Vol. I. No. 10. 



THE AGFJCULTUEAL NEWS. 



1.51 



Bananas in the United States. 



A ivcciit nuiuber of the ottiri.il Crop Ri'poticr of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture gives an 

 interesting suuiniary of the banana trade of the States. 

 During the last thirty years the imports of bananas have 

 increased so rapidly that they are now the most impor- 

 tant single factor in the fresh fruit trade, export or 

 imp(jrt, of the country. The significance of this may be 

 realized by noting that the annual value of the bananas 

 im2)i>rted is about three times that of apples exporte.i. 



Tile United States is almost entirely dependent 

 on imports for its bananas. Southern Florida usually 

 presents favourable condition for their cultivation, as 

 instanced by its output of bananas being 32,000 

 bunches in 1889, increasing to (i7,000 bunches in LSU3. 

 In 18!J4 came the 'great freeze' and the output was 

 nil. From this blow the industry has been slow to 

 recover, the number of bunches produced by Florida in 

 ISyy being only 3,782. 



The principal sources of bananas for the States are 

 Central America and the West Indies. In 1900 Central 

 Ameiica sent to the States bananas to the value of 

 $2,340,000, the British West Indies .'ii;2.172,000, and 

 Cuba and Santo Domingo §^234,000. In addition 

 bananas to the value of $999,000 wei-e received from 

 Colombia, $96,179 from British Honluris, and 

 $36,000 from Hawaii. The total imports of bananas 

 into the United States in 1!)00 were approximately 

 of the value of ^6,000,000, or £1,2.50,000. 



. -^»-»- ■ 



Arbor Day. 



It is gratitying to find that active steps have been 

 taken to give practical effect to the suggestion made 

 in the A(/rieultanil A'eivs of establishing an Arbor 

 Day in the West Indies. 



At Trinidad Mr. J. H. Hart reports that a tree 

 was planted on Coronation Day (August 9) in the 

 Queen's Park Savannah by his Excellency the Acting 

 Governor, Sir C. C. Knollys, K.C.M.G. Mr. Hart 

 continues : ' It is to be hoped that this excellent 

 exam]>le will be followed in each subsequent year by 

 the people in general. The time of year is especially 

 suitable for planting purposes in Tiiiiidad and it 

 would be a great encouragement to cultivators were a 

 regular day set apart each year for the purpose of 

 planting trees. It is a practice which would tend 

 largely to the benefit of the community, and in which 

 the poor as well as the rich may share, and the ninth 

 of August each year might well be commemorated by 

 the planting of fruit, timber, or ornamental trees.' 



At (jrciKida his Excellency the Governor planted 

 a Genip Tree in the Anglican Churchyard, immetliately 

 after the Coronation Service, in the presence of a largo 

 number of the Officials and other residents of the 

 island. Mr. Broadway, the Curator, rep(jrts that in all 

 eighty-five trees were planted, some on July 2, the 

 remainder on August 9. In addition to the Genip, trees 

 were planted at the Botanic Station, Government 

 House, the Ballast Ground, the Presbyterian Church, 

 the Bower, St. Georges, the Wesleyan Church, the 

 Convent, the Market Square St. Georges, etc. 



At Tohiiga also, several trees were planted on June 

 26, and several further Coronation trees on August 9. 



Weeding. 



Ad\erting to the importance of weeding in the 

 cultivation of various crops, the Agricultural Instructor 

 of St. Lucia writes; — 



CoasiiL-riiig tint al> )ut fifty pjr c^iit. of thi expaiifliture 

 in all planting ventures is devoted to weeding, it is astonish- 

 ing how little (.-oinnient is ever given to tlii.s sulyect in 

 agricultui-al literature : how few proprietors or managers 

 possess any first-hand knowledge on this matter. The work 

 is generally relegated to tlie weeding overseer or ganger, 

 generally a man of few attainments : the manager can tell us 

 how much his weeding costs and there his knowledge ceases. 

 It is a common thing for the writer to visit two adjoining 

 estates where conditions are almost similar, and to ascertain 

 that the weeding on one estate costs double wliat it does on 

 the other. It is generally lark of jimjier economy in this 

 item that makes for failure, or absence of jirotit. This is a 

 large subject and cannot be fully treated here, but the 

 following advice may be a]>iiroj>riafe. Every manager (even 

 though he cannot do it continually) should find time for an 

 occasional day behind his weeding gangs. It is absolutely 

 imperative during rainy weather to limit the use of the hoe 

 as much as jiossible in favour of the cutlass, and to go back 

 over your weeding and turn all heaps of weeds (shaking 

 out all soil) within seven or ten days of weeding, choosing the 

 driest weather for this work. It is a case of 'a stitch in 

 time saving nine'. One shilling spent in turning weed heaps 

 will save nine shillings' worth of weeding. 



Snakes of Barbados. 



There are comjiaratively few rejjtiles existing in 

 Barbados, and it is possible that some of them will, if 

 they ha\e not already, soon disappear owing to the 

 introduction of the nK)ngoose. Two species of snakes 

 have been recorded. The larger one {Liiqihis po-fuH:- 

 cus) is known only from Barbados. It is singular that 

 it has been found nowhere else in the West Indies. 

 In the early days of the settlement of the island this 

 snake, though completely harmless, was troublesome 

 from its habit of crawling in through the windows of 

 the dairies and drinking the milk. At the present 

 day it is so scarce that few people have seen it. A 

 smaller snake (HtcimMuma bUineatum) called the 

 ' seven-year snake,' because he or she who kille<l one 

 was supposed to obtain remission of sins for a like 

 period is still more rare. It is said to occur at 

 Martinique and Guadeloupe. It would be interesting 

 to learn whether either of these two harmless and 

 interesting rej)tiles of Barbados have been seen in any 

 part of the island within the last year or two. 



Old Tree Stumps. 



To remove old stumps, a corresjiondent to the Country 

 Genthinan gives the following : — ' Get a 2-inch iron i)ipe, 

 8 ft. long ; have a steel jioint welded into one end of it. 

 With a sledge hammer drive this under the stunq) as far as 

 may be neces-sary. Drop half a stick of dynamite into the 

 hole thus made, and tramp earth upon it until the hole is 

 filled, then light the fuse. The stump will be lifted entirely 

 out of the ground with no earth adhering to it, so that it 

 may be burned the next day.' 



