Vol. XVII. No, 430. 



THE AGRICULTtTRAL NEWS. 



327 



or size of the nuts, or to its suitability to the kind of 

 soil the seedling is to grow on, appears to me to be a 

 singularly unwise proceeding. It is hoped to get a palm 

 yielding crops of nuts from its seventh to its fiftieth or 

 sixtieth year— a permanent investment — and yet the planting 

 is done in a manner which cannot be regarded as less com- 

 mercially unsound than investing capital in a risky business 

 yielding less than 1 per cent, per annum. . . . 



Our experience during the twenty-one years under re- 

 view has, I consider, conclusively proved that coco-nuts are 

 suitable for cultivation over large areas in the lowlands of 

 the colony; that local varieties of coco nuts yield very heavy 

 crops of medium-sized nuts on relatively heavy clay soils on 

 the coastlands, whilst on lighter lands similar varieties 

 produce much larger-sized nuts; that there can be no doubt 

 that the colony is emphatically a coco nut land, and that, 

 aa such, there are in it practically unlimited areas of land 

 very suitable and readily available for coco-nut cultivation. 



TEE BARBADOS-ANTIGUA EXPEDITION 



FROM THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF 



IOWA, 



The following article by Prcfes.-or Nutting, who was in 

 charge of the expedition, appeared in Srn'/u-e, September 6, 



The Barbados-Antigua Expedition from the State 

 University of Iowa returned to New York on August 1, 

 with all its members in good health, and without mishap of 

 any kind. 



There are nineteen persons in the party, nearly all of 

 them instructors or graduate students from the State Univer- 

 sity of Iowa. Their object was not only to secure collections 

 in marine zoology, entomology, and geology from a region in 

 which little work had hitherto been done; but also to study 

 the living forms in and around the islands visited, snd thus 

 supplement the future more intensive woik based on the 

 collections secured. 



In both Barbados and Antigua the colonial authorities 

 provided excellent quarters for the party, atd adequate labor- 

 atory facilities in government buildings, and both official.s and 

 private citizens aided the tnterprise in every possible way. 



At Barbados dredging ' was accomplished at about one 

 hundred stations, working down to over 1-50 fathoms, this 

 was rendered possible by the use of a fully equipped 

 27-foot launch provided by Mr. Juhn B. Henderson, of 

 Washington, who accompanied the expedition, and who will 

 report on the collections of Mollusca, of which many new or 

 rare forms were taken. 



Practically all species taken with the dredge or tangle.'* 

 will provide new locality records i stending the known geo- 

 graphical range. The fauna, while not so rich as that ot the 

 western end of the Antillean chain, or the continental shelf of 

 the Florida Keys, is of remarkable interest from a distribu- 

 tional standpoint, while a number of new forms will interest 

 ibe .systematist. The apparent scarcity of certain groups 

 abundant in the western parts of the West Indies, such 

 as the Asteroidea, was something of a surprise. As i~ 

 usually the case in a region of growing corals, the 

 C'j'lenterate fauna was most conspicuous, but there seemed to 

 be a remarkable scarcity of medusae. Indeed the pelagic 

 fauna was rather poor. 



Shallow water forms, on the contrary, were remarkably 

 abundant and interesting, furnishing ample material for 

 laboratory work and .study of ior:as in situ. Sonin proba 



ably new forms of actinians and sorals were secured. 

 Balanoglossus was found in the sand near our laboratory on 

 Pelican Island. 



By employing a native diver many .species were secured 

 at depths from .'^ to 9 fathoms. Some remarkably 6ne 

 corals and alcyonarians were thus obtained. The use of 

 fish-pots and native fishermen resulted in a fairly complete 

 set of reef fisbes"which would not otherwise have been secur- 

 ed. Very few deep-water fishes were taken, 



Manygorgeouslycoloured coraatulics were dredged, butthe 

 pentacrinoids were represented by but a single Pihizocrinus. 

 The serpent stars were, as usual, very abundant, and a num- 

 ber of simple armed basket-fish were found. Crustacea were, 

 of course, particularly numerous, perhaps the most interesting 

 being small macrourans secured by breaking up old coral 

 heads. 



At Antigua the party was given quarters at the old dock- 

 yard at English Harbour, a formidable naval base in Nelson's 

 time. Here the conditions were entirely different from those 

 at Barbados The trade-winds were so strong and constant 

 during our stay that little dredging could be accomplish- 

 ed, and the entire time was devoted to shallow-water forms in 

 English Harbour, Falmouth Harbour, and Willoughby Bay. 

 These waters were over mud bottoms; the shores, however, 

 being varied in the form of mud flat.s, mangrove swamps, 

 sand beache.', and rocky shores. Here were found a veritable 

 wealth and variety of auualic forms, a great majority being 

 difterent from those secured at Barbados. 



TuW-dwelling worms, some of great size and beauty, 

 were perhaps the most striking feature; tunicates and 

 holothurians coming next in point of abundance both in 

 individuals and species. Among the Mollusca, a great quantity 

 of beautiful Murices were collected oti" the sea wall, where 

 they seemed to be devouring the soft parts of a bivalve 

 (Perna) that was attached in great quantities near high-water 

 mark. A very large Ch^etopod, called locally 'sea scorpion', 

 was found to bore through a heavy Livona shell, making a 

 hole as smooth as a drill. 



Large and wonderfully beautiful anemones of several 

 species were abundant, particularly in Falmouth Harbour, 

 as well as the finest colonies of Pennaria that I have ever 

 .seen. The Ecliinoidea were well represented, mostly by 

 well-known forms. 



One small spatongoid was found to live buried from 6 

 to 1 2 inches under the sand. Among the Crustacea, 

 a very large land-crab, with orange brown carapace and 

 puiple and white chelae, was perhaps the most striking form. 



At both Barbados and Antigua extensive collections 

 were made in the field of geology by Professor A, ( V Thomas. 

 Mr. Henderson made a practically complete collection of 

 land mullusks, while Mr. and .Mrs. Dayton Stoner did faith- 

 ful and successful work in the entomological field in which 

 they were very materially aided by both the local and 

 Imperial Departments of Agricultu.'e. The field of botany 

 had no professional representative in the expedition: but 

 considerable collecting and field work was done bv Mr. Willb 

 Nutting. A fine series of two species of bats wai> secured 

 at Antigua. 



As already indicated, Mr. John H. Henderson will 

 report on the Mollusca. The reef fishes will be reported on 

 by Dr. Barton W. Kverinann. Professor W. K Fisher will 

 attend to the Asteroiiiei and Holothoroidea. while the writer 

 will probably report on the Hydroida and Aley'inaria. The 

 other groups have not as yet been assigned. 



A large series of excellent photographs, including 

 moving picture films was .secured by Mr. Maurice Ricker 

 o'Moial photographer rf the expedition 



