300 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Sei-tembei: 13, 1913. 



During 1912 13, it is stated in the St. Vincent 

 Government Ga-.tUe (July 16, 1913) that the population of 

 the Colony increased from 13,117 to 4t,-l.U. In the 

 St Lucia Goieimnent Gazette (July -J, 1913) figures are 

 given to show that during the same period the population 

 there increased from 49,205 to 49,963. 



GLEANINGS. 



During July, exceedingly dry weather was experienced 

 in St. Kitts, and this has affected crop prospects very 

 tinfavourably. Climatic conditions improved during August. 



In spite of the adverse weather, the condition of the 

 young cotton crop in Montserrat is regarded as satisfactory. 

 The attacks of cotton stainers appear to have alnio.st 

 entirely abated. 



At a recent meeting of the Board of Agriculture of Trini- 

 dad and Tobago (July 18, 1913), the Mycologist made 

 a report in regard to the beneficial action derived from spray- 

 ing coco-nut trees for bud rot 



The successful development of the scheme for training 

 agricultural pupils at Dominica is evidenced by the keen 

 competition for the recent vacancies. Three new pupils 

 •were selected on probation out of seventeen competitors. 



An article in the Journal of the ■Tain'xi'-i Agi'icaltuial 

 Society (July 1913) dtals with the subject of a college of 

 tropical agriculture. The object of the article is to show that 

 -Jamaica has as good, if not a better claim as regards site 

 than either Trinidad or Ceylon. 



As well as an ordinary collection of exhibits, the 

 Antigua Agricultural Department has recently forwarded to 

 the Toronto Exhibition a collection comprising perishable 

 produce and decorative material as supplementary to the 

 specimens of the staple products of the island sent earlier 



According to Tro/'kal Life (July 1913) the recently 

 published book on Elementary Tropical Agriculture, by 

 TV. H. Johnson, F.L.S., Director of Agriculture, Southern 

 Nigeria, is reliable, concise, and full of much information 

 wliich will be found useful for purpo.ses of reference. 



According to the Demerara Bail ij Chronicle Mail 

 Edition (August 1, 1913) the weather conditions, in Berbice 

 particularly, remain very erratic. Very little rice has been 

 planted, and the outlook is not particularly pleasing, in 

 Demerara, weather conditions have been more favourable. 



It is stated in the Journal d'Agriculture Tropicale 

 (June 30, 1913) that the largest English firm of sosp makers 

 has obtained from the Belgium Government a concession of 

 land in the Congo for producing palm oil, amounting to 

 750,000 hectares. The oil will be extracted in Africa 

 4)efore being exported to Europe. 



Unusually heavy imports of .sugar were made from .Java 

 into Japan during lill2,- principally in order to make good 

 the reduced supply from Formosa, occasioned by the 

 disastrous typhoon, which laiil waste many acres of sugar- 

 cane there. {iJiplo.nnlic and Cnhxulm- lieiiorts. No. 5170, 

 Annual Series.) 



A leading article in the Pm-t-of- Spain Gazette (August 2, 

 1913) calls attention to the desirability of more stringent 

 regulation in regard to the destruction of forests in Trinidad. 

 There appears to be some foundation for the belief that the 

 recent sequence of droughts has been partly occasioned 

 by deforestation. 



According to the Official Bulletin of the Republic of 

 the United States of Brazil (July 20, 1913), action is 

 being taken to construct reservoirs at Ceara and elsewhere 

 with a view to combating the drought which so often occurs 

 in that State in spite of the fact that half of the territory 

 is bathed by the Jaguribe liiver. 



According to the Pmduce Market Renew (August 9, 

 1913) there has been in London, a more plentiful supply of 

 oranges from the Cape, West Indies and Italy, which have 

 been sold at lower rates. A further consignment of 

 Transvaal oranges has been disposed of, both the quality 

 and condition being exceptionally good. 



The largest living lizard is referred to in The Field 

 for July 12, 1913. It has been observed in the Malay 

 Archipelago. In length it measures 7 feet. It has been deter- 

 mined by a zoologist in Java as a new species the name of 

 which is Varamis roniodenxis. It differs from the I'aranns 

 gigantitis in its brown, less pointed snout and shorter tail. 



Information is presented in the Demerara Daili/ Argosi/^ 

 Mail hJdition (August) 2, 1913) to the effect that the manu- 

 facture of citrate of lime is to be resumed in the Colony. It 

 is also stated that the lioard of Agriculture in May last 

 decided to ask the Combined Court to vote a sum not exceed- 

 ing $5,000 for the erection and equipment of the factory. 



The amount of wattle bark exported from Natal during 

 1912, was 7 per cent, greater in quantity, though 2 per cent, 

 less in value than that shipped in 191 1. It is said that the 

 present year's prices do not adequately remunerate the grow- 

 ers, and there has been some movement towards reducing the 

 acreage under these tanning-producing trees. {The Board 'if 

 Trade Journal, July 31, 1913.) 



A root of Ipomoea (of the sweet potato family) is des- 

 cribed in the Annals of 'Tropical Medicim and Paranitologi/ 

 (July 10, 1913). In Rhodesia, it is a native remedy for 

 a disease known <is Ghilatera, which has erroneously been 

 confounded with sleeping sickness. The root possesses 

 a powerful cathartic and emetic action, but so far the identity 

 of the active drug has not been determined with certainty. 



