Vol. XII. No. 29+. 



THE AGUICULTUEAL NEWS. 



249 



Agricultural Affairs in Britisli Honduras. 



Mr. Campbell's Report on the Botanic Station for 

 1911 is practically restricted to the internal activities 

 carried on during the year. There are, however, several 

 facts of general interest worth noting. 



One possible line of development for the colony 

 lies in the direction of cotlee growing. During 

 1910, 12N,8(iiS lb. of this product were imported — a 

 circumsiance which should cause attention to be 

 given to tiie successful results obtained at the Botanic 

 Station in connexion with the cultivation of Liberian 

 coffee plants. Coco-nuts have already become an impor- 

 tant crop in British Honduras, but little attention 

 seems to be paid to clearing bush-growth, to drainage, 

 or to the removal of dead trees. The latter form of 

 neglect i< not unlikely a cause of the continual appear- 

 ance of bud rot. A root and stem disease, and a leaf 

 disease of coco-nuts, are reported. 



During the year under re\ iew, 1,200 Para rubbei- 

 seedlings were sold at the Station, together with 1,532 

 coco-nut plants, -'JdO Castilloa, 200 Liberian coffee, 200 

 various fruit plants, .and 420 ornamental plants. Four 

 hundred and eighty-six new seedling sugar-canes were 

 distributed free. The total rainfall at the Botanic 

 Station for 1911 was 9437 inches. 



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Mutation in Micro-organisms. 



A short time ago, when the full report of the papers 

 read at the Fourth InternationarConference on Genetics 

 was published, an editorial in the Agricidtural News 

 (Vol. XII, No. 287 I was devoted to a review of the results 

 that the report made public. In the article, cousider- 

 able attention was given to the phenomenon known as 

 mutation, but considerations were confined mainly to the 

 higher realms of the plant and animal kingdom. In 

 view of the fact that micro-organisms are — in the 

 words of the Gardener's Clironick (June 28, 1913) — 

 'the unconscious arbiters of the destinies of the world 

 of higher plants and animals' — no excuse is needed for 

 giving prominence to some interesting facts which that 

 iournal publishes in regard to sudden and extraordinary 

 changes which Mr. Clitford Dobell in the Journal of 

 Genetics, Vol. II, No. 4, says these minute forms are 

 capable of undergoing. 



Among bacteria, few have been studied more 

 closely than the series of forms whicii include at one 

 end the 'harmless' — ^or rather, useful — Bacillus coll, 

 and at the other, Bacillus typltosus of typhoid fever. 

 One character which distinguishes these end members, 

 consists in the power possessed by B. coll, and not 

 possessed by B. typhosus, of splitting up lactose 

 (sugar) and thereby forming lactic acid. 



It has been discovered that the middle members 

 of the B. cdli group, which normally lack this power, 

 may suddenly acquire it. What is still more remark- 

 able, not all the cells of the race are able to acquire 

 the new character, and there are indications that the 

 transmission of this capacity proceeds according to the 

 Mendelian idea of segregation. 



Facts like these greatly add to the complexity of 

 pathology, and the particular case in question calls to 

 mind the relation of B. coli to the coco-nut palm. 



j\Iay not, also, the parasitism which apparently induces 

 bud rot have been occasioned by mutation.' If so, 

 activity in the direction of the botanical selection of 

 host resistance might prove to be a possible means for 

 eliminating the organism's harmful characteristics. 



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Synthetic Rubber. 



The India- Rubber Journal (June 28, 1913) con- 

 tains a note to the elfect that the Synthetic Products 

 Co., Ltd., have removed from their smaller works in 

 lissex to a much larger establishment with four and 

 a half acres of land, near King's Lynn. These works, 

 for the present, will be devoted only to the manufac- 

 ture of acetone and fusel oil. When investigations 

 have been completed, they will proceed with synthetic 

 rubber. The first plant for this purpose will be erected 

 at the works in Essex. 



Anyone who may imagine that investigators, and 

 those financially interested in synthetic rubber, have 

 relaxed their energies, will be further interested to 

 know that in the recent issue of patents given in 

 the India Rubber World (July 1, 1913) no less 

 than five have been granted for a 'Caoutchouc- 

 like substance and process of making same' to Herr 

 Hofman and his collaborators in Germany. A sixth 

 German patent for 'Producing rubber-like compounds' 

 has also been issued. 



That synthetic rubber can be satisfactorily pro- 

 duced has for some time been definitely established. 

 Briefly, the process is the conversion of starch into 

 fusel oil, then into alcohol and that into isoprenc, which 

 in turn, is changed into rubber. The most difficult 

 problem, which yet remains to be solved, is the com- 

 mercial one concerning the want of a cheap and abund- 

 ant source of starch. 



The 'West Indies in Canada. 



The new (1913) edition of the booklet entitled the 

 'West Indies in Canada' has just been issued by this 

 Department. The object of the publication, which is 

 distributed gratis at the Toronto National Exhibition, 

 is to help to bring together West Indian and Canadian 

 interests. The new edition is considerably larger than 

 that of last year, and is profusely illustrated. A fresh 

 feature is the insertion of interesting views of each 

 island immediately before the advertisements relating 

 to each, respectively. This helps to advertize the island, 

 to give prominence to the advertisements, and make 

 the section (which has doubled in size) more attractive , 

 in every way. 



Many of the tables of statistics have been extended 

 to include figures for former years. Several interesting 

 developments are thereby brought out, as, for instance, 

 the growth of the Canadian automobile trade and 

 brush and broom trade with the West Indies: whilst on 

 the other side, for example, the quick advance of the fruit 

 industries of these Colonies is equally well demonstrated. 



Apart from its immediate function, the booklet 

 should be of value to schools lor educational purposes. 

 A limited number of copies are available, and may be 

 obtained on application to the Agents of this 

 Department. 



