Vol. XII. N^o 282. 



THE AGRICULTLTRAL NEWS. 



51 



It would appear that careful i;onsideration and an 

 appreciation of the need of expanding the idea beyond 

 the limited range of an agricultur.il college are the cir- 

 cumstances that have led The Thifss to refer to the 

 need for a Tropical I^niversity, and this is the direc- 

 tion in which the greatest usefulness as well as the 

 greatest chances of success are to be sought. 



The question at once arises: If this is the need, 

 how is it to be met and how is provision to be made for 

 it.' Having regard to its wide aspect, it appears to go 

 beyond the scope of any particular colony, so that it 

 would appear reasonable to make the appeal for support 

 to the large public interested in Tropical Agriculture 

 and particularly to those who are concerned with West 

 Indian affairs or with those industries which find 

 exposition in the West Indies, sd that knowledge 

 respecting them may be increased not only for the 

 benefit of the West Indies but in regard to those indus- 

 tries wherever carried on. Appeal may also be made 

 to those responsible for the training of, and those under- 

 taking the em])loyment of. men reijuired for the carrying 

 on of the multitudinous tropical industries, as well as 

 to those responsible for the training and for the employ- 

 meat of the expert scientific advisers mentioned already. 

 This appeal should no doubt in the first instance be 

 addressed to the large public interested in these affairs; 

 and when it is assured that a real public interest and 

 desire for action with offers of support have been made 

 evident, then appeal may be made for Government 

 recognition and assistance. 



The importance of the subject, the necessity of 

 the object, and the fixct that the proposals for a Trop- 

 ical Agricultural University are now being so definitely 

 discussed, are all causing the matter to become 

 a concern of the Imperial Department of Agriculture; 

 and incidentally the publications of this department 

 will now be made specially a means of assisting the 

 preliminaries of establishment, and of disseminating 

 the information as to methods and progress, that will 

 be needed by those interested actively in the founda- 

 tion of such a University. 



SUGAR TRADE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, 



1912. 



The following figures giving the imports and 

 exports of sugar, expressed as the nearest ton, into and 

 fniii the I'nited Kingdom in 1912. are taken from the 

 Internal I onaL Sugar Journal for January VM'A. For 

 purposes of comparison the quantities of 1911, taken 

 from the same source, are also included: — 



Total Imports 1,915,530 26,013,367 2,055,654 27,265,817 



KXI'OKTS. 



29,759 525,170 28,576 439,885 



A summary of the details given concerning the 

 exports of foreign and colonial sugars may be presented 

 as follows: The total of svich exports during 1912 was 

 43,848 tons, value £71(j,(i70, as compared with 37,163 

 tons, value .£o.-,2,290, in 1911. 



