17-2 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May 30, 1908. 



GLEANINGS. 



Mr. H. H. Cousin.-, M.A., has been appointed Director 

 of Agriculture and Island t'heniist of .lamaica, at a .salary of 

 £(^50 per annum with official residence. 



The Londmi J'r<ti/ui-i Marktls Hi-p'icic estimates a 

 .shortage of 5:10,000 tons of sugar on the cane crop of the 

 world for 1 907-8. 



The first .shipment of hananas, eomjirising about 2,."')00 

 hunche.s, was recently made from Dutch Guiana to \e\\ 

 York by the lioyal Dutch West India Mail line. 



Dr. K. H. Lock, of the I'niver.sity of Cambridge, has 

 been appointed Assistant Director of the Royal Botanic 

 Garden.s, Peradeniya, Ceylon. 



Although it is not yet possible to give complete figures 

 .showing the cotton ex|jorts from St. Vincent for 1907-8, the 

 total crop of the season is estimated at 43l',000 tt). 



A valuable and well-illustrated series of articles, entitled 

 ' The Mannfactitre of Sugar from the Sugar-cane,' is now 

 a])pearing in the IIV.'.-^ Ii>dla Cotitnnlti'i' CirniJar. The first 

 article was publi>licd in the ('liruhir of March .3 last. 



The Jfiurnid of the .Jamaica Agricadtural Society (Maich 

 1908) recommends a nii.xtuic of i parts lard, 1 part kerosene, 

 and 1 part flowers of suliiliui-, as being most u.seful for the 

 ])in-pose of destroying parasitic insects on sitting hens. The 

 materials slioidd be made into a )iaste, and i-ubl)ed on those 

 l>artsiifthe hen's licdy wliii-h are attackrd by tlir insects. 



In Ins address al the opening of the present .se.ssion of 

 the Condiincd Cnurt of Britisli Guiana, the Governor of the 

 colony referred t.p the increased activity shown of late in the 

 collection (if balata. Whiie the quantity exported in HlO.'i-fi 

 was (;50,000 It)., the shipments for 1907-8 were estimated to 

 reach at least 9.^0.000 lb. 



The dis|i(i.sal of tiie ]iresent sea.son's crop of colton seed 

 al St. Crni.x formed the subject of a note in the Aiiririilfin-'jl 

 Kcirx of May 2 (Vol. \\]. p. 110). In tiiis connexion we are 

 iiuthorized by .\Ie.ssr-. II. K. Thorne A- Son, Ltd., of Barba- 

 dos, to state that tlu'y will be plea.sed to pitichase cotton seed 

 from St. C'rf)ix growers who have supplies for disposal. 



'I'lie prospects of eotfee planting have of late yeai's rapidly 

 improved in Mexico. .Nbuhrii methods of curing the beans 

 have been adopted on all the larger plantation.s, and it is 

 estimated that the coflco exports for 1907-8 will reach 

 r)0,000,000 lb. Reports from the coffee districts, received 

 .some montlis ago, state that there was every prospect of an 

 excellent crop. (f. .S. Coiixii/ar Hi/Mfs.) 



A contagious disease affecting mules and horses, and 

 known as epizootic lymphangitis, is officially reported as 

 having lieen just discovered among a batch of mules recentlj' 

 imported into British Guiana from the United States. The 

 affected animals have^ been isolated, and it is stated that 

 every precaution is being taken to prevent the spread of 

 the disease. 



Mr. .Jones reports that a plant of Baiki'n hisii/nis^ 

 received in 190-'5 from the Royal Garden.s, Kew, has recently 

 flowered at the Botanic Station, Dominica. This is a striking 

 species of the Legnniinosae, a native of tropical Africa, and 

 its flowering at Dominica is an event of some interest. The 

 petals are long, strap-shaped, and beautifully white, unlike 

 any other member of the pea family. 



The .spread of the ]>rickly pear {Oj'Witid spp.) is 

 a .source of anxiety in South Africa and Australia, but from 

 particidars given in a recent bulletin of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry (U.S. Department of Agriculture) it appears that 

 the plant is largely grown in Mexico for the sake of its 

 edible fruits. Different plants vary somewhat in character- 

 istics, and it is thought that by selection, a good deal might 

 be done to render the plant more u.seful for food purposes. 



The I'nited States Consul at A'alcncia, Spain, reports 

 great depression in the Spanish orange-growing industry. 

 Growers have l;)een forced to sell their fruit at prices which, 

 after deducting [jacking expenses, freight, etc., leave practi- 

 cally no profit whatever. It is stated that .lamaica and 

 .laffa oranges are more popular than Valencias on the British 

 market, and Spani.sh oranges are unable to compete with the 

 nii>re favoured varieties. 



A bulletin giving particulars of work with sugar-cane 

 •seedlings at the Harvard Botanii^al Gardens, Cuba, was lately 

 issued, and it is stated that the Barbados seedling B. 109 

 has given good results when crossed with Cuban canes. The 

 I lenierara seedling D. 95 is also reported to have given 

 excellent results in this way. I). 9."), it may be mentioned too, 

 gained a very higii position in trials with sugar-cane seedlings 

 carried out at the Hawaiian Sugar I'l. inters' Experiment 

 Station. 



Many varieties of chillies (Cnpniciiiii mi inniui) arc grown 

 in Koumania. The young |)lants (raised in seed-beds) are set 

 out on light soil, in warm position.s, at distances of from lOto 

 18 inches apart. With the exception of abundant ai>plica- 

 lions of v.ater (wliich have a great influence on the yield of 

 fruit) and occasional hoeings, the crop receives little attention. 

 The chillies are very popular with the Rouniaiuan.s, being 

 eaten in tiie green state and as .salad.s, as well as cooked, and 

 as condimenis with meat. 



In connexion with the various articles on the cultivation 

 of ground nuts that have lately aplieared in the A;irii-iiltural 

 Xi'ii's, it may be mentioned tiiat these nuts and their 

 ])roducts have many uses. In the I'nited States enormous 

 quantities of ground nuts are u.sed for confectionary pur|)0ses. 

 (iround nut oil is a valuable product and the ciiief substitute 

 for olive oil. The best grade is used tor culinary purposes, 

 while lo\ver grades are used in soap manufacture, for 

 lubricating and illnminant purposes. The cake left after 

 tlie <'\|ire.ssion of the oil is a valualile stock food. 



