Vol. XIV. No. 351. 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



325 



the proceeds of the sal plus mesh wire lefl over 



is complel 

 [I reemei 



i ,- . 



estim ited. 



' ■ 

 nuin'i . : 3,320. The following are the 



, |i Trinidad, B irbados, 



St. I . i - ■. Halifax, St. John. It was 



the months of Februarj and March were by tar the 



remunerative for sale in the New York market. 



Whereas the New York market was found highly satisfactory, 



the same is not said con n Canadian market, one 



complaint being thai the Association was not forwarded the 



ds of sale for a very long time. On the other hand, it 



is pointed '"it that shipments to < 'anada were made at a later 



those i" other points. 



In regard to the island markets, the results were, on the 

 wle>le, satisfactory, but marketing the onions, especially in 

 the smaller West Indian islands, entails a great deal more 

 trouble and requires more forethought than does the larger 

 market of New York. The -\ stem of fortnightly cables 

 regarding the onion market in Trinidad and Barbados has 

 maintained and acknowledgement is due to the 

 ■ Association's representatives in those two colonies for the 

 assist ince they have rendered. 



Notwithstanding this, however, on more than one 

 occasion the Association was a loser by onions being shipped 

 to Barbados by producers outside the Association, and to 

 firms other than the Association's representatives. The 

 results were seen in the two lots of onions being marketed 

 one against the other to thedetriment of both the Association 

 and tl; shippers. 



In relation to details of working, the entire season lasted 

 tor ten weeks, namely from February 15 to April "24. The 

 average number of hands employed including two overseers 

 was twentj eight, and the maximum thirty-nine. Each week 

 details of working were laid before and considered by the 

 Executive t iommittee. 



The report concludes with a statement of appreciation 

 in regard to the part played by the Agricultural Department 

 during the year's work. The secretarial duties and the 

 supervision of financial arrangements were performed by 

 Dr. Tempany, Superintendent of Agriculture for the Leeward 

 Islands, while the actual work of the onion house was carried 

 out under the constant supervision and attention of Mr. 

 Jackson, Curator of the Botanic Station. The report states 



lh I M Tempany and Mr. Jackson maintained the 



closest touch with the whole of the details of the work, and 

 4hat it is desired to place on record that without their assist 

 ance it would not have been possible to carry the season's work 

 through to a. successful .conclusion. Reference is made also 

 to the useful nature of the pamphlet entitled Onion Culti- 

 vation recently prepared by Mr. Jackson and published by 



the Imperial Depat at of Agriculture for the West Indies. 



At the end of the report a summary is given of the 

 advantages which accrue from participating in the work of 

 the Association: (1) planters are in the first place assured 



1 9 n bout delay a price which 

 will permit of the produce being grown at a reasonable 

 margin of profit; (2) planters I fr any anxiety 



ponsibility in regard to marketing matters; (3) the 



I packing and exporting establishment secures a much 

 higher level of quality for the produce exported: (4) the 



nation facilitates the collection of information relative 

 irket prices, ami the standardization of the industry 



! contracts and orders to 1 btained and filled to 



much greater advantage than heretofore. 



TOMATOES AND MANURE. 

 A note on acclimatizing the pica 



givenirj ssue of this Journal. The follow- 



ing taken iron, 1 1 Brsf ( Philippine 



Agricultv/rist ai ' 1915), concerns man- 



uring experiments .i'li this plant: — 



Nitrogen is required bj ito for the formation of 



leaves and stems. I : , oi this elemi at mustl i' itt 



r thai a sufficiently strong stem maj beformed to support 

 the large fruits, and that the foliage may develop to such an 

 extent a- to enable the plant to carry on its normal function*, 

 of lite without check. Too much nitrogen, however, is uot. 

 advisable, doe to its tendency to encourage excessive growth of 

 it the expense ol fruit. 



Phosphorus is necessary maiiih for the production of 

 .and is also an important constituent of the cell proto- 

 plasm. 



Potash is present in all parts of the plant. It has an 

 important role in plant assimilation, and is the principal 

 component of protoplasm. It is essential to the formal ion of 

 the acid. in the tomato fruits, and its existence in abundant- 

 quantity in the soil is essential to success in tomato culture. 



Carabao dung [equivalenl to cattle manure] is the most 

 satisfactory of all fertilizers used, from many standpoints. 



It near!) doubles the total yield of the tomatoes, increases 

 the yield in marketable fruits, and compares favourably with 

 the more expensive forms of commercial fertilizers in hasten- 

 ing the maturity of the fruits. 



It has the propi ol holding moisture in the soil. This. 



may be taken as one of the reasons for the success with 

 carabao dung in fertilizing the tomato, which is to some 

 ut a plant of the dry season. 



There is no danger in overdosing the plants by its use; 

 pi fact, the greatet tin application, the better the result is 

 pkely to be. 



Carabao dung is commonly allowed to go to waste in 

 this country and therefore can be had for practically nothing. 



Many forms of commercial salts are unsatisfactory, and 

 even dangerous, for usi as fertilizers with the tomato plant. 

 The tomato being a planl for the dry season, overdosing the 

 plants will be disastrous: and it is" hard to determine in an 

 excessively dry season just what quantity will be safe. The 

 danger may be minimized by making use of a generous 

 supply of irrigation water: 1 ut a too abundant supply of 

 water is just as fatal to the tomato plant (see experiment on 

 irrigation). It will, therefore, be advisable to use commercial 

 salts sparingly as fertilizers. The deficiency of plant food in 

 the soil may in the ease of the tomato be supplied with 

 organic manures. 



Liming is beneficial to th tomato; it increases the yield, 

 both total and marketable, being second only to carabao dung 

 in influencing the plants to yield a bigger crop. It also 

 compares quite favourably with other fertilizers in hastening 

 the maturity of the fruits. The only po ibl objection to 

 its use is that it appears I i have a tendency to decrease the 

 size of the fruits. It- use should not be continuous on the 



same ground. 



The fertilizers that have ;1 tendency to hasten the 

 maturity of the fruits are: Chloride of potash, alone, or in 

 - ombination with nitrate of sod i dung, and lime. 



Chloride o po in c bination with single superphos- 

 phate, increases the growth of the t ito plants more than 



does any other fertilizer or combination of fertilizers. 



