376 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November 28, 1908. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 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. Bow en & Sons, Bridge- 

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 Agents will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



The Agricultural News: Price Id. per number, 

 post free 2d. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

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grifiiltiiral fleiufi 



J 



Vol VII. SATURDAY, NOVEMBEK -JS, 1908. No. 17l'. 



NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The methods adopted in testing agricultural seeds 

 for genuineness, purity, and germinaiing power are 

 liescribed in the editorial. 



In trials with seedling c^mes on Jamaica estates, 

 B. 208 has proved especially satisfactory. B. 147 and 

 D. 95 have also done well, particularly on soils of 

 a certain character. The sugar industry in N.-ital is 

 becoming of increasing importance (p^tge 371). 



Experiments carried out in the Hawaiian Islands 

 indicate that not only pine-apples and bananas, but 

 also avocado pears, papaws, mangos. et(-., cati, under 

 suitable conditions, be satisfuctorih- shipped to the 

 United States (page 372). 



An article summarizing the chief points in regard 

 to the African ()il Palm and its products is given on 

 page 373. Another article, dealing with the ' mahog- 

 anies ' of conniierce, appears on jiage 3.S2. 



Cotton Notes (page 374) include market reports, 

 a reprint of the chief points in the report for the past 

 year of the Barbados Cotton Factoiy, and ;i brief .-irticle 

 on Cotton (Jradinsf. 



Interesting note.s on the use of cowpens and velvet 

 beans for green manuring, and the methods of cultiva- 

 tion of these crops, will be founrl on page 37.5. 



Under Insect Notes (page 378) two articles appear, 

 which deal respectively with white ants antl with cattle 

 ticks. 



Cyanogenetic Glucosides in Plants. 



The experiments in progress at the Agricultural 

 Research Institute, Pusa, India, include the cultivation, 

 under varying conditions, of a number of kinds of plants 

 known to form cyanogenetic glucosides in considerable 

 amount at certain stages of growth, with the object of 

 discovering the conditions, which control or iiiHuence 

 the quantity of glucoside formed by the plant. Cvano- 

 genetic glucosides are compounds which under suitable 

 conditions undergo a change that results in the produc- 

 tion of prussic acid. Such compounds exist in small 

 <|uantity in numbers of plants, and reference ha.s 

 frequently been nicde in past luimbers of the Agri- 

 rulfural Xcii-x to the presence of a prussic acid produc- 

 ing glucoside in immature sorghum, and it is for this 

 reason that the consumption of green sorghum by cattle 

 has sometimes been attended with fatal results. 



The experiments at Pusa have led to the conclu- 

 sion that the formation of the c3-anogenetic glucoside 

 in a given variety of plants is not a distinct feature of 

 the variety, for instances of the same variety forming 

 much glucoside, or none at all, respectively, under iliflei- 

 ent conditions have been met with. It is hoped that 

 by carefully controlling the conditions of gi-owih, the 

 cause of formation of the glucoside may be isolated. 

 ])r. Leather states that the woi'k, so far, has been 

 attended with a certain measure of success. 



Agriculture in British Guiana. 



Some interesting items of information are given in 

 the section relating to Agricultuie of the British 

 Guiana Blue Book for 1907-8. 



The area under sugar-cane cultivation in the 

 colony is 77.9G7 acres, this being slightly less than the 

 sugar acreage of last year. The total area under crops 

 other that! sugar-cane, (including 3,838 acres on sugar 

 plantations) is ()2,271 acres. Of this, rice is planted 

 on 29,624 acres. It is seen, therefore, that the whole 

 of the cultivated land in British Guiana is no more than 

 140.2.'>S acies. Theie are forty-seven estates on whieli 

 sugar is manufactured. The area devoted to farmer- 

 grown cMiie is increasing; in December last it w.is 

 estimated at 2,-500 acres. The cacao, coflf'ee, cocoa-nut, 

 and jilantain estates number .about seventy-one, the 

 areas denoted to the first three of these crops being 

 l,7(jl, 991, and 7,022 acres respectively. JIaize, bananas, 

 j)lan!ains, and ground provisions Jiccount for 13,32(3 

 acres, while the total area so far granted for lubber 

 cultivation amounts to 4,000 acres. About eighty-five 

 cattle farms also exist in British Gui.ina. 



Details are given as to I'ate of w.iges for agri- 

 cultural work ill the colony. Cane-cutteis earn from 

 l,s\ (i'Z. to 3s. (i(/. per day, this work being alw.iys done 

 by task. Industrious lihieks and coolies prefer tusk 

 work to d:iy work on estates, and as shovel-men or 

 suppliers they earn from l.s. to 2s. )>er day. .-uhI as 

 weeders from 10'/. to l.s. (j*/. per day. The siig.ir manu- 

 facture work is princiiially done by East Indians. Cane 

 throwers earn from l.s. 2(/. to Is. ,S(/, firemen and sugar 

 curers from l.s. 4(/. to 2s. tj'/., and lieail clarifiers from 

 2s. to 2.S. ()■/. per day. 



