312 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



OCTOBEK 3, 1908 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 Barbados. 



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^ijriciiltural |]inuH 



Vol. VIL SATURDAY, OC'TOHEl! 3, 1908. No. 168. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The value of keeping accurate records in conne.x- 

 ion with the various operations of estate work is 

 discussed in the editorial article of this issue, which 

 has been contributed by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G. 

 Ifc is shown that if the practice of keeping careful 

 records liecame more general many economies in estate 

 management would almost certainly result. 



Satisfactory returns were (Obtained as t\\r result of 

 growing English potatos on an experimental scale in 

 Montserrat l.ist year (page 307). 



Thi' cultivation of oranges and bananas is rapidly 

 developing, and giving good returns in the 'J'ampico 

 district of Mexico (page 30S). 



Various fodder crops have been experimentally 

 cultivated in the Philip])ines by the Bureau of Agri- 

 culture. A summary of a report on the relative value 

 of these crops appears on page 309. 



A condensed account of the proceedings of the 

 late Lancashire Cotton Conference will be found on 

 pp. 310-11, Ibllowed by a review of the market condi- 

 tions in regard to Sea Island cotton which prevailed 

 in th(' T^nitcil States during the past season. 



Under Insect. Notes (page 314) is given the first 

 portion of an article dealing with the characteristics 

 and life-history of the Diptera or two-winged flies, 

 with special reference to the species found in the 

 West Indies. 



Attention is drawn to two interesting articles on 

 page 31iS entitled respectively, 'The Fish of the Carib- 

 iean Seas,' and 'The Feeding Value of Nuts.' 



Cost of Sugar Production in Cuba. 



Some details as % the cost of sugar production in 

 Cuba are included in the latest report of the Secretary 

 of Agriculture for the island. On the average of five 

 years — which includes the plant cane crop and four 

 ratoon crops following^the average cost of preparation 

 ot the land, planting and cultivating each j-ear is about 

 ?15 00 per acre. Ovei- the same period the average yield 

 of cane is 23 tons per acre per annum. The annual 

 expense of reaping and transportation of the cane to the 

 factories amounts to about 822'00, so that the total cost 

 of planting, cultivating, an<l reaping works out at !?37-00 

 per acre, or very approximately ^ViQ per ton of cane. 

 The 'average return from 1 ton of cane is stated to be 

 200 ft. of sugar of !)(i' test. 



Coffee in Ceylon. 



A note in the latest report (1907) of the Curator 

 of the Koyal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Ceylon, 

 mentions that the ' Sierra Leone Upland C'ott'ee' (Cofea 

 stniapli i/lla) flourishes at the Gardens, the trees grow- 

 ing to a height of 22 feet and yielding a heavy^ crop of 

 berries, which however are small in size. The variety 

 IS but little attacked by the ' coffet' leaf disease ' 

 {Bemileld vastafri.r). ' Stenophylla ' coffee was intro- 

 duced into the West Indies from Kew about twelve 

 years ago, anil has done well at Trinidad and in British 

 Guiana. Trees of the variety are to be seen at all the 

 Botanic Stations in these islands, and doubtless supplies 

 of seed could be obtained at most of them. 



Of all the kinds of coffee grown at Peradeniva, the 

 Curator awards the first place to a hybrid produced 

 by a cross of the Liberian with the Arabian variety. 

 This is remarkable on account of its prodiictixeness and 

 healthy vigour The Congo coffee {Cnjf'ea ruliiista) is 

 not so satisfactory, and the results obtained do not 

 justify an extension of its cultivation. 



Agricultural Bank in the Philippines. 



An Agricultutal Bank has recently been establish- 

 ed in the Philippine Islands under Government 

 .uispices, with the object of assisting not only small 

 holders, but also agriculturists on a larger scale. The 

 Committee appointed to deal with the question has 

 recommended that a sum of £100,000 be set aside for 

 the foundation of the bank, which i< to be placed 

 under the management of a Board of Directors, com- 

 posed chiefly of representatives from various Govern- 

 ment Departments. • 



Jlnney can be borrowed tr(>in the b.uik for agri- 

 cultural [imposes only, as for the purchase of machiner}', 

 working anini.ils. manures ,ind seeds, etc, or for expen- 

 diture on irrigation, labour, etc. No loan is to be less 

 than £.'5 in amount, or more than £2,500, exc^ept in the 

 case of corporate bodies designing improvements on 

 a large scale, and agriculturists will not be alloweii to 

 borrow any sum which exceeds 40 per cent, of the value 

 of their holding. Ten years is the maximum period 

 for which a sum can be borrowed, ami the interest is not 

 to exceed lO'per cent, per annum. 



