Vol. I. No. 17. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



267 



Indian towns, to the gieat iniprovenient botli of jiulilic 

 liealth and comfort, and sucli woik should not be liard if 

 Major lios.s' experience were made u.se of. 



W EST IXDIA : Jno. X. Lii/htljottrn's Sons, New Yorh 

 <t- Luiuloti. 10 cents Bi-montlily. Annual subscription 

 70 cent.«, post free. 



The second number of this attractively produced 

 magazine is well up to the standard set in the first issue. 

 The contents are sufficiently varied to appeal to a large 

 circle of readers, comjirising agricultural to|jics, the Ihitish 

 Guiana Indians, the King's coronation, negro philoso]iliy, etc. 



In an article on the banana flour industry of .lamaica, 

 Mr. F. C. Sharp disjioses of the l>elief as to tlie enormous 

 amount of food produced per acre by the banana, and shows 

 it to be much less than yams, sweet potatos, tannias or 

 maize. 



Other papers of agricultural interest are those on 'The 

 sisal cleaning comi)an\',' 'Cane Farming in Trinidad,' 'Cotton 

 growing in the West Indies,' ' Sweet potatos,' ' Limes,' etc. 



The journal is well printed and well illustrated, and we 

 trust it may have a long and prosperous career. 



MOSQUITO BRIGADES A XB HOW TO OliOAX- 

 IZE THEM. By Ronald Ross, F.R.S, etc. Londun, 

 (J. Phillip and Son, ii2, Flext .■^treet, E.G. Price 3s. 



This little hand-book is the practical outcome of the 

 ■work conducted by Major Ross and many others with 

 moscpiitos, from the jioint of view of disease transmission. 

 Everyone is now familiar with the views of modern science 

 of the relation of the moscpiito to malaria in human beings, 

 though all do not yet believe it to be true. Few will be 

 aware that the destruction of mosquitos, and thus the 

 reduction of malaria has been reduced to a practical everyday 

 matter, requiring no special skill but merely energy and 

 common sense. To .sliow this is the object of j^lajor Ross' 

 book, which deals very simply and practically with all that 

 concerns mos(|uitos and their eradic.ition. 



The author devote-; the first si.x chapters to the habits 

 of nio.s(piito.s, their bleeding places and other inq>ortant 

 points. The next nine treat of the jiractical step.s, — methods 

 of raising funds and organizing gangs, interesting house- 

 holders and others in the work, and, generally, of caiiyiiig 

 on a campaign against mosquitos. A short summary, 

 followed by cautions and comparisons, and some very 

 jamgent remarks on sanitary and numicipal authorities, 

 doses the book proper. The appendix, forming nearly 

 half of the volume, contains reports of the various mosquito 

 campaigns in ditt'erent parts of the world. 



The book is practical, sensible and well written. There 

 is a common sense tone about it whicli may ai>iical more to 

 those who doubt than would a set scientific treatise. 

 Medical men may find useful information in these pages and 

 •we would commend it to the attention of those who act on 

 sanitary boards, vestries, etc., or who endeavour to sway 

 })ublic feeling through the press. There is no reason why 

 such mosquito campaigns should not be organized in all West 



THE XATURAL HISTORY OF PLAXTS. 



We have received from Messrs. Blackie it Sons, Parts 

 3 and 4 of tlieir reissue of Professor Kerner's delightful 

 work, a general review of which was given on page 203 of 

 this Journal. These two numbers are mainly devoted to 

 the work of leaves. The clever devices of many plants to 

 protect their young and delicate leaves from the sun and 

 wind are well described. Other interesting chaiiters show 

 how plants arrange their leaves .so as to be in the best 

 position for carrying on their functions, and the various 

 methods by which jilants jirotect them.selves from attacks of 

 animals. The work can be confidently recomniended to all 

 who take an interest in plant.s, and tliey will never regret 

 their purchase. The book will be complete in sixteen 

 monthly parts at Is. dJ. each. 



niRLIOaPAVHIA JAMAICEXSIS. By F. Frank 

 Cundall, F.S.A. 'The. Institute of Jamaicn, KuKjfton. 



This panijihlet of eighty-three pages, contains, as its sub- 

 title states, 'a list of .lamaica books and pamphlets, magazine 

 articles, newspapers and majis most of which are in the 

 library of the Institute of .lamaica.' The contents are 

 divided into groups. The enumeration of a few of these will 

 show the scope of the volume: — 'General Aspect-s of .lamaica 

 ' History', 'Natural History', 'Law and Politics,' 'Socicjlogy,' 

 ' Folk lore,' ' Education,' etc. To render the book more 

 generally useful a number of cross references are given. 



The list has been restricted to books or articles dealing 

 ■solely with .lamaica, and contains 1,109 references in all. It 

 should prove of great assistance to all interested in the past 

 and present condition of the Colony. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



Mr. G. Whitfield Smith, tho Travelling Superin- 

 tendent of the Imperial lX'i)artment of Agricnltiire, 

 returned to Barbado.s by the .s..s. Ori unco from Trinidad 

 and St. Vincent on November 80. He \vm\ been absent 

 from the Head Office since October 2,and;i.s previouisly 

 arranged had visited the Virgin Lslands, Montserrat, 

 Dominica, St. Lucia, (henadaand St. Vincent. In the 

 Viro-in Islands and JMontsenat Mr. Smith delivered 

 courses of lectures to the teachers of elementary schools, 

 and in addition inspected the Botanic Stations and 

 Agricultural Schools of the Department at each of the 

 islands visited. 



Mr. A. H. Kirby, B.A., of St. John's College, 

 Cambridge, Natural Science Honours, formerly Science 

 Master at King Edward VI School, Nuneaton, and at 

 pre.'ent Science Master at Wellington County School, 

 has been selected fijr the post of Agricultural and 

 Science Master at the Antigua Grammar School in 

 connexion with the Imperial Department of Agricul- 

 ture. 



