2st 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 30, 1913. 



Dealing with the subject of the cultivation of coco nuts, 

 the .Journal of tin- Jamaica Ayririiltural S"ci'lii emphasizes 

 the facts that care must be taken not to plant too close nor 

 pick immature nuts for market; whilst the seedling must be 

 provided with a good large hole, and growth and develop- 

 ment must be accompanied by systematic cultivation and 

 proper methods of sanitation. 



GLEANINGS. 



In Antigua, during .July, a considerable 

 nursery work was carried out in connexion with 

 of forest and other trees. 



amount of 

 the raising 



In St. Kitts, the reaping of the old cane crop was 

 finished in the Basseterre district by the end of July, but in 

 the northern district the estates were said not to be so well 



advanced owing to labour troubles 



The condition of the lime crop in Dominica is stated 

 to be normal, but late. The rainfall during the month 

 (.July) at the Botanic Garden was 754 inches. The heaviest 

 precipitation occurred on .July 31, when I'i 1 inches of 

 rain fell. 



The prospects of the cacao crop in St. Lucia are, on the 

 whole, good. The lime crop is also in a satisfactory con- 

 dition. Crushing has been begun, but the completion of 

 the lime factory awaits the arrival of tliat porbion of the 

 plant ordered in England. 



The Curator of the Exjperiment Station, Tortola, has 

 forwarded a list of articles sent from the Virgin Lslands to 

 the National Exhibition held at Toronto Tliese include 

 principally specimens of cacao, cotton, sugar and starches. 

 Articles of fancy work were also forwarded. 



It is stated in the Cuba Bei'i'-iv {,Ju\y 1913), that Pro- 

 fessor East, of Harvard, has succeeded in producing a hybrid 

 tobacco by crossing Sumatra and Havana varieties, which 

 yields a much larger percentage of smoking material of 

 better quality than either of the.se two produces by itself. 



A note in the Wfstminster Gazette (July 8, 1913) calls 

 attention to the fact that, until five years ago the banana was 

 scarcely known in Germany. Today, it has become an 

 article of ordinary diet. The largest firm in I >u8seldorf sells 

 about 600 bunches per week in the winter, and from 800 to 

 1,000 in summer. 



The leading article in the Port of -Spain Gazette 

 (August 3, 1913) deals with the subject of the proposed 

 College of Tropical Agriculture for Trinidad, Reference is 

 made to the recent meeting in London (already noticed in 

 this journal), and sympathetic agreement is expressed with 

 the views put forward by'the chief speakers. 



According to the Grenada Goivrnmeiif Ga-.efte (July 1.5, 

 191 o), a considerable increase has occurred in regard to the 

 value of the total quantity of cacao exported from that 

 island during the six months ended June 1913, compared 

 with the corresponding months in the year 1912. An 

 increase is also shown in the case of cotton, though the 

 quantity shipped during the 1913 period was less than that 

 exported during the same term for 1912. The value of th& 

 spices exported has also increased. 



A traveller in Louisiana — according to the Re>ieic of 

 Economic Entomology —sa.)ii the best way to get rid of 

 mosquitoes is to take a piece of camphor about one third the 

 size of a hen's egg, place it in a tin and hang it over ar» 

 ordinary oil lamp. Care must be taken, of course, that the 

 camphor does not take fire. The vapour is said to have 

 effectively prevented mosquitoes from entering the house, even 

 when the windows were opened. The only disadvantage to 

 this procedure, it may be added, in the West Indies, is that 

 camphor costs (retail) some 6.s. per lb. 



The attention of those interested in soya beans maj- be 

 directed to a comprehensive account of the cultivation and 

 utilization of this crop published in the Annual Report 

 (1911) of the Trades Commissioner for the Union of South 

 Africa In this it is stated, that at the (Government Experi- 

 mental Farm in South Africa, over eighty varieties have been 

 tested, and as high as "2,000 Hi. per acre was recorded, 

 whilst in many instances, the yield was well over 1,000 %. 

 per acre. In Manchuria, where this crop is grown chiefly, 

 the yield per acre is from 1.100 to 1,600 lb. 



The Dominica Governaient (jazetie (August S, 1913} 

 contains an article written by Dr. H. A. Alford Nicholls, 

 CM G., on the subject of hurricanes. As is pointed out, 

 a circumstance to be borne in mind is that, although meteoro- 

 logical intelligence is forwarded to the West Indian islandsi 

 by cable, this is usually available — particularly in Dominica — - 

 only to those living in the immediate vicinity of the port. 

 Hence the information which is contained in the article 

 referred to should receive the careful attention of those 

 living away from the town, though it is hoped that there 

 will be no opportunity for readers to test the information 

 in person. 



A correspondent to the Agricultural Gazette of A'etr 

 South H'a/ts (June 1913) makes the following useful 

 suggestion in regard to supplying lime to cows: This 

 consists in occasionally feeding the animals with pulverized 

 bone or bone meal mixed with a liquid bran mash. Another 

 method is to cause the animals to lick bran and salt with 

 which the bone meal is mixed. Care must be taken to see 

 that the bone meal is obtained from a reliable source, so that 

 there will not be any possibility of introducing disease, for 

 instance, tuberculosis (see Agricullural News, Vol. .MI,, 

 p. 165). The planter might take extra precaution by pouring 

 boiling water on the bone meal before use. 



