ToL. VII. Xo. 174. 



THE ACaaCULTURAL NEWS. 



405 



SIR DANIEL MORRIS, K.C.M.G. 



The aucouipanyincj note appeared in the London 

 Timi's of November 7 last : — 



At a recent meeting of the Council of the lioyal Horticul- 

 tural Society, Sir Daniel ]\Iorris, K.O.M.O., late Imperial 

 'Commissioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, was elected 

 by acclamation an honorary life Fellow, in recognition of. his 

 A'aluable services to our Colonial Empire, and especially .to 

 the West Indies, and of his important work in promoting thp. 

 sound financial organization of the Society, when Treasurer 

 from 1887 to 1902. 



We further learn that Sir Daniel has been elected a Vice- 

 President of the West India Cluli, in succession to the late 

 Sir Hdwry M. Jackson, G.C'.^M.G. 



It may be mentioned, too, that at a meeting of. the 

 Dominica Agricultural iz- Commercial Society, held on 

 November 30 last, the following resolution was unani- 

 mously adopted : — 



Whereas Sir Daniel ]kIorris, K.C M.G., retires to-day 

 frurii the position of Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture 

 fur thf West Indies, which he has occupied fur the past ten 

 yeaps, 



And Whereas the Imperial Departnient of Agriculture, 

 organized and directed by him with such conspicuous aliility, 

 has greatly helped in bringing prosperity to the.se agricidtural 

 ootintries. 



Be it resolved, that the Agricultural and Commercial 

 Society of Dominica places on record its admij-ation of his 

 incessant and successful work, and expresses the hope that 

 he may lie long spared to enjoy the rest he has earned by 

 his useful and well-spent official life. 



COFFEE IN PORTO RICO. 



Considerable ettorts are being made by the officials 

 connected with the Agricultural E.x])eriment Station of 

 Porto Rico to improve the conditions under which 

 coffee is grown and prepared in the island. It is hoped 

 to produce an article of such quality as will meet, with 

 a ready demand on the United States market. 



A great number of the best varieties of cotlee ha\'e been 

 brought together at the station from many countries for the 

 purpose of selecting for permanent planting those kinds which 

 yield produce of the best quality. The most promising 

 varieties are being distributed as quickly as possible. 



In the hope of obtaining a better yield, the Experiment 

 Station is conducting a number of manurial trials with fruit 

 trees. A guano, containing a good [jroportion of phosphoric 

 acid, with a smaller percentage of ammonia has been 

 especially benefieial with young coHee plants. 



Numbers of old coffee groves exist in Torto Itico, and 

 the station has for .some years past undertaken some expeii- 

 mental work with the object of .showing how such old planta- 

 tions may best be improved. An area of 10 acres was taken 

 over in 1902 for this purpose. The total crop from the old 

 trees, before any exjieriments were made, amounted to 3,.'387 Bi. 

 ready for market. The co.st of harvesting and marketing the 

 crop was $2-11 per 100 B). After tlie crop had been gathered 

 the 10 acres were divided into a number of plots, and experi- 

 ments in green manuring with leguminous crops, distance 

 test.s, renovation of the trees by cutting them down to stumps 

 to cause new growth, and different methods of cultivation, 

 liave been followed. By the end of 1907, a total of 1,106 

 trees had been removed, and the others trimmed. The 



yield has increased every yea-r, and 4,349 tt). were secured in 

 1906. . - 



• The total cost «f-giUhering smd preparing 100 It), of 

 coffee for market is estimated at $4'33, and the average 

 price obtained for the same amounts to .flO'.SB. The net cost 

 of new plantings of coffi'e to the end of the third year si 

 estimated at_!fS3'70. 



Eroni fifteen to twenty hours are considered sufficient tor 

 the fermentation of coffee in Porto liico, while in some 

 sections, of Central America, as Guatemala, it must be carried 

 on,for two days. Undue prolonging of the fermentation 

 cau.ses a brown colouration , of the parchment and of the .seeds. 



FIBRES FROM THE GOLD COAST. 



Several specimens of fibres from the Gold Coast of 

 Africa have lately .been examined at the Imperial 

 Institute, and a report on the results appears in the 

 Bulletin of the, Institute (No. 3, 1908). Below are, 

 given extracts from those jiortioiis of the report which 

 relate to fibres from plants well known in the West 

 Indies : — 



Samteiiicrmfi/jrc. — .A sample of well-prepared Sansevitria 

 fibre (.probably from S. i/uiiieenxiK) was white, fine, of good 

 lustre, of fairly even diameter, and of good strength. The 

 product was 3 feet 9 inches long. The sample compared very 

 favourably with specimens of Sansevieria fibre sent in to the 

 Imperial Institute from other countries. The fibre was of 

 excellent quality, and suitable for use with the finest Manila 

 henii) ; consignments of similar (juality would be readily sale- 

 able at £60 per ton. ^ . - 



Plantain filife. — The specimen of plantain fibre from 

 the Gold Coast was well-cleaned, brownish-white, and of 

 good lustre. The product was of fair, but very irregular 

 strength, and about 4 feet long. The chemical composition 

 of this fibre showed it to be superior to all other specimens 

 of J//(.s<{,sa/Jje?i.<M;/i previously examined at the Imperial 

 Institute,, and. was regarded by commercial experts as being 

 worth £40 per ton (with good Manila hemp at £38 to £42 

 per ton). 



Banana 'iilivi;. — This sample consisted of lirownish whitt' 

 fibi-e, of good lustre, but uneven diameter, and very irregular 

 strength. The product was about 4 feet long. This fibre 

 was very similar to the preceding sample from the plantain, 

 and the same remarks are applicable to it. Its composition, 

 however, .showed a slightly less percentage of cellulose. The 

 fibre was valued at the rate of £36 per ton (with fair ilanila 

 hemp at £35 to £36 per ton). 



Pine-apple fil'fd- — ^A sample of pine apple libie scut in 

 for report consisted of well-cleaned, soft, white fibre, .some- 

 what lustrous, of good strength, and about 3i feet long. 

 This length of staple is jjerhaps above the average. Pine- 

 apple fibre does not come into the English market in regular 

 quantities, but it might possibly be u.sed as a Hax substitute. 

 The specimen in ipiestion was considered as bein,;; nominally 

 worth £30 per ton. 



Kaj>ah-. — \\;\.\»>\i, as is generally known, consists of the 

 silky hairs which I'livelop the seeds of the tree known in tlie 

 West Indies as tiie 'silk-cotton ' (I'Jriddendron anr'rarfiioxinn). 

 The specimen from tlie Gold Coast was of dull, greyisli- 

 brown colour and good lustre, .soft and silky, but somewhat 

 ' felted,' and not very resilient. 



Kapok is u.sed as an upholstery materia! for stuffing 

 jjurposes, and is worth about 6c/. per lb. if clean and of good 

 colour. The .sample in question, however, was not worth 

 ni'irc than id. per Itj. 



