178 



througt a hermaplirodite stage in common, according to some authors, 

 with most animals." That the " parasol ant" has the power of arrang- 

 ino- what sex its young shall be and also what form they shall assume, 

 has been fairly proved by observations taken at the Botanic Gardens. 

 It has also been stated in Cape Agricultural Journal, November 28, 

 1895, that by adopting certain measures and matching males of certain 

 ages with females of certain ages, combined with an abundant supply 

 of food, a majority of ewe lambs can be confidently relied on ; while 

 opposite measures produce a large percentage of males. This progress 

 in the knowledge of the primary form of life has been so rapid of 

 late years, that a relation of it to the unstudied, seems to them 

 like a chapter out of the "Arabian Nights" or some wonderful and 

 mysterious book. By the general public scientific facts are rarely 

 understood until they affect the political or domestic economy of a 

 people, and then their eyes are opened and wonder expressed why 

 they were not able to discover such apparently simple things them- 

 selves. However there is no doubt that an advance has been made in 

 determining the causes of the variation in sex, and although as yet 

 there is no apparent certainty there is that which leads to the inference 

 that the further development of methods of study will reveal more of 

 that which is even yet, a somewhat hidden page . 



190.— ONIONS— ^?^»w»i Cepa., Linn. 



Spasmodic attempts are at times made by local publications to 

 induce the planters of the various islands to undertake the growth of 

 Onions. 



From several of the Islands we frequently see records of the growth 

 of onions ; Mr. Hobby-horse is related to have produced one actually 

 four ounces in weight, Mr. High -success grew two, which between 

 them weighed three quarters of a pound, and so on ; but few or none 

 of them have told of the expense of sowing, growing, reaping or the 

 weight and full value of the entire crop grown. The want of the 

 latter information, together Avith a credit and debit account is what is 

 reqriired to show whether it is advisable to continue the efforts to 



grow onions. 



It may be mentioned that the writer's first attempt in the "West 

 Indies was made over twenty years ago, and our advice on the subject 

 to those seeking it, has ever since been as follows : — 



While readily admitting that onions could at times be grown of 



