300 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Septembkr 19, 1908. 



GLEANINGS. 



A new .sluii intemU'cl for the J;uiiiiu-a banana trade, and 

 wipable of trans|)orting ()0,0()0 fmnches of bananas, is being 

 built at Glasgow for .Messrs. Kldeis i^- Fytfes, Ltd. 



The iJepartnient of Seience and Agrieilltuie of iiriti-sh 

 (luiana distributed 7,000 II). of seed-jiaddy of good varieties, 

 free of charge, to bona fide cultivators of rice in the colony, 

 <luring the period fi-oni October I, 1907, to March ."51, 190S. 



There were shij)ped from Trinidad by the li.M.S. 'Tagus,' 

 whii'h left foi- Southanqilou on September 7, 314 bags of 

 copra, 41 bags of cacao, 400 bags f)f cocoa-nuts, and 3,2r)'J 

 l)unchos of bananas, all the produce of the island. 



lieports from St. Croix state that cotton culti\atious in 

 the island are looking very jHoniising. Planters are evidently 

 giving a good deal of attention to the crop, since the fields 

 are reported to be free from weeds, the soil will cultiMiteil, 

 iind the cotton plants in a vigorous condition. 



I'",ighteen samples ol rnljber and balata have been for- 

 Avarded from Ihitish (iniaua to the International Ivubber 

 l<',xliibition that is being held this month in London. The 

 rubber is for the most part from trees of the native SapiiiiK 

 .Icninaii) species, and has lieen sent in biscuit, ball, and block 

 forms. 



The correspondent of the British l>oard of Trade at 

 Durban, Natal, reports that a factory for the manufacture of 

 .starch from sweet potatos has been erected near that city. 

 Tills factory is cajiable of a daily output of 3 tons of starcii 

 from 12 tons of sweet |)otatiis. The pulp remaining is fed 

 to cattle. 



In order to advei'tise l)i>nnnic-a limes in I'aigland, the 

 Permanent Exhibition Comnuttee of the island are forward- 

 ing by the lioyal JIail steameis each fortnight, a crate of 

 green limes, consigned to .Mr. .\. V.. .\s|)inall. Secretary of the 

 West India Committee, wlio will distribute the fruit in 

 .suitable quarters. A sum of £15 has also been forwarded to 

 !Mr. Aspinall, to be spent in advertising the fruit. 



I'.ee keeiiing is carried on with great success at the 

 Industrial School, Onilcrneeming, British Guiana. During 

 the year 1907-8, the amount of honey extracted from eleven 

 hives was 1,147 1b., as compared with 1,075 lb. yielded 

 by the same hives in 1 900 7. The honey was sold for 

 !'?177"76, and as the expenses are small, the industry is 

 lelnunerative. 



The coffee exports froni lUazil for 1907 exceeded those 

 tor 1906 by some 1;714,37l' bags, or in value by £902,840, 

 the actual figures; being 15,680,172 bag.s, valued at 

 £28,559,063, as compared with 13,965,800 bags, valued at 

 £27,615,883, in 1906. 



The sugar-cane crop of JIadeira for the year 1907 was 

 the largest on recor(jl. It represented a sugar yield of 45,000 

 ton.'j, having a value of £170,000, as against 33,000 tons, with 

 a value of £125,000, produced in 1906. The amount of 

 sugar actually [)roduced in 1907 however, was only 21,000 

 tons, the remainder of the canes being utilized in the 

 manufacture of cane brandy. (P>ritish Coiimiliir Jicpart.) 



Kxperiments carried out by the Director of Agriculture, 

 Madagascar, to test the most favourable position in which 

 cocoa-nuts .should be planted in order to ensure germination, 

 showed that the best results were obtained when the nuts 

 Were planted horizontally, or with the {lointed entl turned 

 slightly downwards. The most unsuccessful results w'er.e- 

 given when the nuts were planted vertically with the points 

 either upwards or downwards. 



Cane planting for the 1909-10 crop is now in progress 

 on Trinidad sugar estates, and the Pait of-Sjiitl)i Gazette 

 reports that a ct)usiderable area was completed during the- 

 fortnight ending Septcmlier 5. In certain parts of the south, 

 estate owners complain of the dirticnlly of finding sufficient 

 labour for their estates, and in these districts, as in British 

 (iuiaua, the labour difficulty is in large jiart attributed to the 

 increased attention given to ric^e growing by the East Indians. 



L 



The soil and c'limate of the French colony nf the Society 

 lands are eminently suited to the production of vanilla of 

 high grade, and in 190" this product was exported to the 

 value of £28,257, as comi)ared with £21,659 in the [irevious 

 year. Very little attention is given to the industry, however, 

 and the vines grown are of an inferior variety. The curing 

 process is carried out chiefly by Chinese .shop-keepers, who 

 export the produce to San Francisco. 



A l)e|)artmental Committee appointed to emjuire into 

 the condition of agricultural education in England and Wales 

 has lately issued its report. One of the .sections of this 

 report draws attention to the fact that for the proper 

 development of British tropical and suV)-tropical colonies,, 

 a number ot agricultural exfierts ;ire retjuired, and it is pointed 

 f)Ut that the establishment of a Headership or Lectureship in 

 'I'ropical Agriculture at one or more of the British Universi- 

 ties would greatly aid in the provision of .suitable nuMi. 



Notice has been given by the Hoyal .Mail Steam Packet 

 Company that it intends to remove the coasting steamer 

 ' Yare ' from Dominica, since the ve.ssel does not pay working 

 uxpen.ses. At a late meeting of the Dominica Agricultural and 

 Commercial Society the o|)inion was strongly expre.ssed that 

 the removal of the steamer would be a great .set-back to many 

 industries and enterpri.ses lately started in the island, and 

 a resolution was unanimously passed, urging the (iovernnient 

 to increa.se the subsidy at present given, if necessary, in order 

 to ensure the running of a pa.ssenger and cargo steamer along, 

 the coasts of the island. 



