Vol. I. No. 11. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



165 



tLtn liberally .swathe them in dry Iianana trash. Be most 

 careful to i>revent the fruit from rubbing against the wood 

 framing of tlie crate. Do not cram your fruit into the 

 crates. Be satisfied to pack eight pines safely rather than 

 ten which may arrive damaged and worthle.ss. (4) Never 

 Le tempted to use anything else but a-ates, or, in winter, 

 closed cases. Pines in barrels are a byword in Covent 

 C'arden market. A jilanter friend in Antigna, wlio has 

 rtcently been in corresiiondence with me on the subject of 

 ]iines whicli lie sent to London a few week.s ago, ])acked, 

 ujion my recommendation, in cnitcx, realized 3.s. 3(/. jier fruit. 

 The j)ines that were shiiii)ed in barrels by the same steamer, 

 fetched 2\</. It is, however, only fair to say that tlie fruit 

 sent in barrels were of the ordinary Antigua variety while 

 tho.'-e sliipped in crates were 'iSmootli Cayenne' and other 

 si)ecially fine kinds. The standard crates used by Florida 

 pine-growers measure 10 by 12 by 36 inches. "^'he 

 materials in the ' fiat ' can be ol)tained through ilessrs. 

 "We.ssels & Co., Fruit Brokers of 248 Washington Street, 

 New York. They cost from 10(/. to Is. 2<L each (according 

 to quantity) landed in Dominica. (.5) If possible, get early 

 or late fruit. Pines are cheajiest in London during June, 

 July aid August. During the winter they realize great 

 jirices. 



BRITISH GUIANA. 



Wealth of the Hinterland. 



In a leading article entitlcil TItr Uiifuhl Wealth 

 of the Hinterland, the Demerara Anjoxij of August 

 13, in reviewing a Report b}' Mr. Michael McTurk, 

 C.M.G., the Commissioner of the Essequebo and 

 Pomeroon Rivers District, for 1001-2, di.seus.ses several 

 interesting jjoints connected with the future develop- 

 ment of the interior lands of the Colony. The following 

 extracts are worthy of being placed on record: — 



' There are not a few pe.ssimists in tlie Colony who 

 lave nothing but mournful forebodings of the future of tliis 

 land of ours ; of these ilr. JIcTurk, is not one. Buoyant, 

 hopeful, ever looking on the bright side of things without 

 being unduly optimistic, the Connnissioner of Esseijuebo and 

 Pomeroon Rivers District has done a great deal to direct 

 attention to the vast resources of the interior, and to stir upi 

 interest in the vast uncultivated and, for a great i)art, 

 une.xiilored Hinterland which, according to him, is a 

 ■veritable land of 0[ihir, if it do not actually contain that 



H Dorado for whicli so many have searched in vain 



Mr. ]\IcTurk does not speak rashly when he thus dilates on 

 the riches of the interior ; and in the course of his rei)ort, he 

 takes the ojiportunity of reminding Press critics and others 

 that in the past he was the first to discover tlie diamond fields 

 of the ilazaruDi though his statements were not altogether 



accepted with credence Regarding the gold 



industry, the Commissioner remarks that the Omai is the 

 only company in his district that is developing its properties 

 on modern lines, and they deserve every credit and encourage- 

 ment as the pioneers of an expensive experiment. The 

 rejiort also deals with the neglect of the india-rubber 

 indnstry. Although there are several varieties of trees 

 liroducing india-rubber indigenous to the Colony, Mr. McTurk 

 is not aware of a single instance in which an attempt 

 Las been made to collect it in quantities Letter- 

 wood, one of the most valuable of varieties known, 

 ■R'hich is sold liy weiglit instead of liy measure is to be 



found in large quantities. It is gathered, not liy people 

 of this Colony be it noted, but in considerable ipiantities 

 by the Brazilians from the Canaku mountains, within the 

 colonial limits, and taken down the Takuta and Rio Branco 



for exportation Mr. !McTurk makes some imngent 



remarks on the neglect of the timber trade. " I do not think," 

 he says, " tliat in any part of the world there is a greater 

 variety of tinilier than in this colony. When jirojierly selected, 

 and free of sap, its durability is unim})eaehable, and its 

 beauty for cabinet work is recognized. Still, this only 

 applies to such kinds as are in general use. Many of those 

 that are both handsome and durable await recognition. Some 

 feeble atteinjits have been made, I know, to introduce other 

 than the general used woods, but unsuccessfully. ... A tree 

 is cut down and s(juared and is often on the sawpit a week 

 or a month after it has been cut down ; no time is allowed 

 for seasoning in its log form, and this ei]ually apjilies after 

 it has been sawn into boards. If this wood (as it usually is) 

 is taken and used in this state, I think there is little cause 



for wonder that it [irovcs unsatisfjictory" There are 



many other valuable hints and suggestions in the report — 

 a rejiort of a diflerent type from the dry-as-dust ones, the 

 jiroductions of some other departments - and business men 

 will do well to iicru.se it.' 



PRODUCTION OF BEES-WAX. 



Mr. George S. Hudson, the Agricultural Instructor 

 of St. Lucia writes : — Mu.scovado Sugar can now be pur- 

 chased throughout the West Indies in wholesale quantities 

 at from 3.«. to 4.<. ]ier cwt. Bees- wax is worth about 

 £8. 0. 0. per cwt. I supjiose the honey flow in the 

 West Indies does not exceeed four months a year in the 

 most favoured localities, and in most places much less. 

 How would it pay to work for wax production by keeping 

 a ' feeder' in each hive with either dry sugar or .sj'ruj) or 

 molasses nearly all the year round, making the honey 

 jirixluced (which woidd naturally be execrable) a by-product, 

 and wax the main [iroduct ? This is a matter in which I doubt 

 whether American exi>erience can help much, but I think 

 some Jamaican bee-kee]iers could tell us something about 

 this. It should not be very difticult to ascertain precisely 

 the feeding value of 1 cwt. sugar to bees in wax and honey 

 jiroduction, in the same way that the feeding value of fod<ler 

 to cattle is found. 



[ilr. Hudson's suggestion seems a good one, but there 

 is a slight doubt whether feeding the bees to such an extent 

 would not incite ' swarming.' He would, of course, have to 

 use the extractor anil feed back the 'honey-.syrup.' It is 

 said that it takes about 101b. of sugar to make 1 lb. of 

 bees-wax. It would lie a great boon to West Indian bee- 

 keejiers if the method should jirove successful, as they could 

 inqiort the Indian liees, spoken of in the Dejiartment 

 jiamphlet Beekeepimj in the West Indies, p. 13, for the 

 [)uri)0se. — [Ed. .4. A'.] 



The Lime Industry of Antigua. 



Efforts are being made to encourage the lime industry 

 in Antigua. Last season 36 barrels of limes, 98 casks of lime 

 juice and 4 casks of concentrated juice were shiiiped. The 

 Butanic Station has received orders for 10,000 plants for 

 next sea.son's planting. 



