344 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



XOVKMBKI; 1, iai9. 



EDITORIAL 



Hbad Office 



NOTICES. 



— Barbados. 



Letters and matter for publication, aa well as all 

 specimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 (Jomrnissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All iipplications for copies oi the 'Agricultural 

 Sews' and other Departmental publications, should be 

 addressed to the Agents, and not to the Department. 



The complete list of Agents will be found on 

 page 4 of the cover. 



Imperial Commissioner of Sir Francis Watts, K.C.M.G., 



Agrv-^dtureforthe West Indies D.Sc, F.I.C., F.C.S. 

 SCIENTIFIC STAFF. 



West Indian Imports of Chemical Manures. 



Reference to the Blue-books of the different West 

 Indian colonies will provide interesting information 

 concerning the quantity and valuo of the imports of 

 chemical manures into the West Indies during recent 

 years. Here are figures for British Guiaua : — 



Year. Amount, Value, 



tons. S. 



1!)1.5 18,822 746,035 



191(> 14()61 935,7.53 



1918 7,428 1,028.(333 



Thus approximately half the ijuantity was worth 

 double the value in 1918 as compared with 1915. 



In regard to Barbados, in 1917 there were imported 

 822 tons of nitrate of soda valued at !?47,347, and 

 4,804 tons of sulphate of ammonia valued at S4Gl,-2(i5, 

 About 400 tons of the sulphate of ammonia was 

 re-exported. 



Scienfi/ic Assistant and 



Assistant Editor 

 Bi'i''mologist 

 My.nlogist 

 Assista^it for Cnttou Resean-.h 



Chief CUrk 



OlenV'ii Assistants 



Typist 

 AisistaiU Typist 



W. R. Dunlop. 



H. A. Ballou, M.Sc. 



W. Nowell. D.I.C. 



.S. C. IlarlaiKl, B.Sc.+ 



OLERrCAL STAFF. 



A. G. Howell. 

 fh. A. Corbin. 

 \ P. Taylor. 

 [K. R. C. Foster. 

 Miss B. Robinson. 

 Mi.ss W. Ellis. 



Attistant for Publications 



A. B. Price. Fell. Joum. Inst. 

 ^Provided hy the Imperial Deparlmeid of Scientific and 

 Industrial Research, 



^griculiurat fleiufi 



Vol. XVIII SATURDAY, NOVEMBlill 1, 1919. Xo. 457. 

 ' NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this numlx^r deals with various 

 aspects of the labour-supply problem in certain tropical 

 colonies. 



The reasons why white plantation cane sugar 

 is objected to by preserve manufacturers are explained 

 in an article on pages 338 and 339. 



Important results concerning the relation of the 

 Mahoe Cochon tree to the cotton stainer in St. Vincent 

 will be found on jiage 341. 



An article on the cultivation of the coco-nut in 

 India appears on page 342. 



Insect Notes in r.his issue review work done 

 recently on the insect pests of crops in Brjtieh ('Jniana. 



The World Cotton Conference. 



This Conference, it is understood, was held last 

 month (October) at New Orleans, and the publication 

 of its proceedings will be awaited with interest. 



Sir Charles Macara, in an open letr.er to its 

 President (Mr. James R. MacCoie) and members, refeis 

 to certain general matters affecting labour and prices, 

 of great international importance. This letter was 

 freely cii'culated at the recent meeting of the British 

 Association for the aivancement ot Science, held aD 

 Bournemouth, England, and some of the points m.ay 

 be noted here. 



.Sir Charles Macara has held many prominent 

 international positions in regard to cotton, and he 

 expresses regret at being unable to accept the 

 invitation to be present at the New ( )rleans confer- 

 ence. 



In regard to present '•er.si(,.s' pre-war prices, Sir 

 Charles sue^ests that some of the questions for con- 

 sideration arc the following : How has the increase 

 in ante-war prices been brought about .' How much 

 of the increase is due to the enhanced cost of labour 

 and the other factors that enter into the production 

 of cotton, as well as to the incrcxsed transport and 

 other changes ^ And, most imporcant of it all, how 

 much of it is due to the manipulation of gamblers, who 

 play no useful part in the carrying on of the industry, 

 but are, an the contrary, a continual source of anxiety 

 to everyone legitimately engaged in it :' 



Sir (vhailes also refeis to the need of sustained 

 effoits to secure reform, particularly in regard to the 

 transport of cotton. Concerning the well-being of 

 workers and the reconciliation of capital and labour 

 generally, he calls attention to the need in great 

 Brit.iin of an Industrial Council such us was appointed 

 in llM 1. < )n this Council capital and labour were equally 

 represented and connected with all the staple industries 

 of the country. H.ad this Council been used since th<> 

 wiir, problems of capital and labour would have been 

 tackled much more effectively than has been the case 

 HO far. 



