3S0 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



NovjiMBEE 28, 1908.. 



GLEANINGS. 



The Agiicultural Listructor at Nevis repnrts tliat lieuvy 

 rains were experieiieed over the island on November I. From 

 '25 to 6 inches of rain fell in different parts. 



Tlie United States Consul at Calcutta in a recent report 

 comments upon the increasing cultivation of ground nuts in 

 Rurnia. The area devoted to this crop in 1903 wa.s no more 

 than 3,800 acre.s, but in 1907 it had increased to 80,000 acres. 



The export of kola nuts from the Gold Coast of Africa 

 increii-sed in value from £73,632 in 1906 to £78,901 in 

 1907, while the shipments of copra have similarly advanced 

 from a value of £4,290 in 1906 to £G,18(i in 1907. 



The total rainfall at St. Lucia during 1907 was 71-33 

 inches, this being 10"51 inches below the fall of 1906. Rain 

 fell in the island on no less than 27o days. The niaximnni 

 rain on any one day was 198 inches on October 19 



The fourth annual side of live stm-k was held at the 

 (iovernment Stock Farm, 'iVibago, on November 2.5. The 

 li^t of animals offered for sale comprised fifty-six lots, includ- 

 ing a number of half-bred Zebu cows and heifer.s, three btdls, 

 four calve.s, together with pigs and poultry of various breeds. 



For the year ending ilarch 31, 190S, the exports of live 

 .stock from British ( iuiaua were as follows : 1,438 horned cat- 

 tle valued at £'),()22 10.v. : 772 pigs valued at £587 4.s-. ; 

 49 donkeys valued at £90 ; 201 goats valued at £78 6.'!. ; 

 160 sheep valued at £75 : 2 horses valued at £'it<, together 

 with poultry to the value of £129. 



The cultivation of bananas iu I'^gypt has been attended 

 with success, and yet, notwithstanding this fact, the fruit 

 is annually imported to the value of £13,000. The Egyptian 

 (government, through the .Agricultural Society, is endeavour- 

 ing to remedy this state of affairs, by the propagation of 

 large quantities of banana ])lants for the supply hf cultivators 

 anxious to start plantations. (British ('ninoihir Rcjioft.) 



With the objei-l of securing leliable information as lotlie 

 |iossibilities of agricultural develop^iient in Mexico, the 

 tiovernment of that country commissioned a foreign expert to 

 investigate agricultural conditions in various tropical and sub- 

 tropical countries. According to the latest rc|)ort of the 

 l')riti.-h Consul-deneral at Mexico City, this exjjert has 

 recently returned, and now advises tlie (ioverumeut to 

 establish a Mexican Department of Agriculture. He urges 

 that Mexico has special advantages for the gmwing of tea, 

 «acao, rice, and fruit of many kinds. 



An official return issued on October 2 last, by the Cuban 

 llepartinent of Agriculture places the total 1907-S sugar crop- 

 i>f L'uba at 985,711 tons as crmipareil with 1,452,049 tons iu 

 1906-7. The number of mills working iu 1907-8 was 168, 

 while 184 were in operation in the previous year. While the 

 tntal weight of cane ground was 15,431,180 tons in 1906-7, 

 it was no ninre than 10,198,965 tons in 1907-8. 



For the encouragement of school gardens in Jamaica 

 the Governor of the colony has sanctioned the award of 

 a number of prizes to be made at the end of the present year. 

 These awards consist of seven first prizes of £5 and seven 

 second prizes of £2, a first and second prize respectively to- 

 be given in each of the .seven districts of the island supervised 

 bv one of the School lusiiectors. 



Three Botanic Stations in a good state nf etticiency havfr 

 existed for some time at different parts of the Gold Coast 

 Colony, West Africa. A new station for the Central Province 

 has lately been established near Cape Coast, and a consider- 

 able area planted with cacao, rubber, and other iiroducts. 

 Large quantities of seeds and plants are distributed from 

 each Station, while valuable instruction is given to native 

 cultivators by the Curators and theii- assistants. 



According to the Sniiulii riaiiitr, the experimental 

 cultivation of belts of citrouella grass along the edges of the 

 great lakes and on the banks of the rivers in Uganda, has 

 given satisfactory results in keeping down the growth of 

 scrub and bush, among which the tse-tse Hy abounds, and 

 under the .shade of which it breeds. The citronella grass 

 grows rapidly, and soon covers the ground. It is stated that 

 neither tse-tse flies nor mosquitos are found on these grass 

 areas. 



Attention is drawn iu the report (1907-8) of the British 

 Consul at Tamsui, Formo.sa, to the enormous benefit that 

 would result to large areas in the island if a proper system of 

 irrigation were established. It is stated that the output of 

 sugar might be increased .sevenfold, so that all llir (|uantity 

 recptired by .Ta[>au could easily be supplied. 'I'he produc- 

 tivity of the present ii<'c area could also be increased from 

 50 to 75 per cent., and an additional lOO.OOO acres brought 

 into cultivation. 



Keferring to the camphor-producing industry of Ceylun 

 thr Planters' .Association of the island report that the old 

 nn'thi)ds nf obtaining this pruducl have been abandoned as 

 being wasteful and uneconnmical. The camphor is distributed 

 thriiughdut the whole .system of the tree, and can therefore be 

 olitaineil from leaves and twigs as well as from the wood of 

 the stem. A niethcid of cultivation which will result in the 

 maximum pindurtinn of leaves :uid twigs is therefore beint; 

 aimed at. 



A letter iji the Wi'xt Iiilln Coinmit/ei' Cirni/ar of 

 October 27 last draws attention to the harmful effects 

 oxerci-sed on the Jamaica orange trade in England by the 

 .shipment, in August and September, of con.signments of inniia- 

 ture fruit of poor quality. This practice, it is stated, has 

 been general with a lunnber of Jamaica orange growers 

 for several years in spite of warnings as to the unwise nature 

 of the policy. The low quality of the early i)roduce 

 prejudices dealers against the bulk of the crop which comes, 

 on la.ter. 



