328 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



October 11, 1913. 



EDITORIAL NOTICES. 



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 Bpeciinens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Impei-ial 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: Advocate Co., Ltd., Broad St., 

 Bridgetown. London Agents: Messrs. Dulau & Co., 

 S7, Soho Square, W. Tho complete list of Agents 

 will be found on page 3 of the cover. 



The Agricultural News : Price IcZ. per number, 

 post free Id. Annual subscription payable to Agents, 

 "Ss. 2</. Post free, 4s. M. 



^igricultiiriil l^ltiuH 



Vol. XII. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11. 1913. No. 299. 



"NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The editorial in this number comprises a review 

 of a recent work on the fermentation of cacao. 



On page :52o, will be found an article containing 

 suggestions in regard to the action that should be 

 taken by growers of nlantation Para rubber, in view of 

 the likely over-production which will occur in a few 

 years time. 



Under the geneml heading of Sugar Industry, on 

 page 32."), will be found an article reviewing recent 

 ■work on the clarification of cane juice by electricity. 

 Suggestions as regards future investigation are given. 



( )n page 327, will be found an article dealing with 

 the mechanical extractidn of rubber. Particular atten- 

 tion is gi\en in this article to the possibility of employ- 

 ing a machine in connexion with Gastilloa elastica. 



A note and lonnnent on this page deals with an 

 interesting aspect in regard to the ett'eot of the Keci- 

 procity Agreement between the West Indies and 

 t'anada. 



Insect Notes, on page 330, contain several articles 

 of much general interest. 



Four articles are given on page 335 in this issue, 

 dealing with Soil Investigations. 



An account of some interesting Japanese work 

 will be found under Fungus Notes, on page 334. 



Exports from West Indies to Canada, 1912-13. 



t )wing to the fact that l!tl2-i:! covers the last 

 trading period |)revious to the coming into operation 

 of the Canada West India Reciprocity Agreement, the 

 Canadii West India Magazine (August 1913) has 

 reviewed at considerable length a recent Canadian 

 Report on the trade between the two countries for 

 that year. It is" stated in the article, that the report 

 can be regarded as a suitable standard by w hich all 

 future trade operations can be ganged and the success 

 of the Agreement measured. We hardly think so. 

 As -Mr. ilousir, the writer of the review himself points 

 Out, there was a considerable decrease in the trade 

 during 1912-13, occasioned principally by the occurrence 

 of severe droughts in the West Indies. There was an 

 actual drop in value of West Indian exports to Canada 

 amounting to §^1,128,000 and of Canadian exports to> 

 the West Indies, of .?1 13,000. 



Care must be taken in attributing any improve- 

 ment which may take place this 3"ear to the effects of 

 the Agreement unless the climatic conditions in the 

 West Indies are the same as last year. 



Only under such conditions will it be possible to 

 gauge at all definitely any beneficial influence that- 

 may accrue from the reciprocity arrangement in 

 regard to total trade, though of course the ratio- 

 between West Indian trade with the United States 

 and Canada is another matter 



The Future of Tropical America. 



Profusely illustrated with most excellent photo- 

 graphs and containing a detailed account of the agricul- 

 tural and social conilitions in the tropical states of 

 America and in the West Indies, the publication of the 

 Tropical Exploitation Syndicate, Limited, bearing the 

 above title, should prove both attractive and useful to 

 those who contemplate investing capital in Central 

 America. 



For purposes' of description, the countries are 

 divided into four groups. The fourth group includes 

 Trinidad. In connexion with this fact it may be noted 

 that a further series of articles on the West Indian 

 Islands is now in course of preparation. At the end 

 of the publication an account is given of the systems of 

 cultivation of coco-nuts, cacao, coffee, limes, sugar, 

 bananas, and pine-apples. 



The only disappointing feature of the publication 

 is that the title leads one to expect that something- 

 definite will be s&id concerning the opportunities 

 and scope for capital and labour in the dift'erent 

 countries dealt with. The main theme is that the 

 Panama Canal will entirely transform Central America 

 from the economic'point of view. On this subject the 

 writer of the publication offers some very soul- stirring 

 remarks, of which the following is a specimen: 'Here 

 are a number of countries among the richest in the 

 world in mineral wealth, in soil and in natural 

 products, which have until now, been more or less cufc 

 off" from the markets of civilization. At present Asia 

 is practically closed to the exports ot these countries 

 - — by sea, by the long and dangerous passage, marked 

 by thousands of shipwrecks, round Cape Horn, ana by 



