104 



THE AGEICULTUEAL NEWS. 



Apkil 4, 1908. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 specimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for Copies of the ' Agricultural 

 News ' should be addressed to the Agents, and not to 

 the Department. 



Local Agents: Messrs. Bowen & Sons, Bridge- 

 town, Barbados. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau & 

 Co., 37, Soho Square, W., and The West India Com- 

 mittee, 15, Seething Lane, E.C. A complete list of 

 Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



The Agricultural Neivs: Price Id. per number, 

 post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 2s. 2d. Post free, 4s. 4cZ. 



Antigua Central Sugar Factory. 



In connexion with the Antigua Central Sugar 

 Factory, discussed in the last \fis-A\e oi xYm Agrlcidtii ral 

 Nen:<f. and the question of the relative return of sugar 

 obtained under the factory system, and by the musco- 

 vado method of manufacture respectively, it was 

 mentioned by Dr. Francis Watts at the late Agricultural 

 Conference, that the figures so far available indicate 

 that 17 tons of cane were required to yield a ton of 

 suwar on an Antigua muscovado estate, whereas, at the 

 factory a ton of sugar was obtained from 10,'; tons of 

 cane. As pointed out by Sir Daniel Morris in his 

 presidential address, this difference would indicate that 

 out of the (i,000 tons of sugar ci-ystals shipped from 

 Antigua, nearly 2,-500 tons represent the gain due to 

 improved methods of crushing and manufacture of 

 crystals. 



Ilgriciittiiral |linu!i 



Vol. VII. SATURDAY, APRIL i, 1908. No. 15.5. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial discusses the progress that has been 

 made of late years, in connexion with the provision and 

 use of school gardens, in the different West Indian 

 colonies. A revised edition of the pamphlet ' Hints 

 for School Gardens,' has just been issued by the 

 Imperial Department of Agriculture. 



Notes on the cane sugar industry in British Guiana, 

 Mexico, and Brazil appear on page 99. 



It is hoped that the West Indian colonies will 

 make a point of participating in the E.Khibition of 

 colonial fruit and vegetables that will be held in London 

 in November next (page 100). A brief article on the 

 manurial re(iuirements of pine-apples appears on the 

 same page. 



'I'he progress (jf the cotton industry in Montserrat 

 and the Virgin Islands is briefly reviewed on page l()-2. 

 Market prices for Sea Island cotton are pi'actically ;U 

 a standstill. 



Particulars in regard to the present condition of the 

 agricultural industries of St. Lucia, as well as those of 

 tihe Colombian republic, will be found on page 103. 



The concluding portion of Mr. Ma.wveil-Lefroy's 

 article dealing with remedies for insect pests is given 

 on page I0<). 



Agricultural Banks have lately been established 

 under Government auspices in Cape Colony. Natal, the 

 Transvaal, and in Western Australia (page 107). 



Rubber in Colombia. 



Extensive plantations of Castilloa rubber are 

 reported by the V. S. Consul at Cartagena to be in 

 coarse of formation in Colombia. At least l,(i00,000 

 trees have been planted in different river valleys, but 

 these are at present too young to have made much 

 return. At present the Colombian output of rubber 

 is chiefly from wild trees, and collected chiefly by Indians. 



Rubber planters do not seem too sanguine as to 

 prospective yields. One grower reported an annual 

 return of 1,121 th. of dried rubber from 14,1 -So trees, of 

 eight years old. The trees were carefully tapped, and 

 this yield would work out at no more than 4oz. of rubber 

 per tree per anninn. Other planters, basing their 

 expectations on wil<l rubber returns, assert that at 

 least 1 lb. of i-ubber per tree per year should be obtained. 



The total shipments of rubber from Cartao-ena in 

 l!)0(i were o.51,07() lb., and :iO()j;!)(i lb. in the fiTst nine 

 months of 1907. 



Propagation ot the Avocado by Budding. 



The avocado is of comparatively recent introduc- 

 tion into Florida, but experiments in the propagation 

 of this fruit by budding methods have been undertaken 

 at the Experiment Station of the State for some years 

 past. Success has attended these efforts, since a report 

 dealing with the work done states that frequently as 

 many as 7.5 per cent, of the buds have developed into 

 trees. The nielhod of budding is the same as that 

 ])ractised in the case of citrus fruits. Ft is recommeded, 

 however, that the buds used shotdd be rather larger 

 than ordinaiy citrus buds. They should preferably' be 

 1 inch in length, since small buds are frequently grown 

 over by vigorous stocks. For wrapping the buds, 

 waxed cloth is mentioned as giving better results than 

 string. By .adopting this method of budding, large, 

 unproductive avocado trees can be made to give "-ood 

 returns. The trees should be cut down wfthin 

 3 or 4 feet from the ground, and buds from a good 

 stock inserted on the shoots which soon make an 

 appearance. 



