary Islands. Mr. Munro of 

 Covent Ciarden writes: ''i'ln' bunchi^s were in gowl 



condition and very well jiacked This varii^ty suits 



our London trade better than the coarser ones fron» 

 Jamaicji if they come in good condition : and by the 

 appearance of the fruit I think they will skinil the 



